in recent weeks...in the studio and meeting visitors at the Gardens

On June 18th I will be showing work with 9 artists at Percolater Gallery, Paddington, in Brisbane. So recent weeks have been spent working with ideas that came from the work for the recent show in April/May.To see the full post titled "today" I wrote on that click here. More on the Percolator show VERY soon!

...work in progress and the Homage to the Seed journal I'm keeping above and below - the Cooper rainforest book I mentioned is also open above. I was very keen to get on with painting but felt the need to go back through the Cooper book, freshly documenting, with very quick sketches and brief notes, some interesting forms in the the capsules and seeds of various species. I'm loving this way of becoming more familiar with the biodiversity of the rainforests and similarly rich habitats... recognising the enormous numbers of species and seeing the variations that can occur just through this simple research is so fascinating to consider. Tonight, noticing an indigenous version of nutmeg and reading that it has little scent led to wondering about the extraordinary discoveries that people made through Millennia, the risks when identifying if something was edible, what properties it had and so on.

I'm finding ethnobotany more and more fascinating and realising that its piecing together some of my own various passions for knowledge that to date didn't seem to link that well.

For this group show I have chosen the distinctive oval shape canvases which mimic the pod and seed forms somewhat. I find them compelling shapes that sit well with this subject matter. Although working with them on and off for a few years they seem to have grown on me - that lovely but strange, organic thing that happens when concept, subject and form merge a little. 
Producing small works for a group show I felt the cohesiveness of the ovals would hold the  viewer's focus. Perhaps they remind me a little of looking under the microscope in the Seed lab where the image is circular and the surrounding darkness means you can only see what is contained within the circle of light. The subject matter is intimate and contained in this shape. Egg - seed...the biological connection is so strong! 
oval |ˈōvəl|
adjective:  having a rounded and slightly elongated outline or shape, like that of an egg : her smooth oval face | the game with the oval ball.noun:       a body, object, or design with such a shape or outline : cut out two small ovals from the felt. DERIVATIVESovality |ōˈvalitē| |oʊˈvølədi| |-ˈvalɪti| nounovalness |ˈoʊvəlnəs| nounORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from French, or modern Latin ovalis, from Latin ovum ‘egg.’

Both these works feature the cross-sections of rainforest fruits from Queensland - however the one below is probably not going in the show. Its was a curious experimental work that came from the starting point of the cross-sections but with a life force all its own. It was as if it was bursting open... the seed capsule cross-sections sprouting to life and when I first did 2 works like this I was rather unsettled and decided I didn't like what was happening in them. Now I find it less odd and will see what comes through over the year - if more work like this seems to want to burst through with a mind all of its own.

This is the flyer for the upcoming group show - 10 artists - 10 days exposing the Brisbane Artists Development Co-operative. To read much more about this and the venue visit the studio blog.

AND NOW - RECENT VISITORS TO THE GARDENS FROM TOWOOMBA:


10 days ago, give or take, I had a wonderful visit at the Botanic Gardens from some wonderful members of the Darling Downs Textile Artists - Pat Sloss, Marion Curry, Jen Luck, Jenny Burgess, Margie Creek, Joan Ellard, Stephenie Broadbent and Nicki Laws. They were in town to see the exhibition of Inga Hunter's work then came out to the gardens at Mt Coot-tha to see work in progress with the residency. A viewing of paintings and visual diaries, recent and older, allowed them to see the progression from past research into ancient symbols and other influences, water and fluidity from years living on the Newcastle coastline, to working with seed motifs particularly after moving to Brisbane, research through the lab, gardens and library to finished artwork as part of the Homage to the Seed  year.
They wrote later of how they discussed the overlap in approaches despite their using different materials to myself (textiles vs paint or ink) and how they also related to the approach of layering, colour and repeated motifs.This group practice varied textile techniques, but a common theme seemes to be the environment and human impact on it. They have always recycled and reused extensively and many use natural dye sources on fabrics and thread. The members live in or near Toowoomba and most have some strong connection to farming, past or present. 

I talked of the need to understand the source of our foods, the threats that come from global business monopolies, especially in the area of seeds, and the issue of biodiversity. These women live with these things daily in front of their eyes - so all these themes are discussed at meetings frequently. A frightening reality they spoke of was the large portion of Queensland’s good farming land being currently at risk of coal mining or coal seam gas extraction. This problem they said is literally now ‘in their backyard’ with the potential massive loss of flora and fauna, damage to water reserves, as well as community fragmentation.

DDTA -Darling DownsTextile Association has been together for about 10 years and runs the biennial ‘Progressions’ juried contemporary textile exhibition. The beautiful Darling Downs starts an hour and a half west of Brisbane - and is currently where the mining expansion is taking place. Bunya Mountains are not far off...a place I have been curious to get to. I have posted on this extraordinary idigenous Bunya Pine tree and source of food before.

Fighting to keep Acland alive - click on the 7.30 report 

Questions were raised about the town of Acland, now Stage 3 expansion is being considered, which may take a year or more to go ahead. One of the group wrote to me to say

         "New Hope Coal plans to level the town, divert Lagoon Creek for 5 km etc In preparation they have bought and removed 95% of properties in town. There is some excellent plantings in town - mostly indigenous but also introduced. Lots of majestic bottle trees. Also nearby Bottle Tree Hill with dry vine scrub. Is seedbanking an option when an area is to be wiped off the map? If you want any more info I can point you in the direction of the Stage 3 EIS and list of flora species"

Proposed open-cut mine site 24th March 2010

NB: I later asked questions raised here about seed banking before a place is levelled and found that in certain cases certain Laws demands that a company take full responsibility for seed banking and replanting (after the area has been mined) to restore. I have not as yet found out if that will be the case here. Jason Halford at the Seed Lab said it was indeed the kind of situation where it is of primary importance to seed-bank.

