ARTS ZINE JULY 2020

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ARTS ZINE issue 37 july 2020

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Left: Guns Kill: Lil Dave, Ink on paper, H124 x W 94 cm.

George Gittoes © 2018.

DEBRA LIEL-BROWN

‘Dancing Angophoras’ H42 x W58 cm. Acrylics on paper, Debra Liel-Brown.

www.debraliel-brown-artist.com/

www.art-systems-wickham.com/ Oz Goth - 20 20 Vision Acrylic on Canvas

H 61 x W 46 cm.

John Barnes 2020.

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VICKI SULLIVAN http://vickisullivan.com/gallery/

Courage ,Camaraderie and Consequence

Oil on Belgian linen, H150 x W118cm.

Finalist in Gallipoli Art Prize, Sydney 2015 Vicki Sullivan

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O L Orange rocks, Yellow Sky and Blue Water, Acrylic on canvas, Merv Moriarty 2016.

https://remix.org.au/mervyn-moriarty/

ART QUILL STUDIO https://artquill.blogspot.com

Made to Order IV. Silkscreen print, Size: H 70 x W 55 cm.

Marie-Therese Wisniowski

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Heavy Freedom, graphite pencil / oil pastel, H 52 x W42 cm.

E&R Werkhoven 2020.

www.studiolaprimitive.net

Pandemic Comic

Pandemic Comic GEORGE GITTOES

http://gittoes.com/

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L Quarantine, photograph by Maggie Hall 2020.

Trevor Weekes

Brad Evans

George Gittoes

Eric Werkhoven

Hellen Rose

Robyn Werkhoven

Vicki Sullivan

Art Systems Wickham

John Barnes

Dungog by Design

Janet Steele

Barbara Nanshe

Mark Elliot-Ranken

Rod Pattenden

Bernadette Smith

Art Quill Studio

Maggie Hall

Timelesstextiles

Lorraine Fildes

Newcastle Studio Potters

INDEX Editorial …………

Robyn Werkhoven

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Studio La Primitive ……

Robyn Werkhoven

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Feature Artist ………..

Trevor Weekes

Poetry …………………

Bernadette Smith Mark Elliot-Ranken

32 - 33

Feature Artist …………

George Gittoes

34 - 45

Feature Artist ………...

Hellen Rose

46 - 59

Poetry ………………….

Maggie Hall

60 - 67

Feature Artist …………

Vicki Sullivan

68 - 85

Poetry ……………….

Eric Werkhoven

86 - 89

Feature Artist ……………

John Barnes

90 - 105

Poetry ……………………

Maggie Hall

106 - 107

Featured Artist …………

Janet Steele

108 - 129

Poetry ………………….

Brad Evans

130 - 131

Flying Art School ……

Lorraine Fildes

132 - 155

Feature ………………..

Art Quill Studio

156 - 165

ART NEWS……………….

Detail: The Resilience of Mallacoota, W 130 x H 92 cm., Textiles, wire, wood.

Janet Steele. 2020.

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166 - 193

Front Cover: Dreams of Flight, Acrylic on canvas, Trevor Weekes 1992.

EDITORIAL

This month we feature Hunter Valley artist Janet Steele and her

Greetings to our ARTS ZINE readers.

Since the May of Arts Zine our world still remains caught in the shocking

Lorraine Fildes, our resident travel photographer and writer, high lights art educator and founder of Flying Arts Alliance, Mervyn Moriarty.

nightmare of COVID 19 virus, we have endured huge heartbreak and loss of

Artist, photographer and poet Maggie Hall presents three

human lives. Again we stress the importance of the Visual Arts , Music and

intriguing poems and imagery.

Literature, in such demanding and challenging times, to keep creative and

Contemporary artists and poets Bernadette Smith and Mark Elliot-

stay positive. The July Arts Zine includes an eclectic selection of vibrant and

Ranken present in depth poems and essays on humanities

thought provoking interviews and articles on artists and writers.

failings and foibles.

Hunter Valley artist Trevor Weekes’ art practice embraces multi - disciplines,

Marie-Therese Wisniowski - Art Quill Studio, features excerpts

specifically Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Artists Book production and more

from The Art Resource posts, information that can be useful for a

recently Animation.

home hobbyist and artists, available on her monthly Blog.

Award winning artist and film producer George Gittoes this month features

Don’t miss out reading new works by our resident poets Brad

the story behind his latest paintings Sonic and the Augustus Suite.

Evans and Eric Werkhoven.

Hellen Rose, singer, performer and film producer at Gittoes Films has featured an amazing story The Haunted Burqa inspired by life in Jalalabad, Afghanistan during the establishing of the Yellow House.

exquisite textile and embroidery works.

ART NEWS and information on forthcoming art exhibitions.

The ARTS ZINE features articles and interviews with national and international

visual artists, poets and

writers, exploring their

Vicki Sullivan is an Australian based Contemporary Realist Painter

world of art and creative processes.

specializing in portraiture and figurative work. Vicki writes about life as a

Submissions welcomed, we would love to have your words and

portrait painter and the desire to reveal something of the inner essence of

art works in future editions in 2020.

her subject.

Contemporary painter John Barnes relates his Path to Art. Barnes has a keen interest in portraying the Australian landscape and its “fluid and ever changing nature.”

Deadline for articles 15th August for September issue 38, 2020.

Email: werkhovenr@bigpond.com Regards - your editor Robyn Werkhoven

The publisher will not accept responsibility or any liability for the correctness of information or opinions expressed in the publication. Copyright © 2019 Studio La Primitive.

All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced , in whole or in part, without the prior permission of the publisher.

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S T U D I O

www.studiolaprimitive.net

L A P R I M I T I V E Mad Moment drawing Refuge II, Aqua pencil/pen on board, 20 x 20 cm. Robyn Werkhoven Š 2020.

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T R E V O R W E E K E S Issue 37 - July 2020

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TREVOR WEEKES Trevor Weekes is a practicing Artist and Educator. He has been a Lecturer in Natural History Illustration and Fine Art in

The School of Design, Communication and Information Technology, University of Newcastle.

Exhibiting regularly, with both solo and group shows through-

out Australia His art practice embraces multi disciplines, specifically

Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Artists Book production and

T R E V O R

more recently Animation. Music has always played an important role in his life and is an area he has been involved in, producing a sound piece to CD, and incorporating sound in several of his installations. His absolute love of animals has been a major topic of interest, focusing on Birds specifically and Flight.

Trevor’s paintings explore a range of themes and concepts.

Whilst he is inspired by the expressive quality of a variety of mediums, Trevor prefers acrylic and water based media.

Page 14: There is Beauty in Everything, Acrylic on board, Trevor Weekes 2005.

Right: The Amber Room, Acrylic on board, Trevor Weekes 2017.

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Wedgetail Study Acrylic on canvas.

Trevor Weekes 1997.

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TREVOR WEEKES - INTERVIEW BACKGROUND

I grew up in Orange, NSW. and educated in the public system. I finished school after the School certificate and got a job as a window dresser. During that time I did a Showcard and Ticket writing course at the local TAFE. Joined a local music band and in 1970 went to Sydney and worked at David Jones in Parramatta. Later I moved to Canberra with my family and got a job at the Canberra times, commencing a Fine art degree

while working full time. We moved to Sydney where I did Art part–time. Then I studied art at Alexander Mackie College, received my Fine art degree, followed by teaching in Sydney. Finally moved to Newcastle,

where I did my Masters through COFA and was awarded a PhD through University of Newcastle Fine Art.

As a child I was always making things and drawing. My parents were bewildered and wondered where this

artistic behavior had originated.

I loved Disney animation from an early age and wrote to Walt Disney when I was twelve. I received a package in the mail and that was an exciting day for a country boy. My focus was on becoming an animator but circumstance derailed that somewhat.

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My boyhood memories always revolved around Flight. I was fascinated with birds so it wasn’t unusual that

my first exhibition was based on birds and flying machines. This is a subject that has been entwined with other subject matter in my exhibiting career.

I get an idea and then decide if it works better as paintings, sculpture, mixed media or drawing. I have had just drawing shows but usually it has been a combination of painting and drawing. My work is always centred on a theme.

My work is always thematic and has an underlying message. The body of work operates on three levels.

The viewer can decide what they want to take from the work. It can be purely pictorial or the imagery may prompt a question.

The process of making art always starts with an idea and then a large volume of working drawings. From

there I produce studies and experimental work. It can be two years from concept to finished work. I work on several bodies of work at the same time and multiple pieces. I have worked on up to 80 artworks at the same time. I find this works for me because if I hit a brick wall I can move on to another piece. The down side is that there are no finished works until about two months before the exhibition. The exception is if the gallery requires an image for promotion. Then I reluctantly finish a work or two.

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The Floating World, Acrylic on canvas, Trevor Weekes 2014.

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I work with a variety of materials. Acrylic, oil, water colour, ink, graphite, Bronze, Timber, Polyester resin and fiberglass. I choose the material that best suits the subject matter and what I am trying to say with my work.

I believe the material used is such an important factor in the perception of the artwork.

Drawing is paramount. I have always loved to draw. Sometimes it is studies and other times just pure indulgence. I could give up sculpture and painting but never drawing. I have hundreds of sketchbooks. I am

not precious about them and the degree of finish contained in the books varies from simple line drawing to more complex finished drawings used in the production of future work.

The inspiration for my work is the natural world and in particular animals. In my work I often draw parallels

with animals and humans to make a comment. Several years ago I spent some time with the spider monkeys at Taronga Zoo. Out of that came an exhibition entitled ‘To be Humanised’ I depicted Spider monkeys in Human situations. That sounds corny but I tried hard not to make them emotion pleas from the monkeys. The exhibition coming up has expanded on that and I have depicted the feline community affected by human intervention and our desire to dress them up and make them more human. This is not a

new idea or original. I hope this body of work will be different. This show is entitled ‘To be Humanised 2’ There are many artists that I admire and musicians. There has always been music in my life. I played music

till recently. Getting old has its setbacks. At least if things get really bad I can strap on a pencil to draw.

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Sublime Acrylic on board Trevor Weekes 2019.

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The beauty of the internet is that we can see work by artists from all around the world. There are so many

good artists out there. My favourite artists and artworks are to numerous to mention but perhaps my favourite artist would have to be Rembrandt for his painting and Leonardo da Vinci for his ideas and beautiful drawings. I love artist’s drawings. They don’t have to be academic. I love preparatory drawings and scribbles.

I think each period of art has its appeal. We have such a rich smorgasbord to choose from. Like my choice

of music, my love of art and my choice is eclectic.

It is not easy being an artist. I have never been a full time artist. It has always been a balance with work and

making art. I have exhibited for well over forty-five years and managed to have regular shows in that time.

I am and always will be totally committed to my practice. It is essential to be true to oneself and that means

being excluded from the mainstream at times.

Perhaps the greatest experience I had has been a residency in the natural History Museum in Paris. Six weeks, just me and 80,000 bird specimens. I have been lucky in my career even though I know I have worked hard. I love making art and don’t really worry if people don’t like what I do. I have made large sculptures for public spaces, had some of my books published world- wide. I am perhaps best known for the

‘Teach your chicken to fly training manual’ which was an exhibition at the Adelaide Festival and a book.

For me my books are exhibitions contained within the covers.

I am now returning to some early exhibitions and making them into books.

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Trevor Weekes and furry friends. 2017

To be Humanised, Acrylic on canvas, Trevor Weekes 2010.

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Small Machines for big Minds, Sculpey, timber, canvas, Trevor Weekes 2014.

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Contemplation, Acrylic on board, Trevor Weekes 2019.

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Covid -19 hasn’t really affected my practice in the studio at all. It is a solitary practice. Galleries having to close are a blow to artists who had shows coming up.

At the moment I am working on two new bodies of work that consist of paintings and some sculpture for 2021 and 2023. I have just published another book and working on a new publication.

With my work I hope the audience remembers the works and that they engaged with them. It is important to me that my work is seen. I don’t care if the audience like the works or not but ideally they spend more than

two second looking at them.

I am disillusioned with the art world and the lack of support that artists get. Australia is a wonderful country

but the government and associated bodies have absolutely no idea just how important art and culture is to the world. We are quite backward in that area.

