One year later…One more painted Table. Tabling Creativity…..but there’s no rush!

What better way to spend an Autumn day going round in Circles and covering it with paint?

I made the first table this time last year…click here

Button Beads and Squashed Creativity….

My Mum came around the other day to paint the button beads we had made for a top she has knitted.
The beads are inspired by regular buttons and we are also making necklaces from them:

…we enjoyed spending time painting them, making a mess, ruining a couple …and talking…

Something happens when you sit and create together…stories begin to flow and memories are remembered as the peaceful, alpha-wave state of creativity inspires the busy mind to slow down … it is a form of open eyed meditation…

Mum was telling me stories from her childhood during the second world war in England. Educated by Nuns who had little time or tolerance for the self indulgence of ‘art’ and ‘creativity’…Mum drew me an image of the only avenue there was for creative expression…to copy a pattern within a pre-existing grid!

Thankfully Mum was able to live a creative life in spite of the repression of teachers viewing creativity close to sinful, artistic passion as selfish indulgence and individuality as yet another flaw in an already suspect Soul.

My two sisters and I are blessed to have both parents alive and well, married 52 years this year…and we are equally blessed beyond measure that our Mother did not lost her creative self in the shaming and vilifying atmosphere of an institution that today is having to face its many flaws and past errors.

Birthday Flowers that Blossomed over 7 Days….

What a wonderful surprise it was when the deliveryman arrived with a big bunch of flowers for my Birthday last Saturday!

Thank you Angelina, Alan and Andrew…and Bodhi… for your thoughtfullness from way over there in Canada.

I kept a little photo journal of the flowers over the 7 days and am delighted to share them here with you…

Purrly and the Plastic Sleeves…..

I have been sorting out my artwork and had dozens of A3 plastic sleeves in various piles around the room. I went out for a coffee and when I returned, noticed that some of the sleeves had tiny little razor marks on them and were not in the same place.

I placed the hidden camera in my hands and found the culprit.  Purrly  playing “Enemy”….

 

Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Cockatoo-Collins…

Sal and I recently returned from Stradbroke Island where we happily went to film the wonderful  Wedding of two terrific people….and what a magical time it was indeed. People travelled form across Australia for  this special, sacred  event and the Stradbroke Island seafood and hospitality was one of those life-time memory occasions. 

Thank you for the privilege of filming and creating the digital record Delvene and Che…it was a fantastic trip followed by our  travels to Grafton NSW and Pittsworth in rural Queensland….how nice to see the country side so green after this dry ol’ desert town of Adelaide!

 

Nicole Kidman Plays Didgeridoo. Hugh Jackman bounces around on one leg…

It is not surprising that Nicole Kidman attempted to play the sacred instrument, the Didgeridoo – an instrument forbidden to women, a ceremonial  instrument of many thousands of years.

That Hugh Jackman would bounce around on one leg parodying traditional dancers and think nothing of is most likely because they are anglo-Australians who reflect the  ignorance that  some….many….Australians have regarding Aboriginal protocols and Cultural Respect.

All of us white-kids of the 60’s and 70’s eras grew up in a country that had long ago turned sacred symbols into tea towels and souvenir’s, had forbidden traditional Aboriginal language to be spoken in government institutions and were taught the “A,B,C of Racism” through the example of the adults around us.

We grew up in a country where Aboriginal knoweldge was dismissed, rights were taken away the cultural practices were targeted for annihilation.

Click here for more of that story:

Nigger and the A, B, c of Racism in Australia…

Nicole and Hugh most likely did not intentionally set out to offend, the footage shows an atmosphere of fun and levity, delighting the audience with their antics…..and that in itself says a great deal about how ignorant non-Aboriginal Australia will remain until we develop meaningful relationships with Aboriginal people on a far wider scale than currently happens in order that understanding and respect can develop.

Many people have expressed delight and appreciation of the role of the Aboriginal boy in the high profile film “Australia” though as far as a true representation it is a film made by white~Australians about the romanticism of colonial Australia at a time this country was immersed in the slavery and apartheid that defined post-European invasion of ’settlement’.

The young boy mentions that the white woman coming is a sign of things being made better…the missionary-rescue story re- told black people relying on white people to determine their destiny.

Perhaps one day Nicole might have the privilege of sitting with the Elders, learning about the role of the didgeridoo in ceremony and celebration…perhaps Hugh might be invited to dance with the Men and experience the process of dancing with the rhythms of thousands of years of Dreamtime….

Until then the disregard for Cultural protocols , regardless of the role that fictional Aboriginal boys play in films, will probably continue during these very early days of recovery, recognition and respect for traditional Aboriginal values and practices.

The map below shows how many hundreds of Aboriginal groups existed in Australia prior to the invasion by European armed forces in 1788. Each First Nation group with its own extraordinarily beautiful art, music, ceremony, Spiritual and societal practices

Spirit Festival on Kaurna country (Adelaide) 2008

The photos say it all…Proud young Black Australians dancing in the Spirit of New Dreams, celebrating the Old Ways…as the healing and restoration unfolds…..

Family, song , dance, connection, Culture and open spaces without walls….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Nunga TV – Smart Mob – The Car that makes people smile….

Sometimes when we are out and about I forget that we are driving in the NungaTV car- so beautifully painted by Mark Blackman and the Warriappendi students. People often smile and some feel compelled to wave…such is the Spirit of connection and appreciation that Aboriginal Art invokes. Although if I have forgotten about the outside of the car, it does feel as if people are just waving and smiling because they are having a good day!…….(;-)

With the NungaTV car, it’s as if people are seeing a mobile dot-painting for the first time.  

