Sketchbook Project - Posted!

Three weeks are up! Pencils down, Sketchobooks closed! 

Today I posted AshLee and my sketchbooks to The Sketchbook Project, Brooklyn Art Library. Safe in a plastic registered mail post bag they should arrive from Australia to the USA in about 10 days.

It feels good finishing this project and knowing that it will come back in November on exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria here in Melbourne for all you view! I feel like a real artist!

For AshLee it was different, he'd never even heard of The Sketchbook Project and so it become an awesome birthday present for him (I'm ok if you copy this idea, it is a great present for someone!). Where his theme was 'It's summer where you are', my theme was 'This is a sketchbook'.

Filling my sketchbook did continue to be a challenge. In my handbag it lived; for three weeks. 

Pulling it out as often as possible, yet last night my sketchbook still wasn't full. 

I had even been cheeky enough to take it into a work meeting so I could doodle a little more - hopefully no-one noticed. 

Heading to AshLee's office to pickup his sketchbook for posting back to Brooklyn last night I was relieved to discover that he wasn't quite finished either. 

At his desk we sat till late at night; him madly glueing bits together and me franticly sketching. You know what it reminded me of? High School!

Working on some assignment with a friend/s frantically trying to get it finished before the next morning when it was due. That was high school for me. Plodding along at my own pass most of the time until - BAMB! It's due the next day and I need to pull an all-nighter to get it over the line and finished. That's what it felt like last night. The only difference... high school finished 12 years ago! Ahh to be young again...

Did you often pull all-nighters at high school?

Sketchbook Project

Sketchbook Project time!
Last time I joined the fun but the difference is that this year I WILL be posting my sketchbook back to the Brooklyn people.

This year they will be bring exhibiting the project here in Melbourne, which does make a huge difference to my level of motivation.

Delia and Franklin joined the fun last time round but as they are preparing for the arrival of a little chilli (so happy!) this year AshLee has decided to join me for the fun.

Actually sitting down and sketching has been difficult - it's not part of my every day life - but I'm trying. I'm letting you know that what I sketch isn't going to be anything fancy, it's just to keep me sketching and practicing. I'll throw a couple pics of what I draw up here later for you to see; just as long as there is no judgement of my lack of skill.

So with less that three weeks to fill my sketchbook - it's time for me to get back to it!
Hope you all had a lovely weekend :)

24th July 2007

My grandmother died; July 24, 2007
She lived at home with my parents and I. She was old, real old; 97 years old in fact. Like many old people something inside her decided that she had had enough and she died.
She stopped eating and refused to eat (except, like a true diabetic she would have a spoon full of ice-cream).

Gran had a petite frame when she was in her 20's and 40's and she was even smaller in her 80's and 90's but when she started to refuse to eat she shrank away even further. There are many things that I could say about her but none of those things matter anymore - you'll never meet her - the memories I have can't really be compressed into a blog post. And on some level they shouldn't.

What I am willing to tell you? Just a little about the few days after her death.

A trip up to Brisbane had been booked by my older sister, her husband and myself for the 30th birthday of my cousin. We were all going paint balling; it was going to be amazing! When Gran died Mum and Dad felt that the three of us should still head to Brisbane for the three days we had planned. That it would be good for us. Because if anything Gran wouldn't want us to be just sitting around doing nothing (one of her many catch phrases).
So we went.
I was on a different flight to the other two and so I flew into Brisbane two hours prior to them. Which really meant that I was waiting four hours to meet up with them when you include the waiting time at the Melbourne end too. Thankfully the two hours waiting time in Melbourne passed quickly as I had a 6am coffee and croissant and Mum waiting with me.
The two hours in Brisbane didn't pass that quickly at all. Sitting on a plane by yourself after someone has just died... well I don't recommend it (though large headphones so no-one talks to you helps tremendously).
In that time, while having no-one to talk to and not wishing to speak with a stranger, I did pull out a sketch book. Something I had only picked up by chance on my way out the door at 5am that morning.

I didn't know what I was sketching. But slowly my page started to resemble something more than just lines.
It was me. With a single tear rolling down my cheek. It was me.

By the time my older sister and her husband had arrived I had finished the sketch. I had also decided that I knew exactly HOW I would grieve the lose of Gran's life.
I would get a sticker made. And I would put that sticker ALL over Melbourne! And most likely any other city/country I go.