SexAndDeath

the venus flower basket

has a tale of sex and death.

the basket is a curved tube like glass sponge

created in intricate lattice work.

it is a bridal chamber

for a pair of tiny male and female shrimps

of the spongicola family.

the pair enters the bridal suite,

made in their beautiful home of the sea.

the young ones produced from this union

escape from the basket

while still in the embryo stage,

while the parents die  inside the chamber.

'Your children get only one childhood'

 

TheLastPost/TheDeathOf2011

 burned forest bones

"death

all things summon us to death.

nature, almost envious of the good

she has given us,

tells us often,

and gives us notice,

that she cannot for long

allow us that scrap of matter

she has lent..........

she has need of it for other forms,

she claims it back for other works."

found at the mona art museum of old and new art

'after each big event take some time of'

snowflakes in the summer forest

"he, to whom nature

begins to reveal 

her open secrets, 

will feel an irresistible yearning

for her most worthy interpreter:

art"

goethe

FreeForestGifts

this is an elderberry tree

i found it in the forest

and remembered the variety of ways this was used

when i visited europe

elderflower wine, elderflower cordial

and then later elderberry wine

i harvested a bowl full of flowers and made a very fragrant cordial

i took a suacepan and filled it with 1.5 litres of water 

and poured in 2 kilos of sugar

while this was brought to the boil, i occasionally stirred it.

in a large bowl i placed the elderberry flower heads

pared the skin of a couple of lemons

tossed them into the bowl

then sliced up the lemons and also tossed them into the bowl

when the syrup water was boiling 

i poured it over the elderberry flower heads

and put in a small container (75gr) of citric acid

i covered the bowl with a cloth and put it away for 24 hours

next day i sieved it through a cloth

and poured it into clean glass bottles

then put it away for a sunny summer's day

'every roadside is suitable for planting fruit trees'

FieldBreadStacks

everywhere i go at the moment

the farmers are cutting their hay 

rolling it up and and 

storing it in plastic wraps

I can't help but thinking of times past

when there were haystacks

that smelled of sweet, sweet, grass

'Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now'

 

 

 

 

TheForestPatientlyWaits

my contribution for the 2011 glenlyon's sculpture show

the work wonders if humanity, as represented by the chair,

is imprisoned by nature, as represented by the tree branch,

or protected by it

"What gets your attention gets you"

 

 

 

SandAndSurf

'illegal immigrants'

sunday the 16th of october i took part 

in the ephemeral aspect of the lorne sculpture event

and, over the course of the day

created yet another plague of rabbits

there was much movement of sun, wind and rain  

plus many people

the work which was being created at one side

was being removed by the sea at the other

such is life

 You can't depend on your judgement with your imagination out of focus

gift

 yesterday i received a cd from the national Gallery of Victoria

it contained a series of special images

of an installation of my work

if you would like to view this installation

you will find it on the second floor
of the ian potter gallery at federation square

at the back of the joseph brown collection gallery

the best is yet to come

GoldFind

this morning on my way to clunes

i came across this image

a slab of gold lying quietly in the landscape

creating wonderful energy

the energy of nature's and the farmer's gift

i stopped the car to appreciate the sudden beauty of the work

soon, filled with loveliness, plus the energy of the pure sunlight

i resume my journey, a lot richer

Reality is for people who can't handle drugs

 

 

 

 

VisualSurprise

this morning i awoke to the surprise of spring

the window frame of a life painting

filled overnight with the magic of colour

splashed about in great abundance

with the enthusiasm of a child's art

another Aahhh..... moment

we seem to be perishing for want of wonder

not for want of wonders

TheMoment

Wandering in the woods,

at the time the sun sat comfortably on the horizon

and without intention set the forest alight

with the magic of its illumination,

for a moment there were ephemeral rivers of gold

I stopped and wondered at the magic of that moment

like life, oh so short

You must give birth to your images, they are the future waiting to be born

TreeScribe

remembering the old school blackboards 

of the past century,

the scribe leaves his mark

Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions

 

 

 

 

Pastoral poetry

the other day I was traveling from one place to another

when I came across this poetic scene.
It took my breath away.

