Scenes from a bookish weekend

1. Shane Jones and I with our dear friend, Annie Drum, at the signing of her stunning debut novel, Don’t Forget to Remember Me on Saturday morning at Collins Booksellers in Lydiard Street, Ballarat. 

2. Snapped on Sunday afternoon: Louise Jennison and Gracia Haby at their wonderful stall at Melbourne Art Book Fair in the Great Hall of NGV International, Melbourne.

3. A bird’s eye view of Melbourne Art Book Fair 2026 from the balcony of the Great Hall.

4. A delectable Lamington - or what’s left of it - at Ballarat Railway Station cafe (devoured prior to Saturday’s  book signing and included in this post especially for my London-based, Lamington-deprived Aussie friend, Bev Murray). 

Congratulations, Annie, Gracia and Louise. We feel blessed to have such lovely and talented friends and are thrilled with our book and zines haul.

Visitors

Amidst preparations for my upcoming show at Stephen McLaughlan Gallery (more about that soon), Shane and I are still beavering away at the house and gradually making it our own. 

Despite a setback with the roof which has yet to be resolved, last weekend we enjoyed some first-time visits from old friends. On Saturday, our near neighbours Annie Drum and Carole Wilson came for lunch (unfortunately we neglected to take photos) and on Sunday afternoon the delightful Jazmina Cininas called in after her linocut workshop at the Art Gallery of Ballarat. Tea in the sunroom was followed an impromptu evening meal before Jazmina headed home to Melbourne.

Jazmina's visit coincided with Alice's afternoon walk time.

In what was a weekend of firsts, the large cactus in our front garden burst unexpectedly into bloom. The results were spectacular.

All three of our guests remarked that it looked like we’ve been living in the house for years, which warmed the cockles of our hearts.

PS

Just as I was about to publish this post, there was a knock at the door. It was Ballarat friends Christine and Gary Hickson, pictured below. This was also their first visit to the house. They came bearing a gift of Lindt chocolates. I love the packaging created by Christine (see final photo below), which is inscribed ‘Wishing you many wonderful times in your new house!’ Thanks to our lovely visitors, we’re off to a great start. 

Art and the Environment, Art and Friendship

Pictured above with my shortlisted watercolour Actinus imperialis Beetle Woman at Saturday evening’s launch
 of the exhibition Art Concerning Environment at Scope Galleries, Warrnambool 

The last few days have reinforced something I am constantly aware of: although the internet and social media have many advantages - indeed, in the case of long-distance friendships, they are practically indispensable. But they are not, nor will they ever be, substitutes for meeting face-to-face. 

On Friday morning in Melbourne I bumped into Steve Cox, an artist whose work I’ve long admired, but have never had the chance to get to know. We had a lively, energising conversation and recognised many mutual points of connection. Later that same day, he joined me, my partner Shane Jones and our friend Paul Compton for a couple of glasses of wine before Shane, Paul and I set off to see Resident Alien, a superb one-man play based on the final years of Quentin Crisp, starring one of Australia’s national treasures, Paul Capsis.

On Saturday evening the biennial exhibition Art Concerning Environment at Scope Galleries in Warrnambool was launched. It was such a pleasure to finally meet two of my favourite Instagram friends. Shirley Ploog (left) was a fellow finalist with her stunning work, Nature is Talking, are We Listening and Jo Lane (right) with her equally impressive Human Nature. We are standing in front of the winning work (before the official announcement, so we didn't know it at the time): Harry Nankin's The End of the Age of Entitlement:

Carole Wilson, an old friend and now one of our neighbours at Ballarat, was another finalist. Carole is on the left in front of her work Field Notes – Woodland alongside Annie Drum.

Directly below, L-R are myself, Carole Wilson, Annie Drum and Shane Jones in front of Actinus imperialis Beetle Woman:

Our friend Debbie Hill, who is also Ballarat-based, is pictured below with her shortlisted work. (We've been talking about getting together nearer to home for at least a year now).

Marion Manifold, another old friend we haven’t seen for far too long, was a finalist with her linocut Southern Ocean Wreck. Here are Shane and Marion in front of her work:

On Sunday afternoon, after a gap of ten years, we reunited with Ewa Narkiewicz and Michelle Reedy, who are in town for an all too brief visit. For over a decade they have been living and working in Thailand. I first met Ewa back in the 1990s when we were in a group exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria organised by the Women's Art Register. Later, she and Shane (and also Carole Wilson) showed for a time at the same commercial gallery. Michelle formerly worked as a keeper at Melbourne Zoo before she and Ewa moved to Thailand. 

Myself, Shane and Ewa

Ewa Narkiewicz and Michelle Reedy