Jewellry making.

Jeweller 'extrordinaire',  Bundaberg's  Paul Moynihan rang early this morning about a possible jewelry workshop. He has a Japanese jeweller staying with him and she was happy to run a small workshop here at my studio.

It turned out to be a great day. My friends and I learnt how  to make jewelry from silver clay.   We each produced a gorgeous silver ring. It is a very quick process.

Our tutor Sachiko Katayama was fantastic.  Thank you Sachi!!

Di was  very happy with her silver ring.

New website software

I am having fun with some new web software. I went into a trance I think!!   I spent all day and evening mesmerised in front of the computer. I love it!

You can see some examples  of the interesting features of the software in my new website.....I will be adding to it in the near future.

http://www.christineturner.com.au/

Sarah's Website

I have been pretty busy making a website  for my daughter- in- law Sarah who is a stylist.  It has come together very nicely, but websites require a lot of attention to detail and can be quite taxing. So I'm glad that the homepage is done. The rest will be easy.

I have done some more work on the print for the mangle artwork that I am making for 'Collective Insites'. I'm not sure how I will go about getting it printed - it will be about 3 metres long. 

c  x

Pottery

Attached is a picture of an amazing pottery basket that I purchased recently.  It is a very unusual piece, skillfuly made.  I hope to have more information about it soon.
If you are interested in retro and vintage pottery, you must read Ray Garrod's blog at Retro Pottery Net.
Very interesting and entertaining also:
http://www.retropottery.net/

Cash register Part 3

 
Perseverance pays off!!    The pictures tell the story!
 
I am not sure where I go from here.    The keys are still not working and I would  love to hear the sound '  Ka Ching' !!

Cash register Part 2

I made some progress dismantling the cash register...it still has a way to go though.   I took it to SHARP next to Thai Tulips on Takalvan St for any suggestions they might have.  I was told to remove the base first.  I had to go  back to get the guys to remove some rusty screws. They are so friendly and helpful there.  I told them I would   invite them to the exhibition at BRAG.

The cash register  till was empty except for 15 cents, so I guess I can afford a lollipop now!

Some people from the Bundaberg photography group booked in for a day shoot on Sunday 20th of March.  That should be interesting.  I hope they might give Justyn some work.

I also received an email from a lovely lady called Helen,  who has some biscuit tins to add to my collection. I will catch up with her in Brisbane soon I hope.

C  x

Cash register Part 1

This is my beautiful old cash register that I will use as the focal point of my exhibition at BRAG ( Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery).......about banking. Does anyone out there know how to get this machine functional again.  The money draw won't open. The keys are in a locked position too.  Its very rusty.

 I'm not sure I will be able to get it operational..

C x

Home again

I am home again. I hate that drive to and from Brisbane now.There are so many trucks on the road and a lot of them don't seem happy to sit on 100kph. It's a bit stressful.

                                                        
I had a wonderful few days at Eaton's Hill, in and out to the hospital to see Ben and Sarah and my beautiful new grandaughter Eden Elizabeth.  She was 8lb 9ozs at birth and is settling in well.  I have attached  photos of my three gorgeous grandaughters.  I took the angel photos in 2009, so Isabella and Charlotte have grown a lot since then.

Isabella top left, Charlotte top right, Eden to rightt.

I just adore these little ones.

On the way home I called in on Patrick and Elizabeth at Mavisbank.  They are always so enthusiastic about the Collective Insites exhibition.  I'm really pleased to be their partner in this endeavour.  I took notes from an interview with Elizabeth.  Later she helped me set up a couple  of  trial runs of the artworks, and they seem to be on track.

Patrick was really interested in an old cash register I had in the boot of my car.  It will be part of an installation in the Bundaberg gallery mid year, relating to banking. 

I had been to a  Bundaberg locksmith to get a broken key removed from it and to have a new key made.  They told me it could be done, but would cost a lot, including labour at $80 per hour. I have been driving around with it in my boot as it is too heavy to lift out.

On my way home, I stopped in at Gympie to break the journey.  I happened to park outside a locksmith's shop.  I was very pleased to have the broken key removed and a new one made for only $20.00. 

