Holga panoramic, medium format film, black and white

The Osmosis Exhibition, this year is focussing on the backdrop to Hobart, Mount Wellington. It is a feature of nearly every twist and turn as you traverse the surrounding suburbs, highways, hills and valleys and highlights the dropping sun at the end of each day. Formed with pillars of dolerite forced up in a molten form the rocks are weathering away over time forming deep crevices and and a stark landscape of cluster formations of resistant shapes.

Keeping a journal is a compulsion once it has become a part of research practice. Putting paint to paper is one way of making a mark. The above watercolour filled the pages after a visit to a South Arm beach. Below is a gouache of my sisters house nestled in the trees she planted years ago.

The third is an acrylic sketch of Kata Tjuta painted from memory. There is something very relaxing about painting! Whether or not viewing them has the same effect… well that’s another matter.

Women of Continents, etching, 2003

These travelers and trail blazers defied the expectations of the modern society of their day to divert from the well trodden paths and delve into aspects of living that went beyond their known boundaries. Either physically through risky travel adventures or resettlement to becoming prominent in their chosen field of work, these women provide a research dream with great depth and interest in the material they have left behind. It was, and still is, a journey on foot.

Some sort of sewing machine owned by Florence Parbury

I think I am lucky with all the wonderful women I have discovered in my family.

And I have only just begun. But I do think that this story is the story of all of us.

People do have interesting lives, after all.

Florence Parbury, self portrait from her 1909 book “The Emerald Set With Pearls”

Recently I spent a day in the archives of the Macpherson Trust in Melbourne. John Macpherson was the first colonial settler in what is now Canberra. He built a small stone house on a hill that has now become Springbank Island following the development of Lake Burley Griffin. He and his wife Helen (nee Watson) had arrived in Australia from Scotland to build a new life. I am yet to paddle out to the island to visit the home of my forebears. Research can be adventurous as well as turning you cross eyed with endless pieces of paper and complicated family trees.

painting of John Macpherson of Nerrin Nerrin

The Macpherson Trust enjoys the benefit of the early endevours of these determined colonial settlers, but the information about the Macpherson history was sadly researched in the archive. So this is where I hope to fill in some of the gaps over the next couple of years. I have set this as a loose goal as the first hurdle to jump over is getting to the Uk to follow up n the leads so far gathered.

Peter Macpherson gathered his family of eight children and sailed to Hobart on the Triton arriving in 1825 before sailing on to Sydney. The eldest son, John, also had the company of his newly wed, Helen Watson (a Scottish Highland tradition of retaining the maiden name) and he was born on the Isle of Skye.

ceramic piece

One of the most interesting items in the collection for me is the small handful of china chips found on the Macpherson house site. Were they used by John and Helen? They are quite thick which suggests they were made in Australia rather than imported from England where the process had been more refined. It agrees with my personal aesthetic for ceramic pieces with weight.

Helen Macpherson nee Watson of Nerrin Nerrin

So where is the beginning or do beginnings simply mean a moment in time captured by a flash of interest? My journey on foot continues.

So it has taken me a while to put a film through my new but old Minolta Autocord L built in 1955. Slow in part because of the usual bevy of excuses of a busy life and partly becuase it is a little daunting. Just handling a lovely old piece of equipment that fits neatly into the realm of antique requires some consideration, let alone actually using it. But cameras were built to be used, and the Minolta Autocord is certainly an interesting camera to use.

The first film reveals the incredible clarity of the medium format image and the wonderful depth of field. I concentrated on just getting used ot handling the camera and consequently ended up guessing my exposure triangle which resulted in some over-exposed images, however the medium format meant that all the detail was there, it just needed some small adjustments in the levels.

I think there is a time and place for each camera that I have and the Autocord is going to be a valued member of my camera family.

Blackbirds are introduced of course, but they are very much at home in the suburban garden and they have quite a few advantages. I have one pair who have been nesting in my garden for three years (that I have been watching) and they have claimed the section of the garden where my vegies are. They are brilliant at ferreting through the compost, tossing the pathways into a neat arch and chasing away other Blackbirds and Starlings. They don’t seem to worry about the honeyeaters like the Crescent Honeyeater below that have started ot visit the two native plants in this section.

