Xmas

Christmas was an enjoyable day on Brad and Jess's breezy balcony. A huge turkey was the main feature of a delicious banquet presented by the indefatigable Mrs Marsellos.

Clinton,  Phill and Marlies and I were the lucky guests for this occasion.  It was a very relaxing day.

We talked about the year ahead, and it appears that  Dirty Linen will have a another very busy year. Starting in January with the 'Bundaberg Bohemians not Bogans' exhibiton', curated by Brad and Jess. This exhibition will showcase the works of established artists from Bundaberg.  The exhibition will be held in Brisbane, but Brad has suggested that it also shows at DL on its return to Bundaberg.

I think this is a good idea, so stay tuned for more information.

The end of January, start of February  Di Wills will be presenting an experimental play titled 'Dead Matron's Society'.    I am very excited about this event.  It will combine  theatre and visual arts.  I hope it will be the start of many of this type of  event.

In April Brad will have an exciting photographic exhibition of new works.  This will present works that have that unique Marsellos  signature.  A treat for all.

There are  a couple of other events coming up that are yet to be finalised, so stay tuned!

Talk art soon!
cx

Most recent artwork

This is my most recent work using one of Sam's photos and lots of different textured components.  I'm quite pleased with this work and Sam likes it, which is great news!

Another image of Sam attached below.

cx

Human Ventures

The Human Ventures team who are in Bundaberg  compiling the digital stories for AFLOAT (about the floods), showed Sam and I some  techniques in stop animation yesterday.

I recorded a voice over for a short video about roses....and flood waters.  You will see it soon on this blog. It was a very pleasant and  informative afternoon.

Sam

 

I  conducted a photoshoot the other day with Sam as my model. She is a very beautiful girl.  I will probably do some more projects with Sam before she goes of to Art College next year.

An observation

The sky is shrieking with parrots having a wild night out in Bundaberg.  Swooping low over heritage rooftops  they  vanish into the  welcoming canopies of soft viridian  trees that line the CBD.  Perched safe on woody limbs, they jostle, peck and nag , their raucous moments illuminated by the ubiquitous fairy lights that appear magically at this time of year.

A chorus of parrots, claiming the CBD as their own, bow low shrieking  ugly and obscene warnings to a  scruffy wide-eyed  cat and a flea-bitten derelict - down on their luck.                       
                                                                                                                                                                                            The indignant  pair slouch off to search  for their dinners in the dusty gutters and overstuffed bins.

Meanwhile, Bundaberg is tucked up, feet up... in front of the television.

 

 

Bombing Sam

Brad and I had another productive night video bombing with pictures of our young friend Sam. She is off  to art college next year and she is sure to do very well. She is already a brilliant photographer and has been making interesting videos as well.  She made a very beautiful model for our video bombing.




We watched Sam's video under a nearly full moon.  What a treat!

Talk art soon!

On the streets

Two digital photos merged. One taken on Quay Street while video bombing last week. The other photograph is of one of my shop mannequins, Adel.

Visiting Susan

I had a couple of reasons to visit my artist friend, Susan Hutton today.   Firstly, I was picking up some  artworks on paper for display at Dirty Linen now that I am going to be opening the gallery every Sunday.

She had some lovely works I haven't seen before.  I also came home with three ceramic pieces of Susan's. They will all look wonderful in the gallery and will be interesting talking points.

I also had to take a portrait photo of Susan for an exhibition coming up at BRAG. The exhibition will feature photos of local  artists in their studios.  I have four portraits to take and have completed two already.

There are a number of very talented artists living and working in Bundaberg.  Their studios are bound to be unique  and interesting.  I will post some of my pictures after the exhibition starts.

Dead Matron's Society

Local writer Di Wills came to Dirty Linen last week to discuss a project she has been developing, titled 'Dead Matron's Society'. 

The concept: A stage play that examines a group of women 'stuck' after experiencing sudden and unexpected deaths, and how they now fill their days. The play examines the value of women's friendships, both now and beyond. 

Artists will be a part of this collaboration, and I am excited that this play will take place at Dirty Linen  in approximately 3 months.

I will work on some digital projections for this event.

