It is indicative of the upside down, Topsy turvy nature of the year that has passed, that I never posted a post in all that time. It has been a year of existential wrestling that has visited my life in a variety of forms, everything has now disappeared and I am left alone and wondering, How did this happen? Why did I allow this to happen? It was the end of the road, we all must come eventually to the end of our road, the one we chose to walk down all those eons ago. We start each new track with hope or fear, either one still requires we take a step and then another and then time passes and you've taken a thousand steps and your life unfolded and then woops! crossroads again. The last stretch of this road was a mountain, treacherous and unfamiliar terrain. At least towards the end the weather was good, it was sunny and the vista was beautiful. I never tire of opening my eyes and seeing the beauty around me now, but the road itself is still stony. In my heart it feels like I walk a tightrope, the thin strand I place one foot in front of the other is perhaps called hope, whilst on either side of me, in a space that stretches far away into the inky darkness of that which ultimately descends into nothingness, is fear. Fear is all around me and I take one quivering step, toes clenched around the strand that holds me upright, fighting the pull of gravity, towards a place that I want to believe exists. This place is a home, a studio, a solidity of sorts that I can return to and know this is where I can rest, create, propose and dare to roam from, because I can return at the end of the day's journey and be still and at peace. But life is a paradox, for having stepped onto the tightrope, I saw things I had not seen before, experienced things I hadn't experienced before, learnt things about myself I didn't know and made connections with so many good people that I would never have met if I had never been vulnerable and curious. I have also learnt how to balance on a tightrope, unburdened myself from many possessions so I can take lighter and longer steps, learnt to love more openly and know more than ever, that this is my life, the journey is my life.

While the beautiful beach sands are within daily reach I have been motivated to explore new ideas using sand as a medium. With no restraints as far as the size, space and materials available, the sun on my back and the glorious sounds of breaking waves in the background, it is just pure joy to work. The subject matter may be curious considering the environment in which it is being created, but it is often when one is removed from the theatre that a fuller understanding of what the characters were dealing with comes into better focus. Depicting an intimate relationship can be a metaphor for the larger scheme of our current experiences. There is much war happening, maybe not on my land but i am still affected by the daily visions visited on my screen and the background knowledge that personal tragedies are being felt everyday. The placing of two beings in close proximity, clutching each other for security and comfort while their bodies are wounded, and so are their hearts.

I had the great privilege to have worked at Dacou Gallery for the duration of the exhibition of Emily K Kngwarreye retrospective. Here is a painting I did many years ago as a tribute and response to Emily Kngwarreye. Her work opened my heart and painters eye to a way of seeing that still to this day resonates with my approach to painting. More and more I find myself drawn to expressing my story and connection through the flattening of the plane and the placement of colour to create a resonance of feeling and tension on the canvas. I love her individuality, her resilience and her many varied hats. I hope to have the opportunity soon to work alongside some of our most innovative and inspirational desert artists.

Women's Salon 2010: Place and Belonging Exhibition A sense of place is an evolving process, which involves the passage of time, the revisiting of places and the developing of emotional relationships, through which meaningful stories are born. The head is where our sense of place is constructed, where we get our bearings and where we create our associations which give that place its meaning. My identity in relationship to the place is conveyed through the placement of the head within this environment, that is depicted as an abstracted, aerial map. The landscape is transformed from merely a space into a place, through multiple associations and connections which is depicted through the etching of my daily journeys.

Well, having finally shook off that sleepy oddball jetlag, I am back in the saddle. Well, seated on the sofa is more like the truth, guiding my next venture from my trusty apple. I lurch from the depths of pointlessness to the heights of " it's worth scaling that next mountain", thoughts and so I put on my desert boots and head on up. I had a great adventure travelling around Europe, three countries in 10 days ain't recommended but someone had to do it. I caught up with old good friends which added all the necessary colour to a same same world sometimes. I went to Barcelona, Paris, Orleans, London, Dartmouth and back again. Looking for great art of course. I saw Lucien Freud at the Centre Pompidou, the lovely Mona Lisa (of course) sparks of genius in street artists and glimpsed through gallery windows that are annoyingly shut on Mondays, at sculptures and paintings that had me pawing at the glass. I took a painting that I had created to give my sister and her new to be husband, as a gift to celebrate their union. Entitled, "The Loving Journey" it is about taking that special person on your life's journey but at the same time remain connected to others as well.

Acknowledging Country Exhibition Well the exhibition "Acknowledging Country"which was part of Reconciliation Week has come to an close. The Project Dreaming Tracks brought artists together to show our support and commitment to celebrate Aboriginal Australian culture, country and acknowledge Indigenous history. Held at the St Francis Pastoral Centre cnr Elizabeth & Lonsdale St, Melbourne from Wed 25 May - Mon 20 June 2011. The opening was a really nice affair, I met some lovely folk and was very appreciative that I could be a part of such an event. I showed "Looking for a Grave" and 'We Share the Same Heart". Both works are for sale. But all good things come to an end so we move on to the next one. keep you posted..cheers..

Well folks, it's another chilly day in Wintery Melbourne. I have a migraine and so am to be found resting in my bed. But there is just next to me 'The Anonymous Astrologer', recently painted and so fresh, one is in danger of having red paint leap onto any decent piece of clothing. It has a quiet contemplative feel about it. I believe the source of this imagery is two fold. I recently saw a magnificent, dark and brooding painting by Molly Pwerle and I was struck by her colours in this work. It made me connect to a part of myself I hadn't in a long while. I wanted to explore these feelings, these dark. stellar places. Meanwhile I have been watching a program by Stephen Hawking about deep space, infinity, black holes, the unimaginable space that we float within. So here i have it. It's different but connected.

