high water mark

I'm going hunting for driftwood at Ballina beach this week to use in sculptures. I'm having an exhibition in July with my sister based on the theme of the strandline. We spent many weekends with our grandparents at the beach as children so it is a fitting subject for a joint show.

summervale cottage

I've been artist-in-residence for Cudgegong Gallery for the past month. I have been staying in an old shearer's quarters spending time with merinos, galahs, a large brown snake and the rest of the usual wildlife on a sheep property. The first week was like a monastic experience because I couldn't get Radio National and the self-doubting thoughts inside my head were deafening. I started with drawing ideas for a new series of wall sculptures, then went on to making them in clay. Lots of art magazines available in the cottage library so I have also been reading and writing.
I found a small monograph about Janet Lawrence at the op-shop. I remember the disappointment I felt as a sixteen year old when I studied chemistry instead of art because I thought that it was a family tradition that I had to uphold. Science informs my artwork so it was okay in the bigger scheme of things. I'll post an image of some drawings when I get home next week.

winter cauldron

Louise Fulton, Cauldron 2010
I could see a driver stopped on Eltham road on a small bridge in front of an animal. As I slowed down to pass, I realised it was a very large freshwater crayfish that he was guiding back into the creek. It was waving its claws. The driver was risking his life for something he could buy at the local fish and chip shop.
This vessel 'Cauldron' has a deep black and green matt glaze inside. The sprigs on the side are based on Chinese thunder and fire symbols. The vessel is part on our 'Swallowing clouds' exhibition.

profile

This is one of a series of wall pieces from my current exhibition. It is based on leaf profiles for botanical taxonomy. I used a magnesium crawl glaze, a milky opaque glaze as well as black iron oxide lace stencil. The clay was mixed with coffee grounds to get the mottled brown effect on the surfaces.

two baby lomans

I found a large egg in the banana grove a while back. It must of been there when the local roaming peacock and peahen were laying. I attempted to shake it to see if it was viable. It exploded in my hand. Our three metre python has wintered over on the hay bale on the verandah. We introduced two black pullets, names: Nubia and Kali. They are still pretty reticent to go into the coup.
I've been making preparations for my artist-in-residence at Cudgegong Gallery. I'll be staying in a cottage in the Gulgong countryside for a month making some new ceramic moulds and designing some patterns for linocuts and stencils.

porcelain workshop

We had a busy afternoon in Ballina last Saturday demonstrating decorative techniques in porcelain. Ruth Park showed how to carve porcelain at leatherhard stage and Sue Fraser demonstrated modelling and tissue transfer of oxide designs. I showed how to use linocuts for embossing and sprigs for surface decoration.

swallowing clouds

Our group show in Ballina opens this Saturday 4th September. Still waiting on the catalogue printrun but everything else has come together. Ruth has ordered 3 kilos of baclava just in case the scones, jam and cream isn't enough.
The sculpture is from a series of four twins. Ovulation induction with IVF often leads to multiple pregnancy. I was reading about a surgeon who was performing selective termination on siamese twins in utero. He published a paper about aborting the conjoined twins while preserving the other foetus.

won ton wrapping

I've been working into the wee hours getting work ready for our next group show with Sue Fraser and Ruth Park at Northern Rivers Community Gallery. Nothing seems to be coming out of the kiln quite how I imagined. The decals on the siamese twins have burnt off and the rich red of terracotta has turned into kak brown. Fingers crossed for the next kiln load.

Aphrodite has been patiently sitting on an empty nest for two weeks now. With no rooster in sight, it's going to be a long wait. She gets up each morning when I give the chickens some special treats from the kitchen but then it's back to brooding.