Blind Contour Drawing: 'Leaf' by Emily

Blind contour drawing is a drawing exercise, where an artist draws the contour of a subject without looking at the subject. Recently I tried this technique at a Nature Art Journalling class held by the Nature Art Lab recently at Floriade, and loved it!

It felt so freeing to not be looking at what I was creating, until I had actually finished creating it. The resulting drawing is quite abstract, and although simple, there is something I really like about it. I think it's because I know would never have drawn the leaf like this if I was looking at the paper while drawing it. I recommend giving it a try and seeing what happens! You don't have to do it for long - this was only a one minute drawing!

Phoenix Rising

'Catch on fire if you must, sometimes everything has to burn to the ground so that we can grow.' 

'It seems my life lately has mirrored that of a phoenix, burnt down to the ashes of what I once knew, and rising from those ashes, something entirely new, full of passion and strength and courage that I never knew I had. Sometimes we are required to burn away that of the past in order to truly find ourselves. Don't be afraid to let yourself burn. That is how you discover how amazing of a creature you truly are.' 

I felt extremely excited to be a part of the RESILIENCE Exhibition put on by the Gungahlin Arts Centre recently. Artists of all ages, viewpoints and levels of experience were invited to respond to the theme. This was their first open-call exhibition and was held at the Gungaderra Homestead during Mental Health Month in October 2019.

Entries were received from makers at all stages of their creative practices - from professional artists through to community members sharing deeply personal experiences through their work, with many exhibiting for the first time. Resilience invites the audience to reflect on the idea that to share our stories through the arts is an act of resilience.