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?

 

Thought I'd post some pictures of some of my works currently on exhibition at the Pop Goes The Easel gallery in Epping.

 

"Rabbit Food"

 

 

"Rabbit au Toilette"

 

 

"The White Rabbit"

 

 

"English Hot Dog"

 

Also on display at the See Street Gallery, Meadowbank TAFE

 

 

"Who, me?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thought it was about time I updated the pictures of me on my home page when I realised that one of the old photos was taken in 2002!!!
As proof that the current photo is recent, here is the unedited version of me in front of my figure of Ginger Meggs at Hornsby Art Society's exhibition as part of Heritage Week earlier this year.

My corner of the Ceramics Alumni exhibition currently on at Hornsby TAFE.

Green Tea

The other category that appealed (see previous post),  “Green Tea: an eco-friendly teapot”, is tailer made for my entry in  last year’s teapot show.

“Green Tea”! Get it? Bob Brown really is God’s gift to caricaturists

So I started on “Green Tea V2” only to hear the devastating news last Friday that he is retiring from politics so my entry will be passé before it’s even finished!

Not that I am a big fan of the Greens you understand. In fact, as one of my friends put it

 “Shame that Brown spoilt your plans (But then he has spoilt a Nation’s prosperity and hopes- so are you surprised?)”  

Oh well, at least I still have Julia, another caricaturist’s dream. Now just if can I come up with something on the carbon tax………………….!

Current ceramic work !

Well I am updating this blog out of sheer boredom:( Not that I don’t have anything to do! I do!

However, once again it is persisting down in Sydney, about 100mm fell yesterday, so nothing is drying and I don’t mean the washing although that is going to become a problem soon if this weather keeps up.

No, it's my ceramics that aren’t drying. I was planning to use the two week Easter holiday from TAFE in making my entry for the Sydney Teapot Show which is held every year at the Inner City Clayworkers Gallery in Glebe. Each year there are nominated categories that you can enter. This year, two categories appealed to me, “What the Dickens: A teapot reflecting the world of Charles Dickens” and “Green Tea: an eco-friendly teapot”.

I had a look on the web and there are any number teapots for most well known Dickensian characters so I thought I’d do something a bit different, after all it does say that the categories can be interpreted in any way you wish.

So here is my take on Uncle Scrooge Mcduck. Work in progress!

I’ve finished the actual making but I want  him to be brightly coloured with underglazes which I can’t apply until he is at the bone dry stage and, with this weather, he’s just not drying out!

I know, from experience, that it takes ages to apply underglazes well and, once TAFE starts again, I’ll be pretty busy so I’m hoping for some sun! Soon!

Success !

Last week I entered the Pittwater ceramics award and, to my complete surprise, won third prize in the tertiary student section with my “Porcine Sundae”.

It is intended to have a meaning on two levels. Firstly a reference to the use of junk ingredients in fast food, namely the use of pork fat in cheap icecream, and secondly, what you will turn into if you eat too much of it!

Currently on exhibition!

This picture is of one of my rabbits currently on exhibition in the Atrium gallery space at the Department of Education, level 2, 35 Bridge Street, Sydney. You can catch him there until Friday March 30th!

New directions!

Well I guess all things come to an end but, I must say I will miss Hornsby TAFE ceramics department. I have been there for seven years, longer than I have stayed in several jobs!

However I am looking forward to investigating other forms of sculpture. It has to be said that ceramic work seems to have a stigma attached to it in the Fine Art world and does not fit comfortably into contemporary sculptural practices. It is generally acknowledged that there is a hierarchy in the Fine Arts, with painting at the apex, followed by sculpture, with ceramics somewhere down the list but a hierarchy also exists within sculptural practices. I am not sure what would constitute the apex but certainly marble carving and bronze cast work are right up there while ceramic sculpture again is way down the list.

I find this somewhat ironic since most contemporary bronze work is first modelled in clay, at which point the sculptor’s active involvement in the artistic process ceases and the work is handed over to be professionally cast in a foundry.

Having said that however, I have to admit that ceramic sculpture does suffer from some specific “challenges”, the main one being that it is restricted in size both by the nature of the material and the size of the kiln, unless made in multiple pieces and joined, something which is not always possible or desirable. This restriction in size is particularly problematic when designing outdoor sculptures where a certain size is necessary in order for the sculpture not to be dwarfed by the surrounding environment. Surface finish, as protection against the weather, is another consideration for outdoor ceramic sculpture, less so in Australia where the climate is fairly temperate. In extreme climates, with sub zero temperatures, outdoor ceramic sculpture is not a viable option.

So I am looking on this year as a voyage of discovery in the world of sculptural media and I plan to update this blog with my findings!

Watch this spaceJ