The cash draw still will not open yet as the inside mechanisms have become quite rusty.  Patrick told me  how to treat the rust, and I hope to eventually have the cash register working again.

Later I took some informaI  photos of  both Patrick and Elizabeth outside the house.  Patrick had been working on an old van. I will send some pictures to Judy for the blog.

C  x

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

Slideshow

I finished some paperwork for my Pine Rivers exhibition next year.  Peter had been asking about other work I have done, and as I was looking through some discs I came across  a Powerpoint show of artwork 1990 to 2002.  I sent him a copy and a disc with some new works also. I will convert the Powerpoint Show into a format suitable for Youtube and post it shortly.

Article for Collective Insites

I had a little fun yesterday venturing out to the dump shop.  I found a fake persian carpet, a chair for the photographic studio,  a couple of 60's glasses, a timber toybox with a handle painted in the ' shabby chic' style, and some books.  A bargain at $8!

Judy had emailed me with some more questions regarding the works I am developing, so I spent the evening  putting down my ideas and I emailed that info today.  I will have to interview Patrick and  Elizabeth before I can complete the article.

Attached is  a picture of the possible floor plan for the work that incorporates the copper. My work with kaleidoscopic images over the years seems to be  apparent here.

Till soon.

C x

Historical Society Link

http://www.flickr.com/photos/creativehistories/5435069959/        

I have posted the link to a great photo from the Historical Society. (Susan's project).  While you are there, have  a good look around.

Patrick & Elizabeth

Susan and I went to Maryborough again  yesterday.  We took along our dear friend Beryl. I thought it would be a treat for her to meet Elizabeth and Patrick and I knew they would find Beryl  very interesting.  She  has  very broad knowledge of most things.  She is the very wise one in our girl's group.  We have her on a high pedestal.

Beryl and Elizabeth had a great time  discussing so many of the things Elizabeth and Patrick have acquired over the years.  Beryl, having used a copper (exactly the same as  the one I am using to develop an artwork), was able to provide first hand information about it.

Patrick tells me that he and Elizabeth learn about the objects they have acquired, mostly from the people who come to see the collection.

I would have loved to have heard all the stories  that passed between Elizbeth and Beryl, but I had work to do.

Patrick kindly helped me set up the mangle, washer and copper for photographing. He is such an pleasant and easy going person. So kind and helpful.  I hope to return to MavisBank soon, and when I do, I want to find out what Patrick is up to in the yard.

Most of the time he is a pair of legs sticking out from under a vintage car or truck of some kind!

He has worn very artistic and trendy holes in the knees of his jeans.

I managed to get a few shots that I can work with up in the laundry and I was able to adjust my plans for the copper.

We left shortly after midday after snapping a shot of Elizabeth and Patrick in front of their home.  Yes, MavisBank is somewhere there behind all that gorgeous greenery!!

Then a whirlwind trip to Susan's historical Society,  lunch at the pub. A plate of chips and a chardonnay.
Good fun and great company.

I spent the day today,  working on some digital images to go with the mangle. Elizabeth had responded enthusiastically to my request to photograph her panorama style laying on the floor.

Next time I go to MavisBank, I will try to get some  formal portraits of them.

Till soon.  c x                                http://creativehistories.com/

New Venus 3

A limited edition digital print - New Venus 3 - 2011

Website Revamp

I have changed my web homepage again....Have a look in: http://www.christineturner.com.au/

I removed the Youtube embedded videos as I couldn't seem to get them to run smoothly.  On the Recent Work page I have embedded a  slideshow with a few  images.  It seems to be working, but  I am aiming to speed it up a little.

You can still see the  Youtube videos on the Youtube site.  Type in Christine Turner or Chris Catkin  'Broken Woman',  or 'Suburban Goddess'.   I will embed these videos throughout my blog from time to time.

I sent some writing to Judy for Collective Insites'  blog and some writing for the catalogue.  She has given  interesting feedback that will help me to develop the writing even further.

Beryl, my dear friend has dropped in, so bye for now.

Cx

Collective Insites

I spent much of the day planning my works for Collective Insites.

