new zealand

The New Zealand I saw was the vast, spare vistas
west of Christchurch, at that time dry & cool,
looking almost uninhabited, I couldn't tell if there
had ever been forests. Some of the mountains looked
like they'd pushed straight out of the earth, without
any intervening volcanic activity.

adding to last post

After I uploaded the last images, I was thinking
about how thin some of the people were, in the mountains,
& how my monk friends said very many people got
tb when they first came down from high altitudes.
This monk was one, living in great privation.

Then: these heartbreaking photos from James Nachtwey.

vintage times

As you may have noticed, these posts are coinciding
with scanning lots of old photos. The top two are in
a small, ramshackle town near Dalhousie, it's hard to
imagine it might have gone upmarket. Those are Ghaddhis
climbing onto the roof, we saw many while trekking,
remarkably open faced men ~ shepherds.
The hand-operated ferris wheel, at a tiny fair
in the mountains, was pushed by the chawkidar
of the cottage I rented. Such a sweet fellow.
I wonder if they still enjoy such simple pleasures?

Here's a fabulous place, nothing like the old (& lovable)
places I'd rented in the mountains.

painted box

Even when I was younger, painting these boxes
was quite hard work. I did various sizes, this red one
was about 30 inches square, the flowers
made a buddha shape from some angles.A cabinet maker
made the blanks, I built up many layers of colour
then the painting, & finished with a high gloss.
Wish I'd kept one!

I really enjoy the Magnum site, & like how they show
many pages of each book, much easier to choose then.

maui reflection

There was a pool, reflecting the sky & trees, & showing
the underwater stones in the darker parts,
I added the buddha in the painting.
I'm busy at something, that's it for today.
Wonderfully refined stones here.

shops

Some shops in San Cristobal de las Casas, where
I probably didn't buy anything ~ but which I've enjoyed
countless times since. I mostly prefer to look,
rather than to shop. Saw fascinating creatures here.

a flame

- click on image -

I made this image after the event described below.
The chair was carved by our mother's mother.

When I saw the candle (sorry, I don't know the artist)
on my friend Zom's blog
it reminded me of what happened when my twin & I
were meeting for the first anniversary of our mother's
death. We lit some floating candles in the evening,
next morning we lit them again, but they burnt out.
We were talking about Petrea for another 15 minutes,
looked at the bowl again, & four candles
had re-ignited. (We are 4 siblings)
Even though it doesn't fit with my beliefs

it felt really extraordinary.

from a series

From a series of paintings, inspired by the famous
quote, loosely rendered as "I dreamed I was a butterfly,
when I awoke, I wondered: am I a man who dreamed
of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly
dreaming that I am a man?"I painted them some time in the 1970's.
Just read another quote from Chuang Tzu: "Happiness is the
absence of the striving for happiness"

pages & a print

Bryce Courtenay & I collaborated on a book,
published '07, A Recipe for Dreaming. This image appears in it,
also it's available as a limited edition print.
( write a comment, it gets to me as an email)

Three more of my pictures, there's 40+
complementing Bryce's words.
The first editions had my paintings.
Published by Penguin.

I know I absolutely never could ~ could you try this?

flower-ing

Lavendar blue flower is a vine, Petrea, also my middle
name.The flower folk date from mid '70's,
the spiral started with what the hail broke,
mostly it's seed strings from a bangalow palm.
The man trimming tree-face is a detail of a design I did
for a tapestry, made in Kashmir.
They made thousands of needle pricks through the paper,
dusted chalk through these holes, thus drew on the canvas,
& then made the 6ft long tapestry. I'd like to do more,
I mean get more made ~no interest in sewing~ as I was
so impressed at the subtlety of colour they achieved.

Have a look at this splendid idea

stormy weather

We've been getting some storms, yesterday also with
large hail - plum sized - mashed some trees, the noise
on my see through roof was scary. Today's cold.
The Bangalow palms have seeds like chandeliers,
the eucalypts are shedding their coats, & you can see
from the frangipani that it's early summer.
A water dragon visited, he/she is maybe 2 feet long.

interesting images here & disturbing ones here

Tibetans

From the beginning I felt a deep connection to Tibetans.
Top left, on right, is my friend Champa, a thangka painter;
the other 2 monks had just completed a 3 year retreat.
At right is the Gyuto monastery in Dalhousie (1970),
as are the little monks. Unfortunately the negs
are lost, I only have these contact prints
that were glued into my notebook.

