Alpine classic
I lack Ben’s skills with the video editing so here’s a lower-tech account of the 2008 Alpine Classic.
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Sometimes the grid city feels like a cage.
Richard ‘Sticks’ Price contemplates another day at work.
Chicken Legs is still looking for a way around the office porn filters.
As the meeting at the gallery moves into its third hour, the C8er girl considers biting off her tongue to help stay awake.
And the student makes his plans for the new academic year.
Tank’s been a bit distracted lately.
The Belgians?
It’s better not to ask.
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We all have the weekend …
… on our minds.
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Bright, “Where the river runs those giant hills between.”
Sunday morning
Early start for the …
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Baz 70km
Belgian 200km
Belgienne 70km
C8er Girl 130km
Chicken Legs 200km
Sticks 200km
Student 200km
Tank 130km
TOTAL 1,200km
family portrait
Bought a book about drawing Manga style cartoons as part of an ongoing effort to improve my face/figure drawing. Here’s an attempt at a family portrait.
Beginning, middle, end
First of all there was a tube in a tyre on a bike.
Then there was an idea forming on a loom. Then there was a bag:
First there was a sheep, then unspun wool, then a felting exercise at TAFE, then another bag.
First there was a piece of fabric that got chopped into lengths then a length of fabric on a loom, then a little bag to ‘clutch’ to your person.
Now there is a really tired TAFE student.
Orange
Our warm up exercise for the secondary colours is this.
Place a sheet of the colour (say orange) in the middle of a larger piece of white paper. Stare at it for about 30 seconds without focusing directly on it. Try and stare through/past it like looking at one of those 3d illusions. After a while the complementary colour starts to appear like a halo. When the orange sheet is taken away a luminous blue rectangle hangs like a mirage on the white board. It is quite magical.
Recycling at school
I haven’t blogged about it this year, but I am back at TAFE studying textiles.
I am doing a weaving subject and recently put out a call for old bicycle inner tubes to use in my final project (thanks Ben for the nice Continentals that added some yellow writing to the mix - see below).
I have been getting really interested in textiles and a subversive move to ‘refashion’ instead of obediently buying what fashion dictates, so decided to try to reuse/recycle/renew some textiles in my weaving project.
I decided to use leather thong (not recycled) as my warp (the long threads that run along the fabric parallel with the selvedge or edge) and recycled inner tubes and stockings as well as rag for my weft (the threads that run from selvedge to selvedge). Anyway, I took some shots today of the work on the loom so you can see what I am doing.
Stay tuned for the finished products - I am planning to make wristbands, bags and accessories from this lot!
Yellow
Yellow always makes me think of sunflowers and sunflowers always make me think of my Bobba (yiddish for grandma). Yellow paint on white paper is so bright you almost have to look away.
blue
Blue is reflective and deep, enticing yet elusive, drawing me in.
red
Even with the muted tones of the wet on wet technique, tonight red is angry and sharp, pushing me away. Where is the love, the warmth, the life?
three into seven
In addition to studying for a Dip Ed this year, I’ve also started a part-time course in Steiner Education. This term we’re doing painting (as well as lectures, reading and stuff).
Here is my painting from the first week’s exercise.
You start with a blank white sheet of paper. So full of potential, yet also vaguely intimidating. Come on. Show me what you’ve got.
A band of yellow splashes across the middle third. At Steiner schools the children paint on wet paper, encouraging them to learn to paint rather than draw with paint. The paint bleeds into the paper and often the painting changes a lot as it dries.
Red on the top third.
Then blue across the bottom.
At this point if you tilt your head to one side it looks like a flag, possibly for a small central American or Caribbean country.
When the yellow is taken up into the red some softness and texture starts to emerge. And more depth when the blue is brought up into the yellow.
Sunset, a lake, a landscape.
I am happy to leave it there, the blue is open and inviting.
Others add red to the bottom of the painting, completing the cycle and the spectrum.
I am off to TAFE: Semester roaring to a close
Whoever said students are slackers? As well as avoiding brain tumours and filling out survey after survey issued by universities trying to prove that students don’t want student union facilities (little things like dentists, counsellors, solicitors), we are deep in the throes of the latter, assessible (I don’t know how to spell that word) half of semester. By stuff I mean designs, prints, drawings, reports on exhibitions visited and practicing artists interviewed and lots of colours wheels painted in gouache.
Here are my latest screen printing efforts. Note traces of past lives coming out in the designs created:
