by Courtney Symes

What is your favourite children’s book? No matter how hard I try, I can’t choose one. Now that my eldest daughter is nearly two, I have to confess that I’m enjoying rediscovering my old favourite … Read More

The talk of the town in Canberra this month has been Patricia Piccinini’s Skywhale hot-air balloon. This unidentifiable half bird/half beast has Canberrans divided. Ian Warden of the Canberra Times eloquently summaries Canberra’s bewilderment: “Now whole classes of Canberrans (like, … Read More

What do your possessions say about you? Imagine that a collection of your favourite items, including paintings and drawings you created, clothing, furniture and other precious mementos were locked away in a room for fifty years before being uncovered to … Read More

by Courtney Symes

What are the best art exhibitions and shows you’ve seen this year? The last year has been a very special one for Canberra, with 2013 marking the centenary of this extraordinary city. Whilst I’ve enjoyed … Read More

by Courtney Symes

“I ain’t no saint, but I’ve tried never to do anything that would hurt my family or offend God … I figure all any kid needs is hope and the feeling he or she belongs. … Read More

by Courtney Symes  

The things that inspire artists constantly amaze and excite me. It could be a word, a feeling, their home or local environment and surroundings that trigger the greatest creative sparks. The beauty of these humble … Read More

Courtney Symes

One of my favourite excursions on a sunny weekend in Canberra is a stroll around Lake Burley Griffin, followed by a wander through the NGA and National Portrait Gallery (and a sneaky coffee stop at one … Read More

by Courtney Symes

I’m not a camper, So I can empathise with the shock that Belconnen artists Carolyn Fitzpatrick and Carole Osmotherly would have experienced as they reluctantly left the comfort of their Canberra homes to venture on … Read More

by Courtney Symes

September is one of my favourite months in Canberra. The show-stopper event of the month is Floriade (think one million flowers in Canberra’s Commonwealth Park attracting more than 400,000 visitors), which starts on 14 September, then … Read More

by Cassandra Scalzi

Do you still believe in Santa? I used to. In fact, I used to visit the big man with the long, white beard every year since I turned 21, inform him of my good behaviour … Read More