And they are of course!……..

 

 

 

Even  grown men, when they  stand near the NungaTV car, just want to play!….

 

 

The EarthSong Brothers………

Great to see Tony again after nearly 15 years and to be able to share in the   EarthSong vision together…….

It’s official….’ProsperArty’ has been named, signed and sealed!

Last year I began the process to trademark the name “ProsperArty”…a name I created to define my ART of Change tools and programs.

ProsperArty = Experiencing Prosperity by using the mediums of Art / Creativity.

Prosperity as I define it, is  to develop, grow  and flourish in what ever areas we value and consider to be  important…ProsperArty is a personal journey on a Universal theme that recognises the balance and harmony of nature and the creative state.

I had an afternoon tea with some of the Women I have worked with in the past, currently work with or have projects emerging throughout 2009…

It was a wonderful afternoon with some great food… unfortunately in  the images below  my ProsperArty guests are absent, as we were too busy nattering and chattering in our talking circle and eating and laughing to remember to take photos.

However I did capture the food!…and the flowers…and a few other things from the day…beginning with the Zebra that pulled up out the front just as we were getting under way…a noisy Zebra that came to trim trees and chomp branches! Before long we were noisier than the tree munching Zebra of course!

 

Sal made chocolate mousse that I decorated with mint and twelve white chocolate buttons…representing the Clock..because “It’s Time” for ProsperArty……

 

Sa’s gorgeous daughter Gemma made lime and lemon tart…I made peanut crunchie biscuits and apricot with white chocolate and almond balls…What a high calorie, yummy launch!

 

I chose the Celtic triple spiral theme (Triskele)  for the ProsperArty gift …we had a lot of fun threading them onto elastic to create a pendant. The 7 purple dots represent the 7 Sisters…that cluster of stars that has birthed  mythology and Dreaming stories right across the planet.. There were 7 Women present at the time, more guests  arrived later …

My recent trip to Matariki bay- bay of the 7 Sisters in Aotearoa (New Zealand) is a significant part of the essence of  ProsperArty…

 

I liked how the river stone-shaped  pendants looked in their circle before sharing them around. (Made with air drying das clay, painted with acrylics and sealed with high gloss varnish. I drew the design with permanet marker)

 

My Trademark Certification…ProsperArty…

 

Pilawuk made a gift of the most breath taking silk wall hanging based on some of my ProsperArty designs…if you look closely you can see the Warrior Woman image in the centre..and on the sides forming “Yesterday, today and tomorrow”…a theme from my invitation…      

Magic!!…thank you Pilawuk…Silk Queen Goddess!

 

Here is a side view…aren’t the colours just deliciously  ProsperArteous?!

 

Thankyou to my former colleagues Cathy, Desi and the Malvern Place team for the flowers and words of great encouragement and good will…

A lovely afternoon with a group of Women who live and breathe the essence of ProsperArty’s highest hopes and dreams…..

Let the Magic begin!

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“ProsperArty” was dreamt and created on traditional Aboriginal Land and I acknowledge the Kaurna people as the custodians of this part of the country and recognise the authority  of the  Dreamtime as holding the key to many of the challenges we are facing in Australia today.

Create New Dreams…Seeding the Future Vision

We had a wonderful weekend camp…thanks to the gorgeous Goddesses who came from two Communities up north to join us in the Riverland.

Along with the Mandala art and making clay beads, we work-shopped the Vision for the Womens groups…then painted terra cotta pots and planted the Sunflower seeds that will grow along with the new changes..

Thankyou to the Women for allowing us to photograph the art work and capture the many wonderful moments where Nanas and great grandchildren, Community leaders and members sat and enjoyed the  creative processes  together….what better way to spend a weekend in the Riverland sun?

Deanna Nungala and I feel very privileged to have been invited to host the Celeberating our Community camp and look forward to our Miminis Nopin Inc ventures in 2009 when we can return the gifting by visiting the Women and seeing how the Sunflowers have grown….

Miminis Nopin – Women on the Move…

 

We think we have found art based activities that everyone- young and old -can enjoy together…and sme1954 …you may find new pathways open when you get creative too!

 

Deanna and I wearing the clay necklaces we made during the Apology week, to honor the Mothers whose children were stolen from them.  Nungala is a Stolen Generation survivor and a Warrior Woman of the heart in the truest sense….

 

Our Vision Workshopping Board….

 

Painting the clay beads they have rolled earlier in the day is wonderful for concentration for the little kids and fun~creativity for all ages…

 

Little sister can create and paint her own beads too!

 

 

This pot-painter will seed some fantastic changes for her  Community I am sure…

 

 

The gorgeous goddess with the smile that lights up rooms and hearts…

 

Our Chef extraordinaire took time out from her delicious food-making to paint a pot of her own…

 

 

Lady birds for good luck turned up on the top of this artists work….

 

…as you can see….

 

Mother and Daughter creating together……they have a vegie garden at home and the new Sunflowers might fill that garden one day! One single  seed births the seeds of many new flowers over one single season… 

 

…seeding the Vision is a journey of process, attention, watering and ….patience….

 

…all pots are sealed with varnish and the upper torso lean, with head titled upward is a spraying skill learnt after accidentally inhaling a nostril full of varnish dust on the first ever pot.  Interesting shadow cast on the ground there….