I went to Mt Field National Park and drove up to Lake Dobson in the alpine area of the park. It had been pretty sunny in Hobart but up here I watched as mist quickly swept over the lake. It was so peaceful just listening to the wind and watching as a scene would disappear or reappear from a cloud of white. I walked around a little and tried to record some of the scenes with my camera.

This is a photo of most of my drawings from the past two months separated into piles. They are mainly divided up by the times that they were made though that sort of naturally makes them fall into categories of subject matter and variations of style. It doesn't look like a great deal of work to me though when I filter through the drawings closely I am reminded of so many thoughts that have crossed my mind in the last two months and things that I have done.

I feel like I have been all these different people in that time, collecting up different stories and experiences. The drawings all contribute to one story though and I am the main character. I don't put myself in my drawings as a way to stroke my own ego but as an acknowledgement of the fact that I can only ever know the people and stories that directly affect me or circle around my life. My drawings are rarely imagined scenarios; they are usually records of particular events or thoughts or perhaps a musing on a real happening. I want to track and record my story in great detail so as to build up a rich source of information which will perhaps relate to other people's experiences. I suppose travelling alone and having close access to the landscape has been an easy way for me to look closely at myself and my own life. I think it is good to be alone but you can't operate in a completely insular environment; it is important to be able to relate to other people and try and understand how they feel and live. I think a better understanding of myself, which is something I build up through drawing and writing, helps me relate to others.

Art vs. life. Hm...

The weather was cool and clear the other day so I went and had a little wander around part of Mt. Wellington. I walked along a track to Sphinx Rock and found myself sitting on the edge of a cliff by myself looking out to the city. I realised that something I like about Launceston and Hobart is how easy it is to escape from people and the city; within an hour you can be sitting up on a mountain looking all around.

I kept walking along a track but then decided to blaze my own trail and started climbing up some rocks in the direction of a road above. I got into a bit of a hairy spot of bush bashing and was beginning to think how lucky it was that they don't usually kill off the main character when I thankfully stumbled across another little track.

Mt. Wellington is an exciting place to explore with lots of little tracks sprinkled around. I've always felt strangely drawn to this mountain since I visited Hobart as a child. I suppose it's such a natural dominating feature over the city; I imagine it has a bit of a hold over a lot of people. 

I'm house sitting for two weeks in Hobart with a little black and white cat named Bunny. I've only had short visits to Hobart in the past so it's nice to have a bit of an extended stay to get a bit more of a feel for the city.

I went and met the head of honours at the art school earlier in the week and she showed me around the drawing and printmaking studios and introduced me to some of the teachers and students. The people I met seemed really happy and down to earth and the school itself, situated by the water, feels like a quiet and calm place to work. I'd like to apply for fine art honours in drawing or possibly printmaking next year; it would be great to pick up and practice some more printmaking skills as an extension of my drawing practice. The idea of moving to a new city is a bit daunting but also really exciting. I think Hobart could be the right place for me in the near future; it is a small community yet there is enough going on so that I shouldn't get bored. A sense of quiet and being close to nature (Mt. Wellington looming in the background) is something I really desire in a city; to be surrounded by life but be able to step away quite easily and have your own headspace.

Bunny hasn't been overly present in my stay so far but we shared a nice moment in the driveway the other evening looking down the hill to the houses beyond and also quietly eyeing off a neighbouring cat in the foreground. I could probably quite happily step into Hobart; I think Bunny agreed.

A few weeks ago I wrote how Georgia and I made a slight detour on the way down to Hobart and found a lovely quiet swimming spot. As we were driving back to the highway I felt really drawn to this particular location of scrubby bushland where I could see a few shacks in the background. I stopped the car and took quite a few photos as I felt reminded of some sort of desert location or scene from an old film. I still don't know why I felt so drawn to this location; it's the sort of place you dream about...

Strangely enough, the shack where I'm staying at the moment is just over the road from that location; a shack that I just randomly found through a friend of a friend in Launceston. It feels like such a strange coincidence to end up here. I'm taking it as a sign that I'm in the right place.

