lisadiederich.com: April 2010

Friday, April 30, 2010

Bombora

30 x 24 x 2 each

Acrylic on Canvas

I’ve been thinking about the name of this piece and have decided to use a word symbolizing water from the indigenous Australian language.

Bombora is an Aboriginal term for giant sea waves that break over a reef or other shallow area in the deeper sea. This isn’t your standard beach surf break :) And it might seem like a cliché name to my Aussie friends, but I like it.

RELAX…not mine!

Yes I realize how stupid it could be to put an ultrasound picture up on my blog…but I just couldn’t help myself. My best friend of years and years (I’m talking attached-at-the-hip-used-to-be-considered-sisters best friend) is pregnant and having twins! And I am beyond happy and excited for her.

But enough of that…just LOOK at this precious ultrasound picture!! Holding hands?! I mean, c’mon babies…be cuter.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Aussie Artwork

I’m so so excited to share my newest painting with all of you! But I thought I’d do something a little different with this post – since posting the finished product is a little anti-climactic. Instead, I took progress shots of the piece (when I wasn’t covered in paint) so I could show you how each painting comes about!

For this particular piece, I was just motivated by our empty apartment walls. Because we rent, they have to stay white and I’ve been craving some serious color! So I started with the idea of the ocean – wanting something that showed movement and depth and that could bring the vibe of our Aussie coast inside.

My “studio” hasn’t changed much since Indy and the supplies were super easy to find, so I set up on the balcony and got to work on the first canvas. I start with a rough sketch (normally just a few guide marks to keep me on track) and then I lay down a base of blended color to shape the design. It’s really a free-for-all at this point :)

After that dries, I’m able to add layers over the top to pop colors, sharpen lines, and make it BOLD!

Then I start working in other colors. In this case, I wanted to bring in some browns, reds and golds. Our carpet is a golden beige and we have black/brown furniture so I knew it would tie the room together while still having that beachy feel.

And then I just go with the movement of the painting. In this case, I tried to finish up all of the black before moving on (because dear LORD black is annoying to work with). Once those sections were dry, I was able to blend my warmer colors with the cool blues and greens to create my waves. (Don’t mind the paint covered towel. It’s a bad habit I’m not really trying to break :)

And then you have the finished piece!! I’m so in love with this one, and it’s already hanging on our living room wall. The only thing left is a name…any suggestions?

Clicking will make it bigger!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

In the studio

If there is one thing I love about being in a new place, it’s all of the new and interesting things I’m learning about. Like how to catch a wave body-surfing, where to buy the best produce, how to order a coffee, or if your boyfriend happens to be an amazing musician…how to go about recording an album.

I got to spend a full day in the studio with Sam as he recorded his guitar parts and vocals for FisherKing’s debut album. And even though I still don’t really know what was happening, it was so exciting! They worked on 3-ish songs, doing different parts (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocals and harmonies) over the drums and bass which were already recorded. And by the end they had at least one song sounding close to finished! I can’t wait to hear the album, and am even more excited to share it with everyone else. But in the meantime, here are some shots from Revolution Studios.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

FisherKing

I might be a little biased, but these guys are AMAZING. I was lucky enough to see a second FisherKing show (my first was a sold out show in January at The Brass Monkey :) at Carss Park last week. The boys were incredible, and the crowd was loving them!

Sometimes I hate how small these blog photos are. But you can click on this one for a bigger version…that’s Sam on vocals/guitar, Paul on electric, Josh on bass, and Luke on drums.

If you want to hear some of their older stuff, check out the music player on the FisherKing site. But they’re recording their debut album right now….so get excited for even more great stuff soon :)

The Temper Trap

I can’t take credit for finding this band…it was all Sam. But I’m officially obsessed. Their debut album is called Conditions and I’ve been listening to Love Lost on repeat (just like I did with Airplanes from Local Natives) like a total nerd. I think you’re gonna love this one…

Love Lost

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Some Extras

Here are just a few left over photos from Mollymook that I wanted to share. These are from a little stroll we took to a “surf spot” to check the swell on our last morning. The tide was just going out, so this photo looks perfectly calm and pristine…but around the point there were a few waves. They didn’t get Sam excited (but my Indiana eyes thought they looked pretty big!)

I’m a lucky girl :)

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Aussie Creatures

I’ve been hoping for more animal encounters. Only the cute ones though…not the gargantuan spiders or snakes or sharks. But of course, with my luck, ALL I’ve see are the gargantuan spiders. The worst was a Huntsman (a.k.a giant, fat, hairy, tarantula-looking things) that terrorized our car for about a week. We first spotted him in the boot (or trunk, in American speak :) and doused the guy in Fabreeze, since it was the only spray around. And then he appeared again and again over the next week, even having the audacity to sun himself on the dash one morning. Evil thing!

