Revisiting the studio archives blog!

Blogging these days is sadly something I barely find time for ... a recent check through this blog I discovered posts stripped of images... something has clearly gone wrong with the image bank for blogger... or my own image bank!

Once day I may have to delete the blogs but that is too harsh to think about now. I just posted this material below at my Studio Archives blog which has a great series of posts from 2009 till they tapered off last year to very minimal!

Its been a long time since I posted here. 

This morning I had a visit from Photographer Margie Bender who took this Studio panorama shot which I do rather like. Often when people visit the studio and its been a busy time I feel like I have to clean up first. Neither the studio nor myself were particularly well groomed but I like how it worked out... and looks a hell of a lot more organised than it feels.

Friday November 13th 2015 ... 

I started this blog in winter 2009 ... and I didn't really have a studio when I started, had been very ill & was  just getting things going again. So its great to be in a whole different phase where much has taken shape... although it must be said in 2009 it was easier to sell paintings, the economy in Australia hadn't fallen over from the GFC, global ecological disasters and Climate Change were less dominant in the general public's psyche even though many knew then that ignoring it was at our great peril. 

I spend more time on the Homage to the Seed page at Facebook and Instagram these days. So if you wonder what I am up to find me there... Homage to the Seed is alive and well.

Loving the Redlands Mudflats? The environmental significance of Moreton Bay, Queensland.

This week I came across this article "Why we should love the Redlands Mudflats" and thought it well worth sharing here.

I quite often go down to the Brisbane River for a walk near to the CBD at New Farm ... taking the path from the Sydney Rd Ferry terminal. Its a peaceful grassy walk and I stop to see the tiny remnant mangrove area I like to photograph... observing this small patch with wonder at what it would have been like here before the 1820's when Brisbane was settled by Europeans.

If you wish to keep up with more regular news please follow my FACEBOOK PAGE: Homage to the Seed as I post frequently, virtually everyday without fail, adding news on the project, residencies, workshops, Artowork, related issues and themes, whats happening at my Studio SeedArtLab and so on. Exposure to a wide audience through FB affords this project broader connections and dialogue ... however as this Blog started in 2010 contains a great deal of archived material I will continue to keep it going, albeit less often!

May Plantbank Residency + Workshop, 2015.

Apologies for the disappearance of the images at this post... and no doubt at other posts. 

Not spending much time blogging these days I have possibly lost track of where images are stored and downloaded. Other sites I've downloaded images to have not presented a problem. Will see what can be done!

Sophie Munns

On Monday I commenced a 2.5 week residency at Plantbank, located at The Australian Botanic Garden Mt Annan in SW Sydney.

Diversity wall at PLantbanks Foyer.

This follows an intensely rewarding residency conducted here at virtually the same time last year. The drive from Brisbane was a drawn out over three days to visit friends along the way and take in the landscape of NSW where I grew up and lived for many years. 

Saturday night stopover in Newcastle.

Yesterday was a series of lively conversations, catching up with familiar people, settling in to onsite accommodation & creating a workspace in the Plantbank Staff work area which is expansive and has wonderful natural light streaming in.

Seed-collecting shelf next to my work desk at Plantbank ... looking out to the Garden.

I managed to fit in a two hour walk in the Connections Gardens seed collecting and taking photos in the afternoon but last night by 6.30pm I was ready for a simple dinner in the Residency flat & catching a couple of TV programs, too tired to even write on my laptop.

Today was more conversations, reading material and another quick trip to find seedpods.

Sophora tomentosa found today in the Wattle Garden.

Near the staff Kitchen at Plantbank I set up a drawing table and placed a large sheet of paper, sepia ink, seed pods and twigs for drawing implements. Everyone is invited to contribute to this #BigSeedDrawing.

After a few staff had dropped by and made a start of this communal Seed drawing which will be completed by the time I leave.

Gum blossom

Gum blossoms via Instagram and Apps.

