Category: Uncategorized
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Very pleased to be starting a Lighthouse Arts residency tomorrow, courtesy of Hunter Writers Centre! Located at Nobby’s-Whibayganba Headland on Newcastle Harbour, the residency is a deep immersion in sea, sky and wind… lots of wind! Today I was painting an old farmhouse property in the Hunter Valley, and listening to podcasts while I worked.…
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I often spend Thursday nights at Peter Lankas’ life drawing sessions in Newcastle. Last Thursday was an incredibly hot evening, I’d spent the morning doing some concreting, so by the time 9pm arrived I felt like nap time was long overdue. The class finishes at 9.30pm, and we had one more pose before everyone packed…
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With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, may I suggest that instead of a last-minute bunch of slightly wilted roses from Woolies, you instead bring your beloved some high-grade literary spice? The Nights is now available as an audio book, narrated by the brilliant actor Kelly Burke. The Nights is published by iconic indie publisher Spineless Wonders…
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Inspired by Mr Trump’s dictum that I should #DressLikeAWoman, I recently did so and went about my everyday life in the Hunter Valley. Thanks to Jessica Coughlan for filming this clip: DressLikeAWoman It turns out that it’s remarkably difficult to do CrossFit in a ballgown!
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As part of my late night/armchair fitness blog reading experiment, I ended up reading a lot of stuff about CrossFit. Of course, I got curious about it, and after dithering around for a few months (quite a few months, actually) I finally went down to my local box and got a membership. As we’re fast…
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It should be an easy task: go to the shops and buy a new pair of leggings to wear to the gym. Why is that hard? But surprisingly, it is. I have a nice pair of black leggings made by Running Bare that are about five years old. Despite being a cheapskate, I brought them…
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For Sophie’s birthday last year, we made a large dinosaur pinyata. A friend cheekily referred to it as ‘aspirational’ as it ended up taking up most of the living room, and required three people to carry it up the road and into the sports hall where the party was being held. Unfortunately, I don’t have…
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Occasinally friendships propel you into difficult territory. As a case in point, my lovely artist mate Karen Smith recently asked me to take part in an exhibition of painted coffin lids. This creeped me out to the degree that I (1) refused to participate and (2) when worn down by Karen’s nagging, said ‘yes’ but…
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There comes a time when you look at the plethora of reality-tv renovation shows and say enough! I mean, I get it: I know people want to make their homes grander, sleeker, bigger or more modern. And I understand how a crappy environment can drag on the psyche. But honestly, isn’t there a certain charm…
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I’ve got to say, painting theatre sets is enormous fun. This is one of my recent jobs for Maitland Repertory Theatre’s Christmas production of The Butler Did It. Being a festive time of year, we immersed ourselves in rich colours: dark reds, golds, warm wood tones and rich greens. Even a bit of gold for that…
Helen Hopcroft: an artist's life 