I survived!

It’s been over a week since the Margaret River Region Open Studios event finished.  I am happy to report that I survived the gruelling eighteen day event and actually enjoyed it.  For two and a half weeks I was a human petri dish.  I spoke to hundreds of people, all at close quarters, drooling and spitting in my general direction and nothing, nada.  My immune system kicked in as people around me fell like flies.  Of course I put it down to my fine tuned body and super healthy regimen of carrot cake, chocolate and sticky chai.  The worst of it was, I did actually put on a bit of weight.  The event was successful and we had great feedback from those who came into the gallery.  I must have looked at hundreds of other peoples photos, but it was a great time waster as they fumbled around, trying to find that shot they took that was better than mine.  It was an older demographic this year, more than other years.  Definitely an increase in zimmer frames and walkers.  Requests for the toilet were up 50%, pink rinse 30% and the smell of lavender and moth balls at an all time high. I’m already thinking about next years event and what images to create with new pensioner discounts.

I love my sheeps, and I think this one will go into next years Open Studios collection. What do you think?

So what does the rest of the year look like.  Well, pretty much like the photo at the top of the newsletter.  Me sitting around doing next to nothing, guitar in hand and the animals by my side. Don’t tell the girls in the gallery, they think I’m hard at work.  Now is the time for me to indulge my other passion, being lazy!  Actually, I am quite the opposite.  I have to fill my days with something, usually creative ideas, be it photography or music.  My band Chain Avenue is racing up the charts, like a snail on sandpaper, thank you Spotify!  Maybe we just suck?  However, I have shared my home made dessert with Kevin Parker (Tame Impala), true story, so I guess that is about as close as I will ever get to musical fame. And he liked it enough to have two!!!   If you feel down have a listen to Chain Avenue, it will cheer you up.  If that doesn’t work I suggest some Sheep Dog Whiskey.  If that doesn’t work, pull the heads off my FJ Cruiser and replace the Valve Stem Seals for me!  Guaranteed to put a smile on both our faces.

As I have been on a nostalgic journey, I was thinking back to my life before photography.  Most people wouldn’t know that I used to have a video library with my sister.  It was on Queens Road in Mount Pleasant. It was a lot like having a photographic gallery.  Seven days a week but instead of selling pictures we were renting movies.  I loved those days, it was fun getting to know our customers, and did we have some doozies!  Do you remember the Burnies, the mass murderers?  They were members at our library.  I think they were into feel good movies.  We had an old osteopath who just wanted movies with guns and people being killed.  A guy from Indonesia who spoke no English but wanted X-Rated movies only.  He couldn’t understand they were illegal and used hand gestures to try to convey what action he liked!  Then my personal favourite, an Anglican priest who just loved movies about the devil.  It was never a dull moment.  For over forty years I have been dealing with the public, what a privilege it is to meet so many different people.  I would love to hear what you think of my hair at the time.  You wouldn’t call it a mullet, would you?  It was the start of the grunge era, probably the best time in music history, so my hair was in transition from the 80’s to full on 90’s legendary status. Oh and do you see I was actually selling film in our video library too!

 My new Down South book is now available.  See some images from it below.  If you want one for yourself you can get one from the gallery or you can order it on-line.  It is also available is many bookshops around Perth.