fiveandtwo

William Kentridge.

Yesterday Clare, Ally and I took the train to Melbourne to see the William Kentridge Five Themes exhibition at ACMI. A major retrospective of Kentridge's work. I'd been meaning to go since the exhibition opened in early March.

Reasons to see it: Unsettling and wonderful animation and artwork; Linsey urged me to see it; it closes on Sunday; children travel fee mid-week on the V-Line train from Bairnsdale (providing they're accompanied by an adult); Linsey finishes Uni at 1:30pm on Wednesdays (so we'd be able to catch up); I'll regret it if I don't see it.

Reasons not to see it:  Money. It's never just the cost of a train ticket and exhibition entry. I can take some food, but not enough for 3 people for what amounts to a 17.5 hour day (and I like having coffee/cake/food different to what's on offer in Bairnsdale). I like the shops, looking at all sorts of stuff, sometimes tempted to buy...

So, the twins and I went, in spite of the minuses. And I am so glad. William Kentridge's work...I've never seen the like of it. Sorry to use a hackneyed word, but it was awesome. As in inspiring awe.  We hung out with the eldest, which for me involves new stuff to talk about : books read, issues from ABC Insight TV program and other current affairs, how the work's going at uni, people she and I know and people unknown to me. Splendid, as always, to talk with Linsey. Splendid, too, to hang out with Clare and Ally and experience the William Kentridge exhibition with them.

I didn't take a camera, obviously. So, words without photos.

Autumn Is For Spiders.

Always so many spiders around at this time of year. Lots of leaf curling spiders being resourceful, using not only leaves but snail shells and odd bits like a piece of cat food bag. A beautiful orb weaving spider builds a web from the nectarine tree to the house. Plenty of daddy-long-legs, window spiders and huntsman spiders inside as well.

Nothing to do with spiders. I have to decide between painting and sculpture for my second year major at TAFE. I am leaning towards painting. Painting is very important to me...and it is more "kitchen table" friendly. Sculpture is important to me too...not so "kitchen table" friendly. The kitchen table is where I am able to work (between meals!).

Either way, I have to write a proposal regarding the direction my work will take etc. I'm finding it quite difficult. I settle on The Direction and then ideas are pinging all over the place with no relation to The Direction, distracting me and changing my settled ideas.

Sigh. Big whinge.

Coffee Cup Paintings.

A new obsession. Like I even need a new obsession. However, it has to run its course. I have to paint coffee cups until it wears off. Otherwise I will become a tortured soul.

A quartet of cups. They're small, only 14.8 x 14.8cm each one. Each one works as a painting on it's own, or with one, two or three companions. Top left is one of my favourite cups for a coffee fix.

1960s Japanese mug. I have several of this ilk. At the moment they're "out of circulation" in a high cupboard. Until the kids leave home and any breakages will be my fault.

This is an unfinished one (I've finished it now though, pic in a later post). I like the yellow/blue-grey/black colour combination. Not one I've experimented with before. I've two more partially finished paintings, and five more in sketch form.

I'm considering another etsy shop for art work. Separate from the sewing stuff. What do you think?

Bits And Pieces

The apricot jam has somehow sweetened up enough on its own.

I've grown accustomed to the burners on the gas stove, I'm very happy with it now.

I was the one grade five parent who helped at the grade six dinner dance (many others had other family/kid cimmitments and couldn't come, I know). Traditionally grade five parents have helped set up/cater for/clean up after this function. I was just a helper, which is what I'm good at. Ever an Indian and not a chief.

Here's a photo:

Who's the odd one out? Hahaha. Do I fit in? No. But that didn't prevent me from having a good time with those splendid women.

In Progress And Other Stuff

Must be because it's Spring, sap rising and all that, but there's been a flurry of activity at chez fiveandtwo. Paintings languishing for over two years are being worked on.

 
The first two in a series based on the Old Laundry photos.

Two from last year are finished.

 
Scrap Yard 1, 28cm x 38cm, acrylic on canvas.

