Suburban Goddess collection

The time is fast approaching that I will have to pick up the Suburban Goddesses. Pine Rivers Art Gallery Gallery curator Tracey Walllace has been a dream to work with and I am sorry that she will not be  at the gallery next Monday when I pick up the works. She will be away on holidays.

Tracey, however is committed to do whatever she can to assist me to arrange a touring exhibition of the Goddesses.  This will be a very positive thing to come out of this exhibition. Other highlights have been meeting Brian, photographer extraordinare and Helen's generous family....and  Lesley. (A big thankyou!)

Unfortunately Susan Hutton's husband has had to undergo surgery this week and she will be unavailable to help me collect the works.  So I will have to look in to other options.  Hire a van or something like that.

That's what I have been doing since the start of this Art Merry-Go Round ride anyway, so all is good!

Thanks to all the wonderful folk from Pine Rivers  beautiful Art Gallery.  A superb venue!! Cheers!!
PS Thanks to Peter Stannard as well!

c x

The opening

A small, but ardent group attended my exhibition opening   today. I was really happy with the work.  It looked good in the space and the addition of the Broken Woman series of prints added another dimension.

There has been a lot of people  visiting the  exhibition in the last couple of days and they have been responding to the works very positively.  The works  open up a dialogue about the past, families and the ever-changing role of women.

The curator Tracey,has been encouraging me to investigate the possibility of touring this exhibition, and this would be a very positive outcome.  She has been amazing to work with.  She even  went to the trouble to provide several tins off biscuits for the opening feast!

A print/poster was purchased and is going to a lovely home.

It will be interesting to see what transpires over the next month that the exhibition is installed for. Now I can move forward to my next project.    I will tell you about that shortly.

Thanks for your support and encouragement!

C x

Video of latest exhibition

Attached is a brief video of part of the SG installation.

Preview

Here are a few pictures from my current exhibition 'Suburban Goddess' at Pine Rivers Art Gallery in Strathpine.  The exhibition is open now , but the official opening is on Friday 2nd of March (tomorrow).

Setting up

It was a busy day yesterday. Susan Hutton and I left Cordalba early, in a ute full of 'Suburban Goddesses'.  We had a suprisingly good run through to the Pine Rivers Art Gallery in Strathpine - a Northern suburb of Brisbane. There was not a great deal of evidence of  the latest flooding in  Gympie, just  a lot of dull brown silt  masking the low lying grounds.  Council workers , with their gurneys sprayed the sludge away revealing hints of the green carpets below.

We couldn't stop to see if  the little mossy back tortoises were all right in their murky pond.

When we arrived at the gallery, we saw that half of the digital prints from the 'Broken Woman' series had been hung with magnets.  They looked quite impressive.

Susan's friend Lorraine came to help us set up the installation.  It only took us three hours.  The SG's look great in this beautiful gallery with it's white walls  and floor.

Gallery Curator Tracey Wallace is a very nice person to work with and has made this a very positive experience for me.

Susan and I celebrated a successful day with dinner at a local Indian restaraunt,  then travelled North to Eaton's Hill to stay with Susan's son whose  house is around the corner from mine. (Which is now  leased.)

I will post some pictures Friday!   Hope you can be at the opening!!   Friday March 2, 6pm.

New Suburban Goddess video

The amazing Brad Marsellos has produced yet another quality video. This time about my 'Suburban Goddesses'.   The goddesses will be exhibited at Pine Rivers Art Gallery in Strathpine, Brisbane.  Official opening, this Friday 6pm.  See you there!


A Suburban Goddess comes to life from ABC Open Wide Bay on Vimeo.

Not on the road!!

Not on the road!!!  The Bruce  Highway was cut by floods in the Gympie area...a couple of hours south of here. ( I hope my little mossy back tortoises are okay. They live in the  ponds and lakes in Gympie, and I have been photographing them there lately. ) 

Susan and I may leave as late as Tuesday morning now, depending on the road reports. 

I will have to email the curator at the Pine Rivers Art Gallery, to let her know what is happening.

I took some more photos of the Lifescape installation.  It will be dismantled and reassembled when I get home next week.

Well I hope my exhibition will be opening this Friday!!      

Till soon.   c x

On the road

This weekend will be  spent preparing the Goddesses for their trip to Brisbane. I have them in the studio, where I am checking that they have all their components. There is a photo attached of the SG's  in my studio, viewed from across my latest installation...'Lifescape'.

