ARTS ZINE NOVEMBER 2023

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arts zine issue 54 November 2023

P R I M I T I V E

THE SPACE COWBOY www.thespacecowboy.com

GEORGE GITTOES www.gittoes.com

jon wilks Page 140

JACQUIE GARCIA www.leiluca.com.au

GWENDOLIN LEWIS http://gwendolinlewis.com.au

Left : Sundown Cassilis, pastel, Gwendolin Lewis.

JOHN CLIFF https://vimeo.com/johncliff

https://www.flickr.com/photos/128593781@N05

Right : Portrait of Shoko. Photograph by John Cliff.

VVitches oV KyiV

hellen rose

www.hellenrose.com

KATHLEEN HARDING page 206

Detail: Lake Cocytus. Hypnagogia Series, 60 x 80 cm., Kathleen Harding.

slp studio la primitive CONTRIBUTORS The Space Cowboy

Brad Evans

George Gittoes

Peter J Brown

Hellen Rose

Reese North

Gwendolin Lewis

Eric Werkhoven

Peter Berry - Tribute

Robyn Werkhoven

John Cliff

Helene Leane

Jon Wilks

Art Systems Wickham

Jacquie Garcia

ADFAS Newcastle

Lorraine Fildes

Timeless Textiles

Kathleen Harding Maggie Hall SEIGAR Rod Pattenden Banksia Serrata, 610 x 457 mm., Oil on canvas, Jacquie Garcia.

Edmond Thommen

Barbara Nanshe Newcastle Potters Gallery Straitjacket Gallery Dungog by Design Studio La Primitive

INDEX Editorial …………

Robyn Werkhoven

12

Studio La Primitive ……

E & R Werkhoven

13

Feature Artist ………..

The Space Cowboy

14 - 33

Poetry ………………..

Peter J Brown

34 - 37

Feature Artist …………

George Gittoes

38 - 53

Featured Artist …………

Hellen Rose

54 - 71

Poetry ……………………. Eric Werkhoven

72 - 73

Feature Artist …………… Gwendolin Lewis

74 - 91

Tribute - Peter Berry …… Arts Zine & Maggie Hall

92 - 101

Feature Artist …………… John Cliff

102 - 133

Poetry …………………… Brad Evans

134 - 139

Feature Artist ………….

Jon Wilks

140 - 159

Poetry …………………..

Reese North

160 - 161

Feature Artist ………….

Jacquie Garcia

162 - 187

Featured Article ………..

Lorraine Fildes

188 - 205

Featured Artist ………….

Kathleen Harding

206 - 227

Poetry ………………….

Maggie Hall

228 - 233

Featured Artist …………..

SEIGAR

234 - 253

ART NEWS……………….

Sculpture & painting by Jon Wilks, from exhibition Landlines, - Art Systems Wickam

FRONT COVER : A Little Bit of Courage Goes a Long Way

Gallery. Newcastle, NSW. 2023.

122 x 90 cm. Mixed media on canvas, The Space Cowboy.

254 - 295

EDITORIAL The November issue is the last publication for the year. We will return in March 2024.

Artist and ceramist Jacquie Garcia lives and works in Newcastle, NSW. Jacquie Garcia

We would like to wish all our contributors and readers many joyful end of year celebrations and

is an artist who uses both clay and paint to create works influenced by her environment

a great start to 2024.

and personal experiences.

November Arts Zine presents an outstanding and eclectic collection of artists and writers.

Kathleen Harding is a Sydney Australian-based existential surrealist painter, photogra-

Chayne Hultgren, better known as The Space Cowboy, is a multidisciplinary artist based in

Byron Bay, Australia. Hultgren has an innate talent for extreme and unusual stunts, earning himself a reputation as one of the most exciting and daring performers in the country.

pher and architect who is fascinated by the ephemeral nature of the moment. Her works explore how we define meaning in our combined stories, amidst the fragility of our temporal reality.

More recently, Chayne has shifted his artistic focus to visual art, exploring the intersection of

Artist and poet Maggie Hall features a surreal poem Odyssey.

performance and painting.

Lorraine Fildes, travel writer and art photographer visits the Japanese Himeji Garden

Internationally acclaimed artist and film maker George Gittoes this month presents an article

in Adelaide.

Can Art Make a Difference? Gittoes recently returned to Afghanistan to establish a new Yellow House – “We are proving, in a very real way, that art and education can succeed where twenty years of war have failed”.

International Spanish artist and photographer SEIGAR includes a series of photos – Tales of Trasmoz, Spain.

Award winning singer, performer and film maker Hellen Rose presents a fascinating article -

Artists Edmond Thommen and Rod Pattenden feature their forthcoming exhibitions.

VVitches oV KyiV. Rose researches the history of witches in Kyiv and the Pagan history of the

Don’t miss out reading new works by resident poets Brad Evans, Reese North, Peter

area.

J Brown and Eric Werkhoven.

Contemporary artist Gwendolin Lewis features her colourful and sensitive paintings and drawings of busy harbour life and peaceful rural landscape.

ART NEWS and information on forthcoming art exhibitions.

Artist and passionate art collector Peter Berry passed away in Newcastle, October 2023.

Submissions welcomed, we would love to have your words and art works in future

Arts Zine and poet Maggie Hall present a tribute to Peter- an indomitable, generous, fun loving

editions in 2024.

and flamboyant man, who adored music, opera and the arts.

Deadline for articles 15th February for March 2024.

John Cliff presently lives and works in Newcastle, NSW, he was a well-known exhibiting ceramic artist for over twenty-five years, till changing direction to an art career in photography and video film.

SUBSCRIPTIONS TO ARTS ZINE - EMAIL : werkhovenr@bigpond.com Regards - your editor Robyn Werkhoven

Contemporary artist Jon Wilks lives and works in Newcastle, NSW. Since the nineties Wilks has been exhibiting his expressive and dynamic paintings and sculptures regularly in Newcastle Galleries.

The publisher will not accept responsibility or any liability for the correctness of information or opinions expressed in the publication. Copyright © 2013 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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Crafty Creatures.

90x60cm. Acrylic on canvas

Robyn Werkhoven 2023.

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CHAYNE HULTGREN Chayne Hultgren, better known as The Space Cowboy, is a multidisciplinary artist based in Byron Bay, Australia.

As a child, Chayne was constantly experimenting with different skills and talents,

ultimately discovering his innate talent for extreme and unusual stunts. He began performing his unique brand of circus and sideshow-style acts in his early teens, soon earning himself a reputation as one of the most exciting and daring performers in the country.

Over the years, Chayne has performed in over 40 countries and has earned an incredible 55 Guinness World Records for his feats of strength, balance, and endurance. He has also appeared on numerous television shows and in

international media, solidifying his status as a global sensation.

More recently, Chayne has shifted his artistic focus to visual art, exploring the intersection of performance and painting. His artworks are a unique expression of his perspective, featuring bold colours, dynamic compositions, and a fusion of figurative and abstract elements. He also incorporates augmented reality

technology into his works, blurring the lines between reality and the absurd.

Chayne’s work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions around the world.

“My art is a reflection of my unique journey, shaped by my experiences as a performer, risk-taker, and world traveler.” - Chayne Hultgren.

Page 14 : Wild by Design -122 x122 cm. Mixed media on canvas, The Space Cowboy.

Right : Live Your Best Life -180 x 90 cm. Mixed media on canvas, The Space Cowboy.

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THE SPACE COWBOY - INTERVIEW Brief outline on your background I grew up in Byron Bay, Australia, a town known for its creative and unconventional atmosphere. From a young age of eight, I started showcasing my unusual talents at my local markets. I was different from the other kids; instead of watching TV and playing board games, I would rush home to delve into my collection of Guinness World Records books and practice my skills and stunts. My mom even made me a child-sized straight jacket so I could emulate Harry Houdini's great escapes in my own back yard, and I learned to juggle kitchen knives and ride a unicycle. As I grew taller, my stunts became even bolder. I am now Australia's most prolific Guinness World Records Breaker known for my death defying acts. I have broken world records for the world's fastest knife throwing, whip cracking, chainsaw juggling, sword swallowing, fire eating, catching speeding arrows while blindfolded and conducting over 1million volts of electricity through my body while shooting lighting from my fingertips.

Now, as a renown performer of extreme and extraordinary stunts, tell me about your experiences as a performer, daredevil / risk taker.

I've had the privilege of performing in over 40 countries, sharing the stage with some of the most extraordinary people on Earth. From Jyoti Amge, the world's smallest woman, to Bao Xishun, the world's tallest man, my experiences have been incredibly diverse. I've also performed

alongside Busty Heart, who smashes watermelons with her breasts, and Erik Sprague, known as the Lizardman for his full-body tattoo of green scales and reptilian body modifications. I love meeting unique individuals and getting to know their stories so performing on the Guinness World Records and Ripley's Believe It Or Not TV shows have been a wild ride for me. My performances aren't just about risk; they blend precision, art, and a deep understanding of human capabilities. I currently hold 56 Guinness World Records, a testament to my commitment to pushing boundaries.

Page 16 : The Space Cowboy - Twenty nine swords swallowed Final. Photos courtesy of artist.

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Chayne Hultgren painting — Never too late Photo courtesy of artist.

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What are some of your most memorable events?

Winning the Street Performance World Championship three times is definitely a highlight. But each performance is unique and memorable in its own right, from television appearances to live shows.

Tell me about your passionate interest in mutations and oddities?

Almost 20 years ago I purchased a taxidermized double bodied duckling, it had been born with two bodies and one head, it was a conjoined twin, since then my collection has grown. I now own 'The Mutant Barnyard,' a traveling freak animal museum featuring a plethora of mutated oddities—from two-headed cows, a six-legged lamb to albino crocodiles. It's both educational and eye-opening, the largest collection of its kind in the southern hemisphere. It also houses astonishing artifacts like shrunken heads from Ecuador and elongated skulls from Papua New Guinea.

The COVID pandemic led you to spend time exploring your love for painting?

Absolutely, the pandemic was a unique opportunity to explore my long-standing love for sketching and painting. What started as floor painting sessions with my daughter evolved into an obsession. Now, nearly every day for the last four years has involved painting, culminating in the opening of 'The Space Cowboy Gallery' in Byron Bay and solo and group exhibitions in galleries around the world.

Have you always loved painting and drawing?

Yes, I've always had an artistic bent. Painting emerged as a significant part of my life only later, but it has been a natural extension of my overall

performance art.

Tell me about your fascination with magic and illusion.

I perform a mind-reading show called 'Mind Bending,' where I draw images from people's minds and bend spoons in their hands. I use a variety of learned techniques to accomplish these feats, which to the audience, seem impossible.

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And now you are incorporating Illusion into your artwork?

Absolutely. Art itself is an illusion, a form of challenging or representing reality. Using Augmented Reality (AR) techniques, I add a 3rd dimension to my two dimensional works and bring my artworks to life, providing a truly unique and interactive experience. I create all the animations myself and the animations are viewable when looking at my paintings through any smartphone.

Describe your work?

My work is a vibrant tapestry of the human experience, challenging and transcending traditional boundaries to captivate and inspire audiences around the globe. As a performer and visual artist, I embrace the extraordinary, the surreal, and the unknown, whether it's breaking Guinness World Records or exhibiting in global galleries.

The fearless spirit that drives my performances also infuses my visual art. My paintings are characterized by bold, expressive brushstrokes that invite viewers to celebrate the beauty of mistakes and the power of chance. Just like each performance is unique, every painting becomes a testament to the boundless potential of the human spirit, serving as a visual metaphor for our collective experience.

My art delves deep into themes of life and death, transformation, and the embrace of inherent imperfections. These universal themes resonate with audiences, creating a deeply personal experience. Through Augmented Reality, I further challenge perceptions and engage viewers in immersive experiences, bringing my art to life in unique ways.

Ultimately, my work is a celebration of fearlessness, self-expression, and the transformative power of creativity. It encourages viewers to look deeper into themselves and discover the extraordinary beauty that lies within the embrace of chance, mistakes, and the unknown.

What is the philosophy behind your work?

The philosophy behind my work is to challenge the status quo, push boundaries, and inspire others to explore the extraordinary. It's not just about taking risks or demonstrating skill; it's about the embrace of imperfections and the beauty of mistakes. I believe that failures are just stepping stones to mastery, and each mistake offers a lesson that propels us further on our creative journey. Whether I'm painting or performing a high-risk stunt, the essence remains the same: a harmonious blend of precision, creativity, and a deep understanding of human limits. Every piece or performance serves as a testament to the transformative power of embracing both our successes and our failures.

Page 21 : Chayne Hultgren beside his painting - Heres to the Good Life. Photo courtesy of artist.

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Do you have a set method/routine of working?

While each performance or piece of art is unique, my general approach involves in-depth research and meticulous planning. For example, learning to catch arrows blindfolded required not just skill but a deep understanding of human senses, physics, and trust. My painting process is equally dedicated; each stroke is a calculated decision, no less planned than each of my stunts. It's a labour of love, undertaken with a creative and dedicated mindset that merges artistry with precision. Yet, there are moments when I place a blank canvas before me, allowing intuition to guide my choice of colours, embracing spontaneity, and welcoming the unexpected. It's a delicate balance between meticulous

preparation and the freedom to let the canvas itself become a co-creator in the artistic process.

Why do you choose this material/medium to work with?

The mediums I choose - be it performance art or canvas - are extensions of my philosophy. A canvas is not just a piece of fabric but a living, enduring stage where my performance as an artist continues in perpetuity. The drips of paint I use symbolize the fluidity of time, the ceaseless march of moments that are captured and encapsulated in each work. The material becomes a narrative, just as the performances I give are stories told in real-time, challenging audiences to question their understanding of reality.

What inspires your work/creations?

My inspiration is life in its rawest form—chaotic, unpredictable, and endlessly fascinating. The extraordinary people I meet, from performers to artists, continually ignite my creativity. Every individual becomes a muse, a spark in the grand bonfire of ideas that fuel my art.

What have been the major influences on your work?

My influences are varied and many, stretching from the legendary escapologist Houdini to the history of circuses and sideshows. I draw inspiration from both classical and contemporary art, science, anatomy, and the natural world. This eclectic mix of influences helps me create work that's as multifaceted as the inspirations that birthed it.

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What are some of your favourite artworks and artists?

I have a deep admiration for Salvador Dalí's surrealistic art and H.R. Giger's eerie realism. I also appreciate Cy Twombly's childlike scribbles which speak to the purity of artistic expression. The list is endless; my tastes are as diverse as my own work.

What do you hope viewers of your artworks will feel and take with them?

I hope they walk away with an ignited curiosity, a sense of wonder, and a newfound appetite for the extraordinary. I want to inspire them to challenge their own boundaries and embrace their quirks and dreams, no matter how outlandish

What are the challenges in becoming an exhibiting artist?

The major challenge lies in juggling my roles as a performer and as an exhibiting visual artist. There's also the issue of audience receptivity, as my art often doesn't conform to mainstream tastes.

they may seem.

Your future aspirations with your art?

My goal is to continue pushing the envelope both in performance and visual arts. I aspire to have my work

Name your greatest achievement, exhibitions?

The opening of 'The Space Cowboy Gallery' has been a personal milestone. As for exhibitions, my works are currently displayed in various

displayed in more international galleries.

Forthcoming exhibitions?

galleries globally, from Denmark to Singapore to Sydney. I'm excited

I have several exhibitions in the pipeline, both domestic and

about the new warehouse space for 'The Space Cowboy Gallery,'

international. Keep an eye on my website and social media

which is opening in Byron Bay in November 2023.

for the latest updates.

- Chayne Hultgren © 2023.

What are you working on at present?

I'm constantly evolving, always painting and brainstorming new stunts that could break world records. I'm also working on solo and group exhibitions for visual art.

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Page 24 : Kink Pink 150 x120 cm.

Mixed media on canvas The Space Cowboy

Left : Never too late 183 x121cm.

Mixed media on canvas The Space Cowboy

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Discover the World 121 x 91 cm.

Mixed media on canvas The Space Cowboy

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Silver Bullet 120 x100 cm.

Mixed media on canvas The Space Cowboy

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God Of Lightning 120 x 180 cm.

Mixed media The Space Cowboy

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Be Brave Be Bold Be Boundless 120 x 90 cm.

