The artists that particularly struck a chord were Fred Williams composing aerial views of landscapes with calligraphic marks (especially liked the use of tiny multicoloured blobs of paint) and many of the contemporary Aboriginal printmakers. These abstract representations of their lives , beliefs, customs and ceremonies are full of meaning and the marks that make them up individual, unique to the maker( even the tools, like the Tiwi 'pwoja' comb of Pedro Wonaeamirri ) . Untitled No 1 by Kitty Kantilla , is a vivid represenation of Cyclone Thelma aproaching the shore. It reminded me of the stitch patterns I've used to create waves or ripples but without that depth of meaning!!
Less literal, this example from 'Take it Further' Challenge theme of 'lists' where I'd manipulated an old shopping list in Photoshop and printed it on colour catchers has a lot of potential. Mind you I said that at the time 3 years ago - sometimes things take a little while to sink in....
Much as I enjoyed Jo Budd's class at CQ summer school, I wonder whether I would have benefited more from Helen Parrott's class - Margaret's account of this covers a lot of the same ground as these current ponderings (which have taken 2 hours for a relatively short post!)
5 comments:
I found this a really interesting posting, perhaps because I have lived in Australia where I learnt to appreciate Aboriginal ideas of mark-making and colour. These patterns turn up in all forms of art. http://www.lincolnkirbybellceramics.co.uk/Home.html This is a link to Lincoln Kirby-Bell, an Australian potter now working in West Cornwall. I am about to buy some of his blue dotty bowls as a wedding present for my nephew. The dots are a typically aborigine form and on his website there are other examples of how he draws on #aboriginal art.
Yes Mags I think you would have enjoyed the Helen Parrott workshop. Hand quilting is slow, but very enjoyable. I have done a few small pieces since then and am beginning to see how I can develop the technique to my own style. I love your hand print by the way.
See you at FOQ I hope.
Penny
The Australian work looks fascinating from these glimpses. The hand quilt is fabulous. I love the way the lines echo the shapes of the hands and the lines within them.
Writing the post may have taken you two hours (I can well believe that!) but adding this comment has taken nearly 10 hours - first I had to email Elizabeth about Lincoln Kirby-Bell, as I'd bought one of his spotty mugs recently ... and then one thing and another intervened, like suddenly finding myself at the Australian prints exhibition again, thanks to a serendipitous phonecall from a friend suggesting we meet there.
Indeed the Fred Williams work was wonderful (I'd seen a roomful of his "red" landscapes (Pilbara series) - huge paintings - at the gallery in Melbourne) and so were the Aboriginal printmakers, especially Kitty Kantilla and Dorothy Napangardi. To me, these are all very similar to the marks obtainable with hand stitch...
Forgot to say how much I like your shopping-list piece! m
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