Here's a detail of another hand lettered picture
the Tao Te Ching in a yin yang design, lettering
changes to white on the black.
Again, I've no negs or transparencies of this,
nor of the one of the entire Dhammapada,
in columns, with a rainbow across it.
They were an intense kind of meditative practice.

These words of Dzogchen Master Dilgo Kyhentse Rinpoche
a wonderfully succinct exposition of non duality.

altered photos

For a long time before I got a computer, I'd alter my photos
with gouache on the print ~ accentuate the figure that
was almost there, & so on. Versions of 4 of the above
are in A Recipe for Dreaming

images from the I Ching

More images from my first book
Images from the I Ching by Ann Williams.
That was 1986, before the senseless destruction of Bamiyan,
I used it for hexagram 52, Keeping Still.
Looking on the web for good sites about the I Ching,
~ there are many ~ I jumped around & arrived instead
at a link full of interesting optical illusions, here.

(careful: anomalous motion illusions can make you feel sick.)

nearly black & white

While my early efforts in photography were in black & white,
& many of my favourite* photographers work that way,
( no, I don't put myself in their league), what is closer
to my experience of place is always colour.
I don't know if the faint colours in, say, winter snow scenes
always evoke that cold, or if it just accords with
my own memory of that place. Or of that photo..

*Aperture, Lartigue, Phil Borges, Jack Spencer, Michael Kenna
for different reasons, to name a few.

totems

This is an idea that's been brewing for years:
As a guest at my friends' place on a lake in Bavaria,
I saw the forest & lake in many moods.
It's said to have been settled there for a really long time,
it certainly has a very strong & somehow female energy.
The reflections make a kind of totem.
There's some great images in that vein here.
( check out some of the European tree websites.)

wondering

In today's 'climate', it's a long time till
the flight I've got ~ 4 months ~ still looks like anything could happen.
So I flew around virtual space instead.
( my courtyard gets lovely shadows.)

Plus I looked at these good pages of posters

yesterday

Long ago, when the view
from my studio was calm green fields (seen above),
I used to marvel how short a time it took to virtually level
a great rain forest, (though I'd not want to live in one)
This jungle, in the northern territory, via my sister.


The old car was in Mexico. On abc radio today there
was news of a breakthrough battery for electric cars,
but I can find no mention on the web. They said the test
vehicle had done over 100,000 km without
needing to recharge. What great news for the environment
& for us.

cloudburst

The hibiscus flower is a handspan wide,
so I thought of a more delicate hair ornament
(for someone with longer hair than mine)
I glued a stone face to the driftwood figure.
In the evening it poured for about half an hour,
it felt somewhat shamanic.

I'd like to touch/hold these sculptures

water

These were at a retreat I did near Mt Warning.
Last night I listened to 'the Politics of Water',
on the abc . It was riveting.
You can listen, or read the transcript on their site.

how it changes

Amazing how it can change ~ from apocalyptic

to peaceful..
it only takes one thought, really.

My sister loves black cockatoos, so I painted this for her.
Often they fly in before rain,
bringing something wild with them.

The links I enjoy are far from this small coastal town,
& cover trends, books, artists, etc,
I'd not otherwise have access to,
but Byron Bay is certainly where I love to be.
I listen to the radio for news, never watch tv,
or buy newspapers, though this is a treasure.
(pages from Maira Kalman, now a book)

walking home

It's about a kilometre walk into town (I don't drive)
& I noticed all the flowering trees on the way home.
A bee flew in just as I aimed at the grass tree stalk.

Floated some violas in the bird bath,
they liked it.
Found this site for good interviews of artists,
& lots that interests me on this blog.

hue, hoi an, bangkok

After Hanoi we went to Hue, the old imperial capital.
At the most romantically evocative place
my camera ran out of power, so I'll have to return;
the whole place is drenched in a poetic beauty,
it hurts to think what they've been through.

