Work in Progress...

As I am expected at the pottery studio in ten minutes this will be a short blog.
Pain has slowed my work done somewhat, I guess that is a sign of age sadly. I still manage to find myself hanging out at the easel in the middle of the night, painting, like pain, seems easier at 3am than 3pm....this little work has been a pleasure so far, with the initial layers nicely dried before adding some more last night...it is by no means finished yet!

The goth looking guy is also a work in progress though in acrylics rather than the much loved oils, he will be finished today so I will update the photo once he is done :)

I was really pleased with how this one turned out!

revamping old blog!

I keep being asked about a website. People want to be able to view my art online. (Yes it makes me smile on the inside when they ask). So I wondered at the already attempted sites and decided to revamp an old on rather than create a new one - far too many half baked attempts already and I am pretty slack when it comes to daily maintenance of sites.

This one hasn't been used for a few years so I need to tell you all a few things.
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1/ I completed the double arts degree in November 2012 .... B.A.(F.A.&V.C.) otherwise known as a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art and Visual Culture.
2/ My gallery has undergone a pretty major renovation and now looks pretty damned good if I do say so myself.
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3/First Big Solo Exhibition was held in October 2015 immediately after the renovations. It was a huge success thanks to all the family and friends who helped out (me I can't do much of anything useful).
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4/ In February/March 2015 studio space was allocated to Mal Gotjes to set up a non for profit pottery studio as part of the gallery. This has been a great boost to the town and community as a whole - wonderful spirited members who attend almost daily but with specialised groups meetings on Sundays and Wednesdays. (Naturally I now do pottery as well as oil paintings!). The owner of the gallery Gerry Mircea sadly passed away which lead to a decision to buy the building in partnership with Mal and with private arrangements so it isn't much different to renting. I had such respect for the previous owner and his wonderfully raised family that the decision was made to construct an Art Prize in his name. This has had a few set backs as I don't want the timing to conflict with town celebrations of 'Unconformity' and yet would like the inaugural prize to be this current year 2016. Information on the prize will be released shortly.(I promise!).
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5/ My bone disease is a problem as I am restricted in how much of anything I can do (including typing this!) before I need to stop and rest before continuing. I did have a shiny new titanium vertebrae installed in a major surgery late 2015 but it hasn't had the massive benefit I had expected. Initially it felt much better but over the weeks and without the powerful painkillers (which I don't want because I am prone to getting addicted to them), it is not that much better than it was previously although I now can judge temperature of food and drink far better, I still have pain, numbness and tingling in the hands, aching neck and other that limits how much work I can do so my income aside from the occasional piece of art is limited to a disability benefit :(. Might I added here it is a good time to purchase my art as I don't know how much more I can make!
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6/ I have done some postgraduate studies, (another addiction), but stopped due to health until recently when I did a unit at Utas and now have decided to finish off a graduate certificate in classical literature at Griffith that I began before my neck operation and had to put on hold when pain got in the way.
7/ The gallery is still there open most days because of the pottery studio being there too, not often manned by me but I am there a fair bit, usually sitting around out the back and happy to talk to you when you come in to visit. 15-17 Driffield St Queenstown Tasmania Australia.
8/ My main direction with my art has been with oils recently although I do the occasional acrylic and charcoal or pencil.

The exhibition night celebrated the reopening of the gallery and was opened by Senator Anne Urquhart on the 23rd October 2015.
I do hope to update more often than I have in the past and hope you enjoyed the small selection of artworks I have shown. A good many more to see in the gallery!

Queensland Floods 2011

When I sit watching all the news stories it breaks my heart. I just know I wouldn't be as brave as those battlers struggling through this disaster. The evacutations are still happening, and although the rain is currently stopped it is far from over. Those levels are still rising.

This flood it fast becoming the worst ever for our usual holiday mecca. 75% of the huge state is under water.
And when finally the flood danger is over? Then will be the clean-up...the mud, the ruined furniture, the write off cars...the lack of food, fuel etc. Peoples pets and livestock are missing, wildlife has moved in ...like everyone else they are looking for higher ground....snakes...crocs...

Expecting a peak of 22 metres the spirit of these people is just so stoic. Bless them all.

note link to other blog

Have added a link to my other blog to the right hand side of the page and also on this post.

sick of passwords and red tape to access simple crap

why can't it all just be plain sailing? Why do some places demand long passwords and mixes of capitals etc? Most of these sites are not so important they near more than the usual padlocks! Damn security of a national bank instead of security of a bakery!

Happy New Year!

Well on this first day of 2011 I am found studying instead of relaxing! My study blog is separate to this one and so this poor blog has been missing out on my attention. Almost finished ten units of my degree - I feel quite excited at how well it's been going too. See 50 isn't the end of life it's just another beginning!

I began the course last March and have been powering through doing three and four units each study period as I can't see the sense in taking my time over it when time flies so quickly. So far all grades have been High Distinctions, Distinctions and Credits.......if I can keep that up this year I will be over the moon. Of course this years subjects are harder than last years being level two uni units but I think I might just manage.

My goals this year is to have my degree completed by end of Feb 2012, stay healthy and alive and be nicer to my family! ( I do get grouchy under pressure).

Love and Best Wishes to all!

Arts Degree

Well progress is quite amazing I have completed six units towards my degree and am today embarking on the next four!

I will be glad to be through this next thirteen weeks so I can get back to the units I enjoy most - ART!

Above is my Black on Black assignment exercise which was one of my favourites! A challenge is always good.

And above that is another exercise that I enjoyed with the theme 'street'.

I haven't added much lately on here so today's update is more for the benefit of another unit where internet activity is to be shown...

homework!

