Sunday, September 22, 2013

a weekend and some remarkable children...


Saturday morning was a flurry of activity making sure the studio was really organised for the first workshop in this new space!




I took time to find a niche for everything to belong somewhere useful ... divying up art materials into precise keeping places according to kind of product and frequency of use.

The night before I'd worked on canvas... one of a number of recycled canvases a friend recently dropped off for me to use as they'd been left behind by his Uni class and he was keen they not be thrown out. Taking on discarded stretcher frames can be too much at times... but  all the hyper-organisation of late meant there was room and I decided to use them for these initial sessions getting back into painting after an unusually long break. Its liberating to be working over a previously used canvas... one is not precious about the results which is very freeing.

This 40 cm x 120 cm work below is a case in point. Working in colours slightly outside the usual palette was great for a start... and getting into the flow in a very organic way allowed it to emerge as i went along... watching, or moreover, listening to a brilliant doco on the life of extraordinary pianist, musician Glen Gould.




As for the result... its too soon to determine whether it will stay as is. Playing with the idea of seeds across millennia, pouring out into the endless emerging now... this is an idea ... the intimation of endlessness... that I return to time and again.

Back to Saturday and preparing the studio...


Opportunity presented itself for me to offer an Intensive class on Seeds and Plants to a young student... a very keen 12 year old boy ...  it seemed important to find someone to invite to join with him to do a special holiday class. A friend's 9 yr old daughter was the first thought and class started at 10am Saturday going through till 2.30pm which allowed us to cover some fascinating material trying numerous visual approaches.



Afternoon... both in full swing.



Excuse me for putting this series of images this way up... it gives an overview of the Jackson's work which we laid out to dry on the floor. He relished being in this space it seemed... my shelves laden with seeds and pods ...specimens gathered ll over the place.

And then there were the books which he was keen to pour through. His memory of the species he's seen before is really evident  as he talks about forays into the Botanic Gardens in Brisbane , Cairns and elsewhere. What struck me was that he had been frequenting these places from his earliest years and... as the only child of two devoted parents had quietly been given the chance to constantly further his interests in a way that struck me as quietly dilligent and without unnecessary fuss. 


It seemed they'd perhaps learnt the art of nurturing this inquisitive, somewhat rare mind in their son 
Jackson in a really solid, grounded way ... balancing these passions of his for the world of nature with Piano lessons and connections with others his age.

Subsequently he's a very motivated 12 yr old who would easily already be most at home in a Science lab ... despite his young age. This is his work above and below... revealing great attention to detail and a love of plants in their various configurations. 



9 yr old Sophie has spent time in my studio over recent years here and there...  and seemed a natural to include on this occasion as she has a curious mind and love of leaning that I felt would make her quite at home with an older student with a unique passion for nature. 

It was an excellent pairing ... nothing was forced or expected of them in terms of connecting but it seemed that the level of conversation that ensued did satisfy their intellectually ripe natures. Sophie wasn't coming from a place of having being immersed in a deep passion for nature from the year dot like Jackson clearly has been ... but what they shared was a marked curiosity for thinking and engaging on topics of interest.


Sophie investigated the patterning in this seed pod below... producing a drawing I was taken with for the way it demonstrated close observation of both the structure and patterning in this object. 


The highlight of the day for me was the dialogue between all three of us. The outstanding level of engagement really stemmed from the busy mind of Jackson as he shared with us his surprisingly vast wealth of knowledge and experience of the world of Plants, Funghi, Etamology and even Marine Biology.

Since yesterday I've considered the way the two students interacted and fed of each other's curiosity and commentary... pausing to respond to my questions, comments and challenges. Both were so receptive, open to being nudged along if it made sense to them why. It confirmed for me that learning happens best when focus can be 100% an distractions aren't coming from the noise of unengaged others  in one's space.

A lot of talk at one point in the day's conversation was on the annoying stuff that school brings... it reminded me that bright children can deal with a lot of bullying ... and if not direct bullying ... then certainly undermining by those who begrudge this uniqueness in their peers. Both children are interested in others and like having close friendships. Yet both were having to be quite cavvy about how to deal with the messages they get from those around.

It reminded me of certain experiences I've encountered over the last 5 years where a growing passion to explore and think deeply about Seeds and Plants in my Art Practice has aroused some remarkably stiff competition seemingly out of the blue... moments of confrontation with less than pleasant attitudes tha can be bewildering in their intensity and pointlessness.

Pragmatically of course its best to identify poor behaviour or attitudes that undermine for what they are, identify and name them and move on... making sure to grow fruitful connections in their place that allow one to be free of such distraction. To hear a 12 year old and 9 year old discussing how to navigate this was fascinating. Being smart, talented, different and so on can arouse asll kinds of reactions in others and learning how best to not further provoke undue unpleasantness or alternatively how not to completely suppress one's uniqueness for the sake of connection and social acceptance is a big thing for children... and it would seem for adults if I think on it.

Saturdays class was such a frank and interesting reminder of this.

Spending Sunday with my grand-nephew Will, soon to be turning five, was also a revelation in some ways. 



Here he is pondering his jelly and blueberries last night!

This afternoon he and I built this half-constructed house...


I'd saved a lot of off-cuts of timber, red perspex and some other bits and pieces ... so we glued bits together and we'll keep it here so we can add to it whenever he visits. A lot of chat came from working together on this project.