The group at the discussion

Two of the wonderful members of the group. I was treated to viewing the works of several textile artists. Below is work from Nicki Laws - (seen above right - Joan Ellard on the left). I was delighted to see what results had come from the use of various seeds and leaves and the fabric choices and various processes employed. A trip to visit the group at some stage and really see them in action is a must I think. I had temporarily lost my camera that day so missed getting shots of work some had brought along to show. More please ladies. I am putting in an official request to have a blog post on your seed related work!

This was such a rich exchange. For someone to have such a fine audience and then receive such an excellent show of ideas and stories in return is a wonderful experience! It made me only too aware, all over again, of the brains trust of so many living on the land who are in tune with their environment.  These are the people who are seeing the ecological shifts in daily life... they recognise the losses occuring... they have had family farms or still do and work with the land, sensitised to its needs, in whatever ways they can. What a privilege to have their visit!

What species is that? Archidendron lucyi

This wonderful species Archidendron lucyi is found in the tropical rainforests of North Queensland as well as Melasia and the Solomon Islands. Also known commonly as scarlet bean it has the most fascinating structure - is about 70 to 120 mm long and 15 to 25 mm wide although the way it curls around disguises its length somewhat. On the following page of this excellent book below by Wendy and William Cooper is a very similar bean called the Salmon bean or Archidendron vaillantii. This is where the advice of staff at the gardens is critical due to the similarity between species - to an untrained eye its difficult to distinguish what is what. I like to double check wherever possible... as Jason Halford from the Seed lab (see post from april 19)  has stated at times plant identification can require quite a bit of cross-referencing for him to be sure. I expect I may have to edit posts over the year due to the limits to my knowledge. Already this has been the case after guided tours where so much is being taken in and notes and memory fail one. It's therefore reassuring to hear from experienced staff that they also can ocassionally make false readings first up.

You can appreciate the challenge in drawing some these forms. The colour is amazing and watching them opening truly spectacular. The seeds are a blue black and in a particular light can look satin-like which adds to the intrigue of this exotic fruit from the Nth Qld rainforest.

This single pod is typical of the way they curl around - taking up the space of the palm of one's hand.

This post was in response to the gardener/photographer Em from the wonderful weblog Garden Fool based in the state of New York. Thanks for your query Em which I will take up further this week at the Gardens with staff there.

When researching on this species I came across a remarkable website that contains a huge archive of images taken under the microscope of inside the wood of a diverse range of trees from around the globe. I have yet to read about this site in detail from North Carolina State University. Here is the image for the wood from this rainforest species above.

Click on this below to enlarge for reading:

This particular emtry comes from the Insidewood Images collection of North Carolina State University. The site was found through google but I am finding the links dont work to this when I try and enter them. You might find a way into  NCSU and then all collections  at:

 http://images.lib.ncsu.edu:8180/luna/servlet/allCollections?pgs=50&res=1

Aristolochia griffithii

As you can see the images from the inside wood collection are stunning and remind me of abstract 
forms not unlike ones I have been drawn to paint from time to time.





Thottea siliquosa




Daphnandra repandula



Gaura sinuata

In the Studio this March

This blurred close up above of the work "Sophora Tomentosa" below accidently conveys  a feeling of movement and a certain lushness of form and colour. Often one deletes such images but it was hard to not enjoy the effect of this one. I had been reworking this last week having started it last year and decided to feature the one seed pod form for its seductive visual appeal. Sophora Tomentosa is also known as Silver Bush and Sea Coast Laburnum. Each bean contains 2 to 10 brown seeds - its found in litoral rainforest, beachfronts, mangrove edges from Torres Strait Islands to Port Maquarie in NSW.
Typically what occurs when doing concentrated sessions in the studio is to have various works around the room on the go -small and large. Never one to conceive of an idea and work it through to completion in a straight line - its much more productive and preferable I find to be ready to invite in the unexpected, the new thought or intuition of a way to take something further. This involves risk as it is not about replicating what one sees or holding to well worn formulas and practiced results. To see more of what is evolving visit the Studio Archives weblog.

Below is an image created from a 20 cm x 20 cm work repeated 4 times with slight colour variation. The focus on seed pods and capsules viewed in cross sections led to a rather abstract result that doesn't seem at all pod like a first glance - but is actually a different viewpoint, reduced to its simplest outline. Borrowing from and spending time in the Botanic Gardens Library, devouring many approaches to botanical subjects has led me to be completely awed by the magnificence of skill and beauty in the work of scientific botanical artists over past centuries. 

My aim is in an entirely different direction - to give the hidden, easily most neglected part of the botanical world a new appraisal in ways that 'shake the eyes awake' if thats at all possible and engage an audience to reflect a little longer than usual on this remarkable realm that in the past was revered for its critical link in the survival of humans and today is commonly overlooked, if not plain disregarded, as being of any value.

While we unfortunately collectively weren't looking the Transnational companies reached out and disrupted seed heritages going back hundreds, even thousands of years. Can a seed be copyrighted? Yes ... indeed it can be and the figures on this are startling. Is it illegal to save one's own seeds? Yes indeed - in certain places. Its timely we look at and think far more about this. We are fortunate to have local and global intiatives doing something on our behalf ... however ... it is our awareness and involvement,  plus our  u n d e r s t a n d i n g  a n d       v a l u i n g  of  the  s e e d  that ensure the reach and effectiveness of these concerned citizens and initiatives.