I will definitely be using the large mangle, the copper and the washing machine.  Elizabeth, Patrick and I are keen to see the pieces exhibited in the gallery.  I may have time to do a couple more works.  It will depend on space of course.

I am also trying to formulate a project  application.   I'm looking for some multimedia software that doesn't cost a fortune....not finding much!! 

I will keep up the hunt.

MavisBank

   Here are a few pictures I took at MAVISBANK.  Including the fabulous mangle!   I have more pictures in the album, but they are large files and need rotating.  I will try to  fix them.

View Full Album

Rachael's photos

I finally managed to get Rachael into the studio for a photo shoot.  She is very photogenic, like her son Justyn.

Maryborough collections project

I wrote a little while back about a new project I have been selected to be part of…..I have cut and pasted some of that info to remind you what it was all about.

Curator Judy Barrass wrote with this information for the selected artists:
‘The project approaches the museum as a place of relevance to contemporary culture and local community. The intention is to stimulate audience engagement and interest in museums through innovative approaches to interpreting and examining their collections.
Six artists will be asked to focus their attention on the historical collections in Maryborough. Each of the artists will be allocated a collection and asked to develop artworks for an exhibition to be held in Gatakers Artspace in May 2011. Artist interventions within museum spaces are also possible as part of the exhibition.
The artists will be expected to interact with the objects in the collections in creative ways, and to explore and invigorate the interface between the collection and the audience. They will be encouraged to question the assumptions and expectations interwoven into museum practice and the acquisition, ordering and display of objects in the museum context.’

Susan and I travelled to Maryborough for the two day workshop…where we met the other artists involved as well as the curator Judy Barrass and Fiona Mohr from Qld Museums.

It was a very interesting weekend, which included a visit to the historical museum in Kent Street.

I have been chosen to develop my artwork in response to the MAVISBANK collection.

On Sunday I went with Fiona to meet Elizabeth who, with her husband Patrick,  is owner of MAVISBANK, a beautiful old home full of treasures dating from about  1720 - 1920.

Elizabeth is a most gracious host and I am really looking forward to getting to know her and to meeting Patrick.  Check out their website using the link below.

http://www.mavisbankmaryborough.com/


I will be visiting MAVISBANK next Wednesday, to take some photos and become more familiar with the collection.

Till soon.  C x

Honours for Alan

I am very proud to let you all know that my eldest son Alan has been listed on the Australia Day Honours roll 2011 and has received a Commendation for Distinguished Service.
Details of his award are available on the Governor General’s Website. Click on the following links for more information.
http://www.news-mail.com.au/story/2011/01/26/defence-doctors-honour-bundaberg/
http://www.gg.gov.au/res/file/2011/honours/ad11/Media%20Notes%20CommDS%20(final).pdf
http://www.gg.gov.au/index.php
http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/awards/medals/commendation_distinguished_service.cfm
About the Commendation for Distinguished Service Award: (Only 271 awards have been presented since its inception.)

