The school holidays and tax returns have snuck up on me to yet again its a time of barely keeping my head above water and sadly still contemplating my lack of a compost bin (while the wood to build it languishes in the tardis garage).

My attempt to lighten things by reading fiction went totally awry, although I am enjoying “The Witch of Portobello” to some degree. The library requested Waimarino County back for their Montana Book award display so I couldn’t slowly go over that again and I don’t have the heart to more than briefly open two poetry books** that unexpectedly arrived, after hearing the author’s comments on his poetry. I will have to force myself though as they are due back soon. Libraries are fantastic but sometimes owning a book is required so I keep putting my gold coins in the piggy bank and forgo coffee for a while - I’ve actually started drinking tea!. I have also been offered the Dean Buchanan book “Wild Beast” at a knock-down price so am mulling over that as my next prospective purchase.

Things do improve as the days lengthen and I was pleased to see the extensive web resources related to the Rita Angus exhibition at Te Papa. Its all good for shut-ins like me and I think Te Papa has really picked up their game on the internet front, although I suspect they have a backlog of work to get through. And a tip - you can download the audio resources for the exhibition and take them on your own ipod (or the like) and save yourself $5.

Art writing is taking some interesting turns and I am curious as to why Tom Cardy has been doing the visual arts writing for the DomPost in the last few weeks (interesting look at Fiona Halls “Force Field” today), Jill Trevelyan writes about Picasso’s collection in the Listener and on a more literary note anyone interested in the Bloomsbury group (that would be me) would do well to read Diana Witchel’s excellent article on her tour. On this subject though, I can’t go past the movie Carrington with Emma Thompson in the title role and Jonathon Pryce doing a wonderful Lytton Strachey.

(Giles) Lytton Strachey (1880-1932), by Dora Carrington, 1916.

*common English for Hotch-Potch, a mixture; mutton soup thick with pieces of meat and all sorts of vegetables, also Hot-Pot
**”Houses, days, skies” and “Streets of Music” by Martin Edmond

Today in a fit of nostalgia I have been thinking about Blue Ducks (or Whio) and a small part of my life spent following them (and their trackers) around mountain rivers.

Birds seem to feature largely in NZ art, or is that just me…? Of course Dr Buller was one of the first documentors and I grew up with his book of birds, although J. G. Keulemans was the illustrator. There was even a play “Dr Buller’s Birds“. Its a pity Buller collected skins but I guess it means we do have “examples” of extinct species.

Blue Duck and Scaup from Birds of New Zealand, 1888. (Buller)

More contemporaily, I can think of Raymond Ching, Don Binney and Bill Hammond who have used birds rather centrally to their work. What does it all mean?

Whio and the Dance of Extinction -Ray Ching

I found this well reported ‘fact’ about Hammond “As a result of this trip to The Auckland Islands and his interest in macabre aspects of the taxidermist’s trade as evidenced in the book “Buller’s Birds of New Zealand”, Hammond began producing his haunting world of half-human, half-bird creatures. And it is this original parallel world that has captured the imagination of so many New Zealanders’“

However more interesting is a discussion of the significance of the birds here with reference to Binney and Buller.

“With his bird paintings Hammond has stepped into the spotlight in New Zealand art, tapping into the national psyche’s obsession with native birds…colonial history, and Kiwiana. Buller was not the only precedent. The regional modernist Don Binney achieved prominence and popularity in the 60’s and 70’s depicting birds soaring over landscapes, symbolising triumphal national identity as much as individual spiritual transcendence. The kiwi itself, a flightless, nocturnal, clumsy, unattractive, and increasingly-endangered bird, is a decidedly-peculiar choice of national icon, and Hammond’s stiff, upright, Egyptian-looking humanoid birds, always in profile, theoretically capable of flight but never flying, allude to that indirectly. ” (my emphasis)

Watching for Buller- Bill Hammond

So are we “kiwis” doomed to be earth-bound, only dreaming of flight?

I was numbing my mind further last night watching ‘Project Runway’ and was intersted in the challenge the designers had to create an outfit inspired by art at the Met. I was pretty impressed by what the winner came up with but the art they were able to choose from made me think about fine art as decoration when it was originally produced.