I decided last year not to exhibit in commercial galleries in the future. I like the idea of Regional Galleries and that a cross section of the community including school kids can see the work. For me now books also serve that purpose. Whatever happens I will continue to make artworks and publish books till I can do it no more.

In the future I will continue to do workshops in the region and with the upcoming show at Manning regional

and Maitland regional Gallery I am hoping that the shows will travel to other regional galleries.

- Trevor Weekes Š 2020.

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Voyager Acrylic on canvas Trevor Weekes 2015.

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Carry My Dreams Cardboard Trevor Weekes 2014.

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Elephant Tower, Silver, bronze, timbers, 1995 Trevor Weekes.

The Eden Tree, Bronze, Trevor Weekes 2003.

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The Beauty of Things Acrylic on canvas.

Trevor Weekes 2005.

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Detail: Ascendance, Acrylic on canvas, (18Panels), Trevor Weekes 2015.

https://www.trevorweekesartiology.com.au/ All Rights Reserved on article and photographs Trevor Weekes Š 2020.

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Once Were Neighbours - Bernadette Smith Across the fence They traded insults He called them ‘White trash’ They yelled ‘Brahmin trash’

Righteous rage expressed Where would it end?

Holy War, Crusades Bloody Sunday?

Fast forward downunder Bigotry unfurled Freedom of religion laws released

He threw chilli They threw garbage He defaced their car They sent threats

Then night horror…

Women butchered, Blood trains in Lahore So eye for eye

Discrimination exemptions Human rights cease History forgotten Easily repeats.

Neighbours took sides Their gods collide Quoting Bibles Chanting Mantras

With gods on side Wrought Hell on Earth Millions homeless Mass murder

- Bernadette Smith © 2020.

Papers fan the flames A knife was pulled People stabbed Both sides protest

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A NEON PARADISE - Mark Elliot-Ranken

Its night in paradise, neon’s flashing

Tequila and beer bottles alone and together

A thousand shirts identical, fingered for cost

Suck from each other time’s sustenance,

The price never asked but bargained for

better than sate perhaps.

Without voices just whispers

Bodies dance and slide on sweat and lubricant,

In the foliage of trees, our salvation.

senses numbed on the sand, in the water erotic neon helps.

On the beach fat waves slop and splash encircling the structures of shade and somnolence,

The living flesh of ourselves, cannibals of little things

all waiting the return of day and the sun.

‘Do you want a good time’, all the same to the wallet.

Neon light reflecting, almost tinkling in

Its just a space occupied briefly on the green and still beautiful island,

the liquid line between land and sea.

in the paradise of neon.

Mark Elliot-Ranken © 2020.

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SONIC AND THE AUGUSTUS SUITE GEORGE GITTOES I have had to stop watching American films as they mostly promote violence and guns.

But then the animated film of the Adams Family appeared.

I thought it was the best message I have ever heard. It is about the way society persecutes and rejects anyone who is different. Artists, witches and mystics are like any minority and have always been treated

badly.

Adams Family was so good I thought it would be years before anything as good as it came along and then

I heard about Dr Doolittle. It is really about Greta Thunberg. It is set in an imaginary past London and the Queen of England is a young girl who wants to protect endangered species and the environment, but the

politicians hate her vision and poison her. Dr Doolittle with his animal friends finds the cure on a remote island. A war ship, sent by the Evil Government Officials, tries to scuttle his mission to save the Queen but fails. Doolittle arrives in time and manages to get past all the gate-keepers to bring her majesty back to life with new hope for the world and all its creatures.

Page 34: SONIC, Oil on canvas, H 30 x W 36 inches, George Gittoes 2020.

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I thought, Doolittle topped everything I had ever seen in film and I would never need to download a film, ever again. I wanted to keep my pure and beautiful memories of Dr Doolittle sacred in my heart.

But I was at our local grocery store and noticed a poster for ‘Sonic the Hedge Hog’. A little girl watched me

studying it (I was trying to work out if it was really Jim Cary playing Robotnic) and she said “It is wonderful and Sonic is so cute ! You must see it !”

Sonic is definitely the best . It asks us why there are people in charge of our world who want to exploit and

ultimately destroy anything that is unique and beautiful. Sonic has the solution to all our energy needs with a limitless source of electric power but their aim is to catch him , dissect him and weaponize his power as an ultimate military weapon. When Sonic ended, my wife Hellen commented “why do we always find it so believable that our governments will do anything, no matter how immoral, to get more powerful.”

I did gain something from one adult TV series – Westworld. The more bad things people did to the robot slaves the more intelligent they got. By the end I had identified so much with the robots I wanted them to

win and become the new dominant species.

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The sketch George Gittoes diary for the Sonic painting.

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THE CAVE, Oil on canvas, H 30 x W 36 inches, George Gittoes 2020 Issue 37 - July 2020

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THE ANGELS WATCHING, Oil on canvas, H 30 x W 36 inches, George Gittoes 2020.

PROFIT TEARS, Oil on canvas, H 30 x W 36 inches, George Gittoes 2020.

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METAMORPHIC, Oil on canvas, H 30 x W 36 inches, George Gittoes 2020.

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NIAGARA, Oil on canvas, H 30 x W 36 inches, George Gittoes 2020.

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Back in 1970 I did a series of etchings and paintings called ‘The Hotel Kennedy Suite.� It was a time like

now with Nixon as President, Martin Luther King the hope of civil justice had been killed , as had both the Kennedys and the huge anti Vietnam protests were being attacked by police and the army, culminating in the Kent State shootings. I have begun doing a new suite of etchings and paintings (3 are already finished)

called the Augustus Suite after Harith Augustus who we see killed by police in the first few minutes of my film White Light .

50 years on and the times seem very similar, but things have gotten a lot worse.

The insect creature in these works represents those who want to develop more and more deadly atomic bombs and sell the water from our rivers and deny that burning up our atmosphere is bringing climate change. These beings are so weird and different to everyone I know I see them as insect like aliens, no

longer human.

I hope my Augustus Suite will encourage people to think the way these kids movies are influencing the next generation. There is hope and optimism in that.

Our film White Light premiers on the ABC on 7th July at 9:30pm and will then be available on IVIEW.

- George Gittoes Š 2020.

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THE HOTEL KENNEDY SUITE

HOTEL KENNEDY etchings. H 20 x W 22 cm.

They were designed in 1969 and etched in 1970 by George Gittoes.

All Rights Reserved on article and photographs George Gittoes © 2020.

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www.whitelight.film Left: Souljah, Love & Pain, Ink on paper H124 x W94 cm. George Gittoes © 2018.

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WHITE LIGHT premiers on the ABC on 14th July at 8:30pm.

Will then be available on IVIEW.

www.whitelight.film Photographs courtesy of George Gittoes © 2020.

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THE HAUNTED BURQA In the lair of The Haunted Burqa

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THE HAUNTED BURQA HELLEN ROSE I have been a diarist since I was very young, and The Haunted Burqa evolved into a multi discipline performance work through my diaries.

The bomb shelter at the Yellow House Jalalabad is underground and directly under the men’s Hoojerah. The Hoojerah is traditionally the place where guests are welcomed into the typical Pashtun home, in a gender-separated world it is typically a men’s lounge. I surprised George by

turning the bomb shelter a low ceilinged, underground space into both a studio and installation in secret with Hitjerad our cook and his brother Waheed the tailor. Draped in red and black velvet like the inside of a Genii bottle, everyone at the Yellow House calls it The Majic RoOom. It was so exciting for us women as it is a space where we can all be free, we could finally make as much noise as we like down there as well

dance and laugh out loud. Creating the Haunted Burqa, myself, Neha, Murtezah and Arshid would hang out down under the ground feeling far away from the world above, making music and developing performances for the photo shoot. Murtezah, my long time Afghan music collaborator, playing his intricately hand carved harmonium while we sang.

At night Jalalabad elevates to a level of magical beauty that is yet more so beyond the normal wonder that the ancient town still exudes, even with so many years of war. I would sneak out at night with Neha while she smoked her cigarettes; women are banned from smoking in Afghanistan. We’d look up at the brilliant array of stars that arced so close to the earth like thousands of old kerosene lanterns hanging; the

peacocks and monkeys sleeping quietly, all our dreams seemed possible. We’d slink out through the hole in the back wall into the vacant lot where we kept Aladdin and Juliette our goats, their faces and hides patterned with henna, the air filled at that time of year with the victorious perfume of the orange blossoms blooming all over town from the orange orchards that encircle the city, at last winning the battle of the daily stench of rotting sewerage as a result of the war crumbled infrastructure.

Tiny lights flashing far off on the horizon, far from us some evenings, the drone strikes and mortars exploding like falling meteors. On the nights IS were fighting the Taliban on the boarder, or in town bombing, we stayed down in my studio, singing while the ground shook. It’s important to always remain vigilant in those situations but in truth I did break the rules and push the boundaries on occasion, as I felt so secure in that wonderful community who accept me as family and call me sister or aunty.

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I began to ponder and brood about all the strange things of that ancient region and the fear and ‘chattelhood’ of women that men throughout history have displayed. One morning in the early days of setting up the Yellow House Jalalabad, one of the male Pakistani Editors and a couple

of the Afghan guys came to George and myself and told us that my female interpreter (staying with us as a single woman) was a witch and that they had seen her floating around the garden at night and no matter how hard they tried to catch her and pull her to the ground, they couldn’t they said she had also turned a green colour!! I had to stop myself from bursting into laughter. “WOW”! Was my response, “that is soooo cool,

I want to see that!” My response, in turn, threw the bothered boys immediately, with such an unexpected reaction from me, I think they thought I would be scarred? After some investigation I explained that I had done the ‘medical research’ and discovered that she had ‘night terrors’, I then informed them all that I would take her back to Australia to a psychologist and we would sort out what the problem is and cure her. This diffused the matter, if somewhat begrudgingly (annoyed that my interpreter would get a trip to Australia and not them). It was a calculated comeback from me as they were about to bring in the Malek (local priest) to have her exorcised!

I started to muse on the history of fear that men have held towards women and why. I thought about how great it would be to actually have the ability to fly around the garden or off over town, to become a monster and avenge the far too many women in that society and our own, who are victims of male ignorance, fear and violence. Here women are virgin dolls for trade who don’t even think about sex, they are packaged and

wrapped like a shapeless mannequin in a sack from head to ankle. Female beauty can be an obsession for men, bewitched, charmed, the realm of fantasy mixed with fear. Men lose control of themselves around beautiful women and believe they have no constraint over their actions as a result, they blame the woman for all of their feelings, they believe in the same superstitions just as in the days of the artist Soutine’s poor Jewish shtetl villagers of Minsk who had a fear of the evil eye, as well as looking or gazing upon the human form, so too do the Afghans.

Unconventional women are believed even more evil, closer to the devil, who uses them to play tricks upon men with their treacherous guile.

As I was saying, magic is still alive in Jalalabad somehow, as it is still an indigenous culture that actually Islam hasn’t been able to fully crush.

March 20th the Spring Solstice is still celebrated, and the three days around then are a holiday in that town, dating back to almost prehistoric origins. March 20th also happens to be my birthday, so I was treated with special reverence and thrown a wonderful party in my honour every year, being born on such a date the locals believe is to be blessed by ancient and enduring spirits.

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In the lair of The Haunted Burqa, rehearsals.

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There were many odd and unexplainable sightings and occurrences in the town. Once while going through the streets I saw a strange woman who had eyebrows as long as hair who stopped me and my escort, grabbing my arm, she pulled back her scarves to show me her freakish face

and talk to me in strange tongues, her skin as white as snow and lips indigo blue, she dripped in Arabian gold necklaces and seemed to float above the foot path in curled toe slippers.

Levitation seemed a normal occurrence in Jalalabad. Arshied one of our YHJ core team who is a petit person and my collaborator, has the ability to run and suspend himself in the air for an unusual amount of time, like a cartoon character, much more than Nijinsky ‘making air’.