Mixed Media on canvas The Space Cowboy Issue 54 - November 2023

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Karaokesaurus 150 x 120 Mixed media on canvas The Space Cowboy

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Fall of the Tiger King 102 x 102 cm.

Mixed media The Space Cowboy

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Rock Cock 190 x 90 cm.

Mixed media on canvas The Space Cowboy

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Website: www.thespacecowboy.com

www.thespacecowboygallery.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ thespacecowboyofficial/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/

TheSpaceCowboy1/

All Rights Reserved on article and photographs The Space Cowboy © 2023.

Left : Heres to the good life -crown version 180 x 90cm. Mixed media on canvas, The Space Cowboy.

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From a Cast-Iron Balcony

P E T E R

sky, from the balcony of our flea-pit hotel A bored American housewife chants: “The animals are so much better than us!

They don’t use knives to cut their food!

They use their teeth!

They don’t pick flowers neither do they breathe pollution!”

(This way back in the 1960’s when the Space Race was on

B R O W N

In my mouth I carry her water.

I point at the moon in the Newcastle

Homage, O homage to Rachel Carson!

J

I bite off a bit (a piece) of pear for my daughter.

and everyone thought General Electric wonderful.

which I stomp up to saying “stomp! Stomp! Stomp!”

(c’est une trompe d’oeuil – Out of this fiery furnace spills holy oil. “the big gorilla takes the baby gorilla and points at the moon and says: ‘Goro goro goro, guru guru guru’ and takes the piece of plastic and throws it away!”

(with a terrific swing and over it goes); she laughs; she knows it’s a joke; this small ritual is part of our corroboree, teaching her to say “G”.

I remember well the pale white moon

On the balcony,

in the summer afternoon

sky, right after an A-test! That day hailstones fell, full of strontium, melting like ice in the sun.

It was not unusual, like being loved.)

her mother has written in soap on brick, “Dirty Old Town”, and it certainly is.

Even the water isn’t fit to drink in this flea-pit.

Later I weep, on my third day at school, Issue 54 - November 2023

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thinking of a question posed to me by my gentle mother:

A bored American housewife chants

“who did you meet there?”

stupid stereotypes for ignorant ideologues,

Oh who did I meet there, my dear old one,

straight out of Howl:

and what did I see, my dear old one?

“Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

I saw hailstorms of hatred,

Ici le trompe! le trompe! le trompe!

black branches and guns,

The big gorilla takes the baby gorilla

hundreds of men heartlessly hammering,

and points at the moon and says:

idiot boys harmlessly stammering,

“Goro goro goro, guru guru guru”

pellets of poison,

(to remind her of her guru grandad,

stenches noisome,

a wanderer by trade)

trenches men died in

“and takes the piece of plastic

by the million.

and throws it away!” venting a lot of spleen

I think of piano lessons

waking from a rural dream

and childhood living,

into the brown grey of an industrial scene,

love like a river,

in an unreal city

and I’ve been swimming,

on a summer’s day,

three fifths of a mile in a tenth of a second,

early in the morning

eighty-eight feet a second encased in steel,

one February,

deeply in sweet turquoise water under a muddy keel,

wondering “where have I been

through mountains of fishes mirthful amid coral,

my darling daughter?

fallen asleep and woken on a pillow surreal,

Why did I dream

gone to market on a magic carpet,

That so many were undone by death?”

sung silver songs from an enchanted parapet, - Peter J Brown © 2023. been swimming.

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The MX Missile and the Rainbow

P E T E R

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For Kerry Kerry, I was sending love letters to you in the sweet cold late winter afternoon,

and as I wandered through this country fair of corridors, in this intellectual country club, turned on by love, a little bemused, I saw slogans splattered black all over the whitewashed walls of this winter palace, this Palace of Versailles,

saying “God is a fascist” as if to say “it isn’t fair” and “MX: Innovation in insanity”

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as if to say “God is dead” and “This thing is already here”.

My heart is breaking.

I sat alone among all the round tables,

watching the buttress of a rainbow in the sky, a “sept-color” spread on the horizon, and scratched a sketch of that scene I was in on a card which said “what I feel for you is love”.

O Rainbow in the sky, what is love?

- Peter J Brown © 2023.

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Pi – The Celebration of Crystal’s Birth, the Birth of

Now, how can I explain, lady? How can you expect me to

Venus – Shakespeare in the Alley

explain all that went on in my brain that night? I came shining, inspiration rhyming abandoned me for the hot

For Kerry

combustion of knowing that a whole new soul has come to earth. It was like the birth of Venus. It held untramelled

Crystal’s birth was bright-shining beautiful, night-lightning twilight slid

through the air, lifting the ozone fresh to hair and nerves, lit the skin languidly with the language of love. On the radio the religious hour rang, midnight morning later. The smell of the hospital jangled the nose. Night fell swiftly, descending smooth after the bright heat of the warm blue day, prelude to frost-gabled morning. I was amazed by the way of it. You were so alone facing the awesome ordeal of birth. I, too, was alone with my thoughts, alone as the whole long-spinning electric earth, wondering, wandering perpetually, swift planet perfectly smooth, eyes round, tears rooves of link on link in what the Chinese called “the thousand things” – the world, replicated and enmeshed in Cuisenaire-rod

prettiness,

Babbage-like

calculation,

greed

for

cabbage, obsessions with Dos Passos and Wolfe and William Carlos Williams – with Wolfe Tone and the Beats, with Burgoyne, with

Bourgogne, with Burgundy, with Laurel and Hardy in space, King Wenceslas and Holly and Ivy, plutot vivre – on doit oublier toute l’ivresse du temps parfait, perdus, renonces. OK. Her birth was bright-shining beautiful. Here in this web of words is something of the window which opened in my mind at the time.

satisfactions for me. There was satisfaction in it that I had never dreamed of. It was the pecking of the Bird of Paradise, sweet bird, day on day, year on year, from eternity to here, a spirit holy and sincere, and I was delighted by it.

How can I explain the fear I felt when your face contorted with pain? The wonder of it which is beyond me to explain?

The screaming nerves in my brain insisting that the process was utterly beyond my understanding, burning out all the

pre-conditioned fuses of my comprehension? I sat by and helped apply the laughing gas, assisted in washing your lower belly, skin of the womb, washing the soft ferny grass of your vulva. It was quite a blast! The morning came up with a particular kind of thunder, lighting the edge of the sky with colours like the quiet iridescence of de Kooning’s New

York school. Remnants of all the tangled maze of cognitive haze that one can find in Jackson Pollock paintings, like mornings in Cremorne, with Led Zeppelin and rain and electric blue dawn.

Kerry, I miss you like crazy.

6 October 1983, Willow Tree Cottage.

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CAN ART MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

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CAN ART MAKE A DIFFERENCE? - George Gittoes With the release of our film UKRAINE GUERNICA – ART NOT WAR I found myself in the centre of a debate about whether art can actually bring change and help to prevent war.

I am back in Afghanistan and I am more certain than ever that the kind of socially committed art and teaching we doing at our Yellow House is making difference to many lives here as well as informing the outside world. We are proving, in a very real way, that art and education can succeed where 20 years of war have failed.

Some years ago, I bought the book ‘Time Out of Mind – The Lives of Bob Dylan’ by Ian Bell but quickly found Bell to be a writer, who does not understand or respect the power of art, regardless of the Financial Times declaring his book to be the “best biography that rock has had.” On page 457 Bell is at his most sceptical “All the wars say that humankind is not altered in the slightest by art, however passionate, however

moving, however true. That had been the youngster’s insight in the ‘60’s. Protest songs made people feel better about themselves, but they did not truly change anything. The cities of the western world would erupt against the Iraq conspiracy. Brave songs would be sung, and brave words spoken, but the military machine would roll on regardless.”

With the murder of JFK, his brother Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King,

Malcolm X and John Lennon. Dylan was in serious danger as a high value target, yet with great courage he continued to perform openly, including the Rolling Thunder Tour where he travelled to small, unprotected venues. Just as Picasso, the painter of Guernica, stayed in Paris during the Nazi occupation when friends encouraged him to flee to Switzerland or America Dylan kept out there regardless of the incredible risk.

His songs reached millions and made them think about what was going on that was wrong. Bob fulfilled his job of inspiring change. The game is not over, and peace can still win.

I began work on my ‘Hotel Kennedy suit of 24 etchings in 1968. The first etching is titled ‘The Hotel Where Kennedy Entered’ and refers to the Ambassador Hotel where Bobby Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan when he walked through the kitchen hallway. Those assassinations took America and the world into a dark place, and it is still searching to find a way out. Each atom of art we make helps to alter the DNA of our violence towards one another and the natural world. Art is the best chance we have to evolve beyond destruction.

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The ‘answer’ is still “blowing in the wind” but a new era has begun where artists are going beyond influence to intervention. Banksy has created the Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem and our Yellow House Creative Centre in Afghanistan has been running for over 12 years. Last year we defied Russian attempts to destroy Independent Ukrainian Culture by bringing helping to bring bombed the House of Culture in Irpin, back to life.

On my way back to our Yellow House I stopped to receive the honour of a Peace Award from the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies at Peshawar University. My work in the Tribal Belt of Pakistan goes back to before 9/11 when Russian landmines were killing and maiming

innocent victims both there and in Afghanistan. Later in 2007/8 I made my film Miscreants of Taliwood from my base at the SS Club in Peshawar. This Old City dates to when it was a Trade Centre on the Silk Road when Marco Polo passed through. I know and love this Old City as much as Sydney and, these days, I feel more at home there. We did much of the edit of our recent Ukraine films there with Khuram Shehzad.

In Peshawar and Afghanistan two times exist simultaneously – the ancient past and an encroaching modern present. Ali Baba and the magic

lamp meets Barbie.

As I walk along a familiar lane past one of the murals, I painted years ago, there are skeletally thin children and old people scraping through putrid garbage for, I do not know what. Two beggar girls spring down from a wall and push their faces, horridly distorted by burns or a disease like leprosy, into mine, wanting money. But there are too many beggars to give to all of them. Next there is an almost supernatural shadow being, seated on the pavement resembling a stark black and white drawing from a Graphic novel. It is a woman, cross legged and 100% enshrouded in black cloth, including her face. She has a white artificial leg resting on her lap. A tiny donkey, head down struggles past with a

load of wheat sacks ten times its own wait. It looks up to me with one pathetic eye as a child, with a cane, whips it on its bony rump. The donkey is followed by three women in filthy yellow and brown burqas, one holds a baby, but it seems to be dead.

There is a rumble like thunder as jet fighter planes fly overhead breaking the sound barrier and a 50 calibre machine gun swivels around in my direction, from the back of a camouflaged pick up, military convoy, speeds its way around traffic. The identities of the soldiers are concealed by black balaclavas with white skull face stencils, grinning. Death on wheels. Through a window there is wide screen TV showing Israeli rockets

exploding in Gaza with a cut to dead Palestinian children in a gutter.

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Institute of Peace & Conflict studies, Peshwa, Pakistan 2023. Photos courtesy of George Gittoes.

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Yet, amidst all this, there is the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies at Peshawar University.

I ask one of its students, Shanda, what she plans to do with her degree when she graduates and she replies, “Find a job with an NGO or the United Nations.” I tell her she can get work experience at our Yellow House across the border in Afghanistan. She could help my wife Hellen teach skills to girls. Rawan is excited by the idea as are her circle of student friends.

I’m glad the speech I gave the day before, when accepting the award, has inspired them.

Walking out of any shop here I am swarmed by beggars before I can get my wallet back into my pocket. It doesn’t help to turn my head and pretend I don’t see them and waving my hand to indicate ‘no’ or pushing the most persistent ones away is no better. Constant refusal gets to be hard going. I have sympathy for all of them, especially the children and handicapped but this time I have more than sympathy, I feel an affinity.

Everyday Hellen and have been, literally, begging for people to buy art to help us fund the Yellow House. We are not a registered charity and have no Government funds to assist us, everything we have is going into this project and that is not enough. The rebuffs range from being told that the cost of living has risen so much in Australia that no one can consider buying art anymore, to friends telling us we have made them feel uncomfortable by asking and that someone my age with an established reputation should not be diminishing himself by offering my art at reduced bargain prices.

Do Hellen and I feel shame at doing this? No, each sale means we can do more to make the Yellow House succeed. We have run the Yellow House in Jalalabad for over 13 years solely on the proceeds of art sales. Buying and building the new Yellow House in a safer area is taking a lot more money than we have. Our dream is to see it continue to flourish and last long after we are dead. We do not see the Yellow House belonging to us but to the creative people of Jalalabad.

The Australian Government paid out one million dollars a year for each soldier deployed here. The 20 year war cost NATO and the US trillions of dollars, only to have the majority of Afghans hating the occupiers, as they did with the Russians, and happy to see them go. The Yellow House is our chance to show art can win where war has failed. The cost of one Hellfire Missile would be enough to fund us for years. Every morning at the Yellow House we would see a fleet of Drones flying out from the US controlled airport, all laden with missiles.

In the afternoon they would all return empty. The majority of the targets they were striking were the homes of poor farming families, like our

neighbours at the Yellow House, with no connection to the Talban or Al Qaeda.

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George Gittoes and friends in front of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, at Peshawar University, Pakistan.2023.

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When I was coming across the border from Pakistan, after receiving my Peace Award, I was singled out and taken to an interrogation room.

There were about ten hardened Taliban fighters waiting in the room, some with machine guns in their laps. Their commander was head of border intelligence and the most fearsome man I have ever encountered. He immediately said “You are Australian. Do you know Australian soldiers killed innocent Afghans.” I replied “Yes”. Then he pulled up the legs of his trousers and his long shirt showing savage scars, “these were done by Australian dogs, your soldiers set them on me and did not pull them off, then I was tortured in their jail. This is why I hate all white people.” Our audience listened to every word of the conversation intently and I kept looking to their facial expressions to see if their attitude was softening. I had my friend Waqar, who knows me and my history better than myself, to translate.

But words don’t work here, it is all in the eyes. Any hesitation, nervousness or guilt in the eyes and things can go very badly. At every chance I would look the commander very firmly in the eyes, eyeball to eyeball and felt him digging into my soul. In the end he offered to help in whatever way he could and gave me his name, Mulvi Iqbal Takal and contact details. It was warm handshakes and exchanged smiles with his fighters as I left. Had I not been an artist but someone with blood on my hands it would have gone very differently. A small group of Yellow House artists

were waiting nervously, a distance away. They know the risk I take every time I return and were relieved to see me. There were lots of hugs and a vehicle home to Jalalabad.

My first night in Jalalabad is always at the Spinghar Hotel where I can have a hot bath, make a cup of tea and get a good sleep. The Spinghar dates to the Colonial Era and has always been owned by whatever government is in power. Bin Laden stayed in the same room as me when in Jalalabad. Presently the Spinghar is owned by the Islamic Emirate of the Taliban. The building is vast but nearly empty of other guests. The

management welcome me back like returning family. The Spinghar is surrounded by one of the most beautiful gardens in the world. The garden was designed centuries ago by Sufi, artist gardeners and their descendants still attend to the plants. The garden is laid out geometrically, like a floral mandala, with layer upon layer of symbolic meaning. The flowers and fruits tell a mystical story with fragrances and colour. Winter is approaching leaving only a few roses in bloom. I took photographs of some to email to Hellen. I am missing our wedding anniversary, and we will not be together to celebrate. The plan is for her to join me in a few weeks.

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Spinghar Hotel, gardens and staff. Photos courtesy of George Gittoes.

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The beginnings of the new Yellow House below Spinghar (Spirit) Mountain, Afghanistan. Photos courtesy of George Gittoes.

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Today, 17th October I arrived back at our New Yellow House with Waqar and Ashrid in a yellow rickshaw driven by Itchy, who is a talented actor/comedian and a Yellow House stalwart.

I purchased the house, last year, in the tribal area below the sacred Spinghar (Spirit) Mountain, which has great significance to the villagers who are its traditional custodians.

Our previous Yellow House was in the city, making it a choice target for terrorist groups like ISIS. The risk of a bomb blast was too great there

but in the new location we are safe and protected by the community.

As we entered our gate students were steaming out of the Large High School which is a few hundred meters away. Many were mature age girls, and all were dressed in typical school uniforms similar to those worn in Australia. Several recognised us and welcomed us back knowing that when the Yellow House reopens, they will be coming to our art and media classes. The restrictions on older girls going to school in other parts of Afghanistan is not happening with these girls from the surrounding tribal villages.

