New work

I have been scanning the bloggersphere - boy, there's some lovely work happening out there.

Time to get my act together and do a bit of posting on what I've been doing... well, I haven't been doing much of my own work - I've been organising lots of stuff for the 'Culture 2 Culture' collaboration with China - the next step being an exhibition with 11 'local' artists and Li Jun.
More on that next post.

This is one of my paintings for the show. I started it many years ago. It sat in the cupboard unresolved and I decided last week to splash a few more lines over the paper.

This orchid is a possibility for the show. Needs some resolving as well...

Maybe just by signing and putting my red chock in the corner it might be enough???

I started a watercolour of fish, but of course I overdid it, so now I might whitewash over the sheet of [expensive] paper!!

These are my favourite things - little 'books' that I've been making in front of the TV at night.

Some are more Japanese than Chinese, but I figure that as I have been engaged with both cultures recently, I'll do a bit of cheating.



Bamboo- Li Jun

Li Jun's demo painting of bamboo from the Thursday workshop.

There's something about bamboo that excites the senses and satisfies the soul of an artist.

We found this symbol on an ancient scroll in the wonderful museum in Suzhou, built in 2006 by the famous Chinese/American architect I.M.Pei. The symbol represents bamboo, and the inscription nearby gives bamboo connotations of integrity, modesty and nobility - representing the 'man of honour'.

I found this symbol particlarly moving for me as for many years now I have used the matra of 'honest, simple and noble' for my wabisabi art work. I feel the need to include this image in my signiature chock for my Asian inspired works, so I'll have to get on to creating yet another logo chock design.

So.................back to Li Jun.................... 

We all melted when watching how 'easily' he drew his images of bamboo. It truly was a dance of the brush across the paper.

Here is the 'step by step' - well worth trying this in your own studio. The pressure on the brush was the key to getting the thick and thin segments of the long stems and the nodes.

...signed, a bird added for a bit of focus, and quickly sold to a very happy Petrus.

COMA exhibition - "MAKING MUSIC"

Our local Arts body data base, Collaboration of Maleny Arts, organised by Ken Munsie, holds regular exhibitions in local 'hot spots' - this time in Maple 3 cafe, Maleny. There are 32 artists participating in this show titled 'Making Music'.

This is my entry, titled "Ozboppin'".

My Artist's Statement:

“Ozboppin’” is an extraordinary piece of free jazz by New Zealand born Mike Nock and his quintet of 4 other talented musicians. The music resonates with layers of line and texture, spinning off into unknown territories. Each instrument has its own dynamic energy, expressing individual character and depth of sound, but they all come together somehow to provide an exhilarating multidimensional abstract experience.

300 x 300mm

mixed media on paper on canvas

$195

 

...and these are some of my working 'sketches' and my playing with brushes to get them bopping along to the music...

Some of the works on display in the cafe,

some of the artists - Lynne, Marianne, Rosemary, Helen, Ken,

and Sally, her painting and her cockatiel 'Bird'.