My interst in the birds that visit my garden was fueled by a gift from my Dad in 1992, The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds. He even wrote on the inside of the front cover “Happy Xmas 1992, Dad”. It was a difficult year for us with the death of my brother, so this was a significant gesture and I make sure I use the guide every year as acknowledgement. This year I pondered the huge amount of work it would have been to paint each bird, document and may their appearance, habits and habitat so that anyone can pick up the book and locate the bird they are seeing. Author and artist Peter Slater collaborated with his with Pat and son Raoul to produce the guide, first published in 1986.

Despite my interest in watching the feathered visitors to my garden and sometimes trying to capture an image of one when I’m out and about, I would vigorously resist being drawn into the world of the twitcher and dedication to photographing birds on a serios scale. I’ve probably already spent too many laboured frustrated minutes, hours, trying to photograph the rapidly moving targets with equipment made for far less rigorous pursuits.

So back to Dad. I thought I would check in on the transcribing I have been doing from his WWII diaries – and haven’t been doing in recent months – and see what he was doing for Xmas in 1942. He is a POW in Italy, and as the time ticks by slowly the flurry of food sent form Britain for Christmas was quite an event to celebrate. There is also a stage performance to cap the day off at which my father was a tailor creating dresses out of towels and whatever else he could find. He had been trained as a window dresser prior to enlistment and his sewing skills were very useful as a POW. Cheers to you John Langdon.

Christmas Day FRIDAY 1942

Instead of the usual entry I am making this one more
detailed first of all the thing that made life pleasant
the parcel, it contains a pound tin of beef steak pudding
steak and macaroons Xmas pudding and Xmas cake
a half pound of chocolate biscuits butter and jam
a ¼ lb tin of sweets and ¼ lb of chocolate 3 1oz
bars of sugar and 3oz of cheese. I rose at ten in
good time for the stew but at 7.30 I went to Jim’s
for my Dixie of tea and came back to a decent
feed I shared the tea with another Jim here in the
hut and he milked it. I had half a loaf some
cheese chocolate biscuits and fruit at this meal
and lay back until I felt inclined to get up wash and
have a shave, before I got up the free canteen issue
arrived a bottle of beer four apples three tangerines
and oranges onions, by the time I had cleaned up. I
put the issue of pumpkin – also free- into my stew with
some onion and when the stew did arrive it was a
very special effort really thick and with the pump-
-kin was a really satisfying full Dixie, shortly after
this the bread and cheese came the tea came up
and I had half a tin of maconichies saved till now
and a portion of Xmas pudding with condensed
milk helped down with sweet tit bits or an apple.
at this stage I was really full uncomfortably so and
when the bread and cheese came I saved the ‘cob’
and tried to eat the cheese – I couldn’t. After
a short ‘rest’ I went to see Jim to get the loaf
he promised me for a pair of tweezers, on getting
the loaf he handed me a Dixie and being so full
myself I thought I’ll give this to the fellows in the hut thinking
that it was tea but my surprise and consternation was
unsurpassed when I found it to be full of solid “cooks”
stew, here was a situation, I was full as I not known
for some months and unable to eat good solid food
anyway I put it in my flat Dixie and wrapped it up
to keep it warm. After moving about a bit to the Rec hut
with Jim it went down very well and I am sure I
could not have eaten it all, from this until three thirty
I sat on my bed writing and ‘resting’ at 3.30 the tea
tea came up – far too early and I have nothing
until after four and at four thirty I set off with
Phil to the concert getting the characters dressed for
their parts. I spent a busy time on them until six when
the show commenced, I stayed all the time doing the
necessary running repairs and was kept on my feet
all the while. At the end of the show a Dixie of tea
was provided and I filled mine right up mixing in cocoa
and brought it back to the hut sharing it with Jim, all
the evening I had stood a tin for each of us on the fire
of steak and tomato pudding and brought them back
as well, it was a lovely meal after the evenings hard
work I turned the pudding out whole on my tin plate and
it was perfect floating in rich gravy, I had half a loaf
with it and afterwards rested getting into bed about
10.30 and talked until 1 am eating the rest of my sweets
and chocolate biscuits at the same time!!! At the end
of the show Phil and I were presented as tailors etc I was
rather pleased with that for it somewhat rewarded our
efforts of the past few weeks although the work itself
is very good a reward being a “very good show.”

