Artworks I Like

Sunday Studio Visit – Ballarat Winterlude

Its that time of the week again – Sunday studio Visit and there is not much happening in the studio today…. it has been too cold to work, but I have big plans for tomorrow because the studio will be warm from the firing I have been doing today!

So, I thought I would share some pics of my fun last night – Winterlude in Ballarat.

Winterlude in an annual winter festival with lots of different happenings throughout the city for the month of July: ice skating, a craft beer event, winter at Sovereign Hill and more. And it the “more” that I had fun with last night.

A part of the Winterlude event is lightshows and live music courtesy of the City of Ballarat – and it is fantabulous!

Here are some of the great pics from last nights light shows …. it was a real treat – as was the music 🙂

Weekly Photo Challenge: Masterpieces (2)

So this is Part 2 of the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge ‘Masterpiece’. Part 1 can be viewed here: http://dawnwhitehand.com/2013/08/01/weekly-photo-challenge-masterpieces/

Responding to the prompt was not an easy task…. for starters what is “judged” as a “masterpiece” – AND as a consequence of that: what is with the gendered language!! Masterpiece is one of the few remaining words that has remained de-gendered.

HHmmm… what is ‘gendered language’ you ask?? Well, here are some examples (I’ll start with the big one):

mankind- humankind
craftsman – craftsperson
mailman – mail delivery person

the list continues- I’m sure you get the drift…

Why don’t we notice these words in everyday life you ask? And what is the big deal anyway?

Hmmm, I am glad you asked…

Lets look at the history of language – no this is not going to be a ranting history lesson, just a brief overview. I will include some links at the end of this post for anyone that wants to research this topic further 🙂

So…. ‘history of language’:invented by the guys with fire (coz the girls were busy feeding the kids)

Evolved to some storytelling via rock painting and sand painting, also by the guys coz the girls were busy feeding the kids

Fast forward a few hundred centuries, and the guys decided they could plant seeds, and therefore own/steal land – the girls were STILL busy feeding babies…

And then came the Renaissance – science and logic over religion, understanding and humanity, equality for all – ummm, if you were a male, or white, or upper middle class ; gee, funny thing that renaissance!!

So fast forward to now!! Given that we have had a crash course in ‘his’tory I guess you , the reader, may be wary of what I am going to post….do not be afeared!!

I am going to post an artist that I have admired since I first learnt of her decades ago: Artemisia Gentileschi. A painter strong and suffering women from myth and the Bible – victims, suicides, warriors – Artemisia’s works were until recently attributed to her father. It was not acceptable for women to paint during the 17th century, let alone be better at it than her peers! More info on Artemisia can be found here.

The work I have always loved of her’s is her interpretation of Judith Slaying Holofernes. I remember writing about this painting in an undergrad essay for art history about feminism in art.

And then I saw this work at the Uffizzi in Florence in real life, and I must say my heart skipped a beat, after loving this artist for so long – and the real life viewing did not let me down!!

So…. this is my masterpiece!!

GENTILESCHI Judith

Further contributions to this WordPress weekly photo challenge can be viewed here:
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/07/26/out-of-this-world/

Shadow Photography

I have been getting into photographing shadows lately… I’m not sure why!

I have always enjoyed the shadows that are cast from 3D sculptures , and have always wanted to explore it more in terms of my own sculptural art – it is on the to-do-list!

So here are some shadow images I enjoy…

http://blog.epromos.com/promo-brand-marketing-news/trashy-art-emerges-from-shadows-logos-next-probably-not/

http://wp.designersondisplay.com/

http://wp.designersondisplay.com/

http://www.theresidentarchitect.com/2010/11/amazing-shadow-art.html#axzz2N3XkzDbj

So, I am not sure how to incorporate this concept into my artwork, but I have been drawn lately toward shadows that I have noticed around the house – perhaps because I have been “looking” for them.  This is a photo I took of a shadow from a sculpture I made many years ago that sits on my computer desk….

Shadow of Bone Sculpture

And these photographs are what I have seen over the past couple of days on walls and the floor and windows…. SO ENJOY!

Shadow on Hallway Wall

Shadow on Loungeroom Wall

Shadow on Hallway Wall

Weekly Photo Challenge: Growth

This is my second week participating in the WordPress weekly photo challenge… and the photo I am posting was taken about a year ago on my rural property in Dunnstown, Victoria, Australia.

It is of a small, new, delicate toadstool sprouting from some horse manure on an early fresh winters morning – for me this encapsulates ‘growth’.

I like this photo because of the layers of landscape, and the detail of the water beads on the new green grass… again all about growth, newness and feshness.

Hope you enjoy it too 🙂

Mushroom : Digital Photograph – unedited

© Dawn Whitehand 2012

Performance Art: Body Parts!

As some of you may know I have a stall at the Melbourne Arts centre Sunday Market. Last weekend was the re-opening of Hamer Hall (part of the Arts Centre) – which has been getting renovated for quite a few months now – and the Melbourne council had lots of crowd drawing activities happening on the day. The following slideshow shows some performing artists dressed in soft sculpture body parts suits. They wandered around the Melbourne arts precinct, approaching people and generally doing funny stuff. Watching the reaction of people was priceless – some laughed, some were scared, some were grossed out!!

Enjoy 🙂

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habitable sculpture

habitable sculpture. This blog has some great organic architectural ceramic sculptures