What I am learning about this city I live in!

There is nothing like house-hunting to reveal some of the layers of a place!

In 2011 on a train to St Ives in Cornwall I was captivated by the views all the way from London! Gorgeous landscapes, sea vistas and those dramatic tidal inlets. What I did take note of that was memorable in a different way were the rows and rows of houses all the same that lined some of the streets closest to the rail line.

The city I live in now is filled with a number of styles of domestic architecture.

A most appealing traditional style is known as the Queenslander and I have been enjoying living in a smaller-sized Queenslander these past few years.

home sweet home

Some of these homes can be rather massive... with huge verandahs and extending over a a couple of normal size house blocks.

Not far from where I live!

When I said the can be expansive... I meant it!

Far north Qld,  Cairns

I found this excerpt below at the Queensland Museum Website:

The Queensland house or ‘Queenslander’ speaks eloquently of our distinctive lifestyle and is one of the most distinctive architectural designs in Australia.

A decorative Queenslander house in Annie Street, Torwood, built around 1890 (Queensland Museum, 1993)

Queensland has more than one type of housing but a tradition of timber building is dominant. This distinctive tradition originated with rough timber huts of early settlement and developed into the multi-gabled bungalows of the 1930s. Buildings continued until, and were adapted after, the Second World War, leading to contemporary ‘Environmentally Sustainable Timber Houses’.

The most typical early twentieth century Queensland house is characterised by:

• timber construction with corrugated-iron roof;
• highset on timber stumps;
• single-skin cladding for partitions and sometimes external walls;
• verandahs front and/or back, and sometimes the sides;
• decorative features to screen the sun or ventilate the interior; and
• a garden setting with a picket fence, palm trees and tropical fruit trees.

There are many styles of the famous 'Queenslander', but share distinct construction style, internal spaces, furnishing, and gardens. They are now valued as a key element of Queensland heritage and conservation and renovation of Queenslanders is widespread.

• Development of the Queensland house
• Spaces inside the Queensland house
• Queensland house furnishings
• The Queensland garden
• Conservation and the Queenslander 

So... in my internet search for houses Ive noted many a Queenslander in the listings. we are steering away from these beauties for various reasons. Upkeep can be demanding, but it must be said, they do have a great amount of character!

So it was quite a leap to look at this one today:

Minimal architect designed home

Bardon Home

Living spaces

Kitchen

How about this bed... looks like a verandah with the bifold windows pushed right back!

If you wish to view more of this home visit  HERE


As you can well appreciate.... its quite a process ... even if its an online process... to even begin to work out what places to take the time to go and see in person. It would be tedious indeed if I didn't pop off on tangents regularly to make the task more interesting!

Even the more likely homes I've been looking at offer, at best, a flight of fantasy.

In order to work through various criteria its a busy task of ascertaining prices ( NOT always obvious)  and reading though the list of features a property offers. I spent hours today.... taking my search further than before having identified other suburbs that might hold appeal.

Not near rivers and creeks that flood... hopefully near a bike path. Studio space... of course... but in our price range.

So much imagining is called on to breathe life into pictures and words that aim to tell of the place.



I found this studio

In this house...

Roomy enough?

well...  this wont be my new home! A tad pricy!


This one had some wonderful elements....

Designed by a Landscape Architect there was a particular space in the kitchen looking out on the garden that took my breathe away. The garden itself was intimate .... so like an art work! Sorry I can't share the best of what I saw here!

CLOSE

The gardens keep drawing me in. Courtyards and intimate spaces...

This one had a sensational garden. It didn't meet out criteria but I had to go see the garden. I'm 
so glad I did!

I could have painted during the day on that deck with its city views!





And walked these gardens every day... seeing what was doing!




This would have made an excellent studio I'm sure!




And at the back there were food gardens!

But alas... I am not the only one looking and the stairs were too steep
here for an elderly person!

The agent asked me what I thought of this property and I commented
that it felt like being at a Botanic Garden. She was bery keen to say 
that it was the home of a horticulturalsit form the Botanic Garden ... 
the same garden where I did a residency n 2010 in fact. 

