Albert Woodroffe; prominent outback artist, mentor and Director of Horizon Gallery has officially welcomed me into his stable of artists!
Check out what he has to say about me at Horizon Gallery Silverton.
What a great way to start the New Year :D
Atherton Tablelands
“When you set out on your journey…
pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge…
that the summer mornings are many…”
- Excerpts from “Ithaca” by Constantin
Cavafy
Mr.Rainbowat Mt.Uncle Distillery Banana Plantation
Have just spent a couple of days full of adventure touring the
Atherton Tablelands with Fletcher & my new kitten, Atherton. We enjoyed
beautiful summer mornings amazing natural wonders, volcanic lakes
& craters, more rainforest paths, picturesque townships, banana & coffee plantations and the Granite
Gorge (where we got to hand feed Rock Wallabies).
Lake Eacham :: Volcanic Crater Lake
Curtain Fig Tree
Also found an interesting surrealist Outback Landscape exhibition
(of all things to find in the tropical north!) at the Regional Gallery.
The Big Road North!
“Our
battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go.
But no matter, the road is life.” – Jack Kerouac
Total Solar Eclipse
It was pretty cool to be able to view such an amazing natural phenomenon.
P.S. looked nothing like the photoshopped photo above.
It Couldn’t be Done
By Edgar A. Guest
Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with a trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.
Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it.”
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing and he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you,
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.
-
Compliments of the Silverton Gaol & Historical Museum
October 2012
The Good Red Road Continues!
“One’s
destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”
~ Henry Miller
It's official, I have moved to the 'Artback'!
Have come to the end of my first week staying &
working with Albert Woodroffe, a highly recognised Australian artist, at the Horizon Gallery in Silverton,
Outback NSW.
I'm still quite excited about this opportunity, it’s my first time working
in a commercial art gallery and it’s been a very busy & successful week. Am
feeling really inspired and somehow hanging out in an art gallery with an
amazing artist, just doesn't feel like work :P
Paintings Delivered!
"Her
mind traveled crooked streets and aimless goat paths,
arriving sometimes at
profundity,
other times at the revelations of a three-year-old."
- Toni Morrison
My how the days fly by!
I have since made my way from Wilcannia to Adelaide, via Menindee Lakes, Kinchega NP, Broken Hill, Silverton, across the South Astralian border and down into the Clare Valley wine country...
Historic Woolshed, Kinchega NP
Broken Hill is Australia's leading silver mining town,
little did I know it is also an Art Mecca for the Outback!
Home to artist, Pro Hart an
"Outback Legend" I'd only recently heard of... I really liked the idea of his brilliantly coloured canon paintings. Described as Abstract Action Painting, he created a number of custom canons to shoot either balloons or Christmas balls filled with paint at the canvas… sometimes even useing a sling shot. Epic fun!
The trick of course being,
colour composition & knowing when to stop before muddying the painting. Pro Hart has used great colours, had a remarkable compositional
eye, and amazing layering & scraping back techniques.
Although Pro Hart may be the stuff of legend;
Deirdre Edwards is by far my favorite Broken Hill artist. I spent a couple of hours chatting with her in her gallery about her 'rust bath' and the sculture she was preparing for the Desert Equinox Solar Art Exhibition.
As Albert Woodroffe has got to be my favorite gallery owner, at the Horizon Gallery in the historic little town of Silverton, just 25km NW of Broken Hill. Where I've been offered work & a place to stay!
Silverton is also home of the Mad Max 2 Museum!
Crossing the South Australia Border
Welcome to Clare
...until FINALLY after 2weeks of touring & lolly-gagging about the Outback I've made my way down into ADELAIDE! and have delivered Gareth's paintings to their new owners.
A crooked, aimless path if ever there was one... but one that found the greatness of Australian history, a variety of architecture, amazing artists, unique eccentricities, incomparable scenery and delicious wines :D
The Good Red Road
“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go.
I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.”
– Robert Louis Stevenson
My Australian Art Tour through the Outback is going well, have stopped in on John Murray's Gallery in Lightning Ridge, as well as all their other community galleries in the area.
I took an alternate route out of Collarenebri to Lightning Ridge on some truly outback roads... it literally felt as though I had passed into another land, one that has only existed for me in novels of 'Outback Australia', long stretches of dry red dirt roads driving into the blazing sunset, with the occasional passing truck leaving epic dust trails that rise up in the air & hang forever.
Did you know that the dust on outback roads rides the air like fog? making visibility near impossible!?
Have fallen in love with Lightning Ridge's Therapeutic Bore Baths...
their eccentric 'camp' style housing, it's friendly people...
...and the LIGHT in the area.
Have also stopped in on Jenny Greentree at her gallery Back O'Bourke... spent a couple of days in Gundabooka National Park, driven along the Darling River Run and am now in Wilcannia visiting Dierdre, a friend's mother who is a local art teacher at an Aboriginal school, I hope to be able to sit in on a class today!
More pics on FB :: Lightning Ridge! This is Stone Country, Darling River Run
Australian Art Tour!
Yay! Another road trip has begun!
Have left Lismore behind for an art excursion, I am delivering a couple of paintings to Adelaide for fellow artist Gareth Lindsay Deakin. So FINALLY I am driving West, through the Outback via Glen Innes, Lightning Ridge, Minindi Lakes, Broken Hill and then into Adelaide... and maybe, maybe, hopefully beyond to visit Leith in Konojup, WA!