On a location shoot over near the old Buddhist caves I had yearned, since I first saw them to meditate in one of the caves, I kept feeling drawn to a particular one. I was deeply into the practice and had been meditating for an hour daily for over 2 years prior, so the experience was profound. I sat in the lotus position in the centre of a large cave that once housed a huge buddha statue, I kept my burqa on my head ready to flip it down if someone came along, George and Waqar and crew were filming around the corner working on a scene from our children’s film ‘Simurgh’. I sat there and started to go into a deep trance, the very essence of the Zen ‘now’ moment arriving mingled with realisations;

- I realised that I was the first person to meditate there in a very, very long time, a place that 3000 years ago, along the silk road, was a haven for Buddhist pilgrims. I also noted that the cave I chose was on a direct line to the old crumbling circular ‘Stupa’ (Buddhist temple).

Everywhere on the walls were carved wide U shapes with three downward strokes in the centre, the middle one longest. As I sat in the afternoon sun suddenly two local teen boys came around the corner and looked up at me and screamed and ran, I sat motionless, I could hear George and Waqar come running to check on me, they were also surprised, I sensed danger and knew I had pushed my luck, my meditation time was up. Before I ‘came to’ out of my warm trance, a voice seemed to instruct me to place my hand in one of the U shapes with the three

downward strokes, which I did, right on the wall next to me - of course it was the shape of the hand, thumb to baby finger the U shape, middle, fore and ring fingers - the downward strokes.

This was how the thousands of pilgrims made their mark, left their signature that they were here on this sacred ground and sites. I asked

George about the screaming teens and his and Waqar’s shocked gasps as well, I had presumed that it was just the site of a woman doing something totally out of the ordinary and forbidden that had therefore alarmed the local boys. George told me that when he and Waqar came around the corner saw me meditating that somehow I looked gigantic and my size had filled the huge cave, as big as the Buddha. There are

rumours in town that the ancient people of the area worshipped snakes, but upon further investigation I discovered that the ancient people of the area worshiped dragons, mythical creatures.

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I had to spend a lot of time within the walls of the compound because of my gender.

Doing the performances in my studio with George photographing the work felt terrifying and terribly taboo for a woman to be doing. George had to put the camera shutter very wide as it was so dark down in the bomb shelter and the red and black created light problems, strange apparitions were captured as I performed having to be very still in order to capture a clear exposure.

The Haunted burqa was born…

Diary entry 25/12/2010 Jalalabad The Haunted Burqa.

White Burqa.

I staggered out stumbling and caught up tripping on the large step down from the rickshaw, accidentally treading on my burqa, straight into the reeking 50-degree heat of summer. The streets of Jalalabad were dotted with blue burqa’s, all of us women pouring with sweat under these acrylic stiflers, gaggers. I’m navigating blinded across rubble and rotten matter, mud and poor war ravaged people who hadn’t washed bodies or ragged clothes in years, street beggars, children 4 & 5 years old pulling on the cloth that is smothering me for small bits of dirty worn paper money or trying to sell me chewing gum, or plastic bags, the dirt is ingrained on their necks and feet, hair matted.

I have come into the market on this day with Hitjerad our cook to try and buy something for George’s and my secret and ‘blasphemously dangerous’ Christmas meal, a day like any other for people here. Gutted lambs stare with skinned skulls and tongues hanging, lolling side by side with goats the same on hooks, freshly slaughtered but bobbing with flies swarming never the less.

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Hitjerad haggles for a leg of the lamb, the butcher slams a deft clever into the thigh and then slides a razor sharp knife through the flesh at the joint and throws the feast in the offing into yet another plastic bag. We move on past the stench, the offal rotting in huge troughs. The butcher smiles a grin, sweaty and wide as we move off into the narrow, foot fall pounded, dry mud streets, past all manner of amazing baubles, animals, cloth, spices, plastic Chinese toys, Arabian makeup stalls, a woman begging on the ground, I nearly trip over her, falling forward, Hitjerad catches me but not before I come face to face with a mummified baby she nestles in the folds of her burqa, I hear her simpering, begging tones as I am ferried on through the maze of misery and plastic glitter.

Suddenly I see, about a hundred paces before me, a white burqa! At first it looks like a child with a sheet over his head, pretending to scare his little sister! I have never seen such a thing here, I was told that only blue burqa’s were allowed but now Hitjerad tells me, that in summer some women wear white. He looks suddenly pale himself and tries to usher me in another direction. I hold my ground and find that I am fixed on the white burqa however and start an amused and curious pursuit towards her, there is something unusual about the way she is moving, a type of jittering along through the stalls, I’m

thinking we could become friends, I could invite her to the Yellow House?

The heat is oppressive and this ghostly white vision under the boring sun, with rivulets of my own sweat pouring into my eyes, becomes a steamy salt water mirage, wavering in and out of focus, gliding through the mugginess strangely in the

broad light of day. Then abruptly as if reading my mind I see and sense her coming towards me, a gentle sway, deftly navigating the foot breaking rickshaw wheels, the cars that won’t stop, as if she can see clearly through the gauze covering her eyes, her head held up, no women hold their heads high here... closer ‘she’ comes, in anticipation I accidently squeeze the hand of my child escort who squeals, I apologise rubbing his hand as I look down to him, when I look up the white burqa is right in front of me, surprisingly small in stature, she slows down to look around at scarves on a cart, I think I’m imagining it but I feel I can hear a her giggle girlishly menacingly, I look down at her feet but I cannot see anything but the dirty skirts beneath the white burqa, stained with dust and grime. I am stopped, I watch her intently, curiously, I hear a scornful snigger again and watch her, she too has an escort, and no woman is allowed to be alone on the streets of this town by law.

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Hellen Rose at tea stop on road from Kabul to Jalalabad.

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A child? No a very tiny man is with her, he looks the size of a child but turns his face up to my gauzed eyes and winks, picking his teeth with a tooth pick he spits and flicks it to the ground so that is stabs the mud, like some kind of magic trick, he and suddenly the white burka move in haste. I watch as she heads for a flight of stairs, the crowd bustling in dangerous overheated, overcrowded mobbing gesticulations, fights breaking out but no one stopping them, people hurry on, she is up the third flight of stairs and moving, still I cannot see her feet, she suddenly slithers up the wall on the end of the flight of stairs, the sun burning my retina’s through the gauze, she is up to the very roof top, no one notices except for me, her companion small but I can see him still, rides her, clinging to her burqa, waives to me from afar, holding one arm high in

salute as he clutches her burqa with the other, grinning and laughing with his tiny mouth open, they glide to the back of the roof of the building and disappear.

Hitjerad my cook is now ushering me to move, pulling me back as I feel psychically coerced to follow them, it is not good to loiter in one spot in town too long as it could attract attention and people might start to realise from the minutest differences that I am a foreigner or think I am a loose woman, lingering. We ramshackle our tangled way back, weaving through

chickens, rickshaws, balloons, carpet stores, men with no legs, blind men, shops filled with sparkling dresses, street food vendors, pomegranates, blacksmiths making hand made tools, knives, nails. Finally back home, my mind still mesmerized and confused, Hitjerad presents me with the appropriate garment for the season, as he often guides me in the manner of

local female custom, its very important that I always blend in with the crowds. I opened the bag to find a white burqa for summer contained within.

Š Hellen Rose 2020.

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In the lair of the Haunted Burqa, Hellen Rose.

Left to right: Arshid, Hellen , Murtezah and Sufi Saeed, Rehearsals for The Haunted Burqa.

Nehe & Hellen Rose at the Yellow House, Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

Hellen Rose at tea stop on road from Kabul to Jalalabad.

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The Haunted Burqa character is nameless but travels with me where ever I go around the world. In South Side Chicago she teamed up with the native Pantherette and her clowder of cats, In London she meets the old blind ex pat, Pashtun

woman who owns the boarding room house in Paddington across from Hyde Park and in Salem she teams up with an anthropomorphic young actor who roams the streets of historic Salem deep in character as Bonobo the chimpanzee. Who better to work with than the amazing Fred Gianelli, resident of Salem and very good friends with Bonobo the chimpanzee.

He is working with me on the music side of this multi media piece, also involving performance images and spoken word readings from the diaries. We met in Salem Massachusetts at the screening of White Light for the Salem International Film Festival during Halloween 2019.

https://www.dustscience.com/artists/fred-giannelli For the launch we will put the work up on the Night Vision website http://gittoes.com/night-vision/ and www.hellenrose.com Late July 2020.

Dedicated to my darling companion, inspiration and collaborator, my beloved husband George Gittoes.

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Hellen & Ezmari, Afghan Election Day 2016.

Hellen & Bonobo, Salem Halloween, 2019.

All Rights Reserved on article and photographs Hellen Rose Š 2020.

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George Gittoes and Hellen Rose

George Gittoes and Hellen Rose at the opening of his exhibition ‘On Being There’ Newcastle Art Gallery February 2020. Photographs by Christine Pike.

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GEORGE GITTOES George Gittoes is a celebrated Australian artist, an internationally acclaimed film producer, director and writer.

Gittoes’ work has consistently expressed his social, political and humanitarian concern and the effects of injustice and conflict.

He has received many prestigious art awards including the Blake Prize for Religious Art and Wynn Prize.

His films have won many International Awards and in 2015 he was bestowed the Sydney Peace Prize.

HELLEN ROSE Singer and performer.

Awarded BVA Hons, MTeach, Grad Cert Arts and NSW Premier's Award 2014.

Manager/Co founder The Yellow House Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

Rose is Co Producer and Music Director at Gittoes Films Pty Ltd. George Gittoes and Hellen Rose make documentary films, often in and about war zones. Their latest film White Light deals with the gun violence that's rampant in the Englewood neighbourhood of South Side Chicago, USA.

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E L O N ‘S

M

A G G

I E H

G I F T

A L L

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Elon’s Gift simulation screams . existential dream

lost sleep . scientific fiction The tracking . Queen takes Knight . µ . Nietzsche . Dostoyevsky . π .

eponymous deity . first diction Son of John . seVenth nocturn

units cycle time . priming friction ISO . 861 nundinal activity . septime play

Hermes . Mercury seven ways

168 . ISO gothic order . a leap of faith lunation quarts . lost pantheons race

sapere aude . solitaire civilisations . ninth state moonwalking caterpillar a dance in my head manifesting technologies

the magnate empire . stargates future Musk’s . kinesis Space X ... . - . ... - . .. . ..

-Maggie Hall © 2020.

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M A G G I E

H A L L

Q U A R A N T I N E Issue 37 - July 2020

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Quarantine Looking through mirrors, past portraits, into future.

Broken frames hate, fear break in.

Might this be, the final stain, a quiet explanation.

It's much too late, so what's the use in fighting . . .

Green eyes seek reds jealous nature.

Bruised apples fall limp by peach wine.

In place each watcher sits, by wait of a falling star, consider this day, our final preparation.

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You peel me like an onion skin, and wonder at the state I'm in . . .

Showers surround as clouds fall deeper; Saturn stars turn ripe with blood.

Transfigured resurrections deem heresy.

Crucified rocks weave by hills, trees form like altars.

A stark grey fawn stand’s surrounded by painted dusk.

Here beside the mews of holy war and holy peace, ours is just a little sorrow . . .

Hot coals handover verse to a book with no cover

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But now, I know the wicked truth, it's much too late, so what's the use in fighting . . .

Mid-summer’s light stands reaching in prayer.

Hands of clay cup a luminous half-moon.

Blue seeds swallow shadows, sweet breath. between harvests a farmer bends night

To come undone, to sew . . .

The next Isolation

- Maggie Hall Š 2020.

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All Rights Reserved on article and photographs Maggie Hall Š 2020.

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VICKI SULLIVAN

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VICKI SULLIVAN Vicki Sullivan is an Australian based Contemporary Realist Painter specializing in portraiture and figurative work. Her masterful paintings have won

awards in Australia, the USA the UK and China.

In 2014 Sullivan studied at the Angel Academy of

Art in Florence with Maestro Michael John Angel, and was awarded the title Associate Living Master by the Art Renewal Centre the largest International

Foundation for the promotion and education of Realist Art.

Page 68: Portrait of John Waters, Oil on linen, H 120 x W 90 cm.

Vicki Sullivan 2014.

Right: The Drummer, Oil on linen, H 40 x W 30 cm. Vicki Sullivan 2020.

