Rustnstuff

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Recharging and a little 'creativity'

Slowly and gently I am getting a little better each day - though one thing I notice is that my cold sensor control has gone out the window - I really feel the cold and it can bring on some pretty unpleasant pain. So the solution was to buy a small electric heat pack. It is like a small electric blanket about the size of my back. At first I saw it as a bit of a hinderance as I sat at the table and was plugged in. Fiona thought it looked like I was being recharged like a rechargeable battery - a rechargeable Barry!!!

But now I find that I can have the pad wedged between layers of clothing and can unplug myself and head off to a new powerpoint. Last night Fiona had to go out to a a netball event and as part of working on getting back a bit of strength and normality I said I would re-heat the dinner Fiona had prepared. So when she arrived home there I was in the kitchen stirring the pot with myself plugged into the nearby powerpoint - it gave us both a good chuckle. Now not only a re-chargeable Barry but also mobile.

Fiona's cousin Judy's son has agreed to do some whipper-snipping (weed cutting) for us. He asked if I would "make a jewellery gift for his girl friend" in exchange for some of his labour. He wanted leaf jewellery as she lives overseas; and he wanted something that might represent the gum leaves around Maleny. Fortunately before getting ill I had made a bit of a stash of leaves for earrings and pendants. So he chose an earring set and a pendant leaf form. And he wanted chains to give it a bit more funky look.

I was able to sit in the warmth of the dining room and assemble the pieces you can see above. Not a big creative event but nice to be able to play a little for the first time in almost four weeks.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Mixed bag on Friday

I'm still doing short bursts of activity; and even though it is Friday I'm not yet in a fit state to get down and dirty in the garage-studio. However aspects of art life continue to tick over. A couple of older works that are made from recycled encyclopaedias and year books are to make their way to Maroochy Art and Ecology Centre to be part of the Sunshine Coast Council's Treeline exhibition called Tread Lightly. Fiona is one of the featured artists in the exhibition.

I will be send Quiet Transition and Leaf Cascades as part of the exhibition set up on 12-13 June.

And the work Ken Munsie and I collaborated on, Flowing Words, will also be installed in the gardens as part of the exhibition.

I have also had the opportunity to put a few more pieces up in the shop including seed pods and a cluster of smaller leaves.

So still thinking and ticking away artistically.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Beautiful moon set etc

As many are aware lots of strange things have been happening with the full moon over the last few days.

I knew I was home on the mountain when I could lie in bed and look out our folding doors and appreciate the beautiful colours of the setting moon just before dawn. And of course given I had to get up, I thought why not capture and share a little of that beauty.

And of course why not alter a couple of the shots.

Whilst we have been dealing with the health saga, a lone white flower has sat on a kitchen window ledge. Over time it has fully blossomed and now has developed some green bits.

Given that it has been so cold over the last couple of days, I thought I'd give the flower a frosted look.

All photos taken with the iPhone.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Not quite down the drain

Fiona brought me home today. Still a little bit worse for wear - but on my way back to health. Thought I might share just a few last altered shots of the hospital - Cannula tube; toilet plumbing; and well worn wash basin outlet - just to let you know I am a bit down but not out.

It would seem that the full recovery is going to take 4-6 weeks. Lungs seem to have come good. At the moment I still have quite a bit of pain from the damage done by the CPR. But as the bruising and damaged ribs repair themselves I will be back into creating - just steady as it goes.

Thanks heaps to all the folk who have sent wishes and healing vibes for me; and support for my lover and friend - Fiona.

Friday, May 25, 2012

A gesture on Friday

Still tucked away in a hospital bed, at least this time in Maleny, but managing to do some sketches and take and alter the odd photo.

This is my sketch book with the work I planned to do today; until pain intervened. Taken using PhotoCamera.

The same sketch book page altered.

Some plans for some posts and fonts...

Ahh, the view! This looks like it was taken after mind-altering drugs, shame I'm not on any.

And some sunny sunflowers for Edith-Ann and Carol.

Thanks for all the good wishes support, etc. I hope to be back bashing metal soon.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Home on the mountain

Well one can only have so much excitement in the city before it becomes a tad boring looking at ceilings.

