Another Road Trip to Narrogin

Yesterday was a chance to catch our breaths. We spent most of the day at home. The morning passed very pleasantly catching up online. We had a decadently late breakfast and resolved to clean the house, Michael tackled the vacuuming - floors, walls, ceilings, behind the furniture - sucking up whole colonies of spiders with gay abandon. I launched into washing dishes, dusting, polishing and wiping benches, the window blind and the table.

Michael was feeling very tired. He retired to bed for an early afternoon snooze. He was asleep in no time. I pottered around and washed the floors. I gently woke Michael after an hour. Whilst he returned to being somewhat compos mentis, I had a long, satisfying and much-needed shower. We had places to go and people to see...

Our goal was Narrogin and Ebenezer House. One of the paintings I'd brought home from Christine Davis' collection had suffered a frame malfunction en route to Beverley. The painting needed major surgery to its frame. Hence, we set out for Narrogin.

The drive was uneventful. The afternoon was hot and lazy, so we enjoyed the coolness of the car's air-conditioning for the hundred kilometre trip.

We arrived at Christine's home as her young adult homing pigeons descended on her fridge, devouring most of its contents for afternoon tea. Phoebe, in Year 12, wanting to study paediatric nursing and very, very sporty, was creating a concoction in the blender. Linden, who is about to complete his plumbing apprenticeship, had most of his tall body investigating the fridge's interior delights. Juliette, the French exchange student, was tucking into a heated snack on toast at the dining table.

Mark, her husband, another full-time teacher, wandered into the mayhem. He would have to be one of the most laid back people I have ever met. A dry and witty sense of humour was yet another of his attributes. He left for Somewhere Else. Possibly Phoebe went with him. It was quite difficult to tell.

Amidst all this hectic activity, Christine was cheerful and unruffled. She made us tea and coffee and filled in more details of her very busy life. We enjoyed every second of her company. She had us in stitches.

Eventually, we needed to get down to business. The injured painting was retrieved from Goldie (in pieces) and deposited into Christine's studio. I asked if I could have another painting for the Gallery in its place. Christine gave me full rein.

I narrowed my choices down to three. We settled on a beautiful pastel that Christine had created way back in 1990. I was stoked. And then Christine gave me a painting to keep...

Now I was speechless. This was a piece with which I had fallen in love on the previous visit. Unbeknown to me, Christine and Mark had decided to give me this particular painting. I could not believe my good fortune. I hugged Christine and thanked her from the bottom of my heart. Wow.

"An Evening Walk" is now in our bedroom. Next to Michael's stunning "Discarded Dreams". They complement each other in the rich red glow of the wall. I feel its beauty.

"Pastel Bunch" will make its home in the East End Gallery tomorrow. I am adding another pastel I have owned for twenty years. Diana Selentin's "Wildflower Tapestry" is from another time and another place in my life. Artworks are like books. They need to be shared with the universe.

And as for Christine Davis and her hilarious, eclectic and energetic family, you are all stars!

"Wildflower Tapestry" and "Pastel Bunch"

"An Evening Walk"

and "Discarded Dreams".

Thirteen Days...

Unlike a movie with the same name, these coming thirteen days refer to our countdown until the opening of the Expansion Exhibition. We are being gripped by a combination of racing excitement, sheer panic and tremendous wonder that we have actually realised our dream. To have a permanent home for Wheatbelt artists in Heavenly Beverley. All one-hundred-and-fifty-square-metres of the East End Gallery is completed. Wow.

Now we are tackling the logistics of organising the Gallery and the Giftshop and the two catalogues. We are receiving new artwork or conversing with our artists on an almost daily basis. We have had Shirley and her husband Rod drive down from Geraldton with nine paintings. We have driven to Narrogin to pick up paintings from Christine. We have coaxed Gracie into the Gallery with some extraordinary pieces. We have new pastels by Denese. New wood and jewellery from Mick and Jennie. Felt art by Bev. Gypsy-Rose by Asta. We are waiting to see Tom and Tim to pick up their offerings. Shane will be bringing in an additional painting and exchange another. Margaret will be bringing in her quilts. And if I have my way, Val will bring one of her quilts in so we have a variety.

