Category Archives: Uncategorized
Bath tub in front of the fire
These were his boots
New work
Through the fog
Exhibition! Drawing!
TWENTY FOURTEEN is on view from tomorrow the 23rd of August until the 26th of September. This exhibition is a showcase of all the artists represented by Scott Livesey Galleries – here is a link to a catalogue of the works that will be in this exhibition, which was also handed out at the Melbourne Art Fair last week. LINK. It is such a beautiful catalogue! I have my woman on bed drawing in this exhibition, with a wonderful quote from Rachel Power on my work in the catalogue.
Sketch
Hello, sun
The sun is out today – dizzying and dazzling us. We kicked the ball about and kidlet collapsed with laughter more than once. It amazes me how things can be timeless, repeatedly bringing joy to each childhood – like kicking balls, blowing bubbles and cardboard boxes.
The birds were out and in the distance we could hear the sheep – the ones we frightened the other day.
We read books and I played twinkle, twinkle on the ukelele while kidlet sung it. SO CUTE. The tips of my fingers are way sore but it was totally worth it.
We took out gumboots off and walked about on the soft, damp grass then onto the warm, flat brick and wooowowow – it is one of those days where you feel so bloody happy to be alive.
I am now cooking split pea soup with winter veggies – turnip! I can’t wait to eat it but it won’t be ready for a few hours. So then I really have no excuse not to finish the new drawing that I am doing.
xx
Motivation
Aradale
I like to explore and visit places – especially ones rich in history. I heard about Aradale through a pamphlet “Ghost tours – Lunatic asylum” – complete with salacious language and spooky font. But I wasn’t really interested in a sleep over with people I don’t know. Even the very thought of that makes me anxious, however I looked it up online and saw that there were day time tours too.
The website is here: Aradale Tour Information
We learnt about people like self mutilator Garry Webb ( interesting write up about his case here: Garry Webb Discussion )
He had cut off his own penis three times – it was really interesting what the guide told us, but a bit disconcerting how many people from the tour group mumbled how it was “good” he killed himself and “he should have done it earlier” and when the guide told us his girlfriend killed herself not too long ago, the same reaction.
The nurses quarters were interesting too – it was an opportunity for the local girls. However they had to live on the site for their three year training and had curfews.
Isolation rooms, women’s hospital.
The women’s hospital was sad – isolation rooms for when they were ‘distressed’. The paint colour and details in the window shutters reminded me of quaint little towns I had visited in Germany.
TC1 – Training Client 1, were the people who had just arrived to the asylum. The guide told us that 15 ( ward 15 ) required soft food, as they had no teeth.
I felt this space to be reminiscent of a set from a Tim Burton film. It was so odd, the rest of the place was like a rabbit warren with tiny rooms. Then you came out to here and it was just huge, a wide open space that overwhelmed and dazzled.
At this point the guide was talking about women being committed who were suffering post natal depression. I wandered off to photograph other things and didn’t really listen as I still find that stuff very difficult to listen too. Apparently he had said that some of them never came out again.
The men’s quarters was more run down, it had been vandalised. It was a little bit more eerie at this point.
The morgue wasn’t as disturbing as some I had seen, a few people hopped up onto the tray. If you look online there’s a number of people posing on it – each to their own, I guess!
I really enjoyed the two hour tour, the guides were informative and very funny. I’m still reading up on history about this place and I wasn’t as affected by the space as I thought I may have been.