So today Fiona brought me back up onto the restorative mountains.

The last couple of days have been a little painful healthwise but in the end not life threatening. I had a virus of the sack around my heart. Some folk get sinus or chest virus but oh no not good enough - why not go for a heart sack virus? As they say in the ads - don't try this at home - I just don't recommend it - it hurts.

I had a bit of an event in the emergency area which resulted in a young (and I must say strong) woman pummelling my chest (CPR) until I just had to wake up and get on with it. However, that exuberant chest massage has left me a tad bruised and sore; and all the tentative breathing has resulted in a slightly collapsed lung. Still I'm well on the way to being dangerous to myself and others again.

Big thank-you to all those folk who sent good wishes etc.
It will take a little time for me to get into thrashing metal but that will happen. All photos taken with the trusty iPhone and altered.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Flowers on Friday

A brief post on Friday flowers on behalf of Barry!

He's having a short stay in hospital and so no real art got done. He received these flowers today, so we figured we could blog on Friday flowers - they are beautiful, artistic and allow for the almost compulsory Friday alliteration. But without the usual bubbles to follow!

He plans to resume normal transmission soon, stay tuned.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Shop is up and running

It seems that for a long time Fiona and I have been planning and promising to get our Shops up and operating on our websites. From time to time we haves been asked how can folk buy our stuff on-line. The day has finally arrived and the 'mini shops' have been tested and launched. We have also revamped or websites a bit as part of the shop development.Yippee!!

You can check out my shop by clicking Barry's Shop; and Fiona's shop by clicking Fiona's Shop.

We have had to set a policy for our shops. In the main, our shops will have items for sale that are not held in any gallery stockrooms or physical shops; and most will be light and robust for ease of posting. This means I will mainly have bowls, leaves, light incense burner and my Found and Formed Jewellery. Many similar lines and pieces will also be sold through the studio and in particular will be for sale during open studio days.

I built shelves in my clean studio to set the shop pieces aside so they do not get confused with what is on display and for sale through the studio (601 MVR).

The studio will have many other heavier pieces for sale such as my Light Catchers; personal shrines; other larger bowls; and outdoor sculptural pieces such as the 'posts' - similar to those below.

Of course these other items are also for sale by request. It has taken us some time but we are pleased that we have finally achieved our goal regarding our Shops.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Snow in autumn?

For some reason the Camellias on our block have just gone ballistic this year - heaps of growth and loads of flowers. We have had many beautiful specimens this year.

But we have also had masses of beautiful petals falling amongst the cuphea bushes and flowers - from the deck they look like snow amidst the foliage.

On the terraces below the house we have planted 40+ Camellia bushes. They are graded in colour to move from white-pink to very deep red pink as the bushes are spaced from the rock river towards the boundary of the block.

The plan is that we (Fiona really as she is chief pruner in our household) will prune the Camellia bushes into tree forms so that folk can walk along the terrace under the lowest branches of the small Camellia trees. We planted the Camellias about 2m apart; and are now thinking that is far too close and therefore may need to make every second one a tree and the others a small bush - a work in progress.

Friday, May 11, 2012

The water carrier

Our beloved Chief COMA Coordinator Ken Munsie has once again sent the word out that there shall be another COMA exhibition - this time in Rosetta Books a bookshop and the theme will be: The Twelve signs of the Western Zodiac. The exhibition will run for 3 weeks - 1 June to 22 June.The space is limited and therefore the pieces are to be small. 3D pieces are to be no bigger than 10x8x4 inches.

I have chosen to create a piece that represents my star sign - Aquarius. So Friday afternoon was, in the main, given over to COMA creation and completion. You can see from the photos below I have made a sacred water carrier-pourer (Carrier for the water of life) that has a slight Japanese temple influence. This piece reflects the fact that the Aquarius sign is usually portrayed as a water pourer or carrier.

The vessel is made from parts of a small brass pump from an old backpack spray; a copper rivet; a brass door stud; and the handle fashioned from another brass object from my 'collection'. I left most of the original patina in place - looks like it could be an old sacred object.

I also got time to finish the small light catcher with the swinging encased crystal - I think I will call this piece Circle of Light. The cogs and the brass perforated circle polished up beautifully.