On Writing - Maggie Barrett (Mon 12 Oct 2015)

Spirited Away - Perisher Valley (Mon 24 Jun 2002)

Maggie Barrett on Writing:

Writing [is] the vehicle I use to hear myself think.

via Enough is a Feast by Maggie Barrett.

On Sadness, Joy and Curiosity - Maggie Barrett (Mon 12 Oct 2015)

Spirited Away - Perisher Valley (Mon 24 Jun 2002)

Maggie Barrett on Sadness, Joy and Curiosity:

I am banishing sadness to its rightful place in the corner of the soul.

Instead, I invite joy and curiosity: 2 states that so often go hand in hand.

via Embrace Yourself by Maggie Barrett.

Can’t help myself. Such beautifully written words.

On Solitude and Silence - Maggie Barrett / Feeling Our Way Around (Sat 21 Nov 2015)

Solitude and Silence - somewhere between Charlotte Pass and Perisher Valley (Mon 24 Jun 2002)

Maggie Barrett on Solitude:

I have come to know solitude and to embrace its silence

via Let The Healing Begin by Maggie Barrett.

Porcupine Rocks - Perisher Valley / Snowy Mountains (Thu 01 Jan 2004)

Porcupine Rocks - Perisher Valley / Snowy Mountains (Thu 01 Jan 2004)

How to Get There by Michael Leunig

Keep going towards the horizon
Jenny and Joanne - somewhere between Charlotte Pass and Perisher Valley (Mon 24 Jun 2002)
How to Get There
By Michael Leunig

Go to the end of the path until you get to the gate.
Go through the gate and head straight out
Towards the horizon
Keep going towards the horizon
Sit down and have a rest every now and again
But keep on going.
Just keep with it.
Keep on going as far as you can
That's how you get there.

Go to the end of the path until you get to the gate.
Jenny and Joanne - Charlotte Pass / Snowy Mountains (Mon 24 Jun 2002)
Sit down and have a rest every now and again
Jenny and Joanne - somewhere between Charlotte Pass and Perisher Valley (Mon 24 Jun 2002)
Keep on going as far as you can
Jenny and Joanne - somewhere between Charlotte Pass and Perisher Valley (Mon 24 Jun 2002)
That's how you get there.
Looking towards Charlotte Pass (Mon 24 Jun 2002)

Splendid isolation - Sebastian Smee - Weekend Australian, 8-9 Jan 2005

Splendid isolation - Sebastian Smee - Weekend Australian, 8-9 Jan 2005, R14
Splendid isolation - Sebastian Smee - Weekend Australian, 8-9 Jan 2005, R15
From the text of the article above Splendid Isolation - Sebastian Smee - Weekend Australian, 8-9 Jan 2005, R15. (*) ..

All these paintings, like the geology that so fascinated both artists, were fastidiously composed. In Willimas case, the compositions were partly inspired by the Chinese landscapes he had seen on a trip to China in 1976.

"Dynamic symmetery" was his underlying principle. Rather than constructing a simple, balanced form around a central point. Williams tried to achieve a dynamic relationship between various elements in his work, often around an empty core.

He had learned some of the principles of dynamic symmetery from George Bell at Bell's private art school in Melbourne. But his sensitivity to them was enhanced by his exposure to Asian art. Many of Australia's greatest landscape artists have been similarly influenced by Asian principles of composition - John Olsen, Ian Fairweather, Rosalie Cascoigne and Joe Furlonger, to name just a few - no doubt because the idea shifting elements relating to each other around an empty core seems tailor-made fro the Australian landscape, with its absence of obvious focal points.

"One of the few thoughts I have ever had about Australia is that it is the oldest continent, in the sense that it is flat," Williams said "and I have always been fascinated to think that the water leaves the Snowy Mountains, leaves Kosciuszko. If you tip a bucket of water up in Kosciuszko, seven months later it comes out in Adelaide - seven months, because the landscape is horizontal."

Recently found a copy of this in an old folder. I had thought of it many times over the years and really enjoy the paintings of Fred Williams (follow label below). I remember reading this while we were staying at Boonoona Ski Lodge in January 2005. I had my large format camera with me and the article helped me find some transparencies from the time in the mountains during that summer visit.

What is Mindfulness?

What is Mindfulness?

• Nonconceptual - Mindfulness is awareness without absorption in our thought process.
  
  We are aware of what we are experiencing during the race, rather than distracted by thoughts.



• Present-centered - Mindfulness is always in the present moment. Thoughts about our experience are one step removed from the present moment.
  
  Thoughts from the past or in the future are unhelpful for performance. We are best served being absorbed in the present moment, present stroke, present feeling.



• Nonjudgemental - Awareness cannot occur freely if we would like our experience to be other than it is.
  
  Pain, and distractions are not judged as good, bad, or overwhelming, but just acknowledged without removing your focus from your paddling.



• Intentional - Mindfulness always includes an intention to direct attention somewhere. Returning attention to the present moment gives mindfulness continuity over time.
  
  Your attention will wander, continually bringing it back develops the ability to maintain focus.



• Participant observation - Mindfulness is not detached witnessing. It is experiencing the mind and body more intimately.
  
  Brings you more in touch with the feel of the water and how you are paddling.



• Nonverbal - The experience of mindfulness cannot be captured in words, because awareness is always investigating subtler levels of perception.
  
  Mindfulness involves feeling and experiencing rather than putting things into words or judging what you are feeling.



• Liberating - Every moment of mindful awareness provides freedom from conditioned suffering.
  
  'Conditioned suffering' is a harsh term for unhelpful thought processes that may invoke unnecessary fear, sadness, anger or undermine confidence.

