Chasing Shadows

As Summer sets in the play of shadows chasing across the landscape become more evident. I enjoy the intimate  play of light and colour on walls, footpaths and  the reflections on windows and through glass.

  These images taken in Plymouth are the a few from a series which look at transparent and opaque surfaces and marks in these 'found observations'. Texture and light in ordinary objects and things have own narratives which I like to explore in my work. The detail below from a piece 'View from a Medway Barge' links drawing  with printed and layered surfaces.You can find inspiration in simple things.

The sketch made whilst in Australia looks at reflected views in a window of the trees in bush and the bedstead just outside the window.

  Printing is one way of taking a direct 'mirror' image of an object. This is a group print experiment by students at attending a workshop at Mad Hatter Studios

Dame Elizabeth Blackadder DBE RA, uses reflections and what may seem to be disparate objects as seen in 'Still-life with Mirror and Japanese Print'.

My next Summer School at West Dean 'Tracing Shadows' presents the opportunity to explore some of these ideas.

I am also taking part in Open Studios this June  www.seos-art.org/artists/casholmes .

 

Dyeing Down Under

Last day in Australia in Perth so what do I choose to do? I spent this morning with my friend Pam dyeing fabrics with the leaves of the Lilly Pilly tree. Below you can see the plant, the dye pot and the results. Her veranda is amazing hanging with skulls so could not resist a few sketches as well. I will follow up some time with some more piccies but am getting ready to pack. 

Oh, and another Magpie of course!

A kangaroo skull

Looking up, down and near to home

Seems I am not so far from home after all and in one of my favourite environments a wooded area with birds. I had a good week in Canbarra, brilliant hosts and  started to look up, down and around for inspiration. The National Museum of Australlia had some stunning architecture

A scorpion's tail and looking up, the skylights in the massive ceilings looked like giant leaves. Just stunning.

A view across from my hosts house to trees around the golf course..plenty of birds in this wood.

Fantastic Sculptural installation and building in the garden of the National Gallery of Australia. Skyspace by James Turrel.

Views and a sketch from the Telstra Tower overlooking Canbarra and the Blue Mountains beyond.

Am now in Perth for my last week. Very warm. Had a lovely day by the coast..more later

Antipodes- diametrical opposite..from Tasmania..the bottom of the world

Antipodes means 'diametrical opposite'. Autumn as opposed to Spring. Leaves remaining on trees, days getting shorter rather than longer.Needing to wear four layers in Australia. All the things which seems different to what you expect. Have spent a few days in Tasmania...and many things remain familiar if sometimes a little unexpected.

Seagull on Bruny Island

The 'Neck' connecting North to South of Bruny Island, Deep Pacific Blue on the left, shallow bay water on the right

Autumn flowering Banksia named after Joseph Banks, Plantsman

The next few images are from Birchs Bay Sculpture Trail: Unexpected sculptures referencing plant forms in the Australian landscape.http://www.benchmarkingbirchsbay.com.au/

Fantasy of the Fungus. Marcus Tatton

Resilience Kirst Foley-Lewis and Matt Fisher

Sally Brown

 

Andy Goldsworthy by comparison with his natural sculptural interactions with the spaces around him. This piece is called. Gold Rowan Leaves. 

The views and habitat of Mount Field north of Hobart:

A domestic view and sketch whilst having breakfast:

and finally, a quick related sketch in stitch from my 'Imperfect Plant' series.

Bloomin 'lovely Ballarat and on to Tasmania





Have just spent some time in Ballarat with a great group of students and teachers. Wonderful to be here again. On the second day a student bought in a dead Wattle bird. I could not resist photographing its magnificant plumage and making a sketch. Makes a change from an appple for teacher. 

 

 Cormorants were fishing and drying ou in the sun on lake Wendouree.Ballarat founded it wealth on mining and the lake has wonderful Botanical gardens on its surrounds.

 

A quick sketch at teabreak in Ballarat Grammar school where the workshops were held.

 

As always, installations were popping up all over the place.This piece by Debroah McCardle changed as it moved around the site. Her work will feature in Connected Cloth (co-written with Anne Kelly). Due out soon.

 

The students added to Tea-Flora-Tales which was great and the project is now becoming global.

And finally in Tasmania, staying in Laichlan and New Norfolk region so am feeling 'right at home'. But unlike my native Norfolk..far from flat. This is the view from my little single billeted 'hut'.

 

and the journey into work...Will update later with further news from Tasmania. No devils yet but have seen a Bettong

 

 

Melbourne work and play

Left Hong Kong behind but not quite left behind the memories. Piece below is 'Tin Hau Red Bowl'. 

Arrived in Melbourne on Monday and been out and about in the city as well as running workshop Inevitably, I found some magpies.

 

The shop is in Fitzroy area of the city full of old houses with beautiful iron work and tin roofs.

I walked most of the city centre from the Victoria Market in the North with the most wonderful fish and general produce.

 To the famous Flinders station in the South where I picked up a train for Toorak road the area I was staying and working.

Images just outside Opendrawer, a wonderful shop, gallery and workshop full of a mix of hand -made craft goods, and a good body of workshops on offer. Below are a few more pieces to be added to Tea, Flora, Tales generously made by students on my workshop.

Top Left to right: Annette Hyland, Ro Bruhn,Sue Dilley.

Bottom:Lisa Churchward,Peta Lorback, Judith Lawler