Ahsan is our neighbour and has been the Yellow House caretaker until my return. I had a gift of a soft Koala Bear toy for his little daughter Hadia.

Ahsan drives the blue circus truck when we take our Cinema Circus out to remote areas like Tora Bora, where the children have never seen a film, heard music, or watched actors perform. His daughter Medina was the star of our most popular children’s film Simorgh, and it is in his village where we have had the freedom to film dramas with women directors in charge and the majority of the cast, women actors. The open-minded friendliness of the villagers has been tested over more almost 15 years.

The amount that has to be done before the new Yellow House can function is daunting. Ahsan will supervise the construction while I set up a table in the yard and paint, but always present to be consulted or lend a hand. We have to dig an septic tank for toilets, set up solar panels for power, drill 38 meters for water to be pumped out, put in wiring and plumbing, add a second story to the main building and build class rooms.

My drawing books are now filled with sketches to show the builders. It is not necessary to get building plans approved in Afghanistan, but we

do need a permit to drill.

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When I was 18, I attended Clement Greenberg’s lecture on American Minimalism at Sydney University. I was the only student doing works inspired by Malevich and Mondrian that fitted with Greenberg’s aesthetic. My Professor, Bernard Smith, arranged for me to show some examples to Greenberg and he was impressed enough to invite me to come to New York. That was the end of university for me. I got a job as a chainman on the new Cahill Expressway and was soon on my way arriving late in 1968. But after a few months in New York, I realized that hard edge and minimal abstraction was not addressing the huge issues of Vietnam and Racism. It was only when I travelled to San Francisco to see the World Exhibition of Photography that I discovered there, what I was searching for. They were showing the heart of humanity and like

Nic Ut’s Napalm Girl Kim Phuc, and Eddie’ Adam’s shocking Execution were fuelling the anti-war movement and making it harder for the politicians and Military Machine to justify. Same with the images of police dogs tearing at the cloths of black protesters in the civil rights movement. Their cameras were weapons against injustice. This was not art about art as Greenberg would have it. It was art about humanity.

My own photojournalism at the Kibheo Massacre in Rwanda brought an atrocity to the eyes of the world which would, otherwise, have been hidden from view. But what I am doing now is outside the context of war journalism. I am still using my still and video cameras every day to make documentary films and get images out, however, what I am doing at the Yellow House with my wife Hellen and Afghan team is direct action, impacting on the lives and environment of this conflict zone. As we work on the construction there are always children of different ages watching and listening in on our conversations. They know the Yellow House will give them better options for a better future.

Ahsan is uneducated but his natural brilliance shines. Part of his motivation for helping to build the Yellow House in his village is knowing how much it will help create opportunities for his kids to escape from the harsh life he has known as an illiterate farm labourer.

We have seen this generational uplifting at our previous Yellow House. The children who are the main characters in our documentary, Snow Monkey have all gone from seemingly inescapable poverty and illiteracy to becoming successful high achievers.

While I admire the brave work of the film and photojournalists I befriended in Ukraine, how we are using our art and communication skills to help in this direct way is very different.

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The troubles of the world are seen on TV and in print by viewers in much safer places. Presently it is the bombardment of Gaza after the Hamas Rocket Attack on Israel that is shocking people, but they keep leaving it to others to solve these problems. Not only with war but with the ever-increasing environmental disasters. What we are

saying at the Yellow House is “It is too late to be leaving it to others, get out of your comfort zone and find some way to help fix your world! Make a real difference!”

If you want to find out how it can be done watch some of our documentaries, available: Love City Jalalabad, Snow Monkey

(Afghanistan).

The films have been made available as part of the Yellow House Fundraiser, and all proceeds from each AU$6.99 rental will go directly to support the building of the new Yellow House. Both films will be available to rent to end of November.

Film Links Gittoes Films Vimeo page: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/snowmonkey2 https://vimeo.com/ondemand/lovecityjalalabad2

- George Gittoes © 2023.

Catalogue of World Exhibition of Photography 1965.

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Yellow House Fundraiser

Spirit Catching Up 46 x 36 cm.

Yellow Star 122 x 91cm.

Submarine 46 x 36cm.

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Yellow House Fundraiser

Yellow House Fundraiser, all proceeds from

art will go directly to support the building of the new Yellow House.

Fundraiser till the end of November.

Catalogue available at Link:

https://gittoes.com/yellow-houseart-sale

Left : Free Spirits 102 x 76 cm .

Oil on canvas George Gittoes 2023 Issue 54 - November 2023

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George Gittoes with the wooden stamp seller.

Passing Through 50 x 40cm.

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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

-

"I believe there is a role for contemporary art to challenge, rather than entertain. My work is confronting humanity with the darker side of itself."

As an artist Gittoes has received critical acclaim including the Blake Prize for Religious Art (Twice) and Wynn Prize. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of NSW. His films have won many International Awards and in 2015 he was bestowed the Sydney Peace Prize, in recognition of his life’s work in contributing to the peace-making process.

www.gittoes.com Left : George Gittoes in studio, 2023. Photo courtesy of artist.

All Rights Reserved on article and photographs George Gittoes © 2023.

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VVitches oV KyiV

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VVitches oV KyiV Hellen Rose The first film we made in Ukraine, titled ‘Ukrainistan Artist War’ Premiered in Salem Film Fest Massachusetts. Upon arrival George and I found we both had dreadful Jet Lag but were armed with super melatonin tablets, we were sleeping deeply and crazy long hours on the first few days

and I started having the most extraordinary dreams…

Our apartment, provided by the Peabody Essex Museum where the film was screening, is right around the corner from the infamous Old Burying Point Cemetery, also known as the Charter Street Cemetery, which is among the oldest in the United States, opened in 1637. Those accused and convicted of witchcraft in Salem in 1692 were tortured and ridiculed, with most being executed by hanging, their corpses were dumped around the old Cemetery in unmarked graves. There are also more than 50 slaves buried at the cemetery, as well. It was common to decline a headstone for a slave in those times. Laws that made such things as visions, dreams, and even the testimony of spirits permissible

evidence…were used to prove the Witches guilt.

A new idea continued on from my earlier performance at the ‘Victory’ Exhibition in June 2022, with Ave Libertateveamour, George and the other Ukraine Artists at Irpin Central House of Culture, titled ‘Armies of the Fallen’. A homage to all those who have fallen in the struggle for freedom, an invocation and defiance. This performance also became a call to those spirits of Salem to come with me, join me in Kyiv.

I had brought with me two lace dresses to wear.

The first night the dream voices came to me saying things like “the only way to catch us is with lace, you must roll out Lace down the main street of Salem, we are waiting for you in the graveyard”. Naturally that woke me in a cold sweat, I got up and looked out the bedroom window out onto the empty Salem street, shadows signalling among flickering lights in the wind, gusting along. When I finally fell back to sleep again, I dreamed I did a performance wrapped in metres of lace, cocooned, and emerging from the lace at one end like a cicada in one of George’s drawings of human insect like creatures. I dreamed I had golden, talon like, fingernails helping me to escape the lace as I clawed and crawled along where the path met the buildings in the main street of town, abject, monstrous, aberrant, mnemonic.

Page 54 : Hellen Rose performance at Zamkhova Hora, Kyiv. Photo courtesy of Hellen Rose.

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The voices babbled a strange type of poem in sotto voce, their instructions that I semi remembered, again waking in the dark, and interpreted thus.

I saw golden needles woven in hair, “human hair of women can also contain the soul and float, drift, fly, caught in the throat or eye,

we carry far, far, coiled in a breeze or the wing of a bird, in tree’s we jump from forest to forest, crows will carry us across town after town and drop us down upon the crooked crown of evil heads we fall like lead and do our work, perform our deed…”

“…the souls in the lace and strands of hair unfurl in the air catch currents upwards across the hills, mountains, forests, get caught in the fur, claw and paw of wolves and bears, down the throats of small animals hunting, migrating, foraging, climbing, sipping the waters, falls into the rivers, drifts, swallowed by the swan now roasting on the pyre,

the food of the Black Sea, into the bellies of fish in the Dnipro, and onto the table of the one who must be destroyed and then destroy all who help him.”

Human hair appeared in the dreams; hair massed into messy enlaced, matted nets…like a poison an infinitesimal weapon.

The voices said I must collect strands of women’s hair who give it freely and take those hairs with me also to release in Kyiv.

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Hellen Rose performance at Zamkhova Hora, Kyiv. Photo courtesy of Hellen Rose.

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The morning before we left for New York I went out to a shop in Salem and purchased 20meters of white lace and 20 meters of black lace and went on a Monday morning to the Charter Street graveyard and unfurled each length of lace and dragged them across the grounds and graves where the unjustly hung bodies of witches were buried. Strange phenomena happened to the lace, as George filmed, the material rippled smoothly across the ground as I strode, dragging the lengths behind me, round the headstones and across the grave beds. I collected leaves and twigs ensnared in the net of the lace, I gathered each swathe up and rolled them, placed them in a bag and carried them in my luggage to New York.

At a gathering on an evening at the Brooklyn Rail of artists and critics I told my story of the development of my new performance. There were many strong women at the gathering but it occurred to me that these must be the women to donate a few strands of their hair, they all did so, happily snipping small pieces from the back of their heads. This action seemed to make sense to all of us. This group were close with the amazing Performance Artist Carolee Schneemann who I believe would approve.

I still had no knowledge of what I would actually ‘do’ with the lace and hair. I had faith that when I got back to Kyiv that I would ‘psychically’ discover what to do.

Kyivan Rus was once the capital of a huge pagan empire that encompassed all of Russia as well as Ukraine. Volodymyr the Great was the staunchest Pagan ruler in all of pre–Christian Europe until his conversion to Christianity in his later years mainly for political reasons.

We arrived back at our Mikhailivskyi Lane Studio in Kyiv and I started to research the Pagan history of the area. My research was explosive as it turned out that just as it is believed that Vampires originated from Transylvania, Romania, just over the neighbouring Carpathian Mountains to

the boarders of Ukraine it is believed in the region that the notion of the Witch originated in Kyiv.

I also discovered that there were several Witches Gathering mountains and hills all around Kyiv, the two most famous in folk lore and history are Lysa Hora and Zamkhova Hora.

I could barely contain myself with excitement that this history was still alive and that gatherings still occurred on these mountains.

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On the journey to finding Zamkhova Hora, Kyiv. Photos courtesy of Hellen Rose.

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I went out alone first to find Lysa Hora, I went in a ‘Bolt’ which is equivalent to Uber, with a fatherly Ukrainian who didn’t speak a word of English to Lysa Hora! Bare Mountain, believed to be the very place Mussorgsky based his musical Tone Poem, Night on Bare Mountain! This mountain is not huge and more like a hill but is also a place where many political prisoners were executed, over 200 people, a turgid atmosphere I was anticipating indeed. We went passed glorious onion spired gold topped buildings and climbed and climbed through winding roads of lush budding forests, going past a giant monolith of a woman with sword and shield and a strange building that had an eye in a triangle mosaic above its ornate doors with women’s heads floating around the eye. Suddenly we were at a check point with armed Ukraine Soldiers who pulled us over, I realised I had forgotten my passport, I had a digital copy and a digital Media card however suddenly we were not allowed to continue as I was told ‘because of the current situation’. That was rather disappointing.

My driver spoke no English, google translate had him turning around, I couldn’t re-book him for some reason in the app but I found my message from Ave that there was a better ‘Hill” where Gogol actually based one of his stories, I was soon to discover the legendary ‘ Zamkhova Gora’, right back in the centre of the old town, in the middle of Kyiv!

Ave was messaging me saying ‘right on Andryvskyi’s decent!” “Where Bulgakov’s old house is!” Thoughts of Margarita flying out her window on

a broomstick immediately came to mind. The taxi driver drove around in circles as we jiggled and joggled over the old cobble stone roads, in the end he gave up , winding upwards abruptly he stopped, he seemed frustrated and unhelpful so I gave him some cash and got out.

This is where I became lost as the Ukraine alphabet is unrecognisable in google to me and I couldn’t get my bearings. The place Zamkhova Hora didn’t exist on my phone map.

It was afternoon and I started asking strangers for directions, the bomb sirens started wailing and most waived their hands or didn’t speak English as they scurried off.

A young blond-haired youth, dressed all in black suddenly appeared on the path, “do you speak English I asked?” “Hmmm yes a bit” he replied.

He looked terribly young but intelligent and told me he was 19, I suspect he may have been closer to 17. What is your name?”, “Ivan”, he replied, “but you can call me Vanya”. His blond hair was shaved at the sides of his reasonably handsome wide face. His skin still had a baby fat plumpness to it, deep European white with thin pink, red lips. “I’m looking for Zamkhova Hora, do you know it? My map is not showing it”. “I think I do know where it is, I can show you if you if you like” he studied his iPhone map. “That would be great thank you” I happily responded.”

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He evaded my direct gaze with his very pale blue eyes and looked down to his phone map when he spoke, only flashing his eyes up quickly but turning away while we chatted. He was dressed reasonably in Kyiv chic, neo goth, all black. Leather shoes and long heavy woollen

coat and black trousers, wide golden clamp like rings grasped the top of his ears. He looked like he barley shaved. The maps were not working on either phone so I invited him to accompany me if he wished, “ok” he very easily complied, as surprised as I was with this instant acquiescence, I was glad as I was determined to find this place and I was heading into the unknown with no map. The whole time I was thinking he was incredibly ‘suggestable’ to follow or guide me with very little persuasion, it was as if I had known him as an old friend. We were both not aware still, of where we were going but his map at least was showing a rather strange path to Zamkhova Gora whereas on mine, he searched and remarked that the place didn’t exist. I started to amuse myself with thoughts that this was some kind of test and that the Witches Hill sensed I was here, and that Vanya was their emissary

like in Bulgakov’s the Master and Margarita, perhaps he might suddenly turn into ‘Koroviev’ the trickster or a giant black cat.

Right : Vanya. Photo courtesy Hellen Rose.

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We headed ever upwards towards a path where a huge stack of endless stairs rose in front of us, Vanya was quiet unless directly questioned which I kept doing, he told me he was a pianist, he was quite affable when given a reason to speak and seemed almost as if he expected to meet a foreigner in such a place looking to go up the mountain of the Witches. I sensed we were in the right area. As we started to climb the wooden stairs, we found ourselves on a platform where there sat a woman rather dishevelled and mad looking at first but wearing thongs? How very odd to see a woman wearing such an Aussie classic here in freezing Kyiv!? Her clothing was mismatched, and her hair dishevelled and greasy black, she had no concern for her appearance and seemed annoyed at our presence, her stern mouth curled into an articulation of distaste.

She sat alone in some kind of reverie with books on one side of her and pens and twigs placed on the other. I smiled and her response was stoney faced, Vanya asked her in Ukrainian if we were on the right path, she stared fiercely and mutely, saying nothing, her eyes boring into me, unblinkingly tight lipped and ignoring Vanya completely until he took her photograph which was the only time I saw her turn on him with her daggers stare, we backed off and kept ascending, too disturbed to laugh although we wanted to. The St Andrews church rose like a golden domed faerie castle, it was on the opposite hill.

Up we went, I started to feel this was the correct place for me to bring the lace from Salem and the hair from New York.

Yet we were still lost on a clockwise circumambulation of the entire hill, google maps in ‘walk’ mode is always a shambles for some reason! We walked for miles, and I started to feel like it was a waking dream as somehow, we were walking somewhere familiar! In fact this would be the 3rd time I walked past this particular park in Podil this week as it is only blocks away from Ave and only streets away from where we live? In the park were incredible statues of anthropomorphic birds, a Crow in top hat and monocle, a Dodo with a walking cane.. surreal, as we were suddenly back in the city but yet going to the hill? I still trusted Vanya however, as the rain fell and he opened his umbrella and gallantly held it

over my head, sharing it with me, we walked and walked until suddenly again we approached greenery, this time I felt we were totally lost somewhere grungy.

Graffitied path walls and storage garages, druggy looking lonely walkers with bowed heads, like somewhere where bodies are dumped, dirt footpaths started to replace anything man made, these paths were foot trodden packed mud and warn into the ground over decades, Centuries like a packed mud floor in a pauper’s house. The hairs raised on every inch of my body; I knew we were here on ancient sacred ground.

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The old town in the middle of Kyiv, Ukraine.