I wonder why I hated homework when I was a kid? Now all these many years later I am actually loving it, that could be a sign that my life has been too empty but I doubt it, I always find things to do and the demands of family are no light load. So I guess it must be the wonderful mental massage my old brain is receiving.

So far, after submitting the first three assignment I only have one result back and that was in printmaking 75% ! I surprised myself. All I hoped at the start was to pass each unit even if I just scraped through, now after getting a credit first up my expectations for myself have risen significantly! Talk about pressure - not that anyone else is putting the pressure on, no this time it's just me pressuring myself to work hard and get a good result.

I am anxiously waiting for the result in the essay component as I hope my writing skills are as good as I think they are, but essays are not really my genre and referencing is far harder than I realised going into the course. However I am getting the hang of interrupting my flow to note down where and what I am reading from be it a website or a book.

The jargon hasn't been a drama for me, most likely I have picked up on it easier than some of the younger students. So much wisdom is gleaned over the years without really knowing it. When there is the rare word or concept I don't already understand you can't beat google for filling in the gaps! Even with something as trivial as the size of the document to send(max 10mb) when my computer only tells me in kb's is a 'googlable' problem. A few seconds later and I know I just scaping through the size limits and don't need to trim any more excess: laughing!

Anyway........I must go back and check if the grades are through, I have been doing this every few hours and feeling crushed everytime as they aren't in yet. See what I mean? It is me who's putting the pressure on, I could just curl up with a book or watch a movie instead and not worry so much. Obsessed that's what I am, obsessed with art, art history, textiles, and printmaking. And let me tell you I think I might be rather good at printmaking with a bit more practice.

It's been A while

I was so excited a few weeks ago to be invited by award winning artist Raymond Arnold (whose work I admire very much) to exhibit some of my paintings and charcoals - both Raymond and his partner Helena (also a brilliant artist) were very supportive and made it an easy process for this first time exhibitor - I dropped the works off and they did the rest!

I am not the greatest at framing either! The frames were just cheapies but the overall look was quite effective I thought.

The large work was inspired by Raymond work that won him the Gallipoli Prize for this year. My scene represents the unloading of the horses on the beaches showing the fear as told to me when I was just a teen by my veteran grandfather.

The exhibition can be seen in the Library at Queenstown Tasmania for anyone wanting to view.

On a side note, I have finally embrace the world of academia and began a Bachelors Degree in Arts. This semester I am taking three units - 'Visual Culture', 'Printmaking' and 'Textiles and materials'.

Visual Culture is the essay component and the one I enjoy the most at present. Printmaking is very hands on and in the mess and I love that too. Textiles...well I like it but don't love it..can't win them all. Hoping I can keep up with all the study, I am fifty now and it's a while since I really buckled down to any intense study - I did do a cert IV in Business a couple of years ago but that was just easy stuff, this is vastly more complex. Til next time ..over and out!

Blasting Forwards

Blasting forwards

Slamming the door on my past,

Lighting a fire in my soul,

I will survive,

I will grab what’s left of now,

And leap into my future,

Eyes wide open,

Taking the lessons learned along,

On the ride of my life,

Minus the tears,

The scars of that time,

Will remind me to doubt,

As trust is gullible,

Though the road may be bumpy,

I will hover on a cushion of air,

Filled with knowledge,

For no matter what happens ever,

The earth rotates to rise the sun,

And fresh hope is born.

©DKM 2010

The Bear - Charcoal drawing I have done as gift for friend with a bear collection. Hope she likes it!

Below is a poem cum rant lol reflecting today's mad world.

Action

What has become of the olden days?

The days when we jumped directly from the bed,

Headlong to housework, work work, or visit a friend?

What has become of the action days?

The days of sport and walk the dog and play,

A picnic on the lawn outside,

Or mere drinking tea in the warming sun?

With temperature controlled houses,

With facebook waiting for updates,

With the world at our fingertips,

What need is there for travel?

Hello world I can see you from my bed,

No need to catch a plane, rush around and tire myself,

Chat with friends all day, play games and write snippets of gossip – making coffee for just one these days,

These days we think are so advanced,

These days as we are programmed into the machine,

Into the internet net of humanity,

And hauled to conformity in a mass hysteria,

Of acceptability,

Reliability,

Sustainability,

To what end, has someone imagined?

What benefit is to be gained in keeping all,

Predictable?

A universal data collection gadget,

Of profound usefulness,

Unbelievably easy to instigate,

Initiate and maintain,

Educate the world,

Get them all online,

And soon we will see nothing done,

No advances of the ‘real’ kind!

Obesity will reign,

As we shop at home, socialize the same,

And gain skills without hands on practice,

And fix the virus in the machine but not the germs hanging around the house,

And when the clever decide we all want to eat baked sesame pie,

Or that we believe we are unique,

Very swiftly we will find we are not outside the box at all,

For to think differently we need to be different,

And sesame pie will hit the supermarket shelves,

If you do the same as everyone else then you are the same as everyone else,

Soon the entire world will live as if under house arrest,

No need to move outside the home,

No desire to move anyway,

Sad, yet happy, yet unsure,

Where this world is leading us,

The proles sacrificed by technology,

To the slaughter in virginal innocence,

Given to the gods of big business as tools for expansion,

Promotion,

Exploitation,

To our damnation,

It becomes our life,

From light to dark and beyond,

Don’t grow a real garden pluck a virtual flower!

Serve meals in a virtual café and forget to feed the family at home!

I know this to be true,

For when the damn thing won’t work,

I do!

© Denise K Mitchell 2010