One last post on this theme. It’s pretty much winter now so I’d better get a move on! Walking back along the avenue in the opposite direction, you’re faced with the Illawarra Escarpment looming over the bare trees – and the setting moon.
The Abbey in Winter – Part 2
The fig tree and the big paddock was empty this time, but ever splendid on a clear winter’s day.
It’s always lovely to walk through the long grass and contemplate.
The Abbey in Winter – Part 1
Last year, I spent my yearly Jamberoo Abbey retreat in mid-winter. I must say that the early morning starts were very chilly, but there were some glorious, clear mornings with beautiful golden light.
2018 Art Projects – Part 6
Apologies for the blog break. Health issues have kept me offline, but I’m slowly getting back on my feet.
Finishing off my 2018 art projects series, we come to the nature inspired sculptures.
This is inspired by Christo, and is an household object(s).
This is inspired by the constructivism movement of the early 20th century and is a bull skull.
And this is a multi-media recreation of a cave (though no cave in particular).
2018 Art Projects – Part 5
Previously, I had explored human forms through drawing, so I was very familiar with them by the time I revisited them in Sculpture later in the year.
All of these works are in clay. Observation was still the key to their creation, however working in 3-D presented an added challenge.
Still, there is something very primal and (dare I say it) grounding about working in clay. It was a very pleasurable experience, I must say.
2018 Art Projects – Part 4
Painting projects explored not just technique but art movements too. Everyday objects were a good vehicle for this.
Traditional.
Modern.
I must say that although I enjoyed painting in both styles, I found painting in the Cubist style very freeing.
2018 Art Projects – Part 3
Built environments can also be depicted in paint.
These works are in oil, and depict my home.
There is a warmth and coziness about these scenes that is very different from the starkness of charcoal.
2018 Art Projects – Part 2
A Happy New Year, everyone. Hope you have had a happy and safe festive season.
Getting back to drawing… It’s not just about organic subjects. In contrast, the built environment is a different beast.
All those straight lines may appear restrictive.
But there is always a way to break loose, as these scenes from Cockatoo Island attest.
2018 Art Projects – Part 1
Determination Cap segues very nicely into the work the other work I’ve been doing in my art studies.
A large part of it was the very essential skill of drawing. No hiding behind colour here – it’s all about form. Thse organic subjects may be difficult to draw but since there were no straight lines I felt free to mark-make and add my own interpretations of light and dark.
2018 Knitting Projects – Part 3
The third project of the year was for my TAFE art studies (multi-disciplinary art) and was exhibited in the Bravery Unmasked exhibition at Casula Powerhouse Museum, an art centre in Sydney’s south-west. In the exhibition radiation masks, used to immobilise the head in cancer treatment, are turned into artworks by patients, their family and supporters.
The work is called Determination Cap and consists of a cowl and a balaclava-styled cap.
Cancer patients confront physical and mental challenges akin to those faced by generations of explorers, soldiers and mariners. To protect them from the elements, they wore woollen ‘caps’ knitted by their loved ones.
This cap has been hand-knitted in orange Australian wool to portray both the determination of those who journey with cancer, and the loved ones who support them along the way.
Static and Silence 