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Vicki Sullivan beside her painting ,When I dream of Magnolias. Photo courtesy of artist.

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VICKI SULLIVAN - INTERVIEW

I grew up close to the beautiful beaches of the Mornington Peninsula, in Sorrento Victoria, a beautiful seaside town named after the town named Sorento in Italy.

At sixteen I began studying art full-time at nearby Frankston Technical College,

which gave me a wonderful foundation in a variety of mediums.

But when I went on to University with hopes of studying my passion, realist painting, I found it was discouraged there, considered unfashionable and outdated. Feeling very disillusioned about painting, I took up ceramics instead.

I have always derived a deep sense of satisfaction from making things.

My Grandmother was a painter and she always said: “If a child is interested in

something, foster it.� And being true to her beliefs, she encouraged us kids to be creative, and provided us with all sorts of creative supplies such as pencils, paints, paper, wood and tools. She also always encouraged us to follow our dreams. Even as a child I was always most drawn to the realist paintings I saw, and I longed to learn to paint like that. The ability to paint something so well seemed like magic to

me.

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I work predominantly on linen, using oil paint. I love the texture and colors of the oils, and my painting palette and brushes can reach into the 100s for a single painting session!

My main work is figurative and I am currently working on a large public commission, a portrait of a University Vice Chancellor. I am often working on portraits that have been commissioned by the subject’s family members. I am honoured to paint their loved ones and really enjoy knowing the materials I am using will last for centuries, I hope I am creating a long-lasting legacy for the family.

As my work is becoming more widely known around the world, I am building up an

exciting list. I find I am constantly working on refining my skills, and for this I concentrate on my figure drawing.

I have models come to my studio so I can paint them from life and I use these studies to further explore the pose with a view to painting a larger, more finished work.

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Moon Goddess Oil on linen H 45 x W 35cm.

Vicki Sullivan 2011.

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My fascination with textiles and especially traditional textile design is a big part of my ongoing artistic exploration. I love collecting interesting garments and fabrics to incorporate into my paintings.

I have always been enchanted by fabrics, especially

traditional fabrics like

embroidered silks. One of my favourites is an antique Chinese silk embroidered

robe which I adore and features in many of my paintings.

My aim with my figurative work is to not only paint a very three-dimensional work but one which goes further and reveals something of the inner essence of my subject.

I want my portraits to feel life-like, as if their subject could step out of the painting.

But I also want to depict beauty and humanity in my work.

Beauty is something people will always respond to, and as such it should not to be overlooked, disregarded, or undervalued in life or art, and I like to believe I am contributing with my paintings. For me, the best way to portray these things is realist painting.

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Girl in a Red Robe Oil on linen H 40 x W 30 cm.

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My goal as I approach each painting is to depict an honesty within each of my

subjects and capture this within my painterly portrayal. I don’t have one set method I use to begin a painting. Sometimes I begin with a rub out, massing- in with local colour I cover the surface and then rub out my lights to establish tonal values. Other times I begin by drawing out my design with a thin brush-line of burnt umber.

Lately I have been using PanPastel to draw out my design as it is easy to erase.

Then I slowly build up layers of paint from thin to thick, using glazing to give my colours that extra glow. I am a big fan of 19th century realism and especially the

Spanish 19th Century Realist painters. I feel that the 19th Century was when painting really came into its own. So many people came out of that period with an amazing amount of skill.

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Wild One Oil on linen H 45 x W 35 cm.

Vicki Sullivan 2019.

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I believe Realism helps us to connect with each other and relate to our own humanity. The language of traditional realism cuts across languages and can be

understood by people everywhere, regardless of ethnicity or education. It may seek to capture an emotional state of mind like reverie, jealousy, joy, sadness, fear, etc.,

or it may attempt to tell a story. I believe Realism is most successful when it captures, depicts, and expresses our shared experience of humanity, how we feel about ourselves, others and the world around us.

Great realist art is impressive not only for it’s technical skill but because it is infused with a vitality that defies words. It’s the kind of art that does not need words.

Realism moves me on an emotional level, engaging my attention in ways which the modern paradigm of de- skilling in conceptual art simply does not. I have always been captivated by the work of Realist painters; I know I am looking at one of their pieces when I can’t take my eyes away from it! I am left feeling uplifted and awestruck. I am fulfilled, delighted and relieved because this feeling is what I expect

to gain from art.

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Rapture, Oil on linen, H 40 x W 50 cm. Vicki Sullivan 2018.

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Drawing is an extremely important element to my artwork and the main basis for my painting work.

I feel that good drawing can make your eye want to linger longer over the painting and hold the

viewer’s attention, whereas something which is badly-drawn can definitely detract from an artwork and let down the whole piece.

I feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to study with Michael John Angel at the Angel

Academy of Art in Florence, drawing and painting from life models or hours every day, for months at a time. It was hard work but it helped trained my eye and I have kept up my drawing practice constantly ever since. My inspiration for painting

comes from all sorts of things : nature, people, mythology, the way the light falls on something.

Hercules, Oil on linen, H 25 x W 20 cm. Vicki Sullivan 2019.

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Hesperias Golden Apple Oil on linen

H 90 x W 70 cm.

Vicki Sullivan 2019.

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Fey whispers of Japonica

Oil on linen H x W 40 cm.

Vicki Sullivan

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Windflower

Oil on linen H 50 x W 40 cm.

Vicki Sullivan.2019.

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I have many future aspirations with my art. In Australia one ideal is to get a painting

into the Archibald and the Doug Moran as a finalist. I have been a semi-finalist in the Doug Moran three times so at least I am getting closer. I would also love to have a piece or two in the National Portrait gallery.

In 2019 my work was Selected for the “Painting Now” Exhibition at the MEAM in March.

In 2019 I was invited to exhibit her work in the “Artelibre 20×20” exhibition at the European Museum of Modern Art {MEAM} museum in Barcelona, Spain.

Winning two prizes in the Art Renewal Center Salon in 2018 and 2019 were major highlights, as the Art Renewal Center is the major foundation for the Education and promotion of realism worldwide.

As far as forthcoming exhibitions, my painting “The journey begins” will travel in The

ARC Salon Winners exhibition to Sotheby’s in New York, where it will be on exhibition from July 17th – July 27th, 2020. Sotheby’s NY is the premier destination for auction and private sales.

I would have loved to travel there to see it but international travel does not seem on the cards any time soon.

I am also pleased to have a piece in the 2020 Percival Portrait prize in Townsville.

-Vicki Sullivan © 2020.

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http://vickisullivan.com/gallery/ All Rights Reserved on article and photographs Vicki Sullivan Š 2020.

Left: The Journey Begins, Oil on linen, H 50 x W 40 cm.

Vicki Sullivan 2019.

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MARKINGS ERIC WERKHOVEN It may seem I am having a break,

it may seem like a long, long haul, it may seem like an awkward task, It may seem like an easy win.

Despite all the crap we are inundated with, and must again be all ears, all in a day’s work.

Obviously each day seems a repeat, not to miss a beat.

The heart shudders with the idea, like a single leaf left on a branch.

Left stranded after mid-night.

Keeping to the left as a standard joke.

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Rules apply to our wayward thoughts, to demand subjugation.

The whip cracks louder still in tune to all the national anthems.

Like a combined sigh of relief - all is well, we can again reclaim our rights.

In a bid to raise the price, based on the premise that death is not far away.

Near sightedness has always been our problem, swept up in the carbuncle of everyday life.

A repeat on previous attempts to scale the heights.

May it all go well for you to press on higher, and guard the post.

Where the hinterlands stretch out and dream time leaves certain markings in the sand.

- Eric Werkhoven Š 2020.

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VIEWED FROM THE HILLS ERIC WERKHOVEN

Where the grass has been slashed, to the entrance of a property below.

Like soldiers the trees keep on guarding the land,

each breath of wind tells them a different story.

From far from near, even from the stars.

To be so still and yet, you have made yourself useful in so many ways.

How many artists and photographers, have tried to capture the very essence.

To catch a near likeliness, of someone guarding so diligently the long hours of an eternity.

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I look askew at my own meagre attempts.

How can I add to this already broken up perfection, of what once was and still is a perfect long, long sleep.

As if brooding over a crime, over something unthoughtfully spoken,

of not even mentioning you in conversation.

Yes there are dingos up in the hills, running with their lean bodies, back into the night to meet their master dreaming heroes, and aid them in the hunt.

To remember sightings far less rare, far less common.

Yet it is a start, I am all for wanting to start, to unwind the long hours in attendance.

- Eric Werkhoven Š 2020.

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JOHN BARNES

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JOHN BARNES Contemporary painter John Barnes is a regular exhibitor at Art Systems Wickham Gallery, Newcastle, NSW. In 2011 he received a PhD in Fine Art at the University of

Newcastle.

He is an art columnist for the Newcastle Herald and was formerly the Director of Cessnock Regional Art Gallery.

Barnes has a keen interest in portraying the Australian landscape and its “fluid and ever changing” nature, a

subject he is very familiar having spent the earlier part of his life as a grazier in Southern NSW. Choosing a new direction with his work in the 2017 exhibition First Light

Barnes presented a series of

abstract paintings, “activated surfaces float, pulse and

hum, energised by their ceaseless interaction”.

Page 90: Fusion, Acrylic on Canvas, H 63 x W 63 cm. John Barnes 2019.

Right: Just Add Light, Acrylic on Canvas, H 60 x W 45 cm. John Barnes 2016.

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So the Seasons Flow, Acrylic on Board, H 80 x W 122 cm. John Barnes 2020.

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John Barnes - A Path to Art When I look back at the twists and turns my life’s path has followed to the place where I now fully occupy my time painting it is perhaps my interest in art that has provided some thread of continuity. My fortuitous engagements with the art world and encountering some excellent teachers along the way provided the

impetus for me to keep developing that interest, even at an extremely slow rate.

I doodled and drew my way through childhood and adolescence but it wasn’t until my final year of high

school in the late 1960s that the making of art and the appreciation of art made by others began to capture my imagination. My teacher, Ross Doig opened my eyes and mind to the richness of art history while instilling a rigorous approach to studio practice. Art had become serious but I found it seriously enjoyable.

My studies stretched through the history of Western Art from the caves of Lascaux to contemporary Minimalism along with Australian art since colonisation and it was here that I started to appreciate, not only the masterpieces of western cultures but also our own artists like Streeton, Nolan and Fred Williams and

Indigenous painters like Rover Thomas and the Hermannsburg artists. While this was happening Christo and Jean Claude were not far away wrapping up Little Bay so I feel that I had fantastic introduction into the

world of art which would continue to grow over the years.

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However, as much as I enjoyed making art and learning about it I never seriously entertained the idea of

becoming a full time artist but instead, at the ripe old age of 18 I headed to Melbourne University to have a go at architecture. There were so many other exciting things going on at the time that I did neglect my studies and had to face the reality that I didn’t have the passion, drive or really the desire necessary to go all the way and so after a few years I bailed out.

But once again I had been very fortunate to have had some great teachers like Patrick McCaughey from

Fine Arts whose lectures on Abstract Expressionism and the Colour Field painters inspired me to look deeper into the works of painters like Mark Rothko, Frank Stella, Jasper Johns and Morris Louis who would

all influence my paintings to differing degrees at a much later date.

I became involved with student theatre which was incredibly vibrant and exciting at the time with lots of experimentation and political street theatre being performed in parallel with formal productions. These side projects led to more ‘conceptual’ events like the ‘DIY’ exhibition I put together with a small a group at the Ewing Gallery run by the wonderfully supportive Kiffy Rubbo who was a true champion of contemporary art.

I then headed to America for about four months visiting all the art museums and seeing works from every culture and artist I had ever come across plus many more I’d never heard of. Picasso’ Guernica was

overwhelming and a sneak private preview of Francis Bacon’s retrospective at Moma was a knockout but I think the hour I spent alone in the Rothko Chapel in Houston immersed in its limitless dark voids had the

deepest impact.

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Rising Tide Nocturn, Acrylic on Canvas, H 92 x W 121 cm. John Barnes 2017.

