Etched words and hearts for the grief garden

 

I have etched the plates for the five posts that are to be erected in the MNC grief garden. Each post will have an etched plate with a word on the front face and a heart symbol (such as the above) on the top.

The aluminium plates were etched with a mixture of copper sulphate and table salt. Below - mixing the  potion, bubbling brew and copper residue floating to the top. The face of hearts and words sit about .3-.4mm above the etched metal - see the L towards the end of the blog post.

The paint used to stop the hearts and words being etched away was removed with nail polish remover when the plates were etched, and cleaned.

Some photos of the finished plates.

I need to drill some holes in the plates so they can be attached to the posts.  

Glorious morning - so much promise of spring

 

The morning started dark (see photo below) and cold; but as soon a the sun was up the birds and wildlife told a story of hope and abundance. And at breakfast time rainbows were invading the house - see above rainbows on a curtain and a painting.

So many birds feeding on nectar- see photos below of a tiny brown honey eater and others.  

Many blossoms were touched with refreshing droplets from a light shower of rain overnight.

And others just showing promises of colour.

G's orchid house is also offering joy.

An uplifting morning.

Laneway fragments and a couple of other bits

 

We have been to Melbourne for a few days for work and catching up with friends. 

We were staying in the city centre so go a few opportunities to wander down laneways to check out the wall art. I like the contrast the above piece offers - maybe a gentle, peaceful snow white archetypal female; but in this case holding a large bomb.

A few more fragments follow - some for their scale, some for their messages and some for their quirkiness.

A photo of the wall reflected in a puddle - but I think the phone camera was having trouble working out what was back to front - all a bit scrambled!!!

And a couple of others:  one from our accommodation window; and looking at the refracted light in a large chandelier during a conference presentation!!1

Great trip away; but also good to be back on the mountain.

Destroyed - the third in my series

 

I have completed my third piece for the Vessel exhibition. It is titled Destroyed. It represents the one hundred small open fishing boats that were destroyed in one year on the northern shore of the Sutherland Estate between Portskerra and Rabbit Island - about 50klms (Donald MacLeod, Letter XI to the Editor of the Edinburugh Weekly Chronicle).

I have displayed the elements of the installation (boats with torn sails, smashed hulls of boats and a pile of timber flotsam) on very shiny black perspex that shows some good reflections; but might also give a nod to a deep dark dangerous ocean.

Phone fragments

 

Sometimes it is just nice to revisit those images that one can't bring oneself to delete from the phone. This blog is made up of a few of such images. Some because of the droplets; and some because of the sharpness of form and colour such as the opening photos.

  

And some because they are gorgeous orchids.

May we all be lifted up by fragments of beauty.