I find I'm very drawn at the moment to work with children one to one ... or as I did on Saturday... with two. I spent a good part of the period from 2001 to late 2007 working with children as a substitute teacher in secondary schools. For one so given to working with the individual needs of children of course its a very exhausting experience to be attempting that in a system that is loaded in terms of large classes moving between subjects all day. I did it for 7 years and was not overly concerned when a major illness necessitated my leaving that work environment.

It would make pure economic sense to scale up class sizes but my interest is not in what size fits all learning no matter how tempting it might be to generate the all-important funds that keep things moving that way. What I find is at stake is a much deeper interest in learning what is at the heart of children's lives and thinking now.

Perhaps working on the book over the last months has pushed me to ask deeper questions on virtually everything, al over again ... I keep chewing over and evaluating what is most critical in terms of the purpose and direction I am aiming to articulate. 

Some months back I felt an urgency about getting this book together... however... at a certain point I stopped and completely reckoned with myself over the need to be more sure and absolutely clear in my heart and mind before I attempt to throw my words and ideas at the world.

And in that light this weekend has been invaluable!

Here's to a good week for all!

Sophie


Friday, September 20, 2013

settling into studio life...


Its been a busy week which I wrote in part about here at Visual Eclectica blog and here at Homage to the Seed blog. Ive been sensing my brain firing up again as I go between meetings with various people,  online engagements and studio hours.

Its a good feeling even if its makes for feeling a bit scattered. I remind myself this is how getting going again feels... lots of chat, darting about and trying to sort which ideas deserve be brought to fruition and is of integrity and value!



Painting on paper is by far the best warm up!


thinking seeds ... millions of seeds!


A new micro project with a local seed collector and land-care steward Denise Rivers yesterday was food for thought. Took photos of Lomandra seeds she's saved as well as accompanying her to the creek where she has spent ten years working to rebuild species diversity restoring habitat for birds and animals.

More soon... back to the painting for now!

Liked this photo below put up on Instagram by Jo Cook whom I sent postcards to in Tasmania to say how much I liked her contribution to the FAIR FOOD WEEK Photo competition I recently helped judge. Jo is a freelance chef and Food Curator in Tasie who tweets her news here.




cheerio,
Sophie

Friday, September 6, 2013

a studio day for painting... at last!


At the end of tonight I'd lay out some quick work on paper to photograph that came from today. 
It was simple work that was more about getting the feel of paint and brush again after months out of action.


I so enjoyed working the paint with a clean, dry brush so as to get a textured line. It was basic stuff today... and it took a bit of getting started! I knew it was important to begin without concern for what exactly I needed to be doing and any outcomes... it reminded me of practicing scales on the piano every day for years whilst learning piano... only more fun... simple exercises to get into the flow of working again!



Finding forms and getting the textured look happening 



Stripes... was interesting the instinctive choice of colour in this work!




Yesterday I did the third session with a group of 12, 13 yr old on Seeds and Biodiversity at Kelvin Grove Secondary School... part of a program involving visiting artists working with groups of students towards an exhibition. We started by discussing what the role of seeds is... and that lead to working on simple ideas and black on white paper. 


We played with the originals by reversing the black/white for maximum effect.

Now that I've broken the ice I'm sure that there will be ore activity to post here from time to time!

Sunday, September 1, 2013

getting there!


Its so good to report that I am getting closer to starting studio work again with the process of unpacking and sorting out what goes where coming together.

And its been happening in fits and starts since we moved here July 28th due to other demands on time. It's quite one thing to unpack all the books and materials of the studio... but despite the shelving and space itself being generous ... the task is to make things fit yet still have the space remain as uncluttered as possible. The studio for me is such a dynamic space with many functions and new things coming in all the time... it leaves one hankering for a huge studio to spread out at will.

However... this is not a small space and I am incredibly fortunate to be settling into what is in many ways an ideal space even if it will keep me on my toes making it do what I need it to do!





These shelves can't carry too much weight at the top so the bottom row has the heavy books. I'm so conscious of what happens as the studio becomes busier and how the practical aspects of working here become all important... hence Ive really tried to think about the work stations and zones for things to belong to... as in the reading, musing zone below which has the painting area to the left and a large piece of linoleum laid over the tiles for a more practical wet-zone.




I'm so happy to have a place for this 1920's armchair that came from the large old house where I had my first real studio back in 1990. Its getting awfully worn ... but after thinking I would get it recovered finally it seems just right as is... and sitting here on the kilim I brought back form Turkey in 1988 its feels so at home. This home studio is in house built in 2004... so the presence of the old and well worn really adds some soul to the place. 

Friends coming to dinner last night spurred me to keep unpacking those pesky boxes... so today I plan to puddle around with some paints and paint myself back into the studio rhythm ... bit by bit!
Cheers all
S

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Blogging for me is an extension of keeping a journal which I have done in various forms over the decades. The difference being this is not a closed book! I like that it offers an opportunity to explore that which concerns me as an artist and as an individual about living and participating in this vastly complex, unquestionably exciting yet unnerving time in human history. Through the blog I hope to increase the possibilties for cross-pollination which I believe can strengthen the sense of being part of something both personal and universal that is vital, expansive and refreshing.