Haiti…a world away but common ground

Image: Nomad Two Worlds

L-R Philippe Dodard, Rebecca Morgan, Edwin Lee Mulligan, Nathan Mundraby, Deborah Lee Jackman, Hugh Jackman, Donna Karan, Clifton Bieundurry, Russell James

Recently, Nomad Two Worlds opened an exhibition with Camera Work Gallery in Berlin.  I was fortunate to be part of the Nomad Two Worlds Team there to present my collaborative art with Russell James.  All the artists were very grateful for the support of long-time frineds of Nomad Two Words, Hugh and Deborah Lee Jackman, and Donna Karan and her Urban Zen Foundation.

A highlight for me was being able to spend time getting to know Haitian Artist, Philippe Dodard and his family.  His art was extraordinary, the thing that really caught my attention was the deep layers in each stroke, they seem to tell a personal story which we were allowed to take a peek into.

Some were dark and others were light, the art seem to reflect a certain reality we’ve all experienced one time or another, and in that I felt I was connected with each story.

After managing to get some time with the Artist and speaking with him, Philippe Dodard took me further into the reality of what he portrayed through art. The devastation and anger with, small pockets of relief and happiness.

It was such a great opportunity to spend time with an artist of Philippe’s calibre and I hope we get to see some more of his work soon.

Jumu

 

 

 

‘Jumu‘ is a Walmajarri word used to describe a water soak found in the Great Sandy Desert. A water soak is water that gathers under the ground between sand dunes and can be accessed by digging into the sand and allowing the water to pool in the hole.  Water soaks are important to the survival of Aboriginal people in the desert because the nomadic lifestyle requires access to drinking water that can not be carried the vast distances that tribes traditionally travelled by foot.  We know where to find a water soak by locating a delicate white flower that grows on a ground covering shrub.  Traditionally, water soaks in the desert are joined by songlines along which tribes travel.  This songline is a lyrical ‘map’ that points out the location of the next watersoak.

Songlines are passed on through family generations.

Painting Details

Medium - acrylic on stretched Belgian Linen      Size - 60cm x 60cm       Price - please email bieundurry@westnet.com.au if you are interested in purchasing this piece.

Nomad Two Worlds ‘Portrait of Diversity’

I am getting very excited about the upcoming Nomad Two Worlds ‘Portrait of Diversity’ exhibition opening in the Hay and Murray Street Malls in Perth.  It opens on 16th October at 1pm and all are welcome to attend.

Berlin calling

After an epic journey and many flight changes later, I am finally in BERLIN for the Nomad Two Worlds Exhibition which opens this evening at Alte Muntze Convention Centre.

You can read more on the Nomad Two Worlds webpage at www.nomadtwoworlds.com

Tomorrow I will be participating in a forum discussion on Preserving Culture.  I am honoured to be part of a very well-respected panel of people from around the globe and very happy to be catching up with members of the Nomad Family again!

http://www.nomadtwoworlds.com/events

Stay tuned for some pics of the event and my time in Berlin.

Art for a message

 

 

This is a painting I donated to Sea Shepherd’s Art for the Ocean fundraiser Auction.

It is a bit of a diversion from my usual work , mainly because I used blues and greens instead of the more earthy tones. But also because I painted a very direct message in this painting, instead of being a painting which depicts something about me, or my culture.  This one is more about something I feel strongly about….

Walmajarri people are a desert tribe from the central Kimberley region of Western Australia.  Our affinity is with the fresh water of the desert that comes with rains and the deep springs that reside under the earth.   There is, however, a deep understanding and great respect for all the bodies of water and how they link the spirits of earth, sky and water. 

This painting represents the changing flow of the ocean’s water and the beauty of life it brings. The plain light blue area of this painting represents the calm before the storm, the peace that many find in the stillness of the water.

The red represents the illegal and tragic killing of the ocean’s majestic creatures. The light orange dots represent all that remains unknown about the world’s ocean depths, and the textured black section represents the ruggedness and dangers the ocean can bring. 

