A little luck is all you need…

I attended the opening last night of the North Taranaki Community Arts Council’s (NTCAC) exhibition of artists they have supported, including yours truly. Here’s a little tongue in cheek appraisal of the night, based on a book I had as a child – it’s a little like this…

• What good luck it was a lovely exhibition space (thanks Doug)  and there was lots of wonderful art on display (and lovely dancing).
• What bad luck my large photograph image was not displayed at the exhibition…
• What good luck my small image (a framed photograph) looked really lovely.
• What bad luck everyone ate my gluten-free chocolate brownies before I even got one.
• What good luck I got to meet a much admired artist (Paul Hutchinson) and tell him I was a huge fan of his work painting “everyday” items.
• What bad luck the wine ran out so quickly
• What good luck I met a very lovely artist who told me a thing or two about life and it turns out she and I had much in common despite our significant age differences.
• What bad luck the NTCAC is closing down (“being absorbed”) after 30 years of supporting artists with small grants.
• What good luck two of my dear friends came along to support me, along with my ever supportive partner and my daughter.

All, in all, a good night, great art and I will try not to be too disappointed that only one of my pieces made it up on the wall..

It’s on at The Metro Gallery, Devon Street, New Plymouth (across from Hikoi shoes/clothes) until the end of the month. Go along and support our local talent (and Doug’s inaugural Metro Gallery exhibition), if you can.

When the light shifts

to dusk and then nightfall, what follows is a new day. Sometimes a new day is a metaphor for looking at things in a new light.

I too, have been looking at things in a new light, trying to make sense of where I am, and where I am headed as I try to take all my loosely formed ideas and focus them in a business plan. (How do you turn your hopes and dreams into tangible goals?).

The key question in my mind is what would a “creatively inspired life” really look like for me? The answer is one where I am fully living the life I aspire to live, one focused on photography, writing, inspiring others and being creative. But how????

To continue to focus on writing (blogging) and photographing what inspires me and seemingly what resonates with others is crucial. But, I want to be more personal. More real. Less trees and sunsets…more heartfelt, more of me and I want to hear more of you, too. We are in this community together.

So, here is the real deal…I am still and always will be a mother first, to my four beautiful children. I am also a writer, a photographer, an artist, and am still seeking to carve out a life through my creative outlets. I work a few hours a week in project management, an important link to my former career and I love it for its completely different challenges, an opportunity to really “make a difference” and to be involved in transforming public spaces for people. I love it, almost as much as I love writing and photographing.

I am divorced, yes, and scarily find myself forty(ish) and have over the last few years gone through a completely unexpected, utterly horrendous custody battle over care of our three sons. It has nearly destroyed me in the process. But like a butterfly I am determined to emerge from this experience stronger and a more beautiful person. These things that come along that nearly break us, ultimately make us stronger. The experience doesn’t define me, but it is a big part of my story. Just as moving from career-aspiring woman to “professional artist” is.

Black Box Art Studio still exists – but it has morphed into a different space – photographic studio, writing space, journals and a laptop all jostle for space amongst paint, glue, canvases, a printing press and old suitcases full of assorted papers, stamps and inks…I still don’t know what it all means…but I know that what’s coming is different from what came before.

Black Box Art Studio – it is still about “art, life and the messy bits in between”, but it is now quite apparently more than that…it is the real journey toward my dream of living the life I dream of.. “A creatively inspired life”.

It starts now. Apparently with a business plan.

Sights and sounds in the city…

Tiffany Singh’s modern art sculpture “What is the colour of the breeze?” is a reminder that the best art is art that we like and that brings us pleasure. Art that uplifts our souls and makes us feel good is not seemingly fashionable, however. This cutting-edge concoction of sound, wind, and colour all comes together tucked away in a very small, gritty, urban, unsealed car park wedged between some buildings…and is a beauty to behold for the eyes (and also the ears). You are immediately drawn in,  to walk amongst the chimes, to run your hands over the bamboo chimes and the many coloured ribbons. And when the wind comes through they all move like one giant wind chime, all swaying in unison.

Colourful. Joyful. Harmonious. Modern art. Who would have thought? That’s inspired.

A little white box on the edge of the cliff…

This shed sits on the edge of the ocean, where the green meets the blue in a dramatic cliff edge. I always wonder what is it’s purpose? Is it just a storage shed for hay and farm items, or does its barn-like exterior actually hide a sanctuary – a stunning, cliff-edge place for contemplation, creativity and inspiration…who knows?

And why is it white? Such a dramatic colour to offset against the green grass and the blue sea, and in this image the dusky pink hues of an early sunset – yes, white is the prefect choice! Shed, barn or retreat…I don’t know its purpose, but if it was mine, it would be all glass along the northern front facing directly out to sea, like a white shoe-box perched on the edge of the world and I would stand there in my shed/studio/retreat and stare out to that great, endless, deep blue world of sea and sky.