It also reminded me of the inspiration of art
in whatever form we come across it.

 The mind is something to express, not something to figure out

vanHouse

During midwinter

on a rainy Monday morning

the clouds hanging so low

they have become oppressive

I made a fire and took out a book of images

I came across this one

and thought I would share it with you

for the beauty in it

just that

The universal is always the same, the specifics are always different

Black moon-light

here is a rare advertisement

this is an image from my exhibition 

at the Stockroom, Kyneton

It runs from the 16th of July - the 14th of August, 2011

There will be a floor talk on the 6th august, at 3 pm and to which you are all invited.

here is a sample

I recently had a conversation with a local business man. When I explained that I was making art, he told me: and I quote, "Mate, you obviously have too much time on your hands".

here is my thought on that.

Without art or poetry, life would be hell. Imagine it.

I mean the art of everything. (by the way, when I wrote these thoughts, I accidentally typed: the heart of everything. Interestingly, in this typo lies some truth). The heart or art of cooking, the heart or art of architecture, the heart or art of writing, the heart and art of dance, the heart or art of painting, and on… without the art or heart all of these activities would be dead. Meaning they would not inspire, excite, enrich………

Art, like science, is important because it inspires both exploration and greatness in all fields of human endeavour.

The artist plays, and through his play with ideas and materials, occasionally comes up with a revelation, a beautiful idea, an exquisite object, a great building, an intriguing story, a moving poem.

The artist and poet explore and share the possibilities of magic in an otherwise ordinary world.

they show, in one way or another, that there is always another way.

The artist and the poet are important in our community because they teach us to play. They remind us of something as simple, but relevant, as our childhood, when there was much magic. The magic found in experiencing things for the very first time.

The artist and poet awaken in us a sense of wonder, which is the driver of a creative life. They take us on a journey, a special journey, in a world where we are perishing for want of wonder, not for want of wonders.

Petrus

           we will continue these considerations during our floor talk on August the 6th, here, at 3pm

Nature'sPoetryVisibleInALog

 When nature's summer garments

have been removed, one by one, by autumn

and autumn herself stripped bare

by winter,

we find in the early exposures

of tree life

Patterns and structures.

explorations into the domain

of sacred geometry

'Creativity, getting lost and finding your way again'

 

 

 

InnerLandscapes

when, after the colour celebration of autumn

trees lose their leaves 

 to reveal their sacred geometry

It is time to haul the winterwood

and there, in the split half of a block of wood

as if by magic, appears

an image of the landscape from which it came

 

'you are holding your freedom on your own home made leash' 

 

WinterForest,MagicMoments

Wild Woolly Wintry Day

Walking the forest 

Warmly Wrapped

I saw a fire

floating in the sky

Imagination?

or Wanting Warmth?

'you are holding your freedom on your own home made leash'

 

 

 

 

Signature

The signature of my ceramic bowls

is a spiral,

since the bowl manifests through the spiral

and stand on it 

a stable base

fired into strength and longevity

and here it is, fired, like the bowl

 in a clearing of the forest

'The business of man is the arts and all things common'

 

 

 

 

  

ThenItRained

although it may not at first be obvious

underneath a very thin topsoil

the earth in this part of the forest is mainly clay

when it rains heavily 

a number of trees always fall over

exposing in their shallow roots the ochre coloured clay

a while back, the local forest roads 

were covered in a red clay like substance

for a better road surface

walking in the forest the other (rainy) day

both the ochre and red clay 

became obvious additions to my making palette

I keep on thinking:

'The best is yet to come'.

