Life Deals You a Hand

The latest piece to roll of the studio production line is this sweet little box with a deep and meaningful story contained within ...

Life deals you a hand - it may deal a bad hand or it may take away a good hand you were already dealt ... the way you play the hand is how your life is defined ...

 

I found this discarded and neglected box at a local flea market 
some time ago - and it has been sitting in my studio
gathering dust - just waiting for me to polish it up
and fill it with a story worthy of its charm ...

The hand - given to me by a friend - is a plaster casting of 

artist Brett William's hand - now painted black

to represent the absence of colour ...

This ancient Persian garden scene - rescued from

a discarded botanical book - takes me on a journey

from the pool of my memories way back and beyond ..

 

The open black hand also represents mystery and strength,

as well as fear and age - it is open inwards,

but facing a mirror reflecting its other ...

Ancient writings on parchment - scrolled and tied,

tales of past - secured and protected

by the sturdy sentinels ...

 

... and seated within the palms of our hands is 

the ever-present buddha of enlightenment in our life -

giving direction and meaning, hope and reward ...

... closed, the box keeps us safe, secure and isolated ...

... during your time of isolation,
may your buddha keep you safe ...

 

Stranded Luggers of the China Seas

Presenting a new series of luggers from the China Seas

... each with their own story - each stranded in the burnt-out mangroves ...

... paper used to "skin" the boats and make the scrolls is 

from the Chinese language Brisbane newspaper 'Epoch Times' ...

#1 ... leave me alone with my thoughts II

... the face of the princess in the cargo hold

is glazed porcelain made by the artist ...

#2 ... Directive from the Authority

... frames for the boats are made from rain forest vine

and black mangrove stumps from locally sourced

eucalyptus branches ...

... all paper scrolls and skin of the boats

has been painted with Golden Shelac varnish ...

#3 ... Star of the East China Sea

#4 ... Chest of Pearls for the Authority

... chest in cargo hold is full of Mikimoto Pearls 

- adding a huge extra value to this artwork ... !!!

These four are part of my next exhibition 
Fragments Within
scheduled for Gatakers Artspace - Maryborough Qld
April 2021

Construct: celebrating Queensland sculpture

A few years ago I visited and recorded this inspiring exhibition at the Caboolture Regional Art Gallery in South East Queensland ( Australia ) - but never got around to blogging the show - so five years later here it is ... enjoy ...

Con|struct: Celebrating Queensland Sculpture
This exhibition explores the extraordinarily diverse field of sculpture and features eleven artists that represent the scope and depth of contemporary sculpture across the state who have a sustained practice working in the sculptural realm. 

 

The Caboolture Hub is a thriving community meeting place in the heart of the Caboolture CBD. This modern, award winning facility is comprised of the Learning and Business Centre, Caboolture Library and Caboolture Regional Art Gallery, each offering an exciting and rewarding experience for locals and visitors alike.

 

Construct: Celebrating Queensland Sculpture explores the extraordinarily diverse field of sculpture. It features the work of artists that represent the scope and depth of contemporary sculpture in South East Queensland ( Australia ).  Artists Lincoln Austin, James and Eleanor Avery, Laurindo de Abreu, Simone Eisler, Jason Fitzgerald, Stephen Hart, Hew Chee Fong, Stephen Newton, Charles Robb and Daniel Templeman have collectively worked in the sculptural realm for a number of decades.

... somewhere along the way I have lost the details of each piece I photographed - my sincerest apologies to the artists and to the Gallery ... 

 

Jason Fitzgerald

 

 

 

Simone Eisler

The selected group of sculptors has disparate conceptual concerns and use a variety of materials in their works. What links each practice is a dedication to working in a three-dimensional space and the exploration of process with the underpinning of construction and form-making.

 

Stephen Hart

Laurindo De Abreu Soto 

Laurindo De Abreu Soto

Stephen Newton

Hew Chee Fong

James and Eleanor Avery

Stephen Hart

 

Lincoln Austin

Charles Robb

Daniel Templeman

Construct: Celebrating Queensland Sculpture represents the depth and diversity of creative output that South East Queensland has to offer, and is testament to this select group of sculptors’ commitments to their practice.