It is certainly a big undertaking to hold a show of your artwork. Where do you start?

Firstly, you need to find a worthy subject matter that will appeal to people, then you need to make sure you can find the inspiration to create around 20 pieces of work that fit within this theme. Next you need to be happy with the venue / gallery space and negotiate agreeable terms with the owner. Then you need to think about your story and media appeal. Questions I need to ask myself: Is this something that people will respond well to? Is my story of interest to others? Will I get any support from magazines and papers that will let people know about my show?

There are a lot of things to consider, and it’s fair to say that you need to muster a great deal of courage to start putting yourself out there to get the exposure you need to create interest around your show. Deep breath, baby steps forward…

For An Ode to Daylesford, I have been very lucky to be offered Made Gallery in the historic Raglan Building. Jo and her partner Bob bought the Raglan a couple of years ago and have spent an enormous amount of time, energy and money restoring her, and forming a wonderfully creative hub within her walls.

Next to the MADE Gallery is the CeCode Design Workroom, and on the end is Kazuki’s Restaurant (former head chef from Lake House) so the building often glows with creativity and inspiration. I feel very privileged to be included in this space and the building itself, and it’s history has already inspired me to a whole new and consistent level of creativity.

I chose the subject “An Ode To Daylesford” as I am feeling particularly inspired by the life and people in this town. The subject matter is endless, and it is a way for me to show my appreciation for what this town has brought to my life.

It sounds very corny, but the move from the centre of Sydney where life was fast, fun, stressful, and well, somewhat unhealthy, to a beautiful country town where I can step outside and pick fruit directly from the trees, where my son sings all the way to the markets while he rides his little bike and points out all the different kind of birds, where I can walk into local cafes and they know my name and my order. For me, this is happiness and it’s finally time that I put it to canvas.

Once I decided that I was definitely going to do this show in August, the first step was to go and buy a brand new sketch book. There’s nothing quite as inspiring (and daunting) as a book full of blank sheets of paper!

Next step, I started working on ideas and painting series. I generally work on sketches and ideas over and over until it feels right, and then I paint based on that feeling. The painting always turns out a little different to the sketches as it has more time to develop and grow.

Here are two examples of sketches from my book, and the resulting painting to give you an idea of the difference.

Titled: Dreaming Of Here

Titled: Mostly I Prefer the Company of Books

As I work on my collection for the exhibition, I also need to create a series of press releases for different media. Some magazines are monthly, some are quarterly, some papers are weekly and some are daily so I need to create a press schedule that will accommodate all of the different needs of the different outlets. In the end, the more media attention I can generate, the more people know about the exhibition, and the more people who will come and have a little look!

I also need to be thinking about the opening night drinks, planning activities throughout the month that could be held on site, and so on. There are a range of events occurring over winter, for example, Words in Winter is an annual literary event that takes place in a number of towns in the Goldfields region in August so I am hoping to tie something in with this group and the gallery on one or two days…we will see!

Although it is a lot to think about and plan, somehow it all seems to be flowing beautifully. Daylesford has certainly turned on the charm with the weather in the past month (Autumn is always spectacular but not always this warm and sunny – thank you!) and I am sure that this has contributed to my sustained energy levels when it has come to my painting.

This is a little picture of my painting spot off our lounge room when the weather is right. Bliss now that the leaves are bright red!

Well, the more I write about this process, the more I realise how much work I have to do, so with this in mind it’s time I sign off and get back to it.

I would like to finish, however, by extending an invitation to the opening of my exhibition:

An Ode To Daylesford

Friday 3rd August between 6pm and 8pm.

The exhibition will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for the month of August so please come and say hi!

Thanks and I look forward to your company!

Jodie

Dreaming Of Here

Hello,

I hope that you have some lovely things planned for this Easter break.

I am writing to let you know in advance that I am planning an exhibition for the month of August called “An Ode To Daylesford”. It’s the first exhibition that I have done in years and will be a celebration of daily life living in this beautiful country town, with the places, the characters and the beauty all captured from my own point of view.

The show will take place at MADE Gallery, in the historic Raglan Building which used to be the original centre of town (just near the fountain). I wanted to give you plenty of notice so that if you are planning a trip to Daylesford over Winter,  you could plan it for August so we could meet in person, have a chat, and share a mulled wine by the fire.