Taken from Mindfulness and Psychotherapy, Germer, Siegel and Fulton, with words in italics added.

Just found this amongst my Sydney 2007 emails. Will find appropriate credit for the paddling tips.

Frozen - Water - Perisher Valley (Wed 27 Jun 2001)

Favourite Photos: Tree - Perisher Valley - Jan 2005

Tree - Perisher Valley - Jan 2005
Scan of a 4x5 transparency taken with my Shen Hao HZX 4X5-IIA Large Format Camera (more here).

A photo of the tree in the background of another photo I took back in Jun 2001. Fires had passed through this area a few years earlier. New growth can be seen at the base of the tree. Like the way the a small branch appears to be propping up the larger tree.

Favourite Photos: Perisher Valley - Jan 2005

Perisher Valley - Jan 2005
Scan of a 4x5 transparency. One of the first photos I took with my Shen Hao HZX 4X5-IIA Large Format Camera (more here). The detail in the transparency is amazing when viewed through a magnifying eye-piece on a light box. Was inspired by the work of Fred Williams (an Australian Landscape Artist - see google) at the time.

Fred Williams - google images screenshot

Favourite Photos: Perisher Valley 2001 - Snow Gum

Red - Bloody Gum - Perisher Valley - Mon 26 Jun 2001 (picasa)
As mentioned before, we did spend a lot of time down in the Snowy Mountains. Our first winter trip was in June 2000 where we stayed at the Boonoona Ski Lodge. The Ski fields open for the season on the June Long Weekend and we were one of the first into the Lodge for the 2000 Winter. There was a fair bit of snow around and the Lodge Manager had told me about seeing the odd Snow Gum turn red during the cold winters. Was pleasantly surprised to stumble across one the next day as can seen above. The red colouring of the bark is the natural draw card to this photo, but for me I like the misty background and the complimenting lines of the branches of the tree in the background tree in the background - I really enjoy the central branch that spirals backwards from the tree.

When recently looking back through the photos from this trip I noticed the photo below where I am wearing a Red Jacket (even my chin, cheeks and nose were red from the cold) - a nice coincidence which I did not notice back then. Always fun looking back through old photos to see things you did not see back when they were taken.

Red - Geoff - Perisher Valley - Mon 26 Jun 2001 (picasa)
Another photo below, this time of the background tree in the photo above. I would return Summer and Winter for a number years to photograph both these trees. Ultimately, in Jan 2005 I would capture this one using my Shen Hao Large Format Camera (HZX45-IIA), which is yet another Favourite Photo for another day.

Gum Tree - Perisher Valley - Mon 26 Jun 2001 (picasa)

Favourite Photos: Perisher Valley 2002 - Freezing

Freezing - Perisher Valley - 25 Jun 2002 (picasa)

As well as traveling to the Snowy Mountains during summer, Jenny, Jo and I decided to spend some time in the Mountains during Winter. We did this in Jun 2000, 2001 and 2002. After that the Dragon Boating took over our winters.

It was always nice to go to Perisher during the first week of the ski season (mid-late June) where the Boonoona Ski Lodge was not really that busy - mainly accountants getting a small holiday in before the end of financial year rush.

Jenny and Jo were good skiers and they were able to get out onto the ski fields, while I did some reading and wondering around the local snow covered bush land. Would always have my camera at hand and found many nice photos from these little (actually some were quite long) walks.

This particular photo was taken on the side of the Perisher Valley Water Supply Dam. It was near sunset and there was a nice golden glow on the water. The original photo is shown below.

When I got back to Sydney, I uploaded the a cropped version to my photo.net portfolio (see here). In the discussion I provided the original uncropped photo, which is shown below, and I wondered which was better (cropped or uncropped?).

'Freezing' (Orignal) - Perisher Valley - 25 Jun 2002 (picasa)
I was pleased to receive this well thought out response from Marc G:

Very clearly, for me, the cropped version is better. Just sharing with you, here, a very simple method I use for years to know in similar cases whether it should be cropped or not.

I just ask myself "what I have I lost if I crop ? What have I gained ?

Here, the crop makes you lose the extension of this line - but it isn't a curved extension, so not very elegant, and not actually a loss. Then, no other important elements at the bottom. Now what have you gained ? You have gained simplicity and peace. Peace because you gained simplicity, and peace because that's in general what comes with squares - by the books.

Now in what sense have you gained simplicity ?

That's the most important question. The curved line being shorter, it is seen faster. Since we start from top left and go down, and since what was in the lower part was nothing great, we can say that here we keep only the nectar.

In the original, the nectar came with not much at the end. Then, here, since the eye is quickly finished with the main curve, it then moves to the right, and that's where it can find extra beauty in the dented ice and in the light at the top.

Basically, you kept the best only. Honestly, I would never have thought of hanging the original on my walls, but this one, I would - without a single hesitation. If you are interested, by the way, I'd buy a print of this - provided you give me a good price. It is no, to me, the best ice shot I've seen on this site, without a doubt for me, and I'd regard this as POW material - if I were an elfe, that is...:-))

Meanwhile, if you are keen, I'm serious, let me know the price for a 50 cm square print... Regards. Marc G. August 05, 2002; 02:00 P.M.

All of his critique made sense to me and I was very happy that a professional photographer would like one of my photos so much - was quite flattered. Unfortunately, the photo was taken on a small digital camera (1600 by 1200 pixels) and there was no way the image could be printed to a 50cm square. I would send the full-size original to Marc with my thanks for such a helpful critique and my best wishes that he might find something useful from the original file.

Over the years I have played around with the cropping of this image and I am quite satisfied with the version below.

'Freezing' (Alternate Crop) - Perisher Valley - 25 Jun 2002 (picasa)