Di will be blogging the experience and you can find her page at the following link:

http://deadmatronssociety.blogspot.com.au/

Back to video bombing Bundaberg!!

I love going out into the balmy Bundaberg nights with my friend Brad.  Our mission is to find a wall. a building... a special place over which  we can  project our video images.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This process demands new methods of working and throws up technical challenges along the way.   Sometimes we are the only  people who will see and know a successful outcome to any given projection event.   I try to document our stories.

Contemporary Works on Paper

Dirty Linen  generated its usual buzz of excitement last Friday night.  There was another great exhibition installed at the artspace.

This time it was Contemporary Works on Paper, curated by Bundaberg artist Clinton Cross.  Interstate and local artists contributed works on paper.  Subject matter was diverse.

Seventy to eighty people attended the opening.  Clinton introduced the artist's works and then the red dots came out!  Over thirty two works were sold.  A brilliant achievement!

Thanks must go to Clinton for curating these exciting exhibitions.  He is already making plans for his next two shows!!

On Sunday, I opened the gallery from 10 -2pm and will be doing this every Sunday excluding public holidays.   I will have a permanent display of the works of established Bundaberg artists.....and. just in time for Xmas, I will be opening the small gallery at the front of Dirty Linen as a shop that will present artistic creations of many types, sculptures, fibre works, ceramics, art cards  and so on.   I hope the shop will be up and running this Sunday.  So look in between 10 and 2.

In the meantime I am formulating  ideas for my art practice in 2013, and will be finishing a large board I will be showing in Brisbane in January.

 Above, three superb drawings by Selwyn Rodda from Clinton Cross's  'Contemporary Works on     Paper' exhibition.

Till soon.  cx

Clinton's exhibition

I took a trip up to Gladstone last weekend to catch their Art awards. Bundaberg did very well capturing 5 awards over the 13 different categories! Sadly I missed out this time,but I have had my share of wins over the years and can't complain.

Clinton Cross and I have been preparing for another of the group exhibitions he has curated. This show brings together artists from interstate and New Zealand also. Hope you can come.

On Sunday, I am inviting people to come to Dirty Linen, perhaps to do a little work (writing, painting etc), have a coffee and some homemade cake....maybe join in on the new Poet's Corner. Come along and catch up with your fellow artists!

Talk art soon!! c x

Design for Sarah

 

I was recently in Alpha visiting my son Ben, his lovely wife Sarah and my gorgeous grandaughter Eden.  While I was there, Sarah asked me if I would be able to produce a design for her business cards and flyers etc.

 

I was really excited about this project.

 

I took a photo of Sarah, some of her jewellry and fabrics.   Using filters in Photoshop Elements 9, . I put together this image, which Sarah was very happy with.

 

cx

Last words on Alpha

Alpha is a town that has it's stories...no doubt, but it keeps them 'close to the chest'.

The houses here stand far apart... and silent. From brilliant blue, a powerful sun blasts down, baking the hardy weed-patched red soil of their yards. Gusts of wind play havoc with dust, dirt and leaves whirling through the gray galvanised wire yard fences that seem redundant here. Nothing holds back the dust which infiltrates everything.

There must be people behind those closed doors. Stiffly sun baked towels like colourful planks and tshirts and socks that look and feel like cardboard cutouts decorate the clotheslines. They all disappear sometime through the day, prised off the hot as hell metal lines .

Unwashed cars laze under tall leafy trees or dingey carports, recharging their batteries. Occasionally I would see a car travelling on one of Alpha's main roads. Some of these empty roads are as wide as four lane freeways.

A considerable number of the locals seem to be itinerant workers. They come and go and are forgotten. Some are teachers, like my son Ben whom I had come to visit. He is doing his 'Country Service'.

Ben takes me on a tour of notable landmarks in Alpha. It takes us half an hour. He has been here long enough now to have developed friendships and a sense of community with the locals. He has been out with 'the boys' who play hard capturing wild pigs, riding horses, shooting rifles and the like.

