Rustnstuff: COMA

Showing posts with label COMA. Show all posts

Friday, May 1, 2015

An exciting Friday

As you know from previous posts I submitted a couple of installations of work for the Aspects Art Show 2015 in Goondiwindi. Well the good news is that one of my installations, A River of Stars, won first prize in the show. That is very exciting.

Big thank-you to the Aspects Ar Show 2015 team for doing all the volunteer work to make this exhibition possible.

Fiona, Ken and I set up the COMA 3D exhibition-display in the Maleny Library display cabinets this morning. This included small works by Ken M, Noela M, Fiona and I. I think it is a beautiful and integrated exhibition of small 3D works including artists' books in paper and metal. The COMA library exhibition-display will run for all of May.

I think that is enough excitement for Friday. Time to have a celebratory glass of red - I know its early but it is rainy and a bit chilly - and I'm sure it is 6pm somewhere!!!!

Friday, February 27, 2015

Wings tips, mountains - travel and home

I have finished one of my small sculptural pieces for the next COMA exhibition. This one tells a story of travel that gives joy and inspiration; but also returning home for the views of the mountains in the valley below and also the place to create and be nurtured by nature.

One side of the triptych is representative of the wings of and aircraft.

The other side suggests mountains and valleys.

And of course the three objects are just beautiful forms.

A few for the photos are a bit grainy - all about rushing. This Friday has been a full art day: photographing finished work; making bowls for ladles; discussing quotes for a community installation; and installing the book bench (more on that later). It is time to stop, have a single malt and eat a little risotto.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Making a start

On Saturday I made a start on one of the small 3D pieces I'm hoping to do for the Collaboration of Maleny Artists (COMA) exhibition that is to be held from 21 May-18 June.

I want to do at least one piece that relates to flight and travel - possibly called Fragments of Flight. The idea is to make three small wing tips from wood and partly clad them in polished aluminium. The idea is that they will stand as a group; and reflect travel to inspirational and salubrious destinations.

The task started with some Camphor Laurel timber - an environmental pest.

I cut and roughly formed the three wooden wing tips. The tallest is about 220mm high and the shortest about 150mm high.

They were sanded into shape; and I gave the top of the wing tips an oil as this will be exposed in the design.

And then I began the gladding process. I'm using small stainless steel screws as imitation aircraft rivets. Drilling and screwing takes quite a while as there will be at test 100 screws in each of the wing tips.

I think the finished group of three wing tips of polished wood and polished aluminium will look quite intriguing. But there is still quite a bit of work yet to be done.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

A few more COMA images

As readers of my blog and Facebook would be aware this weekend has been pretty busy with the Printmakers and Holden's Gallery exhibitions. But no rest for the wicked: Fiona and I have another 601mvr open studio coming up on 23-24 November; and Ken M - the world wandering coordinator of COMA - reminded us that the information of our COMA pieces was due on 15 November, pieces were to be delivered to Tree Frog Gallery by 21 November and the exhibition opening was on 22 November. So I thought I'd better finish my piece.

This COMA exhibition is based on the theme of memories. Well trees have always played an important role in my inner self - so I have created a mini tree that is loosely based on an old Mango tree that was on the bank of a river in my small western Queensland country town. When I was a young lad I and a few friends raided this tree each mango season - it was always always one of those wild joys - it represented freedom and the abundance of nature.

My wee tree (The Mango Tree) is made from: recycled copper wire; brass plate from a building sign; and a brass curved piece from the base of a brass pot. The tiny leaves (31 in all) are made from fine brass sheet. As per Ken's instructions regarding 3D pieces, the tree is 300mm high and about the same in diameter (from leaf tip to leaf tip). The leaves vary in size from about 12mm to 25mm. A few images of the tree follow.

Now all I need to do is get my exhibition form filled in and sort out my 100 words before 15 November. Thanks Ken for coordinating this from Spain; and thanks Heather for hosting the exhibition.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Progressing a bunch of things

I have a number of projects on the drawing board at the moment. The projects include: a circular Personal Shrine; Daily Words sets; a Leaf Spiral around a stainless steel cylinder; and a 3D piece for COMA. I have decided to progress them together as tasks permit. Spare time over the last couple of days have been spent mainly on cutting up and doing some initial hammering and polishing.

Mind you one casualty of all this cutting was my small guillotine. I don't know my own strength - I busted the stainless steel handle.

I cut and hammered pieces for the circular Personal shrine; and then managed to drill and polish those pieces for assembling.

Thanks to Kim S for rescuing the two trays that have gone into this Personal Shrine. They looked in pretty bad shape; but after quite a bit of polishing they have come up OK. Shows you can't judge metal by it grime.

Cut lots of fine brass sheet for leaves for my COMA piece.

Cut and did the first stage of hammering of 10 Daily Word bowls.

Cut the metal for words for Daily Words.

And cut and annealed copper for the leaf spiral.

And because I was in a cutting and polishing mode I made a wee book for the Maleny Celebration of Books team (which includes Fiona) to mark the completion of this years huge and successful effort. I cut the CoB brochure down and included it in the riveted book.

A good weekend of work in the studio-garage. I will get to finish a couple of the pieces during the week.

The person who commissioned the Steampunkish magazine rack paid for it and took delivery of it today - a happy client.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Upward and outward

I'm not a great one for doing wall pieces for exhibitions; but King Ken of COMA fame said he was looking for a couple more wall pieces for the COMA exhibition in the Tree Frog Gallery.

So I have grabbed a little time in the garage/studio to make a wall piece inspired by Muna blowing Dandelion seeds when we were on one of our walks. The seeds just exploded in all directions - upwards and outwards to be taken by the wind to make new beginnings. The pop rivets 'seeds' in Upward and Outward all fan out from a point at the base of the piece between the two brass bits hooks on the copper plate.

In a way the piece is also a metaphor for life. Now and then we venture upwards and outwards in new directions to find new aspects of ourselves; to find new possibilities; to start new aspects of our personal journeys.

Upward and Outward is made from recycled copper and brass from an old spray backpack that had been painted oxide red; copper from a small water tank; rusted sheet iron; new black coated pop rivets; and new copper nails. All mounted on a painting canvas stretched over a timber frame.

Friday, November 16, 2012

A love of leaves - including leaf Spiral Post

Over the last few weeks we have had some dry and strong winds that have resulted in quite a lot of leaf litter. On our morning walks Fiona and I pick up objects that catch the eye. With Fiona it is usually feathers; and for me it is an elegant leaves or a leaf with interesting markings.

I photographed a few of 'the collected' on a white ceramic platter.

And yesterday I got to finish the Spiral Post whilst Fiona and Muna went to pick up our art pieces from the Secrets exhibition; and they also went for a wander in the town.

All I need to do now is write a few words for Ken on the piece; and arrange for it to be transported to the COMA exhibition which starts when Fiona and I are in New Zealand.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Spiral progress

Fiona, Muna and I all got to do a few hours of creativity this afternoon. Fiona and Muna (our Indonesian visitor) got to make a hand made book; and I got to all but finish my Spiral Post for the COMA exhibition.

The reclaimed copper metal on the previous post was annealed; folded; cut into leaf forms; beaten; annealed again and unfolded. The photos below show eight of the cut, folded and beaten leaf forms; the edges of the beaten leaf forms; and then a stack of beaten leaves that have been unfolded.

And then they were installed in the timber post that I had sanded and cut grooves into.

I have painted the leaf forms with a patina solution. After that has reacted and dried I need to cut and attach a stable base. I have a sheet of rusted iron that is 60cm square by 1cm thick - I intend to cut it down into four 30cm squares that I can use as bases for posts etc.