Drawing in July

One of the drawing exercises undertaken this month includes self portraits of a non-traditional kind. Shadows produce an interesting perspective, as does trying to "paint" oneself with a brush attached to the end of the mop handle, and then through reflection, windows and quasi-mirrors. Finally, I discovered what it looks like to have a "comb-over" combine with gusty southerlies. Every time I learn something or am led to a different way of thinking  - not always the way I'd like to, and not always the way I would want. There are so many pathways in life, and Open Learning is just one of them. It continues to be one of the most exciting times of my life.

State of the Art Quilt 12

This Friday will see State of the Art Quilt 12 open at the Boonah Regional Art Gallery - so this morning Suzanne, Meredith and I got to hang together, quite literally. Many hands and three opinions make for an excellent arrangement. State of the Art Quilt last visited the Scenic Rim in 2010. Everything kicks off at 6.30pm and all are welcome to attend the opening. Five of the artists whose works were juried into the exhibition will be talking about their work and share the inspiration behind the art. Two of the quilts include Lyn Williams' Lust for Copper (below) and Sue Dennis'  Texas inspired Welcome (bottom) are just two of the 16 quilts on show until mid September. The Art Gallery is at High Street Boonah, adjacent to the Library building.

(As always, all images are copyright of the artist and must not be reproduced without permission)

Leaf it Alone workshop with Sue Dennis

I can't think of a better way to spend a day than playing - and if you are fortunate enough to be in a Sue Dennis workshop -playing just gets all the better.  Had a terrific day on Saturday with Sue Dennis and her Leaf it Alone workshop in Warwick as part of the Jumpers and Jazz in July festival.  Today I got a few hours to myself and decided to put some gorgeous Karen Pharr  textile paints to good use - WMBM found me this interesting leaf - resplendent with fold - and now I have a 12" x 12" quilt - a fitting memory moment for a gift of a weekend.

 (Sue's exhibition runs until 19 August at the Warwick Art Gallery)

Sue Dennis Takes Leaf Exhibition

Spent today with the Tarome Ladies Club visiting the Jumpers and Jazz in July Festival in Warwick.  Sue Dennis is exhibiting and teaching at the Warwick Art Gallery as well as judging the tree jumpers for this year's competition - so after some fine refreshments at a nearby cafe we wandered into the Gallery to see if Sue really had "Taken Leaf" of her senses.  The exhibition is sumptuous - texture and transformation everywhere - and a wonderful video of Sue at work  - creating some of the pieces in the exhibition. We sat and watched it a couple of times - and got a real sense of being immersed in Sue's creative world - and watching her quilts come to life.   This isn't someone simply chatting to the camera about their work - in fact there isn't a spoken word to be heard - it is all a rich visual feast that provides the perfect compliment and complement to the exhibition pieces.

In the Moonlight (triptych) has a wonderful translucent quality -  the printing of the leaves has created a sense of depth - the quilting creates another subplot.

The Gallery space is interesting - and Leaf Song #1, #2 and #3 hang beautifully in the space. They drop three metres from the ceiling and require 360 degree contemplation.  The framed Necklace series (left side of gallery) are beautifully printed - some on cotton, some on silk - with the cottonwood and cedar prints were our favourites.

Our favourites were Grand Canyon Memories from Sue's trip to that area in 2010, and By the Pond - its ethereal qualities evoke a sense of calm and harmony. Congratulations Sue - another stunning exhibition and  on show at the Warwick Art Gallery, 49 Albion Street Warwick until 19 August.

Changing perspective

For bigger drawings I tape my paper to the guest room door - and this week I had to create something "monumental" on A1 paper. The opportunity to change perspective started with the drawing of a small object - a clock key - and the introduction of an element to create a sense of "monumentalism" - the clock mouse. Hickory Dickory Dock! 

Where you wheelie bin?

Am enjoying creating rubbings and thanks to Kraftkolour my new sticks arrived yesterday - worth the wait as I was scrounging around in the bottom of an old take-away container looking for scraps of gold and charcoal last weekend. There's a feeling of being caught naked if I don't have sticks and fabric at the ready. while it's true they spend a lot of time in my knapsack in the back of the car, when required they are as indispensable as the camera.  These are the other two rubbings I made on the 1986 wheelie bin on Coochie - they've now been heat set and are ready to become quilts. There's nothing like an overcast muddle headed Saturday for making quilts and chocolate crackles - feeling rather blessed!

Sketchbook Challenge - More Circles

I  love to cook. Lemon circles go with coriander in the  mortar and pestle and make a fabulous coating for a lamb roast. The roast was also a circle or sorts - except there's nothing left of it to photograph. Back to the circle board ....

Sketchbook challenge and circles

Circles seems to be a feature of everything at the moment - I've been working in charcoal a lot in recent weeks. Enjoying mucky hands and black powdery mess everywhere ... wish I'd remembered to vacuum it up before I went trudging through the house ...

Impressionism of a different kind

The WMBM came to Australia in 1986 - and first lived in the Redland Shire. I found a wheelie bin on Coochie  Mudlo Island and manufactured in 1986 - probably identical to the one WMBM would have put out each week as a new Australian. I made several rubbings of the wheelie bin text - including the warning "No Hot Ashes" against a background of the bamboo stick fence at our "resort". The Shiva residue on my fingers made for great "ghost" text in the background.

Other impressions were strewn along the beach - still pristine and fresh -  Coochie's beaches are liberally sprinkled with shells and coral pieces - a shared space with visitors to the Southern Moreton Bay Islands.

Coochie weekend

Our chariot - the barge from the mainland - expertly carrying our vehicles across Moreton Bay from Victoria Point, Cleveland.There's also a regular passenger ferry service that is a real treat - in the good old days, back before risk aversion and common sense got in the way, we used to have a quiet ale on our way over to the Island on a Friday evening - all the weary workers heading either home or to their home away from home for a weekend of pure peace -  40 minutes from Brisbane city. Coochie has changed a lot in the 30 years since I've been visiting - but hasn't lost any of her magic.

White on white

My new best friend  - five of them actually. While trying to complete a "white on white" challenge, my feathered friend kept investigating in search of morsels. None to be found but that didn't stop her joining in the fun. Creating a collage using only white - a lot of challenges and still a fair way to go - this is the foundation of my jug, mug and petals - created from dried baby wipes, a surgical glove, acrylic paint, pastels, crayon, newspaper edges and packaging papers. 

Coochie Sisters

It was fairly brisk on Saturday morning while we waited for the barge to take us over to Coochie Mudlo Island - a perfect break for sisters to catchup on art, life and each other. we arrived a lot earlier than check in time - and headed around to Norfolk beach where we did black on black charcoal drawings - and waited for our rooms to be ready. It was a long, long day and well ... we did get a lot of drawing done! Also experimented with charcoal backgrounds - for the first hour using only an eraser to create light areas, and the next hour using willow to develop the darker spaces. The third hour was a free for all ...

 Loved the view to Stradbroke Island - huge chill factor but hard to believe this is what we call the middle of winter. It was an absolutely stunning weekend.