we miss you magic land

Art work from GOMA by Perth artists Pip and Pop - possibly capturing the nostalgia we have for childhood and christmas...definitely worth a look. Merry christmas!!

more later.

free range eggs - and veggie restoration!

After two weeks away on holiday, we came home to a decimated veggie garden, largely eaten and vandalised (mulched moved around, plants broken) by our own chooks! The lovely neighbours who were feeding them in our absence, had (for reasons unknown) not kept them confined in their run, but let them free range all over the new veggie patch and the rest of the garden.

Chooks loved the Tuscan kale and silver beet, but didn't find the beans or cherry tomatoes. I did some repair work earlier in the week, and planted replacements. So it is with some irony that I post this photo of the harvest from the garden today. Lots of eggs (particularly well-flavoured no doubt) and just a few tomatoes and beans. Oh well, almost a meal!

more later

Travel diary 2 - Holiday reading

driftwood mobile photographed at dodgy motel

Two days before going away, I bought a Sony e-reader, which was highly recommended by JB hifi. I was thinking I could save some luggage space in my bag, by not packing the usual 3-4 library books as well as the impulse buys at one of the many identical bookshops at Brisbane airport, usually purchased during the extreme boredom of waiting for international flights to start.  

After discovering that the Sony e-bookstore was 'opening soon', or in other words, 'unavailable in your area', I paid for and eventually appeared to have successfully downloaded two e-books from Borders, but was unable to open the files. I took the analogue books in my suitcase anyway, and yesterday returned the e-book reader to JB. The sales assistant fiddled with it for an hour, before saying he was baffled and didn't really know much about e-readers, and nor did anyone else there. Yes, it was the same store that had recommended this apparently already obsolete piece of technology. He was keen to sell me an i-pad, but on principle I declined.

At this time of year there are lots of book reviews around, partly to reflect on another year of publications, and also to recommend holiday reading. This is what I read on holiday (paper versions only):

• I read How it feels by Brendan Cowell, which I had been reluctant to read (this was the impulse buy at the airport bookshop), because I thought it would somehow be a glorification of dodgy drunken male behaviour, based on something Cowell said in an interview. However I loved this book, it was apparently autobiographical, based on the last few days of high school (I remember it well...). I found it emotionally honest, alarmingly believable and well-written.

• I also read Let the great world spin by Colum McCann, about the day a tightrope walker called Philippe Petit walked between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in NYC, in 1974. Of course it was also about 9/11, (how could it not be?) but that was the sub text rather than the main narrative. It was about a group of people in the city on that day, who are linked in random ways. It reminded me of the Bridge of San Luis Rey, by Thornton Wilder, which I loved as a teenager (probably around 1974), which had a similar theme.

• Blue Monday by Nicci French, (who is apparently two people), is about a female psychoanalyst in London who helps police solve a child abduction, as she believes one of her patients may be the criminal, and promises to be the first of many about this character. Quite disturbing, and scary at times, as a thriller should be.

• Finally, I read how to look at a painting by Justin Paton - I bought this in the Art gallery shop in Christchurch, which was the only part of the gallery that was open. The rest was closed (like many other buildings) due to earthquake damage. Art was what I needed after seeing the badly ruined city. Its a great book, and has been made into a tv series in New Zealand. He quotes artist Alice Neel: "The minute I sat in front of a canvas I was happy. Because it was a world, and I could do what I liked with it".

Now I am home, I am reading a book by Lionel Shriver, from the library, but not the one about Kevin.

I got my tax return done yesterday, and found I had not spent nearly as much on books as I had expected, in the previous financial year. (And there is more to being frugal than buying books from the Book depository.) 

more later.

Travel diary 1 - In Akaroa: the Giant's house

out of the cracked plate...

Well, its been a while, but its good to be back. I have been away from my computer for two weeks, and to make up for it I will write and make art in response to my time away. I am going to start with this amazing artist's garden that I visited in Akaroa, NZ. The drawing above is attempting to show how the mosaic sculptures emerged from the artist finding broken shards of crockery in her garden: 'From little things, big things grow...'

The Giant's House in Akaroa, near Christchurch, was an amazing surprise at the start of our family holiday in New Zealand. Artist Josie Martin has created a fantastically creative and humorous mosaic garden in the grounds which surround her 1881 Akaroa home. 

