The Ramblings Of Linden Langdon

skip to page links

Shine - Poimena Art Award

Saturday 30, June

Yesterday we ventured up to the north of the state to Launceston to attend the opennig of the Poimena Art Award 2007. It was quite a grand opening with a couple of hundred people admiring the extremely diverse range of work which had been selected from entries around Australia and Internationally. Work using any media in response to the theme 'Shine' filled the rooms and struggled to find space on the walls and floor. But the team of organisers, students included, achieved a display of work that was accessible to everyone.

We left the gallery to head home - a two and half hour drive, and there was moon was shining gracefullly in the deep black sky, definately letting us know what 'shine' is all about!

The exhibition runs until July 23rd and the gallery is located in the grounds of the Lanceston Church Grammar School, Button Street, Mowbray.

Potting Again

Thursday 28, June

I've started back at pottery with adult ed. Having tried to use the lonely wheel at uni I decided the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the cluttered and busy Tafe studio was where I needed to be to do my so called plates. So called because I intend to do beastly things like cut holes in the middle, rendering them fairly useless as plates but hopefuly useful as a kind of wheel. This is, to put it in some kind of vague context, all to do with a piece of work that refers to my father, and specifically his period of life as a POW. I have now built up enough confidence to be able to throw a set of plates whcih are relatively even in size and hopefully will reflect something of Dad's extensive and creative ability to pot.

The most common comment from my fellow students is 'are you making plates again today?' or something to that effect. Next week I start attempting to cut holes in the middle of the plates, which may shine some light on mystery. I have worked out that I can throw 4 - 5 plates each session, which menas that at the end of 10 weeks I should have at least 40 plates that have survived the process, whcih means that I should be able to find four that will work as the ends to my scroll - the means to turn the days of history.

In the latter years of my Dad's potting career he was using Walkers no.6 clay. This is a dark clay with some medium grog blended through. It isn't too beasty on the hands, and is a very firm clay. For each plate I'm using 1.5kg which is a way of trying to get consistency in the size of the finished plate. I also measure the plate when I throw it. So this is Wednesday's, potting not printing.

Aboriginal Art At BPG

Thursday 28, June

There is an exhibtion at the Ballan & Pannan Gallery in Melbourne. "In keeping with the spirit of 1967, we invite you to celebrate the 40th anniversary of a memorable Referendum, overwhelmingly passed, which saw Aboriginals being counted amongst Australians citizens for the first time and finally able to live under uniform laws and policy made by the Commonwealth Government." This exhibtion features work by "...some of Australia's most accomplished and recognised indigenous artists from the Western Desert - often referred to as the Papunya Tula artists." in a collection that has been assembled of a umber of years.

"The Big Picture" is now open at the Ballan & Pannan Gallery, 731-735 High Street, Armadale, and continues until July 31st.

The Global Community

Monday 25, June

Today Craig left the shores of Australia to live in Ireland with his partner Averill. This is such an incomprehensible move in some ways, and in another just a normal part of modern society. Having grown up with an expectation of living, working, building and growing old in Australia, it may seem a radical shift. But the next generation have an expectation of living, working, owning property and loving well beyond the shores of their country of birth. Of course it is a matter of adjusting to the new order of the day, and getting the passport, and buying the tickets so that families can be families no matter how far apart. In a weird way I guess it is a stepping back in time rather than a huge leap forward. Our family history is European, and the pull to be there is strong enough to draw my family back. A rich brew of French, English, Scottish, Spanish and? we came to the shores of Australia as traders and developers, and now?

Best of luck with your new plans Craig and Averill, be seeing you soon!

Another Lifetime Ago 3

Monday 25, June

Here is another part to the story...

The jacaranda marked the end of the long curved pathway, wide enough for a car to squeeze down, which had the perfect slope for go-cart races. The lawn was the safe finish line, but going left at the tree and down a steep embankment onto a small patch of grass circling the frangipani was the daredevils' option. The choice of my brothers mostly, and eventually the inevitable happened when my oldest brother failed to make the turn around the frangipani and plunged down the three meter cliff face to land safely in a pile of fleshy soft cacti freshly weeded by my startled mother.

