Tide's out at Tahuna Beach. Gorgeous colours and a fresh nip in the air.
There is a hint of the new snow on the hills. I think there will be more tonight. I am working on my piece for the tutor exhibition at Sew Marlborough in July. ( more information is available www.info@sewmarlborough.co.nz) I am teaching an art journal class and two others involving stamps, stencils and other goodies. My tutor piece  is called 'Loss' and is a machine stitched drawing on to a fabric I have painted and stamped, then stencilled. Sombre colours , but not black.

Tuesday mornings are wonderful. I go to my painting class with David Ryan (www.creativejourneys.co.nz) His weekly class is so inspiring and informative. We always begin with a half hour talk about a particular aspect of art such as composition or the use of space in a work. I have seen a huge improvement in my painting, but more than that he has taught me to look in a different way. Not just with painting but with my own work as well. It is exciting to see the possibilities that lie ahead. I am finding I have more of a critical eye when working on a piece , and have learned to edit. Although I love the lusciousness of a richly textured surface I am working more simply now and allowing the rhthym of line and mark to find its own way. The photo is of my painting 'Lake Rotoiti , early morning' which I painted last year.

In July I am teaching some classes at Sew Marlborough, the NZ Quilters' mini Symposium. The ladies are working hard to make this an exciting few days for everyone. One of the classes I am teaching is called "make your Mark' and is about making your own stencils, stamps and print blocks. The photo shows a few of my simple stamps. This is always a fun class and students love the freedom of self expression that making your own gives them. I hope to find time to make a couple more of my own before then.

We have just had a few days travelling to Queenstown down the East Coast and back up the West Coast. The colours at this time of year are just amazing. I love the contrast of the autumn foliage and the land itself. The rich dark reds blend to orange and gold as we head south, I am so inspired and  appreciative of the blessing nature bestows upon us. Coming back up the west coast the beaches and bush had a soft misty look due to the soft rain. The colours of our country are amazing.

I spent yesterday in the front garden having a good clear out of plants which are now a little overgrown, needed pruning etc. After digging in a load of compost and covering it all with pea straw to rot down over the winter I found this weka coming to visit. They are a real nuisance. For those who don't know them they are the size of a very large chicken and have an insatiable curiosity about everything. They will tear out seedlings, nip off berries and baby vegetables just because they can. We have even found two trying to pull our rubber front door mat off down the path.  Currently there are an adult pair and three half-grown weka chicks around the street. I am expecting that a lot of the pea straw will be flicked onto the paths soon. Grrr.