Alan wrote the following article about this award for an Airforce publication and you will find it most informative.
Reporter to Alan:
Could you explain briefly your role at the Role 3 MMU?
I deployed to Kandahar AirField (KAF) with Force Support Unit 2 for just under nine months from Aug 2009 - Apr 2010. My two primary tasks were looking after the healthcare of the Aussie personnel who were located at KAF and fulfilling the role of the Aeromedical Evacuation Operations Officer - East. This second role meant that I was responsible for the validation and planning of all aeromedical evacuations of ADF personnel that originated within Afghanistan. While these roles were demanding at times, on the whole I had a significant amount of spare capacity to get involved at the Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit (R3 MMU), one of the two or three busiest tertiary level trauma hospitals in Afghanistan. Over past rotations, the RAAF doctors who preceded me had progressively built up a wonderful relationship with the R3 MMU and as such, my offer to the Canadian hospital hierarchy to assist was gratefully accepted. After a month of learning the ropes in the trauma bays, I was given the responsibility of becoming a Trauma Team Leader and working with a multinational team of nurses and medics. My trauma team was on-call 24hrs a day, seven days a week and we treated coalition forces, local nationals and others. The work was demanding, both physically and emotionally. The injuries we were treating were some of the most horrific that can be seen anywhere in the world and the frequency with which they presented was nothing short of shocking. I am certain that the professional experience I gained during this period will be invaluable as I continue my career as a medical officer in the RAAF.
What is the walking blood bank and how did you contribute to it?
Given the nature of the injuries treated at the KAF R3 MMU and other similar hospitals in Afghanistan, there is a frequent need for patients to receive blood transfusions as the result of massive haemorrhage from their injuries. Most of these blood products are transported to the hospital two or three times a week from the United States and other coalition countries. However, in times of multiple or even mass casualty situations or even in the case where a single patient requires a massive transfusion, the blood product stocks can be critically depleted. In some cases, a single patient can require upwards of 80units of blood, that's about 30 litres, or six times the amount of blood in the average person's body. In order to ensure that there is sufficient supplies of blood to cope with these situations the R3 MMU established the Walking Blood Bank (WBB). The WBB makes use of the fact that there are a large number of fit, healthy military personnel at these locations who can, when there is an immediate need, report to the hospital and donate their blood. As the blood is required immediately (in many cases it is merely a matter of minutes between taking the blood from the donor and transfusing it to the patient on the operating table), there is no opportunity to screen the blood as exhaustively as would occur back home. As such, all potential donors must be pre-screened for blood-borne diseases such as HIV, hepatitis and malaria by sending samples to Germany for testing. Once screened, the prospective donor is placed on a roll and in the event that blood is required they are contacted and transported to the hospital to make their donation. Previously, ADF personnel were not able to be included in this process. I felt strongly that this was an opportunity for us to contribute to the hospital in a meaningful way and at the same time boost the morale of everyone involved. After a great deal of liaising with both the Australian and United States medical hierarchies, ADF personnel were approved to be included in the scheme. By the time I returned to Australia at the end of my deployment, just under 50% of the ADF force deployed to KAF were registered on the Walking Blood Bank donor roll.

What have been the main highlights/achievements of your career?
Without a doubt, my deployment to KAF last year has been the best experience of my RAAF career to date. Shortly after I returned I was fortunate enough to be selected to study the Diploma in Aviation Medicine in London this year and although I have only recently arrived, I have been having a great experience already.

What does this honour mean to you?
I am extremely humbled by this honour, especially because what I achieved could not have been possible without the support and hard work of a great many other people. I was only able to achieve what I did due to the fantastic relationship that previous RAAF docs have built with the R3MMU. This relationship has been progressively built upon by each subsequent RAAF MO and the strong foothold we have forged at the R3MMU has many significant benefits in terms of the care we can provide sick or injured ADF personnel. In addition, I also had very supportive medical and unit hierarchies who gave me the flexibility I needed to perform my primary roles while also working in the hospital as I did. Most importantly of all was my medical teams, both the Army and RAAF health personnel who formed the medical unit who looked after the ADF personnel and also the multinational medical staff who I worked with in the trauma bays. Whilst the deployment was extremely demanding at times, it was an incredibly positive experience that I will never forget.
This award will be a constant reminder of my time there. Dr. Alan R Turner
………………………………………………………………
Ben and Sarah are hosting an Australia Day party today and have many friends coming for that. I’m sure they will drink a toast to Alan for his outstanding achievements.
(Just as I am doing now!!!)
Alan L Turner was incredibly proud of his two sons, just as I am. You are both amazing, wonderful and so special ! Words are not sufficient. I love you dearly.

The countdown is on now for Ben and Sarah’s little girl’s arrival. That could be any day now! Life has its very sweet moments.

Quiet weekend

It has been a busy and stressful week. I have had a lot of business to attend. I am hoping to spend the weekend finishing the latest collage.

I also had an email from the Director at Pine Rivers (Where I exhibited Jip's panorama). He is keen to show the Goddess sculptures either November or March. I'd like to have the show in November as long as it doesn't clash with my trip to London to visit my eldest son Alan.

I will have to do some costings of a few of the 'Broken Woman' series of digital prints, as I will be showing a selection of them. And a digital projection would be good too.

Till soon ,

C x

Justyn & Kyle

Justyn and Kyle were 45 minutes late for their photoshoot and blamed Justyn's mother!! Justyn hadn't done his hair....so he wasn't happy and Kyle was nervous...so we kept the session short.

