Jiao

A large group of well-wishers joined Brad Marsellos last night to celebrate his birthday.  A 'welcome home' to Clinton Cross was also on the agenda as he had been away on an extended holiday, taking in Egypt, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

We dined out at the Blue Garden, a small chinese restaurant in the central business district of Bundaberg.

I was delighted to meet Jiao there.  She was one of my subjects in the 'Portrait of a Stranger' photographic  project that Brad had been running for ABC Open Wide Bay.
Jiao has been working partime as a waitress at the Blue Garden. She has been really improving her English since I saw her last. Apparently she has been attending a Tafe course of some kind.

Jiao Lee arrived in Australia in February 2011. She had come from Chang Chun, a densely populated city in North Eastern China.

Jiao came to Bundaberg to marry her Australian fiance. She has been helping him on his stall where he sells exotic fish at the Shalom markets.

She is an absolute delight. and has the most captivating smile.  I think I will have to do some more portraits of her.

Brad and Clinton's dinner was a huge success.  I was able to catch up with Petrina re progress with the art students up and coming stencil exhibition.  Apparently there is great excitement over North about this show, and all is going well there. 

The students are very lucky to have such a dedicated and enthusiastic art teacher as Petrina McDonald.  She's also lots of fun!

I am looking forward to meeting the year 10's other art teacher, Megan McFarlane in the near future.


Till soon!   c x

Stencil Art

Dirty Linen Artspace is going  to be the venue for a most interesting art event.  The Year 10 art students from North Bundaberg High School are going to have the first  'Hit and Run' art exhibition to be held in 'The Laundry' event room... the larger of the two spaces available for hire at Dirty Linen.

Brad Marsellos came up with this idea of exhibiting for a couple of days only, and plans to do this for his photographic exhibition in early July.

The students exhibition will only be showing for a maximum of  one or two days....so you will have to be sure not to miss out on seeing it!  North art teacher, Petrina McDonald and I have discussed June 15th, so mark that on your calendar.

Petrina  posted an instagram on fb a week or two ago. It showed a number of pieces of stencil art that her students had been producing.  I was really taken with them.  I couldn't stop thinking about these small self-portraits, some done on scraps of paper or pages torn from notebooks.

The stencilling process denies detail, but  achieves an expressive quality that in some cases is quite haunting.

There are sure to be some surprises on the night.

Talk art soon!  c x

Ring Christine Turner to book your 'Hit and Run' event.  Ph 0402403270 or email: christineturnerau@yahoo.com.au

Hit and Run!

Dirty Linen Art Space will be hosting some very interesting projects in the near future.....the 'Hit and Run' events will be short and sweet , spanning only one or two days at the most.

This format will be excellent for those people that cannot commit to a longer more traditional type of exhibition.

Charges will be quite minimal, so call me if you need any information. 

Attached below are a couple of the works of some very talented young artists who will be exhibiting in Dirty Linen's Laundry ArtSpace in our first 'Hit and Run' exhibition!!

I will tell you all about them tomorrow!    Talk art soon!  c x

Interesting!

An enthusiastic  crowd turned out last night to meet  representatives from Artsupport Australia 's Queensland Manager Fiona Maxwell, Australia Council for the Arts' Chief Executive Officer Kathy Keele and Artslink Queensland Chief Executive Officer Arthur Frame.

They had been on a fact finding tour of regional areas, assessing our needs.

After each of the three guests had made a short informative speech about their organistion, there was time to mingle and to gather up some of the promotional leaflets and books and so on that they had bought with them..

I was especially keen to meet with Kathy Keele of the Australia Council  Having had a grant from the AC in 2005/06, I was keen to tell her that I had just finished my third exhibition of the works I had made back then.  It is highly likely that the Suburban Goddesses will have a few more airings too!

Kathy was very interested in the work that was going on in the Wide Bay area.   She was most encouraging about my work too...(I had given her a photo book and a disc and a few odds and ends).
Kathy may be able to come to my opening at the Brenda May Gallery in Sydney this October. That would be wonderful, so I will keep in touch with her.

