Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Avalon, Isle of beads
So Instead of our planned trip to Canberra, we enjoyed a slower start to the day and a trip to Avalon. "The cook's larder" provided a gorgeous lunch and the remainder of the days daylight was spent in Mayagems, a fantastic beadshop run by wonderful people.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Do your research first!
Firstly, a morning of work at MDAA. To catch the Blue mountains train I scurried out of there and made the train by seconds the same with my connection. All this rushing was in aid of meeting up with Aleks (on time) on one of his "I'm coming to Sydney.....tomorrow and only spending 3 days there" trips.
Dougie, Aleks and I had lunch in a popular noodle joint next to Kinokuniya at TGV.
We filled each other I on our lives thus far. After a slight browse through the bookshop Aleks left to purchase some dancing shoes. Dougie and I continued our browsing and after a while caught the train home to find that a copy of "Waiting for Godot" was not amongst our book collection. Dougie would have to attend his literature class without one, a fact made more irritating by the fact we had been in a rather large book shop not a short time ago....alas.
Tomorrow we had planned to take a day trip to Canberra. Ostensibly to hand in my British passport renewal application. That done the rest of the day would be spent at the National Art Gallery and the Glassworks. I quickly reviewed my passport paperwork to find that I needed to reprint one page, so off to the British Embassy website....
Only to find out that practically days ago a new procedure had been put in place that allows applications to ONLY be processed through Australia Post outlets.... for a fee. The passport renewal fee has also been raised. All up it will cost $467.
OUCH. If I didn't need a 100 points of ID so much...
Next Dougie finds out that the glassworks is closed Monday and Tuesday.
It would have been a really annoying day had none of this information been revealed until tomorrow.
Dougie, Aleks and I had lunch in a popular noodle joint next to Kinokuniya at TGV.
We filled each other I on our lives thus far. After a slight browse through the bookshop Aleks left to purchase some dancing shoes. Dougie and I continued our browsing and after a while caught the train home to find that a copy of "Waiting for Godot" was not amongst our book collection. Dougie would have to attend his literature class without one, a fact made more irritating by the fact we had been in a rather large book shop not a short time ago....alas.
Tomorrow we had planned to take a day trip to Canberra. Ostensibly to hand in my British passport renewal application. That done the rest of the day would be spent at the National Art Gallery and the Glassworks. I quickly reviewed my passport paperwork to find that I needed to reprint one page, so off to the British Embassy website....
Only to find out that practically days ago a new procedure had been put in place that allows applications to ONLY be processed through Australia Post outlets.... for a fee. The passport renewal fee has also been raised. All up it will cost $467.
OUCH. If I didn't need a 100 points of ID so much...
Next Dougie finds out that the glassworks is closed Monday and Tuesday.
It would have been a really annoying day had none of this information been revealed until tomorrow.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Clean up and the 53rd Venice Biennale special glass event
The glass department got a very thorough scrub this morning to be bright eyed and bushy tailed for next semester (and holiday classes). It's amazing where little bits of glass go.
For the second time in the space of three days we ended up at the red lion for a drink and lunch (fills a gap but nought else). It was a bigger group this time a mix of years with the addition of Andrew and Marcus.
This years Venice biennale, the 53rd of it's type is introducing a new event featuring 35 (according to urban glass quarterly) or 45 (according to Domus) contemporary artist's working in glass. The exhibition is "Glass stress". Searching the Biennale website for details of it however was not fruitfull.
Whitewall has an article and so does Domus web
Layered defences by Marya Kazoun. (2008)
For the second time in the space of three days we ended up at the red lion for a drink and lunch (fills a gap but nought else). It was a bigger group this time a mix of years with the addition of Andrew and Marcus.
This years Venice biennale, the 53rd of it's type is introducing a new event featuring 35 (according to urban glass quarterly) or 45 (according to Domus) contemporary artist's working in glass. The exhibition is "Glass stress". Searching the Biennale website for details of it however was not fruitfull.
Whitewall has an article and so does Domus web
Layered defences by Marya Kazoun. (2008)
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Artist of the day
As I was searching for artists using myth, folk & fairy tales in their work I found a site called Taxidermy: Ravishing beasts which led me to a group of artists who call themselves the idiots
who use taxidermy and mixed media.
"Getting into science" & "Ophelia" are close favourites..Mickey was amusing also.
who use taxidermy and mixed media.
"Getting into science" & "Ophelia" are close favourites..Mickey was amusing also.
Filing as meditation
A full day at MDAA.
I'm sure I entered some sort of meditative state as I sat and labeled and refiled from 9.30am to 6.30pm.