I visit the tourist information centre where volunteer Nola points out the marks on the building which show the heights to which three separate floods had inundated the town. She shows me a shed which houses a small collection of dusty cobwebbed museum worthy objects. Maybe one day, someone will clean them up and arrange them in some kind of display.

It's good to be home in Bundaberg tonight.




　

　

 

　

　

Capturing Alpha - Some photographs

 

 

Above: Main street Alpha (Population 400+.  630ks NW of Brisbane. Inland from Rockhampton).  I came to visit my son and his family   (Currently working in Alpha.)

 

                                                                                   Above: Railway Station Alpha

 

 

 

 Below:  Railway Station Alpha

                                                Above  Air strip Flying Doctor only. Hoon strip too by the look of it.

 

    Above: Flying Doctor's airport

 

                                                                                  

Capturing Alpha

This  evening is a dark grey veil punctuated with the sooty black smudges of the upcoming  night.

I am travelling on the Spirit of the Outback. It is midnight and the train rocks its travellers gently towards their destinations.

I sometimes wish I was more of a painter, when I am forced to engage with the landscape. This coming nightscape is quite captivating. I want to know its secrets.

Loud snores and snorts break the magic of this moment.  A fellow traveller, blissfully unaware punishes those of us who remain awake.

Oh, I hate that!

I sleep in fits and starts.

The black night  turns into a dense grey fog from which a pastel pink dawn emerges, in the company of a perfect moon.

I try  to capture the moon in photographs, but all I end up with is smeary moonscapes.  Of course the train is too fast.

Eventually the moon dissolves into an insatiable grey fog that greedily sucks the colour from all it engulfs.

The new morning finally clears, revealling  a landscape with traditional Aussie style....hard-baked, harsh and inhospitable.  (I love my 'sunburnt country'.....but I really don't know why.)

Streaking white across this bleak canvas, a dozen sulphur-crested cockatoos burn a witnessing into my memory forever...I tuck  the experience into a neat little memory box labelled 'My wonderful experiences in the landscape.'

On we go, up big hills.....or perhaps they are small mountains, covered in  'Fred Williams trees' - without the colour.

We are almost at Alpha.

Video Venus

 

This clip - 'Blue Venus'- has been a collaboration between myself  (art and animation),   Joe Saxby (music) and Brad Marsellos (music & editing).  Brad has taken two of my animatioms and 'mashed' them, as he calls it!!   This has resulted in a  much more interesting piece.  Video is becoming an important part of my art practice.  There is so much to learn.





'

Bad Dream is  Dead' is another of our first collaborations.

Artwork & animation :  Christine Turner
Music & vocals : Brad Marsellos
Editing : Brad Marsellos

Zombie Walk

This is a picture of Brad Marsellos and me dressed up for the Bundaberg Crush Festival  inaugural Zombie Walk.  It was great fun! About 100 zombies turned out in some very imaginative costumes.   The Walk promises to be  even bigger next year.

The Electra Street Wall

The Hitz FM sponsored 7 artist in 7 days project finished yesterday on schedule. The production of this mural,  has been a major collaboration between  seven of Australia's top artists in this genre. The project, the brainchild of  our own Crush Marketing  genius, Jess Marsellos, has resulted in a stunning work that showcases a variety of idiosyncratic styles of painting.

The seven talented artists not only produced a powerful mural, but made themselves available for school talks which were very  warmly received.  They also made themselves available on site between painting sessions, to talk to many of those people who gathered at the site each day.

Together, the artists developed a brilliantly structured design with a controlled palette of colours. Each artist bought something unique to this outstanding artwork.

Artists:  BEASTMAN
              PHIBS
              CREEPY
              TWO ONE ELEPHANT
              SLACKS
              GIMIKS BORN
              NUMSKULL

Busy day.

It will be a busy day...I will have to be sure I have enough craft supplies for my Crush Festival  'Little Angels' card making workshop on Saturday morning. 

I have 2 groups of 10 children about 5 to ten years old.  It should be quite an experience!

Also, today, I will arrange for my artwork to be picked up from the Brenda May Gallery next Monday or Tuesday.  The exhibition has flown by.

