Alot to catch up on

Hi I'm Le, Michael (B's) partner. I'm writing on behalf of B as he is busy grinding some Silva Organic Sidamo coffee for his sunday morning brew.

Yes, there is soooooooo much to catch up on. Children, work, sunny days, home maintenance, renovating printing press have all taken priority. So now we are going to attempt to update you all on Open Studios, yes I know that was in September but now that our daughter is sleeping much better in the wee hours, we feel a bit more, um normal, present, awake!!!!!

I'll start with some photos.............


WOODBLOCK PRINTS OF MT DONNA BUANG- this 12 piece set was B's first attempt at woodblock printing. It is absolutely stunning with beautiful flowing lines and intricate detail.  We were incredibly excited as it's the first time we have framed any of his work and we were thrilled with the results. And the frame is HUGE! Created by Kane Hammond from www.qualityhardwoodfurniture.com.au especially for this piece it measures 1.4m x 1.6m! We were just putting the frame up as the first guests arrived and now it rests in our dining room. We really love sitting under it every day at meal times and our children love identifying the animals in each piece.



Unlike the first weekend which was wet and cold, the weather on the second weekend was absolutely stunning . B set up an outdoor gallery and we enjoyed copious amounts of sunshine as our guests also enjoyed wandering around the garden, checking out the chooks and admiring the art.



This is a close up of the woodblocks B painstakingly carved to create the Mt Donna Buang set. They in themselves are a stunning piece of work and worth noting. They received alot of positive comments, oohhs and aahhhs during the event. Someone even offered to buy them (sorry, not for sale)!!!



B chatting to some of our first guests in his studio. It has a beautiful view of garden and is splashed in natural light which is very lucky in Warburton!!

Well fair to say we were exhausted. Running the event over 2 weekends was a huge commitment, especially with 2 small people in our lives. We greeted approximately 150 people over the 4 days. Our daughter had her first birthday on the 2nd weekend and we managed to squeeze in birthday cake, grandparents and friends visiting and a playful romp on the grass under the parachute (pictured below).

It really was a thrill and I'd fill with pride and happiness everytime I saw Michael talking to our guests. He is so sincere and genuine with a complete love for his art. One day he will be able to commit to it full time and (selfishly) I can have him home all the time!

A really big THANK YOU to everyone who wound their way through the maze of streets and came to show such enthusiasm for B's art. And we are incredibly grateful to those who purchased prints.



Now Open Studios is finished this is Michael's new project. Restoring THAT press! He has since hit a stumbling block. The centre pin that holds the big wheely thingy (hmmm) in place is proving difficult to manouvre. It needs to be removed and has now way of coming out so he's a bit stuck on that one. If there's anyone out there who knows about this kind of printing press, please contact us, we (he), (I), need to move on!!!