Introducing the studio dog. It's week 2 of my 3 month intensive residency in my studio ...

It’s week 2 of my 3 months intensive residency in my studio. So this week I’ve continued in my studio every day; sat at Tablelands Artists Cooperative Gallery and visited Bathurst Regional Art Gallery (http://www.bathurstart.com.au/exhibitions/current.html) where I laughed at Jess Bradfords video, of macabre death predictions in ‘fortune cookies never lie’ and stood for a long time in front of Guy Maestri’s still life dead birds – I dig how he builds form with stroke direction. I’ve shopped at Frank Smith shoe repair – local is lovely; taken the kids to the pool; looked into lighting set ups to be able to see in my studio and to photograph my works too (I’ve learnt ‘daylight’ bulbs are the way to go); and battled a tooth ache and spent time with the dentist – I’ve had the bugger (my tooth, not the dentist – he’s good) and the abscess below it excised out of my life – yowch. Back in Studio 62, my trusty pooch has been with me at every step - including those steps where she goes just ahead of me and stops so I almost fall over her – ‘can you not do that’. She has been a good reference for my foxy forms. And I’ve borrowed from the library a great little Australian gem of a book. Dogs in Australian Art by Steven Miller (http://www.wakefieldpress.com.au/product.php?productid=915). Inside, Terry Batt’s painting of Double Happiness: The Year of the Dog 2006 (http://niagaragalleries.com.au/…/exh…/2006-double-happiness…) has sent me off on a tangent about investigating composition within a square – primarily what I’ve limited myself for this exhibition. It’s clear, symmetry works well in a square and a studio is not right without a studio dog … so here’s introducing Nim …