Till soon  cx

VIP's

I went out to Catherine McCue's place this morning to pick up some digital  prints, one of which will go down for the Moreton Bay Art Awards.   I will mail it to a framer and have them deliver it to the Community center on the appropriate day.

It should be a very interesting exhibition.  Looking back on previous years exhibitions, they seem to get some very good works.   Being so close to Brisbane is helpful too I am sure.

It's rather exciting, because Bundaberg  Gallery is to have a visit from  Artsupport Australia 's Queensland Manager Fiona Maxwell, Australia Council for the Arts' Chief Executive Officer Kathy Keele and Artslink Queensland Chief Executive Officer Arthur Frame. Creative Regions have arranged this for Monday afternoon. 

This will be a good opportunity for us to voice our concerns about the many and varied problems of being regional artists, and to find out what sort of assistance is available to us.

One interstate gallery director years ago called me a 'GI'...Geographically Impossible!!!!   He did as much to help me as was possible, but it is very difficult to maintain connections living in the regions.

It is really encouraging to see these 'VIP's making the effort to  come into regional communities, something I haven't seen before in the 20 years plus that I have been in Bundaberg.

There are many very good artists in the Wide Bay region  working away quietly. It would be wonderful to see this recognised and to see some assistance coming their way.

Dirty Linen Art Space

It's so nice to see so many 'likes' coming in to the Dirty Linen Art Space page  . https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Dirty-Linen-Art-Space/243330485728167   Things have been a little quiet lately with Bundaberg artists focusing on a number or exhibitions further afield.
 As well as my exhibition at Pine Rivers Art Gallery, the following events have occured:

Catherine McCue has a huge exhibition at Gatakers Artspace in Maryborough. Be sure not to miss this astonishing exhibition that was a response to Catherine's recent trip to Europe. Interesting image from exhibition below.

Jennifer McDuff has had yet another hugely successful Open Day at her gorgeous studio.

Brad Marsellos, Producer ABC Open Wide Bay, and photographer 'extraordinare' has video and photographic works showing in the State Library of Qld!...in an exhibition about the recent floods. Compelling work Brad! Quality work on such heart-wrenching material.
http://blogs.slq.qld.gov.au/floodlines/
Brad has great news for us...he is going to have a two day photographic event at Dirty Linen Art Space in July. Mark your calendars for Friday, July 5th and Saturday 6th. Brad has some suprises in store for us.

Clinton Cross is back in town afteer a long holiday, taking in Egypt, India and Sri Lanka and Thailand. No doubt, he will have some interesting stories to tell.

At Dirty Linen , we are planning a series of short impact exhibitions for art events not requiring a traditional exhibition format. These will be very inexpensive and run over one,
two or three days maximum. We think of them as art parties. The emphasis will definitely be on fun!!
Talk art soon!  c x

Invitations

An invitation arrived in the mail yesterday for the Moreton Bay Region Art Awards next month.  I am very pleased that I was invited to  enter a work into this very exciting competition.

My work will be in the Digital Art Section. I will have Catherine McCue print the work for me.

Stolen Pumpkins!

Jip called in today as he does every month or so.  It is routine now that I give him a glass of lemonade or cordial and then he informs me of the latest news...most of which I haven't heard, as I don't have a television!

Unfortunately the news seems to always be grim, whether it be political or whatever. 

Big news of Jip's week is that someone came and stole his pumpkins off the vines!  Cheeky devils!

I'm posting a link to Jip's stories.  If you haven't read them before, try to catch them, as he is s very interesting character.    c x

http://christineaturner.blogspot.com.au/p/jips-domain.html

Comments

Thank you Anonymous for your kind remarks about my blog.  Your suggestion about it being a little difficult to know how to comment has resulted in a new system!!!   This will be easier I am sure.  When you click on 'post a comment' below the blog, a pop up window will appear!  Thankyou Anonymous!

Hello

Over seventy of  you have read my' Good Friday at Waterloo' post and I see there are nearly 14,000 page views on my blog!!!!

 I love knowing that you are reading my blog.  It makes me want to write more and more.
But hey....how about posting some comments of your own!  I would love to hear from you!

