More Spitting Images

Me, in my studio, surrounded by my initial efforts at Spitting Images. Hopefully, at least some will be recognisable, at least to Australian viewers!

Spitting Images

I ran the idea of doing a contemporary Australian take on Spitting Images past my brother, who lives in the UK, and was quite a fan of the original TV show which ran from 1984 to 1996  and this was his response

" I just wonder if you can find enough differences and readily recognisable features in your politicians to make them instantly recognisable and at the same time funny. If you tried to do a spitting image series of our current British politicians you would have a sort of identikit parade of young(-ish) men in suits, a bit like a firm of estate agents."

As you can tell, he is obviously not familiar with the current Australian political scene. We have got the most God awful set of politicians but, in general, they are great subjects for caricature so I decided to to dig out a couple of etchings I did last year in printmaking just to illustrate the superb quality of the materials available as subject matter:)

 

“The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”, subtitled (by me) “But which is which?”, hopefully should need no explanation, at least to fellow Aussies, but, just in case, it represents Bob Brown (Greens), Julia Gillard (Labour) and Tony Abbott (Liberal), coloured appropriately!

 

Unfortunately Bob Brown (Greens) has gone and retired! Not that I was a huge fan of the man but he was God’s gift to caricaturists.

 

 

"Julia as the Red Queen" having beheaded  Tony Abbott, with Kevin Rudd impaled on her sword and hanging on to Wayne Swan by the hair and I wish to acknowledge a debt to Jo Booker's "Julia's Dream" from the  Behind the Lines exhibition as inspiration for the subject matter.

 

Yes, there is plenty to be going on with:)

 

Well, while wishing everyone a Happy New Year, it has to be said that  2013 does not augur  well for the future of the Arts in NSW.

I refer everybody to Elizabeth Farrelly's excellent article in the Sydney Morning Herald

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/the-colour-of-money-is-ruining-art-20121226-2bw9h.html

which expresses, much more elequently than I can, what 2013 holds in store for the art world after the totally draconian withdrawal of funding for the arts in TAFE, sanctioned by our new premier Barry O'farrell
 
I'll just confine myself to a quick preview of my new project, a contemporary Australian take on the UK TV satire Spitting Images, and, with our politicians, God knows they deserve it. So here is my current take on public enemy number one.

Barry is currently in unfired clay but I am hoping to cast him in some light material so that I can utilise him as part of the next TAFE protest demonstration. 

"Udderly Unique"

My latest sculpture, which I have entitled Udderly Unique, on display as part of the Meadowmorphosis exhibition, currently on at the Sydney Gallery School, Meadowbank TAFE.

 

 

Festivus at Pop goes the Easel

Festivus, the Christmas exhibition at Pop goes the Easel Gallery, opened last night. Here is the invitation, featuring my Hung Parliament, reinvented in a more festive spirit by Lyndsey!

 

And here are the subjests in a less digitally modified state:)

 

 

New subject matter:)

Inspired by my contribution to the book we made in Printmaking entitled "Means of Support" above, I decided to rework her in clay.

 

I'm calling her Hippotissimo (or should that be Hippotissima) She has already gone to a good home:) I think this might be the start of a new series of works. I'm currently working on a corsetted cow. Watch this space!

A couple of pictures of my "Mad Katter", my entry in the Hornsby Art Prize, delivered today!

 

 

Get it?