finished at last

Finished at last, I am about to go and post my works Earthskins off to America.

Such a small roll of work you wouldn’t think it took such effort!
Now the pressure is off strain and tiredness is just catching up again and I want to fall asleep all the time!

Detail of last piece to add to the exhibition based on memories of Thailand.

I have had many friends drop in to see what I have been doing [and say goodbye- I am off to India again].
I had a really interesting conversation with friends yesterday- they were asking me about the work around in galleries that really grabs me and why.
What I love to visit the most is some contemporary Aboriginal painters- it is because they really touch my heart.
There is a lot of great stuff around to see and it is made in many different ways.

Some is really clever and they have thought about t a lot, some I think is lead by a different part of the anatomy- the heart.
It is a hard one to explain- but some work really touches the heart, other stimulates the mind as its first point of contact.
Having mentioned the idea of Spiritual art before… I guess it is another way of saying something that touches your heart- it has more of a possibility to lead you into deeper realms. The stuff that is just clever takes you into an intellectual labyrinth but it is a self contained area[ from my experience] whilst stuff that touches your heart doesn’t so contained in the area it can take you to….but I’ll tell you what it seems a lot harder to talk about!

synchronicity or what?

I am leading a Workshop in Paradise in May… sounds good doesn’t it?
It will be at Daku Resort on the island of Vanua Levu, Fiji [ well away from the tensions confined to Suva] www.dakuresort.com

We will spend part of each day in our workshop- stitching and interpreting the locale.
The rest of our time our host Delia has organized lots of things for us to soak up the local culture.

I am really looking forward to visiting the makers of the local Masi cloth[ known in other locals as Tapa] it is made from the inner bark of a mulberry tree.
I have a few samples of the cloth and it is lovely to use a base for textile collage or to print on in a manner similar to local traditions.

We are also going to be indulged with such things as visits to local villages, reef cruise and snorkeling, and visiting a black pearl farm and then have our resort to retreat to and relax [whilst stitching and creating of course!]

I preparation I have been trying to see Masi cloth and gather somewhat of an understanding of its patterns and significance.
There was one or 2 pieces in the museum in Sydney, Musee Quai Brandly in Paris had a small but interesting collection of pieces from across the Pacific and I have just found out Toronto, Canada will have an exhibition “Cloth that grows onTtrees” what more could I ask for?

I am teaching in Canada in a March,… because of my ticket I had to take a stopover of 1 day in Toronto.
No problem but what to do with myself…well the gods were looking after me I have just found out about this exhibition which is just what I want to see for my research!

building an exhibition

It is most interesting developing on a body of work for an exhibition.
You need a theme, something, some idea you want to explore. Something that has enough substance to hold your interest and supportive of building enough work to develop an interesting exhibition.

Each piece then needs to be worked to a level where it will stand alone as a decent piece of art and the works as a whole have to have enough links that the exhibition feels like a unit.

I am using subtle repetition in the works I am creating for the Earthskins exhibition to connect things up.
Part of the point I am wishing to make is that the Earth is a whole- we are all connected to each other through our place upon the Earth.
Places I have visited are in many ways all the same – they are just different at the same time. A conundrum isn’t it?

There is a beautiful Jain temple I regularly visit in Ranakpur. Contemplating the place and its design has taught me so much. [ I am not a Jain, by the way but do appreciate their teachings. A Priest at the Jain Temple in Leicester was once kindly telling something of their teachings to some friends and myself.
One thing he said was along the lines of …even if you don’t understand or want to know of the teachings visiting the Holy centres will bring much to your life.hhmm?]
Back to the temple in Ranakpur.
It is a very fine temple- intricately carved in white marble- the place almost glows with vitality.
That vitality really caught my attention and I have wondered how it comes about.
Surely a large part of it is the beautiful site , all those hundreds of years of people feeling wonder there, all those special experiences of the divine….some though I think also arises from the architecture of the place.

There are 1444 marble pillars supporting the temple. Each beautiful in its own right, intricately carved- together though they create this wonderful forest so stone- they are all the same BUT different – I think this is contributes to the dynamic feeling of the place. And it is like a living embodiment of life as well.
If those pillars were identical the place would not feel vibrant rather bored, dead even.

