They are two of my most favourite things; trees and creeks.

No doubt my love comes from the mountain. Both of the mountains, I’m sure. The mountain in Lower Portland where I was born and the mountain in Green Pigeon where I grew up.

Trees & creeks make me feel safe, calm, and peaceful. That’s not to say that I wasn’t ever afraid on the mountain, but it was never the trees that frightened me. Sometimes it was the creeks; you might remember some of my stories about floods. What scared me most was what, in my imagination, was hiding behind the trees! I remember dreaming up some dark and scary tales for our young visiting cousins and scaring the jebeesies out of them!

I swear jebeesies is a word, but I can’t for the life of me find the correct spelling or definition for you. Maybe a homemade Australianism.

I was more afraid of what was hiding behind the trees than the snakes, goannas and other infamous Australian critters.

Trees and creeks, can transport me to another place/time. I literally think they are magic.

Bubble, gurgle, rush, lap, rage, whisper, twinkle, glint, swell, hush, ripple…

Love.

2023 – My Utopia

Acrylic on canvas 30.5cm x 30.5cm (12×12 inches) by Arwen Munro, November 2023. Upstairs Music Box, Ambleside, West Vancouver, Canada.

I always meant to go back to this painting and finish it, but I haven’t, I guess that means it’s finished.

I’m sure one of the reasons I love West Vancouver so much, is because of the trees and waterways. Burrard Inlet fills our view and sparkles from our apartment, Capilano River is just out our back door, and we are blissfully surrounded by trees! Love, love, love.

Have a wonderful day! 🌱

Now we leap forward in time to mid-2023, when Lil and I arrived in Vancouver to begin our North American adventure. Could we have been more excited!

Michal picked us up from the airport, and after a quick stop at our temporary accommodation, we set out exploring the city.

West Vancouver stole our hearts.

Once settled into our new home, I went searching for my people. I found a painting class: Drawing & Painting: Beginners Acrylic Painting at Sunset. Located in one of the old weatherboard buildings on the waterfront in Ambleside, called The Music Box, which is right next door to another building from a similar era, called The Silk Purse. Could we have landed in a place more like one you’d find in ‘Arwen Land’? For those of you who don’t know me so well, it would be fair to liken ‘Arwen Land’ to ‘Disneyland’, but perhaps with more nature, mountains, beaches, trees, glistening water, snow…

Our first lesson was on colour. Oh boy, I have much to learn!

2023 – “Autumn Leaves and The Silk Purse“

Acrylic on canvas 30.5cm x 30.5cm (12×12 inches) by Arwen Munro, October 2023. Upstairs Music Box, Ambleside, West Vancouver, Canada.

Green is a word that springs to mind, not in the colour sense of the word, but in the sense of being a beginner/novice.

Thank you for joining me on my painting adventure. These early ones feel uncomfortable, but I was so happy to be learning. I hope that joy springs out.

Have a wonderful day! ☀️

The next painting I want to share with you is another older one, a quick one done in Wanaka, South Island, New Zealand.

Quick because it was cold!

Mum was visiting, and from our cozy little cottage in Wellington, we’d dashed down to Cardrona for a snow/mountain adventure. This particular day, we’d driven to Wanaka, it was an overcast, gloomy day, and very cold. We found a picnic table and set up the painting materials for some speed painting.

Surrounded by the majestic Wanaka mountains, cloaked by low-lying clouds, and Wanaka Lake glistening gently behind me, I painted my little girl sitting across from me.

Her little owl hat still makes me smile; we bought it at the market in Woolgoolga, Australia, during our Easter trip earlier that year. You can see it poking out in the photo below.

I’ve learnt that this type of outdoor painting has a name, en plein air or plein-air painting. It’s fun to be immersed in and at the mercy of the great outdoors. That day in Wanaka, we were racing the cold, trying to finish our paintings before we turned into icy poles!

2013 – Lillian in Wanaka (5 years old)

Acrylic on canvas 24cm x 33cm by Arwen Munro, August 2013. Wanaka, South Island, New Zealand.

We didn’t freeze, we made it safe and sound to a coffee shop for lunch and to thaw out.

Another gorgeous sunny day here today, but the weatherman is predicting quite a run of rainy days ahead!

I hope you are having a wonderful day! 🌱

Growing up, we were surrounded by creativity. From the creative construction of our home, to arts and crafts of every flavour. Not to mention nature’s creativity.

Painting, pottery, stained glass, knitting, crocheting, weaving, hammering, carving, sanding, sawing, gluing, fabric, needlework, sewing…

Seeds planted.

It was sewing that captured me. We were gifted a little portable sewing machine, the cutest little Elna you’ve ever seen, from my stepfather’s sister (or mother?). It had flaps that folded up, perfectly protecting, into its own carry case. How I loved it, thoughts of the time spent sewing on the little Elna still fill me with joy. But my sewing adventures are another story, for another day.

My mother’s painting and arts and crafts filled our world, and now her garden too, great life-size sculptures in bronze and ceramics.

My father was an artist too. Some of his work is iconic in Sydney.

And my Nan too! I have a piece of hers that I treasure. She painted beautiful Australian east coast beach-scapes.

My brother picked up painting, many years ago now. I loved watching each new creation evolve on our visits to Moonbie Street when close, or remotely from afar.

Jumping forward in time to our arrival in Canada in June 2023, I went looking for my tribe. I found a beginner’s acrylic painting class. It’s this journey that I want to share with you.

Before we jump into my paintings done in Vancouver, I did a couple of paintings with my mother when my daughter was young.

Let me start with this one:

2010 – Woolgoolga Beach: Arwen & Lillian (2 years old)

Acrylic on canvas 20cm x 25cm by Arwen Munro, April 2010. Woolgoolga, NSW, Australia.

Before my family was splintered, we would gather every Easter in Woolgoolga. The four siblings and mum, with our young families. These memories, though full of sunshine, hurt my heart. I usually have these memories stored safely away, too painful otherwise.

But let me take you briefly to that day. It was another gorgeous sunny Spring day in Woolgoolga, a beach town on the east coast of New South Wales, Australia. We’d been to the beach and we were all encrusted with salt and sun. Too early for beer o’clock, Mum spread out her painting materials on the back deck and offered me a little canvas. Yes, she reassured, I could use it. I hesitated, feeling it was wasted on me.

The kids didn’t hesitate, so I joined them and painted.

My heart painted.

My little 2 year old daughter and I, a little team. Can you see the wide world out in front of us, the adventures yet to come?

I hope the sun is shining where you are today.

Have a wonderful day! 🌱