floating thoughts

Light. Floating. Transparent. 

Like the wind...

As I draw closer to my exhibition in September Im now starting to narrow in on the themes and thoughts that I would like to have running through this new collection of artworks. 

As you can see... one big theme is emerging.

That of the sky, wind, and the thoughts, dreams, words and emotions that transparently float through the air...

On Sunday I went to see a beautiful exhibition at S.H Ervin gallery on Observatory Hill in The Rocks. And as I left I went for a walk through the grass and just looked up. And the clouds were forming the most amazing patterns. 

I was transfixed. 

And felt like I could float anywhere.

What a lovely feeling that is....

Floating through the ether. 2015

hold.keep.cup 2016

floating world.2016

transparent parallels. 2016

still life

Interesting when your life becomes still.
Doesn't happen very often these days - especially if you live in the city.
Even most conversations are fast paced and fleeting.

On those very odd occasions when you do catch yourself sitting quietly and watching the world go by  - its lovely to stop and notice what beautiful and often ordinary objects catch your eye.

A shadow on the floor, a fleck of light catching the rim of a cup, the breeze moving a towel that has just come back from the beach...

In the last few months ive been slowing down my thoughts in the studio and doing warm up sketches of the object that lie around me. And ive loved the process.

Its amazing the pleasure that you can get from just quietly sketching a few objects as they wait for you to use them....

a family portrait. December 2015

Lekythos. 2016

APT8 arrives in Brisbane

As you can see from this amazing image by Australian artist Danie Mellor (above) Ive been out and about seeing some beautiful work over the weekend in Brisbane - as the 8th Asia Pacific Triennial has just opened. The Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) and the Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) have been taken over by some amazing contemporary artists. And believe me - two days was just enough! 

The APT is such a brilliant and unique exhibition and The Queensland Arts has to be commended for their brave move to continue investing in this initiative to find, cultivate, support, and acquire artworks from countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Mongolia, New Caledonia and every country in between. The collection of works they present is always interesting, diverse and completely thought provoking. 

Ive just been to Venice to see the Biennale this year and I swear I saw more eclectic and engaging work in Brisbane with this Triennial than I did in Italy. The work this time focused on some key areas such as kinetic energy, issues of personal identity, the environment, displacement and globalisation. 

The one phrase I wrote down when I entered the foyer space at GOMA this year was....

'Public space + collective experience' 

and I think that's what all the works were really about. 

Protest, sharing of information, and a want of acceptance and acknowledgement of our histories - both past and present. 

Great show.

I didnt take many pics but here are a few that made it onto my phone.

Massive mural charcoal drawing by Indian artist Prabhakar Pachpute in the GOMA foyer
created in a couple of days before the exhibition opened

Min Thein Sungs amazing sculptural installation at GOMA.
He is from Myanmar and this work was all about the oppression in his country
and how people made their own toys using everyday materials

Mural drawing in the Queensland Art Gallery by an Indian artist

This amazing multimedia installation by Nicolas Mole (Kanak Peoples/New Caledonia)
was one of my favourite artworks.
It was made in collaboration with artists and performers from New Caledonia

My mate Amelia taking photos of the massive installation of 1000 Venetian blinds
that was in the Queensland art gallery waterfall foyer
by artist Haegue Yang (South Korea)

It was hard to take pics of these stunning photos by Taloi Havini + Stuart Miller
that represent the Hako people and the environmental concerns of  Bougainville.
I loved this series of works...

Amazing SaVage K'lub created by New Zealand artist Rosanna Raymond

A couple of pics of the HUGE installation of paintings, sculptures, drawings and everything else in between ...
by three artists - Ramin Haerizadeh (Iran/UAE), Rokni Haerizadeh (Iran/UEA), Hesam Rahmanian (USA,UEA)
The whole thing was mad, absurd, DADA and funny...

Beautiful work by Joe Ngallametta in QAG.
It wasnt a part of the Triennial but I loved it anyway

Three galleries in three months and three times ive found the work of Vincent Namadjira exhibited!
This man's work is going to be huge! 

Had to finish with this colouring in table at QAG
Amelia and I spent a little while here creating patterns with the other kids and parents at the gallery
The program is events of kids at the Asia Pacific Triennial is always brilliant! 

lingering

First day of a new month. 

And its raining. 

Rain seems to be the familiar backdrop for most days here in Sydney at the moment.

Its a very wet Autumn - and even though we're all thankful for it, we're all looking for excuses to stay in bed and hide away from it too. 

I have to admit Ive been hiding at home this week.

Partly because Im trying to get well after a few health hiccups.

And partly because I need a creative break, so I can let my thoughts linger on what Ive achieved in the past few months.

These days we seem to be focused on what is yet to come and how much is yet to accomplished - like a hamster on a wheel.

Which is an exhausting way to think and feel. 

I was heading down that road until I stopped and let my thoughts linger on what Ive done in the studio this year - and what Ive liked.

And I kept coming back to this little fellow. 

Its a drawing that was completed for a commission but ended up staying with me.

Which Im happy about. 

Its only a small artwork but I think it holds a few ideas for future experiments and larger pieces....

........

Artwork details: Grevillea Movements in Mint, 2015, mix media on paper

the request

In my post last week I was rattling on about taking on requests for commissions and how it can be a daunting but rewarding experience. Well - today im featuring a collection of drawings - completed over the past few months, for a lovely couple in Melbourne who were looking for an artwork for their family home. 

