scissor callous

As evidence for my working very hard on my exhibition (18th November 2008 NG Gallery Chippendale) I am posting here a photo of the little callous that has developed on my thumb as a result of cutting much plastic with scissors.

That was the man in the mission brown suit

For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn to men in suits. Often, when I put pen to paper, little caricatures would emerge, always dressed in a suit and tie. It seems to be happening with my sculpture too. I begin with a vague idea of who I might construct, and if it's a guy, he always ends up suited, (this one was supposed to be naked.)
I read somewhere recently that people with red hair would eventually disappear. It turned out to be a furphy, but when I found the orange haystack that became his hair, I began to piece together who he was and what he represented.
He's a bit of a 70's guy. Sideburns, Dennis Lillee moustache and he's wearing the mission brown suit. He's fallen over (or was he pushed for being so outdated?) and is struggling to get back up. He looks scared, humiliated, alone. I feel a bit sorry for him, but he really is redundant.
Like the plastic he is constructed from, he is no longer necessary and has been cast aside, like his suit, his hair.
I am led to believe, and I could be the gullible recipient of a great story, that the colour "Mission Brown" so popular in the 1970's, but abhorred today, came about by the mixing of a number of tins of coloured paints that had been donated to a Christian mission looking to paint their mission buildings. I like the idea that his suit is the colour derived from this use of leftover, or waste resources. He's my kind of guy.

flowers for Pauline

Michael's mother Pauline is very ill in hospital and I wanted to send her some flowers...but It was a public holiday weekend, so I thought I'd pick her some from my garden and give them to Michael to give to her. Then I thought that, if I gave them to him, they might wilt in the car before he delivered them to her. Then, I realised, I could make her some flowers that would never wilt. He delivered them and I think she liked them. I hope she gets better soon.

The Naughty Violinist

Inspired by Fiona's goggle-eyed Santa tree-ornament (see 'Strange Fruit' blog) I present here for your Christmas joy, my Naughty Violinist, who, every year hangs in pride of place on our tree. Heh heh...he makes me smile. Cheeky thing...

plastic planet

If we chuck enough of this stuff away, I figure our world might end up looking a bit like this. When it does, it will be a mighty heavy weight on all our shoulders.
This piece (sans model) and many others, will be exhibited in "Fragile Planet" which opens on the 4th of December at NG art Gallery, Little Queen St, Chippendale.

"The exhibition 'Fragile Planet' explores the dichotomy between our human desire to save the planet and our addiction to consumption that threatens the very existence of earth."

A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of the artwork will be donated to the Australian Conservation Foundation.

SXS

Photo: Greg Lippiatt

There is really not that much more satisfying for an artist than to see reactions to their creation. After all, we create works to stimulate a reaction. Sometimes the interpretation is something we didn't even consider or intend. Sometimes criticisms are made that offer valuable feedback for the next work. Sometimes people will dislike a work or it will speak to them in volumes. Sometimes they will walk right past it and not even notice it.
I am happy to say, that many of the people who saw my wreath liked it. It made them smile, and hopefully for some, made them think about the underlying message of waste and loss of precious resources. On the whole though, my aim is primarily to create something of beauty. For me, art is as much about beauty as it is about creating meaning without words.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to it by way of materials and encouragement.Without an audience, I would probably not perform.


Photo: Greg Lippiatt

wreath

In order to not have one of those blogs that gets really boring because it never gets updated, I thought I might post some pictures of the flowers that will be a part of my sculpture by the sea installation. www.sculpturebythesea.com

Some of the flowers in the wreath have stories of their own. Some make references to popular culture, personal beliefs, or simply the natural connection between individual plastic components. I also use visual puns to connect pieces which sometimes also allude to existing flower names. Each flower starts with a single piece and grows slowly by trying a variety of combinations of colours and shapes.

Bo Peep

She is calling out to her sheep as they hide amongst the lush cable-tie grass. She has a skirt made from the trap from a mouse trap game.

Border Protection

Maybe if we closed down detention centres and spent the 200 million dollars we spend on them every year on a more productive and humane solution to asylum seekers...
Maybe we wouldn't have to keep building ridiculous fences.

Measure of Success

A friend gave me the little white house which was given to her as a promotional gift from her real estate agent. It's actually a tape measure that pulls up from the chimney. There is so much emphasis on owning your own home that if you don't, you are somehow perceived as not quite having made it in the world. This house is not only surrounded by the proverbial white picket fence...it is also in a leafy suburb. now, if they could only make the repayments.

Bear in a Bucket

I used to collect kinder surprises when you had to put them together. Apparently now, the toys are complete. No assembly required. Suffice to say, I have a box of them and occasionally employ them as the feature for individual flowers. I like the alliterative aspect to this one.

bowerbird

Sometimes I have a picture in my head and it turns into three dimensions. It's my brothers 50th birthday next month. This is his present. I am fairly confident he doesn't make a habit of looking at this page so it's probably ok to unveil him here. He is a Satin Bower bird. The inspiration for the title of this blog. He comes to me in dreams and holds a special place in my heart. When I see one in reality, I am moved, for the connection we have is undeniable. He is a collector of beautiful colour. A hoarder. He sculpts an elaborate bower around the jewels he finds and lures potential lovers to his creation. My brother and I are cursed/blessed with the same affliction. I think it's genetic. We collect to the point of suffocation. We sort and catalogue, assign and combine. This bird is made of things he might have collected, had I not found them first.

diversion

At last a new thing! I have taken a little break from my SXS flowers and constructed this little guy. He is the man in the suit, going to the job he hates. Made from discarded plastic. Little marvels of human engineering and invention, which, like him, are so often ignored for their true value and potential. He is time personified. How briefly we exist, how easily we discard our precious moments.
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR LIFE!!

work in progress

This is my bower my prison. It isn't really a difficult incarceration, I happily lock myself away in solitary confinement surrounded by a rainbow of boxed plastic. I feel like I'm at a flight deck, with all the knobs and buttons within easy reach for checking and matching, linking and locking. The floral wreath is well under way with 70 or so completed and awaiting planting. Engage....