Susan Hutton will come from her home in Cordalba, in the ute, and we will endeavour to squeeze 21 SG's in to  the tray.  On Monday we will be on the road.

Installation of the works will be on Tuesday.  We will measure out a diamond-shaped grid pattern on the floor and mark the appropriate points upon which each goddess will sit.  Photographs of the sculptures will be placed on each of these spots.    From these photographs, the assistants will be able to construct the works quite easily.  Each piece is stacked up, like a totem pole and there is no glueing or screwing  required.

I am really looking forward to the show.  The Pine Rivers Art Gallery is a beautiful artspace, and the SG's should look great there.  Hope to see you there.

Exhibition

        Hoping you can join me at the opening of my exhibition!    c x

Good news

It started off as a good day as I had the return of my laptop from the computer repair man.  The laptop, with its new keyboard has no other option now, but to type the letter 'b' whenever I desire it!!!   So I have won a battle this time.

More good news in the form of a comment  that appeared today on my blog.   Lesley, the news editor left a phone number for me to ring regarding promotion of the 'Suburban Goddess' exhibition in the Pine Rivers Press.  I will definitely follow that up.  That is great!

And even more good news after I sent the director Marj Sullivan photos of my 'Lifescape' biscuit tin installation, she is keen to show a similar installation as part of her 'renew' exhibition later in the year.  I will probably use the tins in a series of circles.   I am very excited!  

For one happy dragon, a good start to the Year of the Dragon!

Pine Rivers Art Gallery

Pine Rivers Art Gallery is a beautiful venue for my upcoming exhibition.
Once all its movable walls are put away, it leaves a quite usable rectangular space.

The Goddess sculptures will be setup in their usual diamond shaped pattern.  

The 20 digital prints  are being prepared at Flash Photobition in Newstead, and will be delivered flat packed to the gallery this week.  I hope all will go well. The prints  will each be 1 metre high, with various widths.

I will talk to Jess from Creative regions tomorrow to see if there is anything else we can do in terms of marketing this exhibition.  She is the expert. I have used Mail Chimp to create an exhibition invitations list. The list has been sent down to Tracey, the exhibition curator.

I think I better start sorting through the storage rooms and bring out the sculptures that will be taken to Brisbane. Attached is one of the images that will be at Pine River Art Gallery - opening March 2, 6pm

Talk soon!  c x

Gallery Sunday

Another great day in the gallery. Catherine is Back!!!!!!!! And we love it!!!!!!

Sue sold two more canvases.  Brad and Jess dropped in.  Great company!! We discussed the closing of Gallery 39.  Official closing Sunday August 21st (& 'Bon Voyage' party for Chris.)
Opening of 'Dirty Linen' late October, with CRUSH Festival.  'Suburban Goddesses' in main gallery.....artists books in shop/gallery.

Followed by an exhibition of artists drawings curated by Clinton Cross.... (To be confirmed).

Also, there will be a two day workshop august 20 and 21 to create artist books for the opening exhibition. And 21st: A casserole luncheon.....Bring a curry or your favourite casserole to share.

Thanks everyone for your enthusiasm, we are going to have some amazing shows at 'Dirty Linen'!!....and some good parties too!!! c  xx

Pine Rivers Regional Gallery

Yesterday I went to catch up with Peter at Pine Rivers gallery regarding my exhibition there.  I have chosen to exhibit in  March 2012 as the other option (November) might clash with my trip to London.

The gallery is perfect for showing the 'Suburban Goddess' exhibition.  The floor space is roughly 13m x 14m, which should accommodate about 25 to 30 goddesses. The large wall panels are on wheels and they could be shifted back to open up the large space.

Pine Rivers Regional Gallery is a wonderful art space and has great light.  I can hardly wait to see the  Goddesses in situ. 

Peter and I examined the wall space and we think it would be possible to exhibit about 20 digital prints, unframed.  Either pinned or attached with magnets. 

It is going to be a fantastic show.

I will try to see Elizabeth and Patrick at MavisBank tomorrow, on my way home to Bundaberg.  I will hold a short interview and hope to take some portrait shots.

