Sound advice from Myrtle St Studio

Jay Dee Dearness runs Myrtle St Studio at the Grange in Brisbane which concentrates on the production and exhibition of

• Printmaking/Graphic Art/Illustration/Drawing/Textile Art
• Photography
• Book Arts/Limited Editions/Small Fine Press/Artist Books/Zines
• Paper and Fibre Sculpture/Installations

Jay Dee has posted some great advice for anyone dealing with water damage of valuable paper items. Click on sub-heading Flood tips below to go straight her post.

Flood tips for Queensland Artists, Collectors and General Public

JANUARY 13, 2011

Some of the most important possessions in a home are paper-based – photographs, historical documents, certificates, artworks and the list goes on.  Some of these items may not have been digitized and may be irreplaceable.  If you are someone who is possibly going to be salvaging a flood devastated home in the coming weeks, I’ve quickly put together some information which may be of assistance.

You can read an earlier post I did on Myrtle St Studio here....from December.

The images below are from one of my favourite places in Brisbane...the Qld State library which I posted on here. This wonderful reading room looks straight over a very peaceful looking river.  Jay Dee mentioned in her post about flooding at the State Library. As a much loved public building always filled with international students, families, old and young, many will be keen to know their library is OK.

Call out to artists:

ATTENTION brisbane-based ARTISTS

Thank you for your spirited offer to volunteer your skills. There have been a number of generous offers to entertain the people accessing the evacuation centres over the past few days. Please be aware that the evacuation centres are run by The Red Cross and a number of other not-for-profit, non government organisations who are coordinating a diverse range of logistics and issues.

In order to prevent additional stress to those accessing and running this centre Brisbane City Council’s Creative Communities team are creating a schedule of creative programs to ensure there is an even balance of activities. We already have a number of acts and workshops scheduled but we are taking a list of artists who could volunteer for the next week – whether in an evac. centre or at other similar events/centres for those affected by the floods. 

If you are still keen to assist us in the coming weeks over the clean up period we would love to have your details so we can contact you if you are required. Please complete the below form and return to  HYPERLINK " mailto :  scotia.monkivitch@brisbane.qld.gov.au" 

This was one of several call outs that came by email last night from various community sectors. Lots of community initiative is coming from everywhere. I was told 8,000 people turned up at Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens this morning ready to volunteer. Buses were on site to ferry people to flood recovery areas needing help... there was a bus shortage!!! This morning's Australian newspaper carried a one page letter asking people to think down the track... to consider buying from Queensland businesses 

and coming here as a tourist. The same newspaper ran stories on the Brazil situation with deluges and landslides -many killed and vast numbers homeless. Sri Lanka has over a million homeless from floods. The question in Sri Lanka is where will the money come from to rebuild. Sobering and important question. Every loss here is honoured. They are not anonymous losses ... nor should they be. We live in a large continent with a small population ... Sri Lanka is a small place with a huge population. How are losses tracked and people sustained with those odds?

The next few days...

Read about this event on at the moment in Brisbane if there's a chance you can get along to the State Library between now and Sunday! Click here!!!!

from the program on Saturday afternoon....

Robert Forster writes what he sees around 

him: Brisbane. Matthew Condon writes of 

the city of his youth: Brisbane. The family 

memoirs of William McInnes reflect his home 

town: Brisbane. Matt Howard, especially 

chosen for his self-described ignorance of all 

things Brisbane, leads the debate on writing 

Brisbane as character. 

Tickets $16 qtix 

Presented by ourbrisbane.com 

     

from the Robert Forster Website.

Looking up the Festival program I found these wonderful images at the CITY OF SOUND blog of the venue for the Writers festival.... The Queensland State Library

Looking form GoMA

entrance

open interior

breezeway

breezeway

interior: looking up 

interior: looking across from the 4th floor

looking to river

typical queensland look...tree next to verandah

looking from river -there's the Glass Box reading room!

verandah looking across freeway

Glass box reading room

Reading room looking down river

4th floor...gallery area

verandah looking to river walkway

stone fire pit... leading out of indigenous knowledge centre

looking across to GoMA - Gallery of Modern Art 

gigantic patterend screen

known to staff as "The shower curtain"

ground floor computer area

breezeway wi-fi

external section of cafe with overhanging roof and no walls - great in sub-tropical rain

Please go to the website post for excellent text and more photos. This building won awards for its design... and each time I'm there it wins me over... 

Principal Architect Timothy Hill of Donovan Hill is quoted here: SLQ website:

“‘The design is all about creating an open space which, unlike many public buildings of the past, is neither intimidating nor conventional. I want visitors to be able to look inside without having to go in. People are more comfortable if they can visit a few times and see what’s there without having to actually go in.’

“Hill says that the biggest compliment that could be made about his building is if people feel that it’s the kind of place they could meet for a date."

‘The new State Library is deliberately ambiguous so that people can find in it something that they can recognise from their point of view. I didn’t want to make an icon. An icon is just a symbol. I hope that people can know before they come here that they are welcome, and that it is open-ended about what you do there. That will be the best way for it to become a favourite. Libraries are social, community and wmeeting places, as well as learning centres. I think we have achieved all this and more.’” [Timothy Hill, Donovan Hill]

friday, saturday, sunday...

Lovely weather here at the moment...a bit of a chill in the air at times...but ... its mostly sunny and one feels like making the most of it!  Friday I wandered over to this gorgeous part of the place I currently work at some of my time. Click here to see more of this magic!

lily-pond at Mt Coot-tha

What's sad to note its that sometimes one can be so busy, so on the go with tasks and deadlines that it would not matter where you worked... such is the level of preoccupation! Having a settled studio space that's large enough to move around in and separate from my computer and other work is making the world of difference just now. Many things have become more possible. The sun is indeed shining!

the spring-cleaned studio blog

I realised on Saturday that I had neglected my studio blog for far too long and made a point of tidying up over here. A little interior decorating, scrubbing, polishing and a good airing gave this forlorn blog a new lease of life ... so it is ready for visitors. Well...one could keep finessing forever... but I discovered my ambitions were greater that my ability to manipulate blogger gadgetry ...so I had to make do at a certain point. As I was stuffing around I kept thinking of different bloggy friends who would have answers to my queries... I know this because of the gadgets that work on your blogs.... things that I really should be able to figure out but haven't!
such is life...


As for Sunday...

reading room over the Brisbane River

I needed to do some serious thinking and work on a project and home was not the spot for that I decided.
The State Library I'd not been to in ages... so off I went in the early afternoon to find a quiet alcove to claim as my own ... where I could settle and write. I looked high and and I searched low but all the many wonderful alcoves in this extraordinary Library were taken by people who love it as much as I. I've posted on this place before... do have a look here... its wonderful!

the most perfect hidden spot

When I eventually found my perfect spot I discovered I'd left the important papers at home. I was almost annoyed with myself until I thought... how nice it was to be here and I'll be back... just not on a Sunday when everyone comes!

Actually I will be back... next week is the Brisbane Writers Festival and this is the building where it is held... well mostly out on the grass in marquees and in tiered dark auditoriums!

Oh...I just realised I skipped telling the part about tennis today . No photos of that... never will be I promise. It must be said I do quite like getting out on the local school court for casual hit of tennis (casual being the operative word) ...especially in this weather without the dreaded humidity.

well it was a lovely few days... do have a great week all of you out there... see you,

S