Stepping Away, Returning Full: A family Time in Forster

Even while away, I found myself drawn, as always, to art. A visit to the Forster Gallery offered a quiet moment of reflection — seeing how other artists interpret the world, how different practices hold space in their own way.

Sometimes, the most important part of the work happens away from the studio — in the spaces where we pause, reconnect, and allow ourselves to be fully present. Spending time with the people you love, surrounded by nature and the quiet rhythm of the beach, has a way of bringing you back to what really matters.

Recently, I spent time in Forster, NSW, surrounded by family. It was one of those rare moments where time softens — where the days unfold gently, shaped more by connection than by structure.

We cruised along the water with cousins, shared long conversations, and found ourselves moving between laughter, stillness, and the simple rhythm of being together. There is something grounding about returning to family — a sense of familiarity that allows you to let go, even briefly, of the constant forward motion of everyday life.

And then there was an unexpected young humpback whale made its way into the channel — a rare and almost surreal moment. Watching it move through the water, slightly disoriented before finding its way back out, felt quietly symbolic. A reminder of how we, too, sometimes drift off course, only to return, guided by something instinctive and deeply internal.

Time away like this does not interrupt the practice — it feeds it.

For Mick’s birthday, we turned celebration into play, following clues in a light-hearted treasure hunt for presents. It was simple, joyful, and a reminder that creativity doesn’t only belong in the studio — it lives just as much in these shared moments.

Stepping back creates space. Space to observe, to feel, to reconnect with what sits beneath the surface. And when you return, you do so differently. Not with more ideas, necessarily, but with a fuller sense of presence.

Because sometimes, the most important thing we can do for the work… is to step away from it.