365 - Continuation

A few months ago I purchased a book - 365 Tao by Deng Ming-Dao, a contemporary book of daily meditations on the Taoist way. Since that day I have been reading my daily meditation as a positive and inspirating way to start my day.

This is my Tao today...

"Upon completion comes fulfillment,
With fulfillment comes liberation.
Liberation allows you to go on.
Even death is not a true ending.
Life is infinite continuation."

- Deng Ming-Dao

" Always finish what you start. That alone is discipline and wisdom enough. When you come to the end of a cycle, a new one will begin. You might say that completion actually begins somewhere in the middle of a cycle and that new beginnings are engendered out of previous actions. Completing a cycle means fulfilment. It means that you have achieved self-knowledge, discipline, and a new way of understanding yourself and the world around you. You cannot stop there, of course. New horizons are always there. But you can reach out for those new vistas with fresh assurance and wisdom. With each turn of the wheel you go further. With each turn of the wheel you free yourself from the mire of ignorance. With each turn of the wheel comes continuation. Turn the wheel of your life. Make complete revolutions. Celebrate every turning. And persevere with joy." - Deng Ming-Dao

A most inspiring Tao to start my day today and also to take with me tonight on my New Year's celebrations. It reminds me while celebrating the end of 2010, celebrate the beginnings, the continuation of life, and to surround oneself with love and happiness... wishing you all a wonderful and happy New Year for 2011.

welding gear

YAY! Who's a happy girl then... welding gear for Christmas. An assortment of clamps; trigger, spring, and parallel bar, gloves AND an apron.

Totally spoilt, thanks Bro!

MERRY CHRISTMAS...

A warm hearted wish for a very

Merry Christmas

Hope the big guy fills your stocking full with love and happiness... and some pressies too!

Opalescent Hue

Yesterday I happened to come out side just at the right time to see this in the sky! Nature turned on a very brief and magnificent hue in the sky. Only lasting a few minutes, I was lucky enough to grab my camera and take a picture before it vanished.

It was much higher than the heavier cloud, it looked to be a thin sheet of cloud spanning a few kilometres (easy!) closely hugging and around the sun, it transmitted this amazing aura of colours. Oh soooooo lucky to have seen it!

opening night

A few photo's...

From left; Richard Stiller, Pam Magdefrau, Kim Schoenberger & Jennifer Stiller

Next Exhibition @ Studio 4 Gallery

Deconstruction : Reconstruction ...a journey of intensity

December 16 to January 23

My next Exhibition of mixed media assemblages, supported with contemporary images by Richard Stiller.

Official opening by Pam Magdefrau President Arts Connect Inc.

Studio 4 Gallery, Marcoola on Saturday 18th Dec. 2010 from 5.00pm

For directions please click here

And the winner is....

So many votes for number three "All Things Lead to One" odds were, it was going to be the one to go!

I got my partner Glen to do the honours a draw the name from my pink fluffy hat.

Congratulations... Fiona!

And a big thank you to everyone that participated.

100 Post - give away

In the world of blog there's a pattern, a tradition if you like, of a 'give away' generally an artwork when reached a milestone of 100 posts. Well this is my number 100! Not for me to break tradition, rules perhaps, tradition definitely not! And the chance to be able to give someone something, for me, is an added bonus.

I live by three moto's;

1. 'Our judgments prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances' - Wayne W. Dyer

2. 'The greater danger for most of us lies not in the setting our aim to high & falling short; but in setting our aim to low, & achieving our mark' - Michelangelo And,

3. 'The very act of kindness can unprision you' - unknown (I'm not sure if I made this one up or I read it somewhere)

Living very passionately by the last moto and on reflection of all three, I decided to give a choice from three very different mediums...

All you need do, in the comment box note your name and which numbered piece you would like eg; Kim - No. 3 (All things Lead to One) I'll be drawing the name and announcing the new owner, at the end of the week Sunday 12th Dec, 2010.

No.1. 'Grounded' - porcelain dish

No. 2 'Spiral dish'

No.3 'All Things Lead to One'

what's on the go in the studio

This wet weather has created a stallmate for me in the studio, its most uninspiring to work in the shed when its cool, wet and windy! However it does give me a dam fine excuse to be inside out of the rain and catch up on the other things. I might just get the Christmas decorations out!

Here's a look at what's in the studio waiting for a bisque...

A collection of carved Pitchers; Unearthed series,

Commission Abbey Musuem Egyptian Dig pottery; beakers, plates and pots handcarved decoration, hieroglyphics on the beakers.

Above & below; souvenir magnets for the Sunshine Castle

ALaW - T

The A Letter a Week (ALaW) challenge continues and is fast coming to an end of the second alphabet. Being totally focused on preparations for my next exhibition and extremely wet weather, I am now seriously lagging behind, we're already into December and I haven't finished the November letters! eeek, starting to feel a little under pressure!

T - Carving

Seeing all the common techniques I am familiar with have been used, I'm starting to use the same techniques in previous letters in a different manner, thinking outside the norm if practically possible.

Here I'm carving the clay out around the letter to create a three dimensional 'T', much more challenging than the A and N, where A I carved directly around the outline and N carved within the outline resulting a negative letter.

Sanded and ready for bisque.