small

The reveal, oil on wood, 30cm x 30cm

Opening today Gallery 775’s small works group show.  I have 12 works in this, will be at the opening and can’t wait to see the works by the other artists involved.  All works are 30cm sq or under.

Link here.

The opening is from 2-4 at shop 1, 159 shoreham road, red hill.  Come say hi if you can make it.

UP!

Seagulls at Black Rock

In a holiday that has involved far more thinking than is comfortable and just about every emotion possible, a movie can prove an excellent distraction.

Yesterday the kids and I went to see UP! The new Pixar animation.  What a ride!

I must confess to being a Pixar junkie.  I don’t love all of their films, but they are always beautifully executed, great stories and with a twist or two to shake things up a bit.  This one was a ripper.  Exciting, visually sumptuous, heartwarming (and sad – there were more than a few tears shed) and with a satisfying ending that was warm without being sickly sweet.    Mr 8 was riveted.  Ms 4 was fairly scared in some parts and enraptured in others.  I was on the edge of  my seat through most of it with toes gripping the floor during the aerial scenes which were convincing enough to have my vertigo in full flight with heart racing.

In 3D I may have had heart failure, but if you’re not scared of heights go the 3D.  It must be amazing.

out

The faulty fandangle. – showing at ACMI now.

When summer starts cooling off, autumn sweeps through and the chill of winter descends I have a tendency to hide.  Even though I love winter and our climate is no hardship by any stretch of the imagination, I nest and keep my children indoors and cosy. So it’s always a thrill when the first burst of spring presents, the sun shines warmly and the chill goes out of the air.  Summer is not too far away and everything feels expansive and possible.

I confess, our last school holidays were tragic.  Indoors with the threat of swine flu – one child sick for week one, the other for week two and no activities to speak of.  Nothing.  appalling really…

So this holidays I’m making  up for it.  And at the invitation of another family of friends we ventured into the city to see wonders and marvels and enjoy the sunshine (and rain).

If you have not been to ACMI hop on a train now and go.  It is wonderful!  And free.  I really can’t believe I didn’t know that before…

First on the agenda was the cabinet of Anthony Lucas which contained The Faulty Fandangle.  Anthony is the creator of Oscar nominated The Mysterious explorations of Jasper Morello.  What a treat!.  Short film, beautifully done as always with a system of mechanised shadow puppets that flit by in front of the projected film adding to the experience in an intense way.  These puppets are extraordinary.  Fragile and strong, and amazingly crafted – it’s worth the trip to see this alone.

Another treat was a dark smoke-filled room – with long, projected and hollow shapes (an elongated C and a line). It was astonishing to see the long tube from the side and to be inside it as the shapes gradually changed and moved.  The swirling smoke was mesmerizing.  Photos don’t do it justice.  We stayed in there a long time.

And this marvel.  How I loved this, and if I could have one at home I’d do it!

Picture two screens – one behind one in front.  The one in front has a small camera which captures the shadow of what is in front and translates it  into monster form.  Negative spaces, when a completed circle is formed had an eye dot included, teeth and hair and fangs appeared.  Random monster and animal noises ran in response to movement.  It was amazing!

There was honestly so much to see.

Lunch here.

A walk across the bridge to Southgate, and a train ride home.

Adventure #1 completed.  How I love Melbourne.

wandering

It amazes me,  how we can change.  What looks cold one day looks warm another.  What was dark can seem bright and what was far away can seem suddenly attainable.

I love looking at stuff and using it as a meditation on being.

Sleeping giant

Sleeping giant.  30cm square, oil on board.

This was one of those works that evolved without a reference photo.  It wasn’t until I had finished and stepped back (title firmly in my head with reference to a mountain or the way foliage can look animated) that I saw the profile of someone sleeping.

Amazing how the subconscious works.

And they were lovers on that day

And they were lovers on that day.  oil on board, 30cm sq

Sorry I’ve been so quiet!

Post show relax, and gearing up for the next one at Red Hill early next month.  Head full and breathing.

And painting.

Escape aide

The day after my show opened I took a train with a mate to the city.  To see Dali, the Ian Potter centre, be immersed in art, lunch and chat.