I stumbled upon a very interesting artist the other day and his approach and practice were very inspiring. Gerhard Richter was born in 1932 in Dresden, where he grew up under National Socialism and then lived under East German Communism. He eventually fled to West Germany and over his extensive working life as an artist traversed many different styles and content. He is now considered one the greatest living artists. So naturally, I was curious and was delighted to discover a documentary of him working in his studio. It was fascinating. One isn’t often given the access or privilege of seeing such an accomplished artist at work. I particularly was captivated by his personal philosophies, which he offered in occasional moments. He painted very large canvases, and he would randomly apply large areas of colour before taking an enormous squeegee, the length of the canvas and drag it across the surface, smearing the paint. So the work has independence about it. It relies on chance and choice. They are strong, timeless and almost transcendent. I was especially taken by his variety of styles and it was an endorsement for me, as I do have a number of approaches to my arts practice. I am trying to develop a clearer and more focused style, which is looser and more lyrical. One sentence he spoke particularly resonated with me, “ …to talk about painting is not only difficult, but perhaps pointless too. You can only express in words what words are capable of expressing, what language can communicate, and painting has nothing to do with that.” (G.Richter, “Painting”, 2011) I was also recently interested in the artist Raffi Lavie, a highly influential Israeli artist, whose works are sparse, rough, almost childish and extremely minimalist. They seemed brave and challenging to me. I like the space he places his figures and objects in the picture frame and despite that I don’t particularly warm to the works, their essence did inspire me to reduce the content and structure that I feel exists in my own work.

Earlier this year my country up north was swamped by a torrential downpour. It was quite devastating. I painted this work to continue the conversation I started with 'A Single LIfe' and then 'Journey To'. The story is about moving forward, from the past to a new future, possibility and potential. In this work, 'Flood Journey' i was inspired by the way people, strangers and neighbours can to the assistance of those who were suffering from the effects of the flooding around them. Another metaphor I suppose about support and that by taking a chance and risking something, there is a boat, a vessel that will take you to dry land.

Well yes this is a good question. Usually a bird appears in my work but this time a very bold and prominent fish has taken center stage. The idea came to me quite suddenly as they do when I am trying to express a very direct feeling. In this case, I suspect it was a feeling of disappointment. I had wanted something very much, and it didn't come to pass. So I translated this desire into a magnificent fish that expressed the beauty of this 'thing' but it is from another element, (water) and is not from my world. I rest my head on its fin, how close to my grasp it was and allow the acceptance to stream past me towards the light. What I need to accept and be grateful for is what I have already 'earned' or caught that waits patiently for me in the cage. The process of painting a feeling is useful in letting stuff go. Is it a sad painting? I know everyone experiences such ups and downs, the experience of living is a much a solid world that I transcribe as any 'still life' or landscape. The colours are strong but clear. It probably isn't a sophisticated work, but if I have managed to capture that point in time when a 'realisation' occurs, then I'm happy. #Disappointment #SarenDobkins #fish #gratitude

I am pleased to say that I have a work on show at the upcoming Collector's Exhibition 2011. The venue is Gallery 314, 314 Church St Richmond. I think there will be around 100 artists so it will be an interesting show to say the least. I had a solo retrospective at this Gallery a few years ago now, but I do remember it is a lovely space so pleased to be able to revisit. I decided to enter The Triumphant Gardener because it is a fine, strong piece of work so hopefully it will hold its ground amongst so many works. If you are reading this and are curious about turning up, I will be gallery sitting on Thurs 8 Sept from 3pm 6pm so please drop by. However, if you can make the crazy opening on Sunday 4 from 3pm - 6pm come on down. Here's to a successful show.

On Saturday, I ventured into the city of Melbourne to join a group of cyclists as part of the Melbourne Now program. I met the group outside the NGV Federation Square and we set off to see the city from a different perspective. With Aaron Roberts an architect of Room 11, as our guide, he would stop at various buildings, or voids and even bridge structures, to speak of his vision. He spoke of how the city might utilise these spaces, consider other demographics and their needs, or challenge what our government generally considers belongs in an urban centre. The group of cyclists was such a lovely, friendly bunch, which made the experience so enjoyable. I am going to join another similar expedition next Saturday, exploring Melbourne on a bike. I think you should consider joining us too. Check out The Squeaky Wheel, they have lots of really interesting events around cycling. My shirt, called “What if I could change the world one revolution at a time..” was commented on and now resides in Twitter sphere. Meanwhile I have been working on the painting, ‘The Thirsty Dove’. A challenging painting as it turns out. I have changed my original structure and tried to make it more dynamic and integrated. I am also trying different colours, so as to separate the image and avoid it from being too illustrative. Try and abstract it somewhat. The idea came about after I came across a newspaper article in Israel about a man whose dwelling had been deemed illegal by the authorities so his home was destroyed. The photograph shows him offering a thirsty dove water, his thoughts for the needs of the bird more than for his own difficulties. I was so struck by this and decided to use it as a metaphor for the current conflict over land. The dove is a symbol for peace and by placing a soldier and an ordinary man and a dove between them, both men offering the dove water as a way of uniting the commonality of us all. Our basic human needs, shelter and water.