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Suddenly I found myself on like a raised platform a ‘bald or barren Hill’ literally, a ‘park land’ now, however as it has been the same since prehistoric times. We had simply somehow taken the wrong set of stairs. We were finally atop Zamkhova Hora at last!

I found myself walking a narrow dirt path without fencing and 100meter drops on either side. The winding footpath rose and fell among budding blossom trees and scattered tulip and daffodil bulbs, crows squabbled and cawed - this was definitely a living fairy tale! This narrow dirt path leading out towards a natural type of hilltop stage, the sets of the new Starwars, ‘bad guys lair’, with a narrow path leading to a raised platform, immediately came to mind. A place where the magical battles between good and evil are fought out, the vanquished falling to their death.

I found a 7-pointed star structure raised and another concentrically circular raised platform with flowers and weeds growing through the layers.

Continuing to walk down another path a little platform again right at the cliff that looks out above the beautiful little town. A central stage platform straight from Walt Disney’s animated lair in Fantasia!

I bid farewell with thanks to young Vanya and slipped some Ukrainian bank notes into his hand, he suddenly leaned in to kiss me, I recoiled and waved him off goodbye, yet he was hard to shake off and walked with me back down to the highway, at last I jumped into a taxi and waved him

farewell once and for all from the window.

I found some books translated into English on the Witches of Kyiv and discovered many spells and knowledge of prehistoric Kyivan women’s practices were well known. The ‘Hills’ or ‘Bare Mountains’, were where the women of the town collected their herbs and exchanged knowledge of nature and all things, ‘women’s business’. Sometimes they were naked as the ancient people believed walking nude in nature was healthful and brought them closer to communion with the mysteries of nature. It was believed that on certain nights women would walk around their fields naked in order to bring their fertility to their harvest. There were many such practices, and many are still performed today although merged with Christian beliefs.

I decided to take my lace performance as a type of healing to Irpin Bridge of Death and to the neighbouring apartments around the Central House of Art as well as to the hilltop of Zamkhova Hora.

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Zamkhova Hora, Kyiv. Photos courtesy of Hellen Rose.

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When we met Olga who is the Piano Teacher interviewed in our film she seemed on the verge of a nervous breakdown from all the horror she had seen, her neighbour whose head had been severed in two in front of her as she hid from the marauding Russians, on a blood lust, shrieking rampage, mowing down families as they ran and completely blowing her neighbours homes to smithereens , night after night for weeks until finally the Ukraine Army pushed them out. Olga didn’t know little Eva was just across the road, huddled deep in an underground cellar with her mother and little brother, while the endless boom, boom, of rockets and shells shook the ground all around them, completely destroying their house and their entire neighbourhood, as big as Marrickville, to rubble. Night-time was the only time people could come out of their hiding holes in search of food or to rescue the body of a loved one, they could hear the sound of the Russian soldiers raping and torturing in drunken, drugged rampages at night, looting and killing anyone they caught. Two neighbour boys told little Eva they would rescue her cat for her, they never returned, both were beheaded and lay in the street for weeks. Eva’s little cat returned of her own accord, she had hidden herself and her kittens in a drain. There is nothing more hellish to witness than traumatised children as well as dogs abandoned, roaming the devastated streets and searching wildly for their families who are either dead or had to run leaving them behind.

I walked with my lace swathes up into the bombed apartment blocks where the people once lived, the stairwells intact, I wanted to go up to the highest balcony and unfurl the lace from the graveyard in Salem. I walked up to a top apartment block with Sasha, he and I became so close, we made a pinkie promise to always be sister and brother, he insisted on going ahead of me but I found my way to a top apartment where you could see everything a normal apartment would contain, lounge, shelves, tables lamps etc excepted everything was burned like a petrified forest, the lounge totally burned to its metal springs in the cushions still seated on the metal structure a skeleton of a lounge. I went out onto the balcony that I could see was made of cement and still solid and unfurled the lace that flew in the air and curled in mysterious shapes, the hair of the artists from New York flew up in the wind and I prayed the prophesy of the dream voices would find their mark. Burned items of everyone’s apartment’s charred and turned to rubble is everywhere with the ash, endless, endless, ash.

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Performance by Hellen Rose at Zamkhova Hora, Kyiv. Photos courtesy of Hellen Rose.

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Going to the bridge at Irpin, the bridge repair workers applauded me in my outfit, I was touched and surprised, they were happy to see the damage and ashes recreated into art, the destruction of a giant modern bridge still with a nose-dived van front end wedged so horribly into the smashed cement and river months on, the wire infrastructure bursting out like guts from a giant body of the buckled and blasted road, all cascading from its full height all the way down into the rivulet that runs into the Dnipro. I pulled long strands of hair out of my mouth from my throat and watched them fall silently into the river as they drifted on their long journey, I imagined into the belly of a fish heading to the Black Sea.

The first place I unfurled the wound up black and white lace swathes, scattering the dried leaves and dust from the cemetery in Salem was Zamkhova Hora at dusk. A wind blows up to the hilltop from the town below. It felt like the Chagall painting where the lovers fly over the town, elevated over the houses and steeples. The wind was so strong it grabbed the lace and nearly blew me off the ground with it, catching the material and turning it into flame shapes all around me, the hair of the artists blew straight up further than the eye could see. I hoped and dreamed the spell was cast, the souls of the oppressed of Salem could mingle with the souls of those who had also sacrificed their lives for freedom here in Ukraine.

The next month Russia bombed the Kakhovka Dam and Yevgeny Prigozhin launched his failed mutiny and marched into Rostov.

Putin raided his private residence containing his golden mallet that he liked to bash the brains out of his enemies with, along with his hideous wig collection.

- Hellen Rose © 2023.

Page 69 : Hellen Rose Performance on Bridge of Death, Urpin, Ukraine. Photo courtesy of Hellen Rose.

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Hellen Rose Performance on Bridge of Death, Urpin, Ukraine. Photo courtesy of Hellen Rose.

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HELLEN ROSE Singer and performer. Awarded BVA Hons, M Teach, 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. Hellen Rose’s short film "Haunted Burqa," has been selected as a semi finalist for Best Short in the Berlin International Art Film Festival 2022 and

the Indie Short Fest, Los Angeles International Film Festival 2022.

www.hellenrose.com Left : Photo (detail) of Hellen Rose. Photo courtesy of Hellen Rose.

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E

FOOTSTEPS ACROSS A PAGE

R I

C

Translating it, may take a while, needing to be buried.

Shaking like a leaf or butterflies mating.

So much doesn’t make sense, to run away before us, with its own will to reverse the cycle, to find an excuse.

W E R K H

O V E

N

Go back to the original plan, an empty page to start afresh.

Maybe there are more impossible demands added to the list, accumulating, to attach some importance, to the irreverent time,

stretching and pulsating, heaving from it’s own laborious exertions.

Dealt out across unmarked graves, waiting to receive discarded goods.

Intertwined footsteps leading to the altar and the pit.

Where the smoky entrails are like a delicacy, to regain the memory of all we lost, and ever hope to taste the words, that bind our thoughts.

Often a book will lead the way for impressionable people to place a row of offerings.

So many of our rituals are no longer in use, crushed and pulverised in the dust we breathe, and feel in the change of seasons.

There has to be a weather phenomenon inside our being, to make any impact at all.

- Eric Werkhoven © 2023.

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COUNTER BALANCING

Something of a similar trajectory, seems a near impossible feat, and yet we do it every day.

Counter balancing, the grip we have on life.

In a gesture of worldliness and sophisticated choice of words, to bolster up confidence.

Effective inter-play with our fellow man, women, and children.

To overcome the differences and prejudices we are lumped with like baggage on our backs.

So as not to be stuck in the same category, which pictures an almost acrid reality.

Inside and outside the bubble, of endless repercussions.

As close as we can stand it and find our footing, our words, of evidential circumstances.

All is relative in the juxtaposition of possibilities, real or imagined.

- Eric Werkhoven © 2023.

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GWENDOLIN LEWIS

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GWENDOLIN LEWIS Artist Gwendolin Lewis lives and works in Newcastle, NSW. Lewis’s techniques and subject matter can be quite diverse which reflects her early training in commercial design. “I find the love of

trees and natural shapes a place to begin a painting.” Living in Newcastle, NSW Maritime themes have also been a major subject.

Lewis’s work ranges from soft impressionistic pastels to larger works of spontaneous mark-making and as Lewis has lived near the sea for the past 40 years both of these environments have had a strong influence on her painting subjects.

Gwendolin Lewis is a well known exhibiting artist in the art world around Australia and internationally. Lewis has many prestigious Art Awards including the Newcastle Art Prize.

Lewis also enjoys teaching art classes and holding workshops in Newcastle, the Hunter Region and Central Coast.

“Walking amongst nature and experiencing the environment is what inspires me. Drawing and painting are an expression of what I see, it is energising and exciting”. - Gwendolin Lewis.

Page 74 : Port of Call, Newcastle Harbour, W70 x H50 cm., Oil on Canvas.

Gwendolin Lewis.

Right : Windbreak, Cassilis, W32 x H47 cm., Soft Pastels on prepared paper.

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The Kitchen Bench Soft Pastel on Paper W50 x H47 cm.

Gwendolin Lewis

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Gwendolin Lewis

Sitting on the stone steps of a 12th Century Monastery which was to be my artists residency for five weeks in Chianti Tuscany gave realisation that yes, all these years of hard work have paid off and this is a culmination of my love of art and my skills, it is what I am.

As a child living in an isolated Victorian landscape, I developed a keen interest in drawing. I could be found sitting drawing by the roadside sketching the distant mountains with a piece of paper on my mother’s breadboard at age eight. The formation of that mountain range was drawn with different colours many times over.

This interest was nurtured by my family's background in architecture and design, so studying art was a natural progression from those early years.

The life of a teenager in the late sixties attending Swinburne College of Art was more than exciting and following my completion of a diploma in

commercial design, I worked professionally in the field for over a decade. Despite my success in design, my passion for the arts never wavered, prompting me to pursue a Painting Diploma at Tafe College. A Fine Art Degree at Newcastle University followed much later. My dedication to painting and drawing remains a vital aspect of my identity.

Combining knowledge from my design years and my Fine Art degree produce work that can be illustrative and also impressionist with a love of mark making. I prefer intimate scenes rather than vast landscapes, looking for interesting light passages shapes, and tonal contrast. My work encompasses and explores my immediate environment and draws on my acutely honed skills of observation.

I paint in oils but mostly leave this medium to my larger Maritime subjects which have bright colours textures and stronger bold contours.

Innovation and experimentation are high on my list of priorities when I am painting and the process of discovery and change keeps my enthusiasm high. I have found that although I am not a mixed media artist, complimentary combinations of materials allow my work depth and energy. Soft Pastels play a large part in all my painting.

I am drawn to subjects that captivate my interest and nourish my spirit. Walking in the open landscape, in my garden, or along beaches watching the wild surf. In my eyes, all could be captured in paint or drawn in pastel.

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Pastel Box and below Sketch book from Italy residency.

Hydra Alleys, 30 x 20cm. Pen and Gouache on paper. Gwendolin Lewis

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The huge ships coming into port with their tugboats make wonderful subjects as they create moving architectural shapes and coloured images.

There is an excitement and romance about these ships coming from faraway places and remembering my grandparents sailing away on the P&O liners in the 1960s. I photograph many of these subjects but there are only some that are committed to canvas or paper.

Mark making and gestural drawing as much as actual painting is what I love to do, that’s why Soft Pastel features in my work as it is primarily a drawing medium. Soft pastels bridge the gap between painting and drawing and I find the loose texture and brilliant colour qualities exciting.

They are versatile and can be used on pre-sanded papers with underpainting and layering colours not unlike Oils. The different mark making

qualities range from broad to fine linear strokes which gives them endless possibilities.

Drawing is an essential part of my work and memories of sitting by the roadside drawing, bring back to me the fundamental aspect of my creative process, involving planning, construction and execution.

Starting out with thumbnail sketches using felt pens or charcoal is a useful way to clarify ideas, and sometimes those sketches become the main focus of the work. Whether a spontaneous sketch takes minutes or hours to create, it can hold just as much value as a painting.

My philosophy is to always keep an open mind and continuously learn something new.

I consider time and place to be important factors in my work, much like a diary recording the different times of day, light effects, and transitional moods.

Influences stem from journeys, and embracing history seen in faraway places as well as the immediate more familiar environment. My studies at university looked at the impressionist painters of Australia and Europe. I am continually referencing these artists of the 1800 and 1900 s and absorbing the colours and mark making in their work.

I have a passion for travel and have been fortunate enough to pursue my love of painting during my journeys throughout the UK and Europe.

Cornwall’s rugged coastline dry stone walls and hedgerows kept my imagination alive for the three months that I lived there in a tiny fishing village.

In 2019, The Greek Island of Hydra was the next port of call. I travelled to Athens and spent three weeks exploring and living like a local on this once famous bohemian island. Italy was next and also where I had applied to participate in a five-week residency program at La Macina de San Cresci, a refurbished 11th Century stone Monastery. I painted every day among the olive groves and stone villages of the Tuscan region. I find that sketches, charcoal, and small colour studies in pastels and oils completed during trips are valuable and inspire experimental work.

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Cornwall Fishing Village, Acrylic on paper, 27 x 37 cm. Gwendolin Lewis.

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My interest in Maritime subjects led me to be part of a small group sailing onboard the Tall Ship The Lady Nelson out of Hobart in November 2022. During those six days, the camaraderie and the experience of Tasmania’s changing weather patterns was exhilarating and there were only a few chances between wind and hailstorms to actually sketch up on deck.

I regard teaching as one of my major influences on a weekly basis. I began teaching painting and drawing out of necessity to make a living as an artist some twenty five years ago. I have continued to teach as it now gives me joy, also stretching my limits of creativity to continually find new subjects and new ways of presenting the pastel medium to my students.

I have exhibited regularly in Newcastle but not always solo so these two recent exhibitions as a solo artist have been exciting and brought new challenges.

In June 2021 a successful Maritime exhibition in Newcastle was with esteemed Marine artist Robert Carter. The exhibition “Port of Call” showed the contrast of Robert's traditional Sailing Ships and my contemporary interpretations of the vibrant coal port of Newcastle.

July 2023 in Sydney and my solo exhibition in Soft Pastels Corner Gallery, Stanmore showed work completed after spending time on a sheep and cattle property out of Cassilis, the weather is always in flux when on the land and influences creep up on you suddenly. Appearing in my

current work are different moods light passages and colours that appear during seasons in that landscape.

September October 2023 and I had an exhibition of Maritime paintings which fitted well on the walls of the historic Customs House Hotel Newcastle. The Paintings have an Industrial and Newcastle Port theme with local Seascapes adding movement and light. My membership with The Australian Society of Maritime Artists goes back fifteen years.

As an exhibiting artist one has to have a certain amount of resilience and grit, there are let downs and the expenses can be high but I have learnt to take the highs with the lows and keep going forward. I paint and draw and find new challenges because I enjoy the process.

I hope the viewers will see the subjects that I introduce to them through my eyes, and experience new feelings and excitement toward the subjects.

My aspiration is to continuously engage in artistic pursuits that bring me personal satisfaction. I currently enjoy transferring my art knowledge and practice in my weekly art classes with ten or more adults. This reflects more than twenty five years of casual teaching in regional galleries and private classes in NSW.

- Gwendolin Lewis © 2023.

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G A L L E R Y

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Page 82 : The Red Colombus in Floating Dock Newcastle NSW. Mixed media and pastel on prepared paper.

Gwendolin Lewis.

Left : Early Arrival Newcastle Harbour 50 x 70 cm.

Oil on canvas Gwendolin Lewis.

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Tall Ship Lady Nelson Rigging, Oil on Belgian Linen 76 x 50cm. Gwendolin Lewis.

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Working Harbour Newcastle, 70 x 50cm., Soft Pastel on paper, Gwendolin Lewis.

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Coal Loader Oil on Canvas 55 cm x 42cm.

Gwendolin Lewis.

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Aurora Australis 50 x 75cm.

Oil on Belgian Linen Gwendolin Lewis.

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BILLABONG Bylong Valley Waterway 50 x 50 cm.

Soft pastels on prepared paper Gwendolin Lewis.

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Spring Grasses, Cassilis 55 x 55 cm.

Soft Pastel on prepared paper.

Gwendolin Lewis.

