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Thursday, August 28, 2014

Staying home


      

Sunday:  There is a deep peace here today and I have no idea where it came from or how it arrived? Don't get me wrong, it is most welcome to stay home as long as it likes. The body feels as though it has little interest in movement and yet I watch as movement occurs. The moment feels strangely still, and yet I have no idea how this is happening. I move to sip a cup of tea, or rather I have the thought to sip a cup of tea, and then wait, movement finally comes and the tea is sipped. It's a beautiful cup of tea, the smell, the taste, the texture in my mouth. Then the next moment is an offering of resting, and then the next, and then the next. There is a deep peace here today and I have no idea where it came from or how it arrived? I guess I'll just stay home and hang out with it. :-) Mx

Monday, July 21, 2014

The background and Margaret Olley



I recently visited the Tweed River Gallery in Murwillumbah for an art day with some friends. This is now home to an amazing recreation of Margaret Olley's home and lifetime of art. Every surface in the home was/is covered, much of which are little still life's as seen today in her paintings. I have to confess, I have never been a huge fan of Margaret Olley's work. Perhaps it is because I have always felt so drawn to abstract artists. Thankfully there are plenty of those to explore and ponder as one moves around an art gallery these days. However, on this day I was coming to the end of my meander through Margaret's home and I heard two gentlemen discussing and admiring one of her paintings. They were standing back quite a distance and I heard the words... "just look at the background, that use of colour blue." I turned, and true to these words, the blue background of the still life they were admiring just jumped out at me as though it had come to life. The colour was so intense it almost seemed to be vibrating. I stood there transfixed in a moment of art viewing wonder. My eye wandered to another painting featuring a background in greens that also seemed to be shimmering in the late afternoon light of the gallery. I felt my heart open to something connected to and coming from the viewing of the background of these simple and yet elegant still life paintings of flower arrangements. A few steps futher along and I stopped to watch a short video featuring guest speakers in Margaret's home and the memories they had of her in that environment. It was towards the end of the video that I was again struck by words... "Margaret use to say to me, 'this is all an illusion, just moments'."  Again, I felt my heart open and something click. Margaret Olley was awake and aware to the truth of this reality, and she had come to this understand through art. In that moment I felt a new found respect and love of this woman and what she has left as a 'pointer' for the viewer in her paintings. It's all in the background. Mx

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

from the vacumous traces of life, something else emerges

from the vacumous traces of life, something else emerges   150 x 70 cms   mixed media   2014


Laying on my yoga mat, deep in contemplation, the words appeared...

from the vacumous traces of life, something else emerges

There is a journey of pointing that begins to occur for me from the moment I accept a painting commission. There is a knowing or a resonance that arises within my awareness with each pointing.

My attention is drawn to words that are heard within and without,  images or scenes that appear in daily life, and particular colours that flash into vision. Together with inner visions, these pointings all begin to lay the foundations of contemplation for the painting. It was one of these moments that I heard the pointing... from the vacumous traces of life, something else emerges.

The weeks that led up to committing paint to canvas were somewhat fraught with doubts and fears about how to begin, along with a mix up from the canvas supplier.  I also remember the client saying she was going into retreat and I felt then that nothing would probably come until after this time.

So it was with some amusement when I had tried in vain to start the painting in early January only to cover most of this with my hands rubbing layers of pale yellow, green, grey and white onto a cream background. Feeling somewhat frustrated I flew off to Melbourne for my birthday deciding I would revisit it on my return.

On the afternoon of the 28th January I entered the studio again to be greeted by a canvas that was still in it's bare bones and I stood there wondering where to begin?
The phone range. It was the client. I picked up laughing, she returned my laughter saying... 'You rang?'  I plonked myself down at the studio doorway and we chatted for what seemed like hours until I felt the deep peace come over me. When I finished the call, I stood up, turned and picked up the brush and commenced. I painted for four hours straight, never feeling a doubt or concern, but moving with quiet confidence and knowing action. Over the next days the painting just kept evolving effortlessly and each layer and stage was clearly apparent in the moment it was needed.

The painting became the living demonstration of it's title.... Mx