 
Scrap Yard 2, 28cm x 38cm, acrylic on canvas.

 
Scrap Yard 3, WIP. This series is based on the photos I took at the scarp yard last year.

Some more fruit paintings, I was on a roll after the two I did for the 10 x 10 exhibition. They're all 25cm x 20cm (quite small). I did an apple too, but I'm not happy with it, and I think the pear painting on the left is the most successful.

 

Three pears, three teatowels and a jar of lentils?

In other news: I've been planting out my seedlings. Too early, but we're going up north for 3 weeks and no-one will be here to water the punnets, so they've a "better" chance in the ground. A monstrous tree dahlia has been removed , the tank drained and cleaned and a new top for the stand put on. The tree dahlia was growing next too, and under, the tankstand and pushing it over. Would you believe it rained all that night and half the next day? Now the tank is full again!

I made a summer jacket!  Short sleeved, kind of 70's style, I think. Only needs buttons. Will blog about it when I return from Qld in late October. I'm jotting things down on my "lists for the holiday" as I think of them. Bags have been removed from the ceiling space. I tried the bathers on I bought only 2 years ago - they don't fit (sigh...), fortunately a pair, scarcely-worn, from the oppy recently will do the job. I do like to swim in the sea when it's not absolutely frigid (waters off Victoria  all year round, for me). 
 

Mr 5&2 had a birthday today. He is past his half century by two years now. Had all the kids for lunch - Linsey was in "the 'Dale" for the weekend, and Giles' girlfriend of 3 years came as well. No alcohol was consumed (this is for you Anna!). Splendid sitting out on the front deck eating that Pip Lincolne Teriyaki chicken - sooo easy, and very good.

Probably no posts now until the end of October.

Notes

I look at all the things my family and I write on the notebook next to the computer and phone (both live in the same place).Today I imagined a large artwork collage made up of notes and messages from that notebook. All stuck together in a random way. Here is a small example.

 
Pasted this together quickly. I might, or might not add some paint for contrast. I'd have to make one to see.

Do I need to save more bits of paper? In addition to the old maps, pictures of doll clothes patterns  (they are weird and creepy, particularly the knitting ones), those pattern thingys used with knitting machines (going to make something with them any day now), my Mother's anatomy and physiology textbook from 1953 (amazing illustrations printed in "olden days" colours), Mum's student notes from midwifery, old B&W photos come across in op-shops and at swap meets - so much inspiration, so little time.

How I Create

I've been doing loads of sewing lately, posting about it and all. A commenter "enjoyed seeing what I'd made" and wondered if I'd been painting.

This is is something I've been wrangling with over the past six months or so. I am someone who concentrates on, works on, a particular theme - painting , sewing clothes, handmaking toys/bags/other stuff, gardening, researching subjects of interest (academic-style), embroidering by hand and side projects like the Map Toilet and the Broken China Hearth.

Lots gets done but I only work well in bursts.

Two or three months, at most, on each area of interest.

I'm on the tail end of a sewing clothes binge. Forcing myself to finish the pants, and some other garment UFO's.

Making the dog coat caused me to re-examine my wool fabric stash. Now I'm inspired to make more patchwork, ummm stuff, using the wool fabric which I love. I've cut many squares (and not-square pieces from the rest). I am also sewing many of my vintage buttons onto some very thick felt which will become a bag, eventually.

So, very little painting and minimal gardening for the last several months. I now have a strong urge to get the garden in order.

Such a lot needs to be done in the garden, Pruning (aka hacking back the jungle), starting seeds for Spring planting of vegies, mucking out the chook run  and so on. I am frustrated by my body's inability to cope with the work required (post-surgery). Note to self: get over it and do something else!

In all this I know that I'll never get The One Passion - that one, only, art/craft/garden...etc, THING that other people seem to find and devote themselves to.

I have to do numerous things. But the same numerous: sewing, gardening, hand-sewing, cooking, researching what interests, art, painting...

