Modern Monet...

Have you been to the NGV lately? I was on my way to see Monet's Garden, and this is just one of the little joys I found along the way.

It is a pond of china bowls drifting in eternal motion.

Clinking as they go.

Drifting.
Bumping.
Turning...
Twisting and spinning...

Mesmerising.

It's an alternative take on Monet's Lilly Pond I believe.

And totally beautiful.

So many clothes, nothing to wear...

Work day mornings are never easy. Never.

And choosing something to wear is pretty much my first hurdle. It's the first decision that sees me delay getting out of bed.

And whilst I had to 'downsize' when I took on a flat mate last year and moved out of my bedroom and into a room without built in robes (and I have an amount of clothes that most women would shudder at) I do have a selection of clothes that allow me to rotate my wardrobe and 'mix it up' - a bit. 

Mostly I manage to pull something together.

But why is it, that once you finally make the decision, drag yourself out of bed, shower and find yourself standing at the rack of clothes, that the thing you most wanted to wear has lost a button, is in need of an iron*, or one piece of the 'ensemble' is at the bottom of the washing basket?

Which then generally lends itself to more indecision, a few moments of huffing and puffing and the somewhat disheveled look for which I am becoming renowned.

*Actually a rare occurrence as I don't use an iron unless it's absolutely essential. And given that I try not to even buy clothes that require ironing, even more unlikely! But you know what I mean...

Photo taken at The Tate Modern, London, 2011.

Mueck Magic...

When I first saw a picture of Ron Mueck's sculpture of 'two women' in a magazine, I'll admit, they gave me the creeps. They were just a little too real, a little too lifelike for me, and maybe even a little too ugly! I know, you would think that lifelike is the intention (and surely it is), but the expressions of the two old women was plotting, if not nasty, and I just didn't like them.

A couple of years later, and yesterday I find myself eyeball to eyeball with the same old women, but find their stature rather less intimidating. They are less than 3 feet tall. And up close and personal (though I still feel they are up to no good), the detail and their lifelike features are too incredible not to be impressed.

You could get up close and look at the tiniest of details and wonder at the creation and observation of the artist. The temptation to touch was hard to resist, as it was sometimes difficult to believe these sculptures weren't more than just resin and hair. Mueck did not attempt to hide the realities of life. There were wrinkles and blemishes and hair in noses, and expressions that told of the strains and pressures of life. He chose to get straight to the point and capture people, spots and all. Sometimes in such vulnerable poses or situations that I couldn't bare to look for more than a moment.

You could take photos (though not with a flash) and I was happy to have captured the one of 'wild man' with the gallery security in the edge of the pic, just to show the scale.

If you can, go and see this exhibition. It is on at the NGV until the 18th of April and is worth a visit. And while you're there, watch how other visitors interact with the sculptures, they are almost as fascinating as the sculptures themselves.

Mosaic Magic...

1. Frangipani 2, 2. Wall Painting, 3. Lily, 4. Pencils, 5. CuriousCow, 6. Beach, 7. JewelleryBox, 8. More Note Books, 9. View

Thanks to the lovely from Melanie from Kimono Reincarnate and from Leni & Rose who helped me with the technological challenge of adding links to my mosaics. It worked! What wonderful people you all are with your comments and assistance. Thank you!

Melanie has also been so good as to add instructions to her blog so you too can see how it's done. Go check it out.

Thanks everyone - have a lovely day!

Banksy

I was catching up on some regular blogs last night and came across a post by Brooke at Boobooksausagedogs. It reminded me I had been intending to post about the very same artist for a while now. On the first day of my arts course we went exploring some of Melbourne's galleries and was introduced to Banksy's work (in the street not in a gallery). I had taken a photo of his graffiti in Melbourne and was going to post it - so at last - here it is.

Keeping his identity a closely guarded secret, the graffiti artist Banksy has made a name for himself with provocative images stenciled around the streets of London. This British street artist with an international reputation has also left his mark in a narrow Melbourne laneway... It's near a corner of a small alleyway just off Flinders Lane, between Degreaves and Swanston Streets.


Funny thing is, it has been valued at $400,000 due to the artist's notoriety! Melbourne council, in it's wisdom, have decided to cover (protect) the artwork (due to it's rumoured value) with a piece of perspex. Hmmm. This is totally against the intentions of the artist, and it is likely will do little to protect the original, but rather be the perfect surface for Melbourne graffiti artists to comment on the councils intellect.

I thought the Banksy website was interesting and I liked a lot of his work. It's worth a look if you are interested. There is a range of images of indoor and outdoor work and some films too. He even has a shop!

"Everything in the shop is free, simply download the file and process the artwork. This shop is for personal amusement only. Please don't use it to start a business. Thanks."

Page One, New chapter...

What a day.

Great group of teachers and students.

The teachers are all working artists and incredibly enthusiastic about the course. They were lots of fun and managed to keep everyone entertained.

The group of fellow students are all women - something I was not expecting, but it has it's advantages and I hope it will become a strong support group. Ages range from in the 20's (one or two) to in their late 50's. They come from a range of life experiences which will definitely colour the experience for everyone.

We spent the day getting to know each other, looking around the facilities and then wandering around Melbourrne exploring some of the lesser know smaller galleries. Really interesting.

Tomorrow it's time to get our hands dirty.
Painting all morning and then drawing all afternoon. I expect it to be a pretty full-on day.

Have a good day everyone.