Sketches – strange garden, fearless girl and an Escher pie

Posted by lilymae on March 5, 2019

G’Day!

I’ve still been slack updating but have been very happily making. Can you believe summer has ended ( but has it really ) and now we are plowing our way through March. Such a productive summer holidays, I like to keep activities – the schedule – open for some nice relaxed times together. Life is to be enjoyed, creating together the most heart filling things I have ever done with my time. Though, Daughter still gets cross at me because I don’t draw from my imagination ( and I don’t use colour and why does everyone have to be naked in your art all the time? )

Look, kids will always highlight the flaws, right?

Here’s some sketches mostly from drawing with my daughter but also one time with a drawing group here..

Daughter and I went to Melbourne to see the Escher exhibition.. I saw that the Fearless Girl by Kristen Visbal sculpture had been installed at Fed Square so I took her to see it and draw.

I made an Escher pie to celebrate!

This is a couple of the many sketches I made of the Brett Whiteley and George Baldessin exhibition a number of months back. I was approached by security and told off for using a pen and when I was polite he let me off of the hook but also said had of I not been so nice he would have thrown me out. Very odd. I left and went to the front desk to borrow a pencil because when I am at exhibitions alone, I want to be left alone.

Here’s the one from the drawing group – at the Eureka memorial gardens, it really was a lovely time. ( Gene scanned this one in, look at the wonderful job he did. Jeez he’s good 🙂 )

Here are some quick ones from a few art days at the Art Gallery of Ballarat with daughter. We both drew and crafted HEAPS. It was when Eliza Jane Gilchrist’s Strange Garden exhibition was on.

Then cafe snacks and tea time, of course, at Kittelty’s

I look forward to more drawing with my daughter days, but for now – school pick up calls..

BYE

Studio kitty, Author and Finisher, Sanctuary and Winter Masterpieces exhibitions and haberdashery

Posted by lilymae on June 26, 2016

Friday it snowed twice and kidlet had her last day of school for the term. The above photo is from Friday evening – Kira kitty exploring the studio before curling up to sleep. I love her company. When I turn off the lamps and gather my things to leave she uncurls herself, meows at me and follows me down the stairs and back into the warm house.

Saturday morning and it’s freezing. There is ice on the footpaths and roads. I walk very slowly but purposely to the train station, this is not a good morning to not be able to find my only pair of gloves. I sleep on the train for a few hours before making it into Melbourne town. It’s coffee and art time with friends. First up is Author and Finisher at Kozminsky by Nicholas Jones. The gallery is on the second floor and the space and the art is beautiful. There’s so much loveliness to take it, it felt really special to be able to see that. It is quite a sizeable exhibition and we were lucky to have Nicholas there to talk to us about making of particular pieces, the stories behind them and the practical sides of things like printing and framing.

Then I went to the NGV to see the Degas exhibition. Contours feature so strongly in his works, they were so lovely to see up close. I found the famous ballet pieces charming but my favs for me were one off portraits of a peasant woman and a large bather rendered in pastel, and of course – the dead fox in the undergrowth.

Lastly I go to see Becc Ország’s exhibition, Sanctuary, at Nicholas Projects. Beautiful drawings rendered in graphite, with delicate additions of gold leaf.The largest piece in the show really stood out for me, The Source of All Things ( Birth of The Rivers ) – it added a whole new experience to the drawings as a whole. Very dreamlike and making me recall magical places I have visited in my life; coastlines of Italy and Snowdonia in Wales.

Then it was onto collecting things for three little girls who are turning six soon. I stumbled into the haberdasher, l’uccello, in the Nicolas Buidling and it was such a visual treat. What a day.

Here are the links to the galleries and artists mentioned, as well as a review written by Esther Anatolitis on Nicholas Jones’ exhibition. Have a click and get down to see these if you’re in Melbourne CBD soon.

NICHOLAS JONES: AUTHOR AND FINISHER by Esther Anatolitis

The NGV – so much fun

Posted by lilymae on February 7, 2015

My better half landed a last minute job interview, so kid and I took a ride with him into Melbourne to go to the National Gallery of Victoria.
I haven’t been for a while, the NGV is a place I will just drop into because, because. Because art, because space, because the coffee is good, because I used to work there for so many years, because I was forced to go to drawing lessons every weekend when I was a kid (seriously, I have memories of copying Charles Blackman’s works, I vividly remember the chairs.)

When we did arrive, the sun was already hot and the gallery was just opening. There was a queue of people that wrapped around the moat. Everyone was there to catch the last of the big exhibition and I felt relieved that we were not there for that!

We took a ride on Carsten Höller’s Golden Mirror Carousel while waiting for our friends. The crowds formed thick and fast around us, but we got away to let the kids play outdoors in the garden. All that clean, nice space!

We then went into the kids area, which I had worked in during the Melbourne Now exhibition, and during that time I was told that they were opening up that part of the gallery to be a kids space, permanently.
I remember stalking in there many years ago looking at Dürer and Goya’s line works, part of a prints and drawing exhibition of which I cannot remember the title. I had worked on the kids programs for that exhibition also. The gallery had commissioned me to draw a set of angel and a set of devil wings that children could cut out and create their own creatures with. A beautiful little blonde girl drew this amazing beast, with many sagging breasts and a vuvla with fat lips that was leaking something. It took my breath away.. At first I was like, that is weird and then I was like nooo, actually that is pretty cool and creative and oh my god she is amazing and oh my god, I want one!
(A kid, not a several breasted big lipped creature..)

Anyway, in this space they have Express Yourself: Romance was Born for Kids which is just amazing. If you haven’t been, you really must go. I could not believe how beautiful and rich the space is. And so generous. There are so many things for children to do: drawing on ipads, jumping on lillie pads in front of a Del Kathryn Barton painting, decorating mask beards..

(My pal Steph took this shot)

We then went to visit the David Shrigley because I had seen on various cool people’s instagrams that you could do drawing in there. We were stopped by a security guard who told us about an exhibit on level three that may be of interest; you could climb on it! So, being in the company of two four year olds, we had to go there first.

The Island Bird by Ernesto Neto – was so so so much fun to explore together, we all had a go at climbing through the structure.

Then finally, we made it down to the David Shrigley exhibition. There were so many awesome things to look and and giggle with the kids about.

My daughter was a little frightened of the sculpture, who blinks and wees intermittently. I think she was also overwhelmed by everything and the ginormous space. But after cuddles and encouragement she sat down and drew with the rest of us. Her friend said to me “Lily is doing a Great Job!” and said to my daughter “oohhh, you’re an Artist!”

At one point when the sculpture peed a group of adults looking at us said that perhaps this exhibition wasn’t suitable for children – I had a quite giggle. The exhibition is perfect for children!

It is at this point that we were all very tired and quickly did the obligatory visit to the Great Hall (AKA Smashed Rainbow Room) and put our hands in the water running down the entrance wall. We all left extremely tired but happy – thank you NGV, Steph and Z for one of the best days ever!

Sketching at the NGV

Posted by lilymae on November 19, 2014

I have many more sketches – but still cannot find them all!

Lily Mae Martin