And we still have photographs by David and Colleen, ceramics by Bespoke Ceramics, cards by Kim, mixed media by Sam, original artwork and limited edition prints by Mandy, glass by Michelle, abstract paintings by Tina, "Giddy Up Horsie" by Denese, pastels by Chris, beautifully crafted bags by Dandaloo Dilly, hyper-realistic paintings by Pat, silver jewellery by Steve and a rolling seascape by Catherine.

Last, but not least, Michael's sculptures, the inspiration for the Gallery and his trademark, Magda the redback spider fridge magnet, are all waiting to welcome our guests.

Looking forward to seeing old friends and new visitors in the East End Gallery.

Gallery by night...

The Case of the Beastly Beagle...

When I was younger, having been born during the time of the dinosaurs, I absolutely adored reading Enid Blyton's stories. I wasn't much into "The Secret Seven", but I devoured "The Famous Five" and all those jolly good school tales which consisted of scrapes and midnight feasts and fast friendships forged through fairly innocent adversity.

My favourite adjective from these books was "beastly". Someone would exclaim "oh, what beastly luck" or "that beastly bully" or "such beastly weather" and I knew exactly how that particular character felt.

I was reminded of the term "beastly" this morning. Shuffling half-asleep to the loo, I was greeted by the unspeakable sight of one of Ruby the Beagle's most treasured canapes - an aged dog pooh - on the laundry floor. She had brought one inside and cheerfully depositied it onto Sascha's bedding. Sascha had shown her disgust by dragging the offensive cushion into the middle of the lino. Oh goody.

I resolved to deal with the Beagle's latest misdemeanour after another hour's sleep. Having gone through the five stages of grief, we finally accepted that we would have to get out of bed. I prepared to tackle the Unmentionable in the laundry whilst all three dogs were having their morning treats. Michael gallantly made my tea and his coffee. Glancing out of the kitchen window, he was greeted by the sight of the north end of a south travelling Beagle. She had dug under the fence in order to escape into the Wide Blue Yonder.

Michael bellowed "Oi, BEAGLE" in the direction of the dreadful dog. As ever, she trotted back innocently, with the usual vacant happy expression on her face. Under the fence. Back into the house where she was promptly tied up and Confined To Barracks. With mellow acceptance, she retired to her bunk.

The fence is beginning to resemble Fort Knox. When Michael discovers a new excavation, he piles broken bricks into the Trusty Trailer and tips them into the offending escape route on the fenceline. Lately, we've been so caught up in the Gallery, Michael hasn't had a chance to patrol the boundary. Hence, the latest site has gone unattended for some time.  That will have to change in the near future.

And the next occasion Ruby escapes, she will either be sprung by us or will return exhausted, filthy and thirsty after another adventure. And the result will be the same - she will be tied up. Which she appears not to give a toss about.

Will the Case of the Beastly Beagle be easily solved? A chance between zero and Buckley's. Please remember us in your prayers. We need all the help we can get!

Her mind is like a steel trap...

Her favourite activities are sucking up...

resting to fortify herself for her next adventure...

and mildly accepting her fate when caught and restrained.

*sigh*

The Ballad of Gypsy-Rose

Gypsy-Rose was abandoned as a baby - left on the doorstep of the local vicar Reverend John Smith. He and his wife Flo had longed for a child and saw her arrival as an answer to a prayer. They named her Mary Ann Smith. Ann after her ‘maternal’ grandmother – a fine upstanding woman, who played the organ in her local church.

Mary was a feisty baby, with a strong cry.

By the time she was 12, she was proving quite a handful for the poor Smiths.

At 14, she caused the Reverend John to go completely bald. Mrs Smith was completely white.

At 16, Mary ran away.

If the Smiths were totally honest (which of course they were not), they were somewhat relieved… and so was Mary, who changed her name by deed poll to Gypsy-Rose (no surname) and had run away to join a cruelty-free circus (no performing animals).

There she found a newborn kitten, abandoned under a rose bush in the garden of a derelict house, right near the Big Top.  She named her Rose, completely forgetting the reference to her own new name. They were constant companions and each other’s only family. 

Gypsy-Rose would have liked to have cut all ties with the strict Smith family. However, feeling guilty, because, after all, they did give her a home, she wrote them a letter to thank them. She told them that she had a good job working as a secretary. Had newly married and was enjoying the simple life. She asked them to forgive her for going off like that, but that she believed it best that they had no more contact. She signed it Mrs Mary Brown and sent it to them from a respectable town that the circus was passing through.

