Summertime.

.. and the livin' is easy .....

Worry.

Waiting.

... for stuff to arrive and for other stuff to go; for things to stop, and for others to start; for things to change & for other things to go back to the way they were.

WTF??

When it comes to the way people act, there is some stuff I just don't get ...

Not character building.

Stubborn.

What I think.

Quiet Mind.

Take a break sometimes. It is good for you.

Kindness.

Dreams.

Don't speak to me.

 Sometimes the noise in one's head is of one's own making.

My Artist's Statement.

Not long ago I was asked to provide my artist's statement for a group exhibition. I thought and thought and agonized a bit and then agonized some more and finally wrote two short paragraphs in simple English to describe what it was that I was after. And was then inspired to write a short poem to add to my statement. So after all this effort and agony I was rather taken aback when at the opening my work was displayed without my artist's statement whereas none of the other artists' statements were missing.  Hmmmmmm ....

I really do want to believe the curator when she explained that mine went missing by accident .  But in my weaker moments I do wonder about it .... I tend to avoid words and phrases like narrative, multiple layers of meaning, deconstruction of the opacity of politics, emergent transformative oeuvre, feminist discourse and so forth.  My (missing) artist's statement certainly did not sound as academic as most of the others on display. Or maybe it was the poem? I guess one is not supposed to write a poem as part of one's statement. But hey! My poem did not rhyme - that should count for something!!

Next time I am going to use this to write my artist's statement.

Happy Birthday!!

The Little Bookcase is 1 year old, and a good year that has been. People are using it, taking books and leaving their own books to be shared.

Happy Birthday, dear Little Bookcase! May you have a long and happy life, and may your tummy always be filled with good stuff.

Small Thoughts.

I often have them. Nothing deep, or witty, or brilliant necessarily. Just small thoughts.

Small Thoughts I (collage, stitching, pen and ink drawing, found object)

Small Thoughts II (collage, stitching, pen and ink drawing, found object)

Small Thoughts III (collage, stitching, pen and ink drawing, found object)

The Persistence of Memory.

It was a privilege to be part of The Persistence of Memory exhibition at Untitled Studios, for which I submitted my three Marikana canvases and papier mâché bowls.

(Photographs: L'Usband, Colleen Ross)

Atypical History.

Atypical History I(collage, paint, knitting and stitching on canvas)

Atypical History II (collage, paint, knitting and stitching on canvas)

Atypical History III (collage, paint, knitting and stitching on canvas)

Atypical History IV (collage, paint, knitting and stitching on canvas)

Remember Marikana - installation.

A simple installation I did today to Remember Marikana. The names of those who died are written on cotton strips and tied to a fence overlooking the sea.

Remember Marikana 16/08/2012.

Today is the 3rd commemoration of the events at Marikana. 34 miners were killed by police on this day, and another 11 people died in the period immediately before and after the 16th.

Remember Marikana I (mixed media canvas with dry point etching, paint, ink, cotton gauze and stitching, with papier mache bowl and printed photographs)

Remember Marikana II (mixed media canvas with dry point etching, paint, cotton gauze and stitching, with papier mache bowl and printed photographs)

Remember Marikana III (mixed media canvas with dry point etching, paint, cotton gauze and stitching, with papier mache bowl and printed photographs)

"The Marikana massacre is about a fundamental failure of leadership from the lowest to the highest echelons of our leadership structures, starting with the labour movements, the mining houses and our instruments of democratic administration as well as a blatant shirking of political accountability at the highest levels."

Prof.  Tinyiko Maluleke 

Freedom Is Within You.

Today is Freedom Day. Colleen Ross and I did an installation between Fish Hoek and Glencairn:

(Last photo by Colleen Ross)

You breathe like me - you bleed like me.

As part of City Walks last Saturday a group of African artists staged a powerful performance / intervention to protest against the horrific xenophobia which is once again sweeping our country (remember 2008 ...). They are arranged around a woman posed like a statue with raised arms. The placard below her reads: "You breathe like me - you bleed like me", The viewers are invited to hug the statue - "Hug an African". It was an incredibly moving experience. We have the people, the skills, and the resources to be the greatest continent on Earth. Somehow we have to make it work.

More Play.

More photos of the City Walk (Play Saturday) initiative.
This woman dished out cones with soil and a sprinkling of sunflower seeds. I planted mine in the Company Gardens - and look forward to it blooming!


These guys are part of #100AfricanReads - a group of artists and students who read from books by African authors and dressed up in beautifully colourful clothes.

This woman was part of a fire dancing group - unfortunately you can't see the fire  - but it was pretty spectacular!

More #100AfricanReads.

A mime artist

A game of big chess - for big and little players!

A game of scrabble in progress ...

More #100AfricanReads

A girl posing ...

More #100AfricanReads

Artists and lecturer Andrew Putter talking to a group of people about his design students' installation on the Fan Walk - all done with the paper from till rolls!

These guys did a fantastic harmonising number - they were truly amazing!

Jazz music on St Georges' Mall ...

This woman was dressed up and ready to rock!