Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

  Since I came to live in Newcastle NSW (Australia) in 1999, the city has changed... architecture alone has changed the look of Newcastle.  As I walked by the old newspaper building , I was a bit sad to see a crane lifting materials for the apartments being built behind the facade of the original building. It wasn't just that the old building is no longer, it is that the local newspaper has changed too - no local office, printed elsewhere electronically. Yet I felt happy that at least the building will become "home" to many people  and that its history won't be lost.  Last week, I also captured this shot of an old 1823 building reflected in the new City of Newcastle administration building. While the new building will be spectacular as it is, I really liked the idea of the past being reflected in its shiny glass exterior.   There are some really amazing buildings which have appeared in Newcastle in the last few years.  The University of Ne...

The team at Tag Tuesday choose the most interesting themes for our fortnightly tag challenge- Landmarks was chosen by Wendy from the design team, and when you see her two fantastic tags, you will see how I was inspired by them.  My tag is made using a technique I  learnt just last weekend, so I wanted to practise. The background is created by dry brushing three colours of acrylic paint on art paper, in this case, I used watercolour paper. Then, when the background is dry, with a fine rigger brush and white pigmented ink, I painted the outline of what I hope are recognisable representations of  landmarks - the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I added an Australian postage stamp, just in case there was any doubt. Although I don't live in Sydney, Newcastle is the nearest biggest regional city in NSW and only 168 km away, so these landmarks are almost local!  Please pop over to Tag Tuesday to see the other  tags submitted for this challenge - t...

" Welcome to Maitland in the beautiful Hunter Valley. Maitland is made up of a patchwork of places, townships, colourful communities and immense history. As you explore the various destinations on offer you will notice the uniqueness and warmth which makes Maitland, Hunter Valley the wonderful area it is... . "  This is what  is written for tourists to Maitland, but nothing is said of  its art culture.  I had a wonderful day in Maitland last Sunday. The Hunter Art Bazaar had its annual Winter event in the grounds of the Maitland Regional Art Gallery. With over 70 stalls of high quality hand made creations, the bazaar was such a stimulating and inspiring experience. I particularly loved the colourful fibre and felt wearables and was drawn to the outstanding quality silver jewellery and handcrafted silver art pieces - so much artistic talent in one place!  photos courtesy of Bobbi Oliver  It is always such  a great opportunity to catch up w...

Gundaroo NSW : Sally Paskins Store  Gundaroo, a village about 35km north of Canberra, takes you back in time. Most of the buildings  in the main street of the village are typical of 19th century Australia  - slab huts, wattle and daub, stone and local brick. What a delightful place! Although I lived in Canberra  for over three years, I am embarrassed to admit that I only discovered Gundaroo last week while attending a family wedding.  There are  a few arty places in Gundaroo, but I really liked the work of Leanne Percival of Clayhouse   and so Clayhouse becomes Arty Place #10 ( most likely the last arty place in this series for 2012).   I really like Clayhouse pottery ... I think there is an appealing simplicity and a  trendy cleanness  about the shapes and patterns in a "happy" colour range.  C layhouse is very much at home in Sally Paskins Store, a  slab hut,    built in 1886  wit...

The tourist brochure claims that "Magic Happens ..." in the Jenolan Caves in the Blue Mountains (180 km from Sydney, NSW).  It was truly Christmas Magic last weekend at the annual  Carols in the Caves concert.  We started from Newcastle at 6am, but it was worth the long bus trip there. It was a cool invigorating day, and we enjoyed the amazing vistas on the way, having lunch in the courtyard of the iconic Caves House as well as the beautiful carol singing. It brought out the "child" in everyone... Angels and bright stars appeared from nowhere in cave grottoes...  Shepherds watched their flocks under the cave canopies... Like any show, there were times when the drama is backstage ... how many men does it take to organise a star's wardrobe when the costumes fall from the back of a truck inside the Grand Archway of the Jenolan Caves?  Yes, this is my husband Jim helping ... he just happened to be there!  Ably compered by Peter Vickery o...

Who could resist this welcoming sign? I was told that this was the place with great coffee and scones but the recommendation didn’t mention the wonderful surprising bonus - the ART! I visited this really inviting, appealing, quirky and interesting art space last week - David Mahony Art Gallery and Coffee House - in Sandy Hollow on the Golden Highway Upper Hunter Valley, New South Wales. Here are some facts about Sandy Hollow • Village on the Golden Highway bordering Wollemi National Park • Overshadowed by the dramatic sandstone hills of the Giant’s Leap • 255 km north of Sydney, population 140 Sandy Hollow was originally a campsite for travellers at the junction of the Goulburn River Valley and Halls Creek. The surrounding area was settled by pioneering graziers in the 1820s. The town achieved a brief moment of fame when Captain Thunderbolt, the bushranger, held up the Denman-Merriwa mail service in the 1860s. The tourist website blurb does not mention David Mahony’s sculptu...