Zombies

I spent an entertaining afternoon chasing zombies.  Trying out my new Nikon and my monopod.  The stills I took have shown a little improvement, but the videos are rubbish and I will have to  work out how the  continuous focusing works on this camera.  cx

Stream

As part of Bundaberg's Crush Festival, Brad Marsellos (Producer  ABC  Open Wide Bay) and I were invited to show some of our experimental videos.   Brad did all of the work really as I was tied up with the exhibition in Sydney.

We showed about an hour of videos, half of which were by young students from local schools.

I was so impressed by the videos  the students had produced.  Their works were sometimes witty, always insightful.  Each video had a message.  All in all, it was just so impressive.

Brad had developed  sound tracks provided by Joe Saxby (student, musician extraordinare) and another friend, to fit together with some video images I had  produced. The results are fantastic and the works have been a brilliant collaboration for all of  us.

Thanks Brad, Joe, James,Tyler,  Sam and  Julia. You people have a great future ahead of you.

cx

Geocaching

Before I get back to focusing on art, I must tell you about ' geocaching'!.  I had my first experience with geocaching last week in Sydney with my son and two granddaughters...Charlotte and Isabella.

Geocaching is a  high-tech treasure hunting game being played around the world by adventure seekers. It is a free real-world outdoor treasure hunt. Players try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using a smartphone or GPS and can then share their experiences online.

My son Alan had heard of geocaching and thought it would be  a fun activity for us all..

 

Geocahing treasure boxes are stashed everywhere around the world.  There are  many already in the Bundaberg area, and  they can be discovered in a very short time.   The different stashes are rated by 'degree of difficulty' to find, and I would recommend you start with the beginners level, especially if children are participating.   There are even 'extreme' levels of geocaching treasure hunts.  (Way out of my comfort zone I am sure).

You will need a smart phone or a GPS or similar.  Log in to www.geocashing.com  to find out how to get the clues to get started.

Wear suitable clothing and shoes as some of the adventures take you into bushland...as ours did.   Take water with you. Following the GPS and  the supplied clues, we found our treasure in about  30 minutes.  We had registered before the treasure hunt and filled out the small log book in the treasure container.  When we got home, we wrote in our online geocaching blog.  Several small gifts had been left in the cache for children who might find the treasure chest.   We will take some small gifts when we go geocaching next time. 

Geocaching is a great family activity that gets children and adults out into the world. It also teaches them about technology and blogging.  Try it...it's great fun!!


Cx

I hope to post some of the pictures tomorrow.

Home again

 

It is always a great feeling when the plane touches down on Bundaberg tarmac!  I have been away for one week  and have crammed so much into that small space of time.   Coming home to my apartment and studio is  a great comfort.  I am going to try to catch up on some sleep this week and a few things that  have been neglected around the place, like mowing for instance!

I seem to have been doing this forever....conducting my art practice from afar.  It makes it doubly  hard to get anywhere.    Paul Greenaway always said I was a GI...' geographically impossible! '. Still, I don't know that I agree with that.   It would all sort out if one was to  connect with the right  gallery. 

It's a bit like choosing a marriage partner..there needs to be  a deep and meaningful relationship there.

It seems to me that Brenda May has a commitment to her artists that allows them to flourish  and  continue to produce excellent work.  The Brenda May Gallery (BMG) appears to be a very nurturing place.



The gallery has great light. All glass at the front, superbly maintained high white walls stretching up to meet heavy timber rafters that give a strong sense of the architectural integrity of this beautiful building.  The concrete floor holds a history of the changes that have taken place within this building and is curiously marked suggesting an interesting passage of time.   I was delighted to be installing my work on that floor. 

From six cartons I extracted approximately 300 tins to produce my 250cm sq  'Lifescape'.  It took me  about 5 hours to install.  Brenda and Curator for the exhibition, Meg Fizell were very pleased with my work.

Through the week I had various other responsibilties to  attend to, not the least being catching up with my two wonderful grandaughters.    We had lots of fun together with my son Alan.  Apart from the art, highlights of the week included  a guided tour of the ABC building in Harris Street, Sydney.  Our wonderful guide was Ann Chesterman of ABC Open.  It was most interesting to see the nucleus of this organisation that is making such a huge impact on people in the regions.