What you find when you have given up on looking…

There is something about orchids – something provocative, erotic, exotic, exclusive, delicate, and mysterious about them. They seem to be such an unlikely plant to find in a suburban backyard garden in Taranaki. Surely they must need special care and attention, such as special food, fertilisers, glass houses, etc? Mine has sat neglected in a pot in the garden, sheltered from the worst of the rain and harsh mountain and sea winds, but not assisted with special care or attention. It looked like a very sad plant…I had almost given up hope of it ever doing anything after 4 years of basic neglect. Then last week – what I thought was a dead brown stalk suddenly and magically bloomed, just as the wind and rain announced that winter was well and truly here. There it was, the most stunning orchid flower – in my pot, in my garden, in the rain!

As the weather was getting wilder and wetter, I cut my precious brown stem and brought it indoors with its one flower and a further six unopened buds.

It is elegant and beautiful. And it not only thrived but blossomed when it seemed there was no hope left. For that, I love it even more.

A story from many pictures or a picture from many stories?

Birds. Horses. Feathers. Victorian images. Buildings. Beaches. Poetry. Ancestry. Such a strange collection of images, words and thoughts…yet they are not random, but are all starting to come together for a creative project. I can’t tell you how it ends yet, as it’s not finished, but here is a mash-up of the concepts, the thoughts, the ideas and the images that helped to inspire me. Out of all this randomness will come two digitally composed images of a “creature”. Each made from a composite of at least ten other photographs I have taken. The two images will also be linked by a story, a thread of a poem, the use of text and symbols shared between the two images. Will they turn out as I imagine – ethereal, beautiful, whimsical, curiously macabre, proud, strong but fragile…or will my idea (or my technical skills) fail in this project? Will the images make sense? Will they convey the sense I wanted to create? Only time will tell…

sneak preview

5 hours, 3 people, and 65 items later…the exhibition is ready!

Here is a sneak preview of some of the items displayed.

The gallery staff were invaluable in pulling it all together in a cohesive but eclectic layout. I think the effect works well, mixing it all up.

I feel very excited now.

The opening is tonight.

Unfinished Business has ended.

Here is my latest painting, finished finally. I noticed my last blog about it was called Unfinished business and the name seems to have stuck for some reason. I think it can be interpreted quite a few ways. It is already now for the exhibition and it is large, heavily textured, quite dramatic, and I am relieved it is finished. It seems a long way from my original intention of a light and bright image (I had felt my previous works were too dark looking), but they always seem to almost take on their own life. Almost all the white is now layered underneath blues, purples and blacks.

I have about 12 paintings now ready for the exhibition. A couple I feel especially attached too, and if they sell, I think I will be quietly quite sad but also thrilled. Along with the paintings I have about 30 framed photographs ready, 10 “picture stories” (blog musings and meanderings with images) and a few other surprises…I am feeling pretty organised now, finally. Its been a mammoth effort (and a huge expense) but feels very good to see it all coming together. I will be sure to post some images once it is all set up in the gallery next week.

The last day of the year. I am looking forward to next year, with all its surprises, journeys and opportunities. I casually looked up my astrological sign in the newspaper today – a horoscope forecast for 2013 and it said “You show an obvious creativity that’s certain to get you noticed. Discard any self doubts, reaffirm strengths and meet your ambitions…its a year for professional breakthrough”. I don’t know if its true, but I like it, and with the exhibition a week away, it felt like a good omen!

May you have a wonderful New Years Eve tonight and a great New Years Day tomorrow. Wherever you are, I hope you are with those closest to you and feeling creative and positive as we herald in a New Year and hope for a brighter, safer, happier and more peaceful year.

Christmas creativity in November…

It was wet and cold on Sunday, so after a visit to our local tertiary institute to check out the recent photography/art/design graduates final exhibition, I filled our dining table with various papers and creative tools. This included old Christmas cards, used wrapping papers, various paper bags, old postcards, ink stamps, pages from old books, stickers, pens, ribbon and string. The children all got busy making their own special things and while they were so busy, I starting making some of my own Christmas decorations using a shape I have had for ages of a dove/angel. I layered lots of assorted found papers, glued them, cut out my angel/dove shape, then finished them off with words I found or made about Christmas.

As I don’t have a tree yet, I strung mine with an old bead necklace that had fallen apart, and attached them to my vintage lamp stand. It turned out rather well, I thought. They move gently with the breeze so you can see both sides, and the light in the evening makes them look especially pretty. They are not perfect. But they are made from the heart and with love, with things from my home. The children’s decorations are equally as charming, although saved for pride of place on the christmas tree!

 

The dancer.

She was a trial of something new, an attempt to transfer an image onto industrial tape for reasons I can no longer quite remember. Something happened along the way and my image came out quite different to what I had imagined.

I considered throwing it out at the time, but every time I look at it, I just can’t bring myself too. For three reasons; firstly because we learn more when we make mistakes, because that means we tried something new and took a risk. Secondly, because although her image is transformed into something almost unrecognisable, it feels full of movement, colour and passion. And thirdly, simply because she is dancing. And who wouldn’t want a bit more dancing in their life?