It’s happening again…the pink leaf thing

I’m recently back from Broken Hill and might write about that in another post. It was an EXCELLENT time, great to get back to the desert, wonderful to catch up with darling friends (hello Deb!!) and a bit of a turning point for me creatively.

Maybe it’s part of the reason why I’m collecting pink leaves again. I suspect pink leaf collecting means I’m feeling connected. Grounded in a good way. Most mornings I walk down to the mighty Murray River. Sometimes I head north east into Victoria (sounds fun saying I walked interstate) passing the community gardens where I say Namaste to the Bhutanese refugees who may be working there. Other times I head west along to some fabulous wetlands. And whatever the direction I listen to the glorious sounds of the birds and watch for them darting in the gums.

Occasionally, I wonder if I am the only person in Albury who has an action plan for what to do if there is an earthquake while I am on the part of the walk that goes under the causeway. Clearly, if there was a big earthquake*, I’d probably be stuffed. But that hasn't stopped me working out what I’d do. The effects of my experience in Nepal’s 2015 earthquakes linger.

I find myself really drawn to the imperfect pink leaves…the pitted and scarred; the patchy and chewed; the mottled and speckled.. I collect ragged leaves with distorted shapes, marvelling at the array of colours in one small leaf. Or one surprisingly big leaf.

Something’s brewing. I’m not sure where it’s leading but I’m in that state which is that delightful combination of hard work, exploration and play. Focussed curiosity. Building on old techniques and ideas and trying out new ones. Let’s see where it takes me.

BTW, for those interested, I’ll be teaching again next year! I’ll be doing classes at the fabulous Art Partners studio in between Nepal trips (March to September) and am very excited about that! There’s other possibilities as well but for now this is looking good! I’ll let you know closer to the dates.

*Not likely but there was an earthquake felt in Albury earlier this year according to the lady at the IGA!