My first night at the shack was a bit restless as I felt a bit hot and nauseous and ended up getting ravaged by mosquitoes all night. It was like whenever I would get cool and comfortable I would then hear a little mosquito in my ear and would have to wrap myself back up in my sleeping bag. I've doused myself in aerogard for the second evening and am going to sleep in a different room. As I have two shacks and a caravan to choose from I could probably manage to sleep in a different place each night.
I explored the grounds a bit more today to get my bearings and see what I could find. It was fun to zig-zag around by myself through the grassland bobbing up and down sand dunes and looking out to the views beyond. I went for a little swim this afternoon and found myself on a long stretch of beach all by myself looking over to the Hazards. Pretty amazing.

It was nice to hang around the shack a bit today and read and draw. I've had ABC radio on a lot in the background which has actually been quite enjoyable. You never know what songs you will hear or the sort of conversations you will drop in on. I did this little drawing of one of the table surfaces this morning as I listened to an interview with John Armstrong about his new book 'Art as Therapy' that he has co-written with Alain de Botton.  He discussed things like how museums present art to an audience, how art affects us, art and memory, art and sentiment and the need for using words in relation to art. The interview felt really relevant to things that I have been thinking about in recent years and it was nice to just do some work and listen.

I moved into a shack down on the East Coast yesterday over the water from Freycinet National Park. It's actually a series of shacks, caravans and constructions that the owner has built up over a number of years. It felt like I was entering into a little wonderland as I was getting shown around the property. I'll probably stay here for most of the week. There's no power (just a little bit of solar) but there is running water and a shower and toilet (such luxury!). It feels good to be staying somewhere on my own for a little while and having my own space. I'm excited to be able to stay in such a unique place (and for very little money).  There is lots of space for me to live and work and relax and explore.

I'm amused to be living in a shack reading Simone de Beauvoir's 'The Prime of Life'. It feels good to be using my art degree.

I spent a few days at Sisters Beach in the north west staying with a friend of a friend and her daughter. It was a beautiful quiet spot surrounded by trees and hills; fresh smelling with the salt water of the beach. These few days gave me a nice little period of time to move a bit slower, observing and listening. I made quite a few little drawings around the house where I was staying. Most of them are still lifes with not-quite-right perspectives. They help remind me of conversations that were going on at the time; I remember someone's story or I might remember the silence and the little sounds and details around me. Sometimes drawings are a clearer reminder of memories than writing. I think I need to observe more the difference between writing and drawing memories. I suppose that basically writing is just a very refined way of drawing. There must be many other languages within drawing.

About a week ago I was feeling a bit homesick for the first time. Everything suddenly felt a bit hard and there were so many unknowns. I didn't actually want to go home; I think I was just starting to think how easy it would feel to be sitting in my room at home with my cat. I just needed a moment to breathe. Generally when I feel nervous it is indicative that something is going to happen or that some sort of change is coming. It's fine to be a little bit nervous about the unknown. The unknown is something for which you can't prepare yourself.

At this time I started drawing a few little pencil drawings of observed places and places from memory. I drew my room at home leaving my book case empty; I wasn't there to see the books. I then remembered how that book case looked in my previous house. It is a book case which has been with me since childhood. I've been thinking lately of how I might shake off some of my possessions that I carry around. I've been fantasizing a little about moving away with just a few items of clothing and a little backpack of personal items. I feel like a bit of a runaway at times; it's like I've had a taste of freedom and I just want more. As I'm usually such a hoarder I think travelling is good for me in that I just live and move around with a limited number of things,  picking up any extra things I need along the way or just going without.

I camped at the back of Bob Brown's house again the other night in search of a bit of peace and quiet in the country. My friend had suggested I climb Dry's Bluff, the track for which begins at the back of the white cottage. I had a vague idea of what the walk would be like and it sounded achievable. I was at least going to see how far I could get.

I woke up at a reasonable hour, ate some oats and made a coffee on the little gas stove. When I had first visited Bob Brown's a few weeks ago I had looked up to the mountain and thought that there was no way I could get up there. Looking up at it this morning I don't think I had it in my mind whether I could make it up there or not; I think I was just determined to give it a shot and see what would happen.

The first part of the walk through bushland was fairly tame but became quite steep at parts. I stopped quite a few times as I didn't know how long the walk would take and wanted to pace myself. At one point I sat on a log and set my camera on self-timer to take an unflattering self-portrait, then accidentally dropped the camera and watched it roll down the hill for a fair way. It survived though and it took an interesting picture. This 'experimental photographic technique' could have served me well when I was at uni.