I have started reading "Dreaming again" an Australian Fantasy Anthology edited by Jack Dann (2008)
On the train I read: "The constant past" by Sean McMullen., "The forest" by Kim Wilkins., and "Robots and zombies, inc." by Lucy Sussex.
Home for Celery soup and toast.
I'm sure I entered some sort of meditative state as I sat and labeled and refiled from 9.30am to 6.30pm.
I have started reading "Dreaming again" an Australian Fantasy Anthology edited by Jack Dann (2008)
On the train I read: "The constant past" by Sean McMullen., "The forest" by Kim Wilkins., and "Robots and zombies, inc." by Lucy Sussex.
Home for Celery soup and toast.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Assessment day
After our assessments and time spent in the hot shop as the building was off limits unless you were being assessed.
Some of us assisted Trish with some blowing she was doing...though really assisted sounds more than it was.
We packed up and piled into Debs car off to the Red Lion for a celebratory drink.
We all went our separate ways, though for myself it was back to uni to do some bottle crushing for Nola's mosaic project. Sabrina is going to fuse a lot of it next week.
The second years were all putting up their own pieces for assessment. Very exciting, though no small amount of stress flowed through the air.
Hopefully we'll all be as good next year. Good luck you lot!
Dougie picked me and all my glass up at 4.30, we got home and I fell asleep.
Some of us assisted Trish with some blowing she was doing...though really assisted sounds more than it was.
We packed up and piled into Debs car off to the Red Lion for a celebratory drink.
We all went our separate ways, though for myself it was back to uni to do some bottle crushing for Nola's mosaic project. Sabrina is going to fuse a lot of it next week.
The second years were all putting up their own pieces for assessment. Very exciting, though no small amount of stress flowed through the air.
Hopefully we'll all be as good next year. Good luck you lot!
Dougie picked me and all my glass up at 4.30, we got home and I fell asleep.
Assessment day
Semester one is over.
Four months have flashed past though the amount of learning and experiences in that four months feels ve
ry intense. A lot has been packed into that time. Like a concertina..
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Visual Diary wall
I have decided to keep a visual diary wall that i'll take a photo of every month or more depending on how it fills up.
wireless worries and working in the cold room
At this stage it doesn't look as though i'll get the eee pc (linux) set up for wireless in time to present it as my visual diary..which this blog also manages to be.
In the cold room I tried out the cork belt on the linisher. Not sure I like the result as it left streaky marks on the previously shiny (ceriumed) glass. I re ceriumed it and possibly achieved a better result. May be I had the order wrong.
The large bubble I blew a while back is looking better. I polished the sandblasted pattern and I quite like the look of it. For next time I would sandblast it deeper so there would be a higher relief. Letting the nail varnish I used for the mask would also work better if left to dry for longer.
I only let it dry over night. 2 days and even the thick bits are hard.
In the cold room I tried out the cork belt on the linisher. Not sure I like the result as it left streaky marks on the previously shiny (ceriumed) glass. I re ceriumed it and possibly achieved a better result. May be I had the order wrong.
The large bubble I blew a while back is looking better. I polished the sandblasted pattern and I quite like the look of it. For next time I would sandblast it deeper so there would be a higher relief. Letting the nail varnish I used for the mask would also work better if left to dry for longer.
I only let it dry over night. 2 days and even the thick bits are hard.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Filing and waiting on the phone
Work at MDAA this morning..then to uni.
After gritblasting my large bubble ( & removing the nail varnish mask) I made another attempt to get my eee pc wireless at Uni.
Hours later still not hooked up but hopeful (thanks to Robert at IT support) I realised I had not done any cold working..so that's making tomorrow a bit tighter than expected but should get it all done.
After gritblasting my large bubble ( & removing the nail varnish mask) I made another attempt to get my eee pc wireless at Uni.
Hours later still not hooked up but hopeful (thanks to Robert at IT support) I realised I had not done any cold working..so that's making tomorrow a bit tighter than expected but should get it all done.
Artist of the day
Virginia Lee
:
Tree girl (2003).
mixed media.
:A gallery of mythical, magical, surrealistic art, inspired by fairy tales, folklore and themes of transformation
Tree girl (2003).
mixed media.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Artist of the Day
Pinocchio and the Shark, 1996
Etching on white wove paper
12" x 9 5/8" (30.5 x 24.4 cm)
Artist's proof
Cellar Stairs, 2001
Hand-colored etching on cream wove paper
5 3/4" x 9 1/8" (14.6 x 23.2 cm)
From the True Vintage, 1996
Hand-colored etching on cream laid paper, mounted on thin off-white laid paper
6 1/2" x 5 1/8" (16 x 12.8 cm)
Disjointed blade runner
There was a brief patch of sun delivered today between 8 and 9 am. The occasional shower occasioned every half hour.
