Always on this Line

So the time has come around to submit to the Annual Kickarts Insider Postcard Exhibition, with the theme of 'line'. Last year I attemped to create work for it no less than four times! But nothing stuck and I couldn't come up with anything I could happily submit for my inaugural exhibited artwork. But this year there was no more excuses, and I have been chipping away at this 8x10 piece reguarly and am almost about to post it away. I am considering making a matching soft doll as a sculptural piece but that I haven't started. One piece is a great start. If you are looking for a piece of intricate, textile artistry for a wall near you exhibition opens on Friday 24th April 2009, silent bidding starts at just $40. Be there or be square xx.

A time comes to say goodbye

It is about time that I farewell to North Queensland, the place that has been my home for eight years. There are so many moments and memories that I will cherish fondly, for old times sake I'd like to name a few:

• Swimming in the pool with my neighborhood friends in our house in Pease Street everyday, many times a day in the summer of 2001
• Hiking up to Bahana Gorge with mum; jumping under the waterfall once we were so hot we thought we would die; eating cherries and crackers in the shade
• Going to Rusty's market every weekend, it was a chore but I will sure miss having it there
• Staying up with Mum and Fiona while they were 'on the piss'; dancing around to 'friends forever'; hearing the story of how they became friends for the 20th time; having loving D&M's till Fiona's eyes glaze over and it's time for bed
• Spending time in my ever changing sanctuary; changing the pictures on my walls as interests came and left
• Hearing Missy Higgins 'the sound of white' with the lights down low in Clarke Street; LOW in the cool echoing house in Woree, and the opening track to Stars album 'Set Yourself on Fire'
• Going to the ice skating rink with Rosie and climbing onto the train track just because
• Going to see Pete Murray at the Karanda Amplitheatre with mum; being surrounded by darkened rainforest whist he sang 'So Beautiful'
• The angry.broken.tearful challenge that was 2003 and the fact that we have moved on
• Escaping boarding school for the occassional weekend
• Working till 3am in the morning with Domino's crew, it was stressful sometimes, but had its moments
• Arguing about music during visual art; talking matter-of-factly about everything like we were far older than we were; contemplating the universe
  
• Laying on the sand looking at the stars at Shipton's Flat, not needing to say anything at all but understanding eachother
• Going shopping with Eadon for perfume; Escada all the way!
  
• Learning to crochet; spreading my creations all around the school; sitting under the blacklight at the disco crocheting with fluro wools
  
• Climbing over mountains to Cedar Bay; swimming in the ocean and having D&M's about all sorts of things; making our cedar wood hair pins- thankyou Toni for making the body of mine and thankyou Tamsyn for searching for it in the creek and successfully finding it; my treasure
• Starting my most successful and enjoyable friendship to date; "I like Ash... just because"
• Being a year 12 at MSB; to many things to mention
• Getting drunk for the first time at Giovanna's party; drinking brain hamoages; sitting on the roof thinking we were within safe landing distrance from the ground; dancing like noone was watching (but yes they definately were... with a video camera in hand)
• Graduating; getting the most important rose of all; hearing 'let your light shine for the last time'; getting dolled up and dancing the night away with Eadon and Ash; driving away from MSB for the very last time as a student
  
• Forgetting all that and having great times with my partner in crime Ash; clubbing, Kate Miller-Hiedke concert going; and all the other little things in between (simply laptoping is enjoyable when its with her)
• Singing on stage with Ash at the Clare Bowditch Concert
  
• Hand-painting with my baby brother
• Op-shopping with mum and hearing about all her latest ebay finds & sales
  
• Updating my painting class on my love life every Friday
  
• Magic tricks and car trips talking about all sorts of things with Lenny
• Daybreaking it before I say farewell to the people and places that I made up my life in Cairns

I will never forget the special moments that I had in this town. I shall return to visit of coarse, but I have so much more to see; so many more scenes in the movie that is my life to act out. And to the people I've left behind or are taking a different journey, you know if I have spent any time with you talking in any depth about your future, it is because I have faith in you and your ability to have everything you could ever want. I want for you, what you want for yourself just as much, if not more than I want my dreams to come true. I will be gunning for all of you. Thankyou for the memories Cairns xx.

Open Night

^ Imagine on the walls of the Cairns Regional Gallery

Last night was the opening of the Cairns Regional Gallery Open Exhibition put on by the Cairns Art Society.  The night was alive with the excited hum of the crowd, the bubbling of free champagne and the opinion sharing about the diverse artworks.  With Ashton as my sidekick we took on the night fashionably five minutes late due to a ridiculous lack of parking. We arrived just in time for the exciting part of the night, the announcement of the winning artworks. I was up for Category 4- The Cairns Post award for an abstract artwork of any medium.  I did not win the $2000 prize, however I was highly commended by the Judge Mr Ron McBurnie, the highly regarded artist of FNQ, University lecturer for JCU, avid Vinyl collector and lover of Blonde bimbos.  After the awards were presented I had a chance to have a chat with Ron and he offered me some valuable advice for where he believes I should go with my art.  Ron suggested, pushing the textile stuff even further and more chaotic, sticking with themes and narratives that are important to me and working in larger canvas sizes. 

Overall I was very happy to be recognized amongst artists who are far older and more established and experienced than I am.  I have been feeling a bit embarrassed about my age in the last few months and avoid drawing attention to it, but after doing all this I can see that my age is an asset.  I am starting young and therefore have plenty of years to experiment, find my signature style and build a name for myself, which I feel very grateful for.  So anyway, here's to many more exhibitions in the not so distant future I hope xx.  

^ Ashton and I infront of my artwork

^ You had me at free champagne

^ Cindy Lane (local artist & friend), Ron McBurnie (Judge, Artist and JCU Lecturer) and myself (hopeful artist)

^ Artworks from the Abstract Category

^ Elevator love! Art Gallery Elevator scared face photo #2