A part of me wonders, however, if this inability to focus on one thing is a kind of cop out. "Oh, I can't focus on just one thing so I can't reach that level of excellence, hold that exhibition, have that successful online children's clothes shop, write those gardening articles rah,rah,rah". Thoughts that gnaw and chew when I can't sleep at night.

I think this is the first non-picture post I've made!

Map Toilet

In the Christmas holidays...I wallpapered the back toilet with old maps.

In hindsight I  was procrastinating about making the fitted, removable covers for the couches. Something that actually needed doing but I lacked enthusiasm for (I did get the covers done in the end). Had great fun doing this, however.

The Australian maps are pretty accurate but city maps have changed, of course. There is a Melbourne map that has Tullamarine Airport "under construction". The world maps are just plain old. There's the USSR, for example. Palestine hasn't had Israel created within it. Sri Lanka is Ceylon. Pakistan and Bangladesh aren't on the old maps etc, etc. So much shrinking, expanding and renaming. So much conflict as a result.

The maps are more decorative than educational. It was like doing a giant jigsaw. I wanted some sort of meaning to the jigsaw, though. The Australian portions of maps include places I've lived, places my husband has lived and places where we've both lived. So NT, Qld, WA, NSW and Vic. are there. Places we've enjoyed travelling through, and to, are included (SA comes in here). Tasmania is included because Linsey went to Falls Festival there at the beginning of this year and she loves Tassie - thinking of doing further study at UTAS when she finishes her diploma. I really want to visit Tassie too, but at the moment our holidays mean a trip to Sunshine Coast Qld to catch up with my parents (in a retirement village in Buderim). A Sunshine Coast holiday is no hardship, however!

As for the world maps...big ones of UK and one of Ireland on it's own. Germany as well. These are for Linsey. The countries she stayed in last year (she loved Ireland). Spain and Portugal feature, I'd love to go to the UK, but also these Mediterranean countries. I want to visit Turkey too, and maybe Greece, for the ruins of ancient civilisations. All this travel is but a pipe dream: my money is spoken for and I'm not sure about alone travel. My husband isn't interested and, frankly, I'd rather go without him.

We put the grab rail in about nine years ago now, for a visit from my parents. There's another on the opposite wall. See how neatly I cut the maps around the rail attachments. That was the last time my oldies were able to travel. I do think the grab rails will be very handy when I become rickety and decrepit. It was easier to leave the rails there than remove them.

I used old maps and pages from old atlases collected from op-shops over maybe ten years. Initially, I wanted to make art work from the maps, and I may still do so. I used an adhesive for glueing on wallpaper borders. It was very easy to use, no mixing and didn't make the maps "soggy", but not cheap. I reckon I used four containers of this adhesive, cost about $60. Money well spent as far as I'm concerned.

The Srap Metal Yard

I went here looking for materials to make a plinth for my sculpture. Didn't find that. But what an exciting place!!

So many angles, curves and textures. Thank goodness I had my camera in the car.

I took at least a hundred photos. These are some of my favourites. I want to paint, paint, paint but I'm hamstrung by domestic/family stuff. I was really excited at the scrap yard, but the photos still inspire.

That's good.

   
  

Sculpture

Finished. It is lying down. Imagine it upright.

I'm very happy with it. Now I'm encourageing the husband to weld me a plinth. Small angle iron clad with 3mm steel, to rust. a contrast with the very white limestone.

It has been extraordinarily busy for me in the last week or two. I'm finding it hard to get to the computer very much. Bear with me people. 

I am sooo tired every evening. It's quite ummm, crushing. Come 8.00pm, I've done tea, the dishes are done (the twins are jollied to shower or bath) and I read a chapter of the current book.

I do enjoy reading out loud to youngsters. Harry Potter 4 at the moment. This is the second time round. Read it to the older kids when they were ten year olds.  The small fry can read it to themselves, but it's good to have  stories read out loud.

I've been sewing, simple skirts and a heavily modified tunic pattern. More info soon.