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Early Morning Haze Cassilis 50 x 50 cm.

Soft Pastels on prepared paper.

Gwendolin Lewis.

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https://gwendolinlewis.com.au/

All Rights Reserved on article and photographs Gwendolin Lewis © 2023.

Left : Summer Mitchell Grasses, Casilis, 32 x 47cm.

Soft Pastels on prepared paper, Gwendolin Lewis.

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TRIBUTE PETER BERRY

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PETER BERRY Artist and passionate art collector Peter Berry passed away in Newcastle, October 2023. The following pages pay tribute to Peter an indomitable, generous, fun loving and flamboyant man, who adored music, opera and the arts.

Peter was born in New Zealand, later spending time in England.

Finally he settled in Australia. In the 80’s he worked in the Illustration Department of Distance Education, Sydney, and his serious art collecting began! Later moving to Newcastle, NSW. Berry has collected art in New Zealand and Australia for over sixty years.

Two hundred pieces were exhibited in the Newcastle University Art Gallery, NSW in 2017.

Over eight hundred other artworks remain unseen.

In 2023 he held his first Solo Exhibition in twenty years at Art Systems Wickham Gallery, Newcastle, NSW.

“Known for his vibrant and playful style Whimsical Art, can be far from sugary sweet & deliciously darling, Berry’s artworks include the oddly adorable, the cutely creepy & the occasional ugly munchkin. Often the works are full of a cast of characters that emerge from the darker side of human psychology.”

Photographs of Peter Berry on Pages 84/85 by Maggie Hall.

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Ah Sun-flower! weary of time,

Who countest the steps of the Sun: Seeking after that sweet golden clime Where the travellers journey is done.

Where the Youth pined away with desire, And the pale Virgin shrouded in snow: Arise from their graves and aspire, Where my Sun-flower wishes to go.

William Blake, 1794

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Tribute for Peter Berry by Maggie Hall A Faery Tale I saw the moment of a breaking heart; by the gallery he stood flute in hand with liquid champagne eyes . . .

I first met Peter under a selection of hung paintings in a gallery that no longer exists. He was sipping on a different vintage of wine as I watched from across the room struck by the luciferin glow of blue light radiating from his side. The moth of a

thousand eyes; the fire and flame; A Christmas tree adorned in silver gold jewels with fern offerings of three wise men, kings by another name.

Persephone in a myth; Ophelia floating in her wedding dress; the painting of a boy with his basket of fruit; Caravaggio under the orders of a priest. A steel owl made in place of a familiar; all under the order of Zeus. The quiet wings to the wind; an elusive gale banshee moves in a dervish of chaos.

The birds have taken perch by an old oak tree as the sun lights up outside my window. I close my eyes to begin the next

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I never knew what love was, until you. Caught in a champagne bottle and lost in a bubble; the only request received, unrequited. I never knew how to look away, I never knew how long you would stay. I never understood

what it meant, until you went away.

There’s a chocolate star on your honey cake and I see a brown box trapped in bubble wrap, hidden underneath a red book. There is a ginger cat perched on a bookcase grooming itself precariously. An old family bible left open, where the spine falls away. Looking up I see a cloth made man with his hands up in the air kissing the chocolate star placed gently upon a ceramic cow.

This is Peter’s house; where anything and everything are made magical; where all the bits and pieces that seem like chaos are in fact carefully thought out. I turn back in

the dream to a cradle sitting next to the fan and psychedelic pillow. And underneath his bed lay the diaries and journals of a lifetime spent. And next to a leaning lampshade a book of fables . . .

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from his left eye the sparrow plucked a sapphire for the writer unable to finish his story as he sat cold and alone in a room without fire. The sparrow took the remaining sapphire for the little match girl selling eggs. The eggs had fallen out

of her basket and if she went home with nothing her father would beat her.

The gold plating around the prince’s body was stripped off for the poor village folk who had nothing else. And as the other birds flew South in migration away from the oncoming snow; the little sparrow chose to stay with the prince; knowing that his heart was pure and true. Eventually the sparrow fell dead by his side from the cold. And soon after the prince died from a broken heart.

VALE The Happy Prince was published during 1888 in a collection of fairy tales, written by Oscar Wilde.

Maggie Hall - 20th October 2023 Photographs by Maggie Hall.

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Left : One of two prints Peter made of a drawing he did in New Zealand in 1974. Right : An unfinished landscape painting by Peter Berry. Photos courtesy Maggie Hall.

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Two photos from the Berry collection exhibition at Newcastle University Art Gallery, Newcastle, NSW. In 2017. Photos by Robyn Werkhoven.

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Six oil paintings in Peter Berry’s exhibition Profound Whimsey and Sunset Series held at Art Systems Wickham Gallery, Newcastle, in 2023.

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Link to article THE COLLECTOR by Maggie Hall

May 2017 Studio La Primtive ARTS ZINE : https://issuu.com/robynwerkhoven/docs/arts_zine_may_2017

All Rights Reserved on article and photographs Maggie Hall © 2023.

All Rights Reserved on article and photographs Robyn Werkhoven © 2023.

Left : Peter Berry at opening of Mad Moments Exhibition, in a Kimono by Studio La Primitive. Photo by John Cliff 2023.

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JOHN CLIFF

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JOHN CLIFF John Cliff presently lives and works in Newcastle, NSW, he was a well known exhibiting ceramic artist for over twenty five years, till changing direction to an art career in photography and film.

Cliff is currently a videographer, involved in making short

form video docos/interviews about arts and artists, coverage of arts events, some coverage of musical events and some videos based on his travels in a campervan.

Page 102 : Left: Orchestra - Saxes. Middle: Maiolica vase by John Cliff.

Right: Study of Lana, Photographs by John Cliff.

Right : Stoneware maiolica style pedestal vase - Raglan Galleries. John Cliff.

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Give Me Shelter - perlite clay. John Cliff.

Over the top teapot - Baroque Series by John Cliff.

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JOHN CLIFF - JOURNEY I was a ceramicist for over 25 years before swapping my art practice over to photography & video.

My mother was a part time potter, silk screen printer of fabrics and a spinner & weaver...she began potting in the early 1960’s. As a youngster I was always taken along to exhibitions and openings at von Bertouch Galleries. We always had 2D artworks & ceramics around the house...she

tried to buy something from the Collector’s Choice exhibition each year and some items from those days are now still in my collection.

After returning from a 6 month sojourn in SE Asia in 1975 I couldn’t get a job and to supplement my dole payments I started making coil built terracotta planter pots with macramé hangers in mum’s studio and selling them. When a friend of mum’s saw an ad for the ceramics course at Canberra School of Art I applied and was accepted...I didn’t finish the 2 year course but came out of it with a determination to make work for both production style items and to exhibit.

I returned to Newcastle and worked in mum’s studio until I found an empty farmhouse to rent at Salisbury. I had the studio there for a few years making

production work and had my first “solo” exhibition at von Bertouch Galleries in 1979.

During this time I also got married...and divorced. After my divorce I gave potting away, sold all my gear and got a “real job” working as part of the team

doing the conversion to natural gas in the Newcastle and coalfields area.

When I met my second wife and we married and bought a house and I decided to go back to potting and set up a studio in a double garage in the backyard. Once again I produced production ware and also did exhibition work. I exhibited at von Bertouch galleries and also had begun

exhibiting and selling work in a few Sydney galleries that specialized in ceramics.

I had become interested in the Mediterranean maiolica ceramics...in particular the Spanish and Italian maiolica. Maiolica is a working method that involves using a white glaze that has patterns or images painted on it using oxides and/or stains before firing. This allows the pigments to melt into the glaze layer beautifully. The Italian Renaissance period “istoriato” (story) platters were a huge influence.

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To get back into teaching at UoN I had to do my BAVA and while there I started a series of what I called my Baroque works. These were a reaction to the “greed is good” maxim that was floating around in the 1980’s. I was combining the decorative techniques of maiolica with some elements of Japanese Jomon pottery. The rationale was that the forms that were once based in function had become so excessive, like society had in my eyes, that they no longer functioned. The works were larger pieces and embodied the idea of excess. They were exhibited in Manly 1990 and one piece was part of an exhibition, “Shifting Ground”, at AGNSW that was held in recognition of the impact the earthquake had had on artists in Newcastle.

I continued working in my studio, exhibiting regularly, producing decorative functional pottery, lecturing part time at both UoN and Hunter St TAFE and continued to explore maiolica for a number of years.

After the 1989 earthquake I was invited to look at ways of reinvigorating Beaumont Street in Hamilton. It had been hit particularly badly and the street, known for its café and restaurant life was closed for a number of weeks. Local artist Paul Maher and I put forward the use of artworks to enliven the footpath areas and The Creative Pavement Study was undertaken and approved. Paul was making mosaics to go into the footpaths and I decided to design planter boxes to be covered with mosaics of my making. I ended up doing 24 planters for the street and did a large wall

piece for one of the pharmacies that was very much based on Italian Renaissance maiolica pharmaceutical pottery. The planters were influenced by the mosaics of Antoni Gaudi...fractured tile with a row of hand painted tile at the top that related to either the business or the ethnic cultures of the business owners. The planters also had a thrown and decorated plate on each side, once again having some relationship to cultures and/or business types.

This project led on to many mosaic and/or tile commissions...some commercial, some private and some public.

Meanwhile, a number of students at UoN had been experimenting with adding perlite to clay. It reduced the weight of larger pieces and allowed

walls to be much thicker and so allowed fast building of sculptural works.

I decided to have a go at working with some ideas I’d held onto for a while and ended up producing a series of works that was based in the activities of Newcastle’s working harbour. I had long had a fascination with the harbour and shipping in general. This series illustrated my thoughts that, even though we are a modern & sophisticated society, we still trade in the basics and lots of that trade is via shipping.

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Mosaic and ceramic work by John Cliff pharmacy wall and planters in Beaumont St. Hamilton, Newcastle, NSW. Below: Mosaic and tile front of wine bar.

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The sculptures I made illustrated some of the basic trading that takes place as well as the defence force activities from the area...we trade in goods for shelter, food, minerals as we have for centuries. The pieces took the form of assemblages, always with ships as part of them.

After my marriage of 15 years broke up I decided to let go of ceramics once again and focused on what had become my new career as a secondary school visual arts teacher. While teaching Visual Arts I got nudged in the direction of teaching photography classes. I had done a few terms of photography during my BAVA course so was familiar with the processes of wet, darkroom photography and had become interested in the emerging role of digital photography and video.

I worked at this for 12 years before having the first of three brain bleeds (2010, 2020, 2021) that all required surgery and lengthy recovery periods.

The upside of the first recovery period was that I had time to explore digital photography and video. I bought new cameras and watched numerous videos on their use on YouTube and slowly learnt the skills I needed.

In 2011 a friend, Ann Caddey, invited me to come along to the life drawing sessions she was running. I went along and shot video at first - my first DLSR was hopeless in low light so I used to shoot video then lift frames from it and process them as I would photographs. The Drawing Room, as it was called, had many fantastic sessions. Many of the models were from a performing arts back ground - circus, street theatre, burlesque, ballet etc. All knew how to pose and hold a pose. The sessions were themed and often the models would be fully immersed in that theme with make-up and costuming and props. Ann would put together a slide show of images that were projected on the wall behind the models.

I asked Ann could I do a short doco on The Drawing room and she agreed to be interviewed, along with some participants and models. It was my first attempt at a doco/artist interview and I was hooked!

I have now done numerous artist interviews, some commissioned by regional and commercial galleries, others initiated by me. A number have been shown in the galleries alongside the exhibition by the artist interviewed.

It has been fascinating to listen to these artists talk about their work. Artists interviewed include Wendy Sharpe, Tom Gleghorn, Suzanne Archer, Andrew Antoniou and more. One artist that allowed me to combine my two passions, ceramics and video was Satoru Hoshino who was installing a major ceramic work at NAG. I’ve also interviewed a number of local artists and have worked with one, sculptor Braddon Snape, to

produce a video work of the inflation of one of his stainless steel works.

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Another direction that I have taken is working with Rod Barnes, a local musician, jazz band leader and videographer. We have done full video coverage of a number of music events including 5 operas

by Opera Hunter, a number of recitals by visiting artists aligned with the Newcastle Music festival and coverage of concerts by Rod’s band, The Dungeon Big Band.

Prior to writing this I had just finished an edit of a world premiere performance of “Closing Time” a song cycle for soprano, baritone, pianist and narrator held at Christ Church Cathedral.

I use my cameras every day, whether it is just taking still life photos in my home “studio” aka my dining room or taking photos of flowers, birds or people around where I live or documenting exhibitions in local galleries...I am compelled to make images.

Unfortunately one of the lasting effects of the brain injuries has been an ongoing issue with cognitive and physical fatigue and that has limited what I can do with my photography & video. I can no longer drive any distance which shuts down some of the artist interview opportunities. I struggle with the longer coverage of events...the physical and cognitive effort required with packing, transporting, setting up, shooting and then the packing up exhausts me.

All this means I am unsure of where to next...I have committed to an exhibition of my still life images in 2024...I turn 70 and so decided to shout myself a show...wish me luck!

Detail: ceramic and mosaic tile relief on Pharmacy wall, Beaumont St.

- John Cliff © 2023.

Hamilton, Newcastle, NSW. By Jonh Cliff.

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G A L L E R Y

J O H N C L I F F Issue 54 - November 2023 110

S T R E E T

L I F E Issue 54 - November 2023 111

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Page 116: Portrait of Atong. Above : Portrait of Mia. Photographs by John Cliff.

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J O H N C L I F F

Page 118: Left - Portrait of Lucy.

Right- Portrait of Debra.

Right - Portrait of Lanelle Photographs by John Cliff.

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P O

R T

R A

I T S Portrait of Artist Dino Consalvo Plein air painting. Photograph by John Cliff.

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Portrait of contemporary artist Juz Kitson. Photograph by John Cliff.

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Portrait of Artist Ron Royes in his studio. Photograph by John Cliff.

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Portrait of Sculptor Braddon Snape in his studio. Photograph by John Cliff.

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M U S I C

Page 124 : La Boheme Opera Hunter.

Left : Sound of Music 2018.

Photos - John Cliff.

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Don Giovanni - Opera Hunter, 2017. Photo by John Cliff.

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Figaro - Opera Hunter, 2016. Photo by John Cliff.

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Orchestra - Horns. Photograph by John Cliff.

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Pirates of Penzance - Opera Hunter 2019. Photograph by John Cliff.

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https://vimeo.com/johncliff https://www.flickr.com/photos/128593781@N05

All Rights Reserved on article and photographs

John Cliff © 2023.

Page 132 : Photograph of John Cliff.

Left : Orchestra member performing. Photograph Jon Cliff.

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B R A D

of all the travelling defeated I keep walking nearer not wanting to be late for work

I cut across Parker’s Piece before I hear the shouting.

as the shouting gets louder and see a bearded face peering into the rusty dawn

As I approach, I spot the source of din in the distance -

with feet - bare & grubby and mouth wide open,

E V A N S

A lone figure swaying from side-to-side

his vocals roundly defeating the surrounding noise of traffic;

in his right hand a large wine bottle, nearing empty.

with ripped jacket and belt-buckle loose and something inside his trousers

Knowing just how much of a magnet I am to these types

that didn’t smell quite like mud he reaches across as I pass,

I try to find another way but realise that the only exit was right beside him.

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pats my arm sling while in a soft voice: “What happened there?”

Having torn off yet another 8 hours of my life I took that same route back home, after work,

“Just a sore arm” I reply with a smile.

and for no particular reason I stood there in the

A little unsure about his state of mind

darkness,

I pick up my pace and listen to the shouting start up

near to where I last saw him,

before it began to fade into the distance

And all I could hear now

all the while thinking

Were the victorious sounds of the traffic -

well, there was a man abandoned by all - even by worry.

the traffic and the headlights

No longer concerned about bills or bogrolls or even

running late -

of all

the travelling defeated.

an almost free man who could still lash out his tongue into the deep, bloody dawn…

- Brad Evans © 2023.

VOICE LINKS TO POEMS:

of all the travelling defeated

Tom...

the few who steal the fire...

on Hopper's Gas. 1940.

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B R A D

Tom... had bad breath and a knack

and while he tightened some screws

for fixing fridges.

he told me their secrets of ripening.

He came around one day to look at mine

I waited a few days, as he suggested,

while handing me a plastic bag of strange fruit.