Then it was to Hoi An, a small town where the people
seem happy to see tourists ~ & we go there, too, in great numbers ~
& it's a little like a film set that's been flambouyantly
art directed. Though it could be simply a happy aesthetic.

If you are tired of snaps & want the real thing, go here
I should add though: I'm saving my 'best' photos.

More shots from the Indochina trip, can't seem to move
them to my preferred order: started in Bangkok,
I really like Thai buddhas, the temples, the river,
the way there's always something interesting to see,
& the lovely people. Foul air of course..

Next time perhaps I'll stay here,
though the Aurum hotel was delightful.

after the ball

This morning the lilies looked like bedraggled skirts,
it had rained in the garden, & the news re finances
doesn't bear thinking of, so I made this
flower girl "after the ball"..
I love this website.

In the late 70's I had a large garden, & used to make
designs & buddhas of flowers. The photos haven't
survived very well

Flowers are such happy visions.
Tomorrow is an unknown.
Planning for the future looks like it may be a mirage..
~ Still just now ~

Found 2 sites in usa for beautiful gardens,
both more or less in New York:
Wave Hill
& the NY Botanical Gardens.

hanoi

I took a lot of photographs on the trip to Indochina,
maybe I'll get there again next February, I want to.
We were in Hanoi during Tet, & then to the extravagantly
beautiful Halong Bay. Vietnam is an exciting place to see.
Outrageous traffic, big contrasts, timeless landscapes..
There's an idea for a series of photos, probably difficult
to organise, but I'd love to do it.

october flowers

october seems to be unfolding in hyper-anxious mode,
but the garden is flowering, as gorgeous as ever,
each bloom in praise of what is.

This photographer took years to complete
an alphabet composed by butterfly wings, it's great.

&, if you enjoy letters, this is fun.

Laos

Earlier this year I travelled down the Mekong river to
Luang Prabang, a marvellous town that's now world heritage
listed. Even with the major tourist presence it's captivating.
I'll return next year.

Vientiane is the capital of Laos, it is also lovely,
particularly if you like Buddhist temples,
as I do. The markets throughout Indochina are great.
The Lao feel especially laid back, & in some ways it
seems not much changed from long ago.
The legacy of the Vietnam/American war is still with
them, all the more shocking since Laos was not involved.

colour

Although my view is subtropical green, today I'm
thinking about colour, Mexico, & this friend's pictures.
Like everyone else I took lots of doors & walls,
& always enjoyed to see one open, occasionally.

garden

Today my darling sister will visit.
Yesterday, at our group, we tuned in to the "old brain",
that part which has sensations & emotions
but no words. For me it evoked a magical garden,
an eden.
I've looked for garden sites that show something similar,
without success. Here is a charming site & story.
Above photo was a sunny spring morning in the country
( more domesticated than the inner one) in Germany.

japan

I visited Japan some time back, & while I enjoyed the
countryside, it was such a big contrast
to the unruly farm where I lived at the time.
Liked Kyoto & the old temples, very much.
( In some countries I think I should have waited for time travel.)
My favourite author is japanese, Haruki Murakami.
There's a good interview with him here.

These photos of present day China are
..thought provoking. Something very strange about
copying another's self-portrait, for instance.
Copying in general, for that matter.
I enjoy Michael Wolf's photographs, & if I was hungry
I'd possibly be prepared to do most anything.
& there are some stunningly original artists in China,
as elsewhere. Just too many copy cats, all over.
Somewhere else entirely: great recipes here, so rich & varied
it's almost like eating.

strange times

A few of the sins we're supposed to avoid
are showing up world-wide.
It's quite exciting, really being aware of not knowing
what tomorrow will bring ~
into this moment, now.
I took the peacocks to an English graveyard,
& they move through time & space.
It's a small edition of 8, on glossy paper,
16 inches wide.
as usual, please write a comment for more details

On the left is before an exhibition set up (at the Met in NY)
right are the bared trees after a big festival.
Out in the wider world, it's looking crazy,
but more like they've chopped down the trees..
Take a break & listen to the sublime voice of
Alim Qasimov