Delightful and dangerous.

It is difficult to go from a free and inspiring day to cooking and homework.

Especially when the art on offer takes one so thoroughly out of the every day and brings new things to explore.  I do find that aspect of parenting difficult.  I miss the easy flow that allows ones own mind to come to its own logical uninterrupted conclusions.  Having a multiple of conversations going at the same times doesn’t leave much room for ones own thoughts on some days.  Which can make a girl cranky even though I would die without them.

But we are, at the end of the day, who we are because of all those little meanderings, and perhaps choice is not really choice at all – just natural chaos at work.

But anyway, back to Dali.

To be honest I was never a huge fan of Dali.  The pervasive images that are generally associated with him are not that interesting to me, and while I appreciate how astonishing them must have been at the time, they leave me a little flat.

It was amazing though, to actually be close to his works and see the level of perfection in the strokes.  The attention to detail and the gentleness of line.  He was a masterful draftsman and a beautiful drawer.

The jewellery is housed in an amazing room padded with red velvet cushions.  Sumptuous and moody.  I could have happily sat in there for a long time.

And in fact, that was my favourite thing about the exhibition.  The way it was structured, with a series of rooms, and experiences and two theatres to watch films.  In reaching the end of the ‘maze’ one felt as if a journey had been completed and that was enormously satisfying.

I think he would have approved.

Another great discovery was this:

An installation at the back of the gallery called Five elements: water by Master Tetsunori Kawana.

Breathtaking in its scale and execution.  I’ll be taking the kids back to see this one.

And a very good lunch here. I LOVE Melbourne.  So much to offer when you step outside your comfort zone.

I think we all need days like this one, it will be making me happy for a long time.

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It’s amazing  how often shapes, patterns or themes are repeated in life.  And I am constantly amazed by how drawn I am to a particular thing, which once identified, vanishes.  The reason for the interest never having made itself apparent.

Like this.

To this

and this

The patterns, while perhaps not obvious to many are there for me, and were collected within a week unintentionally, only making themselves apparent once together.

I love serendipity.  It opens the mind.

If only I knew what to.

But that’s half the fun isn’t it.

driving

Things have been so hectic around here lately that there has not been much opportunity for escape as a family.

When there’s snow about we go to Mt Donna Buang just for a day trip but as there was no snow there and rain was on the cards we decided to go a little further and head to Lake Mountain, where last year the snow was plentiful.

Only it’s a bit of a drive.

It started raining.

We drove through Healesville, and the black spur, marvelling at the regeneration of the forests so soon after the horrific bushfires of last summer and feeling a bit tense as we drew closer to Marysville.

Marysville was shocking, and I was totally unprepared for the flood of emotion at the sight of fences without houses, letterboxes without homes, glass in shops heat-damaged and cracked – the sign inside ‘for lease’ all the more poignant.

A fence with photos of the lost pinned to it.

Lost. here. So awful.

We have fond memories of Marysville.  It’s a beautiful town, the locals are friendly and there was a magnificent fudge shop where they made it themselves and the drive was worth it for that alone.  I’m pretty sure it’s gone, we couldn’t see it.  I wonder if those people were among the lost.  It’s not the kind of question you ask.

This is a town that needs help and healing.

We drove through and started the climb up the mountain.  As the rain continued, the fog rolled in.  It was about 2pm.

And one of the scariest drives I have ever had  in my life.  Fog so thick visibility was about 1 metre and no opportunity to turn around and go back.

So beautiful to look at.  Impossible to enjoy.

We got to the top.  No snow.  Lots of rain (we need the rain).  Huddled in the wet-dog smelling public shelter we questioned charging an entry fee on a day like this – though to their credit they showed us a photo of what there was in the way of snow and suggested it might be wise to turn around. And I guess there are funds needed there too.

It was wet and freezing.  We headed back.

To home and  hearth and happy.

Still thinking of Marysville.

and the lost, and how lucky we are to be here.

Chiaroscuro – opening night

I’m still on a bit of a high from the opening the other night.

So many people came, so many new faces and lovely people to chat to!  Red dots!

Such fun! Show is on until September 16 if you missed the opening and would like to come see.  Yay!