I know art had illustrative value and as a simple record of people and events but they were often (mainly?) to make the walls look nice as well. As we now have photography, video, Tv, film to record etc etc, fine art has become more conceptual but decorative “that will look nice above my couch” art is still churned out. How will what is now decorative art (posing as “real” art or not) - be viewed in the future. For example already things such as William Morris wallpaper are seen as art.

I guess it comes back to definitions of art and intent. Things that are simply “iconic” (shudder) seem to be morphing into art as well. And yes this is by an artist - but is it art? really? (and yes I do know the answer to that)

HQ Holden Jeff Thompson

Or “Art Collecting for the Poor”

I know pretty much nothing about private art collecting, but today I was thinking about how (so far) the art world village seems largely unaffected by “the recession”. I can only put this down to it not really biting yet. However I have put together some tips for private collectors in a future environmental/energy/economic crisis.

Power. Don’t buy anything that requires power. Or maybe look for works that are solar powered. Alternatively, for those so inclined, I am told a small nuclear reactor is cheap and environmentally friendly. Consider if existing works will still stand if they are in off mode - the artist may even consider this to be part of the concept? Works such as Martin Creed’s Work No 227: The Lights going on and off may be better kept in purely “idea” form or renamed “The Lights going off and on“. In fact Creed’s new Work No 850 may just be more sustainable all round. Video works could be stored, although you maybe you can get the pretty shiny DVDs out and play with their reflections in the candle light.

Assemblage seems to be a good bet - especially if environmentally friendly recycled pieces. I would avoid anything that looks like it could be used as firewood though, it may just become too tempting.

Painting. Oils in particular may also be tempting to throw on the fire - especially if the artist has taken Gopas’ advice and mixed a lot of turps in with the paint so it burns easier. Portraits may win out here, as most people are loathe to do anything to their own self image (see Dorian Gray). Artists may need to consider if their canvases and paints are sourced from sweat shop sources. I am told hessian (ripped from the walls of old villas) works as a canvas and grinding and mixing your own pigments has certain sensuous qualities. Larger canvases could also be reused as curtains.

In the end craft/decorative arts seem more practical. Vessels could have all sorts of daily uses and handmade items such as Ani O’Neill crocheted works could be joined up to make clothes or blankets.

OK - this may not even be remotely funny. No offense to any artists or collectors intended! 

I have been thinking today about self-portraits - mainly because I was trying to take a photograph of myself for a bio which was rather unsuccessful. I don’t think I’d like what I saw no matter what and the camera shows all those little things that the eye/brain connection can blank out. I think when you look at yourself intently it also can bring around the clash of the inner and outer worlds. Personally in my head I will forever look 20, but the truth is, that page has long since been turned. It is indeed a case of “This Thing in the Mirror“

Also I got news of someone flying up from Christchurch to see the Rita Angus exhibiton that opens at Te Papa this coming weekend (now that is an opening I’d love the opportunity to go to). Rita of course was a master self-portraitess and I think we get a glimmer of her inner world in these works.

Oddly the self-portraits I love are of/by women - Frida Khalo, A Lois White, Jacquey Fahey for example. Perhaps women are overly judgemental of themselves? I like to think of it as a form of self analysis which makes the pictures all the more intriguing.

I was rummaging though my things looking for something today and in side an old choclate box (how clichéd!) I came upon a yellowed bit of note paper with a poem on it given to me by an American friend probably 15 years ago. I did not find what I set out to, but I found what I was looking for.

Like You

Like you I
love love, life, the sweet smell
of things, the sky-blue
landscape of January days.

And my blood boils up
and I laugh through eyes
that have known the buds of tears.

I believe the world is beautiful
and that poetry, like bread, is for everyone.

And that my veins don’t end in me
but in the unanimous blood
of those who struggle for life,
love,
little things,
landscape and bread,
the poetry of everyone.

- Roque Dalton

El Salvadoran poet, murdered 1975

I believe this is a photograph of Neruda and Dalton (correct me if I am wrong)

Let me tell you a story. In October last year I ventured out to the Annual Lions booksale in my area. I had a $10 budget and I think I did really well. I am always on the lookout for…the quirky. In my browsings I picked up “The Audubon Notebook: An Illustrated Journal with Space for Notes” that was filled with handwritten ‘poetry’ scribed in fountain pen. I could not resist. It also had a pink flamingo on the cover which I have a special penchant for. I had a quick flick through and then put it on my bookshelf where it remained until a few weeks ago.