The perfume from the frangipani flowers was intoxicating. In summer an occasional breeze would drift up from the forest and I loved to sit under the tree savouring its cool leafy cover and intense smell. You could see out across the coast from there, but the best place was from our verandah. From there the eye could wander across the flat kilometers to the sea and we saw many changes in out years at Buderim.

At first we could scan the horizon with little interference from manmade construction, but the placement of a clumsy red sign signified the beginning of boom development on the Sunshine Coast. We had to drive down to the coast to see what the sign said, and it was a somber day indeed when we read it. Kawana, a boggy landscape of heath and banksias sheltered by high dunes from the onslaught of weather for the broad open beach, was to be drained of its life force and implanted with brick veneers. A painting, forever hanging on the wall, rich in deep blue greens, golden shades of yellow and earthy tones closely captures the banksias as they were, and never will be again. Buildings and cars began to transgress our privileged view of the coast.

Colville Street Art Gallery

Wednesday 20, June

The Colville Gallery is nestled in the backstreets of Battery Point. Away from the compacted arts beat of Salamanca, but still within walking distance, this gallery has an extensive history of top exhibitions. The current show is a combination of sculptural furniture by Angela Griffiths, glass work by Martin Warren and paintings by Peter Hiller. This creates an exciting and diverse atmosphere which is delightfully in contrast with the sleepy and gentle suburban surroundings. There is a Marc Chagall lithograph on the wall too, which had me watering at the eyes. The exhibition finishes on July 3rd.

The next exhibition is the work of Deborah Williams and Tricia Swanton. Deborah's dog prints have been shown on the mainland extensively and it will be a terrific opportunity to see a gallery full of these energetic works. The show opens on the 5th of July and continues until the 27th of July. There is also an artist talk on the 6th. The Colville Street Art Gallery is located at 54 Colville Street, Battery Point, Hobart, Tasmania and is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 11am to 5pm.

John Lendis At Lady Jane Franklin Gallery

Monday 18, June

Yesterday I went and had a look at the exhibition of recent work by John Lendis. A painter with exceptional skill with colour, movement and depth of story, his exhibition stands out in the Lady Jane Franklin Gallery. His choice of venue stems from the long term interest he has had with researching Lady Jane Franklin, who had the gallery built and gave it to the people of Hobart with a substantial bundle of land with the intention of promoting the arts and cultural influence. John Lendis explores this extrodinary womans period of life in Tasmania, where her husband was appointed lieutenant-governor (of Van Diemen's Land) in 1836. His paintings depict a woman bridging the interior landscape of the home into the superb wilderness which she endevoured into with remarkable style. The exhibition runs until June 26th and the gallery is located at the junction of Lenah Valley Road and Brushy Creek Road in the Ancanthe park.

I couldn't decide between the links for John Lendis, so here are a few!

• Pollock Gallery
• Fishers Fine Arts
• Current exhibition artist statment
• Current exhibition artworks

The Lady Jane Franklin Gallery is quite a wonderful little building - a stately construction of sandstone. There is a membership fee and active committee. They only open up on the weekends, which is a bit of a pity. There is so much potential for this lovely little gallery, and such a wonderful reminder of a woman who used her position to benefit future generations and inspire many women to step outside the expectations of the social norm. Lady Jane's presence is noted and beautifuly presented in John Lendis' paintings.

Anxious Bodies

Saturday 16, June

Anxious Bodies is the current show at the Plimsoll Gallery in Hobart. A collection of National and International artists working in the medium of video, this is quite an experience. Below are some images form the catalogue.

Anne Marsh writes in the catalogue "The artists in Anxious Bodies have grown up with the body art of the previous generation. They have studied it, discussed it and analysed it, often in ways the previous generation did not. they are aware of the criticisms of this work. It has been described as misogynist, cathartic, narcissistic; psychoanalytic theories have been used to outline the psychopathology of the artists and the works." The catalogue was published by Linden Arts.

Performance art captured as digital images, it is quite an interesting exhibition to visit. The show runs until July 6th at the Plimsoll Gallery which is located at the School of Art, Hobart.

Shine - Poimena Art Award 2007

Friday 15, June

The Launceston Church Grammar School has an upcoming exhibition of the work selected for "Shine", the Poimena Art Award, which will be on show in their gallery located in the school grounds. Opening on the 29th of June, the exibition is a collection of mixed media work which has responded to the theme of "Shine". My print, "Roam" is one of the lucky ones to be selected!

