It was an exciting week, on Thursday I officially started the Darebin Parklands Artist Residency properly. Yay!
Here's the story:
I went in today to catch up with Peter Wiltshire the Ranger there (he has been for thirty years and transformed the park completely!) I was hoping to get a little artwork done as I had that urgent urge to make work. I was greeted warmly by Peter and he told me the news, that the committee agreed to my residency. Apparently they really liked my work and approved the proposal rather enthusiastically!
It is so wonderful that these people, councils and committees have cared for the creek and its surrounds so well for the last thirty years, virtually restoring a lost landscape and habitat. A fantastic testament to human powers of creativity and healing.
Anyway, I got chatting to the Rangers and looking at all the amazing resources in what I think of as their mini-museum, including stuffed birds, rock samples, maps and even olive oil from the harvest festival of 2001. But what really interested me was the huge areal photograph of the parklands that was printed at a banner on a stand.
So I borrowed the map and took it into what I am thinking of as the studio (variously called the Gleeson Centre or the Environment Centre) and began to properly start to work. It felt great to finally got started on the large map like work that I had brewing in me, and really lovely to properly begin my residency! :)
It was so fabulous to actually be in studio within the parklands which are my subjects, surrounded by the photographs, resources and research materials as well as 'real life' examples of the park.
I have been back the last three days and being in the parklands itself has led me to experiment in ways I would not have at home and with materials that are in the environment.
I am very excited about this and will post photos and a further update about this work soon...
***
Meanwhile, here is some more backstory.
Even though I had not 'officially' started, over the last couple of weeks I had began to make work at the parklands. Although I became quite unwell after my first couple of hours down at the creek, struggling with the watercolours and didn't get back for a week. The week after I got back on my bike and rode along my favorite trail up a fantastic boardwalk where you get a great view of the trees and creek. It was a gorgeous day and I popped my watercolours in my bike basket and started this piece. It too is a work in progress, but here is a photo of me working in situ. I am still not convinced watercolour is my medium, but this is a good chance to experiment and hopefully get a handle on them.
Here's the story:
I went in today to catch up with Peter Wiltshire the Ranger there (he has been for thirty years and transformed the park completely!) I was hoping to get a little artwork done as I had that urgent urge to make work. I was greeted warmly by Peter and he told me the news, that the committee agreed to my residency. Apparently they really liked my work and approved the proposal rather enthusiastically!
It is so wonderful that these people, councils and committees have cared for the creek and its surrounds so well for the last thirty years, virtually restoring a lost landscape and habitat. A fantastic testament to human powers of creativity and healing.
Anyway, I got chatting to the Rangers and looking at all the amazing resources in what I think of as their mini-museum, including stuffed birds, rock samples, maps and even olive oil from the harvest festival of 2001. But what really interested me was the huge areal photograph of the parklands that was printed at a banner on a stand.
So I borrowed the map and took it into what I am thinking of as the studio (variously called the Gleeson Centre or the Environment Centre) and began to properly start to work. It felt great to finally got started on the large map like work that I had brewing in me, and really lovely to properly begin my residency! :)
It was so fabulous to actually be in studio within the parklands which are my subjects, surrounded by the photographs, resources and research materials as well as 'real life' examples of the park.
I have been back the last three days and being in the parklands itself has led me to experiment in ways I would not have at home and with materials that are in the environment.
I am very excited about this and will post photos and a further update about this work soon...
***
Meanwhile, here is some more backstory.
Even though I had not 'officially' started, over the last couple of weeks I had began to make work at the parklands. Although I became quite unwell after my first couple of hours down at the creek, struggling with the watercolours and didn't get back for a week. The week after I got back on my bike and rode along my favorite trail up a fantastic boardwalk where you get a great view of the trees and creek. It was a gorgeous day and I popped my watercolours in my bike basket and started this piece. It too is a work in progress, but here is a photo of me working in situ. I am still not convinced watercolour is my medium, but this is a good chance to experiment and hopefully get a handle on them.
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