12ArtyRoos

16/04/2026

16/04/2026

07/04/2026

Long Covid is no joke.
Lung Infection, then bronchitis… steroids and antibiotics… and three or so weeks later, the cycle starts all over again 🙁

But one thing I’m grateful for is that creating doesn’t need perfect health, it only needs a switched-on mind.
Right now, I’m painting, drawing and making earrings as tiny art sculptures, because I can’t sit still for long. Even when I’m slowed down, my hands and mind still want to make something.😵‍💫

I’m leaning on my creative thinking, educational resources, and my belief that art really can be a therapy. I’m using all the ways art helps people work through depression, illness, and anxiety… because this time, it’s me, and it’s real and awful.

And honestly, I feel completely sh*te but lucky.
Lucky that I have something to keep me motivated and moving forward, even on the days (lots of days) when I feel completely stuck.

18/02/2026

01/12/2025

12Arty acknowledges the Ngangkiparri River. (Women’s River)
A green spot on the bend of the Onkaparinga valley river which has perhaps always been a place to give women and children strength, resilience, collective protection and medicinal healing.

Living here means you’re on amazing Country with a long history of care, protection, and women supporting women which aligns perfectly with my own path in art, therapy, healing, and caring for others. It’s quite a symbolic place for me and other creative people to be. 🫶🏽
I’m learning so much more to love about its history. I can almost picture “Aunties weaving, story, song, and caring for Country”in my own backyard 🙌🏾

06/11/2025

30/10/2025

Reasons to do art with children…or any age really. 👍🏾
1. Visual and spatial reasoning :understanding relationships, patterns, and structures through images, shapes, and movement.
2. Symbolic thinking using metaphor, analogy, and symbolic representation to explore complex ideas.
3. Creative problem-solving, imagining multiple solutions, experimenting, and iterating in an open-ended way.
4. Emotional expression and awareness exploring feelings and perspectives through performance, drawing, music, or storytelling.
5. Holistic and integrative thinking connecting ideas across senses and disciplines in a flexible, non-linear way.
6. Reflection and interpretation learning to observe, interpret, and respond critically to experiences, objects, or events.

This can’t be learned in combination in any other subject area. So get CreARTive 😂😊

(Readings from researchers including; Howard Gardner, Elliot Eisner, Edward de Bono, R. Keith Sawyer, John Baer, Roger von Oech)

25/10/2025

This weekend in Melbourne, watching my grandchildren play was a perfect example of “divergent thinking” in action. As they explored their small toys, cooking and crafting, imagined countless possibilities for what the dolls, blocks and art supplies could become. One moment a bridge a tower; the next, a castle, a rocket, or a spaceship no idea was too wild or silly. I love seeing how they generated options, combined ideas, and followed their curiosity wherever it leads without worrying about “right” or “wrong.” Their giggles and laughter, excitement, and endless experimentation makes it clear how naturally children think divergently, approaching problems ideas creatively and with flexibility.
LS.

11/07/2025

My happy place in the art shed with my children and grandchildren 🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽

19/06/2025

Hills and valleys