The official opening is planned for Friday 3rd August between 6 and 8pm, and the gallery will open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday throughout the month of August.

I will also send through an official invitation closer to the date as a reminder so if you can make it, please let me know!

Thanks for your ongoing interest and support, and Happy Easter long weekend – enjoy your time off!

Jodie

Dressed for action, in black True Religion Jeans, Armani Black T-Shirt and Prada patent black sneakers; I walked up the cobblestone driveway, dodged the sprinklers, skirted the rose garden and wandered through the open front door of Daylesford’s prettiest 1880’s miner’s cottage.  Across the threshold, the seductive smell of lavender lured me in further; like sleep walking off the Lavender plateau in Gorge du Verdon, straight into a Grasse perfumerie. Hessian sacks of Lavender, dried Rose petals and Jasmine flowers covered every inch of floor space. Mrs She-Tea should offer guided tours, because this place is spellbinding; I didn’t know where to look or smell first.

A glint of sunlight at the back of the room caught my eye. There it was. The final Face-Off portrait, leaning against the far wall next to some She-Tea canisters. I see now why The London Portrait Gallery would be interested. It was like looking in a mirror. Gingerly stepping over the hessian sacks to get a closer look, my eyes were drawn to the She-Tea canisters.  OMG! I’m a tea! She-Tea is planning to launch a tea dedicated to ME, named @pradagoesrural (my Twitter handle).  I’m speechless.

The back label of @pradagoesrural reads… 

Adorned in Prada and wellies, @pradagoesrural bombards her inner circle with endless “how to become famous” marketing ideas, coupled with ridiculous deadlines that induce panic-inspired frenzy that make you feel like this is the last possible chance you will ever have to do something meaningful with your life.  Her verbal assault of marketing wisdom is swiftly followed with a look that screams, “If you can’t manage this darling, there’s something very wrong with you!”

Her two favourite “F” words, Fabulous and Famous, find their way into almost every sentence, as she sweeps through restaurants, bars and cafes, gracing everyone with air kisses and “royal” waves; leaving a trail of bewildered tourists asking “Who is that woman? Is she famous?”

After yet another day of frantic writing, outlandish PR stunts, and endless promises of global stardom to local artistic talents, @pradagoesrural retreats to her pretty veranda laden with oversized pots of lavender, and pours a glass of French bubbles. Smiling at her own fabulousness and gathering the energy to do it all over again tomorrow.

I sneak quietly out the backdoor, with a canister of She-Tea @pradagoesrural secreted away in my Mulberry Tote. I always dreamt of being on the cover of a magazine, but this is SO much better. My mind is still racing with ideas on how to get Mrs She-Tea onto supermarket shelves around the world.  I wonder if Wedgewood would design a tea-cup for ME? Must ask.

Visit Tweed, Tea & Wellies.

The painting has been both a pleasure and an artistic stretch for me. A pleasure firstly as I love the subject and she is very easy to paint. She’s a beautiful young woman both inside and out, and happens to be at the top of her field in the horse world. Here comes the stretch, the painting is of Courtney and her Champion Small Hack, Magnifique.

Being a professional in the horse world means that I needed to get the horse right to ensures she loves the painting for the rest of time. This is not easy, so with help from her Mum (Francesca) with countless phone conversations,messages and emails,and a few photos I started by creating a sketch of my first ideas of the painting’s layout.

This is a photo of Courtney on Magnifique.

After considering the options for the painting layout for a while, I began thinking about Courtney as a person, what she loves, her relationship with her horse, and where she is in her life as a young woman. I felt very strongly that the painting should be a blend of her in her horse world and her in the rest of her life as so often the horse world can become all-consuming.

I wanted to capture the love between Coutney and her beautiful horse, Magnifique, but show her in her true colours as well.

After a few ideas,I came up with this sketch and pitched it to Francesca, getting the go-ahead to start painting.

Courtney is a beauty, with long, wavy hair, beautiful eyes and a cheeky attitude. It was important that these parts of her shone through, so that is why I wanted the riding hat paired with the long flowing hair as a way to capture this wonderful mix.

