Julie Nichols Art Therapist

"In the 27 years of my woodworking business, I have never thrown away a knot. Many people see knots as a defect, but to me knots are the visual representation of a trees struggle to thrive. Not all little limbs become big branches, but their combined efforts on behalf of the tree as a whole should be celebrated. Just like human scars they tell a story of sacrifice and healing. Each of these "scars" has a unique personality and deserve the chance to be appreciated as art."
~ Keith Williams from Oddball Gallery

“The object of art is not to
reproduce reality, but to create
a reality of the same intensity.”

🎨 Alberto Giacometti

“Art is unquestionably one
of the purest and highest
elements in human happiness.

It trains the mind through
the eye and the eye through
the mind.

As the sun colors flowers,
so does art color life.”

🌼 John Lubbock

So true. B

When faced with a decision that scares you.
Think of the women who came before.
Those who could only dream of the opportunities you have now.
Talk to your ancestors my friend.
Hear their primal roar.
They are beside you.
And you are never alone.
When faced with a risk in this life.
Just once or twice, jump bravely into the fire.
And know that they will be cheering you on.
And guiding you out.
They speak to you through your gut.
And they are wise.
Listen.
And jump.

Donna Ashworth

https://amzn.to/3JVMJlZ

Art by Kai Orton

Nearly done. Thank you James Bennett for use of your photograph.

Regeneration...

Love the Kimberley I'll be back as soon as I can.

A good read for the arty types...

After watching the documentary, "My Octopus Teacher", on Netflix I was inspired to paint an octopus. They are such amazing, misunderstood and under-estimated creatures. I am fascinated by them.

How honored do I feel!!! I have been sitting in my hands knowing that I was a finalist in the Australian Photography Awards, well the news is in and I have placed SECOND. To see the top 10 click https://www.australianphotographyawards.com.au/critique/wildlife-top-10-breakdown/
And the top 75 finalists
www.australianphotographyawards.com.au/galleries/2018-wildlife/

“There are ruins in each of us. A place where ‘what once was’ lives on like an echo, haunting the landscape of our lives with its weathered foundations. Abandoned, scavenged, and dismantled by time, the ruin is the holiest place in our heart. It is the ways in which we have been broken that have earned us a place to stand. It is in our life’s absences that a wild longing is born. This ruined place is a temple in which to worship, to throw down our grief and our forgetting, and praise what remains. After all, these remains are the evidence of how greatly we have loved and they should be venerated as the legacy of survival that they are.”

Excerpt from “Belonging: Remembering Ourselves Home” by Toko-pa Turner (belongingbook.com)

Photo of a wooden crate filled with old photos.