Crummunda Park, Currumundi. The girls and I went down the other day to see the wallum after all this rain. The paths were flooded with shallow sepia coloured ti-tree lakes. I took photos and thought about the form of the banksia tree, the children looked at things through their magnifying glass. I think they are getting the hang of the wallum project which has become through necessity a family affair. Of course bribery in the form of a swim and various delicious snacks is essential!
Working with children isn't as easy as it may sound when I write about it. Your thoughts are constantly cut short, it is like cutting all the spaghetti into tiny short segments instead of long, luscious strands dripping with sauce. You have to try and save these tiny fragments of coherent creativity for later then, in a moment of peace recapture the initial thrill. You have to trust your abilities as an artist, that you'll be able to reconstruct the beautiful idea and bridge all the gaps and somehow your subconcious and learned skills will provide substance to the finished piece. It is a frustrating process compared to the luxury of thinking a whole thought through from beginning to end and making a work from it.
But you have the benefit of children in your life, a whole different existence. I try not to hold onto the past long hours of thinking, and when I really contemplate being a single entity again I know I just wouldn't like it. It's different now, even without children around, that previous way of thinking and working is no longer possible or even desirable.
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