never too late....

Hallandal, Tsunami, 2009, Winner of Dobell Drawing Prize 2009

I love these stories...

You know...The ones that make you think that life can always be exciting new and magical. Where age is a state of mind and change and good fortune can befall you when you're 100! Recently the arts industry has had two of these stories occur and I just had to make mention of them as they made me smile...

The first was the announcement of The newly established Balnaves Foundation Sculpture Prize of $60,000 and it was awarded to 91-year-old Australian sculptor May Barrie for her work 'Time and tide granite monolith II' at the 13th annual Sculpture by the Sea exhibition!

It was a fantastic announcement if not a little controversial, as the piece was not a favourite of many who viewed the show... When I saw the granite piece by Barrie I was taken aback. BUT it is an organic, quiet and reflective work - a bit zen if you will! Usually a major prize is awarded to an artpiece with all the bells and whistles! But not this, and May is a deserved winner at 91....

She commented by saying:

I know it's a good work and now I'm glad that other people agree. I'm surprised and pleased to have been given this award - I hope I'm not just dreaming this! I'd like to thank the Balnaves Foundation for their support of the arts and Sculpture by the Sea.

May is inspirational as is the 81 year old who won this years Dobell Prize!

A week after May won the sculpture prize, Pam Hallandall became the oldest winner of the Art Gallery of NSW's $25,000 major drawing prize. The Melbourne based artist won the prize back in 1996 but has led a relatively quiet career teaching at a craft college for 30 years . The work entitled 'Tsunami' is based on the images and her feelings on witnessing the horrific events that happened in the 2004 with the Tsunami disaster. Judge Nick Mourtzakis said there was 'subtle and powerful poetry of form at play and it was deeply moving'.

It is just so brilliant that these two women in the late careers can display such a beautiful touch with their work and be as exited as ever about their artwork and in exhibiting it to the public!...

I hope to be that dedicated, motivated and excited at their age...

Speaking of quiet dignity and drive to learn at an older age, I found this image the other week in the SMH... The man in the image below is a shoe polisher from Kabul who took a break to quietly read...
And I was absolutely drawn to it!

Its a beautiful image of a man in a crumbling city who had found a corner with which to work, reflect and learn...

Now that is poetry...

strange one!....

Well...
the last week or so since coming back from Belongil has absolutely flown and dipping my body into the heavenly surf has now been relegated to the status of distant but beautiful memory.... What I have noticed is that with the heating up of the weather, time has moved faster + faster! I have been seriously busy i the last week or so and as ive attempted to get myself to more catch ups, events and appointments, the days have been getting hotter + hotter!

But one confession that I must own up to, is the fact that I LOVE this kind of heat! My body thrives in it... I know that this kind of confession makes me a complete nut-job but I cannot deny it any longer.... I feel really relaxed and comfortable when the mercury is high and the days seem long + languid! I guess that is why I seem to have accomplished so much since returning home?! A couple of things i have enjoyed are two totally different exhibitions that are at opposite ends of the scale.... the massive group show Sculpture by the sea + the solo exhibition 'thought crimes' by Angus Wood at ng gallery in Chippendale.



ng gallery was a revelation to me as Ive been meaning to take a look at this space for awhile ... So it was a great treat to take a look at this space when I took a quick stroll through Chippendale last week. Located in a loft space above a lovely restaurant called Mission in Queen st, ng gallery is a great light filled space for paintings to hang and that where i found Angus' work... Angus wood is someone who I had never heard of before so I went to see the show with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised...

Each oil on canvas was carefully executed in a realist style, portraying images that reminded me of stills from a Hitchcockian film! Atmospheric + dark, these images of owls, men in dark suits holding big firearms, and bright red shiny fire extinguishers were dark and told a silent tale of suspense and mystery...

It was a show that I would definitely take a look at if your in the area and its on at ng gallery until dec5...

And so onto the next show .... The massive extravaganza that is Sculpture by the sea!

SBTS is a show brimming with work by some 150 artists' and it is absolutely HUGE - which works for and against it!! For people who don't often have the chance to visit galleries + experience many forms of sculptural work, this type of show in such a beautiful setting is fantastic! As you casually walk from Bronte to Bondi you can see work after work from some of the worlds more interesting artists...

Paul Trefry. little boy lost. Sculpture by the Sea, bondi 2009.

BUT and it is a big but - as you head off with the throng of thousands to see the pieces, no one can prepare for the gigantic task that awaits you! There are so so many works to look at , that at times you can easily loose focus and start to give up on looking or even acknowledging the sculptures ! I saw many people switch off halfway through; and it did not help that there were beautiful whales to watch just past the headlands....


Justin Drape / Simone Brandse. big drink. Sculpture by the Sea, bondi 2009.