But finally, on our way to Mollymook he got up the courage to properly say hi - scurrying along the window above Sam’s head. My reaction was…well…less than ideal for being ON THE ROAD. Hehe…but a swift flick of the flip-flop and he was d.e.a.d. Glory.

Ok, so this was not the stalker spider, but he’s ugly nonetheless

Who’s impressed that I got this close?

And here’s a little goanna friend we made at Pigeon House. He was about 3 feet-ish long and looked like a snake/lizard/croc/dino.

Oh! And we did see a wallaby hopping across the road on our drive up to the Pigeon House trailhead. That was exciting :) But hopefully more to come soon!

Pigeon House

I’m still catching up on Mollymook posts because it’s truly the perfect “get-away spot”….without internet. So here are some photos from our second day, when we climbed Pigeon House Mountain. The summit is 720 metres above sea level with a spectacular 360 degree view - the Tasman Sea to the east and the Budawang Mountains and the Clyde River Valley to the west. Can you believe this view?!

I couldn’t get enough of the other-worldly scene. The way the valley seems to cut the mountains is just unreal…

And here is the view of the Tasman Sea

With the mountains to the other side…

On the way back down I remembered to sneak my camera out for some trail shots. There were basically four stages of the hike – first, the rocky uphill battle, then a flat woodsy trail….

Followed by a stairs-made-of-rock-and-dirt part (that’s the technical term of course). And finally the metal stairs and ladders. Dun dun dunnnnnnn…..

And since Sam and I are such extreme hikers (read: unprepared) we did it in flip-flops. Awesome.

Monday, April 19, 2010

And it burns, burns, burns

I’ve decided that there are few things better than a crackling fire, a glass of red wine and the sound of the ocean. I mean, how nice does that sound…

Growing up, we had a fireplace in our basement, but I don’t remember it being lit very often. Instead, I got my fire fix at Christmas time, when my Grandma would let us throw shredded wrapping paper into her fireplace. Maybe not the best for our environment? But still fun for us kids :)

And there was always camping – on Lake Michigan, in Bloomington, White Rock…and even recently my best friend moved into a beautiful house in downtown Indy with an amazing fireplace. So we’d sit on the floor next to it during the winter and talk for hours. I loved those nights!

But now I can add the beautiful freestanding, woodburning stove at Mollymook to the top of my list. These were some of my favorite nights in Australia so far, and I can’t wait to get back there in the winter for more!

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Tales of a Female Nomad

My good friend Andrew recommended that I read this book – Tales of a Female Nomad. And I feel like I need to thank him a million times over, because it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s been the perfect companion for me during this exciting move and has inspired me in more ways than I can say.

So Rita Golden Gelman is the author and she tells her own story of becoming a “modern day nomad” at the age of 48. Over 15 years she travels around the world to Zapotec villages outside of Oaxaca Mexico, small islands of the Galapagos, remote Indonesian villages, the Forests of Borneo, palaces of Bali, Thailand, New Zealand…the list goes on. And in each new place she travels on instinct and trust, learning about the native people and their culture with true respect and a insatiable passion for learning. I’m truly amazed by her and hope I can channel her attitude in all of my adventures!

You MUST read this book :)

A week’s worth

Sorry for my blog slacking lately! I’ve been away from the internet for a little while, but I know that’s no excuse. So I’m going to be posting HEAPS of new stuff over the next few days from the past week. It’s been a big one.

I’ve been here for three weeks now and am definitely feeling settled :) I’ve spent plenty of time getting organized, gathering necessities that didn’t make it into the suitcases, and nesting into my new home. Living by the water really suits me and I’ve been spending my mornings at the beach, the cafe or getting appropriately lost around town (it’s the only way to learn!) I haven’t driven yet, but I’m hoping to get behind the wheel sometime soon. Ahhhhh!

This past week, Sam and I took a quick trip to Mollymook for some south coast relaxation. A few days of the beach, hiking, BBQs, fires (it's cool at night), red wine, and Scrabble totally recharged our batteries. With the seasons changing, the town is so quiet and we had cafes and beaches all to ourselves. Here are some shots from the backyard beach when we first arrived for Monday’s sunset.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Royal National Park

So far, my time in Australia has been a little “too good to be true”. And today was even more so! This morning we went to Royal National Park, which is basically in our backyard (depending on where you want to go within the park, it could be 5-10 minutes away). And hiked to a few gorgeous beaches. Here’s a sneak peak of the views….

(Definitely click on this one for a larger version!)
So we started off at Garie Beach, which is a popular surfing spot in the park. But of course we couldn’t settle for the main beach :) Instead, we hiked around two points to end at North Era beach.