The opening night has a ticket entry (contact Katy Woodroffe) and the exhibition runs until Monday the 23rd of July. The Poimena Gallery is located in Button Street, Mowbray.

Stanthorpe Art Prize 08

Friday 15, June

This one has plenty of time... The closing date for entries is the 21st of November with the exhibition from February to April in 2008. It has one aquisitive prize of $15,000 and some non-aquisitive to the value of $5,500. There doesn't seem to be any restrictions on the medium, with painting, printmaking, sculpture, photo-media, fibre and pottery listed. It is interesting to note that Stanthorpe is a regional area of Southern Queensland which has a strong farming community. The Stanthorpe Art Prize 08 is timed to be the cultural launch to the Apple and Grape Harvest Festival. Perhaps there is some suggestion of a theme there?

Hobby Artists Of Tasmania

Sunday 10, June

Yesterday we went for a stroll through the Salamanca market, so the Long gallery was an obvious diversion for me! On show until June 20th is a large collection of work by Tasmanian hobby artists. It is mostly paintings in either acylic or oil, along with quite a few crayon drawings and the scale is appropriate for the average loungeroom wall with prices to suit. The Long Gallery is part of the Salamanca Arts Centre and is open 7 days a week from 10am to 5pm. The Mercury article says they have a waiting list for membership due to the popularity of the Hobby Artists of Tasmania Inc., which shows the demand for groups with art as an interest is strong and healthy.

This photo shows the back of the market stalls, the Salamanca buildings on the left and the rows of trees (plane trees?) showing off their bare winter branches. It is hard to imagine the crowds of people on the other side of the stalls!

Beginnings And Endings

Thursday 7, June

Today I finished printing a series of etchings. The Precipice prints are a gradually shifting image, moving from light to dark basically. I haven't put them together yet - so I have no idea if they have hit the mark or not! I think I will leave it for a few days until I do look at them - a bit of distance can be a great way to gain some perspective on things. Each print is 60cm x 60cm with a bit of paper at the bottom just to make things a bit more complicated. Anyway, that's an ending.

Another ending is the painting of rooms at home. This has been my obsession every minute of the day that I am at home and finally I have the downstairs room finished (recently vacated when my youngest son moved out) and the only 'childs' room left in the house which went from a soft beige to bright red! Teenager of course! I must admit, that after working hard to finish the prints, and working hard to finish the walls, everything hurts just a bit...

And a beginning? Well Craig (the oldest of the 'children') and Averill arrive tomorrow for a five day stay before they move to Ireland, so this is the beginning of a break for me. I intend to head out to a few galleries and coffee shops and soak up some of the work that is on show around Hobart. Should be fun! (I'll let you know).

An Apology

Thursday 7, June

An apology is due for Kevin Parratt. I wrote a blog about him in 2005 and said that he is a Norwegian artist, but he is actually an Australian artist who has spent time in Norway. Sorry Kevin!

Gabrielle Falconer

Monday 4, June

"Self and Other Characters" is opening at the Vanguard Gallery on Wednesday night. An exhibition of work by two lifetime friends, it will be a blend of print, drawing, painting and sculpture. Gabrielle Falconer is currently studying for her PHD at the University of Tasmania. Working in large scale print to depict moments of significance in her relationship with her son. In the work ""Bashed", Gabrielle puts the viewer in her shoes as she looked at her son's face, bruised after a brutal beating, and tried to make sense of it. The swelling meant that his face took on the chubby cheeks and vulnerable eyes of a much younger boy and indeed the nursing needed was like that of a child; she captures in this print the vulnerability of his expression and at the same time the self-protection that is exhibited by the big clothes and tough guy hoodie that looks almost like a giant cape."

Sofia Chapman "investigate(s) the identities that we create for ourselves, as well as those that we project onto others. Creating characters is a way of escapism, yet also defines our personalities." through painting. With a diverse background as a accordionist and playwright the colour and vivid imagination of her world spill onto the paintings.

"Self and Other Characters" will be on show at the Vanguard Gallery until the 16th of June and you will find it at 234 High Street, Northcote, Melbourne.