Holding the Moon (thinking outside the square) Mo 19

Holding the Moon Mo 19
vintage electric blue leather over acid free bookbinders board, egg shell mosaic & black papier maché moons, antique parchment (circa 1812) scalpel cut stars stitched with white linen thread, vintage blue silk lining, egg shell mosaic covering a macadamia nut moon seed, moon ladder made with grape vine tendrils, white paint & linen thread
H 6cm x W 6cm x D 6cm
last night my wonderful sculptor friend Bronwyn Berman saved the day when she questioned why I would show this work without letting the viewer see inside the box. I had tried putting the tiny moon ladder inside the box earlier in the day but it just cluttered the space, shifting my focus to outside the box did the trick. This week Jude Hill had discussed how framing and context can change as the work progresses, ain’t that the truth, I was so intent on thinking inside the square I couldn’t see the way out, it’s so good to have artist friends!
the ladder at rest on the lid
the view from above with the ladder holding the lid open
outside on a sunny day to give a sense of scale
a safe place for the moon to incubate dreams

Holding the Moon (thinking inside the square) Mo19

Holding the Moon (thinking inside the square) Mo 19
vintage electric blue leather over bookbinders board, egg shell mosaic & black papier maché moons, antique parchment (circa 1812) stars, linen thread, vintage blue silk lining, egg shell mosaic macadamia nut moon
H 6cm x W 6cm x D 6cm
here’s some more formal photos taken after the sun came up
I love how the macadamia nut has become a moon seed holding the potential for growth

holding the moon (thinking inside the square) in process

holding the moon (thinking inside the square)
inspired by Jude of Spirit Cloth getting outside her box/self & her cat Soul-O enjoying getting inside the box
after cutting the squares I made the moons with egg shell mosaic and black papier maché
then cut out the vintage electric blue leather
leather in place, I loved the simplicity of the box at this stage
but it needed stars in the corners made out of antique parchment
and needle lace to hold it all together
almost together
lined with blue silk
finished but now it needs the moon inside
eggshell mosaic over a Macadamia nut
I love making this dream come alive!

mending

time to mend my favourite old sweater from 30 years ago
it’s thick t-shirt material but getting very thin in places, so I reverse appliqued with stretch lace and wound yarn
mending the seams & worn edges
it’s so thin like the ever mending of Old Man Crow’s old denim jacket for now it’s good to go just in time for winter here in the Land Down Under

The Sleep Walkers – making art as protest by Gab Bates for EDGE in August

The Sleep Walkers by Gab Bates for EDGE
‘On the train, sidewalks and streets of Sydenham, The Sleep Walkers are marching to protest the political apathy and disengagement of our times. They will appear at EDGE Sydenham, snoozing between the Station and Sydenham Green at (time tba) on Saturday 3 August and (time tba) on Saturday10 August 2019.’
Gab makes wild potent art for our beautiful broken world
click on the link to register your interest and come along!

gardening for a living

the Mexican Tree Daisies are spectacular this year in one of our biggest gardens
we are still gardening to keep a roof over our heads and food in the bellies but in two years when I am eligible for the Age Pension we want to move to a cottage in the Blue Mountains, will catch the train up to Medlow Bath today to take a sticky at this place
it was advertised for rent in May last year, have my fingers x-ed it comes up for rent again in 2021 when we’re ready to move!
and talking of nesting, here’s some photos of a bower bird’s nest taken by my friend Julie in Bellingen
such an extraordinary aesthetic
oh to be free as a bird…
one day

I would give you the moon and stars my love

Moon and Stars Journal Mo 19
Italian glove leather, leather cord, eggshell mosaic moon, antique parchment stars, marbled endpapers, black and white linen thread
H 11.5 cm
W 15.5 cm
D 2.5 cm
detail of eggshell mosaic moon, antique parchment stars and ladder
I would give you the moon and stars my love
bound with love into each knot
a moon ladder for finding the way in
  a sturdy binding
marbled endpapers and inside of the edge binding
it’s Old Man Crow’s birthday in 2 weeks & he really needed a new journal, the last one was bound in 2016!