Have left Lismore behind for an art excursion, I am delivering a couple of paintings to Adelaide for fellow artist Gareth Lindsay Deakin. So FINALLY I am driving West, through the Outback via Glen Innes, Lightning Ridge, Minindi Lakes, Broken Hill and then into Adelaide... and maybe, maybe, hopefully beyond to visit Leith in Konojup, WA!
Studio Works II
Have also been collecting old pallettes to build a deck between the studio & Mr.Rainbow, am looking forward to getting myself out of the mud!
Studio Works
Renovations to my warehouse studio are well & truly underway...
.
I had been hoping to have all the works completed & ready for a "Studio Opening" within the first month of moving in, but alas, due to budgetary constraints and a very firm idea on design (this is afterall my first design project without a Client!), I've now been here 2 months & I have still to finish!
The Studio in its original condition.
A work in progress.
Design plans...
Am picking up new skills along the way.
The clean undercoat.
Outdoor reflections & new door hardware installed par moi!
Artistic Creations
A winter afternoon of sunshine, found Janelle & I outside my studio painting floor matts for Mr.Rainbow & the Studio.
Inspired by some folksy painted floor matts Grandma, Mom & I came across while driving across Canada, these colourful explotions are sealed with a polyurethane finish for durability & ease of cleaning.
It's almost a shame to walk on them!
The rainbow floor matt
For Mr.Rainbow of course!
The bleeding heart floor matt
by Janelle Buckley
For my new studio!
Inspired by some folksy painted floor matts Grandma, Mom & I came across while driving across Canada, these colourful explotions are sealed with a polyurethane finish for durability & ease of cleaning.
It's almost a shame to walk on them!
Scarlet 2012
Current Members Exhibition at Serpentine Gallery
This is the Serpentine’s 6th annual ‘Scarlet’ exhibition.
Opening night was held on June 1, artworks are on display until the end of the month.
This exhibition is about delving into people’s perceptions of sexuality, beauty, love, seduction and lust - concepts that many of us struggle with in today’s world.
And last, but certainly not the least, my own contribution!
Seeing as it is extrememly unlikely that any of you from home will be hoping a plane by then I thought I'd share some of my favorite local artist-friends contributions to the show...
Kristine
Gareth Lindsay Deakin
Heat
Kane Bowman
"Is
it love? Is it lust?
These
are the things the artists struggle with."
- Sue Alford, Serpentine Gallery
Volunteer
Corinne Batt-Rawden
Skin
Janelle Buckley
Le Fetichiste
Jennifer Harnett
Where I am now...
Lismore, Northern NSW
Lismore is a subtropical town, which is the main regional centre of the Northern Rivers in northeastern New South Wales, Australia.
Lismore is a subtropical town, which is the main regional centre of the Northern Rivers in northeastern New South Wales, Australia.
No beaches here!
Am still living inland from the coast, but what Lismore is missing in beaches, it more than makes up for with a thriving arts community!
Art Lifestyle is Powering in LISMORE
My artwork published yet AGAIN!
Mine is the B&W dangerous looking man...
My new love... this little guy seems to have adopted me :)
Now hanging in my studio (the painting, not the man!)
2012 Scarlet - Annual Group Show at the Serpentine Gallery
Look there's that dangerous looking man again!
April Road Trip
Clint 'Dundee'
Had a fun intense week with Clint exploring southern Queensland; Brisbane, Glasshouse Mountains, Maleny, Australia Zoo, Sunny Coast, Caloundra Beach, Buderim, Gold Coast, Burleigh Heads…
Niesha
Followed by a totally spur of the moment art exploration trip to Melbourne with Niesha! It was one of those times where I offered to drop her off at the airport & she said, 'Why don’t you come with me?' OK! Mr.Rainbow was left in Clint's very capable care and off I went!
Returned through Sydney and drove back to where I am now in my new warehouse studio at Gallery 33.3 in Lismore, Northern NSW.
New Studio
My first week here was amazing, there was lots of different artistic events going on, so you can be sure that I took advantage of them all!
Wednesday :: There was an Art Flashmob happening in the town centre, where artists were encouraged to show up & create... Not much of a "mob", but there sure was alot of art & creativity flowing!
Friday :: Found me teaching an art collage workshop for Lismore’s “Art in the Heart” efforts.
The Serpentine Gallery opened another group show titled 'Metamorphosis' that same evening.
Fellow Artists
Saturday :: Gallery 33.3 opened a group show titled
Lismore Mayor, Jenny Dowell
Sunday :: The Serpentine Gallery had its Annual Art Auction at the Pop-Up Gallery in the heart of Lismore on Magellan Street.
What a great re-introduction to Lismore & its thriving arts community!
Art Residency III
Tuntable Falls Community, Northern NSW
Wow, so much to catch up on!
Wow, so much to catch up on!
I completed my third 'Art Residency' in April, spent two weeks at Peter's place on Tuntable Falls Community where I learned to build mud bricks, how to make mud paint & apply it to walls, painted out all his trim work, doors & windows in vibrant turquoise & red and learned a few new valuable kitchen skills... ie, how to store & cook delicious wholesome foods without a fridge!
Check out the before & after pics on FB
Dragonfly Cafe Exhibition
I did, I did! Got two separate write ups in the Northern Rivers Echo about my art!
Got the centre spread!
and then a follow up in the Scene, thanks Goba!
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