In the end I enjoyed my walk before the storm spectacularly hit the city in the late afternoon... I had some favourite works (many of which you can see from my tiny pics)... but next time it would be great to see more of a curated show with half the works than this year on display. Just so I could walk away feeling like i could recollect every single piece that I saw and truly enjoy my time with each and every work...
I hope you like the pics though and that they inspire you to create something grand in your backyard!!

Congratulations to Mona for picking up an award but its a shame that the Australian government would not grant her a visa to come and accept it from Iran!!
Mona Aghababaee. where is the freedom?. Sculpture by the Sea, bondi 2009.

Kelly-Ann Lees. heliocidaris tuberculata. Sculpture by the Sea, bondi 2009.

John Ramsay. abundance [calcidiscus leptoporus]. Sculpture by the Sea, bondi 2009.

Jean Downes. proliferation. Sculpture by the Sea, bondi 2009.

Favourite piece on the whole show I think!! Well at least with everyone under 5....

Jane Gillings. dream home. Sculpture by the Sea, bondi 2009.

Anthony Heywood. earth elephant. Sculpture by the Sea, bondi 2009.

Bjorn Godwin. sunken cathedral. Sculpture by the Sea, bondi 2009.

Alejandro Propato. arte de las playas. Sculpture by the Sea, bondi 2009.

Miik Green. yeah itï¾’s overwhelming but what else. Sculpture by the Sea, bondi 2009

Now I know you recognise this work!

Lucy Barker. brain child 611. Sculpture by the Sea, bondi 2009

Vojitech Mica. budka/kiosk. Sculpture by the Sea, bondi 2009.

Kevin Draper. fragment. Sculpture by the Sea, bondi 2009.

Phil Price. morpheus. Sculpture by the Sea, bondi 2009

Yoshio Nitta. pot 09. Sculpture by the Sea, bondi 2009.

An old old artbuddy of mine did this one! Congrats Philippe on getting into the show...

Philippe Moreau. a man above. Sculpture by the Sea, bondi 2009.

Christine Dyer. regenerate. Sculpture by the Sea, bondi 2009. I love Christine's work and now wish I had bought a piece of her works from the Woven Forms Exhibition that we had at Object Gallery a few years ago.... Lovely woman too! The pieces of string are found on beach walks that she takes near her home in Victoria...The colours man!!!

Loved this work....

Sally Adair. density lessens. Sculpture by the Sea, bondi 2009.

Jie Qian. the shoppers. Sculpture by the Sea, bondi 2009.

Anyway....
Have a great Monday and enjoy the beautiful cool change that arrived in the city late last night!

The Sea.

How happy am I that summer is nearly here???
The days are longer, the sun is hotter and the water...well...its getting there!

The water up at Belongil was thank fully like a big bath so I happily jumped in every chance that I got! Even when the massive storms would roll in I would wait until the clouds were alittle lighter and then I would literally run from my room, across the street and jump into the surf... at lightening speed!

Every day to get into Byron for a coffee or some human contact I would try to walk into town along the beach. This would become a ritual for me as it would provide me with my daily entertainment.... I would watch the newbie backpackers try to surf; observe the dogs frolicking in the surf; be amazed at the locals as they body surfed with the grace of a dancer + then laugh at the city slickers like me as we tried to unwind and get brown!!

The only fly in the ointment was the nature the the tide!

With the rising sea levels having a major impact on the coastline and the beaches, some days the water would stay high all day and there would be no opportunity to walk along the sandy shore...

The images of the sand bags stacked along the rocky cliffs are a good indication of what the locals are up against... and I believe the sea is winning...!

Favourite shot of the trip....so lucky i found it!

The beach and the sandbags are slowly merging into each other..so beautiful...

The beach is being fenced off...

Beautiful Belongil Creek at sunset...

Love what someone has painted onto the concrete.

Its slowly slipping into the ocean....

and there is something really beautiful and poetic in that....

The Land.

So....
I'm back.... happy + refreshed!


It was a brilliant trip to Belongil Beach for a much much needed break!

And for me - the beach is my kind of holiday...

Nothing but beautiful beaches, warm water, lovely sunsets and peace + quiet!

I was able to really recharge my batteries - physically, mentally, spiritually and creatively...

And speaking of feeling creative..

I have complied a tiny album of images...

Today Ill post up my images of The Land...

and in the next few days ill focus on The Sea.
I hope you enjoy them...

When I was up in the Byron/Belongil area I found that there were many many changes to the landcape ....

The environment is being effected by the rising sea levels and from the massive influx of new residents that are slowly starting to make a permanent mark...

Its been 2 years since Ive been up there and I really noticed these shifts..... in population and in landscape.

Change is a naturally part of life.

But up in that neck of the woods - sudden sweeps of change can be damaging and irreversible...

to a beautiful and deeply fragile eco system.

