And this last summer was a great one... Here are three pastel drawings I produced along the way...
The first was drawn in my Mum's garden. She has the kind of garden I want one day. Its kind of messy and magical, spread over a hectare of land in Kapiti. She has fruit trees, veges, flower beds, chooks... birds and bees and butterflies, gecko's and frogs... lucky for me she is pretty generous at sharing it! Jalen (my son) and I pitched a tent over the Christmas holidays and came and went from the garden like it was our own private oasis. When I'm there, I feel at peace, and refreshed, after too long in the dirty, noisy city. The garden changes all the time as the seasons change and plants fade or bloom. This view of the flower garden has changed dramatically after the recent house move (Mum's cottage was near a stream that kept flooding but has now been moved to a hill like a little cottage/castle in the center of its king (or queen) -dom.) It is a beautiful spot all year round but especially bright and colourful in its full summer glory.
This second pastel drawing was made at Otaki Forks, a beautiful entrance to the Tararua Forest Park not far from mum's place. One of the nicest things about summer is that it can be a sweet season for romance. I had a yummy romance last summer! On this warm, sunny day my soon-to-be lover and I explored the river (the water was icy cold), talked, cuddled and had a picnic lunch. I didn't realise before I met him that dating a person who is creative like me would make a big difference to the way I feel about painting and drawing. I used to feel GUILTY! Even when past partners seemed supportive, I never felt that they UNDERSTOOD the driving need to create - how it grabs you - anytime - day or night - and can kind of enslave you for a while - get you excited - get you high. I could sometimes feel a partner's frustration, jealousy or boredom but with Dean it didn't feel like that at all. I found a beautiful spot at the river bed and laid out my supplies around me. Dean sat nearby with his guitar and played beautiful music, completely at ease with my attention being captured by paper and chalk, and totally happy to lose himself likewise in his playing. I could have sat there for hours. We probably did!
The third and final drawing is at Castlecliff beach in Whanganui. My son had a week with his dad so I took my tent, paint and togs on a bit of an art tour. Whanganui was the first stop up from Kapiti and after a long day of driving and painting I pitched my tent and had a hot spa to relieve my aching muscles (being an artist is physically hard work! At least it is how I do it!) I jumped out and threw a jacket over my togs as the sun began to set. Grabbing my drawing pad and box of pastels, I ran across the road in bare feet to capture the ocean view in the fading light. It was crisply cool and beautiful. Open sea and air from Whanganui to Australia. Just a few kms down the road was a spot where, earlier, I spent several hot, sweaty hours digging my car out of the sand hole I'd trapped it in. I was trying to find a sweet painting spot and the track I was driving on had seemed totally solid right up until the moment that it wasn't any more. And then it was too late. Luckily, some friendly holiday-goers came to my rescue with shovels and advice or, for all I know, my poor car could still be stuck there to this day. I never did get the painting done. So after an eventful day and a reviving soak, I couldn't resist the subtle shades of the summer sunset fading over the beach. A couple had lit a fire, just as I did in Kapiti with my summer lover. Warm summer nights, bare feet in the sand, fires on the beach, camping out and digging the car free - these things make a blissful kiwi summer to me.
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