At the time was keen to work on a new series of artworks as I had just completed a collection of drawings and coil weavings for a group exhibition in late January. And sometimes a request, and an idea, from some one other than you can be a liberating and positive opportunity. Some of my best artworks have come from a commission and an idea that was not my own! 

And so I began what is now called 'The Grevillea Series'. 

The commission initially started as one big canvas, themed around the garden - and in particular the colours and textures of the beautiful Grevillea species of plantlife. 

What I, or we, ended up with was a collection of three drawings on paper that speak of nature in a very abstract way. That's what you call 'meeting in the middle'. They had one idea and I had another. And somewhere in the middle was the right solution for the artwork, their family and the space they live in. 

The clients were happy.

I was relieved. 

And now when I look back at these images im actually proud of each artwork that speaks softly and gently about nature, the light and the spaces that we find when we step outside our door.

^inspiration^

^Grevillea shower on indigo sky (detail). Mix Media on paper. 2015^

^Waterfall of Spring (detail). Mix media on paper. 2015^

^ detail of a textile design I created a few years ago...^

^Spring Movements (detail). Mix media on paper. 2015^

^The final collection... ^

ochre light

Its been such a busy start to 2015.

New work projects, social catch ups, workshops, travel... they all seem to be happening so quickly - that its sometimes hard to stay grounded and enjoy every experience as they whiz past at an exponential rate.

So .... just to recap.

Its April. Easter has just happened. 

Its Autumn. 

And im madly busy in the studio.

Working on commissions. 

Which have been exhausting but great. 

Working to a brief and creating a new artwork for someone can be a lovely process... for the most part! 

But it can be tricky - as you really have to try and understand what each person is asking for. And then make sure you stay true to yourself and create within your aesthetic to produce an artwork that says alot about you... and them.

In the last few months Ive had the pleasure of working with a lovely person who doesn't live in Sydney and has never seen my work in the flesh. So all our communication has been through phone calls and emails. 

Tricky! 

Some how we had to find common ground and create a level of trust.

She had to trust that I would create a painting she would love -

And I had to trust myself.

Above and below are the two finished works from this lovely project. 

Above is the preliminary sketch.

Below is the finished painting.

And we're both happy.

^Whispers in Ochre Light. Acrylic on Canvas. 2015^

n e w

New year. New exhibition. New series of works. New art space for sydney.

Happy new year everyone.

Oh it feels like FOREVER since Ive been on this little blog.

Too much has been happening - on both sides of the pendulum - and I know I  was just holding on by the ends of my fingertips in December. Time had a mind of its own and however I tried to slow things down and really concentrate on one task at a time - I knew things were going to happen of their own accord - and I had to let go. 

But now its 2015.

A year that holds so much excitement and promise.

And to start things off on a creative note, I have just come back from a week of teaching at Sturt College in Mittagong which was amazing as always. I will post some of those images in the coming days as I still have to go through them all. I had such a great class, with each person creating the most beautiful series of drawings and coil woven artworks...  

But today I have a new group exhibition to announce. 

A few months ago the lovely Amber Creswell -Bell, a writer from Sydney, asked me and nine other painters, designers, photographers and ceramicists to participate in a concept show for a new space in Paddington in Sydney. Along with our work Amber and the director of the gallery, Kitty, will be exhibiting some beautiful plant-life. 

So I know it will be a colourful, textural and inspiring show. 

What a way to start the year ...

New palette and new ideas for this series that focused on garden life and the energy that exists in
green spaces.

This drawing feels like a cross over piece - from the work for my solo show in August to this series about nature.

Lots of words.... lots of ideas.
After visiting The Botanical Gardens I wrote a poem and then threaded it through a few of the drawings.

While I was working in the studio at the end of last year there were some amazing storms
that hit Sydney.... and that energy seems to have found its way into this drawing.

Lots of energy... that will hopefully translate into lots of happy play, travel and  adventure for 2015!

Gettin messy

^Lucinda getting messy building a drawing at my abstraction workshop at the studio in October^

Hello November. 

Dont know if im quiet ready for you yet -

But im already loving your hot sunny days....

As everyone starts to organise dates in the calendar for end of year catch ups and celebrations I feel like i want to try and slow down a little, as October was a mad month - full of surprises in both the good and bad columns.

One great thing that happened a week or so ago though, was my last abstract drawing workshop for 2014. It was held in a workshop room connected to my studio and was filled with lots of lovely and creative people all ready to get messy with a plethora of art materials and ideas.

I dont know if you can feel the energy that they created in the room that day from these images, but let me say it was exciting to see everyone get completely into the moment and let go! 

It was truly inspiring and a great way to end my workshop year.

Last week I sadly moved studios. So the last few weeks of the year will see me knuckle down and finish off commissions that need to get out of my head and onto a fresh canvas and piece of paper.

So it feels right to say thank you to EVERYONE who came to a workshop this year.

It was a brilliant year for collaborating and creating -

with every class bringing a new conversation, idea and connection. 

Bring on 2015!

^busy^

^Jasmin finding new ways to make marks... with as many materials and colours as possible^

^Lucinda setting out a few shapes on the floor^

^dirty hands, knees and legs means it is was a great class!^

^playing with as many ideas as possible^

^moving shapes along the floor to create a drawing...^ 

^hands blending into the artwork^

^John creating a beautiful artwork on the floor^