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My life then took a seismic shift on my return when I went back to the family farm in southern NSW for what

I thought would be a six weeks stay but somehow I lasted 25 years. This may seem a radical departure for an ‘arty type’ city boy, but since childhood we often visited the country so I had become familiar with different aspects of rural life and my decision to stay made sense at the time.

I grew up above Mosman Bay in Sydney and for my brother and I the harbour foreshore was our domain and life consisted of constant exploration of our territory. Our father was a businessman from a strong

sporting background while mother had been a soloist with the Ballets Russes so there was plenty of cultural diversity in the household which was amplified by our Russian grandmother who also lived with us.

We had a small farm west of Sydney where we often spent weekends, exploring as usual, learning unconsciously through our adventures and we also spent holidays at Warren in western NSW where the country is flat, native wildlife prolific and everything is so much bigger, especially the sky. At some stage that farm was sold and another bought in the steep country near Wee Jasper in southern NSW and by this time my brother and I were old enough to be actively involved when we visited, riding everywhere, mustering

sheep and cattle, helping or hindering in the stockyards, sheds or mechanic’s shop or otherwise still exploring.

When I was 13 our parents moved from the city to the rolling hills of the Boorowa district while we stayed on at boarding school in Sydney so nearly all our holidays were spent in the country and this is where I started to develop some small awareness of the different natural systems and how they interact.

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Outlook, Acrylic on Board, H 75 x W125 cm. John Barnes 2007.

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The Gap, Oil on Board, H 120 x W 150 cm. John Barnes 2010.

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Top: October Oil on paper H 30 x W 45 cm.

John Barnes 2010.

Bottom: May Oil on Paper H 30 x W 45 cm.

John Barnes 2010.

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So when I made the move it didn’t take me too long to adapt to daily work on the property and this

occupied the majority of my time. While I never lost interest in art during those years my own output was minute and then my marriage and the arrival of our son in the mid ‘80s ensured that production remained slow and irregular.

When our marriage ended in the early ‘90s I had so much time to occupy and the most productive and enjoyable way I found to spend it was to paint. The subject matter, when it existed was ever changing and

even when the images appear representational of existing interiors or landscapes the scenes were all inventions. My major interests were composition, colour and light and over time the works moved away

from direct references and the paintings became completely abstract.

It was slow but reasonably consistent so I just pressed on with my ideas until I hit a ‘brick wall’, wondering why I bothered spending my time making pictures that nobody would see. Fortuitously it was then that I met Archibald winning artist Janet Dawson who lived only a few kilometres down the road and for the next seven years I would head down to her studio several times a year for a session of uncompromising critique

and inspiring wisdom.

About this time I was re-acquainted with an old artist friend, Sno Brewer who was also encouraging and he

arranged for me to be included in a group show in a Sydney gallery. This was my first real exhibition and generated a couple of sales and I think it was then that I first semi-seriously considered pursuing my

artistic rather than agricultural interests.

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Emission Target I, Oil on Board, H 120 x W 180 cm. John Barnes 2007.

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This big change occurred in the early 2000s after we sold the farm and I moved to Newcastle with no clear

idea of what I would do. Half by chance the opportunity arose to enrol in the Advanced Diploma course at the Newcastle Art School and after a moment’s deliberation I thought, “what the heck” and signed on. We worked hard for three years with some great teachers who were all professional artists and I enjoyed every minute of it.

While there I branched off into the area of sculpture which I continued at the University of Newcastle and it

wasn’t until I started my post-graduate studies that I returned to painting seriously without venturing into other areas of practice.

The next four year were spent researching depictions of the Australian landscape since colonisation and producing a parallel body of paintings for which I was awarded my doctorate but then my life took another unexpected turn when I was appointed Director of the Cessnock Regional Gallery, a position I held for three years until 2015.

Since then, apart from some occasional arts writing and some lecturing I have been able to spend increasingly more time painting and it has now become a daily occupation.

Two successful solo exhibitions at Colin Lawson’s Art Systems Wickham have provided the lift to keep going and also to enter a few of the major prizes. I was very pleased to be selected as a finalist in this year’s Muswellbrook Art Prize which is one of very few open to ‘non-objective’ abstract artists like me.

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Rainbow Bridge, Acrylic on Board, H 82 x W 125 cm. John Barnes 2019.

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My current work has developed from ideas of colour,

tone and composition that concerned me thirty years ago but it has been increasingly freed from any direct external reference. My aim is to activate the painted surface through the interplay of flat colours using a recurring assortment of stripes, radiating

circles,

waves and ‘clouds’ to produce a sense of timeless energy. However, rather than being propelled by earlier ideas of landscape it is now driven by more abstract notions of the environment and the interconnection of all ‘the elements’ coupled with the desire

to produce new work that engages an audience at an aesthetic, emotional and intellectual level.

So it has taken quite a while to get to this point but without the support and encouragement of all my family, close friends, teachers and patrons I never would have arrived and for that I remain eternally grateful.

Apparent Horizon II, Acrylic on Canvas, H 48 x W48 cm. John Barnes 2019.

- John Barnes © 2020.

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J O

H N

B A

R N E

S Burnt Sky, Acrylic on Canvas, H 93 x W 124 cm. John Barnes 2020.

All Rights Reserved on article and photographs John Barnes © 2020.

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M A G G

I E

Flat Earth 

a work in progress

H A L

L Issue 37 - July 2020

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Flat Earth . a work in progress

Polymorphic leaves bow to the wind with sad pleasure. A speaking breeze lies in unintended silence. Pink smoke fills black lungs as predisposed insecurities animate. .

The Hermits light hunts for lost minds, seeking answers in a question.

Blind sheep plead quiet and safe between unfolded words, without care or desire. .

Is this self-imposed insecurity natures presidential speech? .

Stolen lands of stone listen in parallel dreams. Hidden by silence the cumbersome shadow shadows’ as he scents the bleeding fear within each clotted reality. .

As they look down to the meekness of this kind, homo sapient minds follow blind. Among a unity of quantum diets the Ciara wakes.

.

Is this a time of division when the precedence of power manipulates? .

Who will stand in courage by the fool’s nest above the hill with no name?

Who will stand under the sun and watch as the sky falls down?

Who will challenge the challenger’s breath?

Who will wear the fools crown? .

The Seventh . race

- Maggie Hall © 2020.

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Love and Death in the Time of Smoke; Some thoughts on the 2020 nations fires.

Mark Elliot-Ranken Ph.D.

Love and Death in the Time of Smoke echoes my continuing fascination with the works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and other writers in the Magical Realist genre. The title, ‘Love and Death in the Time of Smoke’ clearly echoes Marquez’s title for his book “Love in the time of Cholera’ I make no apologies for this, such a

book leaves magical traces on any reader myself included.

Encounter’s with Marquez’s oeuvre draws one into a state of multiple realities where continuing individual

and inter-twining narratives of personal existences are impacted by larger, threatening even apocalyptic events. These are on a communal, regional and national scale, such as the recent Christmas 2019/20 fire events across the dry continent of Australia. Bushfires are no respecters of state boundaries or political considerations at all much less people’s lives, love’s and possessions.

Marquez interweaves such personal and communal threads and conflicting realities into the fabrics of his work, that is what makes them so magical. The tragic plays within the lives of his characters and the larger forces within theirs and all others existences. Each one of us is singular but not necessarily solitary in the

time of Cholera or smoke and now a new plague.

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Love and death as well as compassion, common day heroism and tragedy are amply evident in our time of

smoke and plague. Who was/is not touched by the sight of walls of fire and smoke boring down on Eden or Mallacoota on the many coasts of Australia. These are our multiple realities our darkly magical existences on the large island.

This was foreseen and warned about years ago the days of dark & burning taste/smell and sound as the ‘rough beast’, using W. B. Yeats’ description slouched violently across the ancient land towards our towns and cities. The Ross Garnault government report of the late 2000’s foretold these days of apocalypse, fire and deep black/grey and brown smoke. It comes from a billion burnt marsupials to name but one source.

Warnings that if we continued to do nothing in the face of climate change during the age of the Anthropocene this would be our result.

I had known something similar in 1997 while living in Singapore. The great burning was taking place as land was cleared for palm oil plantations in what was left of Sumatra’s forests. An entirely man-made disaster for the profit of the 1% where ever their gated communities are. Day after day South East Asia was covered in smoke so thick large buildings just disappeared from view in the heart of Singapore. Even the normally complaisant Singaporean population brought their own special brand of skeptical humor into play,

when listening to the stumbling efforts of the government’s mouthpieces to explain away and calm people’s justifiable fears. One world appeared to be ending …perhaps its ending still, we have just blinded ourselves

to the reality.

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Significantly another player in dubious exploitative ventures was and still is involved in these gross violations

of nature…Adani group, run by Gautam Adani, identified by author Quentin Beresfordas India’s ‘coal baron’ and a buccaneer self-made billionaire quite like Clive Palmer. Adani of course is involved in the latest attempted exploitation of the Galilee Basin coal deposits in Queensland with a record across India,

Indonesia, Africa and now here of corrupt practices, outrageous environmental disregard and contempt for local populations, two legged or four.

A firm denier of climate change one wonders just how this industrial pirate has been allowed access to the basin, opposite the Great Barrier Reef with a private harbour to play with at Port Abbott. Federal and

Queensland governments of all persuasion have rolled over to have their belly’s scratched while accommodating this pillager and yet no national plan to counter climate change, even acknowledge it, plus our part in it gets past the sclerotic arteries of our federal parliament!

The smoke rolled over us too, here in Sydney and Canberra indeed all around this precious continent. A national travesty happens before our eyes while Adani is getting all it wants along with the others in the mining club. Many rage at the tragedy that is unfolding an unsought reality, one to be opposed, fortunately it is and increasingly widely!

Australia in this time of smoke has had its arse well and truly burnt, perhaps it’s time for the continent to tear the veils off our collective imaginations and confront realities that are very darkly magical. Again through

personal experience shared with virtually everyone, awareness of the sands running out is stark.

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For me it was a supposedly summer get out to see a friend’s new block of land behind Coledale on the

spectacular coast just north of Wollongong that brought it home. It started surprisingly clear but the smoke rolled over darker and darker in waves like the surf on the stunning beaches as we stayed in Thirroul, not much enjoyment there. So hot, the next day we went to the block via a dirt road up the escarpment that has a roof of gum trees to a beautiful pastoral site, their land with such plans for a retreat. I admired and envied it… almost. Yet the fire’s threat from as far south as Nowra and the southern highlands was ever present.

I told them my concerns and the wonderful couple agreed but the monies had changed hands, one hopes just… one hopes. There is magic in this landscape for all that its fire prone one becomes, even from a

Sydney inner-city urbanite’s point of existence deeply touched simply by each visit to the big land outside our urban fences. One can love it yet the smell of death carries in the air reminders of realities starkly different to the meta-narratives we all grew up with. All the while the deniers deny and go one holidays in Hawaii a PM included.

I’m not sure any of us has gotten over this political and personal blunder. A PM deserves a holiday with his family like anyone else but not when disaster is falling on the houses of those fighting the red beast who, like him or not have to trust a Prime Minister to show leadership, wasn’t he watching TV? Scomo and his

cronies of the loony right in the coalition must know how to turn one on, after all they struggle so hard to get their ruddy faced, talking heads on the box most of the time.

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Apparently the holiday campers at Lake Conjola as they climbed onto their boats or shivered on the beach could have put the lot of them strait. Mallacoota, Kangaroo Island and Eden inhabitants could do the same and some especially fire fighters did, quite forcefully when Scomo tried to shake hands. Australians are like that compassionate, generous, hard fighting when called upon but not fools. They know humbug when they

see it and speak out loudly, perhaps not politely either. They, all of us have now known dark and stormy magic this time in the smoke. It is time for some new and urgent realities growing out of this period of fury to be recognized.

Amidst all of this let’s remember that an ancient people, highly sophisticated and adept after millennia’s’ of living here are still, despite the appalling treatment we have handed out to them trying to show us we can both live here and prosper. All of us, if we listen to them for once not to the pig-ignorant rantings of shockjocks and loony tunes in the pockets of the hyper rich owners of our communications networks, may just

have a way if and it’s a big if we tackle the smoke walls of climate change rolling onto us. First we will need to free ourselves from the delusional myth-making of the exploiters and their groveling cronies.