Mum

I have just had a great couple of days having my Mum stay with me on her way back home from Canada.  She has been in Toronto for the past two weeks as part of a Nomad Two Worlds team who were invited to perform with Hugh Jackman in his stage show.

My mum and Hugh Jackman

Mr Jackman and his lovely family are great supporters of Nomad Two Worlds.  Mum performed on stage, singing in Walmajarri and doing us all proud!

My kids have loved having their “Oji” to visit them, in particular my son who has delighted in taking care of her and making her numerous cups of tea.  She left for Wangkatjungka this morning, the last leg of a long journey but I am sure she carries many new stories and memories of her adventures to share with the rest of the family back home.

Weaving the fabric of the story

I have been refining a technique of painting recently and feel that I am finally getting the look I am after which tells the story I am trying to express. The pieces of the puzzle finally clicked into place when I was fortunate enough to have a conversation with Warmun artist, Bessie Daylight, at the Nomad Two Worlds Artist Retreat.  Bessie paints with the natural ochres which she collects and grinds into a fine powder.  For her, the connection between the colours she collects from the country and the colours she uses to represent stories from the county is obvious and seamless. And her work is beautiful.  So I began to use a more muted palette and …well, I’m ‘feeling’ it.

Where have I been?

Artist retreat

I have been absent from this space for a while but I am back and plan to stick around!  I have been filling my days with a new style of painting (more on that later, I promise) and taking care of my family.  Most recently I took part in an artist retreat as part of the Nomad Two Worlds team who have been working on collaborative art pieces with Russell James for an exhibition which will be showing in Perth during the CHOGM festivities in October this year.

Russell has photographed Western Australians who have migrated here from the 53 Commonwealth Countries and the images he shot are stunning.  it is exciting to see the way that the Aboriginal artists have interpreted the photos and embellished them in their own unique style.  It has been an honour to work alongside artists Lance Chadd, Peter Farmer, Jilalga Murray-Ranui, Ella Taylor, Bessie Daylight, Richard Walley, Sue Wyatt, Rebecca Morgan, Edwin Mulligan and Nathan Mundraby.  I’m looking forward to sharing more about this exciting project so please feel free to drop by again soon.

Walking the spiral path

With my art, as with most things in life, I always try to improve upon what I’m doing and I strive to implement new ideas and techniques.  What I’m discovering though, is that this moving forward is not happening in a straight line but more like a upwards spiral.  I have started work on a new canvas  -it is a story that I used to paint quite frequently back when I first started seriously painting about 6 years ago but in recent years I have not included it in any exhibitions.

However, I’m painting it with ‘fresh eyes’ and with renewed enthusiasm as I am applying some of the more refined techniques I have picked up along the way.  I feel that I now paint with more patience and detail.  Perhaps I have more confidence in how the colours work together, how the unpainted spaces are as important as the dots themselves.  Whatever the change or growth is, I am enjoying revisiting this story and wonder if this spiral will one day again lead me back to a new version of this story in my future?

Here is a collaborative piece I worked on for Nomad Two Worlds.  It is a photograph by Russell James and which I have embellished with a spiral design which represents the journey a human spirit takes through this world.

Mother Earth

Where do you find inspiration?  For me, maybe because the stories and songs of my culture are linked so strongly to the Earth (country) and maybe because my paintings reflect this bond between Walmajarri people and country, I find it here

well, not that exact tree..but the natural beauty that surrounds us in our day-to-day.

Mind you, I do really like this tree!  There is a park at the end of our street and we walk there almost daily- I think it used to be a fruit orchard as there is gnarled old apricot and pomegranate trees, almonds dropping on the ground and a winter creek that winds it’s way down the hill.

In other news, some new photographs have arrived from Nomad Two Worlds Photographer, Russell James, ready for my paintbrush.  The countdown is on to our exhibition opening in Los Angeles in February 2011.  Exciting things to come!