Callerya megasperma found Monday in the Garden.

From Plantbank Seed Material

Gmelina leichardtii .... found in the Gardens on Monday.

You can follow the residency through extensive posts with images on my

 FACEBOOK PAGE:  Homage to the Seed

or 

at TWITTER: https://twitter.com/sophiemunns

Instagram will also have some posts.

https://instagram.com/sophiemunns/

READ ABOUT THE WORKSHOP HERE:

Add caption

I'm here till May 27th. Look out for the Workshop details on May 23 + 24... places left if you are local!  

MORE INFO HERE AT EVENT PAGE.

Cheerio,

       Sophie

BOOK: The Triumph of Seeds: Our huge debt to tiny marvels

"THAT spark of dormant life may be hidden and hard to measure, but mother plants will do almost anything to protect it," writes conservation biologist Thor Hansen, describing the marvels that are seeds.

This post is entirely taken from the New Scientist review ... see link below. 

• Book information
• The Triumph of Seeds: How grains, nuts, kernels, pulses, and pips conquered the plant kingdom and shaped human history by Thor Hansen
• Published by: Basic Books
• Price: $26.99

Read a recent review by New Scientist:

The Triumph of Seeds: Our huge debt to tiny marvels - life - 19 April 2015 - New Scientist

"With light, engaging prose Hansen shows how the little spheroids we tip out of a packet are in fact supremely elegant genetic time capsules. The Triumph of Seeds takes you past the casing into the extraordinary inner working of objects without which our landscapes, dinner plates and gardens would be unrecognisable. You will never be able to look at an orange pip or a sunflower seed in the same way again.

This article appeared in print under the headline "Seeding the future"

Adrian Barnett is a rainforest ecologist at Brazil's National Institute of Amazonian Research in Manaus

Seeds have many cunning survival strategies, including desiccation (Image: Frederique Jouval/picturetank)

Well worth a read!

CATCHING UP : FEBRUARY

Its been too long between posts ... so a little update is called for.

Often I post at Twitter when sharing Seed Conservation material these days. Its surprisingly efficient and attracts such a good exchange of stories that I will suggest you drop into Sophie Munns twitter feed  if you wish to take a look. 

This is where I would find many of the articles I would like to share here at this blog time permitting.

I retweeted this post below last night for example: 

Bill Baker @BillJBaker · Jan 9

Stunning palm art by Lucy Smith https://www.facebook.com/Palmsmithy  on display until 1 Feb http://www.kew.org/visit-kew-gardens/whats-on/inspiring-kew … @kewgardens

I highly recommend taking a look if you wish to be linked to many in the world of Seed Conservation Science and all things seeds, plants, food culture and sometimes Art + politics.

And Facebook: Homage to the Seed page is where I also share and follow in the search for quality information. 

Last week I shared the three images of the Caasowary bird and their habitat and rainforest fruit diet by National Geographic Photographer Christian Ziegler... see the whole photo series ~ 'Cassowary: Big bird in trouble' at this Nat Geo link:http://tinyurl.com/q7ljyhr 

And  the image below I've shared at FB, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and on Visual Eclectica blog ... I'm preparing to have an online shop set  up to make available Archival quality Limited Edition prints.

The other plan thats now in focus is writing the book thats been in the wings for some time. My last post here touched on that.

Ive been collating material for the last 4 years, photographic, text-based, articles etc ... notes have been made on copious subjects and on blogs and various formats... but what I have recently focused on was  a snubber of days working with simple pen and watercolour paper capturing the key concepts and directions I wish to pursue... 

This format was more fluid and being able to work between idea, text and image was incredibly useful for drawing ideas together at this particular stage. I plan to self-publish a draft of chapter one with a simple online book template to work through initial ideas and be able to engage with others who will be contributing to this book on the Seed Project covering the last 5 years.