A quiet day with Dougie caught in the headlights of utube whilst I struggled with setting up a wireless account on my laptop for uni which looks as though it won't be doable. Linux OS are off the radar at the moment..hmmm so what was plan B to show my online visual diary huh?
I planned out the next couple of days to fit my assessment tasks in plus work, polished and washed various bits of glass.
Dinner was eggplant curry, dahl & rice with chocolate mousse after a short story reading from Neil Gaiman's "fragile things".
Against my more sensible sensibilities I thought it would be a good idea to watch blade runner..which turned out to be highly frustrating as the copy we have started to stutter..and between it's inability to stop and Dougie's insistence it would get better (but never did) tonight is a little late.
ah well it is the weekend after all.
A quiet day with Dougie caught in the headlights of utube whilst I struggled with setting up a wireless account on my laptop for uni which looks as though it won't be doable. Linux OS are off the radar at the moment..hmmm so what was plan B to show my online visual diary huh?
I planned out the next couple of days to fit my assessment tasks in plus work, polished and washed various bits of glass.
Dinner was eggplant curry, dahl & rice with chocolate mousse after a short story reading from Neil Gaiman's "fragile things".
Against my more sensible sensibilities I thought it would be a good idea to watch blade runner..which turned out to be highly frustrating as the copy we have started to stutter..and between it's inability to stop and Dougie's insistence it would get better (but never did) tonight is a little late.
ah well it is the weekend after all.
Friday, June 19, 2009
In the cold room again, week 15
Well Today was spent yet again in the cold working room shared with Katie (all day) Kate, Llana and elective students every now and then.
"the Cube (bane of my life)" : fissured while being pumiced but is still whole & ceriumed.
"unidentified cast object" : hand lapped at 400 & 600. Wheel pumiced and ceriumed.
"various tumblers" : lathed with the cerium pad.
Dougie picked me up at 4.30 upon whence I demanded coffee and cake..which we had at Sappho's second hand book shop in Glebe. We then carried on to see if Hoyts at Broadway had something not too Awful..which turned out to be a movie version of the scifi novel "The land of the lost".
It was very veryvery silly.
Sashimi and plum wine after the film filled any gap there was after a half a small tub of popcorn.
Seriously it WAS the smallest they offer.
"the Cube (bane of my life)" : fissured while being pumiced but is still whole & ceriumed.
"unidentified cast object" : hand lapped at 400 & 600. Wheel pumiced and ceriumed.
"various tumblers" : lathed with the cerium pad.
Dougie picked me up at 4.30 upon whence I demanded coffee and cake..which we had at Sappho's second hand book shop in Glebe. We then carried on to see if Hoyts at Broadway had something not too Awful..which turned out to be a movie version of the scifi novel "The land of the lost".
It was very veryvery silly.
Sashimi and plum wine after the film filled any gap there was after a half a small tub of popcorn.
Seriously it WAS the smallest they offer.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Filling the well
Yesterday Dougie suggested that first I then we should have an hour a day to spend on our individual creative stuff. Writing for him and visual for me.
So whilst the fennel, potato and water cress soup was on the stove I mucked about with my water colours.
Good idea Douglas! (said other was too annoyed with the work investigation to write but spent his time researching a link between T.S. Eliot and French poet Jules Laforgue).
So whilst the fennel, potato and water cress soup was on the stove I mucked about with my water colours.
Good idea Douglas! (said other was too annoyed with the work investigation to write but spent his time researching a link between T.S. Eliot and French poet Jules Laforgue).
Cold working, week 15
Today was spent in the cold room
"the cube" : hand lapping at 600 grit
"Paperweight well" : Grinding, hand lapping at 400 & 600 grit, pumice and cerium on wheel.
nice and polished.
I'm possibly beggining to hate the cube.
COld working i'm begining to think should be done in the summer. My fingers can barely type after all that cold water.
I suppose it doesn't help with the day being dreary cold and wet.
Ah well.
"the cube" : hand lapping at 600 grit
"Paperweight well" : Grinding, hand lapping at 400 & 600 grit, pumice and cerium on wheel.
nice and polished.
I'm possibly beggining to hate the cube.
COld working i'm begining to think should be done in the summer. My fingers can barely type after all that cold water.
I suppose it doesn't help with the day being dreary cold and wet.
Ah well.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Study vacation? week 14
I still have a cold. This week was meant to be one of the weeks to get practical work done for our assessments however from experience I KNOW not to do practical work when I have a cold. Memories of cutting skirt lengths too short convinced i had the right measurement and ruining drawings convince me that I should just concentrate on my visual diary (blog) that at least can be edited if I really stuff up.