The other highlight of the week was our first experience of 'Geo-caching', an experience shared with my son and the two young girls.  I will post a blog about later this week.




The exhibition opening was well  attended.....perhaps the cold , blustery weather kept a few away, but they will attend over the next couple of weeks no doubt.  The show closes on the 20th of October. Don't miss it!  I will put some more great  pix in my Facebook album.
Talk art soon!!   cx

Charlotte's Guest Blog

Today I am posting a guest blog by my young grandaughter Charlotte, who is 5 years old.  (Blogging with a little assistance.)

Last Thursday I went with my sister, my Dad and my Gran  to visit ABC Open. The building was very fancy.  It was a very big place.



We had to put on special visitors passes.   A lady came to the foyer.  Her name was Ann and she was very nice.

We all went to see the 'Giggle and Hoot' studio. We saw where all the kids had sent their pictures in to be hung up on the wall.

We saw the ABC  news desk.

Then we went in a lift up to the ABC Open offices.  Lots of people worked there.  They were very friendly. They told us all about ABC Open.

They saw my orange camera. They liked it because it is orange.  Orange is my favourite colour.  They asked to see some of my photos.  I showed them a photo of my family having dinner, and a photo of my pink notebook.

A very kind lady gave us orange caps with ABC Open written on them.

Then we went to the Play School room and I saw Big Ted and Little Ted. They were really big!  We got a suprise because  Little Ted was bigger than Big Ted too!  My sister and I got a photo taken.

          (Photo above of Charlotte.)

 

The we went to see the horse puppets that had been practising for a play. They were very big puppets.)

                         (Charlotte's sister, Isabella.)

 

 

                                                  Chris and Ann  of ABC Open (Right)


We went into a lift and  Richard from Gardening Australia was there.  Gardening Australia is one of my Mum's favourite shows.

We said thankyou and good-bye to Ann.  Last of all we had our photos taken as Bananas in Pyjamas. 

It was amazing!  


Charlotte is quite right...it was amazing!  Thanks to Ann Chesterman and the friendly people of ABC Open. c x

Art + Food: Beyond the Still Life: slideshow

http://www.brendamaygallery.com.au/     Check out this link for a great slideshow of the exhibition Art  +  Food: Beyond the Still Life

Feasting on Art

Hi all,

I am posting a blog by Meg Fizell, curator of the Art + Food:  Beyond the Still Life exhibition at the Brenda May Gallery in Waterloo, Sydney.   This post  from Meg's Feasting on Art blog includes a picture of my work that has been included in the show.

Click here:   http://www.feastingonart.com/2012/10/christine-turner-anzac-biscuits.html to see this story.

'Art + Food: Beyond the Still Life'

It was a long day today setting up my floor installation, 'Lifescape', at the superb Brenda May Gallery, in Waterloo, Sydney.

The work took 5 hours to complete and I think it looks beautiful in the wonderful space that was allocated for it.

The show opens tomorrow, with the official opening on this Saturday night. I'm really looking forward to meeting  the other artists in the 'Art + Food: Beyond the Still Life' exhibition.

Thanks to curator Meg Fizell  and Brenda May for giving me a wonderful opportunity! 

Bundaberg Art Festival Awards

Saturday night was the opening of the Bundaberg Art Awards. A large crowd had gathered for the event. There was a rather sombre atmosphere at first with haunting harp music played live, but things livened up when Phill Oakley (of Art Plus) took over as MC and the various awards were presented.

My close group of friends produced one big winner ...Clinton Cross who won a prize for a Contemporary artwork...a very handy $2000.00! He was very excited and his first thought was to ring his Mum.

I received a 'Highly Commended' for my collage 'Rose Garden' and for my photograph of Marlies Oakley. (Art Plus again).

It was great to see so many locals on the winners list.

Freight

I just had word from the Brenda May Gallery that my boxes of tins have arrived safely!!  This is a great relief!!




 There are about 13kgs of biscuit tins in each of 6 cartons.  Just over 300 tins in all.Total weight 78kg.

