Art MOOC Week 1 - This is Me.

Yippee yippee yay - my new MOOC has started - an introductory 7-week course at Pennsylvania State University. For our first week's assignment we have to do an artwork to introduce ourselves to the rest of the class members (55,000 of them, I believe ...)
This is my introduction (sans the Artist's Statement, which has to accompany each submitted work):

This is Me (recycled tissue papers, proofread pages, newspaper, printed pieces, Indian calendar pages, cotton gauze, mutton cloth,  acrylic ink and paint, embroidery thread).

Reading, doing, watching #6.

Doing
We went to the The Benediction of Shade exhibition at David Krut, which included some amazing prints, as well as a very interesting performance by ||Hui !Gaeb di Khoen (Cape Town’s People). Scroll down the images from the opening, and you will see one very cultured and art-savvy doggie perusing the art. (Actually, she was sniffing the floor, but she did look at the art, can we help it that the photographer chose this undignified moment to snap her?)

We also saw the Changing Faces exhibition at the Barnard Gallery - well worth a visit! Some lovely work there, including a huge etching by William Kentridge in lovely black, grey and red. I also really liked the Robert Slingsby pastel and chalk portrait, Jaco van Schalkwyk's allegorical painting, the title of which refers to this looooooooooooooong lullaby, and John Meyer's A Goal Too High. (Don't you just love narrative paintings? You can imagine an entire story around this single image.)

I celebrated my birthday with cake and champagne. (No photos ...)

Did I mention that I am doing Tai Chi again? (two months now). Yep, I am grasping the swallow's tail, spreading my wings, and so forth ...

Reading I read (or rather, devoured with my eyes) these two books:

Sometimes I think, Sometimes I Am by Sara Fanelli. I love her work!

No, It Is - by William Kentridge.

The first was a b'day prezzie from L'Usband, and the second a b'day prezzie from myself.

Watching
... my tomatoes grow ... teeny, and quite by accident ...

Have a great week, dear friends. May it be filled with awesome art, and maybe a tomato or two.

Making books.

I recently made two different books in Colleen's studio. (Actually three - but the third one will only be shown once it has something in it.)
Stitched binding book with hard cover:

Concertina book with hard covers:

Aren't they beautiful? I used a lovely paper, given to me by a generous friend, for the covers.

The Games We Play - book.

I printed the Games We Play series on handmade (by moi) paper and bound it into a simple book - concertina spine structure with pages sewn in. I covered it with a textured and fibrous paper with a lovely rough deckle - I dyed it to try and match the look of the etchings. I also dyed the thread that I used to stitch the pages. I must still do the title on the front page and the colophon. I have practised stencilling and stamping the title - neither really looks right - so I am now wondering whether I should make an etching with the title and then attach it to the front somehow ... What do you think?

New art works.

A few weeks ago I acquired these stunning etchings by Colleen Ross. The dark psychological undertones (or are they overtones? hmmm ....) can be quite disturbing, and make these etchings all the more powerful.
Pretty Ballerinas by Colleen Ross

The Mother's Boyfriend by Colleen Ross.

Hiding the Ugly.

A lot of ugly things do not bother me. As my granny used to say, in an (unsuccessful) attempt to make me feel better about looking, well, odd:  it is the inside that counts, my dear. But there are some ugly things that I will not abide. Take an ugly electrical cord against a wall, for example.

Or the broken base of a reading lamp, cleverly fixed with metres of masking tape, and still functional, but aesthetically very unappealing.  (This desk lamp is the best one in the house, I have to add, and was knocked over by one naughty little doggie - who will remain nameless - diving for the living room window in an attempt to scare unsuspecting passing dogs).

UGLeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeY!

So I made little covers for the various offenses to my aesthetic sensibilities (neatly embroidered by moi, not the aesthetic sensibilities,obviously, but the covers) from pink ribbon ...

and grey twill tape ...

and a bit of an old black knitted top.

Trip to Napier.

Oh, my goodness. Almost two weeks have passed since my last post. I have seen two print exhibitions (see here and here) , been to a concert of exquisite tango music by the Cape Town Tango Ensemble (listen here), attended a picnic at Kirstenbosch, purchased two beautiful etchings, taken a trip to Napier, made some stuff, done some studying, constructed a book. In short, I have been a busy little bee.

Napier is the village in the Overberg where my dad grew up.

Farm road outside Napier.

Exploring the garden at tranquil and pet-friendly Driftwood Cottage (yay for the Reyburns!) .

Making friends with the cheeky dachsie at Wild Thyme (well worth a visit for the very delish tapas-style menu).

Visiting my dad, Ouma & Oupa Ver.

From Napier it is just a short drive to Struisbaai. This is the harbour view (with my bro' on the left, looking for stingrays). Sadly the harbour area may soon be developed, losing its quaint and unique character.

Snous playing the fool at the Red Windmill outside Napier.

Have a great weekend, dear friends! Take a road trip, or if you do not have time, a simple drive, yes, just a tiny little journey is what you need to revive your spirits and renew your inspiration ...