Siren Call

A Pair of Little Asses

2011-04-25T21:15:00.001+09:30

Done!

After some angsting about how to treat the chalk grounds I've decided to leave them in the rough. I tried a layer of zinc white and was horrified by the cutsie kiddie bedroom look they acquired! Had a confirmatory chat with the ever wise Niki and ribbed it off! Damn, but it was horrid. I'm enjoying the contrast of the refined oil painting against the rough and sketchy preliminary layer.

Phew, catastrophe averted.

Also managed, today, to complete the last of a triptych of larger pieces for the measure series. After months of umming and erring I had a break through by simply repainting the ground to some colours that actually make me happy. The two little swallows came quite quickly after that. I have decided to call it minuet due to the courtly dance in which the little birds are engaged.

Now I just need to find a wall somewhere to show this ever increasing collection of works!

The scruffy first layer

2011-04-18T22:21:00.000+09:30

So many artists do that 'painting a day' blog thing and I thought I might try something similar. Given that I work in layers with oils, a painting a day doesn't really work for me, so I thought a layer each time the last dries - 2-3 days. So I sketched up the 9 little darlings on Friday afternoon, worked on some larger pieces on Saturday as well as the first black layers where needed and then did some fast underpainting on Sunday afternoon. I might see if I can come up with a task to document on 'wet' days.

Pig Tales

2011-04-15T09:34:00.001+09:30

After several months of video focus I'm finding my way back into the paint again. I've had a series of small panels (20cm x 20cm) prepared with chalk gesso sitting waiting for me for some time and I finally realised that rather than going BIG with the current series I wanted to go even smaller. I spent the afternoon drawing up nine close-up mini portraits of the salt and pepper shakers that feature in my measure for measure series. And I'm feeling quite happy with the outcome. I particularly love this little piggy, he's such a ham (I'm sorry).

I attended a Gregory Crewdson lecture on Tuesday and he asserted that all artists have a core story that they are trying to convey. I left wondering about mine. Do I really have a core story? Maybe. I do seem to be obsessed with "stuff"; collecting objects, painting them, cherishing them, studying them. And if I think back through my childhood journey there are a few reasons why I cherish stuff. Dad was in the army and we moved a lot. Six schools by grade three in three different states. It was a lot. And we didn't get to keep much from one place to another. And stuff went missing. There's certainly a deep sense for me in finding cherished objects for which I find playful narratives that somehow replicate childhood fantasy and play. I think that this might be part of my motivation, the story in my work.

A Fabulous Feast - of Golf balls

2011-01-13T11:14:00.000+10:30

School holidays are such a lovely thing. Long languorous days of light and warmth that bring back memories of my light-filled childhood in the 70s. Hans and I have been having a great time weaving memories for his hazy childhood memory-bank. We spent a recent such day with the fabulous Rik and Jo. They had invited us to share a viewing of the Feast of Trimalchio by the Russian collective AES+F at the Art Gallery of SA.

Wow.

A cut and paste Baroque orgy of delight on an imaginary island in the sun. We sat enthralled as the ballet of exotic servants and privileged tourists wove themselves amidst an animated resort with an ever accumulating vortex of golf balls.

It was very inspiring to see the clean, but obviously layered and animated elements playing against each other. In my video work I find myself spending a great deal of time cleaning up keying effects and to see how other artists deal with this is always interesting and in this instance somewhat freeing. AES+F appear not to be too concerned about the veracity of the edges of the figures which have a great deal of smoothing, yet the work is dynamic and engaging and clearly others viewing the work did not worry about that level of detail, rather the integration of the whole.

Much of my art is inspired by the work of Classical world and responding to their concepts in a contemporary context. The Feast of Trimalchio is similarly inspired so it's fascinating to see AES+F's take on this Classical tale.

I think I'll need to go back for another visit and spend some more time thinking about the work.

A small sample of the work can be found on the Art Nation site.
The exhibition will be at the AGSA until the 6th of March 2011.

Endings and Beginnings

2011-01-04T12:07:00.002+10:30

After 18 months I have finished and handed over the birthday portrait of my Uncle Graeme! It's always exciting when you feel a portrait getting close to completion. He came together quite quickly in the end. And I was able to add those final elements . I had a vision fairly early on for the work and it's taken a long while to finally be able to add that sweep of stars from the Milky Way across his chest and the sky.

I don't like to tell anyone what I have planned for a work while it's still being created because I have this strange sense that once it leaves my lips it somehow loses power. So the stars were a little surprise for everyone, but they give him a shamanic-godlike quality that works for me.

