…(as in swimming, not polishing, for all you glassies out there.)
Look and weep, my lovelies. Megsie’s day spa of choice (a physio-therapy imperative), less than an hour ago…
Heaven is an empty pool and a Kaw Thaung bath blanket!
And not a bugger in sight – glorious!
Our advice: accept nothing less than a George Lambertian aspect…
Prisoners of the Crown 
where’s the cavalry, with emu plumes
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Exacto-mondo, Pete. A Sergeant of the Light Horse is one of my favourite paintings. You get a gold star.
Actually, halfway through my laps that paddock was peppered with sheep and looked even more evocative – but they’d done a bunk by the time I got out of the water.
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Did you have a sunday roast in mind ? Have you got any special projects in mind for when the studio gets operational ?
I started thinking of mixing mediums, and now looking at stone and painting. I’m a bit over being too far out of the glass world to bother about it.
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To bother about the glass world or to bother about glass? I certainly think that its okay to not bother about the glass world (healthier in fact) but don’t let that put you off glass itself as a medium. As a material there is absolutely no reason for it to stand in isolation. That approach is so last millennium – and of course is still being flogged to death by the old guard because they don’t want to lose their authorit-ah and/or standing in the pecking order. Sad really. And so fruitless – it just leads to perennial regurgitation (not to mention the constant filching of other people’s work and/or concepts.) I’m constantly shocked to see upcoming ‘prominent’ glassies making work that’s been a signature of somebody else only 10 years before.
But yes, to get back to your question(!) I’m way into mixing mediums, and being a caster it just makes so much sense. When I first went into glass I had a vision of recycled mix media (comes with the territory when you live in the country) but of course school is all about learning technique and so you luxuriate in that resource rich environment and embrace everything from blowing to casting to cold-working while you have the opportunity. It’s all pretty intense. But I remember walking into a a Neil Roberts’ exhibition at the SoA gallery (Neil was giving a floortalk) about halfway through my course and having an overwhelming feeling of affirmation. It looked like my shed back at Wyndham – and it reminded me of what I was interested in at heart.
The other critical factor was that my very first visiting artist at ANU was Therman Statum – just luck of the draw and timing, eh. Such a dude, such a refreshing approach (still) – it was the coolest introduction. (Though the downside is that it also served to highlight the uptight affectations of so many others encountered thereafter.) And the peeps that I admire in glass are of the same ilk – Deb Jones, Karen and Jasen Willenbrink-Johnsen, the De La Torre brothers, for instance – people with a joyful approach to their practice, balanced by a healthy dose of universal sensibility and humorous deprecation.
So I think that the key is to genuinely love what you’re doing, with whatever technique or medium you’re doing it in. And to follow your instincts. I rather fancy getting into neon…and I have to confess that I do have an urge to paint from time to time – but wouldn’t know where to begin!!
Gosh, that was a rave. I guess what I’m trying to say is don’t give up the glass – don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Just safeguard it (and yourself) from the bullshit.
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Love it Megs…keep lappin’
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Well hellooo, my little pumpkin. Was that a euphemism??!!
I’ll be shepherding you back into it soon and all.
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Thanks for the thumbs up meg. I have an inkling and had a short try at printmaking from glass plates. Can work really well. Uses my skillset and tools. Need practice with inks etc. Gets me in with groups of other printmakers who are mostly very friendly. So there’s another challenge.
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Yeah, printmaking with glass plates is a great way to go – I had a bit of a play when I was doing Printmedia as my sub-major. And then another bash at it at Pilchuck. Certainly adds more layers of satisfaction to your practice – and perfect for you, Pete, with your engraving skills. And printmakers are such nice people – can’t remember one I didn’t like.
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