The rain has come and fires are to our collective relief out, however the draught is not broken, not yet. The damage is incalculable how many Koala’s lost and the others, Kangaroos swimming for their lives, flora devastated, yes it grows back but maybe not as we remember it. Kosciusko a black tumulus on our flat landscape. Human losses are heavy both in lives lost and lives eviscerated what futures for some individuals and communities. The politicians especially the Nationals cannot wait to get back to their

childish abuses ‘it’s all the greens fault’ a blame game as cruelly wrong as it is idiotic, not reality just made-up claptrap.

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The past months have changed all realities showing many as delusional meta-narratives long overdue for

discarding. So what do we do, privatize water rights in the driest of continents? dig up coal, the totemic sheet anchor of the imaginatively challenged right and the rats in suits who pay for their elections…one way or another.

Or do we finally open our eyes to the magic reality of change, really big change not just in the relationship to the world as we see it but also to the inner terrain of ourselves. Perhaps start by telling the coal barons

wherever they are that the jigs up we are on to them. To the politicians who say they will represent us, well better get a move on and work some everyday magic for the betterment of all of us because it’s a communal

effort that’s needed, we are watching and we vote too. Too late for Marquez to write of our magical realist transformation, he is gone. Someone else hopefully from here on the continent of light may have to.

- Mark Elliot-Ranken Ph.D. © 2020.

1.Marquez Gabriel Garcia: Love in the time of Cholera: Alfred A. Knoph, First English Ed: 1988.

2. Yeats W. B.: The Second Coming: 3. Garnault Ross: Ross Garnault climate change report 30September 2008: Commissioned by Commonwealth State and Territory Governments, Aust. 2008 4. Beresford Quentin: Adani and the war over Coal: P;50-51, New South Publishing, University of NSW, 2018, Aust.

All Rights Reserved on article Mark Elliot-Ranken © 2020.

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JANET STEELE

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JANET STEELE Hunter Valley artist Janet Steele is well known for her exquisite textiles and embroidery.

Steele says - “My work is usually inspired by the power of Mother Nature, the resilience of women or the freedom gained from education�.

While living in the United Kingdom Janet attended the Royal School of Embroidery based at Hampton Palace, London.

Steele regularly exhibits in Newcastle galleries and has received awards for her work, selected as a Finalist for Australian Textile Art Award, 2020.

Page 114: Detail - Precious Rain on Tree Canopy, Crystals, sewing machine thread, timber, Janet Steele.

Right: Detail - Believe in Fairies, 75 x 55 x 30cmTextiles, slate, wood, wire.

Selected as a Finalist for Australian Textile Art Award, 2020. Janet Steele.

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Tangle, representing tree roots and rocks, W 25 x W 20 x B 20 cm., Porcelain, wool dyed with Scottish seaweed. Janet Steele.

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JANET STEELE - INTERVIEW Janet Steele is a textile artist producing 3D artwork using multiple techniques. Her particular specialty is

wrapping. This involves half hitch knotting around a cord. The rigidity, shape and colour of the work is achieved by the tightness of the knot, changing the direction or number of threads and alternating the

internal cord with the wrapping thread.

Janet is a conceptual artist. First comes the "idea", the final version of the work is usually inspired by the

power of Mother Nature, the resilience of women or the freedom gained from education.

Vegetable dyeing is a regular technique, making use of natural products appropriate to the theme. The final

presentation often has a Japanese aesthetic.

The decision to be an artist was not made until Janet retired, aged mid-sixties. Her sense of aesthetics was

developed early by exposure to the photography of an uncle who spent many years in Japan with the Occupational Forces. Her first book was Japanese dressmaking, a gift from her uncle.

The passion for textiles was among her first memories. However, education and professional career directed her toward academia and interrupted her love of textile crafts.

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There was a transformative time as Janet approached her fortieth birthday. After this time she developed

textile art courses for secondary school students in the ACT, and later, adult education training for home based businesses. Janet completed a B.A. Visual Arts degree at university of Newcastle, followed by a Master of Business Administration, University of Tasmania. Professional life turned to lecturing and

mentoring artistic and creative small business owners.

The cause of this transformation is traced back to 1976 when Janet visited a travelling art exhibition. It was the International Exhibition of Miniature Textiles. The artist who triggered this transformation was Kate Platt, a British born self taught artist who represented Australia.

Janet had a sudden realisation regarding art/craft. One need not exclude the other; they co-existed when the artist succeeded with both. Art required the skill of the craft; craft needed art to lift it to a higher level.

From that moment Janet challenged herself to achieve far greater outcomes with all she did.

After retirement Janet had an extended visit to Scotland, researching her ancestors and walking the Highlands. She was exposed to the changing seasons, an environment of mountains and sea side by side, and saw her favourite colours of heather and pine trees reected in the loch. She did not resist the urge to

buy a home and become a part time Scottish resident.

Upon returning to Newcastle, NSW, a friend spoke of the anguish watching the Laman Street Morton Bay

Fig trees being felled. A kookaburra moved from one tree to the next, ďŹ nally sitting on the ďŹ nal branch to be removed.

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Nautilus, H 20 x W 25 cm., Wool, cotton cord, gold and silver metallic yarn, Janet Steele.

A Slice of Life, 49 x 47cm., Prize Wool dyed with the Morton Bay fig tree leaves, cotton cord.

Winner of the Emerging Artist Award, Laman Street. Janet Steele.

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Lacking the words to express herself, Janet produced her first artwork using the wrapping technique used

by Kate Platt. The work was a cross section of a Morton Bay fig tree, titled "A Slice of Life". The natural fibres used for this work were dyed using the leaves of the fig tree. "A Slice of Life" won the emerging artist award at the Laman Street Art exhibition.

Janet has since participated in joint art exhibitions at Back to Back Gallery in Cooks Hill. The first was "Spirit of Place/Genius Loci" where Janet's work was based on the changing seasons of her Scottish Island of

Bute.

The next exhibition at Back to Back Gallery was "Air Fire Water Earth". Janet selected the interaction of

water and earth as her theme. First, the precious water nourishing Australian eucalypts, the second, a contrast, showing the damage done by Scottish storms to uproot trees and shape rocks.

Her next exhibition at Back to Back Gallery is planned for October, 2020. The theme is "Observed, Collected and Constructed". Janet will concentrate on the construction of items within nature.

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This image shows the inspiration and process of wrapping.

Birch leaves in Winter, H 20 x W 12 cm.,

Finished work H 24 x W 24 cm., Wool. Janet Steele.

Machine sewing thread, embroidery thread, Janet Steele.

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Precious Rain on Tree Canopy, H 90 x W 90 x B75 cm., Crystals, sewing machine thread, timber, Janet Steele.

This piece is mobile, gently rotating as a whole and individual leaf bunches with a slight air movement, allowing the crystals to reflect various colours. The support also includes LED lights.

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Nourished Morton Bay Fig roots, based on a tree in Pacific Park, Newcastle, W 230 x H 170 cm., Wool wrapping on cotton cord, vegetable dyeing using leaves of the tree.

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Janet also submits work for various art competitions,

and so far, has been a regular ďŹ nalist. Her latest achievement was selection for the Australian Textile Art Awards, 2020. Unfortunately this exhibition in Melbourne was locked down before its opening, and is waiting for the public to view it soon. The small

number of people who have seen this exhibition have found it to be outstanding. The work Janet submitted for this award is called "I Believe in Fairies". It consists of an old twisted tree stump with strong new growth, sitting on a slab of Scottish slate, giving the

appearance of a moss covered glen. The concept is "the wisdom of the old, the hope of the young and the

spirit of imagination". The snail in the image is made by knotting ordinary sewing machine thread.

Right & Page 125: Believe in Fairies, H 75 x W 55 x B 30 cm., Textiles, slate, wood, wire. Selected as a finalist for Australian Textile Art Award, 2020. Janet Steele.

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Janet's latest work is based on resilience

after the recent Victorian bush ďŹ res. It shows the charred bark of the iron bark, the tangle of fallen branches, scorched old leaves and the ďŹ rst sign of a split in the bark to allow new growth to emerge.

The tree trunk is formed by using an Italian quilting technique, the old leaves are machine stitched on soluble cloth and the new leaves are made with silk satin.

Left detail: The Resilience of Mallacoota, Janet Steele.

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Left full view and right detail: The Resilience of Mallacoota, W 130 x H 92 cm., Textiles, wire, wood. Janet Steele.

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The process of creating is a long one for Janet. Half the time is spent dreaming and planning, half the

time producing the work. Once the idea, or concept emerges Janet takes a long Australian bush walk or a Scottish woodland walk, taking multiple images on her iPad. The small details of nature are closely examined. Visualisation of the final artwork can

occur during sleep. Eventually, a relaxed and flowing drawing suddenly appears. Stage one completed.

Stage two is accepting self imposed challenges. This becomes a time for mental activity to solve technical problems, how to push the techniques to achieve what has been drawn. Several test runs may be tried before commencing the final work. The actual

construction process then becomes straight forward and pleasurable, although time consuming.

Scottish Woodlands, H 21 x W 20 cm., Brazil work, Needle lace stitching, Jacobean techniques Cotton thread, rayon thread, beading.

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The satisfaction Janet receives comes from feedback

from viewers and purchasers. Women speak of the peace and serenity of her artwork, describing it as both delicate yet strong.

There is another product Janet produces, traditional ďŹ ne embroidery, using her own designs. While living

in the UK Janet has done further training with the Royal School of Embroidery based at Hampton

Palace, London.

She is in the process of producing a series of

tapestries showing the history of the Scottish Isle of Bute, from Neolithic times to the modern settlement of the Syrian refugees on the Island. These are to be

hung in the balcony of the High Kirk, Rothesay. This will be a ten year project.

So in the future there will be less commercial work, more conceptual and public works. Janet's

aspirations with her art is to be respected.

- Janet Steele Š 2020.

United ? Kingdom, H 7 x W 9 cm., Stump work, Cotton thread, wire, gold Bright. Janet Steele 2020.

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B R A D

The first job I had...

The first job I had I was given the task of renting out windsurfers to anybody, where I would clip mast to board and drag it down to the shoreline.

A cool breeze rippled the water a sure breeze - free of influence and involvement over the water

and something spoke to me…

E V A N S

The first job I had

I lasted a little under an hour.

The employer was kind and paid me $3 - for a full hour’s work.

I took the money and went to the nearest shop and bought a chocolate bar.

I ate and walked my way back along a low shoreline following the breeze

and the stink of dying weed.

- Brad Evans © 2020.

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A2B we waited for the bus but there was no bus stop, just 2 faded words -

we got on

I look around the interior

and while paying the fare

and there’s very little advertising,

I looked at the seated passengers

the seats are worn yet comfortable

talking with a rural slowness & ease -

and when we arrive at the next stop

“B

ST…” large and painted yellow

that one could barely make out on the busy road

and so we waited… wondering if a bus would appear and when it did it looked old and with a route number

I wasn’t familiar with.

a young man steps on board, a way that people

tries to pay his fare with a mobile phone

don’t tend to talk anymore and when I enquired with the bus driver about this unfamiliar service,

but the bus doesn’t have

she responds in an unhurried way

his technology and so he disembarks

before I find a seat and when the bus began to move again the sound of the idling engine

I wondered if we were going the right way

reminding me of a washing machine on a rinse cycle

but going the right way didn’t seem to matter anymore.

and before long the sound changes as the 4 wheels start moving.

- Brad Evans © 2020.

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Gladstone Art Gallery and Museum

LORRAINE FILDES Issue 37 - July 2020

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THE FLYING ART SCHOOL The exhibition I visited at the Gladstone Regional Art Gallery in January 2020 made me aware of how the

isolation of distance in our country made it so difficult for people who wanted to study and work in the arts.

It was a touring exhibition of recent works by artist, art educator and founder of Flying Arts Alliance, Mervyn Moriarty. The exhibition is titled : COLOUR II Merv Moriarty: In the Field.

