Eden

“Eden is not simply a mythical place, or a metaphor for original innocence, or an outworn and divisive religious symbol. Eden is a state of being, and we are free to return every time we know ourselves again in deep communion with the rest of life” ~ Eleanor O’Hanlon, The book of Whale, The eyes… Continue reading Eden

Unintended consequences

Places that changed my life: A few years ago, with a group of neighbours, I spent 8 days on the yacht called the ‘Breaksea Girl’ travelling through the Fiordland National Park in the World Heritage Area. We went from Doubtful to Dusky Sound. Sailing through these majestic waterways which included a stint on the Southern Ocean. Sailing with a… Continue reading Unintended consequences

Internal saboteurs

The self critic has been my lifelong nemesis. Its the first thing to close down my creativity, a shape-shifting monster that’s always lurking in the shadows, watching and judging. Those inner voices that terrorise me and keep my curiosity captive. The ‘war on terror’ is in fact an internal battle, afterall nobody speaks this harshly… Continue reading Internal saboteurs

The creative Spirit unleashed!

In partnership with Gordon Harris Art Supplies in Wellington I’ll soon be starting a new weekday painting class in Wellington. They’ve got a small but fabulous workshop space in their new store at 182 Vivian St, and I’ll be starting up a class there for a couple hours every Wednesday afternoon. We’ll be working on… Continue reading The creative Spirit unleashed!

The furnace of peace

A little over a week ago I was sitting by a small lake, my feet in the cool water soaking in the extraordinary peacefulness that filled the air and touched my soul, silent but for the summer sounds of the birds singing all around us, the frogs and fish snatching insects on the waters surface,… Continue reading The furnace of peace

Undercurrents

   “the most important thing we bring to another person is the silence in us. Not the sort of silence that is filled with unspoken criticism or hard withdrawal. The silence that is a place of refuge of rest, of acceptance of someone as they are.” ~Rachel Naomi Rem

Taking off

I take off for the hills where gulls circle and soar in the thermals as if caught in the sky’s blue plughole and their flight’s elan where the nor’wester flips off the ridges and the tussock’s restless and shines on the hillsides, inland Otago’s vast acres browning in the sun. I take off for the… Continue reading Taking off

A trip to Paradise!

 At the top of the lake, in the heart of Lord of the Rings country, is a place called Paradise….and it truly is!         “When we can truly see and understand the earth, love is born in our hearts. We feel connected. That is the meaning of love: to be at one. Only when we’ve… Continue reading A trip to Paradise!

Playing Hamlet

We all have roles to play; this is me in my former role as President of the NZ Academy of Fine Arts, according to Jackson Pollock “Painting is self discovery. Every good artist paints what he is”….So what is that really?….. “It’s very important to remember that we all have Buddha nature. That cannot be… Continue reading Playing Hamlet