Sacred yoni relief tile

As part of my art course, I've created a relief tile in buff raku clay.

The mood board is a theme I've always been interested in.

I created a number of thumbnail drawings, then on the day (today), I found that not all of them were easy to create in the medium.

So I used my moodboard and thumbnail drawings to tweak and revise the original idea.

This is what I came up with.

The sacred feminine and our lady of Guadalupe has always been a special theme for me, so it made sense to put it into a tile.

When I researched relief sculpture, I found I preferred sculptures with recessed sections. So this design allowed me to really cutaway in the centre to create that contrast with the recessed areas.

I'm looking forward to seeing this dried as greenware, then bisque fired. After that we underglaze and it gets fired again.

 

Life update

Drawing as often as possible.

These are marker drawings, no erasuares, and my first portraint drawings. More practise is needed of course, but we have to start somewhere.

The orange cat is our one eyed kitty, who returned after being lost for 2 months. The quilt in progress Here, Kitty Kitty is named after him.

And our bare rooted fruit trees arrived, and are now potted in big garbage bins with holes in the bottom. 

Hello Kitty!

More pots for growing pineapples and such.

yes, this is all in the front yard, there's not even room for the trampoline in the back yard. I feel like we are the Goodes from The Goode Life 70s tv show. I loved that show, very inspiring.

 

Different types of drawing

Exploring different types ot mark making here in drawing class. Using a marker, so there is no rubbing out, just adding to marks. Not erasing them. 

I'm really feeling the push to practise drawing at home. 

You can see some videos on my instagram @bizarrequilter of time lapse videos using soft pastel.

Charcoal. Oh! I really don't like working with black so much!

Some days drawing and cooking use all my creative mojo!

I feel like my art journey will greatly affect my textile art output, so I will add this to my blog.

It will be interesting to look back, and see how I might have been influenced by skill building in other areas.

 

Resizing a band tshirt

My kiddo is a drummer and his favourite band tshirts are $45 in kids sizes, but the men's sizes are $11.

So I've used the measurements on his Kiss shirt to cut a pattern.

And put it together ready for his birthday.

Hey, if other artists can make things from ironing boards, I feel like I can cut up perfectly good band tshirts, and feel very brazen about it! Lol/

 

Floral Army wearable art

I am so happy I got to see the final pieces for the Floral Army wearable art we assisted with.

Saturday night there was big evening reveal for Ephemera,  and fashion parade with models wearing these floral art pieces by Julia Rose.

Can you see how this one is inspired by masculine furs and epaulettes worn by army generals and the like?

This is the skirt of the one I was working on.

This is the one made from artificial flowers that I helped to separate and arrange.

Then I got to attend my headpiece workshop

Julia Rose gave us a little photo card each.

This was my box of bits to make a headpiece.

I feel like a twig queen!

It really doesn't photograph any better than this.

So I decided to take another photo of myself to show just how good I can actually look. Haha!

Out to dinner for a friend's birthday.

 

Cookie. The Strand Ephemera.

Would you believe this enormous sculpture is made from recycled materials?

Can you see the ironing boards, plastic slide and more?

The kiddo enjoyed the artist walk and talk through Ephemera on the Strand as much as I did.

This really was one of my favourites though.

A sculpture is not just a piece, it's also the way it interacts with its surroundings. Can you see the esky of sand?

You may be able to see the actual size of the sculpture with people in view.

I will share my favourite pieces from the exhibition.

 

Strand Ephemera

"Entwine"by Robert Guenther. Depicting connection and consciousness in many layers.

"Jellyfish Journey" by India Collins. Made from upcycled crab pots.

"Dichotomy" by Sandstorm Events. Hand scuplted with brickies sand and water. 48 tonnes of sand is wet (mass of 18 cars), forms are built, carving is created in situ over the course of the event.

"Ocean Garden" by The Beautiful and Useful Studio (absolutely amazing when lit up at night). These remind me of Murano glass, even though they're made from a new textile product derived from 100% recycled PET drinking bottles.

"Scarewood 2: The Saplings" made to look like faces in the Morton Bay figs. Complete with night sounds and light show. Trees say funny things like "my friend was made into a chair". 

 

Strand Ephemera

"Terra Techni-Tropicus 2023"by Squeak and Bubble. A glow in the dark install depicting fantastical flora and fauna.

"Waitaing 2022"by Gala Jane. Lismore Floods. What else is there to say?

The kiddo ran with his seat along the walk to sit in front and listen to each artist talk about their work.

"Street Ministry House 2022" by Tom Fruin. Created in New York City. A plexus glass representation of flags that were made with found objects and hung in NYC. Weighing one tonne.

 

Floral Army

I'm joining the artist community at the perfect time here in Townsville. The biennial beach and shoreline sculpture exhibition and competition starts in a few weeks, and as a part of that, floral artist Julia Rose is here to create wearable art.

I volunteered to join, to help prepare the fresh and artificial blooms.

The plant material must all be prepared and kept in water until the last minute. 

We were very fortunate to volunteer to assist creating something beautiful out of these leaves.

So much plant material, we were cutting, folding, sorting.

This is a bundle, we made a lot of these bundles which were then kept in water...

And at the last minute, tied together to create a tutu skirt.

Julia Rose in action.

My bundle.

I've booked in to join the free floral headpiece workshop on Sunday as part of Ephemera.