Now that he has left the studio and travelled to Sydney and the New Year presses upon me I find myself goal-setting for the coming year. A year of consolidation, I think, and of competition entries. Compositions are already starting to crowd in now that some space has been made in my mind; pushy little pictures that need to be painted.

Drawing Inspiration

2010-11-11T21:52:00.001+10:30

Have been struggling to paint the last few weeks while I wait to hear back from a gallery. So with Damien over to have his semi-regular drawing session I decided I'd take the opportunity to get back to basics and do some studies of some of my new lovelies. This is one of the delightfully worried bears/mouses that arrived this week. I'm not sure what it says about me but I do tend to cackle an inordinate amount whenever I see such cute little critters looking so distressed. I know it's wrong - but I'm cackling as I write this. Deary me.

I can't wait to devise some frought situations for them in full colour. Hmm, and so returns the inspiration!

The Parity Refugees

2010-11-10T14:44:00.000+10:30

These lovely little skunks came to live with me this week - fleeing high unemployment in the US. They have sought refuge in my studio as parity paid models. They have recent company in some Enesco bears, and deer. I'm going to need a wild-life reserve soon!

Long live parity!

My little donkey painting has been selected for the Eutick

2010-09-16T21:59:00.000+09:30

I'm still doing my little happy dance after hearing today that my still life painting 'Head On' has been selected for the Eutick Memorial Still Life Award at the Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery. The exhibition will run from 12th November 'til the 15th January.

They're such good little horsies!

Measure For Meaure

2010-09-08T09:53:00.004+09:30

Amidst SALA tweaking of videos and presentations, teaching commitments and nipping off to Melbourne for the Art Fair I've managed to complete 15 works for my vanitas series.

I've decided to call the series "Measure for Measure". It satisfies me on several levels - as they are about the way we reflect on the passage of time in our lives and they also incorporate measuring devices and items that have passed from fashion.

This one, 3/4ths of an ounce is my current favourite. The title refers to the research of Dr. Duncan MacDougall, who in 1907 published his studies into the weight of the human soul. He conducted several tests in the form of weighing dying people immediately before and after their deaths. His first result from the death of a man dying of TB resulted in a weight loss of 3/4ths of an ounce as determined by the beam scales that had been placed beneath the framework of his deathbed.

Three more large works to do, and one small and then I shall release them in to the wild.

Niki's Hand

2010-08-01T16:44:00.001+09:30

I don't really get to a lot of openings, but today was an exception. In the blustery chill afternoon Hans and I travelled to the opening of Niki Sperou's exhibition the Golden Fleece at the Prospect Gallery. Niki makes thoughtful works by hand that are imbued with the invested energy and meaning that builds up in an object which is painstakingly crafted. Making art which is driven by personal desire lends it a special quality that I personally treasure. It's like the hand-made quilt that my grandmother made me, or indeed every painting I create from stretching to varnish. These are are loving acts of creativity which give expression to the simple acts of being. Well done Niki!

And the thing in my head goes click!

2010-07-20T23:58:00.000+09:30

After weeks of forced discipline I woke up on Monday morning with the correct head attached and started painting. I've finished two pieces already this week with four in progress and five more to mark up. It's very satisfying to finally find where I left that bookmark in my painting brain.

Brain Switch

2010-06-29T21:03:00.000+09:30

Having completed the agonising but deeply rewarding video process I've been trying to get my head back into paint-space. It's not really happening yet, but I'm still pushing for at least an hour a day to swish some paint around. It's a good time to get some R&D done for the current body of work. I have around 15 pieces either done or on the go, but I really need about another ten to feel comfortable. Sadly off the wall in Sydney has been cancelled. I had hoped to debut this body of work there, but c'est la vie, the universe has other plans... I just hope She knows what She's about.

the reflecting pool - a moving image

2010-05-20T09:45:00.002+09:30

As it evolved it became evident that there was a strong meditational quality to this piece - so the name evolved as well. I had intended this piece as a Nocturne, but it had other plans.

Where's My Motorcycle?

2010-05-01T23:27:00.055+09:30

There are moments of Zen in art and then there are moments of mayhem. Such as finding out your video proposal has been accepted for the SALA Moving Image Project, tempered with the knowledge that you have 15 days to cast, scout for locations, make costumes, book equipment, film, capture and edit and present a meaningful work.
It certainly sharpens the mind to have that adrenalin boost.
Day 1: In the last 12 hours I have managed to sort locations, waiting to hear back about a potential actor and am still wrapping my head around all contingencies.

