Sunday 8 March 2009

sunday at the cedars



today was a "baby bear's porridge" day...not too hot and not too cool but just right. a perfect day for the first workshop at The Cedars, for sixty-odd years the home of Hans Heysen - painter of exquisite landscapes and rescuer of eucalypts. yes, you read that correctly. Heysen would negotiate the ongoing life of eucalypts by paying those who plotted to fell them the equivalent that the timber would realise if processed through the local saw mill.
we have a lot to be grateful for!

we spent the morning dyeing silk, wool and cotton samples in fragrant brews of eucalyptus, solidago, allium, viola and prunus. later we took a windfall walk around the property collecting - you guessed it - windfalls so each student went home with their own windfall-dyed milkymerino scarf. a truly delightful day, so much so that a followup workshop is being planned - the date will be set soon!  

students came from across the country [both east and west]. the added bonus is that The Cedars - one of the nation's best kept secrets - gains more friends as well. if you haven't visited yet, please do so when you're next in the region. the house and gardens are absolutely beautiful and the atmosphere in the studio [Australia's first purpose-built artists studio] extraordinary.

4 comments:

  1. Hello, you are busy. Me too although not quite as adventurous and wayfaring as you. How fun for your students. Looking forward to more images possibly? The last lot were quite delicious a couple of posts back. Been checking in for more. Please?

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  2. when I'm around I'll visit it sounds very well1

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  3. if i'd had time to point the camera, dear rachelle, i would have done so! being a one-day workshop it was SOOO busy
    however some kind students have promised to share their images of the day and when they do...i'll pop them up
    xx

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