Cargo

'Cargo'

sensing the mysterious

'Quiet Contemplation'

BurningCargo

In the quiet of the forest

the burning cargo

floats in the eternal reflection

of trees

'The heart has its reasons that the mind knows nothing of'

Reflections/Cargo

Found in the forest

 a nest of abandoned eggs

send on a raft to eternity

happy in the reflection of trees

carrying the forest spirit

 

'To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders'

 

 

TallForestPiece

This is how it works

I am walking the forest

the ground is covered with

pieces of quartz rock

very white on an otherwise dark forest floor

the tall scar in the tree bark

is deep and black inside

and for no particular reason 

asks to be filled 

with white quartz rocks

I answer the request

and another forest work is made

'The business of man is the arts and all things common'

equanimity

Finding the balance

in the walk

even slow breathing

in the artwork

even slow breathing

in the evaluation

even slow breathing

in the joy

even slow breathing

in the slow walk home

even slow breathing

'The answer to everything can be found in slow breathing'

TheLateAfternoonMagicLightShow

I walked my daily kilometers today

at that time when the sun 

sits quietly on the horizon

while making the most 

of a glorious autumn day

It peers deep into the forest

and illuminates the trees with its magic

'just before going under' light tricks

warm tones of a somewhat mysterious quality

The moment is short, very short

It is therefore very special

to be savoured

wrapped up and taken home

for a special evening meditation

'The pace of happiness is calm'

 

 

TheWeaverSupreme

A fine ephemeral work

 

the forest is full of special surprises

a slow walk daily will reveal some of them

today I found this

and was grateful

'Is not the core of nature in the heart of man'

HotCrossedBuns

I made some hot cross buns today

I make them once a year
it used to be something special
bread with fruit, like cake.

there used to be lots of food

which appeared only once per year

for special events and festivities
which used to be special

now you can buy them year around

more of it? Not so special anymore.

Then there is seasonal food

once this was available only in the season

now it is available year around
Not so special anymore

By having so much

very little is special

'First we raise the dust, then we claim we cannot see'

EasterBunnies

The illegal Immigrants of Manningham Gallery

have moved to be viewed at the 

Convent Gallery, Daylesford

where from a menace 

they have become Easter Bunnies

'When I awake in the morning, I always think: 'Be surprised'

and there is always moment in my day that I am'

ForestTotem

After the devastation of the harvested forest,

there rises the totem of new growth

it is thus

a continuum

ad infinite

'Poetry is when you make new things familiar and familiar things new'

 

 

InTheMoment

In the moment

there is a thought

In the moment

there is empty mind

In the moment

there is the nothing and the everything

only in the moment

can we find eternity

 and in the forest

I found the moment

'We are sleep walking in The Garden of Eden 

and may awaken to it'

TheMostBeautifulWord

BREAD

One of the most beautiful words in our language

BREAD

A loaf of Bread, one of the most beautiful things to behold

I make bread weekly. I do not measure. This is what I do.

I take a bowl and put some dry yeast into it

I add warm milk, a spoonful of sugar (to feed the yeast)

and enough flour to make a runny mixture.

I place a tea towel over it and let it rise.

I pour some warm milk over a bowl filled with rolled oats

when the bread starter has risen to three times its volume,

I drop 2 eggs into it, some poppy seeds, some sunflower seeds,

a handful of wholemeal flour, the soaked oats
and enough plain flour to make a soft pliable dough.

Mix it all together and knead it so that it becomes nice and stretchy.

Let it rise, when it is twice its volume, punch it down to get rid of the gasses 

which helped the dough to rise. It is necessary to get rid of them so that they do not kill the yeast

Let the dough rise again and once more punch it down. 

Now add a little salt (last because it kills the yeast)

form the dough and drop into loaf pan

Rise in a warm place and when risen place in an 160 degree oven

you know when the bread is done,

when you push a knitting needle into it and it comes out clean.

BREAD

One of the most beautiful smells on earth

     

'The poet and the baker, both nourish the world'