Topsy-Turvy

My life has been a little 'topsy-turvy' of late several trips to and fro - Bundaberg to Brisbane to Bundaberg and a trip to Melbourne to look after my mother, who had been very ill.  Fortunately she is making an amazing recovery.  The doctors said her recovery was 'miraculous'!!

So I am back in Bundaberg for a while, trying to sell my home.  Sales of property in Bundaberg are down 30% apparently and I think it will take a long time to improve.  Recent floods have not helped.

The WBHD exhibition is finishing soon.  I am so happy that my 'Cane Cutter's Moon' has found a good home in New Mexico.  The work generated a great deal of interest apparently.

This work is an acrylic collage on canvas.  The surface is heavily textured as the base layer is covered with plastic doily and tablecloth squares. It is my favourite of the four works I produced for WBHD.

I really enjoyed painting this landscape, so I will probably attempt another one or two this year.  cx

WBHD opening

The WBHD opening was at BRAG last Saturday morning at 10am, in order to link up with our Las Cruces, New Mexico counterparts.

Trudie, Jenny and their gallery assistants had the space beautifully set out.  There was a good turnout of appreciative artlovers who enjoyed the delicious appetisers and the live music while they perused the artworks.  Our Skype link up failed for the opening speeches,  but mysteriously became operative at a later stage.

I had the chance to talk via Skype to the lovely lady who purchased my work, 'Cane Cutter's Moon' seen below.

This work was my favourite of the four I have on show.  It is an acrylic collage on canvas. It was inspired by memories of the night-time cane fires that were once so prevalent around Bundaberg. Smoke haze and cane 'trash' would fill the air - the thick, dusty smell of the burn invading our senses.  Orchestration was  conducted to the sharp snaps and cursing crackles of the ravaging blood red and gold flames that whipped themselves into a frenzy, desperately penetrating the big sky. Trying to hold on.

But to no avail, the performance was soon over. Trash eventually falling to the ground, arranging itself into a fragile black veil that encompassed all.

These days, the cane is mostly cut green.

WBHD exchange exhibition opening

The Wide Bay High Desert exchange exhibition opening is scheduled for the end of the month! Six Aussie artists and six New Mexican artists have each produced 4 works, two of which will be sent to show in Unsettled Gallery, Las Cruces, New Mexico and two to be shown in Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery.

The two galleries will be linked via Skype for their openings which will be happening at the same time.  Click here to see BRAG's promotional publication, which features one of my works.

The artists have been finishing their works and packing them securely for their long journey.   My two canvases, taken off their timber stretchers, rolled and  squeezed into a pvc  pipe have arrived in Las Cruces, New Mexico safely.

The  canvases have been restretched ready for hanging.

Meanwhile, Adrienne had organised a 'meet the makers'  workshop  at BRAG. This was a most enjoyable get-together apparently.  Unfortunately I was unable to attend.  c  x

Cane Cutter's Moon

Bundaberg Centenary celebrations

Saturday night will be a momentous occasion for me, as I will be presenting  Projections of the Past: a selection of historical photographs from the Library  archives.

These images will be projected onto the side of the Civic Centre, which coincidentally was the site for the first projection Brad and I did two or three years ago.

I have been having problems again with the video hanging soon after it starts... and I get a black screen. .  I think it's because my Apple, and Adobe Photoshop gear doesn't want to mix with Windows Movie Maker.  However, I seem to have converted the file to a Quicktime movie and things are going along nicely at present.

It would be more sensible for me to stick with one editing program, but each of the three programs I use have their own unique features.  I use Windows Movie Maker for very simple videos, Adobe Premiere and Movie Plus6 .  Of the three I find MoviePlus 6 the most user-friendly, and it has more features.

Tomorrow I just have to join a few film clips together and I will be ready for  the showing.

I am hiring a larger projector for this occasion. 5500lumens will be better than the 3500 lumens of my projector.

I'm happy that Brad is on deck for this presentation.  He is very resourceful and will be an asset, should there be any dramas....and of course he is funny, and  a good friend.

There is the possibility of rain on Saturday evening, in which case, we will move into the Civic Centre.  The show must go on!!! I hope you can be there.  cx

Attached is a picture  of one of Bundaberg's beautiful old buildings, that has been converted to a backpackers facility.

Off to Brizvegas!!

I will be on an early flight to Brisbane tomorrow, to start my residency at The Edge on Monday.  It is going to be an exciting fortnight.

I have spent the day on the computer as always.   I am trying to  finalise  my video for the Bundaberg Centenary celebrations   which will occur a few days after my return from Brisbane.....cutting it fine!

The video is coming along quite nicely.  I have had to access the library archives for this project.  Much of the historical material has been damaged even before it has been recorded, which is a shame.

Anyway, I will have to make do. I will let you know how things go in Brisbane.


Talk art soon.  cx

Bird spotting

I went bird spotting at the Botanical Gardens today.  It helps me to get to  get to know my new camera...and I love birds too.

I used the long lens today.

It was a glorious day.   There were many families at the Gardens.

 

The little duck in this picture was drying his wing, standing on one foot.  I think I was very lucky to get this shot.  cx

Great flood song and film clip. Check it out!

http://youtu.be/sGZ50wR2XAc







This is a great film clip and song by Jessie Lovejoy!

Exclusion Zone Clean-Up | Bundaberg NewsMail

Exclusion Zone Clean-Up | Bundaberg NewsMail   

Click that link for some amazing photos of the exclusion zone (North Bundaberg), which sustained the most devastating flood and storm damage.

Bundaberg's mud army | Bundaberg NewsMail

Bundaberg's mud army | Bundaberg NewsMail

Bundaberg Floods 2013

rain came with the beast-shrieking wind
waterboarding the land
until it gave in

bursting open like a poorly healed wound

and we are stuck in mud again

More floods

The rains came last week.  Tornadoes too.  Six of them. The shrieking and howling of the wind is something I will not forget.   Nor will I forget the sound of a young boy weeping for his lost toys.

We had record breaking flooding.  Now it's time to clean up.

Once again, our lives are piled up in soggy heaps of domestic detritus -  all over town.

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.

 

 

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

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