Once in another lifetime I was a Flora & Fauna Planner. In that lifetime I may have been somewhat...disorganised. I remember my desk usually had at least 50 files on it at any given time and whilst this sort of filing system can work for some people it never worked for me - I could never find a thing.
A change in office structure meant that for awhile I had to do two jobs instead on one and I started drowning. My boss decided I should attend a time management course. What a revelation! There were ways, easy ways, of being organised. A clear desk were you could find what you were looking for was obtainable. Waking up in the middle of the night in a full on panic didn't have to be a regular state of affairs.
I had forgotten about all of this until recently when my mother in law reminded me that I had done the course. Now I am looking around at my desk, that has piles of drawings on it, and my bookshelf, that has piles of art supplies on it and I am thinking it might be time to revisit those time management skills.
The upside of my current situation is that I would rather wake up in the middle of the night and be thinking about what I am going to put into the Hedland Art Awards than thinking about environmental planning conditions to put on a development! But still, a little more organisation wouldn't go astray.
Moving right along - last week I mentioned an article that would be in the Echo this week about my recent sojourn to De Grey Station. Here it is with the gorgeous photo compliments of the very talented Samantha Bell of the Courthouse Gallery.
The Pilbara Echo, 5 June 2011
Artists Camp at De Grey Station
Really I’m not sure who to thank first for the amazing artists camp held last weekend at De Grey Station. Is it principal sponsor BHP Billiton, or FORM and the wonderful staff from the Courthouse Gallery? Perhaps it should be the owners of De Grey Station or the fabulous artists who came to teach us. Of course I can’t forget all the artists who attended and participated, or the actual landscape that provided so much beauty and inspiration.
In fact it was the sum total of all of the above that meant that this camp was a fabulous success and thoroughly enjoyed by all. We drove to De Grey Friday afternoon and participants came from Hedland, Karratha and Marble Bar. We were particularly lucky to have some of our local Spinifex Hill Artists attend as well. We had a meet and greet session Friday night after setting up camp near the De Grey Station homestead area.
The work started in earnest on Saturday with half day sessions run by artists Helen Ansell, Sara Barnes and Jo Darbyshire from Saturday morning until Sunday lunchtime. I was in a group with Jo first and this was my first introduction to oil painting. The technicalities threatened to overwhelm me initially but Jo was incredibly patient and stepped us all through what we needed to know. Then it was just a matter of letting the environment inspire us and it was interesting to watch as some of us ran off to paint gorgeous realistic landscapes whilst others went for a more abstract interpretation.
Next I was in a session with Sara that covered a few different subjects including creating a natural installation artwork, a fresh look at art mediums such as oil pastels and how to create mediums from the surrounding environment. The installation pieces that the participants produced were amazing and many of them involved the original homestead building that is now in a decayed state. What is so interesting about this idea is that the artworks aren’t created to last and could only be made by what could be found and without bringing in any other tools. Suddenly a fun, almost childlike quality appeared in many of the artworks and they seemed to me to be innocent in nature.
After another fabulous campfire session that involved maybe a glass or two of red, combined with some noisy cattle keeping many of us awake on Saturday night, I was off to a bit of a shaky start on Sunday. However, Helen soon turned her session into a completely relaxed and enjoyable one. The idea was to wander in the bush and simply draw what we saw. We then used sections of our drawings to create an acrylic painting and the results were exciting and stunning with many participants commenting on how different the works they produced were from their normal style but how pleased they were with the results.
We then debriefed, packed up and drove home. Reality awaited but after spending all weekend learning how to see and do things in a new way I am still feeling fabulous. It is my serious hope that this camp becomes an annual event and if it does I urge you to give it a go – there is an artist in all of us and instruction, inspiration and practice is all we need to bring it out.
If you’d like to be hear about any of FORM’s exciting workshops and programs just drop them a line at the Courthouse Gallery to join their mailing list. To be the first to know about all their events and exhibitions contact them on (08) 9173 1064, mail@courthousegallery.com.au or http://www.courthousegallery.com.au/.
