Marie Jonsson Harrison » country

49. By the Seaside & Art

mariejon — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 23:45:56 +0000

ART & FLOODS

As it happens we should just have stayed at the farm, because four days after we moved to the seaside the seaside actually came to the farm would you believe! If you missed our house moving tales here is the art blogs on our adventures 40. Tree Change for a Sea Change & Art and 41. Art & Collecting Cackleberries and Thank you Balaklava and of course there has to be a packing story in there too; 42. Art & All That Packing ..mmm Better have a Holiday

So four days after we moved to the seaside one of the biggest down pours in history happened at Whitwarta where we lived and according to the locals the water levels were at record heights!

The river of course broke its banks and the new owners of our farm house had the water lapping very close to the front door. Several paddocks were completely submerged and only the top of the fences showed. The water pipe for the house was ripped out by the water as was the water meter.

This painting shows a country scene and was inspired by the country life, and as the new family that has moved in has six children under ten, it can easily be them with their lovely mum and dad, Janette and Kirk (apart from the hair colours!)

THE ART OF KEEPING YOUR COOL

The new owners had a wonderful C’est la vie attitude and took it all in their stride, called us up to find out where the water pipe that connects to the house was located and so on. They said it was a great way to meet the neighbours, and everyone rallied around and helped them lay a temporary water pipe down the drive way for the time being.

I think the river flooded as a greeting for them, as it did the same for us many years ago just 3 or so weeks after we moved in, although this time the food did a lot more damage.

I must say it is spectacular to watch and it brings new life to the area and lots of seabirds and little creatures. The frogs which hibernate during winter and seem to disappear totally during the drought years, just magically come back to life and their croaking is something I never tired of listening too.

ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS

This painting of the Frog Pond was made into a Care Card and sold for Charity, there were so many visions in the country that made the creative juices flow, all around you there is another scene that you want to recreate as a sculpture or artwork of any type.

My father made a little wooden dingy for the kids when they were little and they used to take great delight at rowing in the river, although they did have to wait until the water had subsided considerably as during the peak, it is a torrent of water collecting everything in its path.

Great big logs and drums and a tyre or two have been spotted winding their way down, and heaven forbid that you should fall in, even the strongest swimmer would have a hard time getting to safety.

When the river dries out again it is like Christmas to walk down in the riverbed and see what the water brought this time.

Usually lots of logs and branches get caught up in some tree roots snag and look just like huge beavers nests, and that’s what we used to call them.

The local wildlife would take up residence there and the beaver’s nests would cater for foxes, rabbits, lizards and snakes, all very exciting for little children and dogs.

So to the new owners of the farm, the Taylors,( a more perfect family we could not think of to take over this house), we wish you all the best and hope your time in the this new home will be as happy and wonderful as it was for us.

I think this motto fits well in here said by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (writer)

“The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all!

Love Marie xx

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES. Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

40. Tree Change for a Sea Change & Art

Marie — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 01:32:02 +0000

ARTIST INSPIRATIONS

This painting is one I painted early on in my career (which sold in America) which was inspired by our new life on the farm, and what a lovely time it has been too.

Here we are unloading the truck with the dairy cows that we had on agistment each summer, they actually came on foot so the red truck is artistic licence.

We have lived here for the last 17 years and loved every minute of it, if it wasn’t for the fact that our children both now need to live in the city and find it hard to work such long hours and study at uni at the same time we would probably never have thought about leaving the country. I must admit I have had quite a few changes in my life from international model to artist for one! Leaving the farm though will be hard.

Now however it has finally happened and we don’t know whether to be happy or sad about the next chapter of our lives by the sea and with only 30 minutes to the city centre.

To wake up to the twitter of little birds and loud screeching of Galahs and Corellas is something that we will miss (oh maybe not the screeching bit, lol)

Speaking of Twitter if you would like to follow me there, here is a link https://twitter.com/Naiveview

Other things we will miss is the serene 40 minute river walk on our own property that we do each morning, often seeing the kangaroo who lives part time in our paddock and also ducks and other river birds that visit from far flung places.

The possum who comes to visit us at night looking for an apple or some bread, a wild animal who reaches out and grabs the treats with his little hands so trusting that we won’t harm him (we won’t miss the little brown pellets he leaves behind though lol)

HORSES AND ART

Our two remaining horses Pringles and Zipper, miniature ponies, have already found a wonderful place to live, with rolling hills and lovely people who spoil them with treats.

Our horses inspired many paintings and art blogs and here is a link to one of those with some artworks 61. Can Horses Write ?

I will sorely miss the open fires, the rain on the iron roof, the smell of the freshly cut lawns and rain, the peace and quiet and not a neighbour in sight. Not to mention; our permanent waterhole and the river when it flows and the whole area rebirths with new life and the trees full of figs, apricots and oranges.

Our 2 dogs and the birds will be coming with us and also Milo the cat, however we are going to have to plead our case with the new owners for Ozzy (yes named after Ozzy Osborne) our other cat, as he never took to being inside and likes roaming the country side. I must say that it is very rarely that we find a bird eaten, he is however quite the Mouser so he earns his keep so to speak, and with the current mouse plague that is quite an asset.

This saying by Titus Livy (Historian) fits well here I think.

“In difficult and hopeless situations the boldest plans are the safest.”

Till Next time happy painting and sculpting to you all.

Love Marie (c)

11. “SMOKEY” The Chip eating sheep Art blog

Marie — Sun, 02 May 2010 03:11:24 +0000

PAINTED PICTURE OF THE COUNTRY

As a lot of you know by now we live on a farm, although recently we have reduced said farm’s acreage substantially. However it is and has been a wonderful place to live and for our children to grow up on, and with so many tales to tell. The farm and the country side in general was a wonderful and inspirational setting for an artist, supplying vistas that I never got tired of recreating in artworks or paintings or writing about in Art blogs. Here is a painting which sold in America which pictures the country side here, not quite our farm but a romantic view of it. What it does show is the White Ute (pickup truck) and that is what this story is all about.

One of our friends had a sheep called Smokey, not your normal type of sheep, no this one was the potato chip eating variety, that had been hand raised in a Hotel, all you had to do was to rattle a chip packet and Smokey would come running and nearly bowl you over whilst licking her lips. The Publican and his wife were now moving away, the cute but by now Big sheep was looking for a new home. Yep and that was us, so Bryan dear hubby of mine thought he would swing past said friend and pick Smokey up.

WHAT A PICTURE

He rolled up in his White ute and now with a bit of blokey discussion back and forth they decided that the only way they could transport this sheep (as he was you know, more like a family member than a sheep) in the FRONT Seat of the ute.

Yep that’s right, that’s where Smokey sat for the 25 minute drive from Mallala to Balaklava. Oh did I forget to tell you, of course he had his seat belt done up, that’s the road rules you know.

So here is little wifey-poo patiently waiting for hubby and sheep to arrive home, you know on the back of the ute like, and I cannot tell you of the fright I got when they arrived home late after dark and I looked into the passenger window and saw this very strange creature sitting there looking at me, sitting on her bum mind you, upright with the seatbelt across her and looking out the window.

Crazy men, I just thank the lucky stars that she sat perfectly still the entire trip cause otherwise neither of them would probably have made it home that night. Lol

Here is some more of the wit and wisdom of Oscar Wilde with his quote:

“I sometimes think that God in creating man somewhat overestimated his ability”

I hope you will come and visit me again, till next time, happy painting and sculpting to you all!

Love Marie (c)