I spent last evening developing my writing for the Collective Insites exhibition.  I sent it off to Judy last night for some constructive criticism. 

c  x

Suburban Goddess 2010 video

Youtube video

I posted my first  on Youtube. Not too sopideoisticated, but it does record my exhibition.  Click here.

 

Photo shoot

I went to Gatakers Artspace on Tuesday to take some quality photos  with my camera on a tripod.
I got some rather good results and I am about to post a few of the images. I have also sent out a couple of promotional packs.

I am feeling rather exhausted and yesterday I granted myself a day on the computer playing with images and not exerting myself too much.
This morning I tidied up the studio and in the afternoon I will open my big storage shed at the back and get it ready for the time that the goddesses return.
Trevor bought one of my small paintings on paper and I am hoping a few more will go over the course of the exhibition.
Talk soon C  xx

Suburban Goddess exhibition

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Totem poles

All around the world there are communities that have traditionally made totem poles.
It has been said that the story a totem pole tells is like a poem. Many things are said with only a few words.
The meanings of the designs on totem poles are as varied as the cultures which produce them. Some have spiritual connotations. Some are merely artistic endeavours.


Stories and events  depicted in the symbolic poles are passed down to new generations. In this way, totem poles  preserve  cultural and social histories.

My totem poles evoke family stories and events. They depict old traditions and indicate future directions.They encapsulate symbolism and artistic endeavour. Their meanings are very fluid.
Till  soon.

Suburban Goddess-Gatakers Artspace

I commenced my art practice in 1988. I am self taught and my early years were as a painter. After a time though I developed an interest in sculpture with 'junk' and found that this was an area in which I was able to be more playful and inventive.

In 2006 I received an Australia Council grant to produce works in the theme of the 'Suburban Goddess'. The works I produced can be seen on my website at:

http://www.christineturner.com.au/website16may20/sgthumbn.html

At that time I wrote about my work:


'It has been said that the big question for a person in their middle years is a spiritual one. In my quest to find gods and goddesses, I have only found one, and that is Mother. My own, living Mother.
She is my 'Suburban Goddess'…a goddess that reigned in the fifties and sixties- presiding within a ‘Traditional’ family model that actualised what has been called by some a 'Golden Age' and by others an 'abberation'.This was a paradigm that could not sustain itself, but one that still causes today a degree of uncertainty and sense of loss in current familial relationships. The family of today takes many forms and consequently the role of Mother changes to meet contemporary needs.

The chattels of the ‘Suburban Goddess’ have been assembled. These are the objects society is currently discarding, and with them go aspects of her values and standards. These works, exhibit a stacking up of diverse objects, that serve, like totem poles, to preserve social and cultural histories through a process both unique and innovative.

The curatorial rationale of the 'Suburban Goddess" project seeks to investigate these themes in order to open up a dialogue relating to the ever-changing role of women in society.'


I had made a pledge that in the future I would show the works 'en masse'. I acquitted the grant.

The 'Broken Woman' series of digital images that I have been producing will be developed as a digital projection. The digital projection will form part of the Suburban Goddess installation.

I will feature works from this series from time to time.
....................


GATAKERS ARTSPACE

My friends and I travelled to Maryborough recently to see the fabulous new gallery- Gatakers Artspace. These buildings are valuable historically and were purchased in 2005 by the Maryborough City Council with the assistance of Q150 funding from the Queensland Government.

Gatakers Artspace opened in March 2010.

The galleries are fabulous and we especially were drawn to the Rollo Nicholson Room. Rollo Nicholson was the last owner and a member of the Gataker family. The Rollo Nicholson room seems to lend itself to the display of sculpture. This was a venue that could accommodate my 50 goddesses.

We booked in immediately. My exhibiton was booked for September 8, 2010 - October 10 , 2010. My friends Catherine and Sue, booked the gallery straight after my exhibition. Exciting!!

So that brings us to today. Projects for today are to start on the Powerpoint Presentation of the 'Broken Woman' series and to put a coat of gold paint on my collage canvas.

Till soon.

My first blog!

Hello World!

I am developing an art blog, so you can follow my journey as I prepare to exhibit my 50 'Suburban Goddess' sculptures at Gatakers Artspace in Maryborough, Queensland, Australia.

Over the next few weeks I will update you with past news about the creation of the sculptures. I will also tell you more about myself and my friends. But I will leave you for now as I have two large collages to work on. I am going to have a wonderful day!