Hill End Residency 2011

I have recently returned from an artist residency of four weeks in the historic township of Hill End, NSW. The residency is a collaborative venture between Bathurst Regional Art Gallery (BRAG) and National Parks.

I stayed at 'Haefliger's Cottage' which  was equipped with a separate studio and a rustic outdoor 'dunny'. 

The landscape and people of Hill End provided me with much inspiration. It was difficult saying goodbye to such a richly historic and alluring place.

There were visits from friends whilst I stayed in the cottage; thanks to artist David Wallace, photographer Felicity Jenkins, artist Craig Loxley, artist Sandra Winkworth and artist Tom Doherty for their company during my stay.

There are numerous artists who reside and practice their craft in Hill End. I was fortunate to meet Bill and Genevieve Moseley who run 'Hill End Press' and Lino Alvarez and Kim Deacon who run the pottery studio. I also met artist Juz Kitson was also on a residency administered by the National Art School.

I set myself a goal of completing 8 artworks while staying in Hill End. I came away with 7 and a collection of coloured soils and other plant material for future artworks. 

Most evenings I would sit by the fire reading and thinking about the history of the town. Dotted around the streets of Hill End are plaques and photographs of cottages and businesses which have since been destroyed. Once a thriving hub of gold seekers, the town is now host to a variety of animals who seem at home in the frosty landscape. The stillness and darkness of the evenings provided a magical glimpse into the night sky which I have not seen quite so clearly since my days in Jindabyne. 

Exploring the surrounding areas became an opportunity to relive rich historical associations. I took a drive down the 'Bridle track' to the Turon river and happened upon an old mine shaft which led deep into the mountainside. Using the flash of my camera, I was able to see ahead into the claustrophobic space where miners chiseled away at the walls of the tunnel in the hope of finding gold. 

I am greatly appreciative of the opportunity to stay in Hill End and vowed to return to continue the love affair with the town.  

A Poem

Some time ago I bought a small book of poems from the poet, Craig Billingham, who lives and works in the Blue Mountains. I thought I would share one of my favourite poems from the book titled 'Storytelling'.
Craig was born in England in 1973 before migrating to Australia in 1987. He has a degree in Philosophy from Macquarie University and currently works as an English as a Second Language teacher working in the mountains.
'Storytelling' was published in 2007, and he is currently working towards a second collection of poetry, and a novel.

 Of his writing, Craig says-

"I think I'm interested in poetical forms. I quite like writing to a form, although I'm not strictly a formal poet, but I do write in regular stanzas and I've tried to write sonnets and longer narrative poems. So my style is one of being a loose formal poet, I suppose." 

Chameleon 

by Craig Billingham

I would like to stop changing colour.

I would like to settle in this tree

and see out the hour, the day,

the four seasons being green,

green on green, green on maple leaf,

green against the mud and snow.

I would like to shun your limelight

and stay my deepest shade of green,

stay green when leopards havoc my home.

New Work

Thanks to the deadline of an upcoming exhibition and an approaching time away in residence at Hill End, I have completed some new work. These are the first works made in the new studio after moving from Katoomba to Wentworth Falls NSW. The studio is a converted garage and suits me fine for the time being. It is a hop, skip, jump to the kitchen for many cups of tea and time to mull over the process. It's also important that I do get up often as the nature of my work has me in an uncomfortable posture for long periods of time and causes a lot of strain on my neck, back and eyes.

Thank you to Graeme Wienand for his patience and talent for the wonderful photography of my work. I know it is not the easiest artwork to document! You can find information on Graeme's photographic services and and Fine Art PhotographyHERE

'silent 0411.1' mixed media 400mmx570mm

India 2011

I have recently returned from a short trip to India, where I visited Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. The colours, textures and smells were not like anything I have ever experienced. It really is a place that needs to be visited to get an understanding of how another culture can transform your ideas about what is important. Despite these images revealing the beauty and colour of the people and landscape, there are thousands more scenes of suffering and poverty that could have been taken. The trip really did shake me up, open my eyes and heart to another world.