Tomerong Hall Centenary – Panel 4 – Village/Bypass

Today I finished the second coat of exterior house paint on the second last panel in commemoration of the Tomerong Hall Centenary. The work has collaborative elements such as hand prints by Koori students from Tomerong Public School. Regina and Richard Heilmann transported me and the panel to the school on the 2nd of September. The children allowed me to use a mini roller on their hand of choice, which resulted in a very detailed print. Some were red to match red elements, notably the SHUT campaign logo and some were the honey colour I had mixed myself, to match Parnell’s honey jar. The most delightful part of the panel was painting replicas of local artist Leoni McCann’s whimsical depictions of historic buildings of Tomerong, including the hall. The Post Office and Union Church combined with the Bypass options diagram evoke the peaceful quaint atmosphere of the village.

Village/Bypass – Panel 4. Exterior house paint on marine ply. 238 x 58 cm

Bherwerre Panel 10

I finally completed panel 10, another very detailed and therefore time-consuming painting featuring a red-browed finch, a bridal vale orchid and an Australian mistletoe bird.

Bherwerre10

Interview with Petra

This interview with Petra from Atelier TV occurred at my childhood home in Vincentia following SeeChange18 where I met Petra in front of my Shroud works in ‘Threads’. Petra also published an article about my practice.

Bherwerre 9

I finally completed the 9th panel which took almost 3 times as long as the other panels due to the level of detail.
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Bherwerre 8

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Worrowing Shroud Processing

Last Sunday Darren and I drove to Worrowing in our old ute to pick up the shroud set featuring the turtle, baby Port Jackson shark, stingray and kookaburra. A horse came to check us out and ran away snorting and shaking its head when I shook out the turtle shroud. Must have got a diabolical whiff of it! At home I put them in a vinegar bath before hanging them out to cure for a few weeks. The only body I kept was the cute little baby shark. The rest I placed under a large eucalyptus tree.

Worrowing Winter Shroud Set

In preparation for the Other Art Fair in Sydney I set up a new Winter Shroud set at Worrowing last weekend. Magically as soon as I thought I needed to create more marine shrouds a baby Port Jackson shark, green turtle and stingray magically appeared on the beach where I jog many mornings. Then on the way to the shroud site directed by Tom I saw something on the track and discovered a recently deceased kookaburra!

Bherwerre Wetland Mural 6 & 7

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Bundanon Rainbow Lorikeet

On Sunday I completed the Rainbow Lorikeet I had created at Worrowing during my residency. The Lorikeet was found deceased by Alicia Talbot during my residency at Bundanon in 2015. Its shroud on paper is still waiting for a watercolour painting. At Worrowing I had a strong desire to paint on a sturdy linen stretcher with rich oil colours. I remembered a friend (my former primary school teacher) Bruce Malbon had requested a colourful bird, so I felt inspired. I began the ‘paint’-staking but enjoyable process of completing two coats of gesso in the negative space between the nest motif consisting of the raw linen glistening with rabbit-skin glue. I also left raw linen sections inside the Lorikeet too, which made the oil painting a little more challenging. I am very happy with the result.

Bundanon Rainbow Lorikeet 2017 68(w) x 64(h) cm SOLD

Worrowing Day 2

Waking up seeing the colours of dawn from bed and painting. I had soaked a batch of rabbit skin glue and alum to size a bunch of new linen and canvas stretchers, one being the ringtail and magpie shroud created at hill End. I worked on Bherwerre 6 more too and thought of a work to paint for the Flourish theme Ravenswood Art Prize, although I only have two days left to create it, which may be impossible. Darren and I walked down to the dams and swamp on the property and found some clay colours suitable for the ochre expedition on Sunday. I was hoping to also find wattle glue but there were mainly casuarinas, eucalypts and paperbarks.