I got a couple of good pictures of Kyle and I will shoot Justyn another time. Susha had to leave. The session was a bit of a waste of energy. But never mind, we will try again another day.

Madonna

Susha has become a Madonna. She is a very versatile model and great company. We have another photoshoot planned for tomorrow, so stay tuned.

C xx

Sarah

Thanks Sarah for your comments below. They are greatly appreciated.

Sarah has a beautiful creation of her own on the way. My third Grandaughter. First child for Sarah and Ben. There's a little less than three weeks to wait. It's getting really exciting now.

I will post a picture soon of all my gorgeous girls.

c x

Stats

I just found my stats for the blog and I have had over 2,500 page visits, which is pleasing. But you are a rather shy and quiet lot aren't you??

Speak to me World!

C xx

Brisbane floods

The Brisbane floods are almost incomprehensible. Heartbreaking. I am fortunate that my youngest son Ben and his lovely wife Sarah are on high ground at Eaton's Hill. They have a baby girl due in 3 weeks.

Ben has been working through the day filling sandbags. Good effort Ben. XX

Suburban Goddess 2010 video

Maryborough Collections Project

Susan Hutton and I have been selected to take part in a new project in Maryborough. The curator is Judy Barrass. She says:

‘The project approaches the museum as a place of relevance to contemporary culture and local community. The intention is to stimulate audience engagement and interest in museums through innovative approaches to interpreting and examining their collections.

Six artists will be asked to focus their attention on the historical collections in Maryborough. Each of the artists will be allocated a collection and asked to develop artworks for an exhibition to be held in Gatakers Artspace in May 2011. Artist interventions within museum spaces are also possible as part of the exhibition.

The artists will be expected to interact with the objects in the collections in creative ways, and to explore and invigorate the interface between the collection and the audience. They will be encouraged to question the assumptions and expectations interwoven into museum practice and the acquisition, ordering and display of objects in the museum context.’

This should be quite interesting. There will be a two day workshop in January leading into the project.

In the meantime, Susha and I had another photoshoot. We worked solidly for 5 hours or so, and achieved some great results.




‘Susha Shulenski’, a portrait by Christine Turner


























‘Christine Turner’, a portrait by Susha Shulenski'

Susha

My friend Susha rang wanting to come and take a photograph of me. She said she had an interesting idea. So as a keen beginner, I was ready to jump on in.

Susha is going to one of the Greek Islands this Easter. I will tell you the name of it when I see her again. It sounds like a place where time has stood still. It is apparently rich with old churches and customs, pageants and so on. She has a fascination for icons and should find plenty to capture her attention there.

Susha is trying to hone her camera skills to be ready for the journey. She has a beautiful Canon SLR and she manages really well with it, but she thinks there is room for improvement and is learning how to adjust the settings manually.

As far as I'm concerned, at this early point in my photographic endeavours, I am going to use as many 'auto' settings as I can on my little Canon G9. (A cross between a compact and an SLR.)

I won't be using the manual overide any time soon.

I can really recommend the Canon G9. It is a fantastic little camera. I think you will agree that it takes a pretty decent picture. So I have attached one of Susha's pictures.





Title: 'Christine Turner', a portrait by Susha Shulenski.

If you come to visit me, I promise you won't find me resting on the furniture as I am in Susha's photo. She certainly had some great ideas and we had a lot of fun. Pledged to do some more shoots soon.

After Susha's shoot we went down to the studio, where I took a few photos of Susha wrapped in a wedding veil. (This is one of my favourites.) More photos may come in the following days.



Title: 'Susha Shulenski', a portrait by Christine Turner.

Let us know what you think of these works. Don't be shy!

Till soon. C XX

New canvas

I’ve spent most of the week tidying the studio/gallery,and hanging a few of the canvases that have been propped up against walls. It looks pretty good now. Jordy, my angel from across the road, helped me carry one of the big blank canvases up to my kitchen where I will produce the work in the evenings. I love making these simple collages. They are a kind of meditation. I find that I do a lot of planning for up coming projects while I am working on them also. Cxx