Thinking of the pillars has helped in making good decisions in creating the pieces for this exhibition…I hope.

above a few more snippets of these works....

only a few more to go!

Guidlines to mindful awarness

I mentioned some time ago an article i read in a newspaper in Bangkok.
This is some of what it had to say...article by Karnjariya Sukrung in the Bangkok Post, 26th November, 2006

Guidlines to Mindful Awareness.
Artist -turned-monk PhraAmnart Ophaso suggests some practical ways to use art
to cultivate mindful awareness. These guidelines can be applied to children as well.

While appreciating art
Be aware of the feeling and thoughts that
are present. What is happening in your mind? What feeling is present? What thought is present? Like, dislike, pleased or confused, and so on. Accept the feelings as they are.
Just acknowledge like/dislike as a feeling, and don't identify it with "I". There is a feeling of like, this is how like expresses itself, it is light, glowing, and when dislike appears in the mind, there may be a sense of struggle or closeness within. Observe how these feelings remain and disappear or transform.
We can meditate with art or bits of nature that exude an aesthetical element for our eyes, such as the setting sun, fluffy clouds, swayingleaves.

While creating a piece of art
. Before working if you have an object that you want to draw or paint, spend time observing it completely. Appreciate it, without judgement or intervention of thought. Observe it long enough that you feel (if possible) that there is no division between subject and object. Or observe it long enough that when you close your eyes, the image can clearly spring up in your mind.
If you intend to draw or paint abstract topics, then contemplate the issues for a while until the concept is crystallised.
· Start working
Clear and relax your mind. Leave out expectations for success or beauty, competition of any kind.
Do not think as you spend some time to crystalise ideas. Draw with your heart. Allow the image to emerge in the mind and work on it each present moment. You may have an
idea when you start, but you should allow for fresh and spontaneous expression. In short, do not cling to the old ideas too hard.

... Be aware of the movements of your hands
Be aware of what is happening in your mind and hands while you are creating the work. What feeling is present? What thought is present?
If you cannot be aware with the present moment, the finished art work can help you contemplate.

Art for children
To inspire children to do art work is a good
way to help develop their meditation and awareness skills. One may tell them to draw or paint a picture for someone they love.

Kia Ora

Kia Ora

In New Zealand this means welcome, and that is certainly what you get- one big warm welcome.

The place is beautiful, the arts and crafts vibrant, there seems to be an admirable amount of dialogue happening between the first people and the later arrivals and the weather is truly temperate!
So refreshing after home and knowing that the spectre of the Australian summer was on the horizon again.
I had a great week teaching at the Wanganui University Summer School http://www.ucol.ac.nz/
- spent the time with a great bunch of students and the evenings busy with all the associated cultural activities and then tutors de-brief over a glass of wine at the pub! I work hard but am no angel- it was great to sit back and have a yarn.
If you fancy a great holiday and something interesting to do, look into it- there was a wide range of arts covered and all the work in the Tutors exhibition and throughout the studios lead me to think each class was desirable

New Zealand is a vibrant indigenous craft and I saw so many highly desirable examples of it.
Mere Keating is a excellent practioner of the art [ the pic is of her work and my very own treasure] mere teaches in the Wanganui area. Contact her if you are interested in lessons merepete@xtra.co.nz .

Pictures above are of the beach near Wanganui- black sand and covered in bleached driftwood- just stunning, you could spend hours wandering along looking at all the shapes. and the locals make these really cool lean-tos to keep out of the wind.

The other is bubbling mud pools at Rotorua, amazing but ooohh! the smell- my eyes and nose streammed all the time I was there and I did not stop sneezing until about 2 hours out of town. still the place was so fascinating...

the Land of the long white cloud

in New Zealand this week, such a beautiful spot.

it is a magical landscape, like one big garden from the areas i have been in so far.

Green and verdant- like England but with the very clear bright light I know from Austrlai.

Mid summer and a lovely 23 degrees my type of summer temp! with lovely breezes- apparently these are a constant feature of this island paradise.

I am in Rotorua famed for its volcanic activiity- amazing bubbling mud and steam vents everywhere- smell just makes me sneeze continually- sulphur is not my thing!

will post pics soon
Fiona

fantastic indigenous crafts here- so inspiring