This exhibition was complemented by a locally curated exhibition of regional Gladstone artists who had

attended Merv’s Flying Art School classes during the late 1970s and 1980s. The students expressed in written statements and on video interviews the wonderful impact of Merv’s art classes on their art and the

developing of an art community for people like them who were isolated by distance. I have included the following statement from Robyn Olsen about the influence of the Flying Art School on her life. “Mervyn and

the Flying Art School in Gladstone were major influences in my life. I had been gaining painting instructions where I could in the past so when the Flying Art School came to Gladstone, I was in my element. What Merv brought to our art group was much more than art lessons. A whole new world opened up – art history, music and art forms, architecture, psychology and best of all philosophy. Colour theory was explored in some depth. It was like having a holistic approach to art learning. As we developed in painting we also developed as people. “ Issue 37 - July 2020

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The Gladstone gallery also provided the following information about another student Ellie Neilsen and the

influence of the Flying Art School on her life. “Ellie was born in Brisbane in 1927. She lived on a property in Banana Shire, between Biloela and Monto, and she began her studies with the Australian Flying Arts School and the Capricorn Institute of Advanced Education. Ellie became a professional painter, printmaker and muralist well known for her colourful acrylic and gouache paintings. Ellie was impressed with the tutors of the school as not only did they provide instruction but also were very generous with their time and

friendship. She maintained her membership with Flying Arts, not only for what she could learn, but for the friendships forged with both other members and the tutors who travelled to hold the workshops.” More information about Ellie can be found in “River Banks to Shearing Sheds, 30 YEARS with FLYING ARTS” by Marilyn England, 2009.

Flying Arts is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, the University of Southern Queensland and corporate partners.

I was fascinated by what I read about the Flying Art School and sought more information and found Merv’s website https://remix.org.au/mervyn-moriarty/ . Here is my summary of the history of the Flying Art School: In 1971 Merv Moriarty founded the Flying Art School, first known as EastAus Art School. On September 24, 1971 Merv Moriarty took off from Brisbane’s Archerfield Airport on a 6,000 km solo flight to towns and centres along the coast north to Cairns, west to Mount Isa, returning to Archerfield via Longreach,

Charleville, Roma and many smaller centres along the way.

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This was the beginning of the flying art school that he had worked toward for ages and the purpose of this

first flight was to talk to representatives from the many towns and districts along the way, to tell them about his plans for the flying art school and to judge from their reaction, the viability of this school. The reaction was enthusiastic and EastAus - the flying art school - was born.

The Flying Art School had an incredible impact on isolated regional areas in Australia. Young people were introduced to the latest ideas in art and given instructions in techniques from the old masters’ methods to

present day. Merv was a respected artist and teacher in Queensland. In the 1960s as an artist and an art educator Merv was asked by the Queensland University to conduct classes in visual studies for the

Architecture Department. He was also asked by the head of the Australian Arts Council Queensland to conduct workshops for the vacation schools at the Queensland University and to conduct workshops for the Arts Council in some isolated centres in Queensland. In response to expressed need for the opportunity to have access to good quality art education by many of the students who attended these workshops, he came up with an answer to their needs in the form of the flying art school.

Over the years of his commitment he has written a series of 23 books of lessons to provide written technical information and established a visiting schedule that included some 26 centres over thousands of

kilometres. He visited each centre four times a year.

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Following is information from Merv’s website about working in the field: “I am walking down the beach toward the rocks at the base of Bournda Headland. I have my outdoor

painting equipment, palette, paints, water, brushes, portable easel and stool, plus a fresh canvas with me. It is quite a long beach. I am going to sit on my carry-stool close to the canvas I have fastened to my easel on (and partly into) the sand and paint what I see in the rectangular area I have chosen. I know that I can trust this structure for if I have seen its form truly, the painting will be in balance and maybe it will sing.

The directional (force) lines that underpin the subject form a perfect and pleasing structure. The shapes of objects, areas, spaces and colour all interconnect and are in harmony. I need not, and I feel should not, impose any preconceptions about composition on the image I am putting on the canvas, nor should I let

myself drift into copying (as in a photograph) – that would be deadly. Of course, it goes without saying, I never take a camera with me when I go out to paint. I can only trust my selection of subject area and what nature herself is giving me.

Every way I look from where I am, there is a beauty that is, I believe, a form of truth one can’t deny. I know that I can trust the form and colour that is in the subject.”

– Merv Moriarty, 2018

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M E

R V M O R I

A R

T Y Wine Glass Cove III, Acrylic on canvas, Merv Moriarty 2018.

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Lake and Clouds, Acrylic on canvas, Merv Moriarty 2016.

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Tors at Bournda Beach, Acrylic on canvas, Merv Moriarty 2018.

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Wallagoot Lake, Acrylic on canvas, Merv Moriarty 2018.

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Surf and Rocks, Turingal Heads, Acrylic on canvas, Merv Moriarty 2018.

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Afternoon, South to Tura Heads, Acrylic on canvas, Merv Moriarty 2018.

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Headland, Bournda Island, Acrylic on canvas, Merv Moriarty 2018.

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M E

R V M

O R I A R T Y

Towards Bournda Island, Watercolour on cotton paper, Merv Moriarty 2018.

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Wallagoot Lake Entrance, Watercolour on cotton paper, Merv Moriarty 2018.

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Flying Arts and the Gladstone Region Art works by Merv Moriarty’s students from the Gladstone Region Jo Williams, Anne Huth, Eillie Neilsen, Rosemary Anderson, Jenny Whitehead, Mary Norrie, Gwynn Hanssen-Pigott, Bev O’Brien and Robyn Olsen

Flying Arts and the Gladstone Region - Mervyn Moriarty holding a pastel by Jo Williams with Bev O’Brien, Maude Kingston-Kerr, Jo Williams and Robyn Olsen Issue 37 - July 2020

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Flying Arts and the Gladstone Region Jo Williams and Bev O’Brien at Tanyalla Art Camp.

Flying Arts and the Gladstone Region Jo Williams and Bev O’Brien selected for the AFSA Self Portrait.

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R O B

Y N

O L S

E N Vines and Fens, Acrylic on canvas, Robyn Olsen.

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Barney Point, Acrylic on cotton duck, Robyn Olsen .

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Backyard Chookhouse, Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, Jo Williams.

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Ubobo General Store, Acrylic on canvas, Anne Huth .

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Auckland Creek The End of Summer 1991 series of four, Gouache on paper, Bev O’Brien .

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B

E V

O’ B R

I E N Self Portrait, Acrylic and oil on board, Bev O’Brien .

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Bloody Black Polls!!!

Yaparaba Skyline

Etching with watercolour detail on paper

Three plate etching on paper.

The first of the artist’s Windscreen series of etchings after running into a herd of black polls (cattle) while driving back to Biloela at night.

Ellie Neilsen.

Ellie Neilsen.

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Grand Still Life with Cup, Turned porcelain with felspathic glaze, Gwyn Hanssen-Pigott.

All Rights Reserved on article and photographs Lorraine Fildes Š 2020.

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A R T

Art Quill Studio

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Art Quill Studio’s 100th "Art Resource" Post!

Marie-Therese Wisniowski On Saturday, June 6, 2020 Marie-Therese Wisniowski published Art Quill Studio’s 100th post - Natural Dyes - in the "Art Resource" series, specifically aimed to construct an appropriate knowledge base in order

to develop an artistic voice in ArtCloth - see the following link https://artquill.blogspot.com/2020/06/natural-dyes1-5-one-hundredth-art.html

The first Art Resource - Glossary of Cultural and Architectural Terms - was published on Saturday, March

3, 2012 on her Art Quill Studio blogspot. Since that time a new Art Resource post has been compiled and published on a monthly basis, namely on the first Saturday of each month (except for January due to the Christmas break). Some of the posts in the series include topics such as The Psychology of Colour, The General Theory of Dyeing, General Properties of Fibres, and Chemical Finishes to name a few.

Page 156: Marie-Therese Wisniowski's "Mark Making on Urban Walls" (detail). Post graffiti deconstructed art.

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There are currently also eight databases on this blogspot, namely, the

Glossary of Cultural and Architectural Terms, Timelines of Fabrics, Dyes and Other Stuff,

A Fashion Data Base, Glossary of Colors, Dyes, Inks, Pigments and Resins,

Glossary of Fabrics, Fibers, Finishes, Garments and Yarns, Glossary of Art, Artists, Art Motifs and Art Movements,

Glossary of Paper, Photography, Printing, Prints and Publication Terms and the Glossary of Scientific Terms.

All databases will be updated from time-to-time in the future.

The Art Resource posts span information that can be useful for a home hobbyist to that required by a final

year University Fine Art student and so undoubtedly, some parts of any Art Resource post may appear far too technical (skip over those mind boggling parts) and in other parts, may be too simplistic with respect to your level of knowledge (ditto the skip). The trade-off between these two extremes means that the Art Resource posts are useful in parts to most, but unfortunately may not be satisfying to all!

All of the Art Resource posts on the blogspot can be saved as pdf files. https://artquill.blogspot.com/

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The two examples below are from the Glossary of Colours, Dyes, Inks, Pigments and Resins Edition

4.0 Subtractive Colour Mixing: The reproduction of colors by overprinting primary colours in different relative

densities, thus gradually subtracting the reflection of light from the white of the material. See figure below.

Tetradic (Double Complementary) Colour Scheme: The tetrad (double complementary) colour scheme is the most varied because it uses two complementary colour pairs. See figure below.

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Art Resource Examples - Glossary of Cultural and Architectural Terms. Edition 4.2[1-31]

ChamplevĂŠ

Hausa

An enamelling technique in which the glass is contained within engraved

A Muslim people centred ion northern Nigeria, famous for

depressions in metal (usually copper alloy) plate.

weaving and dyeing. They are found in other parts of West Africa, where they are noted as traders.

Above: Hausa women in their asoebi.

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Art Resource - Psychology of Colour[1-2]

Experiments With Colour

Colours also yield a spatial effect. The masters who used

Apart from juxtaposing complementary or adjacent hues there are other way of

this property advantageously in the composition of their art

achieving effect with colour. The appearance of hues, tones or colours of varying

were Cezanne and Matisse. Generally, warm colours will

intensity are always modified by the surrounding or adjacent colours.

advance your perception spatially, whereas less intense

Above: In the example above note the changes in hue, value and saturation as the colours in these palettes intermix.

Right: Henri Matisse, The Snail (1953). Gouache on paper - cut and pasted, on white paper, 287 cm Ă— 288 cm, Tate Gallery, London.

hues will recede it. Nevertheless, it should not be forgotten that such statements are relative, since a cold but intense

colour may appear to advance in front of a warm but less intense one.

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Art Resource - Glossary of Fabrics, Fibers, Finishes, Garments and Yarns. Edition 6.0[1-34]

Algorithmics The study of problem-solving by use of predetermined set of procedural instructions; an algorithm is a set of fixed instructions for carrying out a process and may either be in analog form (e.g. dye mixing recipe for Multisperse Dye Sublimation (MSDS) technique notes) or digital in form (e.g. a computer

Cap Pronounced chap and originally spelt tjap. A traditional Indonesian custom-made stamping tool (usually made of copper or bronze) used

for applying hot wax to the cloth as part of the batik technique.

Above: Handmade Indonesian copper batik stamp/cap/tjap.

program to play a board game such as chess).

Above: Marie-Therese Wisniowski demonstrating her MSDS technique at Zijdelings Atelier in the Netherlands.

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Art Resource - Units used in Dyeing and Printing of Fabrics[1-7]

Units used in dyeing and printing of fabrics Dyeing and printing of fabric spans all languages, cultures and

continents.

Christine Smith attended the In Pursuit of Complex Cloth: Dyeing

Above: Plastic syringes contain various amounts of liquid dye stock to enable

Approaches workshop, which was organized by the Victorian

careful distribution of various colours through the cloth using the low water

Feltmakers Inc. at the Hartwell Church Hall in Harwell, Melbourne,

immersion dyeing technique.

Australia. Here you can see Christine's tray dyed fabrics sitting in a multi-dye and soda ash solution, which required careful measurement of the liquid dye stocks and soda ash solutions.

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Art Resource - Timelines of Fabrics, Dyes and Other Stuff. Edition 2.5 [1-17]

3rd Century AD: Fish

8th Century AD: Annunciation.

