Re-Defining Creative

Between work and planning our move, I have not had the usual time for painting and artistic endeavors I would like. Though some of the planning is becoming a bit "creative". Right now I have been working on the conceptual plan for the first phase and beyond of renovations. The list of things to do has gotten pretty big. So now the conceptual design is quite important, it will help us prioritise what gets done in first phase, before we move in. So all the yucky and messy and difficult to live around bits need to be done then ! I have done up floor plans...by hand first, measuring to scale. Then will get put into something on the computer. But at least it is scanned in and has been very useful already. Last week we got to make some measurements and I now have to interpret the scribbly little notes I made on a copy of the old floor plan into useful instructions and parameters. Just started that this morning, while waiting for the car to be serviced (I can work from practically anywhere !). Some measurements have required some initial thoughts and ideas to change a bit, but it is all still evolving--I consider this a refinement step in the design.

Next steps will be to rescrub and prioritise the budget, set up room by room, or sub-project by sub-project plans. In October, we will retain someone to take our concepts and actual site details and do specification level drawings and plans. This will help with the interior fit outs that will feature in Phase 1.

The logistics and move campaign also is afoot. Now that September is here, I feel like it is all coming together.

Top photo is new old house front verandah in dappled morning light. Sun rising in east, and shining through tree in front yard. The light was really pretty.

Left is close up of some of the front verandah area, stone walls, trims and lanterns.

Lower right is a scene behind the property, sheep are grazing on the hillside (they are behind the trees in centre) in an lightly hilly pasture behind the back yards of the houses. The yards on that street are all 1/3 to 1/2 acre or so, and the area shown below sits beyond the back fence lines of them. The countryside reminds me very much of Central California (where I lived for some years when growing up and spent many childhood vacations).

In the coming months, I will split the blog between art and renovations...like my life at the moment, a bit of both ;)