Tree Hugger

 With the possibility of a solo exhibition and how the fill a gallery space, I've been thinking about themes. It seems that 'Everything is Plastic' is looming as a distinct possibility. So far, there's 'Water', then I'll do something to do with home, but I'm focusing on having another large piece and I think it should be trees.

Trees...I do love trees. There's something older and wiser about trees, a solidity. 

I've a small collection of books about trees, either with the emphasis on the native trees of Australia or a growing wisdom around the connectedness and intelligence of trees.

'The Hidden Life of Trees' by Peter Wohlleben. 

'The Life & Love of Trees' by Lewis Blackwell

'Wise Trees' by Diane Cook and Len Jenshel

'Eucalypts: a celebration' by John Wrigley and Murray Fagg

Old Growth: Australia's Remaining Ancient Forests' by Peter McConchie

Beautiful pictures of trees and their lives. Already I'm thinking about the possibilities. 

From my Window - BCC Window Installation project - the start

 I'm embarking on an exciting new project for the month of October. Banyule City Council put a call out to artists to create work for windows of businesses all over the city of Banyule. They wanted to reflect the business and also use materials from the business, right up my alley. I put in a proposal for one window.

I was asked to do two, and then when another artist pulled out, I was asked to do more. So I went from one window to three! I am a little alarmed and hope I can finish all three windows to a good level. The three businesses I have are:

1. Eastern Vitality in Heidelberg where I'm going to focus on their plants and add flowers, phoenix and a background weaving.

2. Rosanna Heating and Cooling in Rosanna where I'm using their ducting to do some off-loom weaving and some origami houses and furniture. It's should be shiny and fun, I haven't done this sort of off-loom weaving for quite some time.

3. The Dish Cafe in Eaglemont was my third business and when I met them I was determined to use some coffee cups in their work. It was a sad story of good intentions unfulfilled, so I sort of feel that I'm mending them. I'll also do a weaving for next to their door incorporating no longer used plastic utensils.

These are all my first successful trials and I'm sure that they will develop further. I also have yet to do enough weaving for photos. There is a warp on the loom, though. The end of October is my nominal deadline with some leeway after that. Should be a busy month.

Liminal//A Shared Distance - the videos

Two videos were made for the exhibition. The first was a trial but I liked it so much that I asked if I could include it as well and they agreed. 

I think they're a little boring, but happily reflect the stillness of my art practice and the way I work.

 

Liminal // A Shared Distance - the works

Way back in February, the Banyule Artists group put out an expression of interest for the last exhbition to be held at the Hatch Contemporary Arts Space. I really wanted to be part of this as I'd been involved with Hatch since the start of the Ivanhoe Makers Market, a long time ago, so I responded.

As Covid-19 changed their exhibition and also changed the works I was going to produce. As part of the experience we were required to produce a video. Armed with my camera and discovering how it worked in regards to video I managed to do this.

I did produce three works. I couldn't narrow my focus so these reflect various aspects of Climate Change, the Covid-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests.

1. Safe (2020) 

        Are we safe in our own homes, reflections on the effect of Climate change and the pandemic and how we might view the safety that our homes give us and how deceptive that might be.

2. June, 29 of 423 (2020)

        A difficult topic to try and respond to was the Black Lives Matter protests and how they were reflected here. The Guardian have an excellent website documenting some of the indigenous lives that have been lost in custody, a total of 423 since the Royal Commission in 1990. Each day of the year someone mourns a loss, 29 in June.

3. Global (2020)

        Global warming or the pandemic, these are my places of shelter around the globe.

  

 

Sock Madness 2020

Sock Madness came at just the right moment this year. I suspect for many people this was true. Most of us around the world were in various forms of lockdown, and in various forms of shock, as COVID-19 became a pandemic and restructured everyone's lives. Sock Madness gave me a structure and a goal and resulted in a terrific set of socks. 

I know the moderators plan the socks well ahead and couldn't have known what was ahead, but they do seem to be a particularly good set of socks with challenges and beautiful outcomes.

The socks are (from right to left):

    Qualifying Round : Wohin?

    Round 2: Echoes from a Transylvanian Forest

    Round 3: Lacy not Lazy Madness Socks

    Round 4: Adament Hears

    Round 1: Diamond Duality

    Round 5: Mobius Madness (this was my dropping out point but I decided to continue, especially, as it turned out, because round seven was written by Adrienne Fong who passed away. Such a lovely tribute.)

    Round 6: Lampropeltis

    Round 7: Suky

For me it was a bit more of a challenge than usual. Early on I made a mistake, picked up by the moderators and had to reknit a toe. Then later I completely misread the instructions and unfortunately the fix was too difficult and as I was in Round 6 I knew there was little time left, so I quit. A bit unhappily, but I'd never got two so wrong before, so a lesson learnt.

Can't wait for next year.

 

A Shawl for my sister

My sister is going through some personal difficulties and deserves all the love we can provide. She desires her privacy so I thought I'd knit her a shawl.

 

I found a pattern 'Flowers of Traken' on Ravelry and couldn't resist. Along with the beauty of the pattern her oldest is a Dr Who fan and this is a reference to one of the episodes.

I had some beautiful alpaca and silk in red....perfect..

Here it is, all bloked, just before I unpinned it and sent it off. 

 

Skating on Thin Ice

I've been playing around with creating shapes using other shapes. In this case to get a very round base, I coiled around a tennis ball. I used fabric remnants, handspun yarn and twine. I learnt the technique at the Handweavers and Spinners Guild during Summer School.

Finishing a piece is always tricky and it took me awhile to find the right pieces. I really didn't want to buy something as it really goes against the whole sustainable practice ethos. Luckily, I had some glass that was left over from a leadlight window class I attended way before children. I kept all the glass. Then some rocks from the garden supplies finished it off. Pretty pleased.

 Unfortunately, it hasn't found an exhibition, yet, in which to shine.