Day 2: Spent the day teaching and chatting with friends. Friends are good. Friends are brilliant. Friends have given me two potential performers. Will know today (hopefully) if I have a body to film.

Have also sorted costuming.

Day 3: Will do a test run of the location shots today down at the Torrens River to see if my handycam has the resolution to pull this off rather than hiring the big guns.

Day 4: Filming at the river went relatively well, except I forgot about the psychotic swans. Will need to reshoot when I have little more time for the birdlife to zoom in on me, start circling the wagons, get bored and move on.

I have an actor! Will film her drowning poetically in two days. I love it when a plan comes together!

Day 5: And Lo, there was a day of rest.

Day 6: Test filming of the body on water at the Aquatic Centre - worked very well, will film the real bod tomorrow.

Day 7: After school meetings and working on the Mother's Day stall all morning, filmed at the Aquatic Centre in the afternoon. Soooo tired. Beautiful shots of my lovely actor, though. Will start playing with them now to see how far I can push these handycam images. I'm a little concerned about de-interlacing when I slow this sucker down.

Day 8: Took extra river footage in the morning and have started the long process of first pass editing. I'm cutting the messy stuff out of each scene and then rendering it from mpg to avi which seems to be solving the de-interlacing issue. Now beginning the fun process of trawling through all the footage and pasting together something beautiful, meditative and moving... not much of an ask.

This is also the stage where the disparity between my initial vision and the what I was able to actually capture on film becomes apparent. You can't get caught up in driving a fixed vision. To paraphrase... artistic proposals can't survive contact with the enemy... um, camera... um actor?

Day 9: edit edit edit

Day 10: Mother's Day - the mythical day of rest, ie. spent cooking and cleaning

Day 11: All preliminary editing is now complete, ie trimming the footage, and clarifying colour, brightness, hue etc. I'm now onto the fiddling about with composition. I've been thinking a lot about the deconstructed video; displaying the individual elements of the work separate to one another yet in the same frame. More thinking and playing to be done.

Day 12: Mentorship with the SYC SALA group today

Day 13: Head down and finished the first major edit. The overall composition is quite simple and I feel like I haven't done enough yet - I usually agonise for longer. This is the point in the process where I have to remind myself to trust my instincts and keep it simple and to the point.

Rendered overnight (7 hours) and eyeballed first thing. Will need to make some small refinements and re-render. Some parts work well, but I think I'll speed some of it up and add another section.

Day 14: First major revision of rendered work; cleanup and tweaking. And rendered again.

Day 15: Second major revision of rendered work; cleanup and tweaking. And rendered again.

Day 16: Third major revision of rendered work; cleanup and tweaking. And rendered again.

Day 17: Fourth major revision of rendered work; cleanup and tweaking. And rendered again. Hopefully this is it.

It's a good thing there's been a deadline extension. But I feel ahead of the game and able to perfect the piece.

Day 19: handed in to the office today - baby will have to walk on it's own now.

ComMission Completed

2010-04-28T19:33:00.006+09:30

A portrait is a funny thing. You meet a person a couple of times and try to tap into what it is they're really after. It's about those secret fantasies and yearnings we have about ourselves and never really have the courage to admit in public. Taking a commission is kinda like being a chaplain again. Encouraging the sitter to open up and trust you to reveal something deeply personal about themselves.

And then you spend weeks and months with it building the layers of skin and fabric, building a likeness and a sense of sensuality about the surface. By the end I always feel as though I am brushing the skin of the sitter. That's when I know it's finished; when it has it's own life. And then I have to part with the person who has inhabited my space and life for all those weeks.

Marsha collected her portrait this evening, the rain just started and and I can move on to the next piece.

Another Pot of Tea

2010-04-28T10:49:00.008+09:30

It's a blustery Autumn day and perfect for playing with this new site. The cats are curled on my easel chair and under the lounge carpet, noses down. As I should be! So, another pot of tea and back to devising quirky, yet poignant compositions to delight and disturb... well hopefully.

So, to focus the mind: the art of composing; rules I have placed on myself to keep this new body of work coherent
the rules:

1. 12" x 12" (Small and compact, fast to paint!)
2. inspired by the notion of the vanitas (death and the fleetingness of life is always fun)
3. a scalene triangle of objects (well, I can't help it. I've been doing Ikebana for too many years)
4. There needs to be a face, ie on a ceramic figure or a clock, (for empathy)
5. things represent other things, ie a box represents a nest (symbols within symbols)
6. the objects must 'talk' to one another (because I like to talk to them too)
7. and the palette is drawn from 'small treasures'

finished pieces