Back last weekend, when the Art Gallery was available to the people of Sydney, David and I went to see the Arts of Islam exhibition. It was truly stunning. Beautifully painted Korans and other books, luscious textiles and carpets, delicate glass, beaten and spun and inlaid metalwork... it was just a feast for the eyes. I filled several pages on my sketchbook with motifs and patterns for my textile work.
I don't want to wax lyrical for too long about it, so I'll just mention some things that really intrigued me. Korans which, although works of art, were clearly also working books, marked with the hands of users over hundreds of years, and sometimes annotated by different hands in the margins. And the one with such large print, it had to be delivered to the palace in a wheelbarrow! The intricate woven textiles, with extra weft threads making complex patterns. These incredible daggers with jewelled handles and scabbards. The excerpts from a pilgrim's manual, a sort of Baedeker or Lonely Planet Guide for the 17th century pilgrim, including street maps of the towns and detailed illustrations of what the pilgim might find there. One page showed "Other Sights to see" - things in the Mecca area that weren't part of the hajj but might be of interest to the discerning pilgrim. And "the book of postal routes and kingdoms" dating from around 700AD, showing rivers, mountains, towns and, most important, the routes the messengers should take to deliver the mail. Just amazing, all of it.
We also had a look at a much smaller exhibition of Chinese jade. These pieces dated from Palaeolithic to modern times. It's easy to forget that when the Egyptians were still figuring out how to put one stone on another, the Chinese already had a complex culture. The pieces really illustrated the history of jade work in China - how they learnt to work the stone, and how to produce a rich red colour by heating the jade - first as a piece and then later selectively, so small areas of the designs were highlighted. And the development of jade inlay. The works were just so intricate! The crowning glory was the Jade Throne and lacquer and jade screens of the Emperor. I imagine it would be pretty hard to remain unimpressed when you were brought before the Emperor as he sat on this throne with this incredible jade all around him!
We also looked at the scupture work of a man called Mackennal, whom I'd never heard of, but he's famous, being the first Australian admitted to the Royal Academy and the first to be knighted. He produced the equestrian statue of Edward VI and many works for George V, including coins, medals and postage stamps. Plus lots of portraiture and works based on mythological themes. He was on the cusp of the huge changes in art at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, so his themes are classical but the works have the detail and drama of the pre-Raphaelites. They were very interesting works. However, I think we were not quite serious enough, because we are Doctor Who fans. The most recent episode featured aliens that masqueraded as statues to attack people, and the trick to outwit them was not to blink. David and I saw his life-sized statue of Circe, a famous work but she has her hands held out in a rather menacing way. We both said simultaneously, "Don't blink!" and cracked up. Some other sculture lovers glared at us, clearly thinking we were not treating the great man's work with due seriousness, so we had to slink away into another room !
Thursday, 6 September 2007
And the visitors have arrived...
Sydney is in "lockdown" (as the media keep telling us in excited tones), in honour of APEC meetings being held over this weekend. This means that Sydney's citizens, those of us who actually live here in this beautiful city, are being encouraged to go away, lest our activities impinge upon these few world leaders and their entourages of literally hundreds of people. The Art Gallery is closed over the weekend, but that's understandable as most of the roads allowing access to it are closed too. The Opera House and Darling Harbour are closed to all but our special visitors, and nobody better think about going to Bondi for a swim, because apparently someone is having lunch there and it's closed too. Bad luck if you are a tourist visiting Sydney - many ferries and all the Jetcats are cancelled and you have little chance of seeing any sights, as they are closed off and obscured by a lovely concrete and metal fence, designed to safeguard these important visitors. Ain't democracy great?
Just how effective this fence is has been amply demonstrated. Yesterday evening, two blokes wandered off the street into the Intercontinental Hotel, where George Bush is staying. They had a drink in the bar and then ate dinner in the restaurant. As they were leaving, they were approached by security, demanding to see their security clearances (which they obviously didn't have). They were hastily hustled out across the road and told to go away. Well, they were going anyway, weren't they? They'd had their dinner. I bet someone got a tongue lashing for that one! Meanwhile, this afternoon, the comedy team from The Chaser's War on Everything apparently drove up to the hotel in a motorcade, and got within metres of the building before someone twigged that they were not, in fact, a Canadian delegation. They were last seen "being interviewed by police", who were not amused. But gee, a lot of the rest of us were!
The only good part of this is that we get a public holiday tomorrow, which we're using to help Karen move house, in Wollongong, which, being all of an hour away from the action, doesn't get the public holiday.
Just how effective this fence is has been amply demonstrated. Yesterday evening, two blokes wandered off the street into the Intercontinental Hotel, where George Bush is staying. They had a drink in the bar and then ate dinner in the restaurant. As they were leaving, they were approached by security, demanding to see their security clearances (which they obviously didn't have). They were hastily hustled out across the road and told to go away. Well, they were going anyway, weren't they? They'd had their dinner. I bet someone got a tongue lashing for that one! Meanwhile, this afternoon, the comedy team from The Chaser's War on Everything apparently drove up to the hotel in a motorcade, and got within metres of the building before someone twigged that they were not, in fact, a Canadian delegation. They were last seen "being interviewed by police", who were not amused. But gee, a lot of the rest of us were!
