We’ll be careening all over the paddock for the next few posts – so you’ll have to ignore the absence of chronological order. December just got away from us in the end, too much happening, no time for the poor old bloggo, so we’ll do our best to make abbreviated amends.

Martin James, ‘Notable quotables by Tony Abbott’

The Gang zig-zagged backwards and forwards to Canberra in the last week of November for the ANU School of Art EASS Patron’s Day (on the Wednesday) and the opening of the Grad Show 2012 (on the Friday.) Added excitement for the latter was that (1) Ginger was graduating (in Gold&Silver) and (2) Sammy Jo was flying in from Burma for the occasion (well, that and Nonna’s 102nd birthday the following week.)

Serious excitement mounted apace.

Anyhoo, have decided to roll both days pictorially into one – and it’s more about the peeps than the work itself. Though we did get one or two snaps before we launched into the serious business of assessing the 2012 form. As ever there was plenty to like…

Timothy Phillips, painting workshop

Adele Rae Cameron, Gum Tree Tartan

The BVRG’s EASS recipient this year is painting graduate Erica Wrigley, whose zoological militalia was pretty hard to resist (sorry, stuffed up the pics – we’ll bring more fulsome coverage in the new year.) Erica will have an exhibition at the BVRG in Sept/Oct 2014 (alongside a complementary artist from shire.) We must say that – and by no means does this diminish Erica’s selection – Haeli Van Veen was seriously in the running again. Just fabulous, really – but as last year’s recipient, she’ll be showing (with eX de Medici) at the BVRG in Sept/Oct 2013…

Haeli with one of her critters

Ginger and Maxie are both through to Honours, so we anticipate another year of creative agony/ecstasy.

Meanwhile it was, as ever, a very exciting conclusion to the graduand year, and not the least because it allows us some quality face time with the folks in the good-ole fank…mug shots here.