I also wanted Magnifique to look a little wild to match Courtney so her maine is free and flowing also.

Francesca initially wanted the bridle to be put on her and I think it could be a lovely mix of a wild and also highly disciplined animal.

Once given the go ahead, I started on the painting.The following pictures are a succession of photos of the different stages of the painting,clearly showing the layers and changes made along the way.

Usually this sized painting will happen over approximately 4 to 6 weeks, but this particulr painting was racing against the clock so the majority of it actually happened over a seven day period.

I didn’t realise at the time but the ears on the horse were in the wrong position so thankfully I had some assistance from my mother and sister to correct them (both horsey people). I needed to move Magnifique’s left ear completely as you will see in the next few photos. I also had to lengthen the nose, widen the nose at the end (it was too pointed), work heavily on the eyes to make them more pronounced, and change the colour three times to get it right.

This is where I moved the ear, but realised the colour of the horse was too dark so alsoneeded to change that aspect.

One thing I am loving in this painting is the departure from my usual plain background, with the textured sky and the blades of grass in the field. I took a big leap with these additions as it seemed the most appropriate backdrop for these two best friends, but i think i will start to work more into my backgrounds where appropriate from now on.

Here is Magnifique with a rich red/brown coat and a lot of work done around the eyes (with a lot of feedback and assistance from Francesca and Mum). Being a show horse, they do use make-up to exagerate certain features and I have embraced this a little here.

After much deliberation and various channels of advice,we agreed that it would be best if we left the bridle off as it shows that these two are truly friends and Magnifique spends time with Courtney because she wants to and not because she has to.

Finally, after widening the nose, fixing the maine and horse’s colour, adding some funky nailpolish for Courtney, along with some pearls and finer details, she is complete.

Two Beauties was presented to Courtney on the night before her birthday and I received a lovely call from a very happy birthday girl. It goes to show that it is certainly possible to paint things outside my comfort zone but only if I am a very good listener as the steady stream of feedback and ideas was crucial in my success.

Feels good!

I have been super busy with She-Tea so far this month but managed to squeeze in a photo shoot with my artist friend Kathrin Longhurst. I thought you might enjoy seeing some of my new pics!

At home in my studio with ZEN.

My family: Husband John and son Jasper (2 years old)

And a couple of new paintings…

Girl With Magnolias

Spring Fling

Spending Time in the Daylesford Community Garden.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for subscribing to my posts this year and I hope that you continue to allow me to share with you in 2012. I’d also like to wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and New Year. 2012 holds enormous promise and I for one can’t wait to dive in!

Best Wishes,

Jodie

My godfather taught me many years ago that if you are interested in something and find that you have a passion for it, get involved in it, learn the industry, volunteer if you need to, to gain the knowledge you need to take things further. Well, after reading a very special review a couple of months ago on three of our premium loose leaf SHE-TEA blends by Ben Knight (well-known Melbourne wine reviewer and sommelier), a spark was ignited in me that I am please to report has turned into a  small glowing flame.

When you’re part of something as established as the Australian tea market, you always want to be doing  something that’s a little bit different to everyone else, and this means that you need to think differently to everyone else. I believe this is why I was especially thrilled to read Ben’s article. It was a fresh and interesting  perspective on tea from someone placed completely outside the tea world. Wonderful.

I love the parallels that are drawn between tea and wine in this article, the tannins reference, and the fact that grape varieties and tea varieties can both be so broad and subjectively appreciated. While the similarities between the two had occurred to me previously, I didn’t have the knowledge base to be able to put them together convincingly.  This has now started to change.

As often happens in life, when you let it, I was considering my options for education in wine tasting and while talking about this to a friend at a party, found out that there would be a position opening up at a local Musk Vineyard’s New Cellar Door in the next couple of months. BINGO! Here was my opportunity to learn about wine from the ground up, to learn about growing the grapes, picking techniques, fermenting, barrelling, bottling, and of course (my favoutire bit) … tasting!