The only good part of this is that we get a public holiday tomorrow, which we're using to help Karen move house, in Wollongong, which, being all of an hour away from the action, doesn't get the public holiday.
The lull after the storm
I've just finished a period of frenetic activity and gee, it's so nice to do nothing for a bit! Well, nothing with a deadline, anyway. My design wall is empty - well, as close to empty as it ever gets!
You can see Mistrise is still being considered (I had some new ideas about where to take that, just this week), and it's partly obscuring a woven piece with added applique that is being contemplated upon before more action happens. The flock of butterflies is still flying south, though sometimes they move to other places on the wall. Some have been made into brooches for myself (they live on a gorgeous evening bag made for me by Rhonda a few years ago) and friends. And the quilt block designed for me by my clever daughter Kas is still on display.
You can also see a piece I made in August 2005, as part of my personal Journal Quilts project. It was for a challenge with friends called "I Get the News I Need on the Weather Report". Each of us chose a month of the year to represent in journal quilt format. Mine was August in Sydney, which is often wet. It's based on a photo of mine of leaves in a puddle, overlaid by a map of the coastline of Sydney. It's rather dark so it's not a really successful piece but fun to do. Here's a better view of it:
It needs overpainting to give a value difference between land and sea, to emphasise the coastline aspect a little more. One day when I have the paints out..
Almost hidden is an anti-Iraq war piece I started in 2004 on the theme of Purple Prose, which required a combination of text and a purple fabric, for my quilt group. The rhetoric about the war was very purple at the time, so it seemed appropriate! So far it looks like this...
It's based on many news images on Arab woman with their children and the woman's pose is based on a photo I saw of Palestinian refugees just after World War II. Some things don't seem to change. It still needs to have its painted background, which I envisage as a wall, in some disrepair, perhaps with bullet marks or other damage, against which the mother is leaning so wearily. And of course, the detail will be added with stitch, my favourite activity! It will be quite small, 23cm x 30cm (9in x 12in), including a border, which will incorporate purple and probably black, and probably the text. The words I want to use are a quote from Sir Horace Walpole in 1772, "It was easier to conquer the East than to know what to do with it." This pithy remark seems to sum up most attempts by western powers to influence Middle Eastern and Far Eastern politics, and yet it's a lesson they have signally failed to learn in the subsequent 235 years. Don't get excited though, it may still be some time before this piece rises to the top of the pile!
I'm also thinking idly about May Gibbs because ATASDA has been asked by the May Gibbs Foundation to mount one of a rolling series of exhibitions called "Inspired by May", in honour of the sesquicentenary of May Gibbs' birth. It's a little tricky because her artwork is still under copyright. I'm reading her biography and learning about her passion for the Australian bush, at a time when children's books in Australia were generally derived from English sources and images. I have an idea of what I want to do, and it will be small, as the display space is not large. But I'm not sure I will go ahead with it, as it's so nice not to have a deadline!
I wonder how long my wall will stay empty like this?
You can see Mistrise is still being considered (I had some new ideas about where to take that, just this week), and it's partly obscuring a woven piece with added applique that is being contemplated upon before more action happens. The flock of butterflies is still flying south, though sometimes they move to other places on the wall. Some have been made into brooches for myself (they live on a gorgeous evening bag made for me by Rhonda a few years ago) and friends. And the quilt block designed for me by my clever daughter Kas is still on display.
You can also see a piece I made in August 2005, as part of my personal Journal Quilts project. It was for a challenge with friends called "I Get the News I Need on the Weather Report". Each of us chose a month of the year to represent in journal quilt format. Mine was August in Sydney, which is often wet. It's based on a photo of mine of leaves in a puddle, overlaid by a map of the coastline of Sydney. It's rather dark so it's not a really successful piece but fun to do. Here's a better view of it:
It needs overpainting to give a value difference between land and sea, to emphasise the coastline aspect a little more. One day when I have the paints out..
Almost hidden is an anti-Iraq war piece I started in 2004 on the theme of Purple Prose, which required a combination of text and a purple fabric, for my quilt group. The rhetoric about the war was very purple at the time, so it seemed appropriate! So far it looks like this...
It's based on many news images on Arab woman with their children and the woman's pose is based on a photo I saw of Palestinian refugees just after World War II. Some things don't seem to change. It still needs to have its painted background, which I envisage as a wall, in some disrepair, perhaps with bullet marks or other damage, against which the mother is leaning so wearily. And of course, the detail will be added with stitch, my favourite activity! It will be quite small, 23cm x 30cm (9in x 12in), including a border, which will incorporate purple and probably black, and probably the text. The words I want to use are a quote from Sir Horace Walpole in 1772, "It was easier to conquer the East than to know what to do with it." This pithy remark seems to sum up most attempts by western powers to influence Middle Eastern and Far Eastern politics, and yet it's a lesson they have signally failed to learn in the subsequent 235 years. Don't get excited though, it may still be some time before this piece rises to the top of the pile!
