Fabulous Philadelphia

Having a wonderful time at the joint SAQA/SDA Conference at Conshohocken in Philadelphia - and meeting the masters of textile art and art quilts. Some pics of the surrounds to share with you - a beautiful place, delightful company and many, many laughs.  Conshohocken rocks!

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SAQA Oceania group gathering



(L-R) Mel Forrest, Brenda Gael Smith, me, Lisa Walton, Sue Dennis, Felicity Clarke



A big thank you to Sue Dennis who hosted what we think is the largest Oceania group get-together for SAQA members held to date. Mel Forrest, Brenda Gael Smith, me, Lisa Walton, Sue and Felicity Clarke (accompanied by some of our significant others) gathered at Sue's place on Friday night to share a meal and talk art quilts. Lisa and I are the SAQA Oceania co-representatives in 2012. The annual SAQA Conference, being held jointly with the Surface Design Association,  is on later this week in Philadelphia - and I'll be blogging live from many of the events and exhibitions being held over the weekend. Thanks again to Sue and Bob for a lovely evening - something we all plan do again!

Undara inspiration

Undara provided many surprises including a range of fungi we'd never seen before. The size of the "mushroom" was larger than  a dinner plate - and WMBM let me borrow his foot for a bit of perspective. 

Also loved the bark on the gums - which is thick and "woolly" around the base of the trees to afford protection from fires, but disappears to reveal smooth, creamy trunks above the flame line. The layered pieces of bark made me think of ways to give texture and depth to an art quilt. The trees of the Savannah woodland are evidence of adaptation at its best - and the possibilities for  Shiva rubbings are endless.

The small pink capped mushrooms (below) were found by accident - peering into the cavity of a felled tree stump. Luscious pink on a pastel stalk lying in the wood dirt. The Collins family, who created Undura from part of their large cattle station (ranch), have really gifted something exquisite that is accessible to everyone. 

The dining area at Undara is framed by old railway carriages and provides a lovely quiet spot for sketching and quiet times.  Kane and the staff are wonderful - great home style meals, cold beer and they provide a restful place where nothing is a problem. The kookaburras and currawong are experts at stealing food from the end of a fork, or plate  - they are persisitent and patient!

Guided tours from experienced professionals, self-guided bush walks or simply resting quietly on the verandah listening to the bush - there's everything, and nothing, to do at Undara.