Waiararapa Christmas Holiday 2015

 

The art of being a lovely photographer...
Some snaps from our holiday, please enjoy.

Mount Ruapehu on the Dessert Road on the way down to Waiararapa

Grape vines and vineyards are everywhere in Waiararapa,

 we stayed in a little white cottage in the middle of a vineyard at number 

The mail box at our cottage

 This was one of our views
 It was what I imagine the South of France to be like. 

This padlock looked intriguing in the golden light

I love beehives and I  thought these ones were lovely

Dappled light

 

 

This lighthouse took a long time to drive to but was it worth it.

The steps up on a sweltering day I thought I wouldn't make but I got there and

   the view was well worth it.

 

 

Beautiful coastline with huge seal colonies. 

This is the bridge over the stony river that we went to most days for a swim to cool down. The water was clean and reasonably swift flowing but it wasn't too cold and it felt so good to cool down

I loved this abandoned cottage in the middle of a maize field.
 There were a number of old buildings lie this on farms that would have been great to explore. 

Creative Quote of the week  
 Dear brothers and sisters, after the great Pope John Paul II, the cardinals have elected me - a simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord.

Pope Benedict XVI

Family Positive Portrait Workshop, the art of being lovely to each other

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have such a beautiful extended family or bunch of friends who could come together to make fun portraits focusing  on what we love about ourselves and each other?

It has always been a dream of mine to teach some  art classes  in America, preferably around the Portland Oregin, San Francisco area and this dream became  partially true last Sunday for a couple of hours.

The Vail family who come originally from around the Oregin area  came to Rotorua for Christmas and we ran a group arty, mixed media  workshop about positive portraits.

Portraits for me was a pretty lose and open term, because I think portraits can take any shape or form. 
If you think its a portrait, then it's a portrait. 

 think anything can be a portrait if you want it to be. 

It was fun to teach them as they were so willing, receptive and lovely to each other.

Every single artwork created had a magic of its own

Wouldn't it be a lovely dream to run more family and group workshops like this?

I wish them all the best for their return home and hope they enjoyed a taste of what Rotorua has to offer. 

 The art of being lovely, creative quotes of the week. 

 If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds I  strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher. 

Abdal Kalam 

I would add that we can all be teachers, so why not give it a go and start practising the art of being lovely to each other?

You can book an art of being lovely together positive  family or group art making workshop with me by ringing 07 3463435 emailing jkeen@clear.net.nz  or texting me on 0273513887

 a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher.

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

St Mary's Catholic School, Rotorua, Cinderella Production