'The Guardian'

It's been a scorching hot summer in Perth. Our second hottest on record and the hottest summer in 30 years. It's also been our wettest, most humid summer in 12 years too. That's not saying much though... it can take barely a trickle of rain to bump us over the average. It rained the other day, taking us by surprise and leaving us scrambling to find umbrellas as the kids trotted off to school. It was divine. Steamy and overcast, with rumbling thundery skies that hinted of the Tropics. It left me questioning when the maid would arrive and the pool boy would come, baring me an iced and minted mojito on a silver tray....Hmmm...maybe a few too many tropical thunderstorms have been enjoyed by this girl around resort pools!

There is sooooo much to love about our basking hot weather...our white sandy beaches, the brilliant, cloudless blue skies, the outdoorsy lifestyle of swimming, picnics and BBQ's and boating, that we take for granted....but when it's topping 40 + degrees for days on end; when the cicadas are even too hot to chirp; when school sport gets cancelled for most of the week and when my girl's have to camp out in the air-conditioned sitting room night after night, as their bedrooms are hot and stuffy which makes them tired and grumpy, which makes their mother tired and grumpy, which makes a certain broomstick start twitching in the cupboard...then you realise you are so ready for a change in the weather. Autumn...bring it on. My garden is parched. The frangipani, the last surviving blossom of the summer heat, are brown tinged and burnt. Fur child is melting in her coat and is molting in great clumps of fur in a bid to rid herself of any unnecessary insulation... and my 'love of a sunburnt country' is wearing a little thin. With all this heat and humidity going on, I felt it was the perfect time to paint a snow scene. It cooled me down...NOT...but it was still great to do. A challenge...most definetely! Those trees tried to get the better of me on several occasions, but I finally feel I got it. This painting pushed my skills quite considerably...I am not totally in my comfort zone painting landscapes, especially ones with a thick forest of evergreen trees, but my goodness, I loved painting this scene! I loved it, because I was there - I took the photo whilst on our epic adventure in Scotland...tramping through the crisp snow in my borrowed boots, my fingers numb with cold. Dudie, the girl's and I, making our way back to the car after a sight-seeing tour through Blair Castle, on the outskirts of Pitlochry. I was dawdling, soaking in the atmosphere of a medieval abode, meandering, as I tried in vain to capture the essence of this ancient land into my being. I detoured up a small rise to see what was beyond and there they were, this herd of deer, grazing on tufts of grass peeking out from under the snow around the base of a beautiful moss lined tree. Oh my. Carefully, I tiptoed to within zoom of these wonderful creatures, who were oblivious to the danger of a stalking, crazy, Mum that paints, with a camera in hand. I clicked away for a moment before Mr Stag, in charge of his gals, alerted to the bright blue jacket on the sidelines. Obviously his girls feel very safe with him around, cause they remained stuffing their faces! I have this painting framed and ready for the Newman Art Expo in two weeks. It's the first time I have been part of this art show and I am totally stoked to have been invited. My three works ('The Guardian', 'Look Before You Leap' and 'Beach Love', will be hanging with works from some of Perth's most well-known artists. It is such a thrill to think I could be exhibiting next to a work by Robert Juniper or Leon Pericles. It's a great start for 2013 and even if I don't sell (which seems the given in our economic climate) at least I have made it to this prestigious event. Well, that's it folks, I'm off to stare wistfully at my boots and jeans, whilst I wipe the sweat from my brow. Mia x