Grand plans and a grand day.....

We were off at a gallop this morning.  There was laundry and vacuuming and general tidying before prospective buyers came to look through our house (auction looming).  There was a hairdresser appointment and a promised cafe lunch.  There were patterns to pick up from the printers and there were plans... oh yes... craft markets and artist studios.... and I think I mentioned something about going out to the country to visit my parents in the evening.

 Ok, so it was all a bit unrealistic after the tidying, hairdresser, lunch and printers bit. 

We got lost in unfamiliar suburbs and arrived at the River Studios Open Day much later than expected (...and in desperate need of a nice cup of tea and a bit of a sit down). 

How lovely to see Leonie's drawings tansformed into new screen-prints, all made up into cushion covers and packaged fabric panels.  This is her first print and she has plans to extend the range of prints and products, using her own art images.

 There are lots of interesting people in the River Studios, doing all manner of art and craft-based work.  I loitered around the tactile textiles of Gaye Abandon..... lovin' those felty  table mats and coasters.

 I wanted to dive into the stacks of cut up, felted jumpers..... (Although I don't think Gaye would have thought that was ok...)

 The wee girl found an enormous sheet of paper and a box of pens.

 ..and she fund her 'tribe'...

 They drew, they played with the "dollies", they played imaginary games of SPIES and TEACHERS....

They had an altogether FANTASTIC time.

...and I was happy to see her so happy and engaged with other kids (and I was thinking of a saying about things that are not broken), so we stayed a bit longer.

I did some knitting, had a lovely chat, ate lots of bread and pate and cheese.....and then realised it was getting dark outside and that I'd missed the opportunity to go anywhere or do anything else with the day.

It was probably a good thing.

Tomorrow in Melbourne....

Two events showcasing local arts and crafts -

The wee girl and I are going to have a busy day!

A family affair

I visited the "Against the Tide" exhibition at the Substation in Newport today....and it felt a bit like home. I mean... the home I grew up in. Art all over the shop. Artworks by my sister....
And my brother.....
The whole thing has got me thinking about nature vs nurture in the idea of the "creative family". I come from a long line of crafty, creative, make-do-and-mend sorts... but is creativity innate or environmental....?
In my family, creativity was encouraged. Materials, time and space were allowed for the creation of anything we cared to make. Mess was allowed (...although I seem to remember an incident involving purple candle wax on the dining room carpet....hmmmm...).

My brothers, sisters and I have all grown into adults with a wide range of creative abilities and interests. Nature or nurture?

I meet people all the time who come to craft late in life and take to it like the proverbial duck (to the proverbial wet stuff). Is that an innate (previously untapped) talent, the result of environmental influences, or is it just that anyone can do this craft stuff if they have a go..?

What do YOU think...? Is your creativity the result of a nurturing family environment or is it something that was just itching to get out, despite the odds.....?

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Against The Tide
August 5th - 22 August

The Substation Gallery
1 Market St Newport Vic
Gallery hours:
Thursday - Sunday 11.00am - 5.00pm