Ochre rich glazed bowl

The last firing for my study year had some interesting results. Stepping aside from my ongoing project concerned with the acknowledgment of the female forebears of my family and returning to the quest for working with found clay I had three bowls with three different results.

One was a return to the ochre rich glaze I have been struggling to control. This example has the beautiful soft matt surface and gentle moss like glow in right light that I am seeking. Replicating it is always the problem, and also stopping pieces from peeling away in firing. Or perhaps these characteristics are just a part of the story of the glaze?

Shino glazed bowl

The clay for the shino glazes was collected on my recent trip to Central Australia. The small samples provided enough material to create a little glaze and it is exciting to note the huge variation in the finishes. Apart from the extensive free radicals of iron spots (and other?) one bowl has a lovely soft glow of purple and grey in the right light and the other is a direct reference to the rich olive greens of the flora. They look like they have come from the earth.

Shino glazed bowl

It would be good to continue working with ceramics, but first there is the issue of a studio set up!

Sandy Brown is a UK ceramic artist working in large scale sculptural forms and mixed media. She has been visiting Australia and generously working with ceramicists with hugely varied backgrounds to develop new skills and further explore their own paths. (photo by Jude Maisch)

I was lucky to be a participant in a weekend workshop in Hobart. We began by working with a large piece of clay for 30 minutes and exploring the medium with our hands only and allowing them to control the outcome rather than conscious thought. This was my result….

The second exercise was to keep our eyes closed for the 30 minutes of clay exploration. This was very interesting to do as it allowed the tactile to memory to be the leader rather than visual interpretation. This was my piece at the end…

The final 30 minute exercise was to make 30 objects. I approached this one by creating 5 groups of 6.

On the second day Sandy gave a fabulous demonstration of applying slip to raw forms in a meditative and deliberate manner yet with a freedom of expression.

It was a very enjoyable weekend and if any more Sandy Brown workshops cross my path I will surely be there.

Mount Wellington is the chosen location for Osmosis 2013 and as it is my favourite place to dabble I have made an early investigation and come up with a project idea. I intend to do a walk or visit every week and photograph using the Holga Panoramic with Tri X 400 film. I hope to have a darkroom set up over the next couple of months and be able to start printing my own photographs again. So love the Black and White photographs. The intention is to have about 50 photographs that describe the mountain adventures in all its seasonal changes. I want to look at the broad views and the small ecosystems. So one week down with a walk to the Newtwon Falls. I took 6 photos which is a whole film for the panoramic camera. This cave like rock was the last photo I took. Interestingly the rock at the falls site is peppered with sea shell fossils. Such a different world existed here, now so high up above sea level.

For Jeremy with Love is an interactive print work which encourages viewers to consider the theme and take part in transforming the piece. The theme considers the manner in which we engage with the ocean, revealing the richness of what lies beneath the shiny water surface and, with the act of replacing a single print with sea life with one that is only water thus visually altering the balance of sea life and water.

Etching and linocut, variable open edition, installation comprising of 100 prints and 100 replacement prints, 10 x 15cm each

Fading Facts

• repressed, earth sealed,
• memory box
• broken: dreams: concealed
• reveal fading facts

Ceramic forms, digital projection of progressive graphite drawing, digital print of Holga medium format film photograph.

Timeline, the intention for this work is to celebrate the lives of the female forebears of my family line. So often resigned to the birth and death records the impressive achievements and characteristics of their lives become lost in time.

Ceramic forms, celery top pine plank

Painting in the outback was a great way to engage with the location. Sometimes with random events like a gust of wind in the river bed dusting the suface of a painting with fine sand! I love the moments that allow the process to be interrupted.

Paintings created using mostly Golden acrylic paint, especially from the Open range which has a slower drying time.