I was not surprised... the garden was magnificent and filled with all 
kinds of tropical species so artfully laid out and lush! I'm hoping the 
right buyer wil come along for that house... the garden needs to be
kept as is. 


I've seen so many new kitchens of late I rather liked this one!!





Then you find some that are further from the city but have SPACE! 

And maybe you can see the stars!






When it comes down to it though our needs are simple really. What does have
 me thinking though is how we are building for this era... and some of the 
issues that stand out with comtemporary homes and in the older areas.

There's not enough trees and growing things in so many place and streets 
I see. I would rather see different ideas in play... like shared green spaces for 
gardening and fresh air. I'm glad to be connecting often with architects, 
designers, gardening types here where I live. I cant wait to see more innovation
reaching the masses... and somehow I think it will need to.

The other thing I reckon for sure is more art needs to find its way into peoples 
homes. 

Its been wonderful to hear that there has been some art appreciation going on 
at our own house's viewings. For many of us it does make such a difference 
to walk into a home where something conveys mindfulness, or an attention 
to detail in the way the space is lived in
.
I could go on but its late so I will bid you goodnight!

See you soon with more reports perhaps!

S

CLOSE

Today I looked into the coming week's plans... and found this flyer for the biennial Alumni exhibition at Victoria University  on their website...  I was wondering who was in this show...then realised its the one I'll have artwork in along with a whole lot of other ex-students.
I think you'll agree this makes a fabulous change from seedpods... but... actually the paintings I sent in are seed capsules! Not to worry...I think this will be fun... and no doubt very eclectic!

The artwork 'Shame and Horror I' is by Sue Wyers and can be better viewed at the Victoria University website here.

Its a rather bitter-sweet story ... my tale about studying at Vic Uni. In 2000 I commenced a painting diploma here and started to really settle in and realise my good fortune in finding both wonderful staff and students in the one place. Good conversation and the tuition on some important aspects of painting I'd missed out on years before in a degree course in the late 70's when it was all about colour-field painting and going to the pub...lecturers that is! Some never made it back...virtually ever...so there went the tuition. So ... to be learning essentials about mediums and materials... nd such critical things ... slowly adding to the knowledge I'd gleaned to date through personal effort or other's advice... this was the place to be!

... and then my house had to go and burn down didn't it? And I finally decided ... after 12 long years in this city I loved ... to pack up and go north. I was a little bit heart-broken - not so much about the house which Id just moved into and didn't own. Luck was on my side...I pulled out almost everything I owned intact! Despite the house being completely uninhabitable! I make light of it... it was not a light time as you can appreciate... but having one's self intact and one's goods and chattels... That was amazing!  

What I was heart broken about was leaving this beloved Art Course and the people I met there. It had just felt right.

Which is why the Alumni launch 2 years ago was such a pleasure to attend. Friendships renewed and a door re-opening. The timing was great and even led to a residency for a month in January last year.

So... now I'm off to Melbourne for nearly a week with plenty to catch up on down there.

It will be a bit quiet here for a bit... but back soon enough with a very busy few months remaining at the Botanic Gardens and much happening in general. I should have packed by now... found all the warmest clothes I own - with winds blowing up from Antartica which Melbourne is quite close to compared to here where I live! (OK...those of you good at geography will know I exaggerate a bit there... but you get my drift I'm sure.)

Have a good week everyone...

    see you soon!

St Kilda Pier

and icon of St Kilda for sweet-tooths

Botanic Gardens, Melbourne

time out down south... part one

 

Ferdinando - his story coming soon on the homage blog...

... more on these thongs and where i found them next post!  Sydney was rejuvenating ... and both old and new... more soon!

propagating in the pineapple state...

I loved this indoor pineapple farm put together by Vicki (an artist you can see more on in the next post). Queensland is sometimes identified with pineapples which grow in abundance in this region north of Brisbane. Ginger and macadamia nuts are also well suited to this climate. I apparently arrived too late to see the dozen(s) of pinapple tops lined up in glass jars on the table. I loved trying to photograph these with my not so trusty camera ... (my intimacy with the instruction book is not significant either!)