How about some of you Bundaberg writers or poets  posting  your thoughts about art, just as you wrote on the blank canvas at Dirty Linen Artspace  opening  ..."Just Ideas'?  I would love that!

Do you like my picture of the Waterloo Hall  water tank?

Here is that link to the Good Friday post.  Just in case you missed it.
http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7177501782029618908#editor/target=post;postID=9096961252313286546

Talk soon.   c x

More Boardgames

Two of my Boardgames. Biscuit tins on pegboard hooks on  Pegboard Masonite.

                               Boardgame for St Francis.  Same size as above.

Boardgames

The afternoon I spent tidying up the studio so I can photograph my 'Lifescape'  that will be going down to Sydney to the  amazing Brenda May Gallery.

I am really pleased with this new work.  It's smaller size, 2.5m sq  has as much vitality as the first 'Lifescape' which was 4.5m x5.5m.  These works remind me so much of early works I exhibited at Greenaway Art Gallery, the pegboards with biscuit tin on pegboard hooks.

This work 'The Seven Days of Creation' was approximately 2.5m h x 5m w.  Made in 2001...a decade ago!    I designed the panels so that they could be reusable.  When one work was finished and photographed, a new artwork could be developed on the pegboard base.  This cut down my storage woes!...and meant that I could keep working.

Tomorrow I will post some of the photos of the smaller Boardgames.   Night!   c x

Good Friday at Waterloo,Qld

Brad and Jess (and Darling- the dog) took me on a trip out to Waterloo yesterday...a 30 minute drive from Bundaberg.  Deep into the dusty Aussie bush.

A narrow asphalt road wound its way through tall leggy gums that stood like a guard of honour right up to the edges of the road...packed in densely as if attempting to get a glimpse of the traveller. Sparse scraggly canopies of leaves leaned gently inwards above us, encompassing us in a protective gesture it seemed.  We must be going somewhere  very special I thought.


We soon arrived at the Waterloo Hall.  The hall has a great history behind it and a bevy of interested locals who endeavour to preserve the old  building  itself whilst also gathering as much of the history of the hall and local area as possible.

They gather at their beloved hall once a month to enjoy a barbecue and spend time with local friends. Their children can play in the old tennis court and run around the bush as long as they like.  The older children can go into the  hall and test themselves against their rivals on the old green velveted billiard table that is overseen by a formal portrait of the young Queen Elizabeth. It hangs on the corrugated iron wall nearby.

The sharp clicks of the connecting ceramic billiard balls echoed into the approaching night...mingling somehow with the delicious aroma that came from the barbecue and the  laughter and chatter that hung in the air.

There was much banter around the pool table and many apologies about one's less than perfect shots. Most were a little rusty it seems!

There was a magnificent full moon high above in the pale blue sky.  I tried to photograph it, but it eluded me somehow. Some obscure technical reason.  Dusk approached, so I got to the job of taking some photographs.



Night arrived heralded by the lighting of braziers, their flames licking about...painting living masks on the faces of those that stood around them staring dreamily.  Conversations ebbed and flowed.
Brad video bombed the side of the hall with old  pictures of some  long departed  relatives from the Waterloo area and some of the hall itself. The images were captivating.
A feast of a barbecue was served and before we knew it, it was time for us to leave.



Thankyou friends of Waterloo Hall.  You are an amazing bunch of people.  Motivated, proactive, interesting and friendly.  Thankyou for welcoming us and good luck for the future.  Waterloo Hall is in good hands!


   Brad and Jess

   Video bombing photos courtesy of Petrina McDonald.

Citadels

Yesterday I photographed the three circular 'Lifescapes' that will be taken to Hervey Bay for the 'renew' exhibition that comes up in May.

These works are difficult to photograph and I will have to try again,  however the curator Marj Sullivan,was very happy with the artworks, so all is fine.

The works are titled Citadel 1, 2 and 3.  Each piece displayed on a circular plastic tablecloth. Three very simple works playing with patterns and shapes.

More junk

More junk for the back shed!!!

Pick up

It was a long trip to Brisbane today in my expensive Avis van.  I was off to pick up the works from the Suburban Goddess exhibition which was held at Pine Rivers Art Gallery.  The van is a feast for the eyes and seems to be great around town, but out on the highway it seems to want to do its own thing.

