art safari

Dear Olive,
Sometimes I wonder why we live in a city. We pay all the exorbitant prices for housing and food, put up with the worlds most dreadful traffic and parking situations, yet we don't really take enough advantage of all the great things living in this city has to offer. Instead, we seem to treat Bondi something like a remote island, contentedly hanging around within its safe, familiar borders. So when my friend Susie offered us a couple of tickets to come along on an art safari, we immediately said yes. I'm so glad we did - it was so fun! You seem to really need these structured activities in your life at the moment; you certainly get a lot out of them anyway. We brought your cousin Poppy along with us and the two of you had a ball (you pretended to be sisters which was really sweet - there was a lot of hand holding). The class is run with just a small group of kids and there was a story, a gallery tour with hands on activities, and a craft session - all designed to get you thinking and talking about modern art. You enjoyed all of it, but YOU LOVE CRAFT. I can pretty much guarantee that you will always be the last kid standing at the craft table, and yes, this time, ever so predictably, the rest of the class had left the room and the teacher was packing up around us, as you finished off your picture. 
I really need to remember to get us off the island more often.
(For Sydney people, March is bring a friend for free month! See here for a listing of all the classes - there's lots of different classes for kids of all ages.)
PS You made the monster picture.

On The Wall

Dear Olive,
In between some furniture, we made the sweetest/cheekiest discovery. It's such a masterpiece I don't want to wash it off.

PS I moved your room around. I'll send our resident set decorator in to pretty it up and post some photos once he's done.

Inside the Artists Studio

Dear Olive,
You are so lucky to have a friend like Mel. She lets you into her studio, she lets you use her paints, and she calls you an artist.
(See Mels own work here and here.)

PS Mel drew a cat on the canvas, and you painted it in.

Waiting For Frames

Dear Olive,
1. vintage french book illustration
2. & 3. Seventy Tree goodies.
4. sweet dots from etsy.
Happy weekend everyone!

Melanie Waugh, Artist

Dear Olive,
In a bit over a week, one of my best friends is having a big exhibition of her paintings. It's going to be amazing! I know this for sure, because you and I visited her studio a couple of weeks ago and saw her incredible work first hand. I first met Mel way back when she was at art school, and it's always been her use of colour and her brush strokes that make her work so extraordinary to my untrained eye. Mel's been working on this show while she's been the resident artist at australia square and it's inspired by her time in the Caribbean. I'm pretty sure the show will be another sell out.
(You can read an interview with Mel here. And see more of her work on her blog. Exhibition details are: Opening 6:00pm Tuesday 6 March, Australia Square Foyer, Corner of George & Bond St's Sydney. Come along if you're in Sydney! And if you're not, well unlucky for you.)

Last Night

Dear Olive,
We came. We saw. We purchased. Do you think we can call ourselves art collectors now?

It's Arrived!

Dear Olive,


Say hello to our marvellous new painting! Found on our doorstep this morning, a gift from my most amazing friend Mel. I love the scene and as usual, the way she's worked with colour is extraordinary. We love it so much Mel, thank you xx. (See more of Mel's beautiful work here.)

Budgies

Dear Olive,


Last night we went to the opening of our wonderfully talented friends new exhibition. Meet Jimmy, Mrs Plume and Terry. If you think they look superb in this size, you should get down to the gallery to fully appreciate them in all their magnificent, imposing glory. It's an amazing collection, big congratulations to Leila. 

Sculpture By The Sea

Dear Olive,


We had a bit of a walk around Marks Park this morning to look at a little of Sculpture by the Sea. We didn't get to see too much as you caught sight of the swings on our way in and kept pointing and yelling and heading off in that direction until I took you over. I think it's fair to say you were mostly unimpressed by the sculptures. You were, however, completely taken with all the dogs. Sculptures aside, it is truly a stunning part of the world. 

A Painting

Dear Olive,


Rumour has it that our very talented friend is toiling away the hours at the easel so we can have a Melanie Waugh original of our very own to hang on our walls. Oh yay of yays! I'm so excited. How amazing are her paintings? 

(See more of Mel's beautiful work on her website, plus check out her blog for works in progress and irreverent musings about country life.)

The Sleeping Arrangement

Dear Olive,


We've tried a variety of sleeping arrangements over the past 9 months .. you in the cot in our room, you in the bed with Shane and I, and you and I in the bed and Shane on the lounge (Shane's least favourite!). We love sleeping with you. Love. It. But we started to wonder if we were disturbing you. You were certainly disturbing us, you've been waking up every hour or two for months. MONTHS. It's been absolutely, positively exhausting and at times I felt like I was drowning in my sleeplessness. It overwhelmed everything at times. Plus frankly, I'd begun to tire of having to sleep in awkward positions so as not to smother you as you feed through the night. (The entire night!). So, with trepidation, we moved you into your own room on Saturday. Shane and I discussed what we would do after you woke up the first time and we both decided we would try to put you back in your cot but if it was too much of a struggle, you would simply sleep with us. Indefinitely. The time came and I was up feeding you for the first time. I meditated on preparing myself for a bit of crying/all out warfare. I put you back down, walked away. Waited. Nothing. Held my breath. Nothing. Waited. NOTHING. What? I couldn't sleep for a long time, thinking as soon as I did you'd start crying. But you didn't. The time came around again and I was up feeding you. Again, pep talk to remain calm in the face of possible war. I fed you, put you back down. Walked away. Nothing. Waited. Nothing. Held my breath. Again - nothing. I couldn't believe it. And I am amazed to be able to say you have continued to happily sleep the entire week so far in your own cot in your own room (still waking up 2-3 times per night - but hey, a win's a win right). I've even heard you self settle a few times. This is a revolution. Well done you! 


It's a work in progress, but we're having a lot of fun setting up your room.

My lovely friend Lisa gave me this Tara Marynowsky print at my baby shower which I love love love. See more of Tara's amazing work here.

Your owl watches over you at night.

The best thing about this whole moving rooms? I can read in bed again. Yay!

Holiday at Home

Dear Olive,

Shane’s had this week off. We were going to go away but for various reasons (most of which financial), we decided instead to Holiday at Home. So this morning we set off for the lunch in the city. I don’t usually eat pork but I made an exception for the dumplings at Din Tai Fung. Delicious. Then it was off to the State Gallery to see Paths to Abstraction. There was a tour starting just as we arrived, it was unreal to see the exhibition that way. I don’t think I’ve ever done a proper tour of an exhibition before - apart from one experience at Art Baby at the MCA a few months ago where I, let’s face it, spent more time looking at you than at the Biennale. Tea and scones with jam and cream in the late afternoon at the Art Gallery Café rounded off what was a thoroughly enjoyable day.

(Shane’s day got even better when his friend phoned up on the way home and offered him a ticket to see Band of Horses tonight. Lucky him.)

On the way in this morning we stopped off at this store in Clovelly. It had lots of amazing and some not so amazing things, with most being amazingly expensive. We got you this book which I've been meaning to get for you for ages.

We also bought you this little toy … it’s so cute. Fair trade and made with sustainable wood and natural dyes. See their whole range here. It was only after we got home I noticed on the box it says age 36 months +. You are 9 months. Oops.