Ok I think you get the picture... with or without good camera technique - and photo-shopping skills. There's something about seeing plants taking root like this that I find very compelling!

exhibition opening weekend of April 17 and 18

Images posted here below are from the just opened Homage to the Seed Exhibition at Embiggen Books and Gallery at Noosaville, 2 hours north of Brisbane. Friday I drove through heavy rain on the road up the coast - squalls of rain continued till today ... but did not dampen spirits. My charming hosts at the Gallery soon had order made of various artworks, lists of titles, prices and such and I put my mind to visiting local places to drop off flyers and seeing what was happening about town.

A beeline was made next morning to the Eumundi Market - a delightful excursion. I made a point of visiting stalls where local people were selling organic produce, some even selling seeds they'd collected from their harvest. I collected names, stories and contact details and decided I must return. For the gallery opening I bought lemon myrtle-infused olive oil to go with artisan bread from Brewbakers (fav Brisbane bakery) my home made dukkah (seed-food!), a bunch of fresh lemon myrtle, thai coriander which smelt fabulous, small orange persimmon, rosella branches with fruit still on, beetroot flavoured cornchips, wasabi crisps, tiny dried figs, pumpkin seeds plus my own labneh - yoghurt cheese - rolled in dukkah). Dont ask me why I did not photograph this colourful spread with flora and pods arranged on a handprinted cloth !

Conversations with growers and producers led to invites being issued to the exhibition and subsequent offers on their part to promote the Homage to the Seed project through their networks. With this exilarating start to the day the up-tempo mood remained over the entire weekend really. The 3pm opening Saturday was well attended by friends and new connections from afar ( special thank you Laney!) and some wonderful people from the local area whom I was delighted to meet. Even some of my young students from last year were able to come along as they were up for a weekend trip to the coast! It was excellent to have Phil Cameron from Brisbane Botanic Gardens  in attendance as he was able respond to queries on the Millenium Seedbank Project which was an  important stimulus for this particular show.

There are so many things I could add about the amazing chance connections on the weekend. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I've had showing work to date - the animated discussion, particularly after the artist's talk Saturday, led to wonderful ideas being cooked up and addresses exchanged.

Sunday morning catering was left to the excellent neighbouring cafes  - Organica on the left and the German Bakery on the right kept everyone happy. I was getting reports on the amazing range of goods at Organica, but never made it in ... although I did enjoy an excellent coffee from there ! The  easy atmosphere of people coming by for an hour or two over the day offered the chance to get to know new people and catch up with friends and family. Others are invaluable in helping one see ones own work more laterally. After an intense month or so in the studio where I was spending more and more time towards the end - barely talking, maybe listening to a little Radio National, it was the reverse situation all weekend where lack of sleep and adrenalin kept me talking rather a lot more than usual.... and of course the wonderful visitors  who brought great stories and experiences of their own to share.

Its getting late so I am leaving with you with a series of art works which should enlarge on clicking for your perusal - sorry about the lack of titles and such. I must retire.
Warm thankyous to those able to come along either Saturday or Sunday - I dont think I missed out on a decent chat with any of you...and wasn't this Gallery/bookstore the perfect destination for the weekend!!!
To my blogosphere well-wishers...you were missed but not forgotten...thank you for your kind words all!

...the tired but happy artist with sister Jana (right) Sunday afternoon

... this last image was snapped at the end of 2 wonderful days of visitors to the show. Books and journals had been put to much use whilst talking to the viewers about work and ideas behind various paintings. The bookshop atmosphere was so conducive to this... with quiet browsing areas where some took the journals for a quiet read. This for me was a highlight of showing in this wonderful venue. Unorthodox perhaps but satisfying by all accounts, especially anyone seeking an introduction to the work or a look into the ideas around it. With the Homage journal containing many small and quick scribblings and sketches from the Seed Lab at the Botanic Gardens this mode of presentation allowed for far greater insight into the residency project which was the central purpose of this exhibition.

Photos courtesy Warren Bonnet at Embiggen Books with additional images courtesy Steve Kozak.