(The Girl – a poem by Jacquelin Sheargold)

Slow down and let creation happen. In the stillness of silent meditation, visions of magical moments appear. Introduce gentle music and the scene is set for the magic to appear on the canvas. 

Created in conjunction with “The Allure of Waves”, Noosa based mixed media, textile and ceramic artist Karen Robinson’s heartfelt, beautiful and whimsical piece totally harmonizes with the mood of the music.

If I Told You that I Love You” – Mixed media, silver leaf, 1,5 x 1.2 m on canvas. $2400

Contact Karen and see more of her wonderful art at www.instagram.com/karennah/

Apparently it came from Tahiti. Procured on one of his seafaring quests. Sometimes she swore she still smelt the ocean in his hair... a wild salty scent of brine and brazen adventure.

As she turned it in her hand It shimmered in the lamp light... a mystical luminous object from another world calling her heart to far off places.... and dreams that would never be.

Working on this project has been such a joy. I was encouraged to make a piece based on the emotions I felt from this composition. I was given just a few words about a man gifting his loved one a South Sea Island pearl. As I listened to "The Pearl" the whole story revealed itself. She is of the forest. He is of the sea. Whilst they love each other they acknowledge that to grow as individuals they need to follow what calls them. They meet often. When they're apart she sees him in the north star, he looks to her across the horizon.

Her piece. South Sea pearl, aventurine, sterling silver, silk thread. Based on his sextant. A sextant measures the angle between the horizon and a celestial body. 

Photography by Michelle Bowden

See more of Beth’s beautiful work at https://www.instagram.com/beche_collective 

She gently closed the lid of the piano, and as the full moon rose high, she crept past the plantation shutters and across the shimmering green lawn to the forest. Her slim form glided through stooping magnolia trees, spanish moss hanging heavily from the branches, feet crunching on the fallen leaves. She saw his sparkling eyes first… then she heard his voice, gentle and deep like caramel. “Walk softly my love”, he said, “So we disturb not the night... nor the beauty.”

Thank you so much for inviting me to join you on this special project. Your music has been so much a part of my life for which I feel privileged. Capturing the feel of the music on canvas is a challenge but the good type. There is a bit of a tradition of painters and musicians sharing ideas across their disciplines.

The first time I created a piece relating to specific music I was in a Cathedral with live musicians. The piece turned out to be dramatic and a little discordant. It was the atmosphere of the music coming out visually.

This time with "Walk softly, my love" playing in the quiet of my home I was able to absorb the harmony and peace of the music. While in the flow I went to the forest with the lovers under a full moon. If you listen carefully you hear the rustle of the leaves in a gentle breeze. Visually capturing the atmosphere created by the music has been a joy.

Director and founder of Warrior Women in Art, curator at the gallery :the mezzanine: as well as the current Chair of COSSAG, Michelle is absorbed in all things art. She has a thriving arts practice which incorporates creating, events management, curation and mentoring.

Michelle works with a variety of mediums; painting, sculpture, photography and video. Her art is as varied as her influences from abstract expressionism to pop art.

Michelle’s art has reached audiences in Brisbane, Melbourne, Australia, New York, Milan and Helsinki.

More at: Michelle Bowden Art

She had never seen so many people in that room. But as he drew her gently into his arms and began to glide her around the piano and across the floor, the other dancers seemed to fade and disappear, leaving her alone in his embrace. Her head spun from the wine, from the humid night and from the tingling feeling of his warm body pressed against her. And in that instance time itself seemed to stop. She wanted that moment to last forever, but sadly, she knew that it couldn’t.

The word encaustic originates from the Greek word enkaustikos which means to burn in. It is used to describe both the paint itself, and the method for using it.  The oldest surviving encaustic paintings are the Romano-Egyptian Fayum mummy portraits from Egypt around 100–300 AD. A painted portrait of the deceased was placed over the persons mummy as a memorial.  These 2000 year old encaustic works reveal the archival quality of this ancient medium.

The effects portrayed in my paintings are the result of traditional encaustic techniques, with a variety of exploratory methods incorporating the use of shalac and alcohol inks, “burnt” to create beautiful lace like effects. The encaustic process involves melting beeswax and combining with pigments and demar resin.  This molten medium is applied to a surface and fused with heat. Demar resin raises the melting point of the wax and hardens the finished surface to create a lustrous enamel like effect. This luster can be maintained by occasionally buffing the surface with a clean cotton cloth. The layering of the encaustics creates a fluidity, luminosity and depth that is richly emotive.

You can find (and purchase) more of Nola’s incredible work at https://www.instagram.com/art.bynola/

Or if you’d like to see them in person they are currently on display at Entangled on the Hill

It was on a steamy, late summer evening that he first brought her flowers. Their sweet pungent perfume lingered in the still, humid night air, along with his warm musky scent. She left them on the piano, and as their leaves dried and their petals fell over the keys, she remembered him with soft, gentle sadness… the dying flowers an ephemeral wilting reminder of a fleeting moment of bliss.

I was swept away into another universe as soon as the gentle sounds of "Remembering Flowers" began to play. My imagination was flooded with images of velvety rose petals, smooth ivory keys, and gentle rays of warm sunbeams reflecting across sensual skin and worn floor boards. I felt an overwhelming urge to create something soft, beautiful and feminine...   Read More