Oakenheart has finally arrived. He is an incredible tree sculpture. He is on the footpath, Sent here to guard over the secret garden.
I am very blessed to be able to have him here!
He is about 3.5 metres talls and weights about 2 ton Sculpture by Clyde Watts and Dean of Samildanach Workshop. http://www.ildanaworkshop.com/
He is living out the front on the footpath. Below is Clyde Watts he is one of the sculptures of the tree man. So you can really see just how big Oakenheart is. He came on a crane truck. He has a real fig growning out of his head.
Clyde and his workshop can make these tree sculpture for anywhere in the world.
The Gold coast bulletin came and did the interview, it went in the Amazing Homes section of their color magazine....on the 30th August, just getting around to posting sorry! I don't really think my home is amazing, I love my secret garden. the photographer was nice and photographed the pretty bits.
The little wood hut is my studio down the back, It's funny people seem to think that's what my house looks like now!. The studio has a loft and a fireplace for those cold days on the mountain.
Don't know if the text of the article is readable here I shrunk the picture as it is a whole page in the magazine. Aussie trade stuff for beer (or rather ex husbands did LOL)
I am having a little freak out. The scary type...The bulletin which is a newspaper in Australia is comming to do an interview on me at the end of August.
The feature is in the Amazing homes section and the people who live in them. I have never considered my place to be an amazing home.
Since my son passed on in 2005, I have just lived like a hermit I don't have visitors, my boyfriend is the only person I have really let come over. My main contact with the outside world is the internet my art lessons with kids who are a safe haven, I did go to an art opening earlier this year. But I have to wear a mask and pretend all is ok and I haven't really done much to the house or garden, and its 2 and half acres of it! You need to nuture a garden and I just haven't had the motivation to really lift a finger. It has been hard enough just to keep up with orders etc., Most of the time I have just been painting my way through this grief.
I am thinking it is probably a good thing in a way as I will have to put it back and fix it pretty like it was before.
Maybe the universe is forcing me pick myself up. I did some weeding yesterday, It is all a bit overwhelming. I am handling his loss a little better than before.
I do think my garden is special. I started it 20 years ago. Mostly all from cuttings. I have a secret garden.. always loved that movie. Every plant in the garden flowers white. I did that I think because I live with so much colour inside the house as well as the art. The secret garden takes up about half an acre It is a huge circle with two archway entrances. I created that garden for my sons to get married in....one day.
My house is 100 years old and even though I've lived there for a long time it is still not finished.I took all my stuff out of the studio and am painting in the house because it is just too cold at the moment to be down there. There is a fireplace but it is the open type and just uses too much wood. So my studio doesn't even look like a proper arty place at the moment.
I have an orange lounge room and a purple/lavendar dining room. I think they are just going to think it's all too wierd. I know some people come in and think it is amazing and some other people come in and think it is a freaked out hippy home.
One part of me wants to do it as the publicity as it would be fantastic, the other part of me want to say no and just keep hiding a little longer. I don't know whether I can motivate myself to get it all together in time.
The Samildanach gallery opened on Saturday 5th April. It was an amazing day. There was a smuging ceremony, druids, met some amazing souls.
The Gallery I believe to be the first one of its kind in Australia. I will only be for mythological, sci-fi, fantasy art, etc., so I am in my element.
There is a huge area out the front of the gallery with large wooden tables and chairs, where like minded people can gather and philosophize on their favorite subject or learn more. We sat after the opening into the wee hours discussing celtic mythology beside a warming fire.
I have original work in there as well as, my cards and prints etc. Yay!, I am the only fairy artist in there. The opening was invite only, but I am sure there will be an open invite for other fairy artists after the current exhibition. The gallery is situated 10 minutes up the mountain to Beechmont from Nerang (Goldcoast).
I got to wear my favourite Black dress, with its long drippy arms that touch the ground. Which I managed to get caught on a number of things during the day. Of course it was a posh occasion so one must have glitter in their hair...
I thought I'd share my Fairy Happy Place! See the group of trees in the center of the picture.
This picture was taken from my verandah at my home where I have lived now for almost 20 years.
It is a quick walk down the paddock and across the creek and up the hill. Yet I have never been in there!
I went to explore inside the trees a long time ago. My ex said at the time that it wasn't quite what I thought it was like inside. So I decided not to go that day. I didn't explore the next day, or the next or the... Over the years, in my mind, I have built this little world inside where it is full of tiny little waterfalls, and moss and mushrooms, fairies, pixies, unicorns and their babies, The fairies have mansions, made from the moss, sometimes at night I wonder if it is the fireflies dashing about or if it is the fairies. Over this little fairyworld you can see a rainbow, sometimes there are double rainbows. It's is right above them and only they can dance on the rainbows. After the rains, the mist rolls in and it is just so very magical.
So I decided not to explorer this little world. I can see it, and just keep it in my heart as my very special fairy happy place.
The closest I have got to my little fairy world is in the photo below. The photo is still taken from my verandah, just zoomed in with the camera. There were 2 grand old Norfolk Island Pine trees, I imagined these to be the guardians. One was struck by lightning in December just past, so it is just half now, but still tall and standing guard.
I may change my mind one day and journey over the creek. But not yet.