At times it likes to steer itself in strange directions.  It  rolls around and over reacts to the slightest dip or other defect in the road.  Unfortunately the Bruce highway is full of defects, so I had to keep my wits about me. Well that's a good thing at all times isn't it?

Once at the gallery, the van was packed in about an hour.  This was largely due to the fact that the staff of the Pine Rivers Art Gallery had been kind enough to prepack most of the artworks for me.  A great effort.  They also spoke very kindly about the visitors to the gallery, who seemed in general to enjoy the show.

I'm sure Tracey Wallace - Gallery Director , will fill me in on all the details when she returns from her two weeks of holidays.  The whole 'Pine Rivers Art Gallery' experience has been a most enjoyable one.  Now, with Tracey's support and the support of others from Bundaberg...the show will be developed to hopefully tour either state wide or nationally.

I hope these sculptures are going to fit in my shed in the meantime!!!   We will see...it's home tomorrow.

cx

PS Danielle, can you send me your link again.......I have managed to lose it.  Cheers C

Time Lapse Video

At last my time lapse video went through this morning!!   Here is the Vimeo link.  I will try to embed the file too!  c x

http://vimeo.com/39369173



Installations Time Lapse 2012 from Christine Turner on Vimeo.

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

Time lapse

I have been trying to get  a blog written these last few days.  I have too much to do!!  I won't begin to tell, I will just report on the highlight of the week, which has been the making of a time lapse video of my biscuit tin installations.

I searched Youtube for information about the time lapse feature of my Canon G9.  There was not a lot of information to be found in the little manual that came with the camera. But, as ever there were all sorts of tutorials available on the web and I eventually found what I was looking for.

Unfortunately, the camera only shoots a rather low resolution time lapse video.

I set my tripod up on top of a large old art crate I  had on hand.  Even then, I was not able to capture the entire scene in the camera viewfinder.  Once all the settings were activated, I was free to join my young friends Hannah and Joshua to begin to transform the large installation,called 'Lifescape', into  two new works.

After a couple of hours filming I had quite a large video file to upload to Youtube or Vimeo.

The way my computer is functioning at present is going to make it rather difficult to upload the file.  My computer is in 'go painfully slow' mode.  It's probably my internet access that is at the bottom of it.  However, I will post the video link  as soon as the file has been uploaded successfully.

Lovely to have a kind comment via the fabulous Brenda May Gallery.  My work for the show there in October is nearly finished.  I will be able to take some good photographs to send down to the gallery.

Attached is another of my recent digital works.  Let me know if you like it!!

Till soon!  c x

New video

Calculator - Chinese Burns from Brad Marsellos on Vimeo.  Check out this great new video by Brad Marsellos.  Great job Brad! Filmed at Dirty Linen. (Great venue for projects like this.) I was delighted to be part of this project.  When do we start on the next one Brad?  C x

Brenda May Gallery

I am just so excited about my inclusion in the Brenda May Gallery group exhibition 'Art + Food - Beyond the Still Life' this October.
It is such a wonderful opportunity to take a work to Sydney a beautiful city...and to Waterloo which is apparently dotted with various galleries.   Rebecca Pearson, a Sydney artist will come to meet me and to see the exhibition.  I have come to know her through her participation in the 'Just Ideas' exhibition held here at 'Dirty Linen'...curated by Clinton Cross.

Rebecca exhibits her beautiful works in Sydney quite regularly I understand.

I may have the chance to meet James Guppy again.  I met him years ago when he came to Bundaberg with Flying Arts.  I have always admired his fabulous works.  It's great to know that he is one of Brenda's artists.

I will be preparing my work for the show this weekend and hope to do a time lapse video of that preparation.

Till soon,

c x

Piled up...stacked up

My new residence is taking shape at last.  Everything is finding its place.  I have cleared out all the unnecessary things.  Pieces of furniture that I will not be  using in the future are stacked up waiting to be sold...or given away.

I will be hanging  some large paintings from the Rhapsody series I produced a couple of years ago. Their rich simplicity will be  most enjoyable I am predicting.