As another example of wonderful things that happen when you’ve made a tree-change, the next thing I know I am off to the winery to meet my potential new boss, Cameron. He’s a lovely guy with an obvious passion for wine as well as teaching, and we discuss my potential role in the cellar door, my background in sales and marketing, and also my business She-Tea, with a reference to the She-Tea article also. I let him know that I am available once a week (every Saturday) and after a few weeks wait, I start my first day at the cellar door.

What a great day to begin! Spectacular blue skies scattered with passing clouds (very apt), warm friendly customers, and a new boss who is keen to teach me as much as I want to learn about wine. I was also treated to a local tasting plate to seal the deal. Heaven.

During my first education session in tasting I learnt about Sparkling Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Shiraz Cabernet and a very special blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot (yum) called “The Angel”. We discussed the aromas of each wine (also important with tea), the colour of each wine (also important with tea), and of course the taste (…also very important with tea).

I guess what surprised me the most about wine-tasting is the amount of concentration you need to use to be able to give a truly considered analysis of your individual experience with each wine. So many of the aromas and flavours are familiar, but the descriptive terms can be very elusive (and no I was not swallowing the wine so this was not due to an over-appreciation).

This descriptive process, I am assured, becomes easier with time and practice.

Although I am only at the beginning of my journey into the world of  wine appreciation, I already realise that both wine and tea are an equally subjective experience, and whether or not someone is going to enjoy a certain blend depends entirely on that individual’s palate, personal preferences and often their life experiences. There really is no right or wrong and the beauty of it is that it’s entirely up to you.

Just as an incredible glass of wine can make you feel like you’re taking a long walk through an ancient forest, tea can also transport you thousands of miles in a single sip. The more I learn about both of these wonderful luxuries, the more I love them, and while I’m not sure where this new journey will take me, I am enjoying the ride regardless.

(Thanks Ben!)

If you order online at www.she-tea.com.au you will automatically be entered into the draw!

I will start by confessing (again) that I am not a Winter person. I don’t like to be cold and I don’t like bare trees. So why on earth, I hear you say, have I chosen to live in Daylesford? I must admit that I wonder this exact thing each and every Winter…and then, when the first buds burst on our grape vine, and the tulips open, and the birds are in full choir as the sun streams down on my family while we work in the garden, I am once again reminded of exactly why I choose to live in this beautiful town.

I have lived in Daylesford for a number of years now. I fell in love with it when I first visited around ten years ago and I always felt a very strong connection to the area. I used to drive down from Sydney regularly to stay with a friend and every time I drove through the Wombat forest I felt very emotional. I always put it down to being tired and living in Sydney, having a high stress job, drinking too much on weekends (and during the week if I’m honest), and so on. Regardless of the various reasons I conjured up, the feeling was there, it was consistent, and it was strong, strong enough to make sure that I bought a home here.

When I started looking for a property in the Daylesford area, the very first place that I went to see was in Shepherds Flat, approximately 10 minutes from town. It was 20 acres, no house and on a steep hill. I didn’t know why I was drawn to that area as I had no prior connection to it, it would have meant that I needed to build a house and also work the largest portion of the land. As my husband and friends said at the time, what the hell are you thinking?

Thankfully I was talked out of that purchase and ended up buying a very  run down little Victorian house on Wombat Hill, the place we now happily call home. Every time I drive past that long road up to that block of land on the way to Lavandula, I remember the feeling I had about it.

Just two weeks ago my mother called me from Queensland to ask me to look up a little place called Shepherds Flat for her on the internet. After explaining that it was just down the road and the place I went to look at that block of land originally, I asked her why she wanted to know about it and it turns out that Shepherds Flat was the place where my great great grandmother (Clara May Long) was born in 1883. This revelation gave me goosebumps and after all of the years I had moved around, I suddenly felt like I’d found my home. There was a reason for the way I felt about this area, there was a connection, a past.

Since then we’ve also discovered that my great great grandfather was born in Ballarat, where I gave birth to my son, and another great great grandfather immigrated across from Ireland and settled in Maldon, just 25 minutes from here. What’s more, despite our family being in Queensland these days, both my sister and myself have both settled in this area, with Shepherds Flat being the halfway point of our two homes.

This information has consolidated and validated how I had felt about this region from the very start, and I now feel even more blessed to be living in such a beautiful area, so rich with history, life and family.