2011 Albany Art Prize catalogue

A short note.
The 2011 Albany Art Prize catalogue is now available for viewing online. There's an interesting mix of subjects and technique displayed amongst the finalists work.

Diamonds in my eyes installed

I've been in Melbourne, Geelong and Queenscliff the past week, enjoying time with family, friends and attending the opening of my exhibition Diamonds in my eyes at Salt Contemporary Art.
On Friday I was delighted to see all the paintings hanging, Fiona has done a lovely job of arranging the works on the spacious walls at Salt. The opening on Saturday was equally enjoyable and relaxed, with many opportunities to speak with guests about experiences and inspiration behind the works. Hearing peoples responses and thoughts is one of the aspects of openings I enjoy most, an exchange of ideas and conversation that in some way completes the process of making art and hopefully begins an ongoing conversation around ideas in the work.

Special thanks to Fiona for hosting the exhibition and providing a most welcoming atmosphere, Thanks to all my family for making the trip to Queenscliff and joining in the opening it was wonderful to have you there. And to all the guests who popped in or stayed to have a chat, it was lovely to meet you.

Diamonds in my eyes continues to Friday 6th May.

Art in Geelong - exhibition post

Nicola Moss, 'All that glisters is not gold'. Synthetic polymer on canvas. 120x180cm. ©2011. Photography by Carl Warner.

A few weeks ago I was delighted to speak with Deirdre Carmichael the writer of the blog - Art in Geelong. Deirdre was an art teacher for several years before making the leap into print publishing in 1993. Since then she has assumed various roles including writer, editor, illustrator, graphic designer and desktop publisher.

Deirdre established her Art in Geelong blog - "to promote the visual arts in Geelong and the surrounding areas of the Surfcoast, the Otways, the Bellarine Peninsula, and occasionally extending to Ballarat. The mainstream media give scant attention to regional arts, so it is up to citizen journalists, such as bloggers like myself, to fill the gap and get the information out there".

We had a chat about my current exhibition, Diamonds in my eyes, inspirations behind works and the overall theme. You can read Deirdre's post here. Thank you Deirdre for your time and thoughts on the exhibition.

I went to the woods..

Nicola Moss, 'I went to the woods'. Synthetic polymer on canvas. 120x120cm. ©2011. Photography by Carl Warner.

It's two days till my next solo exhibition Diamonds in my eyes opens at Salt Contemporary Art. I'm looking forward to seeing all the works together in the beautiful open space of the gallery. It's been an odd time the last couple of weeks, works were completed and shipped down for the show, but then the wait until they are actually hung. I've cleaned out the studio and begun gathering inspiration for new works, I think I'll be more motivated once the show opening has passed.

'I went to the woods' was inspired by several visits to Kidd Street Conservation Reserve, a wonderful, wild area of bushland with striking grass trees, large hollow scribbly gums, banksias and she oaks. There is a palpable energy to the place which I've tried to suggest in this painting. It's a place I will keep returning to, I feel like there is unfinished business there, when I think about it I've really only scratched the surface.

A day at Coochiemudlo

The weather has been brilliant the last couple of days, with clear blue skies, a light breeze and comfortable warmth. The bay waters around Coochiemudlo Island looked like silken fabric, very smooth and shimmering. There was lots to see with the Bushcare Birders group this morning. The large Sea Eagle below was a stand out for me, so majestic.

Azure blue crabs moved across the low tide sand flats in large formation groups, if I got too close for a photo they ducked into holes in the sand.

And tiny frogs were spotted in the undergrowth of the Melaleuca Wetlands.

What if plants had facebook pages?

Pawpaw - (Carica papaya)

profile images

*friends*

Steely. (Old English Game breed)

Other friends include the big spider that has strung a web between this Pawpaw and Bay tree catching insects at night and sleeping? curled up in a leaf by day. All manner of insects, beetles, bugs, worms, grasshoppers and flies in the litter below and leaf canopy, making homes in the gaps between swelling fruit. Me, I love the perfume of pawpaw flowers and the fruit on occasion, mostly the chooks get to eat it, and the flying foxes, another friend.

Returning home

I've had some great opportunities in the past year with exhibitions and projects, meaning lots of my time has been spent in the studio, working solidly to complete works. Although I have been at home, I have been very absent from the garden. This week in my 'usual' post exhibition chill out, I've been in the garden clearing, mulching, planting and dreaming of how I would like it to look once I regain control (control being relative). It feels incredibly good to spend days outside, hands in the dirt, bird song screeching and wind gusts passing. But it's also all the little things you notice when outdoors, the praying mantis, the big stick insect above, butterflies and caterpillars, snake!, ripening fruit, the perfume of pawpaw flowers, luffa's drying out - time to harvest....and so on. My garden has been the focus of two exhibitions in the past, recording seasonal occurence and connections between species. I've deciced to return to this project again, five years on, and look at how the garden has developed as a habitat for species. Hopefully, it will also mean I can incorporate some time in the garden making art with more time for maintenance of the garden...worth a try. Reading about Phenology has helped me recognise connections within various projects in my art practice and a collaborative weather project, with artist Susan Buret, that we have been working on for several years. Phenology is based on observations rather than instrumental measurements. Observing the phases of the life cycle of living organisms such as plants and animals along with the timing of events such as budburst, flowering, frost and leaf drop, defining the seasonal rhythm of nature. Observations include the description of environmental changes in an integrated way, exploring the timing of recurring natural phenomena in relation to climate and weather. Rich ground I think for developing my next series of work.