The floor in my new apartment is concrete and has been painted a warm cream colour.  I have decided to paint it with a textured pattern, brownish in colour. I hope it works out.   I will post some pictures when it is finished.

It is so good to be able to go into my storage shed at night.  I have managed to tidy it up a little.  At least you can walk from one end of it to the other now .

 The shed  has an eery kind of serenity at night.

The innumerable dolls piled up there in bags and boxes stare mutely.  Shadows bathe them in a mysterious light.  They wait...patiently. 

Piled up, stacked up...20 years of my life has been stacked up here in this room.  All the various stages of my art practice are here to see.   The good, the bad  the significant and the not so significant. 

I marvel at this process that drives me forward .

c x                                                                                                                   

Fait accompli

Fait accompli...I am in my new accommodation which is quite a joy for me.  I can duck in to the gallery or storeroom as I desire, day or night.  This will be great for my productivity!!  

Today I have to pick up my cabinet from BRAG (Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery).  The show has been very popular by all accounts.

Last Friday I had discussions with an amazing girl, Jessica Wilson - Theatre Director- Producer-Manager-Writer and Consultant, based in Melbourne.

Jessica has delivered outstanding large productions nationally and internationally.

Later this year Jessica will be in the Maryborough community along with another talented girl, Theatre Director and performer, Jodee Mundy.  They will be making plans for a huge production in Maryborough in the next year or two.

The project will be largely delivered by the children of Maryborough!!!!  It will be amazing!

I have been invited, in the early stages to consult in regards to some of the artistic content that will be proposed.  It is going fo be a very special event and I am thrilled to be taking part in it.

Sydney

Exciting news today as the Brenda May Gallery in Waterloo, Sydney has accepted my proposal to be part of a group show this October.I will be exhibiting one of my 'Lifescapes'.

The show will be called:

Art + Food: Beyond the Still Life

Shifting house

Over the next few weeks I will be swapping residences with the people currently living downstairs.  They are needing more space as there is only one bedroom down there and I have been wandering around in my huge 3 bedroom apartment.

This will be a great move for me as I will be able to access both the gallery and my art storage area without having to wander around the dark streets at night.

I'm keen to hang some of my large paintings and bring in some newly renovated  old furniture.  Something of a new start for me!

I also have a new start on my website.  Recent artworks featuring there. 
www.christineturner.com.au

Water Falls

I bought this beautiful old timber ladder at a charity shop the other day. I have fixed a wedding veil to it and it has become an artwork which I call 'Water Falls'. 

(Not as in waterfalls) It is coincidental that I bought the veil from a charity shop in Gympie.   Susan and I, when travelling through there the other day,  noticed that the shop had been inundated with water in recent flooding.  The veil might have been ruined had I not come by and purchased it earlier.

I love to work with bridal veils. They are incredibly evocative.

Artist's talk

I had a great morning in the gallery, with  7 visitors  while I was there to do an artists talk. I was delighted that Helen's Mum, Dalveen, bought some of her family.   We had a great time chatting about all the sculptures and their components and why the sculptures are as they are.  (You may remember that Helen contacted me last year to pass on some biscuit tins for my collection.)

Lo and behold they came with two more bags of biscuit tins to add to the  collection, with some stunning older tins included.  I will show you some when I get them home from the gallery.  So kind!

I was totally overloaded today with a suitcase, laptop, tripod, and tote bag to carry on to the train to Bundaberg, so I  have had to store the tins till I pick up the works at the end of the exhibition. (Saturday, 31 March.)

As I showed the ladies around, there was some interesting speculation about the artwork pictured above.  The chair folds out to make a small table with chair. We have never seen anything like this before.  I call it 'The Widow's Seat'. One of the ladies suggested - a telephone table.   Maybe you can tell me what it is???

A friendly local photographer also came to see the works today.    I am such a novice as far as the photography side of things go...there is so much to learn.  He was very helpful providing me with lots of hints to improve my work. I was very grateful.

I had a long trip home on the Spirit of the Outback.   Home at last!!!  Hooray!  Have to do last years tax return before I do one more thing in the studio. I will endeavour to get that done this week.....starting tomorrow!

Till soon   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).