Birthday

It is my birthday today.  I'm 59.  I guess it would be easy to feel very negative about that, but I feel very much in the prime of my life.  I feel so blessed to have my art practice...  it has sustained me through some very difficult times.  It takes me to places I want to go, both in a physical sense and also intellectually. It keeps my focus on tomorrow.
I'm looking forward to lunch out with my girls today.  A seafood restaurant this time.  Down by the river.  The Burnett River.   It will look so peaceful there today as we sip our champagne and delight in our  seafood cocktails.  It will look so unlike the raging torrent that flooded Bundaberg so mercilessly last year.  Those of us here in Bundaberg, who witnessed these unthinkable events will remain forever scarred.

We came in droves... down to the floodings, to stop and stare and to document these events.  We came to see the inundations and to feel the brutal force of the river...knowing that it had swept away dreams and taken lives.  

Our lives piled up in soggy heaps of domestic detritus all over town.

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There are some very moving videos about the aftermath of the floods at the following link:

http://open.abc.net.au/openregions/qld-wide-bay-71AY7Fz/posts/the-floodwaters-came-19ho1ux
Produced by Brad Marsellos.
I have a very limited selection of photos attached below.

Bundaberg Floods VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

My Studio

I finally have my studio back after the Just Ideas works have been collected.  It's such a wonderful feeling.  I have already finished my artwork for the  Cabinets of Curiosities exhibition which will start mid January at BRAG.
 
I have attached a sneak preview....closeup only.  I hope Trudie won't mind.

Also attached is a work, 'Metropolis', that I made from small tins from my collection. I will have a short series of these fairly soon, I am hoping.

I trust you all had a joyful Christmas and wish you every happiness in 2012.

New software

I have been trying to learn Adobe Premiere Elements for video production.  Not as easy as it sounds!  What ever happened to manuals? You could hold the book in one hand and  exercise the appropriate manoeuvres with the other!  Much as I love the Internet, it would be a blessing to have the option of a book at times!

I have been using Photostory3 for Windows. It can be downloaded free from Microsoft if you have a legal copy of Windows!  It is very  user-friendly, as is Windows Live Movie Maker.

I think Premiere Elements will be a little more sophisticated and allow me a few more options. 

We shall see!

Attached is  a digital work, one of twenty that will be in my exhibition at Pine Rivers late February 2012.

C x

Timing

I've been feeling rather despondent these last few days.  I'm feeling that maybe my timing is wrong  in regards to opening a gallery  in Bundaberg again.
Clinton set dates for two artist talks, both of which had to be cancelled due to lack of attendance.  The weekly attendance rate has been quite sad.
Of course everyone will say it was a great opening but it's the silly season.  That's true, but I don't really  have an option to wait for Bundaberg to be ready for another gallery. 

I am getting very few expressions of interest, and survey result are not encouraging.

Bundaberg artists need to get onboard quickly now  if they feel they need Dirty Linen.

If Dirty Linen has to close, it won't be sad...it won't hurt! ( Maybe just a little!)  It may even be liberating!!!    I might have more time for video bombing with Brad!! 

I also need to consider the difficulties this project is causing my art practice, which will always be my prime focus.

Till soon.  c  x

Artist talk 2

Clinton Cross will be giving an artist's talk tomorrow at 1pm.  All welcome.   Clinton will explain some of the works and tell you about each artist.   It wii be very interesting.  Don't miss out!

Video

A small version of a video  I made today. c
 

Still painting

I'm still painting the outside of the building that houses the Dirty Linen Gallery.  I live upstairs.

I am endeavouring to banish the aqua blue paint from the lower level of my property, at least.  It will make such a great difference.

Creative Regions conducted a networking meeting Monday night in the gallery.  It was a 'get to know you' affair and there were a lot of motivated and energetic people in attendance.  There were quite a few  from the Writers Club.  I am just itching to spend some time with them to see what they are up to.  They are such an interesting and talented  lot! They are as excited as I am about the poetry presentation and the possibilities it presents.  2012 is going to be a great year.

