Sian Burman exhibition

Here's a bit of a plug for my talented partner, Siân Burman, who is exhibiting several of her recent works at Blarney Books Art Gallery in Port Fairy at the moment: acrylics, oils and mixed medium collages.  It's been a busy house of late.  She's also been blog-building recently, and some of her work can be seen in a little more detail over at her blog spot.

Ghosts at The View, Angel Delight and whales

Have just posted a piece I've been working on for The View from Here: The Ghost Poetry Project: an interview with Nathan Curnow - Part One.  Part Two should be appearing at around 1.00 pm (AEST) on Tuesday.

 

Recently read Toast, the story of a Boy's Hunger by Nigel Slater (Harper Perennial, 2007) and Dissection by Jacinta Halloran (Scribe, 2008).  Well, I stopped with Toast after a hundred pages.  I found it interesting to be reminded of the various food fads of 60s Britain - Heinz Sponge Pudding, Arctic Roll, Angel Delight, to name but a few - but wanted something more of a story behind all the humorous observations.  After a while it felt like I was being spoon-fed bowl after bowl of Angel Delight: too much saccharine, too little substance.  Dissection was a much more substantial dish.

The whales have left our stretch of the Southern Ocean for the time-being - their presence during the winter months is always impressive - but to make up for that, I've rediscovered (courtesy of ComedyOnABC) a favourite short animation.  Anything for mindless amusement.  Love the 'New Zealand' accents.

Here's episodes 1 and 6.

The Fun Theory

After a fun night at the art auction (and what better way of raising money for a local charity than involving everyone, loosening wallets with champagne and having a good laugh?), thought I might keep the Fun theme rolling with these excellent ideas from TheFunTheory.com.

Go have fun.

Last Suppers and Tea Parties

Have been caught up in a number of projects recently, which have swallowed all my spare moments, it seems. Not quite clear yet, but getting there. Some have been enjoyably creative, some administrative and some domestic ... and then there's the work that pays to put bread on the table ... next to the wine and fish, of course. Escaped to Melbourne at the weekend to veg out, hang out and catch a couple of exhibitions devoted to Leonardo Da Vinci: Anatomy to Robots and Peter Greenaway's superb Leonardo's Last Supper. Also took the chance to visit The Horn, a wonderful Ethiopian restaurant in Collingwood. What a supper that was.


Either side of that, have been throwing a bit of acrylic paint at a canvas again. All in the name of charity.

Made a decision a few years back not to spend any more time painting, but to concentrate on writing instead; however, was asked recently to create a painting for a charity auction - for the local hospital - which will take place this weekend. (Resolutions are worth nothing if they can't be broken.) It became a family affair, with three of us swearing at easels, trying to meet the deadline.


Mine (Tea Party - Encroaching Shadows below) was influenced by Lewis Carroll's mad Hatter's tea party and Charles Blackman's Alice in Wonderland series of paintings, which I saw a couple of years back (see above). Also by the 'dark forest' as a motif in story-telling. There's a lot I'd have to learn about technique and ways of seeing before I ever got to be a half-decent painter, but I had a great time experimenting with perspective, light, shadows and brush strokes to create visual images rather than with words, rhythm and silences. All very therapeutic. Time to get back to the written word again now though ... once I've had a bite of supper.