woke up from a dream of smoking mirrors …
this cracked mirror was made out of steel and mirrored convex glass by Olga Cironis back in 1990
it lives in the fireplace protecting the hearth of our home
& as a reminder of the way mirrors can distort and reveal our vulnerabilities & projections
“The Cyclist’s Rest” a vintage embroidery by an unknown stitcher found in an op shop (aka thrift shop for those in the US) and given to me by a dear friend who knows I love cats, good stories and fine stitching
Is it art? or kitsch? & does the definition matter? it tells a good story quite beautifully
Earlier this week I was passionately defending the word Art with a capital ‘A’ as the way we humans exalt, transform & honour our lives. There is so much fear around the word Art, it is challenged regularly by the academics in the Craft vs Art debate, the boundaries of who can make it (many of the people who are making the most beautiful art these days prefer to call it by some other name) & then there is the whole luck of the draw of who “makes it” in the Art World which can be a bind as well. Recently a very famous commercial artist named Ken Done who made his name with bright colourful paintings of Sydney Harbour back in the ’80’s reportedly dreams of representing Australia in the Venice Biennale, well good on him for wanting to be taken seriously but it may not happen in this lifetime.
& then there is the whole phenomenon of how much art is shared on the internet in the ever growing infinite library, it can be incredibly inspiring, exciting & at times totally overwhelming and yet we just keep making the dreams that want to fall out of our hands and sometimes it may even be called Art!?
PS a bit later and talking of flowers again to make this post a little more palatable
Magnolia grandiflora flower painted red by the sun
I have never seen this happen before!
we had a very hot day here on Friday, perhaps the sun amplified the dew when the flower was still in bud
“earth laughs in flowers” hmmm… had better look up who said that…
it’s by
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Smoking mirrors
Posted: November 17, 2014 by Mo Crow in It's Crow TimeTags: art, inspiration, Olga Cironis
Comments
It's Crow Time 
a magnificent magnolia….
isn’t it ?
I get nervous and insecure when I try to make Art, but I feel deeply fulfilled and satiated when I am “making stuff. “
a classic reply Julie, because what you call “making stuff” certainly looks like art to my eyes, heart and soul!
As an absolute newcomer to the art v craft debate I can only say I know art when I see it … when the time and thought and (yes) skill of the creator make my eyes want to linger, make my hands want to touch or, in the case of music, make my ears want to hear. There is even artfulness in the kitchen, when you come right down to it … even if it is ultimately consumed.
And it seems that art is a designation more easily given than received by many. But what’s in a name? If the things that fall from our hands (I love that phrase) give us and others pleasure, that is more than enough for me.
Hi Liz, tonight is the opening for the Australian Bookbinders Exhibition, I still get nervous about attending these things even after all these years! I believe in the power of Art & Music, it makes this life worth living… making the work, going to gigs, visiting galleries & communicating with other artists both locally & virtually feeds my soul.
PS Here is a perfect example of craft merging with art to create something really new and exciting-
“Considering the Kylix” an exhibition of contemporary interpretations of the classical kylix form.
on the NBO website
read the online catalogue (it is so good I just bought the pdf version)
have a look at the photos of the work on flickr
Thinking of you … hope the opening exceeded your expectations
it was good to catch up with the friends in the bookbinding scene and there was some lovely bindings but didn’t get one decent photo to share, hoping others will!
I too love cats, good stories and fine stitching and if its called art what i make doesn’t interest me one bit. I only want to feel good making it……………
(((Martine))) the more I look at and think about that cat on it’s bicycle and how difficult that would be to draw and get it right & realizing how very well it works… The cat looks perfectly at ease riding along, it’s really quite an extraordinary piece! There is a comfort in stitching… that is quite different to the idea of art as “difficult pleasure” as Brett Whitely (an Australian artist who died 12 years ago) said back in 1989 as advice to the aspiring artist, his words have helped me find my way through the long dark nights of the soul many many times along with these from the wonderful Michael Leunig
PS the next day your words Martine are bringing me to a deeper understanding of working with cloth and how very deeply stitching comforts the heart and soul
I love to see your pictures with magnolias and green. It gives my eyes a rest from november grey and days without sunshine. Doris
Thanks for visiting Doris!
The flowers are really interesting, Mo, but I have no problem with a discussion of Art vs. art vs. craft. It’s something we all must consider if we dabble in the world of “making stuff”! And I really like the cat embroidery, kitsch or not…
Hi Sharmon, Art and what it means and why we make it is beautifully defined & discussed by a brilliant film that Old Man Crow & I just saw today, “Words & Pictures” directed by Fred Schepesi with Juliette Binoche & Clive Owen. I will see this film again for sure, it has fed my heart, mind and soul, we are all damaged and yet as artists we can lift each other up to shine & transform & see the world with new eyes.
it really doesn’t matter if it’s art or kitsch or craft or ART or junk, if we LOVE it, we just
will keep on making it. If it gives us Heart, we’ll just keep on doing it. If it tells a story we’ll just keep on telling this way. I am in a Who Cares mood. I will just do what i do.
‘Good on ya!” as we say in Australia, you know your Heart well (((Grace))) and I do care passionately
works from the soul……..you see it
when it resonates deep in the soul like a bell
Smoking mirrors; smoke and mirrors: illusion. Hmmn, sounds like a pretty profound dream. Great post, we can’t talk about the art/craft conundrum enough it seems. And those flowers are quite magical!
thanks for visiting Heather, your ongoing exploration of the Codex Canadensis is a perfect example of ramping up the Art in the Craft!
Love the cat! The magnolia is gorgeous and I’m pretty sure that I haven’t seen that red effect either. Certainly made a wonderful photo. And also wonderful are the comments and the links. I’ve been toing and froing back and forth for ages, just trying to soak it all in. Art, art, craft and stuff – I don’t know, I just do what I do and hope for the best…
love this “I just do what I do and hope for the best…” that’s all any of us can do really, thanks Carol!