And dove straight in and so long as you didn’t let your tongue

I carefully shook the 3 long, green things from

E V A N S

go anywhere near the peeling skin

out of the bag while he knelt down and opened the fridge door.

the fruit tasted delicious.

“What are these, Tom, they look poisonous?”

And from a full moon over King Edward’s Park

to Sugarloaf under a thunderstorm “Monsteria Deliciosa!” he said and smacked his lips as he looked at the rusty bottom hinge and took out a

we took Tom under our wings

screwdriver

(or he took us under his)

Issue 54 - November 2023 136

Driving us around in his white utility he had a friendliness, a generosity about him which reminded me of country folk, like Wallace, my grandfather.

And being young, we told him what little we knew through the hollows of our mouthed-out verse…

Tom was 50 years older but that didn’t matter to us.

Turning up to our poetry gatherings, he never read poetry,

All we wanted were those bearing a flame -

but would listen and then, afterwards, he would tell us a lifetime’s worth:

A raw, hungry flame for living.

of stories,

experiences,

- Brad Evans © 2023

of mistakes and regrets.

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B R A D

the few

who steal the fire...

celine walking down the street with dogs for protection, pound thrown into a cage

hey will flee to paris

their kind

they will flee to india

encounter a hatred and jealousy unmatched

they will hide in a cardboard shack

by those who have tried and failed -

they will go anywhere

those terrified of an empty belly

just to be left alone

those who bury themselves into terrible jobs,

where they will not be shot or beaten

into soul-destroying acts of conformity.

or turned insane by their own kind

E V A N S

and the few who have stolen the fire these are the few who have stolen the fire.

do so willingly do so without protection

living on the fringe

and do so

striking daily some spark from a flake of flint

at a price

some juice of thought you would not these are the few…

believe.

miller scrabbling for crumbs in a dustbin - Brad Evans © 2023.

Issue 54 - November 2023 138

on Hopper's Gas. 1940.

Although the pioneer spirit had long ago let go

his back to them and his unawareness,

But what he does for me,

gives me a sense of growing unease

more than anything,

about his safety

is the appeal

as if half-expecting them

he gives to my child-like

to creep slowly over there remains a whiff of something…

and carry him off screaming into the woods.

appreciation for that constant presence of Mystery

The subject,

depicted real enough, possesses a sufficiency in soft contrasts to contest the claim of realism:

His nocturnal scenes I tirelessly revisit with the hunger of my visual addiction to his eternal nightshades

of life,

beaten back only in parts with isolated sources of softly, spilling

those trees in the background -

And how very little of it,

will ever get

yolks of light from the indoors onto streets

threatened with the approaching poisonous fringe of urban sprawl,

solved.

And if ever there was a cliche pinned to a

furrow their foliage into scowls

painter

at the smartly-dressed man left alone

on how he devoted his canvas

by the rust-free pump

to utter loneliness & isolation

Although we know what’s really under threat,

it was Edward Hopper

- Brad Evans © 2023.

Issue 54 - November 2023 139

JON WILKS

Issue 54 - November 2023 140

JON WILKS Contemporary artist Jon Wilks lives and works in Newcastle, NSW. Since the nineties Wilks has been exhibiting his expressive and dynamic paintings and sculptures regularly in Newcastle Galleries.

Wilk’s latest exhibition Landlines at Art Systems Wickham Gallery, Newcastle captured the essence of the land and man. “ What you are about to see are visions and stories from within me. Place the lines and paint the scenes.”

- Jon Wilks

Page 140 : Ground Breaker, H90 x W70cm. Oil on canvas, Jon Wilks Right : Painting - Landlines, Sculpture - Yellow Aura, Exhibition at Art Systems Wickham Gallery 2023.

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Line Connections H50 x W50 cm.

Oil on canvas Jon Wilks.

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JON WILKS - INTERVIEW

When did your artistic passion begin?

I worked in manufacturing and industrial plants for many years in Newcastle. I worked as a tradesman, Forman, Production Engineer, and Production Development Leader during those years. I started to develop my artistic passion in 1988. I commenced a BAFA part time at

Newcastle University finishing in 1995. I had a major project at work and did not attend for three years 1990 – 1993. I was with a group of students that started Watt Space Gallery. I helped paint the walls in the gallery at Watt Street for the opening exhibition. I have been exhibiting ever since. I must say that a passion was always there but not acted on. A school report of mine at five years old confirmed this for me.

What is the philosophy behind your work?

I find that my process of creating art pieces is deeply personal. I normally start the process by meditating before starting work on a piece. In my latest exhibition I used my intuition to communicate thoughts, emotions and ideas from within. Edgar Allan Poe defined art as the reproduction of what the senses perceive in nature through the veil of the soul. I like to think that my unconscious motives are expressed in the work. Also that beauty and aesthetics are emphasized with harmony, balance and sensory pleasure for others to enjoy.

How important is drawing as an element to your artwork?

Drawing is my most precious element in artwork. It serves as the foundation for all my artistic expressions. Through drawing I can convey visions, ideas and emotions. It also allows for the exploration of form, proportion, and composition. Drawing develops observational skills whether it is sketching from life, creating detailed illustrations or designing abstract concepts. I have been attending life drawing regularly for the past 25 years. My last 3 solo exhibitions have been titled 1. “Lines” 2. “Underlines” and 3. “Landlines” This relates to the importance I place on drawing.

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How has Covid19 Virus affected your art practice?

The Covid19 pandemic has had an impact on various aspects of my life. One challenge has been the restriction of movement and social distancing measures. This disrupted my ability to attending things like drawing classes and engaging with the art community in person.

However it created more opportunity with more time being spent at

home. The solitude and introspection triggered me to commit to painting for my latest exhibition just held in August/September at Art Systems Wickham Gallery. My studio is built into my roof with three Velux windows and a hatch/ladder access. I enjoy painting in solitude with music playing. The smashing Pumpkins achieved a lot of repeat plays during this period.

Landlines Exhibition at Art Systems Wickham Gallery, Newcastle, 2023.

Below : Australian Gouldian Finches.

My birds and colour My love of colour also exists as an aviculturist. It involves breeding Australian Gouldian Finch mutations. They are known for their stunning and vibrant plumage. They are born with a specific genetic makeup that influences their plumage colours. My most enjoyable time of the year

with the birds is watching their visual beauty emerge at the end of their molting process when they are complete. It reminds me of my paintings in progress and at the end a few special colours and lines are placed that finish the painting. - Jon Wilks © 2023.

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Poem

Landlines At first the canvas looks to find what will open from within my mind. The first nothingness the unknown from a priori come forth and unfolds. Screaming visions of energy to share.

Action, reaction the

result will bear. Look upon this time and place, feelings, emotions, open endless space. What will happen from within my mind? The event unfolds and takes its time. What you are about to see are visions and stories from within me. Place the lines and paint the scenes. The reaction is what you see.

The result anyway pleases me – Jon Wilks

Right : High Lines, H60 x W50cm., Oil pn canvas, Jon Wilks.

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G A L L E R Y

J O N

W I L K S Issue 54 - November 2023 146

Page 54 : Mountain View H60 x W50cm.

Oil on canvas Jon Wilks.

Left : Landlines H120 x W120cm.

Oil on canvas Jon Wilks

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Golden Lines H91 x W91 cm.

Oil on canvas Jon Wilks

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Emotional Spin H90 x W72 cm.

Mixed Media Jon Wilks

Issue 54 - November 2023 149

Kindred Spirits Timber resin oil paint 65 x 65 cm.

Jon Wilks

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Betty Fibre glass and oil paint H95 cm.

Jon Wilks

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The Fisherman H91 x W91 cm.

Oil on canvas Jon Wilks

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Submerge H60 xW50 cm.

Oil on canvas Jon Wilks

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Sculpture Yellow Aura (detail) Three Landlines paintings.

Jon Wilks.

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Sculpture Sail Away (detail) in studio Three Landlines paintings.

Jon Wilks.

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Op Open Window en Wi H50 x W40 cm. nd Oil on canvas ow Jon Wilks H5 0x

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Winter Lines H91 x W91 cm.

Oil on canvas Jon Wilks

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Blue Tone H50 x W50 cm.

Oil on canvas Jon Wilks

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All Rights Reserved on article and photographs Jon Wilks © 2023.

Storm Lines, H61 x W61 cm., Oil on canvas, Jon Wilks.

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Time

R E

Nothing ever lasts – not a lake alive with starlight

E

or the silken skin of children –

S

or the quickening of Spring.

E

not the loving eyes of mothers And now this sage within me even he begins to brown –

my thoughts evaporate like water

N

to silence

so complete –

I have become a shadow

O

who wanders empty streets

R

that vanished in the rain.

T H

in search of something I once had What time takes away from us is bound never to return.

- Reese North © 2023.

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Perchance to dream I slept above the world

'The quieter you become

in the coldest dark of night

the more you are able to hear’ –

mother –

when you smiled

even the sky was empty of stars.

I took your meaning, and knew of an ocean so deep

In a dream more real than morning

it had no bottom –

you came to me –

of love so profound

your eyes shone with the light

it had no origin –

of another reality –

as you faded

your face was bathed in soft yellow

I heard you whisper

and you opened me

in the voice of Rumi

to the beauty of daffodils –

one more time:

of a rose, so red it hurt my eyes –

‘Whoever has been parted from his source

of the sadness in a sunset

longs to return to that state of union.’

and the long shadows of evening.

And now you are gone

When I felt your soul walking

mother

through my dreams

and I’m still here –

mother –

but, in some quintessential way –

I was bound by your silence –

So are you.

I wrestled with your gaze until I heard you whisper

- Reese North © 2023.

in the voice of Rumi: Issue 54 - November 2023 161

JACQUIE GARCIA

Issue 54 - November 2023 162

JACQUIE GARCIA Artist Jacquie Garcia lives and works in Newcastle, NSW. Jacquie Garcia is an artist who uses both clay and paint to create

works influenced by her environment and personal experiences. Her ceramic pieces are lovingly put together and then hand carved to reflect the relationship between the process of making and her surroundings. Ceramics is a very fluid process for the artist and work evolves intuitively over time in the studio. The work is very much process driven. The ritualistic nature of the pottery wheel soothes and triggers inspiration to create many different forms.

Once made, the hand carved decoration adds another depth to the pieces and works with the glazes to add a textural and visual overall effect.

Jacquie, with a fine arts degree from the National Art school, is also a painter, who uses the natural environment as a direct influence.

She has always found inspiration in dense bushland, rainforests and

greenery and aims to capture the spirit that these landscapes evoke within her paintings.

Page162 : Creek walk, Kangaroo Valley, 760 x1013mm.,oil on canvas, Jacquie Garcia.

Right : So what, 395 x170mm., Stoneware clay, Jacquie Garcia.

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Jacquie Garcia in her studio. Photo by Stuart Marlin.

Issue 54 - November 2023 164

JACQUIE GARCIA - INTERVIEW When did your artistic passion begin?

I have wanted to be an artist as long as I can remember. From years years old I went to art workshops and then followed by weekly art classes until I left school after year 12. I had a wonderful mentor and teacher who encouraged me and gave me space to experiment and find myself as a young artist. My passion was always drawing and painting however as I got older I started to get more interested in clay.

I had a gap year in Europe where I soaked in the art history and then came back and did my Fine Arts degree at The National Art School in Sydney, majoring in Painting. My passion for art continued to be ignited through all of my personal experiences.

Describe your work I work in both 2D and 3D. My artwork is very much grounded in the natural environment. My love of light, texture and colour is sparked when exploring the landscape. I have always found inspiration in dense bushland, rainforests and greenery and aim to capture the spirit that these landscapes evoke within my paintings.

I create ceramic sculptures very much based on the functional form but abstractly influenced by the current landscape I am inspired by also. These highlight the symbiotic relationships that occur within that landscape.

What is the philosophy behind your work?

My aim is to transport the viewer into the landscape that I have painted. I want them to feel the emotions of the place and

experience colour and light that I felt when I was surrounded in the landscape.

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Do you have a set method / routine of working?

With my paintings I paint my canvas with a base colour in acrylic paint and then work with oils to create the layers. I enjoy painting at my home where I can be part of our household while I work. My easel is set up near the kitchen and lounge room so I can work while my husband and two girls are using the space.

I have a ceramic studio at ‘The Creator Incubator’ which I love making my ceramic work in. Most days I am working on my

production work for my business ‘Leiluca Ceramics’ however I make sure I find time to create my sculptural exhibition pieces as well.

Why do you choose this material/ medium to work with?

I have always loved the fluidity of oil paints and being able to work with them as they are slowly drying. There is a richness

in oil colours that I love and also I enjoy being able to layer up my paintings to create depth.

Clay definitely evokes a different emotion. The sensory aspect of the clay helps calm and relax me. I love being able to create a form on the pottery wheel, then turn it into a sculptural piece that can be viewed from all angles.

How important is drawing as an element of your artwork?

Drawing is the base of all artwork. Competent drawing work gives the bones of an artwork in which the paint can then embellish and give personality. I paint straight onto a canvas using my paints to rough in the layout before layering the painting.

What inspires your work / creations?

The landscape. See more details in my artist statements.

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What have been the major influences on your work and favourite artists?

I am inspired by the Impressionists artists like Monet whose paintwork in lively and emotive. I visited his garden in the Loire Valley when I was sixteen and fell in love with his vast room of water lilies. I was awe inspired by the emotion these paintings evoked in me and have always wanted to create the sense of feeling and drama in my own works that I experienced there. I also admire artists like Mary Tonkin who portrays her landscape through colour and scale and Albert

Namatjira who uses colour in a beautiful and intense way.

What are the challenges of becoming an exhibiting artist?

The challenge is always about having enough time to work towards an exhibition while also working to make money to pay the bills. It is also quite confronting putting your heart and soul within an exhibition space to be critiqued by your peers and the public.

Name your greatest achievement / exhibition I feel that my latest exhibition ‘Earthscapes’ at ‘The Creator Incubator’ has been my greatest exhibition. It was the first solo

show I had done in ten years because I have been bringing up two young children and my ceramics business had taken off in that time. I have never stopped painting however this was the first time in a long while that I showed my paintings alongside my ceramics in a solo show.

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What are you working on at present?

I am currently continuing my direction from my recent exhibition in painting the local landscape of Glenrock

Conservation area. I am also working

towards a few group Christmas shows. This time of year ‘Leiluca Ceramics’ also ramps up so I am working of stock for Christmas markets and stockists.

Your future aspirations for your art?

I will continue to paint and also create ceramic pieces for everyone to enjoy and appreciate.

I hope that people continue to love and purchase my works so I am able to keep making. I am looking at creating an immersive body of work that

creates the feeling of being within the landscape.

- Jacquie Garcia © 2023.

Rock Wall, 1,546 x 445mm. ,oil on canvas, Jacquie Garcia.

Issue 54 - November 2023 168

Earthscapes –Exhibition by Jacquie Garcia held at Creative Incubator Gallery, Newcastle, NSW. In 2023.

Exhibition Statement.

Earthscapes is an exhibition of paintings and ceramics inspired by the natural environment. Jacquie has spent time in the dense bushland of Kangaroo Valley, Glenrock reserve, rainforest areas of Tasmania and the Watigan mountains and these places have directly inspired her works.

“My aim is to evoke an emotional response to the works which will transport the viewer to another place, moment or feeling.”

Each painting is significant to the artist as a place that contains memories, experiences and feelings of peace and contentment. The light streaming through the canopy and reflecting off the foliage and rocks creates an ambience that the artist strives to capture within her works. All landscapes are different and therefore require a different approach.

“I love painting landscapes while at home in my studio, as while I am painting I recall the sense of ‘being’ in that space as I

aim to capture those feelings and emotions on the canvas.”

The ceramic pieces are more of an abstract interpretation to these landscapes. They are an acknowledgement of the small details and life forms within these vast and dense environments and the symbiotic relationships that are contained within our natural world.

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C

J

E

A

R

C

A

Q

M

U

I C G A L

I E G A

L

R

E

C

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A Issue 54 - November 2023 170

Page 174 : Textured Pot 510 x 350mm.,

BRT clay Jacquie Garcia.

Left : Friday Mornings 455 x 306mm.

BRT clay Jacquie Garcia.

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Sapling 265 x 240mm.

BRT clay Jacquie Garcia

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Forest green leaf vase 245 x 200mm.

