final alphabet piece for 2012 A LETTER A WEEK

It has been a big year and fabulous to boot.  A letter a week has been a little project that pushes me to come up with new ideas on how to do an alphabet.  Admittedly it usually ends up in a textile format.  I have had a late start with Alphabet no.2 but finished early which was suprising with all the ups and downs.  This rust/weathered dyed pieced vest has been stitched through to add flavour.  Inspired by a Chinese artist friend Jackson Li from Sanbao.  He wore a indigo stitched vest for special occasions which was very old but I just loved the aged rustic look and feel.  Never forgotten....this is my take on it.  The front is mainly rusted/strategically torn and pieced.   Alphabet is mainly on the sides/back.
My Soy silk lamp is in the back ground which is being exhibited at the Coma exhibition at the Tree Frog Gallery Maleny.

Shadow puppets with weeds at the Maroochy Bushland Botanical Gardens.  That crazed Cat's claw taking over the kids favourite tree was the focus for the morning.  Some of the kids helped me with the tree while the others made characters with Jess Begun from our Maleny Film Co-operative.  I think they had lots of eco fun and will be making more plays at home with a sheet and light.
    

celebrating the glossy black cockatoo project film

This Creative Space project took a little time to pull together.  Mapleton School was a fabulous school to work with as they are very environmentally focussed.  It took a couple of extra days of work making the wings etc for filming day but in the end everyone helped each other to finish by the deadline.  190 little treasures flying over the hills behind the school.  Nothing was scripted.  Only the expert Eric Anderson came in to the school to give talks to every class about the GBC....then on filming day I had the Grade 2 teacher pick out a few children who she thought might remember what was talked about.....I rounded up a few of the older students randomly early morning before they could think about it and hey presto I think it worked in the end.  We have had a few screenings thanks to my Maleny Film Co-Operative group and hopefully another in Palmwoods at the end of the month.  Hope you like it

Celebrating the Glossy Black Cockatoos-Placemaking Art

Today was the first day at the school to help prepare 200 sets of Glossy Black Cockatoo wings.  Eric Anderson the expert on GBC's gave talks to all the classes and my wonderful friend Janet came to help.  We got nearly to the half way mark.  The teachers and students made a great start collecting, cutting and painting last week.  Janet and I got them to the finished stage.  Will have to do some homework and hopefully finish them all off with the students on Friday.  Filming practice next week and the Place Making Art filming will be a goer on Thursday weather permitting.

It is a longtime coming but I finally worked out how to pop it up on YouTube and now to blogsite....techno chick kind of....I can highly recommend ARTIZ which is run by Flying Arts every year.  If you student child is leaning towards the Arts as a career it is a good sampling of what is possible....great guidance.  I have been a house mum and a resident camera girl at two of them and loved it!  If only it had been around in my day!

Jackson Li - Making 1000 cups

This uploading stuff is getting to me today.  Well 2nd time lucky with Jackson's second video from SanBao last October 2011.  Finally two in the bag.

I hope you enjoy watching Jackson Li at work as much as we did.  I took a lot more footage so in the next few weeks you will get to see a little more of Jingdehzen.  Jackson Li is due to arrive on the Sunshine Coast as a guest of Clayworkers for workshops and a fabulous exhibition called "Hands of the Masters".

Bird Buzz in the Maroochy Bushland Botanical gardens has been fabulous with kids dropping into make bird masks and learn about birds in the Rainforest with song and performance.  It has been a great combination of talents with the Maleny Film Co oP working together to promote the environment with Tree Line in Green June.  Did you find the Catbird in the forest?

Playing around with Jess Begun and getting ready for Treeline and Bird Buzz with fellow Maleny Film Co Op members.  Jess and I played with our bird mask prototypes....getting back to basics was a great switch off!

Opening night at Culture 2 Culture exhibition was great with lots of people filling Rosebed St Gallery, not a floorboard left to stand on due to the rain.  Usually everyone spills down the stairs and have drinks under the stars but not to be last Friday.  Thanks to wonderful artist support as well.  Best of all my prize piece sold in the first ten minutes.  Guilin Blues screen  is going to a good home.

Had another meeting for our Culture 2 Culture exhibition at Rosebed St Gallery yesterday.  It is all coming together for the opening on the 25th May.   Our last lot of Chinese tiles will hopefully be back in Australia now thanks to Leon at the Foreign Affairs Dept in Xiamen China and Father Richard Gowty who went over to develop a music exchange for a Sunshine Coast College through Sister Cities.

Jen had a great night loosening up with left hand and time restrictions.  She is a strong mark maker with her right hand so using her left was a challenge.  

more old buttons

I knew I had forgotten to put up the 2nd lot of A LETTER A WEEK 2012....time has just flown out of the window!

chinese artists are coming for sleepovers

Ten days to go before Li Jun and assistant arrive to visit and do workshops here on the Sunny Coast. His chinese brushstroke artworks were fascinating, simplistic yet strong. I just hope the interpreter turns up as well. They are homestaying with me for four nights or so. Artist friend Noela Mills who went to China with me is having them for a couple of nights too. We are excited that they are the beginnings of building our Artist exchange network with China.

Christine's gone dotty......ok not for the first time!

I am a little behind as it is nearly the last Wednesday in the month... but as I have gone dotty, all is self explanatory. I also missed the words about the square and went totally with the circle for everything, especially when I discovered the diameter of my found fabric from an box of old coasters was the right dimension. I get easily excited when I find these old things at my favourite "shop". So now I present my "clayton" square dotty alphabet beginnings.