Phuket Island, Thailand

Alexander Calder at the NGV

What an absolute delight to go to the exhibition of Alexander Calder's works at the NGV. He is an artist that I have always admired.
The simplicity of the lines, the whimsical works and the sense of movement in space are endlessly fascinating.

And then the mobiles..... and sculptures

These are 2 small presents he made for his parents when he was a small child.... how charming

And finally this brooch that he made for a friend...........

The exhibition is on for a few months ... I might return!

Melbourne Garden and Flower Show

The exhibition starts on Wednesday. That means that tomorrow morning I drop my work off for the curator .
These are the works that I am happy with.

Turkish Festival at Victoria Market

 The Turkish community of Melbourne was out on the weekend promoting Turkish culture at the Victoria Market.
This lady was showing passers by the art of Ebru ... painting beautiful designs using oil on water, and then lifting the design off in one deft movement

 And there was a terrific band

A stall selling food from Cyprus......

 And lovely to see  a rather small version of the Istanbul Bazaar in our very own market, replete with posters of Attaturk,,,,,, This poster featured on many stalls.

Papermade

Went to see this exhibition at Australian Galleries in Collingwood at the weekend.  A huge number of artists and a great array of works on paper. Some favourites were Thorton Walker's portraits, and of course Graeme Drendel's charming images.

My new work will be on display on March 27th

Pleased to have been invited to exhibit some of my works here with the Northern Artists Group. I have been busy in the studio brushing up on floral themes
.......

George Baldessin and Brett Whitely at the NGV

I was fortunate to see this exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria (Federation Square) days before it ended.

Both were accomplished print makers, painters and sculptors.

Whitely's drawings are very beautiful, and Baldessin's prints are intricate.

Baldessin's pears 

 Influences of Goya's Disasters of War are very evident in Baldessin's early work (below)

Part of Whitely's zoo series in which he shows the hand of the artist

 I had not seen Whitely's sculptures before

I like this print of Baldessin's,  (below) largely because of the complex and successful composition and the elaborate use of layering

 Baldessin's large print works were ambitious and complex

Below is American Dream by Whitely. There is another third at least that is not shown here,
It is a sprawling work of collage and mixed media - largely critical of the political and social currents in America at the time. Some of the details are very personal and telling

 Detail from the work