We just need to remember to take quiet and respectful steps while we enjoy it all!

The trains do not run through Byron anymore...

So I saw an opportunity to shoot the tracks; which brought back many memories of walking back to Belongil from town when its been pitch black with the moonlight as our guiding light....

Loved the colours....

Thought of all the whales and how they must love the sight of all these floating lolly-coloured canoes....

Lots of graffiti.... But I love when its themed! These murals wre done this year by someone with the tag Danza....

My favourite spot in the evenings... Belongil Creek..

Its in danger because of the rising sea levels... So sad as its such an amazing place to think + meditate.

This moon woke me up to have a look at it at 230am... was worth it though!

i m b a c k .....

Oh its good to be back!

But dont get me wrong...

it was bloody great to be away too!

Belongil was beautiful as always

and I have many new images to share...

But to start.. I thought Id take a trip down memory lane

and share with you this black+white image

from one of my very first trips

to the Byron Bay shire...

Its got a very 'Stand by me' feel to it

{love that movie!!}

And I hope the people in the shot have a little

giggle from seeing it

after so many years...

x

o n e m o n t h ....

o n e p o s t i n g .

Im off on a little holiday...

So ill see you when I get back!

I hope you like the November posting on the spaces blog

... and that

this month treats you well....

x

the catch up.

Work by Christine Eid

So in amongst all my ramblings over the last month Ive now just realised that there were a few things that I never got a chance to mention!

So I hope you dont mind if I do it now?

First is the trip to the MCA to see the two shows that are still on at the moment - Primavera and Making it new: Focus on Contemporary Australian Artists'....

I posted up an image of the beautiful coloured flags that adorn the foyer as you walk into the museum... but I never went any further into discussing the shows. And believe me it was not because I was trying to forget what I had just seen! Far from it... both shows exceeded my expectations and I walked out pleasantly surprised by both ....

Primavera every year is a mixed bag of lollies...there are the favourites that you love and gravitate to first... and for me that was the work of Christine Eid with her personal accounts of growing up in a Lebanese migrant family and how she witnessed the personal attacks and prejudices against her father - a cabby in Melbourne in the 1970s... Really moving.

And then there are the lollies at the bottom of the white paper bag... you know...the ones that you cannot get into your mouth! ... For me these were the too cool for school conceptual pieces that worked on the premise that if the idea is funny, or clever, or deep, then it definitely works!!

Well these art works did not for me!!

I won't name and shame but the curator for this year Jeff Chan seemed to be pushing the boundaries just alittle too far for me - so in the end all I wanted was a work that was aesthetically beautiful... is that too much to ask for sometimes???

Maybe...

Up of the 3rd floor The Making it New Exhibition seemed to have no trouble in finding works that were fun and enjoyable to look at + play with....

The show is wall to wall fun as every media possible is included .. painting, sculpture, digital media, glass, ceramic, and on and on and on it went... This year the MCA curator Glenn Barkely seems to have picked out some of his favourite Australian artists that are still working today...

They are an older group of 18 mid career artists for the most part - artists who have worked out what their schtick is and are comfortable with that subject matter, their feelings on that subject, and how to execute these ideas beautifully...

Tom Moore installation

There are too many names to mention in this huge show but the Adelaide based Tom Moore has installed a work that is completely mad, completely fun and completely him!!...

Ive always had a soft spot for Ken Whisson and his room filled with paintings from the last two decades was so beautiful... and timely....! As people start to rediscover drawers, Ken in his 70s is truly one of the best!

Ken Thaidays sculptures were amazing as they hung from the massive ceilings, and the paintings of Marrnyula Mununggurr were a new and exciting discovery for me...

Ken Whisson

All in all it was great a visit and its all on at the MCA until 11th November...

The other exhibition Ive seen recently was the 15th Ranamok glass prize that was part of Octobers Art and About festival...

Every year The Ranamok Prize showcases the work of some of Australia + New Zealand's brilliant glass artist community. And for the winner, this prestigious prize has the capability of catapulting their career into new and exciting territories... This year the $15,000 acquisitional prize went to Lisa Walsh with her work Across the Lines...

For me the work of Wendy Fairclough was serene and amazing....

The etching on the exterior of each piece of glass was executed with such a light touch and it was beautiful bit of drawing...

The prize has now flown the koop and is now being shown in Brisbane... so if your up that way take a look..... Otherwise its one to look out for next October...

And finally....

I just wanted to mention that the second edition of SOHI magazine has landed, and again, the editors have been busy producing a beautiful and well crafted zine...

I picked up a copy at Object but get onto their blog for more info...

....I hope that has give you a few ideas of what is out and about this month!
As the end of the year fast approaches, galleries are about to present some great shows before they all close for the long summer break! I know im going to try and hit the pavement when I get back!! The list is on the desk waiting for me!...