Mosaic artist Josie Martin, photo from her website

In a DVD which was playing in the gallery, Josie describes how when she was gardening (she has also studied horticulture) she started finding pieces of broken crockery in the earth, which gave her the idea of creating mosaics - and she has hardly stopped since. The huge terraced garden has been beautifully landscaped, and filled with giant sized concrete human figures which have been covered with coloured mosaics (broken or cut pieces of ceramics). The garden structures and furniture (walls, benches, steps, public toilet, even a piano) have also been mosaic-ed, so the overall effect is quite astounding. Its like being in another, more magical world. 

Apparently you can also stay in the house, Linton, as it is a B & B. Here are some more photos (I took hundreds).

For something completely different, here is a link to Charlie Brooker's annual review of 2011. Another Guardian writer who puts things nicely into perspective.

Also, I have now had 1,499 views of this blog so far, hopefully I can make it to 1,500 today!

more later.

'Papa was a Rolling Stone': post conference debrief

poster: leaves on the Brisbane river

This was the conference poster which I made with my student (who is about to finish her placement this week). Nobody really knew about the poster session, so it was a bit of an anti-climax...the poster is about the Brisbane flood, trauma in general, and art therapy, and mindfulness, and 'flow'. Its a very hand made production, a laminated collage.

Bedhead: My many coloured days and nights - mixed media - collage and paint

This was inspired by a painting by my dad which he gave me just before he died (lots of squares...) He was the keynote speaker at the last Brisbane ANZATA conference in 2004 so it was a poignant moment. Hence the title for today's post - I guess you could say he was a rolling stone...but he did gather a lot of moss!!

Well the ANZATA conference is over, and its a good feeling! It was a lot of work, but mostly people seemed to be happy with how it went. I had an upstairs downstairs sense of being on the one hand a presenter (I did a Masterclass and a workshop) but also running around organising art materials and being an 'apron-wearer'. Interesting experience. My feet were tired (and black from the carpet which was a bit gross) at the end of yesterday.

My sessions went really well I think. Feedback was great.

This is another artwork from the exhibition, by community artist Karma Barnes. The sand was actual sand from the river and it was a communal art project started on the opening night, which was fun to participate in. 

Oh and I heard someone else say 'everything happens for a reason' on the radio this arvo on Awaye!, the indigenous arts program on Radio National. Argh. Its forgiven (this time) as Daniel Browning has such a nice voice.

On a similar note, more sensible words from Oliver Burkeman here, on the fact that Life is not Fair!

more later.

I heard it through the grape vine

vine

Interesting article by Oliver Burkeman here about inspirational quotes, in particular the one attributed to Nelson Mandela,  which I must admit I have used and enthused about. It starts, 'Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate...'.  He never said it. Oh well. Its still inspirational...

One week until the conference, and I had a phone call from the Hotel Diana, who are jointly hosting it, saying we had to stop taking registrations, as they were worried about accommodating everyone - yes its been very popular and they were panicking about the numbers. We also received a huge art materials order a week early, which has also caused panic and anxiety. All part and parcel of organising a conference - please can someone remind me never to do it again!

My conference poster about Art Therapy, Mindfulness and 'Flow' is almost finished. Its called 'Leaves on the Brisbane River' and has a background of the river, and some old images and photos. Oh, and there are a few words as well. I will post a photo once its done. My conference artwork is also almost there. Everything is coming together, albeit sometimes with added panic.

More later.

superstition

sugar skull - oil pastel

Its Halloween today, which is causing me to reflect on the theme of Superstition, also a song by Stevie Wonder.

I am not superstitious, so this is a list of things I don't 'believe (in)':

• 'everything happens for a reason' and the variation:
• 'this was meant to be/this wasn't meant to be'
• star signs/horoscopes - not a good basis for parenting wisdom or other relationships, in my opinion
• feng shui - likewise for interior design
• not mentioning certain words (and thereby giving them magical properties): death and cancer spring to mind, plus the name of your ex.
• halloween
• oh, and religion

the last one has surprised a few people, but as I have never believed in religion, I am equally surprised by the fact that other people do. 

perhaps I should add 'qantas' to that list. I cannot help thinking they are being very 'un-Australian' at the moment.

The sugar skull was fun to do. The first new drawing I have posted for some time...Teaching period is over, now we are in marking/exam period, and did someone mention organising a conference?

more later