I continued walking, filling up my water bottle from a trickle of water along the way. I pulled myself up on a rope and came out to a large section of scree. It was fun to climb up along this part and follow the bushwalking markers, little piles of rocks. Looking out I realised I was getting pretty high at this point; I still had a long way to go though.

I continued climbing and enjoyed the scramble up the rocks in the last part up to the top. There are some ropes along certain steep parts and you have to manoeuvre your feet and pull yourself up.

It was such a relief to reach the top. I went and signed the log book, excited to record my first solo mountain climb. It had taken me quite a few hours to climb up and I was probably even more excited to eat my cheese sandwich by this stage. I followed a path along and up to the trig point. I found a nice rock to sit down on the edge and was just taking my shoes off for a rest when my phone started ringing. It was very funny to have phone reception and take a call whilst sitting all alone up on a mountain. It was probably one of the better locations that I've taken a phone call. I ate my sandwich and then zig-zagged around to look over another side. I was lucky it was a beautiful clear day and I could see quite far.

The walk back down was quite long as well but I managed to make it back to the bottom just before nightfall. I was quite tired towards the end and I began wishing that I had packed the extra banana that I had considered in the morning. It was nice to go and wash my face down at the creek and have something to eat upon my return.

Thinking about the journey the next morning, I was pretty amazed that I had managed to make it up to the top of the mountain.

I drove up to Ben Lomond with some friends on Wednesday. Driving up the windy and gravelly path felt very ominous, like the opening of The Shining. I suppose we assisted the approach by playing the The Shining soundtrack on the tinny car stereo. There is a little ski village on top of the mountain and the large chalet was very reminiscent of The Overlook Hotel. There were a few cars around the village but it was extremely quiet; we didn't see any people, just wallabies popping up out of the shrubs. It was like the village was suddenly deserted or perhaps frozen in time. It was so exciting to wander around this setting and imagine all the stories and events that could be set there.

Now that I've finished my residency at the cottage I've just been dirfting around friends' houses in Launceston. I think it would have been too abrupt to go home straight after the residency; I feel like I need a bit more time in Tasmania to just travel around and live. I'm hoping that I can find some accommodation in Hobart for a few weeks and sort of set up to continue working with some of the things that I developed at Kings Bridge Cottage. I feel like I need a bit of a base to settle and have my art materials around. You have to be so organised with your possessions when you're a drifter. Perhaps I should shake off everything and just bundle a few pencils and apples into a handkerchief to tie around a stick.  I'm feeling like I want to be doing a bit more writing and drawing at the moment but I'm also really enjoying hanging out with people, talking and wandering. I feel like I'm collecting up more thoughts and experiences to stash away for a more quiet time. It's surprisingly refreshing to not know where you're going from day to day. I'm trying to keep my plans as flexible as possible at the moment and be open to new adventures and experiences. It's nice not having major ties to one place at the moment.

My stay at the cottage went so quickly and the time since I left has already flown by. I think next time I do a residency I will try and make it for at least a month; you really need time to settle into a new environment and commence working. It was a bit sad leaving my key on the table and locking the door on Sunday night. Although I feel like I could have stayed for longer, it was a really good experience living in such a unique location and being free to live and work in the way I wanted. I referred to myself as an 'art fraud' at one point as I spent so much time swimming, eating rich Tasmanian dairy products, drinking beer on the verandah and wandering around the gorge, Launceston and surrounds. Maybe I thought I should be working for hours and hours each day hunched over a desk scribbling away. I did a fair bit of drawing but I feel like my main project has been collecting and recording my experience of being away. I think one of the main benefits of a residency is to live out of your normal surroundings and experience a new environment, entering into a different way of thinking and working. The little drawings and thoughts I recorded at the cottage wouldn't have happened if I had just been working at home; they are a direct result of my stay at Cataract Gorge. I haven't directly recorded the landscape around me in my drawings but have been more interested in the feelings and thoughts that passed through my mind when I was in that environment. It was good to have the chance to be by myself and reflect upon moments of the past and present. I've come away from my residency at the cottage with a fresh perspective on my work and some good starting points and tangents which I plan to follow.