It is 9pm and I just put on my dinner after finishing a 30 minute yoga session and a five mile recovery run. Man, I love recovery runs. They can be so underestimated. After a week of running speed drills and high mileage, a simple easy 5 mile run after the sun has gone down and the air is chilled to a perfect 47 degree is the best feeling. So often as a runner we can feel tired, sore and tight. I thought how nice it would be to get a massage, my legs were killing me after my long studio day – more about that later. But I put on my running clothes grabbed a flashlight and hit the Hobart cycle route and what a beautiful night it was. The little aches and pains melted right away. The chill of the night woke me up and I am ready to for an invigorating night of more studio work.
I strongly believe in the perfect day and today was certainly one of those. I got up early and went to the Salamanca Market to buy organic produce for the week. I stocked up on apples, bananas, potatoes, lemons, and greens. I got a coffee from Jasper Coffee and wow, it was by far the best coffee I have had in months. It was delicious. I was back in my flat by 10:30 and in the printmaking studio at 11:00.
I am working in the studio at the University of Tasmania’s School of Art. What a superb facility. The studios are huge, spacious, well equipped, well maintained, and buzzing with activity. The students are excellent and very friendly. Today a number of the post-grads were in the studios. They are smart, serious, and make some really awesome work. I love it here. I am working on a book, a concertina one-sheet 16- page folded books with a paper cover. It is the punctuation of my trip, the flora and fauna of Australia influenced a great deal by Susan Purdy’s garden and her dogs. The books will have multiple layers of images; flowers, leaves, kangaroos, dogs, and birds printed on both sides of the paper. I am working with a creamy green tint kozo paper. It will be simple and very direct working with stencils and lino as I only have a few days. It took me 8 hours to print the first color today. I hope the other layers go faster, I had planned to do 2 layers today but was unable to. Tomorrow will be a short day because there is a printmaking BBQ at noon, that should be lots of fun.
Looking back over the 9 weeks I wish I had spent 6 weeks at the University of Tasmania and 3 at Lake St. Clair instead of the other way around. I love being with printmakers, we are just a great group of people, always welcoming and no matter where you are in the world, a printmaker will always welcome another one. What a great day.
What a beautiful facility you are working in !! So glad things are going well.
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