Ruminations on a theme

The brief for one particular assignment is Interior/Exterior. It is a pretty broad based brief and we can use abstract or representational to work our theme.
Probably because of the work I have been doing for the Exhibition and other reasons I seem to come back to the mask- part of the theme of Armour.

Interior being the innermost thoughts, fears and sensibilities being protected from the Exterior of outside.
I have this image in my head I want to try and get down, a mask obscuring the view of the room beyond. A carnivale type masquerade mask. The wearing of the mask in the past at Carnivale or Mardi Gras allowed the wearer anonymity to behave in a way they would not normally so the mask can be protection but also a form of dutch courage for want of a better term.
But what do I make the room beyond? A brilliant ballroom or a darkened place of rendezvous?

Hmmmn time to do some research. This has got to be finished for Monday so not much research only tonight and down to painting tomorrow before going to collect my stuff from the Gallery.

Three down! Progress

Despite lingering Peggy Lee moments I am plodding on and doing the stubborn thing- this is supposed to be a pomegranate- going to eat the model tomorrow :-)
But at least that is one assignment finished, only the two paintings, three separate visual diary updates, another drawing of mixed media usage and an essay to go.
A week of anti climax- who needs it?

Peggy Lee moments

Is that all there is, is that all there is
If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
Let's break out the booze and have a ball
If that's all there is

Allowing myself a Peggy Lee moment or two, there is always a downer after all the upheaval and emotional impact of an "Exhibition/Opening". Spent Monday and yesterday doing as little as possible after Sunday. Probably because the next few days are going to be a bit busy. Well here is hoping it is that and not another period of frustrated inactivity because nothing seems relevent.

The past few months have been pretty fraught on lots of levels. Personal stuff that I was able to work out -WHEN I finally got some energy to work on my pieces for the exhibition dragged me back early on. Unfortunately part of that situation is likely to rear it's ugly head again a bit further down the track but so far I am able to put that on the backburner and will sort it out as it arises. Which is good in one level because I am not obsessing about it but having that there is not heaps of fun. But unfortunately that is beyond any control of mine.

Then there was starting at VU and the usual nerves and sense of exhaustion that happens with new places, people, routines to be coupled with an entire new learning curve. PHEW LOL. Just as all that was happening we had the Commonwealth Games here in Melbourne which was fabbydoo as my mate would describe it. Squillions of exhibitions and music to run around-when I should have been working on my pieces and homework. And friends from Fiji visiting and family things.
But I dont regret making time to see Jimmy Cliff and Miriam Makeba or any of the exhibitions I went to.

Then there was the Exhibition itself and all the stuff involved with organisational work going on as well as the 'work' itself, two weeks before due delivery of the pieces I had hit a wall. A minor disaster in my work was juxtaposed with a personal attack on me. I just didnt need that. But nor was I going to let it go unchallenged because in the past I have let stuff from this sector go unchallenged for the sake of a peaceful life. This time there was no real choice but to respond. Which I did but it left me angry and far from impressed with a number of aspects of group politics. I think my response was rational and not too personal but I must admit my first instinct was to violence LOL. Which was healthy because I didnt resort to that :-)
Went through a bit of crisis there and spent a weekend on T's shoulder saying the usual not gonna do this - cant do this- wont do this- freak out stuff when it is all coming to a head. But responding rationally did give me a bit a of lift. And now it is all over but....... giggle snicker ROFLMAO. Yeah the witch in me still exists and being a tad more articulate dont hurt either!!

What I am trying to avoid is the anticlimax but cant help it there is always that sense of it after all this- ah the rollercoaster of life.
Sounds like a good time to start listening to BB King rather than Peggy Lee

Let the GOOD times Roll


Hey, everybody, let's have some fun
You only live but once
And when you're dead you're done,
so Let the good times roll, let the good times roll
I don't care if you're young or old Get together, let the good times roll

All over bar the shouting

This is Esther Holland our wonderful Speaker and former tutor, and again she nailed us each and everyone with a precis of our pieces- and personalities. She is amazing.
The long item is the concertina book that Sue Freckleton made and we all contributed pages to as a thank you for Opening the Exhibition. I did hear Esther comment to her son that she would have to make sure that was provided for in the Will. Sue's book was EXQUISITE. And she was the only one of us not taught by Esther and the one who suggested her as the Speaker because the rest of us had talked about her so much.
And Sue was amazed at how well Esther summed up her work and the thoughts behind it.

The Opening went really well. A good half of the guests were family and friends. T and Mum were outside and said a number of people came in from the street to examine the works so that is good news. Catherine reports a solid dribble over the past week.

The works were as expected very diverse again. Sue Freckleton's Kaleidoscope was fabulous and Lesley's feathers were gorgeous. Marlene's quilts won many hearts including T's he raved about her work last night. Said of course that 'Your work was strong darling"
Mel Rayner's pieces were show stoppers and caught many an eye in the window. Suz' shoes were worthy of Imelda Marcos.
Michelle's silk box got a lot of admiration and Sophie's rust dyed book was fabulous.
Soph has a blog too http://essellesbabble.blogspot.com when I work out how to link pages I will put her link in GRRR lol

Trisha a girl I hadnt seen since about 1978 turned up which was a real kick. We went to primary school together and secondary school for a while but we had lost touch until recently. And a couple of friends from my new course came too which was great fun. Not too bad fizz and pretty good tucker and lots of fun.
Needless to say I got home a bit tiddled and pretty tired last night.
Feeling pretty good over all and it was nice to see my pieces in the gallery context and not just as they clutter up my house LOL.