She thought that would be that, until one day she spotted them while she was performing in a little town not far from the Smiths’ home. It was quite a shock. After the show, the elderly Mrs Smith made a point of introducing herself to Gypsy-Rose; complimenting her on her fine skills, and explaining that they had been given free tickets to the circus by a kind parishioner. 

She told the trapeze artist that this was her first visit since a child, and that, well, she said with a giggle, it had reminded her of her childhood dream to run away to join the circus.

Morals of the story:

Never put anyone in a box.

Life can be surprising.

You may bury your dreams, but others just might subconsciously absorb them. Now that could be a good or a scary thing. Or just a thing. And anyway…what the heck are you doing burying them? 

Asta Lander (astascolourfulworld@gmail.com, www.astalander.com.au, Instagram - @asta_lander)

Gypsy-Rose - available for adoption at the East End Gallery

Asta Lander - artist, animal lover, activist and Gypsy-Rose's creator.

An Entertaining Road Trip.

After yesterday, I really didn't feel like venturing away from the House that Rocks. However, that option was not on the agenda. I had committed to travelling to the Deep South to visit an artist in Narrogin.

We first met Christine Davis last May during the Dryandra Art, Food and Wine Trail weekend. She hosted an exhibition at her home. Christine impressed us then with her collection. She was obviously a prolific artist who enjoyed using mixed media and acrylics, in a variety of styles and all sizes ranging from very big indeed to almost tame.

I had been longing to have some of her art in the Gallery. Due to her commitments, she was unable to hire one of our shops for an exhibition last year. We assured her we would have room for some of her paintings when we finished the last of the restoration.

And the day had arrived. After catching up on some washing, dishes and vacuuming a tumbleweed sea of dog hair, I was ready to depart. Hoping her paintings would actually fit in the back of Goldie, I set off on the hundred kilometre journey.

Narrogin is quite an attractive town with gentle hills. Three times larger than Beverley, the town was still agreeably green, even during this last gasp of summer. I had forgotten how to find Christine's house, so I decided to go to the Visitor's Centre on the main drag. As I drove cautiously, I noticed Fortune Street - the very street I was seeking. A quick U-turn and I arrived without much further ado at Ebenezer House.

Christine was just home from work and offered me a cup of tea. She busied herself in the kitchen whilst I began looking in her studio. I chose several paintings to consider and then gratefully accepted a cup of tea. We then drove over to a charming little cottage she and her husband Mark had bought as a short term accommodation guest house.

There were paintings on every wall in every room. I was overwhelmed. We chose about five pieces and then returned to her family home. "Oh wait" she exclaimed, "I forgot my shop!" Another room crammed with stunning paintings. I chose more. Eventually, with nearly ten artworks inside Goldie, I was ready to head for Heavenly Beverley.

Christine's family life and routine made my head spin. Married to Mark, who exudes an aura of calm and patience, she works full-time as an art teacher, still has two older children at home, a French Rotary exchange student and a grandson whom she and Mark are raising. Two and a half-year-old Wyatt, blonde and red-cheeked, arrived as I was leaving. Apparently, he hadn't wanted to leave daycare and had turned on a little tantrum. Mark's solution had been to tuck Wyatt over his 193-centimetre shoulder and ignore his protestations.

I drove home, in total awe, of her commitment to life. Always busy, she still found time to paint and was remarkably cheerful and at ease. Oh, and on top of all these other jobs, she also ran a framing business with Mark and took on painting commissions.

Maybe she just loved the thrill of activity. Was that the key to her great attitude? I just drove home with a warm glow from having been in her company.

Another artist we are welcoming to the East End Gallery for the Expansion Exhibition.

Christine Davis with her pride and joy. Artist, teacher, mother, wife and Superwoman all rolled into one convenient package!

Listen to the Ra.d.io (love to Robbie Williams!)

Sixteen days until we open the Expansion Exhibition. We are flying by the seats of our pants. Michael is as happy as I'm ever seen him. He is so proud of the East End Gallery, so humbled by the extraordinary artists displaying their works with his. His sculptures tell a story, but they have become so much more than that. They have an aura all of their own and they offer a window into Michael's soul as an artist and as a man.