What a wonderful opportunity this is to exhibit at the Brenda May Gallery.  Thankyou Brenda and Meg.  See you soon. c x

Grand opening

The opening of the Open Mind exhibition turned out splendidly!  We estimated that approximately 120 people attended the show... artists, families, and their friends predominated. 

There was a buzz of genuine enthusiasm for the artworks, most of which addressed in some way, the theme of 'recovery' from mental illness.   It was so good to see the people of Bridges standing proudly in front of their works to have their photos taken.

Thanks must go out to several people......Adam Anderson, who has been the Bridges art tutor over the last few months has done an incredible job to generate excitement about the Open Mind project.  The art group has grown, and has been very productive.  There are some standout artists amongst them, who produced some stunning pieces...a few of which I will post here over the next few days.

Helen F and Mark G have been consistent helpers, across a range of tasks.  Irene has been wonderfully supportive.  And of course we all missed Kerry (who kicked off this project).  It was so good to have him at the opening. Thankyou Jenny McDuff for your interesting speech.

Art Plus were incredibly generous donating the plinths for the show and subsidising everything else.  Thanks Phil and Marlies.

Thanks to BRAG for loan of a couple of  plinths also.

Special mention must go to the Bundaberg Art Society for the donation of strings for hanging the works.

Last, but not least, I would like to thank Tony Hills, who hung the better part of the show by himself.....he is a machine!!  Thankyou Tony for your brilliant effort and for your advice and company.

My job at Bridges is almost complete.

Till soon.  cx

Recovery - Open Mind Exhibition

This is turning out to be a big week.  The rush is on for Adam and I to have everything in order for the opening of Bridges Open Mind exhibition.

Art Plus owners Phill and Marlies have made very generous  donations in the way of matt boards and foamcore  for the artworks and loan of plinths, as well as generous discounts on all other manner of artistic goods.  We thank them very much.

The  nominated artworks are rolling in now and it is looking like we will have over 80 works.  This is a stunning effort by the artists of Bridges.

The typing is almost completed and will be transferred onto labels and then onto  foamcore as title and biography plaques for  the various artists.

A party of volunteers will hang the works this Friday, ready for the grand opening on Saturday at 5.30pm.

This will be such an exciting event celebrating recovery.   Great work people of Bridges!!

As I have been preparing information for the exhibition, I came across the following notes that were drawn up by the members of Bridges while 'brainstorming' with Kerry B for this event:

What does it mean to you to recover or what other ideas do you have  about this  art event?

Kerry and the members  drew up the following list:

Get in touch with, glimpse that person you used to be
Feel alive again
Able to connect with the world again
You’ve done the hard yards
Life is worthwhile – works of art that show what it feels like to discover life is worth living again.
That I have control of my life again.

                                                                                                                 Artwork by Shelle of Bridges


It has been said an open mind is open so it can ‘close on something’……
Come and be challenged about notions of recovery from mental illness.
Come and see hope and progression to  recovery from the viewpoint of people whose
lives have been touched, shaped and changed by mental illness .

Open Mind Art Exhibition, September 22 – September 26

See you on Saturday!!   c

Open Mind exhibition

Adam and I will have a busy week with the Bridges opening next Saturday.  Hope to see you there!

Government House, Sydney.

It has been a while since I posted a blog.  I have been very busy with the Bridges  exhibition,  packing for the Brenda May Gallery exhibition and I am currently in Sydney to see my eldest son, Alan receive his Commendation for Distinguished Service for his work in Afghanistan.  That happened yesterday, and it was a very moving ceremony held at Government House. Official photos will be posted later when they arrive.

 

I wrote about this award last year. You may be interested to read that post if you haven't seen it yet.  Click here.

I only wish Ben, my younger son could have been there,  but being as far away as Alpha made it too difficult on top of work commitments.

Today I went out to Waterloo to the Brenda May Gallery,  to meet curator of the 'Art + Food: Beyond the Still Life,  Meg Fizell and Gallery Director, Brenda May.  I will be back in Sydney at the end of the month to set up my work for the exhibition that starts October 2nd.

The gallery is beautiful and a marvellous space has been allocated for my work.  It will be another very exciting time.

Till soon c x