Limbo aka the space in between Here & There

exploring Do Ho Suh’s sublimely transporting passages at the MCA
photo by Richard Whitfield

Muffin the magic black cat giving me lessons in the Zen of waiting for a month in the city

settlement has been delayed on Dunmovin, the old lady in the nursing home who owned the house died early this month so her estate has to go through probate before I can move in which will take at least 3 to 6 months (or more) to get through the courts

yesterday I hung my 2023 Moon Calendar in the studio here at Hat Hill Road

I don’t have to pack up any time soon so there’s lots of time to ride Free my fabulous electric bicycle

& go bushwalking in these beautiful Blue Mountains

slowly stitching the edge of the long cloth of grief and wonder with red silk

the long cloth is from Japan, indigo dyed, handwoven hemp with the most beautiful hand

Old Man Crow is here with me in spirit, I have been seeing double ever since he died. On New Year’s Eve I realized that this is happening because I am seeing with his spirit eyes as well as my physical eyes so I am learning how to bring these two ways of seeing into focus. I always manifest my metaphors literally, that’s what being an artist is!

Old Man Crow details

Here’s some more photos of my Old Man Crow with some close ups of the details

wing tips & tail detail

eye, throat & shoulder detail

at home on the mantel with the Steampunk Crow
H 22cm L 30cm (beak tip to edge of tail) W 9cm
vintage leather, satin, velvet, lace, silk cord, silk Gütermann thread
with special thanks to Louise Saxton for her antique lace around the eyes, the wing tips and underfeathers

my Old Man Crow!

finished my Old Man Crow for Ann Wood’s Crow Sew Along today!

made with so many memories bound into every knot and stitch

Ann’s crow pattern is brilliantly thought out & joining the Crow Sew Along really got my mojo working, will make the next one life size with an armature to support the weight as our Australian Ravens are big birds but my heart and hands need a rest, feeling quite lost today.
The bush is calling, I need to go out for a long walk, the Waratahs are in full flight!

the saddest most magical year of my life

In October last year Old Man Crow was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer so a lot of memories have surfaced as I slowly stitch this Old Man Crow for Ann Wood’s Crow Sew Along
Today a bundle of the most beautiful vintage black lace arrived on my doorstep from the wonderful textile artist Louise Saxton. These beautiful treasures will make some very fine feathers in this Filigree of Memory series of memento mori honouring my magical man.

letting go with the Autumn Equinox

letting go with the Autumn Equinox marking 62 days since Old Man Crow left the stage

stitching this beautiful blue moon and red silk from Glennis Dolce Shibori Girl aka the Queen of the Moon Makers to make a memory keeper bag to hold all the cards and good wishes people have sent for Old Man Crow’s passing

at Newtown Station on my way to look at this cottage in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains
that x fingers, eyes and toes may be my new home!

missed out but no worries, the next one will be just right!

Summer Dream with Moon Ladder

Summer Dream with Moon Ladder Mo 21
H 19cm W 17cm
shibori dyed Moonfire by Glennis Dolce of Shibori Girl Studios
embroidered with silk, cotton and linen threads
glass, turquoise and coral beads
boar bristles
antique parchment star (1812)
backed with silk & vintage blue leather
bound with hand twined string from Arnhem Land (1976)
moon ladder – bangalow palm inflorescence, bone white paint, linen thread
(needs to be mounted in a deep box frame with museum quality glass)

Honesty at Artsite Galleries ‘Collectors Choice 2021’

Honesty Mo 21

H 14cm x W 10cm x D 1.5cm
L 62cm with handles

vintage Italian glove leather circa 1930’s
hand twined nettle string from Nepal
vintage Silkworm thread
linen thread
rotted silk
glass beads
feathers
stars of vintage parchment (1812)
sea shell

memory keeper, talisman holder, go bag for an iPhone

link to online catalogue

honestly made

Honesty Mo 21

H 14cm x W 10cm x D 1.5cm
L 62cm with handles

vintage Italian glove leather circa 1930’s
hand twined nettle string from Nepal
vintage Silkworm thread
linen thread
rotted silk
glass beads
feathers
stars of vintage parchment (1812)
sea shell

memory keeper, talisman holder, go bag for an iPhone

Haptic Visuality

thinking about the sense of touch and how we see it through the shared light of our computer screens, the term Haptic Visuality has stuck in my mind over the last few weeks since reading Joy Buttress’s thesis “The Metaphorical Value of Lace in Contemporary Art: The Transformative Process of a Practice-Led Inquiry.” I had seen her work in the Love Lace exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum ten years ago
here’s a photo of Joy’s fabulous laser etched and embroidered leather gloves

This is a good distraction as Old Man Crow is in hospital under observation for the next few days getting lots of scans and tests done to see what’s going on in his stomach. He’s been quite unwell for the last 5 weeks, after a strong course of antibiotics for an evil bacteria that didn’t make him feel much better on Friday his doctor took some blood tests and after reading the results said he had better go to the hospital. I am not allowed to visit with the current Covid restrictions so am distracting myself here on the net & stitching Honesty

starting to take shape

with the two sides informing each other

and the Honesty out in the garden is starting to make new pods!

Jude Hill’s post from yesterday inspired this line
‘the holding of pattern, of thread, of the exquisite point in the hard steel of just going, in this going to where we are til we’re gone’
tonight I am just knotting thread… every knot holds a prayer

what a difference a day can make!

the Honesty memory keeper/talisman holder/go bag is well under way, yesterday I printed out Honesty XI from the Book of Honesty at A5 then transferred the image to drafting film

at just past the witching hour I pricked out the pattern with a sharp needle

and the reverse

was going to lace the leather into a hoop but it feels so good in the hand it needs to be stitched free

what a difference a day can make!