Changing Climates
I met a woman on my travels to New South Wales who had moved from Regional Victoria to Woolgoola, north of Coffs Harbour. She was volunteering in a local regional gallery filled with arts and crafts produced by the artists and makers from the regions. It mimicked the many regional galleries dotted along the regions and coastline. We chatted about the gallery, the artworks and the place. She was a maker; manipulating textiles and colour felt into creations that are reminiscent of conventional clothes, but a little more quirky. Outside the skies are blue and the temperature is a very acceptable 23 degrees on a wintery day. It seems perfect. However, over a cup of tea I discovered the curse of climate on an artist. She had previously lived in Southern Victoria, on a large rural property surrounded by mountains. The summers were bright, light and fragrant. The winters were harsh, dark and foreboding. They locked her inside, within the four walls and after a suitable period of bumping w