Its both a very exciting and/or overwhelming task ... depending on which day of the week it is and what else is pressing at the time. There is so much scope  so the main task is nutting out what to include and what's going to be unnecessary. I imagine that in itself will require tremendous focus right up to the last stage.

Contact me here if you have any inquiries.

Seed diversity in all its visual splendour!

Last night trawling around online I came across 'Trust me I Am a Seed Scientist' at FB and was smitten with their gallery of amazing photographs ...

                                  ... this species was just one of many that caught my eye.

"Scorpiurus muricatus is an annual legume species, widespread in pastures of the basin of the Mediterranean Sea and it has tiny pea-like flowers and simple leaves uncharacteristic of a legume. Its contorted, pubescent pods give rise to its common name "Prickly Caterpillar".

Be sure to take a look at that sight for amazing posts on Seed diversity!

#thebigseeddraw this SUNDAY + OPEN STUDIO NOV 22 - 30

This Sunday I am conducting a drawing workshop with a difference ... this one will be FREE,  communal and relaxed... with all materials provided. 

UPDATE: SORRY TO SAY THIS EVENT HAS NOW BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO EXTREME TEMPERATURES TODAY IN BRISBANE. 

Brisbane City Council OH & S made a call on this yesterday afternoon when 42C was confirmed as likely temperature for the day. 

NB: I'lll be offering this free activity at my Studio over 9 days starting next weekend.

Between 9am and 1pm on Sunday morning people will be able to wander into an large marquee set up next to the Community Gardens at Seventeen Mile Rocks on the Brisbane River north west of the city cbd. 

This is a close up of the program where The Big Seed Draw is listed. Read that program here. 

Anyone who takes part in THE BIG SEED DRAW can take a photo of their drawing and post on FB, Twitter or Instagram with HASHTAG #thebigseeddraw to go in the draw for prizes listed on this flyer below:

I will also be running some sessions of the #TheBigSeedDraw at the upcoming OPEN STUDIO event from November 22 to 30 at my SeedArtLab Studio in Chermside, Brisbane. 

So if your based in the  Brisbane region but can't make Sunday please put the studio event in your diary and come and join us there... from Midday till 5pm over 9 days.

Student work from QACI 

OPEN STUDIO EVENT coming up at my studio!

If you have any questions please contact me ... and watch my FB page and Instagram for updates. We will have several special things you can participate in during this 9 day event.

I'll be back with photo from this event soon!
                                                               Sophie

Sacred Sites and Biodiversity - Scenes from Standing on Sacred Ground

A Short Residency at Food Connect Brisbane

This week I had the pleasure of spending my days with a Brisbane Social Enterprise FOOD CONNECT whose mission is supplying 'Local. Seasonal. Ecological Food Direct From Your Farmer'.

Text from Food Connect website ~

'Food Connect works to encourage a fair, healthy and flourishing food culture where food and the work of those who grow, produce, process, transport, pack and distribute (that’s the value chain) are recognised and rewarded fairly. Food Connect Brisbane was established as a social enterprise in 2005 by ex-dairy farmer, Robert Pekin, who when forced off his dairy farm in the late 1990’s vowed to create a fairer food system for everyone.  We are now achieving this by delivering seasonal, ecological food direct from local farmers to our community of appreciative customers in South East Queensland. '

Partners Robert Pekin and Emma-Kate Rose are also involved in the Fair Food movement, through the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance 

From the AFSA website:

The AUSTRALIAN FOOD SOVEREIGNTY ALLIANCE (AFSA) is a collaboration of organisations and individuals working together towards a food system in which people have the opportunity to choose, create and manage their food supply from paddock to plate. OUR PURPOSE is to cooperate, to create an equitable, sustainable and resilient food system for all Australians.

This week the AFSA held a national promotion called Fair Food Week which is the reason I spent the week on residency with Food Connect. 

  

I've a few more images to add, one of a giant collage I made from Fruit and Veg boxes... and further notes to add to document this busy and fascinating week.  Back soon!