I'm also thinking idly about May Gibbs because ATASDA has been asked by the May Gibbs Foundation to mount one of a rolling series of exhibitions called "Inspired by May", in honour of the sesquicentenary of May Gibbs' birth. It's a little tricky because her artwork is still under copyright. I'm reading her biography and learning about her passion for the Australian bush, at a time when children's books in Australia were generally derived from English sources and images. I have an idea of what I want to do, and it will be small, as the display space is not large. But I'm not sure I will go ahead with it, as it's so nice not to have a deadline!
I wonder how long my wall will stay empty like this?
Monday, 27 August 2007
Happy happy....
Dianne on Like Minded Artist asked us "What's your definition of a perfect day?"
My answer was "Warm and sunny, so I can go out in the garden early.
David home, working in his workshop and calling me to look at what he is making. Then back into my workroom for a few hours of contented pottering with no deadlines.
A visit from another textile artist for an hour or so.
Then back out into the garden in the late afternoon.
Lazy dinner with friends at an Italian or Moroccan or French restaurant, or the local Thai."
I didn't quite achieve all that lately, but I have had some really great days! Yesterday, in particular, was very like my perfect day. New medication is making me a considerably happier camper, and I have been really storming along, in the garden and in the workroom. My veggie patch is almost cleared after a year's disuse due to the water restrictions. I left it a little late in the day to photograph it, sorry!
The quilt for my son Ben and daughter-in-law Lee is to top stage. I'd like to pretend I just whipped this up this week, but to be truthful, it's taken me six years to get it this far! It is a very big quilt! Doesn't it look good on the bed David made for us?
And here is a little teaser of the fabric book pages for the Like Minded Artist swap, which are all almost finished. We had to make 14 pages for the swap, on a flower theme. They are due to be posted on Friday.
My answer was "Warm and sunny, so I can go out in the garden early.
David home, working in his workshop and calling me to look at what he is making. Then back into my workroom for a few hours of contented pottering with no deadlines.
A visit from another textile artist for an hour or so.
Then back out into the garden in the late afternoon.
Lazy dinner with friends at an Italian or Moroccan or French restaurant, or the local Thai."
I didn't quite achieve all that lately, but I have had some really great days! Yesterday, in particular, was very like my perfect day. New medication is making me a considerably happier camper, and I have been really storming along, in the garden and in the workroom. My veggie patch is almost cleared after a year's disuse due to the water restrictions. I left it a little late in the day to photograph it, sorry!
The quilt for my son Ben and daughter-in-law Lee is to top stage. I'd like to pretend I just whipped this up this week, but to be truthful, it's taken me six years to get it this far! It is a very big quilt! Doesn't it look good on the bed David made for us?
And here is a little teaser of the fabric book pages for the Like Minded Artist swap, which are all almost finished. We had to make 14 pages for the swap, on a flower theme. They are due to be posted on Friday.
Tuesday, 14 August 2007
Nice Matters Award
I was really touched to receive this from Carol last week. It's a new friendship award started by Bella Enchanted. This award is for those bloggers who are nice people, good blogging friends and those who inspire warm friendships and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world.
I have to choose another seven people. I always find that hard because a lot of the really nice blog people I know have already been tagged, like Dianne Tonniece and Mags. Now I see why people often say "all those generous textile artists out there"!
I'd especially like to tag
Erica at Creative Dabbling
Nic at nicquiltz because her work always blows me away
Janine at magic happens
Lisa at Inspirations
Speaking of Lisa, she's having an exhibition in Sydney soon:
Her work is just fabulous (and award-winning!) so it's really worth going to have a look, if you are in Sydney.
Saturday, 11 August 2007
Holes, full of secrets
Signs of spring - the jonquils are flowering
Isn't it annoying when you fall into a hole? I have done that this week. Not just creatively, but in every area of my life, things seem to be on hold. Waiting to start new meds, waiting for spring, waiting for the Assistant Gardener to have time to help clear the overgrown veggie patch, waiting for the garden supplies to come so I can do plant those tiny seeds and watch the miracle of life begin. One nice bit of waiting has been starting to plan our Europe trip next year. We have a rough outline of where we will be and when, and now we can start to flesh it out with what we will see and do.
Creatively, there's been a bit of waiting too. I've been working on quilt blocks, for later sharing. My quilt group is making friendship blocks this year - one for each person each month. No drama, there are only four of us in this group! But the blocks won't be revealed until our Christmas lunch in December, so I can't show them here. I'm also working on a couple of other secret projects, including the book pages for Like Minded Artists - my life is really full of secrets just now! So you'll just have to imagine me working busily at all these things I can't share just yet.
Oh, one bit of waiting has come to an end! The bread is calling me from the oven... mmm delicious!
Thursday, 9 August 2007
What flower am I?
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"You stand up for what you believe in, even if it gets in the way of what other people think. You are proud of yourself and your accomplishments and you enjoy letting people know that."
I'm not sure this is me, really!