BRT clay Jacquie Garcia.

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Unity 425 x 260mm.

BRT clay Jacquie Garcia.

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Lumina 460 x 350mm.

BRT clay Jacquie Garcia.

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Attitude 370 x180mm.

Stoneware clay Jacquie Garcia.

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Light from within 470 x 250mm.

BRT clay Jacquie Garcia.

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P A I N T I N G G A L L E R Y

J A C

Q U I E G A

R C I

A Issue 54 - November 2023 178

Page 182 : Earth Light 760 x 610mm.

Oil on canvas

Jacquie Garcia.

Left : Fern Gully 545 x 445mm.

Oil on canvas Jacquie Garcia.

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Forest Floor

545 x4 45mm.

Oil on canvas Jacquie Garcia.

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Gap creek ferns

445 x 345mm.

Oil on canvas Jacquie Garcia.

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J A C

Q U I E G A

R C I

Grey Gums Track 445 x 345mm.

Oil on canvas Jacquie Garcia.

A Issue 54 - November 2023 182

Lightscape 1200 x 1000mm.

Oil on canvas Jacquie Garcia.

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Moss Jump 546 x 445mm.

Oil on canvas Jacquie Garcia.

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Night Light 760 x 610mm.

Oil on canvas Jacquie Garcia.

Issue 54 - November 2023 185

Rock Wall 1,546 x 445mm.

Oil on canvas Jacquie Garcia.

Issue 54 - November 2023 186

All painting images were taken my Stuart Marlin.

All ceramic images by Jacquie Garcia.

'Leiluca Ceramics

www.leiluca.com.au

All Rights Reserved on article and photographs Jacquie Garcia © 2023.

Left : Tree Fern 2546 x 445mm.

Oil on canvas Jacquie Garcia.

Issue 54 - November 2023 187

Himeji Garden Adelaide L

O R R A I N E F

I L D E

S Issue 54 - November 2023 188

Himeji Garden Adelaide - Lorraine Fildes The following information is taken from the plaque outside the garden entrance:

Himeji Garden celebrates the Sister City relationship between Adelaide and the ancient Japanese city of Himeji. Situated 480 kilometres

south-west from Tokyo, Himeji is renowned for the oldest wooden castle in Japan, registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

Opened in 1985, the Himeji Garden in Adelaide is designed on Japanese Garden principles, but with adaptation to the Adelaide climate and plant availability.

Two classic Japanese garden styles are combined here – the ‘senzui’ – a lake and mountain garden where water and the imagination create images of vastness and grandeur, and the ‘kare senzui’ – a dry garden where rocks and sand evoke the presence of water, even the sea itself.

As you enter through the gatehouse, you will see the water bowl (Chozubachi) so visitors may purify themselves by washing their hands and adopting a humble kneeling attitude.

The Okunoin Lantern was presented by the City of Himeji and its inscription reads “For the friendship of the two cities”. The heart of the garden is the lake (S’ensui) suggesting purity of heart, which Buddhists believe is essential to happiness, fed by water from the “mountain” (Tsukiyama) which balances the Yin and Yang, the lake and the mountain.

The Tea House (Chashitu) overlooks the Sea of Sand (Kare-senzui) which invites the viewer to imagine the vastness of the sea with its islands and continents.

Issue 54 - November 2023 189

Entrance to the Himeji Garden. Gardens are places for contemplation and are thought of as holy places by many

Japanese people. Thus, the garden gate is modelled on a temple.

Issue 54 - November 2023 190

As you enter through the garden gate, you will see the water bowl (Chozubachi) so you may purify yourself by washing your

hands and adopting a humble kneeling attitude.

Issue 54 - November 2023 191

Just near the entrance is the Okunoin Lantern which was presented by the City of Himeji and its inscription reads “For the

friendship of the two cities”.

Issue 54 - November 2023 192

At the heart of the garden is the lake (S’ensui) suggesting purity of heart, which Buddhists believe is essential to happiness.

Issue 54 - November 2023 193

The lake is fed by water from the “mountain” (Tsukiyama) which balances the Yin and Yang, the lake and the mountain.

Issue 54 - November 2023 194

This is a Misakidoro lantern. It is a water viewing lantern and sits on a peninsula of white stones.

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Stepping stones, have an intriguing psychological background. Walking on stepping stones across water makes you concentrate, and this influences the way in which you experience the garden.

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H I M

E N J I G A

R D

Seating is arranged

E

to enable you to sit

N

throughout the garden and contemplate nature.

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Fresh water was bubbling up from the central rocks and flowed down into the surrounding square – representing a well (ido) that

provided pure water.

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The arrangement of stones is one of the most important elements when creating a Japanese Garden.

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Plants are carefully arranged around the gardens and meticulously manicured to add great beauty to the garden.

Stones are careful placed to complement the greenery.

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Paths are an integral part of Japanese

gardens. Strolling

gardens feature circular paths constructed to carefully lead visitors to the best views of the garden. Winding paths also serve to segregate different areas, so that they may be contemplated individually.

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In the Japanese culture, pine trees are a symbol for good fortune, longevity and steadfastness. Weeping willows are to be

found in most Japanese gardens and are thought to represent the energy of life and growth.

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Wherever you walk in this Japanese garden you will see that stones are an integral part the garden and always complement the greenery.

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The Tea House (Chashitu) overlooks the Sea of Sand (Kare-senzui) which invites the viewer to imagine the vastness of the sea with its islands and continents. Photo above looks in at the contemplation shelter. Photo on page 33 is sitting looking out

at the sea with its ‘islands and continents’.

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All Rights Reserved on article and photographs Lorraine Fildes © 2023.

Issue 54 - November 2023 205

KATHLEEN HARDING

Issue 54 - November 2023 206

KATHLEEN HARDING Kath Harding is a Sydney Australian-based existential surrealist painter, photographer and architect who is fascinated by the ephemeral nature of the moment. Her works explore how we define meaning in our combined stories, amidst the fragility of our temporal reality.

Harding has taught both privately and at the tertiary level and has exhibited regularly in group shows for the last twenty nine years.

In 2020 and 2022 Harding was recognised as second in the

International Women's Day Art Prize. She has been a semi-finalist for the Berkeley Prize for Architecture and was the winner of the 2009 Master Builder Award for Community Spaces.

In 2023 Harding left her well-paid job to pursue her art full-time, and was took part in the Bundanon Trust Artist Residency Program.

Page 206 : Icarus Falls. Oil on Canvas. Hypnagogia Series. Oil on Canvas. 2023.

Right : Portrait of Amanda. Oil on Screenprint on Canvas. Mixed Media. 2002.

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The Cloud Maker Hypnagogia Series Oil on Canvas 250 x 60 cm.

Kathleen Harding 2023.

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KATHLEEN HARDING - INTERVIEW When did your artistic passion begin?

My artistic journey commenced during my formative years when I became captivated by the magic of storytelling in the world around me. This passion continued throughout my high school years, where I actively immersed myself in the world of theatre and set design in theatrical productions across Sydney.

After secondary school, I completed several short courses in painting, drawing, and Sculpture

at Nepean College of Art and Design.

I graduated with a Bachelor in Fine Arts from the University of Western Sydney in 2003 and followed that with a Bachelor of Design from the University of Sydney. In 2015, I completed a Masters Degree in Architecture

followed by a Graduate Certificate course in Heritage

Conservation, both from the University of Sydney.

I am a honed passionate and community-oriented storyteller who firmly believes in the importance of cultural preservation, especially as we grapple with the challenges posed by climate change.

Have you always wanted to be an artist?

I believe my artistic journey is deeply ingrained and is an intrinsic part of who I am. My work, regardless of medium, is ultimately a reflection of my need to express my inner self and embodies the essence of my artistic spirit shaped by my experiences of the world around me. I invite others to share in this journey.

Describe your work.

I am a painter, photographer and architect. Change is a recurring theme that permeates all my work. In a meticulous temporal phenomena, a relentless quest unveils our shadows and fragility.

examination of the

I am fascinated by the shifting psychology of our internal and

external realms.

I believe that within this juxtaposition lies a deep tapestry of stories waiting to be unraveled and woven into our collective narrative. Not satisfied with merely telling a story through my art though; I aspire to create an experience. I seek to challenge the way people perceive and feel about the world that in all its variety envelops us. In doing so, I hope to create stories that resonate and unite with viewers on a deeper level. An

obsession of this nature is the driving force that lies behind my creative process.

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What is the philosophy behind your work?

The core principle that underpins my artistic endeavours revolves around the belief that art should serve as a mode of communication. I hold the conviction that art possesses the capacity to convey intricate concepts, emotions, and experiences that mere words cannot adequately articulate. My creative mission is for my art to function as a conduit bridging the artist's perspective with the viewer's interpretive experience, one that enables a shared sense of humanity to exist.

Ultimately, what propels me on my artistic journey is a wish to generate contemplation, provoke reflection and cultivate a deeper bond by

uncovering the beauty that lies within our transient reality.

Do you have a set method/routine of working?

Yes, I do have a set method and routine and find that having a structured approach helps me stay focused and maintain a consistent level of productivity regardless of the medium.

My current creative process is marked by a sense of immersion and “psychic automatism”, where I induce a trance-like state that enables me to dream. These dream drawings form the basis for paintings. Once the image begins to take shape, I proceed to select the appropriate palette and materials for the project.

The palette choice is determined by utilising the psychology of colour to select colours that convey, evoke and manipulate specific desired emotions. My choice of materials is guided by the specific requirements of each piece whether it's oil on canvas, photography, or designing a building, the selection of materials is paramount in the creative process.

How important is drawing as an element of your artwork?

I believe that drawing is not merely a technical skill; it is a form of artistic expression in itself. It is through drawing that I can explore the intricacies of a subject, experiment with composition, document movement and refine the visual elements of a piece. It's a form of visual thinking, a way to bridge the gap between imagination and reality.

Issue 54 - November 2023 210

2 minutes. Charcoal on wove paper. A1. Kathleen Harding 2023.

Study 3, Charcoal on paper, 60 x 80cm., Kathleen Harding.

Issue 54 - November 2023 211

Why do you choose this material/medium to work with?

What inspires your work/creations?

I want the media I use to align with the concepts and emotions I aim

Nature is a muse; I find inspiration

to convey. For instance; when I seek to capture the ethereal and

colours and forms of the natural world. Additionally, I am deeply

dreamlike qualities of a subject, I often turn to oil on canvas. The

influenced by human emotions and the complexities of the

richness and depth of oil paint allow me to create layers of meaning

human experience.

and texture, adding complexity to the narrative of the artwork.

My latest body of work is an exploration into the reality of my

Photography offers a different perspective, allowing me to freeze

subconscious Surrealist-style dreamscapes. Freudian and

a fleeting moment in time, preserving its transitory beauty.

Jungian theories of symbols, collective consciousness, and

Photography's ability to capture the interplay of movement, light and

dreams deeply influence my creative process, allowing me to

change is particularly compelling when I wish to explore the delicate

explore the hidden layers of my own psyche and incorporate

nuances of our collective existence.

dream-like and otherworldly elements into my work.

in the ever - changing

In my architectural design, deciding which construction materials

are best to express function and aesthetics is a process that, for me, underpins the importance of a human-centred approach to

What have been the major influences on your work?

architecture.

I currently draw inspiration from Surrealism in all its forms, from

I believe that artists have the power to transcend boundaries and

20th century Surrealist artists to those who are creating today.

connect with humanity on a deeper, universal level. They can serve

With its emphasis on the subconscious, dreams, and the

as a

irrational, Surrealism aligns perfectly with my explorations of

conduit for our collective consciousness, offering valuable

glimpses into the complexities of our existence. Through my work,

change.

I aim to inspire contemplation, provoke thought and, ultimately, foster

Additionally, the rich tapestry of the Australian landscape and its

a deeper link among all of us who share this temporal experience.

painters has played a significant role in shaping my artistic identity. The Australian landscape as we experience it offers a unique perspective on the natural world with its uneasy fusion of Indigenous and colonial influences.

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Old Mongrel Grey, Oil on Canvas, 60 x 80cm. Kathleen Harding 2022.

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Name your greatest achievement, exhibitions.

I have exhibited in 22 group shows. In 2020 and 2022 I was recognised as second in the International Women's Day Art Prize.

I was been a semi-finalist for the Berkeley Prize for Architecture.

I was part of the winning team for the 2009 Master Builders Award for Community

Spaces. In 2023, I was awarded a

prestigious placement in the Bundanon Trust Artist in Residency program.

Your future aspirations with your art?

The artwork produced in conjunction with the Bundanon Trust artist residency program will form the basis for my first solo show.

Next year I hope to add to my accolades and experiences.

- Kathleen Harding © 2023.

Study for Portrait, Ink on Acetate. 8 x 10 inch., Kathleen Harding 2002.

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Kathleen Harding in Studio. Photograph by Alec Dawson.

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Page 216 : The Dream Maker, Hynagogia Series, Oil on Canvas, 80 x 60 cm., Kathleen Harding 2023.

Above : Only the Ghosts Burn, Oil and cold wax on Canvas, 90 x 80 cm., Kathleen Harding 2018.

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Lake Cocytus, Hypnagogia Series, Oil on canvas, 60 x 80 cm., Kathleen Harding 2023.

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Primordia, Hynagogia series, Oil on Canvas, 60 x 80 cm., Kathleen Harding 2023.

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Flight if the Lorikeet, Oil on Canvas, 120 x 150 cm., Kathleen Harding 2019.

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Frida’s View, Hypnangoia Series, Oil on Canvas, 60 x 80 cm., Kathleen Harding 2023.

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P H O T O G R A P H Y

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K A T H L E E N H A R D I N G

Page 222 : Dancer in Red Series Digital photograph.

Kathleen Harding 2012.

Left: Self Portrait 2 Mixed media on Silver Gelatin Print 8 x10 inch Kathleen Harding 2015.

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Page 224: Left - Image Two of Arrival Series Film Noir Study, Film Still, Digital Photograph.

Kathleen Harding.

Right : Image one of The Arrival Series.

Film Noir study, Film still - Digital photograph.

Kathleen Harding 2015.

Right : Image Five of The Arrival Series Film Noir Study - Digital Photograph Kathleen Harding.

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The Counting Fish Game Architectural Concept model Mixed media Kathleen Harding 2015.

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All Rights Reserved on article and photographs Kathleen Harding© 2023.

Left : Dancer in Blue Series, Digital photograph.

Kathleen Harding 2012.

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ODYSSEY

MAGGIE HALL Issue 54 - November 2023 228

Odyssey Destroy a people’s culture; destroy the people.

Raphael’s portrait of a young man went missing. A paradoxically ironical abstract, a crown of thorns in a staff Grecian beast.

Would you like one olive or 12000 grapes?

A golden apple with steel for eyes sits holding a silver hat mistaken for a shield; with snails for toes Saturn turns in a silk wig. A velvet lion attached to a skull plays tic-tac-toe for coins melted by the crown; all for each peasant to hide under a pillow.

Watch as the copper prince rides his chariot pulled by stamped braille; an image blessed by crosshatched gods sitting through a Faustian tale.

Are we placed at the round table believing each perspective is real?

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A group of scholars’ objects to the icon sitting next to God; I saw the devil with wings of wax paper holding a half-eaten cheese and bacon savoury roll. I see you across the top of my head and below the end of my chin; in the centre are four pillars where a soul has been cut open by Caesarean.

An emperor died of diarrhoea his name was Augustus; crust taken from a hole was made into his mother. She died during childbirth to a lion and his crow; Dionisius without a nose. A stoned statue with a cloth penis; I might borrow. A portrait of visual narrative with an idle to cut off the muzzle.

The chest of a busty woman erects scholars in the Queen’s Garden. Centuries of lust under a jealous sky; metal casting Venus de Milo. A hermaphrodite; just look at her Adam’s apple.

The afterlife cult of Apollo; Trojan legend quality checked and sealed. A suit made of spider-silk for Sextos and a temple boat built for a museum.

Twins by a different mother; brothers; lovers; religious and

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Choose your own adventure in the form of a blue movie, where substation spaceman is found wearing his dominant’s ring.

Which cover voice shall I play while ironing out the kinks?

Shall I wear the summer suit while licking your axe?

Withdrawing during play is not a sign of weakness; I like the furniture to come with instructions while dancing with synapses. Go to the closet and masturbate; do not cum until I urinate.