Clinton is 'mooching around' a bit after all the dramas of the Just Ideas exhibition. So, if you haven't been in for a look at the artworks, or to read the poetry snippets, do yourself a favour and drop in soon.  Clinton will give you a guided tour.

It's time for me to start focusing on my show at Pine Rivers Art Gallery.  It starts late February and will feature my Suburban Goddess  installation and 20 digital prints from the 'Broken Woman' series.
I am very excited  to be exhibiting the Broken Woman series of  limited edition digital prints.  They have never been shown before, apart from a couple of works  here and there.
I have attached one from the series. Others can be found in my permanent pages on the right of the screen.The prints will be 750 x 1m. At that size they should look quite imposing.

I hope that some of the artists  I have met through Just Ideas

will be able to attend.   Cheers!

Kathy Donnelly's birthday

Today would have been Kathy Donnelly's birthday.  I miss her so much as many do.  She was a vibrant, intelligent, funny, inspiring beautiful woman.  I know many feel she is part of our own creative journeys still.  Kept close to our hearts.

I thought you might like to read a blog I wrote one day after having lunch with Kathy.     I will also post pictures of the Scar tree project.  See the two  links below.

Her altarpiece dedicated to Mother is  beautiful.

C xx

http://christineaturner.blogspot.com/2010/08/lunch-at-kathys.html

http://christineaturner.blogspot.com/2010/06/kathy-donnellys-scar-tree-project.html

Artist Talk

I noticed on facebook that a lot of the Just Ideas artists have been congratulating Clinton on a job well done.  It has been a huge task succesfully completed. It is to his credit that he was able to bring together so many established artists for the Just Ideas exhibition.

Try not to miss Clinton's artist talk tomorrow at 11 at Dirty Linen.  It will be fascinating!

I have been overwhelmed by the many messages I have received from very excited writers today.  Their responses have been most welcome.  I am equally excited by the wonderful evening we had sharing our collective talents and maybe we could think about having another  art/poetry evening  in a month or two, once the holiday season is finished, perhaps? 

Some interesting ideas have come in already.       Till soon. c x

Just Ideas opens

Just Ideas opened last night. An enormous crowd gathered. We had not expected quite so many. It has been suggested that there were about 120 at least. There was a real buzz of excitement! Clinton rolled in at the last minute with a taxi load of girls behind him. His exhibition looked fabulous!
A musician/singer…Darren Hanlon performed three numbers for an appreciative audience. Clinton opened the exhibition with a short speech.
The writers then took the stage and delighted the audience with their brilliant poetic presentation. I’m hoping that we can forge a close association with the very
talented folk from the Writers Club.

Just Ideas exhibition 2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Second video bombing

Video Bombing Dirty Linen Artspace- 6th Dec 2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Our second video bombing attempt delivered spectacular results. We are learning a lot about the process.

It's not quite enough to just flash up an image and think it will work. It needs a video that has both

quality and substance. Combining these ingredients with the unexpected, can result in very special images.

Rain

Rain at last, to start a new week. The weekend was spent at Eaton's Hill. Roller in hand, I managed to paint most of the downstairs apartment. It is amazing how powerful colour can be. In this instance I banished a particulary sad looking pale grey/green. Now a pristine white, the room is much more inviting. And I repeated the magic in the entry hall.

Thanks to Kym and Lindsay for all their efforts on the weekend.

My son Ben and Sarah and baby Eden are shifting to Alpha (near Emerald) so that Ben, who is a teacher can do his country service. Thankfully, that isn't too far away.

And so the house is being prepared for renting or perhaps even selling.

We are on the countdown for Clinton's Just Ideas exhibition. The show is nearly hung, except for a few works which are late coming. It's looking fabulous! Will reveal all soon!