Author: cjx07ster

Australian Engineer, Located in Sydney NSW Australia.

The shadow canvas

On By cjx07sterIn ArtLeave a comment

Yesterdays Project - TersiiskaIt’s a hard reality like compact snow in a clear air.  White and static in my mind.  I had shut the door and a thought to make a work of art.  Something big man.  A big canvas.  I’d read books biographic with grainy photos and small prints in blunt terms about artists who all seem to start with a canvas.  Picasso and Leonardo, Leonardo for sure, used to paint on walls, big walls.  Somehow I never never got started because it always meant having a canvas or a wall free of bookshelves and drawers of things leaning up against.

I visited the Menil collection and of course what you find are beautifully arranged rooms with big big canvas on the walls or big painting on the wall itself.  Cy Twombly must have thought – is it possible to make a bigger painting.  Thankfully he must’ve had heaps of rooms and room available for that awesome collection. But in addition there was an exhibition of Arctic art, lots of small things made of ivory or bone, like Netsuke from Japan, but different and ancient.

Between white and color, and possibly black or even photo black, the color of shadows.  How much a shadow can be art depends on the texture of the paint or the relief of the sculpture in the paint.  What better paint to make great shadows than white.  White is a beautiful shadow color.

Naturally for white to create shadows you need light off to the right and darkness on the other side of the door.  This way even with the door closed, you know you can see a blinding shadow at any time the door is opened, such is the strength of the white.

So with a little imagination I converted my wall to a canvas.  Not quite a Rothko.  Not anything like a Twombly.  Perhaps not even Picasso. It was easy really.  Just a can of thick ivory arctic white.  I started painting and having done the first coat it was just so great.  Shadows of chaos crept into my mind and introduced the concept of the art. Chaos and the butterfly fluttering through my imagination and Voila !! Frightening the imagination and trapping that fluttering pattern into the shadows of the wall. The canvas of shadows the butterfly behind the door.

Photo: Tersiiska:Flickr, All rights reserved.  Used with Permission.

The Menil Collection:

Brisbane River View – The Eagle

On By cjx07sterIn Australia, Travel, UncategorizedLeave a comment

out there through the curtains of the 7th floor, through the window… other side of the river .. a tall fluted monument in that park.  Time for a walk.  It’s raining ! Not much.. don’t worry.. down the lift and out by the dawn.. Hotel lobby is quiet at least… slip out the front door in the quiet at 5:30am but its cool warm cool. No cars.  Round past the Breakfast Creek and up the road, down again and under the breakfast creek bridge, across to the Newstead park, past the ancient Cunningham fig crawling root fingers down the slope.  There’s white Jasmine on the bike path with a faint smell of romance from the night before.. A single hidden Kigelia,

IMG_2319_1
KIGELIA TREE [African Origin]
with its weighty pods just waiting to drop.  All the while the Brisbane river snakes past upstream in slow bends and boats so quiet you cannot hear a slithering as the tide comes in.

Finally, up there on the hill in the park, the American Australian monument appears. Placed in memory of WWII, mainly for Kokoda and the battle of the Coral Sea, commemorated with an eagle atop a column among the magpies and butcher birds — perched up in the trees – not sleeping perhaps — just above the signs saying ‘watch out’.  An so the eagle watches out over the Brisbane river and beyond. Standing sentinel like a standing stone, menhir and like something akin to the figures on Easter Island, looking out from the grounds of Newstead House, where the Americans camped during the war.

Brisbane River at Dawn
Brisbane River at Dawn

But enough then, the sun is coming up and like others, it’s time to get to work for the day.

All photos: All rights reserved.

The Warning Bell

On By cjx07sterIn TravelLeave a comment
The Clocktower Bellringer Automatons - Father and Son
The Clocktower Bellringer Automatons – Father and Son

“Get the email Jack ?”

“Yeah, got it” Jack said, continuing with his work

“You know John was copied” said Fred

“Didn’t really check, so were about 50 others I guess, but thanks for letting me know” said Fred

“Listen son, its not just father and son these days, you know… there’s a global interest in all things to all men” said Fred, Jack’s dad. “Politics and stuff, more people are interested, not only in how you ring the bell, but when and why and why continue for example.”

“Look Dad !, we’ve been standing up here, rain, hail, salt shine, flooding in the square below since the time of the Doge’s. Ring this bell here, on time I might add, one then the other, striking the hour morning noon and night.”

“Don’t forget the summary strike at noon and midnight though.  I have absolutely no idea why they want the summary strike.” said his dad.

“That’s what the email was about. Didn’t you read it ?”

“Yes I know. people don’t want the summary strike anymore, but I can’t argue the case, because I don’t know the original reason for doing it in the first place.” said his dad.

“There is no reason, other than to say it’s unique.  No other clocktower around does this summary thing. People like unique and innovative like that.”, said the son.

“Yes, but all those people copied, they might agree with the idea to stop it.  Make it like normal. Like other clocktowers”, said his dad.

“Just reply all, you know.. saying….something like… ‘The summary strike captures the imagination to begin counting the arithmetic sum and most people lose count, but those that didn’t lose count stopped and waited down there in the square and for just a few moments were lost in the reverie of counting and for a moment all conversation ceases and its only the peace and quite with the bell ringing’.  Throw some art into it.  That’s why people come here in the first place.” said the son

“OK.. but just remember I’m the guy striking the warning bell.”

“I never forget it”, said the son.