Almost there

These are the two fronts for the vest I am making
a variation on crazy patchwork
hope it works
just going to stitch a single layer back on and bind the edges with satin stitch
/R

In progress

All of you guys who have given me ties over the years are probably wondering what the hell I am doing with them
well this is one item - I am stitching a lace and brocade vest
hopefully it will turn out and I can wear it on Sunday to the 'Opening"
Guys those old things around your neck can be things of beauty.
Some other things I have made with them is evening purses, jewellery pouches and the like.

Oops getting the message that it is pussy cat IN time from Miss Jazzy- who has parked her fluffy cute carcass on the keyboard and is expectantly waiting for her dinner. Better go and feed her before she decides I am dinner
/R

Two down, one to go

Having a quiet Easter after the drive to Ballan and back on Friday in the rain.
Lots of fire time and catching up slowly with homework and stuff like that

This is the soft pastel drawing for the brief for Paul. Only the pencil one to go
Using only the three primaries and black and white to create the colour mixing
All the forms have to be organic in origin - I started out with chillies but decided on a pepper because it is a bit meatier to draw.

I really enjoy soft pastels, messy but lots of fun.

Although now it is the turn of the textiles to play with- I am well in control of the homework situation now and I want to make something to wear next Sunday. After all introducing Esther is rather special so it requires a special piece to wear.

Delivery day

I have to deliver my stuff today, so last night before I flaked out I did some homework for Visual Arts. Yikes. I havent really done any since we started in Feb, all spare moments have been spent working on the three pieces for the Exhibition. But I am really enjoying the course and have to catch up now so I can really enjoy it more
This is for drawing, first of a series of three various media drawings due after Easter

Finished for Better or Worse

Well here they are, my three pieces for the exhibition
I dont know about them now, the usual doubts about them come into play as always
but here goes



Armour
We all apply a type of armour everyday to survive life,
masking fears and insecurities.
Some of us would like the courage to be a warrior and
others would just like to avoid it.
Silk paper, thread, glass, metal, board and cotton fabric.

This came about because of a number of events over the past few months. I was conscious of donning the armour that many (who think they know me) think is the real me. Perhaps that is the problem in the conflict that I had with some is that I have never let them in but conversely they have never demonstrated anything that would cause me to WANT to let them in. Hence the armour.



This is

Tear Down my Tattered Ensign

Cause and effect. Flags and lives tattered by black and white men.

Cotton fabric, manipulated digital imagery, scanned currency.

My political piece. A tattered flag patched together with a rogues gallery and currency. Torn strips of cloth in red white and blue that occurs in SO many flags but particularly the US, UK and Oz flags in this particular time in history. It always amuses me that the black and whiteness of the view of the current leaders of these countries are actually doing to the images of their nations by their actions. They are the ones actually devaluing the symbols that they so aciduously insist they revere.
The rogues gallery from top are Saddam Hussein, George W Bush, Pinochet, Dick Cheney, The Marcos', Tony Blair, John Howard, OBL, Somoza. Rumsfeld and Pol Pot. The Shah of Iran and Mobuto appear on some currency and the currency is from the US, Oz, Chile, Nicuragua, Guatemala, Chile, Indonesia, Philipines, Afghanistan, Iraq, Argentina etc. The funny thing when I was assembling the piece Bin Laden's image kept falling off and it was joked that even he could not stand the company he was in. Basically the cause and effect of the foreign policies of nations are still reverberating around us but the present want to shut off an examination of past mistakes and seem keen on making their own worse blunders. Fools!
Phew that is my soapbox session over


Finally this is titled:


Drowning

Drowning in
Despair
Guilt
Fear
Anger
Madness
or .......
Just Drowning.

Silk paper.

The colours are a bit off on this picture- the red tones have more blue in them- my palette of water colours again. Again this was about some recent events in my life. The sense of losing control and being overwhelmed by things beyond your control. A common enough sensation for many of us in this day and age I suppose but mostly about the most mundane of details that can trigger this sensation.

Weirdly enough in many ways this is a dark collection of work but perhaps due to the work I dont find myself in a dark place at this time and place. Life is busy and fun even if tiring but each bit of exhaustion has a sense of contentment about it. A sense of accomplishment maybe? oh well we will see
:-)
/R

Mounting and Displaying

AAAaaaaaaargh yuk. The armour piece is causing a few headaches. Just when I think I have it solved it falls apart again.
The other two are easy peasy but this is my big piece and the one that means the most to me personally and NOT just for THAT reason.
OH well lets see if the famous problem solving brain of this former exec can be turned artistically... Hmmn but this is something practical and I dont do practical any more ;-)

Companion piece

This is the companion piece to the first pic, the mask mould underneath is not included in the finished project, Both pieces are being mounted on a fabric covered board- of all bloody things I had to buy was masonite- my Dad wet himself laughing over THAT. There is tonnes of it in his shed still from his days with working the CSR contract but convenience and ease of living was my motivation. Because masonite is not acid free I did have to seal it with gesso before I put the fabric on and then because none of my framer's tape would adhere to the fabric I had to slip stitch fabric on the back- well I didnt HAVE to but I wanted the presentation to be my usual anal effort. One recurring theme in my various folio assessments is the 'beauty' of my presentation.

With my fingertips bleeding- well almost- I have almost completed my three main pieces for the Exhibition. Have been feeling very out of it this time around, bored with the organisational work and the personality conflicts involved.

Duct tape and it's many uses

duct tape and cling film to create the mould from life- this is almost finished. More silk has been used on the gold mesh and the central medallion is to be added. Gave up the idea for medallions as nipples, just a bit too much