Yesterday was another step towards the exhibition. We drove off in a shower of sparks from the House that Rocks at about a quarter to ten. A two hour drive through the Wheatbelt to Merredin. A date with Anthony Tilli on Radio West to promote the Gallery. We grabbed a bite of lunch from the Hot French Bread Bakery on Barrack Street before the interview and we were both still munching as we were ushered into Anthony's inner sanctum.

Stage fright hit us. Anthony was lovely. He asked questions first then recorded the interview in two halves. I loathe listening to my own voice...I am sure I sound like a chook with sinusitis. He soothed our shattered nerves by assuring us that the interview would sound fine after editing. He took photos of us and a couple of Michael's spiders. Apparently he will play the interview on Radio West tomorrow...

And after that whirlwind, we were back on the street. A browse through Happenings on Barrack and great coffee, tea and cake at Cafe56 restored our equilibrium. I fell in love with the brightest armchair I had ever seen in the gift shop. Unfortunately, its price tag was just a touch outside our price range. If I ever win Lotto, I am buying that chair.

A walk up the main drag. I popped into Atkinsons of Merredin, a proper clothes emporium. Some of my Gallery frocks are looking slightly the worse for wear after a hot summer. Atkinsons were having a sale. Skye, the young, hip and very attentive sales assistant looked me up and down and disappeared on a quest to find me a dress or two that didn't make me look like a small barn.
I walked out an hour later with two frocks and two tops. Michael walked out with his first ever black Akubra. Talk about a Man in Black. Skye and her colleague took our cards, promising to pass them on to artists in Merredin.

We drove home through the afternoon. Next stop was Cunderdin at their Shire Office. Meredith Lee-Curtis, who produces exquisite bags from indigenous print material, works full time at the Shire. She was about to finish work, so we spent a satisfying half-hour networking with Tanya and Kayla at the Merredin CRC.

Afternoon tea and coffee at Meredith's cottage in the grounds of the Cunderdin Agricultural College. Kim, her partner, is the manager there. A genial man with a terrific work ethic and the love of Meredith's life was not present. We laughed nonstop for half an hour.

We headed towards Beverley for a date at our local CRC. A business sundowner with emphasis on marketing was in full swing when we arrived. Sam, Amor and Ashley hosted a fantastic presentation with wine and nibbles. We were so pleased that we attended. We both learnt a great deal and networked with a surprising variety of other locals.

We pulled into the driveway in the dark. The dogs were ecstatic. We were shattered. Michael fed the canine fools, I worked on the computer until the bloody device froze. I gave up in disgust and retired gratefully into bed. Michael wasn't far behind me.

And today promises to be similarly busy. Fortunately, the Photographic club has dinner at the bottom pub. I'm off to Brookton and Narrogin.

More art to collect, more networking. Woo hoo.

Yesterday's itinerary.

Merredin streetscape

the multi-talented Meredith Lee-Curtis

The Excitement is Building...

Yesterday was another mammoth day in the East End Gallery. We both worked flat out. Michael hung paintings and began preparing the metal screen that will fill the small archway. I brought both catalogues up to date, dusted, vacuumed, unpacked the ceramic chess set (without any casualties) and welcomed guests to the Gallery. I even opened up Sweet Pea's Treasures and made a sale for Alison!

Just as I was finishing the last of my jobs, I had a call from Christine Davis, an artist from Narrogin. We met Chris and her family in May last year, during the Dryandra Art, Food and Wine Trail weekend. Chris is extraordinary. She works full-time as an art teacher, looks after a family of six, has her own small gallery and short term accommodation and somehow finds a moment here and there to paint. No wonder she doesn't always return phone calls!

Anyway, we agreed that we would journey to Narrogin on Thursday and pick out some of her paintings for the Expansion Exhibition. I have been chasing her for this purpose for about the last six weeks...She has a variety of styles and sizes, including Big Works. Can't wait to catch up.

And this morning, we are driving to Merredin for an interview on RadioWest. One of their hosts, Anthony Tilli, e-mailed an invitation to us for the purposes of promoting the Gallery. Whoa...wish us luck.

Time to get off this chair and tidy up before we leave. I may be about to become a radio star, but the housework still has to get done...

The Gallery Giftshop and Art Space 1 March 2016...18 days until blast off!