Tea Taking Paraphernalia

Tea Taking Paraphernalia

Kylie Marie Stevens

Encaustic, tea and spoon on mounted linen

600 x 600mm

2011

$250

The opening night of Infused is tonight at The Swich Contemporary Art Space.  I have been in and had a look at the show and it looks fantastic.  It was so much fun working on this piece and contemplating all things tea.

This is the artist statement that accompanies my piece...

“Tea Taking Paraphernalia”

While exploring tea for the Infused exhibition I began contemplating the parallels between tea and other drugs. 

Both the taking of tea and drugs are often steeped in ritual, both provide comfort, become ingrained in habit and require specific paraphernalia. 

Similarities can be seen between the chopped leaves at the centre of both the tea and marijuana rituals.  Connections are also present between the spoons used in tea making and in the cooking up of injectable drugs. 

“Tea Taking Paraphernalia” is a mixed media encaustic painting, created using real tea for the pigment.  Tea leaves float within the texture and the used spoon adds a sculptural element, hinting at the parallels between tea and drug taking.

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If your local or in the area during July I hope you can get along and see the exhibition in person.

 

Creating with Tea...

I’ve been sprinkling, rubbing, boiling, playing and loving painting with tea in my creative space this week. My studio smells so good! All for an up coming tea themed group exhibition, titled Infused, at my local art space The Swich.

It’s so much fun to be pushed out of my comfort zone and into exploring new subjects with my work. I can’t wait to see how this piece turns out, as I don’t have a firm plan, just an idea of the feel I want and a firm desire to have fun with it.

psst...‎9th… 9… $90…9:00… If you don’t know what this is all about yet click the link and find out – you don’t want to miss out on this!

Inspired

I’ve been inspired by my community as the flood waters receded and thousands of helping hands have been offered to those in need.  It’s amazing the creative ways that people have found to help and contribute. 

The Swich Contemporary Art Space have called for donations of artwork for a flood relief auction and I have painted and submitted this piece for consideration. 

"Community"

Kylie Marie Stevens 

encaustic on linen

450 x 450mm

2011

The background symbolises the receding flood waters and the circle of dots the people coming together to help and contribute as we begin to rebuild.   I hope this feeling of community spirit and strength continues long beyond the clean up and recovery stages.