How does it happen that  February can feel like the beginning of the year, when the year is already a month old? January is one of my favourite months. It’s a time where the town sits quietly resting after the bunrush of the Christmas season. It’s usually hot, and to get to the beach and catch up on some reading is not only a possibility but almost de rigueur!	I usually spend January in the print studio, working on the more time consuming processes  that need a different sort of head space, that evolve at a different pace, all the while relishing the lack of structured activity that pins each day to my diary pages, relentlessly for the rest of the year.	This January I travelled to New Zealand and the central coast to teach and as a finale gave my studio a coat of paint that makes the year feel all sparkly and fresh: a portentous start for all its apparent tardiness.  The following are some of the photos of my time in New Zealand being the international guest artist at the Inverlochy Art School's annual summer school. (Hold your cursor over the images for more information.)

	The set up was great. This is a picture of me doing a demo and is from the  Inverlochy Art School facebook album.

Inverlochy Art School Summer School Just add Colour (printmaking)

Wellington, New Zealand (pictured)

I was the guest international artist at this small art school in Wellington. Held in a well equipped studio in an old house (mansion) in central Wellington, the five day workshop just add colour was one of several being run as part of their summer school program. The class was lovely even though it was small – we explored many of the ways to make a mark on simple drypoint surfaces as a way of adding colour to already etched plates. This is a class that I love teaching and there were some great results from the enthusiastic participants. Many thanks to Mark for inviting me to be a part of this historic and interesting art school and for all the Wellingtonians who made me so welcome. I'm happy to announce that I've been invited back for their 2013 Summer School. Watch this space, or contact the school if you are interested.

It was a treat to be in such an interesting city – I really enjoyed my time there : Cuba st, (that vegan restaurant will go down in history !), the  galleries, the shops, the harbour ! The weather added an unexpected element to the experience. The wind sculptures on the waterfront were a graphic way of experiencing the winds that gusted up to 150km/hour for most of the time I was there. Phill Price's zephyr-meter was my favourite.

Gosford Regional Art Gallery Watercolour masterclass

As part of the public program associated with the annual exhibition of the Australian Watercolour Institute, I was invited to teach a watercolour master class concentrating on the variables and parameters of the medium of watercolour. It was a day of experimentation and conclusions with each student leaving the workshop with a small bound collection of ways to further use the challenging and exciting medium that is watercolour.  What a wonderful space that gallery is. We worked hard and the full class seemed to enjoy themselves. My thanks to John Lowrie and Carrie Presland for organizing the class, and to all the participants for their enthusiasm.