So recently I got the book out and unstuck the first couple of pages and I found the following inscription “The Way of Life, according to LaoTze. Translated by Walter Bynner. Lyrebird Press” - well doh! and wow!. It appeared just at the right time as well.

I have a liking for botanical/natural images although I squirm a bit at Audubon (maybe because they are so widely reproduced). However it all came together in this little book. The final page reads “To love a person is to/ let them Be and and allow/ the Tao to take care of/ them. Non interference”.

So

“existence is beyond the power of words”

It really has been an odd few weeks (months?) and to have sudden realisation and clarity can be a bit of a shock to the system. Wake up call even…

Today I have been on the receiving end of “a bad review”. I have been doing a writing course to fill in some time and the marker on my latest efforts has bought me back to earth with a bit of a crash. Not a bad crash, but a great lesson on reviewing and being reviewed and thankfully not cutting in a CK Stead kind of way. However I shall in future try not to be so flippant in my opinions here now that I partially understand the effect!

Also another sharp reminder of how small NZ is generally and hence the art world village here came today when in my internet art searches I came across a ‘new’ artist doing interesting stuff and then found they had a very personal (if once removed) connection to me. It was quite startling and because of the connection I can’t quite bring myself to “showcase” the work here. Life is so complex! It reminds me of a hospital administrator who once said “it would all run so much smoother if there were no patients”.

Enough of my day of personal revelations. How about “we need more happy art” as a discussion topic? Don’t you find a lot of art is very serious, stark and angst ridden? Full of deep half-hidden meanings and symbolism and dark thoughts and concepts? Then when something with a bit of humour arises, it’s dismissed as flippant or lightweight? So what about this then (from an artist)

“Art that makes you HAPPY. Not just art with deep meaning. If it brings you joy when you walk in the door, brings you a smile when you’re down, I’ve made something so much more meaningful. I’ve given you something to bring you life! We can’t be serious all the time. We cannot bear the weight of the world on our shoulders 24/7.”

Lastly this art (design/fashion statement) should NOT make me happy - but it does…

“Who Killed Bambi?”

For the first time I am tempted to use my blog in the cuttingly efficient (and amusing) way that Cactus Kate does. However I won’t, mainly because the person in question probably doesn’t even read this. Good things come from bad though including discovering a lovely poem that sums it up called “Waiting“. A friend once told me that everything has already been said in a song lyric - I add to that “or a poem”.

I have decided that changing my reading may help navigate a way through my current personal morass so I took all my books back to the library this morning, incuding the masses of unfinished ones, and got some fiction out. I am not a big fiction reader but maybe something a bit lighter is in order. Its like needing to watch (a good British) comedy after a long meal of documentaries. My fiction list is embarrassing though so don’t expect to see it here.

On a more artistic front I have been asked to comment on A. Lois White and Ralph Hotere. I am no art historian but in my internet wanderings I found these two items which probably capture some essence of the artists.

Hotere
I do love his stuff - espcially the corrugated iron work (it resonates!). However Over the Net today mentioned “The elephant in the room” in Alan Smith’s words on Song of Solomon and the absence of reference to McCahon - maybe it was assumed? Anyway in other works not so obviously paying homage there is a kinship which I like.

Song of Solomon

A. Lois White
White’s work is generally a little too ‘graphic’ in style for me but I love stories (and storytellers) and this one struck me.

“In 1975 the Wellington dealer Peter McLeavey called at the Blockhouse Bay house White shared with her sister. He was greeted by an artist who thought of herself as ‘old fashioned’. Many of her early compositions were stacked in her studio and garage. In 1977 McLeavey organised White’s first solo exhibition and brought her work to the attention of the galleries and collectors. She was 74 years old.”

Nude at Easel - Self Portrait (circa 1935)

I forgot to post the answer to my little photo quiz. The prize was to have been a real crystal set

Crystal radio kitset.

But the answer was…The site of Rita Angus’s parent’s home at Waikanae.  Angus completed several major works here including “Rutu” (which was begun much earlier though). Many beautiful  and detailed botanical watercolours came from her time here. A major Angus exhibition opens at Te Papa July 5th and runs through until October and shows over 200 works.