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

Broken Woman series

I am posting a few of the digital works from the 'Broken Woman' series I referred to.

They are photos of mannequins merged with photos of the lids of biscuit tins. There are over 200 works in the series. I will post some more images from time to time.

Over many years, I have collected a few old shop mannequins that are somewhat weathered now. They have quite a lot of character. Sometimes I have asked shopkeepers to allow me to photograph their mannequins. Usually they don't mind. Actually I think there is a whole new exhibition proposition there.....once the Suburban Goddess show is over.

These mannequins were stored in my shed for so many years before I found what I had needed them for. I have tried using living subjects in the same way that I have manipulated mannequins, but I don't think they have worked out so well.

Working with mannequins and dolls, opens up a dialogue about that very practice. It raises many questions.

I made good progress on a Powerpoint digital presentation yesterday. I created 40 pages which took some time and patience. I was soon to finish the project for the day when an error message appeared and my presentation was shut down and lost. I had forgotten to save as I progressed, and therefore, had to start again. I thought I had learnt that lesson before!!

Some good news this week: I have been selected for the 'Erotica' National Acquisitive Award run by Artworkers in Brisbane. I will post a picture of the digital work after the opening, which is Saturday June 5th. It should be a most interesting show. I will travel to Brisbane for it, and try to arrange a consultation with Artworkers at the same time. I want to make a few connections in Brisbane if I can, and hope to get their advice .

Agenda for today: 9am Coffee with girlfriends

Another coat of paint on collage......start a new collage....work on that digital presentation.

Till soon. c

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.
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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.