I just thought i'd add that Utube is evil... or a great test for will power.
People are just so very creative and amusing that it is hard to keep away.
I just thought i'd add that Utube is evil... or a great test for will power.
People are just so very creative and amusing that it is hard to keep away.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Glass tech, week 13
Continuing on with our casting project, we spent this class in the cold room being assisted and directed by Eliot Brand who has been filling in for Marcus who is on paternity leave.
Our project is to have the base ground, polished and beveled.
All machines and students got a work out.
This class was also Jaime's last official 'glass' class. She is moving onto photography next semester.
Good luck and don't forget to come and visit.
Our project is to have the base ground, polished and beveled.
All machines and students got a work out.
This class was also Jaime's last official 'glass' class. She is moving onto photography next semester.
Good luck and don't forget to come and visit.
Glass studio, Week 13
Any questions about your assessment?
A first year introduction into what is expected of you for your first semester assessment.
ah..better get cracking then.
A first year introduction into what is expected of you for your first semester assessment.
ah..better get cracking then.
Artist of the Day
Heike Brachlow
Movement V
Part of the attraction for these pieces is that you are invited to touch which starts off a circular movement....which could cause a few worried moments :)
Heike is currently pursuing a research degree at the Royal College of Art in London on "Shaping colour: density, light and form in solid glass sculpture".
Movement V
Part of the attraction for these pieces is that you are invited to touch which starts off a circular movement....which could cause a few worried moments :)
Heike is currently pursuing a research degree at the Royal College of Art in London on "Shaping colour: density, light and form in solid glass sculpture".
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Glass artists - casting glass
I have a short assignment to choose a glass artist who generally uses casting as thier form of expression. I thought as we were being given this "oh how easy..i'll do Tessa Clegg". I saw a piece of hers and instantly loved it...with some light research I found I only like SOME of her stuff. Not that likeing is a prerequisite but I feel as though IF i'm doing research I may as well like it..after all I'm doing this because I want to...i'm not getting paid to do this!
So after leafing through some current journals for interesting artists in the 'filed' (such a freudian slip there...does it count if typed? hmmm) FIELD of glass casting I have plumped for(an interesting saying one I will have to look up later) either Heike Brachlow or Rob Snyder.
A hard choice as to whom. What will tip me I think will be my idea of what the school teaching wishes, which of course has an artistic bias.
So after leafing through some current journals for interesting artists in the 'filed' (such a freudian slip there...does it count if typed? hmmm) FIELD of glass casting I have plumped for(an interesting saying one I will have to look up later) either Heike Brachlow or Rob Snyder.
A hard choice as to whom. What will tip me I think will be my idea of what the school teaching wishes, which of course has an artistic bias.
Artist of the Day
Rob Snyder
Cocoon II
cocoon II
cast glass
14×8x8
2007
Nest
cast glass
6’ diameter x 12’’
2007
I like the way the work is still large.. like a lot of glass cast works but made up of smaller individual pieces.
Cocoon II
cocoon II
cast glass
14×8x8
2007
Nest
cast glass
6’ diameter x 12’’
2007
I like the way the work is still large.. like a lot of glass cast works but made up of smaller individual pieces.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Hot shop, Week 13
The demonstration for this weeks class was an ashtray. A heavy roccoco type twirly thing.
Andrew's had bubbles but the 'real thing' would have been highly coloured not clear glass with the extra addition of gold leaf as well. 'Gaudy' I think was the term Andrew used.
However the demonstration was used to show a more organic way of pushing the glass around.
it's out of the kiln now so i'll get a snap.
We (the student's) continued on with our tumblers and colour.
hhmm, I think I know why they used colour..something to look at apart from cigarette butts.
Andrew's had bubbles but the 'real thing' would have been highly coloured not clear glass with the extra addition of gold leaf as well. 'Gaudy' I think was the term Andrew used.
However the demonstration was used to show a more organic way of pushing the glass around.
it's out of the kiln now so i'll get a snap.
We (the student's) continued on with our tumblers and colour.
hhmm, I think I know why they used colour..something to look at apart from cigarette butts.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Artist of the Day
Tessa Clegg
You can see some of her work at
Rotting Dean & Down Artist Gallery
Barrett marsden Gallery
Turner Museum of Glass
Two of my favourite pieces.
TC 20
You can see some of her work at
Rotting Dean & Down Artist Gallery
Barrett marsden Gallery
Turner Museum of Glass
Two of my favourite pieces.
TC 20
Monday, June 1, 2009
Glass studio, 'glass tool & self'-11
Spike Deane
Sarah Davies
Deb Robinson.
'Under the milky way tonight'
Jon
Nadine
Joori
Anna
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