Fish. Fragment of a wall-hanging or cover. Wool on linen. Egyptian, from Antinoe; excavated by

Annunciation. Decorative band of silk serge; double warp. From the Sancta Santorum,

Gayey. Now held in the Musee du Louvre, Paris.

Rome. Syrian (?) In five colours. Museo Sacro, Vatican, Italy.

There is an identical piece in the textile museum in Lyons.

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Art Resource - Glossary of Art, Artists, Art Motifs and Art Movements. Edition 4.5[1-32]

Deconstruction

Paste-Up

Method of critical analysis which asserts that art can have no

”Paste-Up” is an ever-expanding and innovative form of street art

fixed meanings because it can be viewed only subjectively.

that involves an artist making their work onto varying sizes of paper

Above: Marie-Therese Wisniowski's "Mark Making on Urban Walls" (detail). Post graffiti deconstructed art.

and then applying it to walls and surfaces within their urban environment using wheat paste or wall paper glue.

Above: “Collaged, layered, torn, worn Graffiti poster creating exciting compositions and juxtapositions of colors and fragments that have the power of carefully crafted collages”. David Robinson in, Soho Walls,

All Rights Reserved on article and photographs © Marie-Therese Wisniowski 2020.

Beyond Graffiti. Artist Unknown.

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ART NEWS Issue 37 - July 2020

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ART NEWS Issue 37 - July 2020

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STOLE

THE SHOW https://timelesstextiles.com.au/ Issue 37 - July 2020

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STOLE: THE SHOW 16 SEPTEMBER - 1 NOVEMBER TIMELESS TEXTILE GALLERY Curated by Anne Kempton and Rod Pattenden A stunning and diverse collection of works by twenty three contemporary artists using the format of a Stole, a mantle worn around the neck that is found in many spiritual traditions. Artists and craftspeople will explore through a variety visual means the hopes and aspirations we carry on our shoulders as vulnerable and compassionate human beings.

Curator Rod Pattenden says: ‘People carry things upon their shoulders, their past, current responsibilities, as well as future hopes and aspirations. As frail humans we carry our lives on our shoulders, as well as the hopes and concerns we carry for others and our common future as the human community. These artist have taken up the challenge of visualising these burdens.’ This is an exciting opportunity to show off a range of work by practitioners working in diverse media, willing to explore an intimate subject matter that also investigates the nature of community, spirituality, politics, the environment and our common good.

Artists include: Alex Banks, John Barnes, Margot Broug, Jan Clark, Catherine Croll, James Drinkwater, Penny Dunstan, Andrew Finnie, Peter Gardiner, Sandra James, Sachiko Kotara, Anne Kempton, Glenn Loughrey, Chris Mansell, Rod

Pattenden, Giselle Penn, Wilma Simmons, Kris Smith, Braddon Snape, Richard Tipping, Robyn and Eric Werkhoven, Graham Wilson.

Page 168: Left to right details of works by Penny Dunstan, Catherine Croll and Sandra James.

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Gallery Gift Shop at Home An online store featuring a variety of wearable artworks - bracelets, scarves and earrings as well as homewares.

https://timelesstextiles.com.au/product-category/gallery-gift-shop/

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Sharon Peoples

14 SEPTEMBER - 1 NOVEMBER

STOLE: THE SHOW Rod Pattenden

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2 NOVEMBER - 13 DECEMBER TIMELESS JUDI NIKOLESKI

3 APRIL - 15 MAY 2021 PUSHING THE ENVELOPE Wilma Simmons

C A L E N D A R

SHARON PEOPLES

GALLERY - EXHIBITION OPEN 90 Hunter St, Newcastle East . NSW.

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16 SEPT - 1 NOV

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STOLE: THE SHOW ROD PATTENDEN

A stunning and innovative collection of works by contemporary artists using the format of a Stole. This is a

O L E

mantle worn around the neck and

S H O W

found in many spiritual traditions.

They will explore in visual means the hopes and aspirations we carry on our shoulders as vulnerable and compassionate human beings.

TIMELESSTEXTILES 90 Hunter St, Newcastle East . NSW.

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Hours: Fri Sat Sun 11am - 5pm

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https://nanshejewellerystudio.com/ RE-OPEN - Shop 1-3 The City Arcade, 120 Hunter Street,

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Barbara Nanshe Studio Online Shop Handmade. Ethical. Bespoke. Unusual. Original. Individual

https://nanshejewellerystudio.com/ RE-OPEN - Shop 1-3 The City Arcade, 120 Hunter Street,

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Oct 23 – Nov 8

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Collective

Observed, Collected and Constructed

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Sharon Taylor, Sandra Burgess, Jill Campbell, Stephanie

Janet Steele & Susan Hodgins

Berick, Clare Felton, Judy Hill & Jackie Maundrell Hall.

11 - 27 September Recent Work Sue Stewart & Robyn Werkhoven

13 - 29 November

“Side Kicks” Nicola Purcell, Tracie Bertram

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Elizabeth Treadwell, Jo Davies

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Where is my mind?

Clay and paintings Nicki Bates, Ellie Hannon, Jen Lanz

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Leigh Hellier &. Rachael Callen

57 Bull Street Cooks Hill NSW

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Collective Aug 21 – Sept 6 Sharon Taylor, Sandra Burgess, Jill Campbell, Stephanie Berick, Clare Felton, Judy Hill & Jackie Maundrell Hall.

The title reflects the group’s energy and passion for their art practice. It is a coming together of personal visions into a ‘collective’ of artistic endeavors and their development.

Sharon Taylor, ceramicist, “My focus is recognizing and highlighting the beauty of nature and the Australian landscape.”

Sandra Burgess, ceramic artist,” Eco systems throughout the natural world provide and endless sense of wonder and a source of inspiration.”

Jill Campbell, artist. In more recent work I find myself moving towards a more interpretive view of the landscape.”

Stephanie Berick, artist. “Inspiration comes from the world around, whether it is urban or natural. My style has become more graphic within this art form”.

Jackie Maundrell-Hall, artist. “I am a contemporary oil painter and I endeavor to express my love of my surroundings looking at the varying colours, shapes and textures to capture the very essence of the natural environment, the fleeting light and wild moments of nature.”

Clare Felton, studio painter.” I observe the land, water and skies, wanting to catch something of them, using layers of thinly applied paint with medium hoping to create an illusion of light, contrast, texture, perspective and interest.”

Judith Hill, artist.” My drawing practice extends to wax resist drawings using inks, charcoal, pastel colour and water washes to give the impression of disappearing and ghostly images creating a contrast between the defined and undefined.”

57 Bull Street Cooks Hill NSW Hours: Fri Sat Sun 11am - 5pm

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ART SYSTEMS WICKHAM G A R R Y J

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40 ANNIE ST. WICKHAM, NEWCASTLE NSW.

Phone: 0431 853 600

www.art-systems-wickham.com/

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ART SYSTEMS WICKHAM CALENDAR 2020 Gallery Exhibitions Re -opened 3 –19 JULY

UTTER SILENCE - GARY JONES

2 - 11 OCTOBER - JAMES MILSOM

24 JULY - 2 AUGUST SERIAL DIVERSITY - DEB ANSELL

16 - 25 OCTOBER - GRANT VERCOE

7 - 16 AUGUST - PETER RONNE & ANDREW SUTHERLAND

30 OCT OBER – 8 NOVEMBER - REBECCA RATH

21 - 30 AUGUST

13 - 29 NOVEMBER - KERRIE COLES

- EDDIE MILAN

4 - 13 SEPTEMBER - THE CIRCLE GROUP

4 - 20 DECEMBER - XMAS SHOW

18 - 27 SEPTEMBER - DAN NELSON & CHRIS BYRNES

40 ANNIE ST. WICKHAM, NEWCASTLE NSW.

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UTTER SILENCE PATHWAYS & THRESHOLDS G

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UTTER SILENCE PATHWAYS & THRESHOLDS GARRY JONES .... the life of a human being is, in essence, a gifted journey … Garry Jones.

ASW is exhibiting the work of talented artist & teacher Garry Jones in his first exhibition in Newcastle for almost 20 years. Jones taught full time with the Newcastle CAE, HIHE and University of Newcastle in Fine Art specializing in Painting and Drawing, from 1975 to 2000. He has also spent a lifetime recording Aboriginal rock art sites in the Hunter Region and forging fruitful links with the Aboriginal people of the Hunter Region and beyond.

Abstraction has been the cornerstone of Jones’ practice since early in his artistic career and he will be exhibiting a series of works, first commenced in 2007 of intricate ink pen drawings and acrylic paintings.

“Implicit in the word itself, ‘abstraction’ carries with it a necessarily detached , withdrawn or metaphysical outlook. (from the Latin abs – away from + tractum - to draw) I freely admit to wanting to pursue art of that kind all my adult life.”

Page 180: February/March 2020, 2nd Pathways & Thresholds series – pencil & acrylic on recycled blind fabric ( detail )

40 ANNIE ST. WICKHAM, NEWCASTLE NSW.

Phone: 0431 853 600

www.art-systems-wickham.com/

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Handmade and Inspiring Dungog By Design Gallery

224 Dowling St, Dungog, NSW. Issue 37 - July 2020

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DUNGOG

BY DESIGN GALLERY 224 Dowling St Dungog, NSW. HAS RE-OPENED TO PUBLIC https://www.facebook.com/ DungogbyDesign Issue 37 - July 2020

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STUDIO LA PRIMITIVE ARTS ZINE Arts Zine was established in 2013 by artists Eric and Robyn Werkhoven. Now with a fast

growing audience, nationally and internationally.

Their mailing list includes many galleries, art

collectors and art lovers.

The Zine is free, with no advertising from sponsors. It is just something they wanted to do for the Arts, which has been their lifelong passion.

Featuring artist’s interviews, exhibitions, art news, poetry and essays.

In 2017 it was selected by the NSW State

studio la primitive Eric & Robyn Werkhoven

www.studiolaprimitive.net

Library to be preserved as a digital publication

of lasting cultural value for long-term access by the Australian community.

Click on cover image to view previous issue.

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Click on cover to view the issue.

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Click on cover to view the issue.

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Click on cover to view the issue.

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Click on cover to view the issue.

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THE BLUE SPIRIT, Acrylic on canvas, H 90 x W 60 cm.

P R I M I T I V E

www.studiolaprimitive.net

S T U D I O

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- E&R Werkhoven © 2019.

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POETRY & SCULPTURE The publication includes a collection of poems

written over recent years, penetrating and profound observations on life. And a selection of Eric’s dynamic and prolific sculptures.

Enquiries contact: E: werkhovenr@bigpond.com

Page 190: Left - Front cover, The Fall, Autoclaved aerated cement / cement / lacquer, H32 x W46 x B38cm. Eric Werkhoven 2013.

Page 190: Right - Organic Ocean Form, Autoclaved aerated cement / adhesive cement / lacquer, H84 x W70 x B92cm.

Eric Werkhoven 2011.

Right: Eric Werkhoven in Outdoor Studio, Photograph by Robyn Werkhoven.

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Rhino Images - Art and the Rhinoceros Lorraine Fildes and Robert Fildes.

Art and the Rhinoceros - There are over three hundred Rhino images in this book.

Whether in the ancient past or in the present the rhinos are always represented as huge, powerful and solitary animals. The

book includes paintings, drawings, woodcuts, etchings, rock carvings and sculptures of the rhino all depicting the power of the animal.

These images of the rhino range from early civilisations such as in China, Roman Empire, Indus civilisation in Pakistan/ India area and from Southern Africa down to current day images of paintings and sculptures produced by modern day artists.

The text indicates where you may find these wonderful images as well as the websites of the artists concerned, the caves where the rhino images have been found and the places where posters use the rhino image.

There are very few of these magnificent wild animals left in the world, so unless they are protected and managed, artistic images will soon be the only viewing option.

Rhino Images – Art and the Rhinoceros, First Edition, 2017, is available for download at The Rhino

Resource Centre web site.

Direct Link :

http://www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/index.php?s=1&act=refs&CODE=ref_detail&id=1518479271

Page 192 : White Rhino crash at Whipsnade Zoo, England. Image: Robert Fildes Š 2019.

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