Caught in the liquid of a tear and trapped between two worlds; loneliness falls away between two versions of the same dream.

If I were a fish, would you throw me back while day tripping on a summer’s breath?

Exposed to the night we merge into an ocean; a place called home in the material of an atlas. A modern temple gets lost tripping inside a pink shell .

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I awoke last night while repeating black willow and green wine; dressed up as a blackboard with blue light and black stars. Can you feel the whip that sounds like victory dancing at a rave, streaming ultraviolet fire while praying in a house

drinking absinthe without a cube. Caught in a dervish long exposure and all I see is you. Under the rain of magic lanterns waiting for a train; on a journey to mount the hell of a ninth gate. The Black Sea speaks 100,000 memories before falling to sleep while bargaining with lovers.

A conscious turn of future; passion in the context of a final resolution; an abstract psycho analysis to justify losing a Rothko in Yellowstone.

Are we actual or incomplete? Is your name Justice or

Temperance? Do you spell your name with a 6?

The future card reads retreat.

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Moving through a winter harvest is a mountain full of sorrow; there where all legends are based on heroes. For each to bring peace into the next age; do not omit the muse; mother and father; goddess and God; spirit and soul.

Before the final card is turned for three days go down and fight for our survival. Once the journey ends and darkness has been defeated; the angels sing, and they shall all follow. Star Wars trekking in a parallelogram shall eventually find his moon.

- Maggie Hall © 2023.

: Images from book: The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana: An Illustrated Novel, Secker & Warburg, translated from the Italian by Geoffrey Brock, 2005 edition

All Rights Reserved on article Maggie Hall © 2023.

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TALES OF TRASMOZ Issue 54 - November 2023 234

Tales of Trasmoz by Seigar Can you imagine living in the only Spanish town officially cursed and excommunicated by the Catholic Church? This travel photo narrative series shows how I felt in Trasmoz, the name of this haunting little village in the province of Zaragoza. With less than 20 km2 and with about 90 people, Trasmoz still has a huge personality and magic character as a place.

I suppose that the numerous and widely known legends about witches and sabbaths by the romantic writer Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer have contributed to its notoriety, and also to its interest as a tourist destination. In fact, the ex-communication has never been revoked, so it keeps curious people around. Every year a woman from the village is awarded the distinction "Bruja del Año" which means "Witch of the Year" in recognition of her services to the community, I could take photos of the white plaques for remembrance on the outsides of the houses. Symbols that play with witchery are found in every corner such as black cats, bats, birds, cauldrons, flying brooms, and religious sculptures. Its cemetery,

church, monuments, and castle also create a dramatic atmosphere. The images are colourful because that is how I feel about art, and that is how I felt about Trasmoz too, loyal to my pop prism in photography. When you read a plaque outside a home that proudly says "Aquí vive una Bruja" which means "in this place a witch lives", you start to understand that the people from Trasmoz are proud of their spiritual history. Welcome to Trasmoz, the not-so-damned village of Spain.

Biography: Seigar is a passionate travel, street, social-documentary, conceptual, and pop visual artist based in Tenerife, Spain. He feels obsessed with the pop culture that he shows in his works. He has explored photography, video art, writing, and collage. He writes for some media. His main inspirations are traveling and people. His aim as an artist is to tell tales with his camera, creating a continuous storyline from his trips and encounters. He is a philologist and works as a secondary school teacher. He is a self-taught visual artist, though he has done a two-year course in advanced photography and one in cinema and television. He has participated in several international exhibitions, festivals, and cultural events. His works have been featured in numerous publications worldwide. His last interests are documenting identity and spreading the message of the Latin phrase: Carpe Diem. Recently, he received the Rafael Ramos García International Photography Award. He shares art and culture in his blog: Pop Sonality.

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All Rights Reserved on article and photographs SEIGAR © 2023.

Webpage: seigar.wordpress.com Instagram: instagram.com/jseigar Galleries: flickr.com/photos/theblueheartbeat/

albums Blog: popsonality.blogspot.com

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NEWS Issue 54 - November 2023 254

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Premonition Recent Drawings and Paintings

ROD PATTENDEN 16th February - 3rd March 2024

ART SYSTEMS WICKHAM GALLERY 40 ANNIE ST. WICKHAM, NEWCASTLE NSW.

www.art-systems-wickham.com/

Golden Gully Arch, Oil on canvas, 101 x 101 cms. Rod Pattenden 2023.

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Rod Pattenden Dr Rod Pattenden is an artist, art historian, and educational facilitator interested in the connection

between spirituality and the arts. He has written and lectured widely on these aspects of the arts and creativity in Australia and overseas. He currently lives in Newcastle, NSW. He was for many years the chairperson of the Blake Prize for Religious Art and a founding Director of

InterPlay Australia.

He has written widely on the arts, contributing to key publications on the work of a number of leading Australian artists as curator developing a number of innovative exhibitions and installation projects.

He has particular strengths in the areas of the visual arts, performance skills, movement and exploring the processes of creativity. Rod has a BA Visual Arts (arts practice), M Phil (art history), M Theol (hons), PHD and a Dip Ed. Golden Gully, Oil on canvas, 101 x 101 cms. Rod Pattenden 2023.

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R O D P A T T E N D E N

After the Rains: Hunter River in Flood Oil on canvas 101 x 101cms.

Rod Pattenden 2023.

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Let Sleeping Rocks Lie, charcoal on paper, 56 x 76 cms. Rod Pattenden

Sentinal, charcoal on paper, 59.5 x 42 cms. Rod Pattenden 2023.

Coiled Rocks, charcoal on paper, 56 x 76 cms. Rod Pattenden 2023.

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Exhibition

under #4 her skin blended by Edmond Thommen

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Exhibition Under her skin #4 blended by Edmond Thommen Photographic art has always been more than the image; it is a blending of a visual moment with the movement of the soul, the conveyance of emotion and the gentle awakening of the intent of the artist. under her skin #4 takes Edmonds mastery of colour and form to create works that intertwine the charisma of the human

form with the organic urban experience.

Subtle and thoughtful composition has resulted in works that have a unique playful personality. The use of blurred lines, soften edges and abstract concepts leave the viewer free to explore, imagine and form their own interpretation of the tones, textures and experience.

Edmond perfected this unique method originally by combining composited black and white negatives; today his own unique

process sees digital technology image and editing technology pushed to their artistic limits to produce gallery quality expressions of Edmonds vision.

Allow yourself to discover the deep, complex world that Edmond has created. Bring yourself and your point of view, to the art and it will reward you far more than any cursory appraisal could. You will not regret it.

- © 2023 Stephen Pierce

15 – 28 November 2023 @ M2 Gallery • 4/450 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 Sydney Opening hours: 11am – 7pm • Saturday & Sunday 9.30am – 7pm . Opening Night: 6-9pm Thursday 16 November.

Page 84 : Like the remnant of a blood stain, photographic print on metal,60x 90cm. Edmond Thommen 2023.

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Calm my Senses, photographic print on metal,41x 61cm. Edmond Thommen 2023.

Hiding my Imperfections, photographic print on metal,60x 90cm. Edmond Thommen 2023.

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Edmond Thommen Based in Sydney, Australia, Edmond Thommen describes himself first, and foremost, as a Photographic Artist.

For him the magic starts with the camera and his photographs.

His artistic expression is a testament to years of careful observation in photography, composition, lighting and design.

His skill-set allows him to work with light and shades, play with compositions and absorb these into his new creations The female figure forms the basis of his artworks.

His work is “layered” and is visually and intellectually demanding on the viewer to find the form.

Exhibition catalogue: https://www.thommenart.com.au/underher-skin-4-exhibition Wed 15 – Tues 28 November 2023 @ M2 Gallery • 4/450 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 Sydney Opening hours: 11am – 7pm • Saturday & Sunday 9.30am – 7pm Opening Night: 6-9pm Thursday 16 November An echo of my motionless heart, photographic print on metal,28 x 42cm.Edmond Thommen 2023.

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What The Land Had To Say

By Reese North Reese North is a resident poet featured in Studio La Primitive Arts Zine. North's first book is now published and will be launched at the Uniting Church, Hamilton, Newcastle, 5 November, at 1pm.

Profits donated to protect the health of disadvantaged Aboriginal children.

Direct link to purchase book:

https://deluge-publishing.square.site/ The publisher is YARNSPINNERS Press Collective with Deluge Publishing.

Reese North. Photo courtesy of Reese North.

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REESE NORTH Reese North was born 1951 in Newcastle, NSW, Australia. He began writing poetry at an early age and developed his distinctive voice through his adult years. North presently lives and works in Newcastle.

Reese finished his HSC in 1969 and began work as a trainee Psychiatric Nurse. He was very good in this role but his spirit was constrained and so he set up his own gardening business. Following the death of his father in 1974 Reese left Newcastle and began a fifteen-year odyssey around Australia.

Fourteen years were spent living his life with the Aboriginal community, initially with Canberra Tent Embassy (1976-79), leaving behind his former life and becoming completely immersed on Koori culture.

Reese returned home to Newcastle in 1990 and completed an Arts Degree at Newcastle University with majors in History and English Literature. He was awarded a Distinction for his paper on the case of Jimmy Governor and another for his broader consideration of the nature of Aboriginal resistance in the Frontier Wars. During his university years (1995 to 2000) Reese worked as a Literacy and Numeracy Tutor, employed by the Aboriginal Tutorial Assistance Scheme.

Reese represented the Hunter Region at the 1995 Sydney Writers’ Festival, held at the Sydney Opera House, and later his work was visually represented at the Opera House in 2003. He continues to evolve his style.

Excerpt from Introduction of his book ‘What the Land had to say’ “I wrote the following suite to communicate not only the terrible plight First Nation people of Australia have suffered as a consequence of European invasion, but also to inspire in the reader the understanding that none of us exist in isolation to one another. We each need to recognise our interconnectedness and the impact that our actions have on other people, and the necessity to cultivate the indispensable qualities of empathy and compassion in our relationships with each other. Or put simply, just put yourself in the other person’s shoes!

Through the use of metaphor, social realism, narrative poetry and all the other literary devices in my kit-bag as a writer, I invite you, dear readers, to contemplate your role in the community of humanity and to recognise the significance of our interwoven lives.’

- Reese North. © 2023.

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ADFASnewcastle connecting people with the arts,

and each other 2024 membership is now available and costs only $170.

Attend nine evening lectures on the arts each year – from February

to November. Meet art specialists from Newcastle, Australia and the UK. Be entertained, fascinated and informed.

Our 2024 program includes lectures on Damien Hurst, Clarice Cliff, contemporary Japanese art, ancient south-east Asia, Cirque Medrano and the history of wine.

After each lecture join us and the lecturer for conversation and light refreshments.

DAMIEN HURST https://adfasnewcastle.org.au/ Issue 54 - November 2023 266

2024 LECTURES TIME:

Lectures are on a Monday evening at 6:30pm.

LOCATION:

Hunter Theatre, Cameron St, Broadmeadow

19 February

Exploring the Holographic

Martina Mrongovius

18 March

Damien Hurst and Contemporary Art David Worthington

22 April

Ancient SE Asia: Borobudur to Angkor Adrian Vickers

27 May

Bottoms Up! A History of wine, its rituals and vessels Andy McConnell

24 June

Private art patronage in contemporary Japan Kathleen Olive

29 July

Portraits of the Maharanis John Stevens

26 August

Clarice Cliff (1899-1972): The Doyen of Art Deco Vivienne Laws

30 September

Breeches, Bonnets and Bags

Rosalind Whyte

4 November

The Painters of the Cirque Medrano

Paul Chapman

Learn more at https://adfasnewcastle.org.au/ or contact adfasnewcastle@gmail.com

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Do You Want to Play?

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30 x 40cm. Acrylic on canvas Robyn Werkhoven 2023.

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STUDIO LA PRIMITIVE ARTS ZINE PREVIOUS ISSUES Arts Zine is an online art and literary magazine, featuring artist’s interviews, exhibitions , art news,

poetry and essays.

Arts Zine was established in 2013 by artists Eric and Robyn Werkhoven, now with a fast growing audience, nationally and internationally. Their extensive mailing list

includes many galleries, art

collectors and art lovers.

In 2017 it was selected by the NSW State Library to be preserved as a digital publication of lasting cultural value for long-term

access by the

Australian community

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

Right : Space Mother, Autoclaved aerated cement / cement.

Right : Eric Werkhoven, Concerning Peace Exhibition at Maitland Regional Art Gallery 2018. Photograph by Robyn Werkhoven.

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Exhibition

under #4 her skin blended by Edmond Thommen 15 – 28 November 2023 @ M2 Gallery, Sydney. https://www.thommenart.com.au/ Left : Rust flakes from the corners of my eyes, photographic print on metal, 60x 90 cm.

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https://www.thecreatorincubator.com/ Issue 54 - November 2023 279

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1 - 17 December

Hilda Botha & Wendy Thompson

XMAS TAKEAWAY

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57 Bull Street Cooks Hill NSW

Hours: Fri Sat Sun 11am - 5pm

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Where the Wild Things Thrive 10 - 26 NOVEMBER 2023 R I C H A R D C L

A N C Y

Back to Back Gallery, 57 Bull Street, Cooks Hill, NSW. Hours: Fri Sat Sun 11am - 5pm. www.newcastlepotters.org Issue 54 - November 2023 282

Where the Wild Things Thrive 10 - 26 NOVEMBER 2023

Richard Clancy, Gianna Fallavollita, Karen Murray, Denise Spalding and Janet Steele.

This exhibition shows Mother Nature at her best. There is the power of her anger with the destruction of the

Italian village of Fossa; her power of perseverance with the tenacity of plants to overcome adversity; her power of compassion to create and care for the beautiful creatures on Earth and her ability to nurture all and maintain a balance in spite of the impact from Mankind.

This is the first showing of Richard Clancy’s stunning photography of wildlife in the Kruger National Park South Africa.

JANET STEELE

Back to Back Gallery, 57 Bull Street, Cooks Hill, NSW. Hours: Fri Sat Sun 11am - 5pm. www.newcastlepotters.org Issue 54 - November 2023 283

ART SYSTEMS WICKHAM

CLARE FELTON 40 ANNIE ST. WICKHAM, NEWCASTLE NSW.

www.art-systems-wickham.com/

Phone: 0431 853 600

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ART SYSTEMS WICKHAM CALENDAR 2023

20 OCTOBER - 5 NOVEMBER ANDY COLLIS & RICHARD MORRIS

10 - 26 NOVEMBER - THE CIRCLE 2023 1 - 17 DECEMBER - XMAS SHOW ROD PATTENDEN 16th FEBRUARY - 3rd MARCH 2024

ANDY COLLIS & RICHARD MORRIS

40 ANNIE ST. WICKHAM, NEWCASTLE NSW.

www.art-systems-wickham.com/ Issue 54 - November 2023 285

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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2023 04 October - 12 November Alternative Conversations – Untethered Fibre Artists

14th November – 22 December “Brooching the Subject”

#7 Exhibition Nature 08 Jan 2024 - 11 Feb 2024 Sounds, Sights and Textures: connecting the Hunter Wetlands to music and fibres- group exhibition

C A L E N D A R

90 Hunter St. Newcastle, NSW.

Elaine Witton

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Barbara Nanshe Studio

https://nanshejewellerystudio.com/ 2 Wallace Street, Islington, Newcastle, NSW. Issue 54 - November 2023 288

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

https://nanshejewellerystudio.com/ 2 Wallace Street, Islington, Newcastle, NSW. Issue 54 - November 2023 289

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EXHIBITION CALENDAR 2023

STRAITJACKET GALLERY

16 SEPTEMBER - 8 NOVEMBER Anthony Cahill Brett Piva

14 OCTOBER - 5 NOVEMBER

Gillian Adamson Malcolm Sands Rachel Milne

11 NOVEMBER - 3 DECEMBER Michelle Brodie Matthew Tome 9 DECEMBER - 18 FEBRUARY 2024 SUMMER SALON

RACHEL MILNE

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GALLERY ON DOWLING Helene Leane Jeanne Harrison

Inside Liddell #3, Helene Leane.

120 Dowling St. Dungog NSW.

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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 294 : White Rhino crash at Whipsnade Zoo, England. Image: Robert Fildes © 2019.

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A Valley Floor,546 x 445mm., Oil on canvas, Jacquie Garcia.