Art Witch Musings: Studio Notes, Magic & Momentum

Hello Creative Alchemists,

It’s the full moon in Libra this week and while we’ve moved our deeper astrology dives to social media, I still want to take a moment to acknowledge the energy of this lunation. Libra brings themes of harmony, balance and beauty, and after the eclipse season, Venus and Mercury retrogrades, this full moon feels like a moment to catch our breath and consolidate all that’s shifted. Keep an eye out on the socials for the deep dive.

Cuppa + Catch Up: Studio Happenings and Collective 24 News

Cuppa Time

Grab your favourite cuppa, light a candle, and get comfy, there’s lots to catch you up on.

Let’s start with the exciting news from Collective 24: we’ve secured a gallery and exhibition dates! We’re beyond thrilled to be exhibiting at Kindred Cameras Gallery in Docklands during the term break, from May 25 – June 3, with our opening night on May 30. We knew this was a big ask, a newly formed collective requesting their own dates from a gallery is not the usual way things are done (typically, galleries give you the dates), but we asked anyway… and they said yes! Not only can the gallery facilitate our requested time, but they also offer a package to curate and hang the show for us. How amazing is that?

This gives us space to focus on completing our work and planning an epic opening night. And yes, it’s fully accessible, which was non-negotiable for us. Accessibility in the arts matters, not just for me as a wheelchair user, but for everyone who wants to create and engage with art.

In light of the exhibition announcement, I’ve stepped up our profile sharing schedule on socials from weekly to daily, so I can start promoting both our artists and the exhibition. Starting next week, we will start taking a deeper dive into each of the artists and find out a little bit more about their art. If you’re not already following Collective 24 on Instagram and Facebook, come join us!

Inside the Studio: Sculpture, Layers + A Juicy Workshop

Back in the studio, I’ve been continuing to explore texture and layers. I made a fun little paper mâché sculpture last week inspired by seed pods, I even shared a reel of the process, so if you missed it, head to the grid to check it out.

I also signed up for a 5-day mixed media workshop with Art of Flow. I know, I know… as if I wasn’t busy enough! But it’s all about juicy layers and mixed media magic, and I couldn’t resist. One hour a day, and by the end of the week I should have a finished canvas ready to hang. Or at least some new techniques and a very messy art table.

I also have one more piece to finish for the Incognito Art Show.

More big news, I’m honoured to share that my “Kintsugi of the Soul” torsos won Round 3 of Violence Prevention Australia’s “Stop it Before it Starts” art competition. Voting is now open for the People’s Choice Award, and I would so appreciate your support if you can take a moment to vote for my work.

Accessibility + Advocacy: Life Outside the Studio

Outside the studio, things have been full on. I’ve had a stack of appointments with my healthcare team and have started seeing some new practitioners. My occupational therapist is doing all the behind-the-scenes advocacy work to try and get me an electric wheelchair, something that would make a huge difference to my daily life and independence. I’m dreaming of rolling down to my local café solo for a morning coffee. What can I say, I’m an Art Witch who lives in Melbourne, it’s the vibe!

Art Witch Musings: Colour Magic + Altar Building

Last week on the socials, we explored Colour Magic. As artists, we’re already familiar with colour theory, but colour has deep energetic and symbolic meanings too.

My palette has shifted naturally with the season, deep ochres, rusts, and warm ambers are showing up a lot. And gold. Always gold. Even when I try not to include it in a piece, it never feels finished until I add that shimmer.

Gold has long been linked to sun magic. It represents illumination, courage, and wisdom. It's also associated with divination, insight, creativity and happiness. In ancient cultures, gold was used in rituals and ceremonies, often symbolising divinity and the sacred.

This week, we’re looking at how building an Art Witch Altar can support both your creative and spiritual practice.

Here are some things you might include on your altar:

• Crystals for creativity (like Carnelian, Citrine, or Clear Quartz)

• A small candle to represent illumination

• Seasonal objects like leaves or seed pods

• A journal or notebook

• Tools you love, paintbrushes, pencils, or scraps of paper

• A tarot or oracle card pull

Altars don’t need to be big or fancy. A windowsill, a small shelf, even a corner of your desk will do. The key is creating a sacred space where you can drop into creative flow and honour your craft.

An art desk with Art Witch Altar items

Art Journal Prompt: Full Moon in Libra

This full moon invites us to reflect on the balance between caring for others and caring for ourselves.

Art Journal Prompt:

What does balance look like in your creative life? Where are you being called to restore harmony, between rest and making, between giving and receiving, between solitude and connection?

Let your page be a mirror.

Art Journal

Artist of the Season: Elizabeth Catlett

Our featured artist this season is Elizabeth Catlett (1915–2012), an African American and Mexican sculptor and printmaker whose work centred around themes of race, gender, motherhood, and resistance.

Catlett’s work was both politically engaged and deeply personal. She’s best known for her powerful linocut prints and sculptures that depict Black women with strength and dignity. Her career spanned more than 70 years, and her art often carried messages of empowerment, particularly for working class women and communities of colour.

Some of her iconic works include:

• Sharecropper (1952) — a striking linocut print

• Homage to My Young Black Sisters (1968)

• Mother and Child (multiple versions)

She believed art should serve the people and speak truth to power, a sentiment that still rings true in today’s world. Her influence can be felt across generations of feminist and activist artists.

Studio Tunes

I’ll leave you with this Autumn Vibes Playlist, a musical companion to this season of slow transformation and golden light.

Crafting Magic in the Mess

As the leaves turn and the light shifts, I’m feeling the rhythm of the season deep in my bones, that blend of letting go and digging deeper. Whether I’m layering gold leaf on canvas or shaping seed pods in paper mâché, I keep returning to this truth: there’s magic in the making, even in the mess. Especially in the mess. Thank you for being part of this creative unfolding, for showing up, reading along, and weaving your own threads into this ever-growing tapestry.

If you’d like to follow more of my daily art practice, studio rituals, and behind-the-scenes updates, you can find me over on Instagram and Facebook at @anges.studio. You can also check out my Redbubble store for art prints and goodies, or dive into more blog musings on my website at www.angesstudio.com. Until next time, keep crafting your own kind of magic.

With love and creativity,