It happened! We finally came face-to-face. Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and I stood less than a meter apart today in Florence’s Uffizi gallery.

I’ve racked my brain searching for the first time I saw Venus, and I reached back to the age of seven on a very exciting family trip to Cyprus where the country’s motto is, The Island of Venus, and uses the masterpiece freely, or should I say excessively. I’ll take a wild guess and say the majority of Cypriots have no idea of the painting’s actual roots, (and my dear mum counts as one of those people asking if Aphrodite had been taken to Italy when I called her today!).

I’ll take the Wiki def: …the scene was inspired by the text in a Homeric hymn published in Florence in 1488 by the Greek refugee Demetrios Chalcondyles:

Of august gold-wreathed and beautiful

Aphrodite I shall sing to whose domain

belong the battlements of all sea-loved

Cyprus where, blown by the moist breath

of Zephyros, she was carried over the (more…)

(Dedicated to my sister who I know will treasure this most)

Where did my never-ending ideas, discipline, order, good work practice, function and love for tools come from? Dad! I actually can’t remember a time in my life without this wonderful infusion.

Both my parents inspire me (I’ll also note here the awe I have for their endless energy and dedication which is still so strong today in their 60′s and 70′s) but the activities I learned from Dad were the really fun ones and incredibly thought-provoking.

Dad would take me (and sis) with him to work. Before the age of 10 Dad’s work was on a huge truck and we delivered Shell gas bottles from Olinda to the western suburbs, loading and unloading these massive (and in my case empty) bottles from platform to truck to destination whilst collecting wonderful treats from people and businesses that relied on them. We listened to my flicking of radio channels, stopped for The Sun or The Post and had roadside sandwiches, and Dad did all this in his black bonds T-shirt come rain, hail or shine. He made work look easy which in my head translated to, I can do that too.

By 11,  I was changing gears on our manual car while Dad drove, we had added gas to our old Holden (yes, that was my family in that white car with the gas bottle on the roof), we had pulled over to help endless broken down drivers, I had learned how to change a tyre and knew my way around a motor (which sadly now means zilch). By 13 I had spent heaps of time at Dad’s new workshop and servo in Coburg and had learned all the tools, their names, how to use them, but most importantly how to hand them over correctly during practice. It was my job to loosen wheel bolts, tidy the workshop, refill the oil bottles, pump petrol and use the cash register. Oh yes, and I can’t forget Dad’s golden rule, you had to start the day with a cup of International Roast! (more…)

Ever felt like you found treasure? And I don’t mean in a monetary form, I mean treasure in an inspiring, energetic, informative, larger than life human form kind? I have.

I was restoring myself in Hepburn Springs for a week, trying to lower the back pain levels, I’d taken myself away to a great place where all necessities were within metres and centimetres of reach, and all I needed to do was stare out to the great Hepburn Forest, pat the dog, rest, and attempt a little painting. Any car action was out of the question… well that was, until Theo decided to go for a drive to Chewton. Within half an hour, my mobile rang and I heard, “get ready I’m coming back to get you, you need to see this, it’s worth any pain“. It was.

Come along with me for a minute: country road leads to country town, to country smaller town, pub and an old town hall, grandeur greeting, enter through the kitchen, through another doorway, ‘bedroom’ on the stage on my right and on my left (just repeat a few hundred times): “Oh my God!“. (more…)

It gets exciting now, and scary… I always have to prepare myself for the mirror image that faces me straight off the press, and maybe this isn’t so strange because I scratch my subject the way I see it (right reading, right?), and I work on it, over and over, right reading, right? Then suddenly it transforms to wrong reading but that’s the end result, that’s what remains as right reading, wrong forever! Did you get that?! (more…)

Indeed! Match the inspiration with a little pain relief and add a few parts capacity and I’m off to a magnificent and very happy start for 2012. I had to make the most of my new-found limits and although some might wonder how the term, ‘making the most of it’ can be matched to Canberra, I can honestly say I had a great time and feel very, very fueled!

Sadly, I can’t show you much. It seems you can go to the Louvre and snap your USB sticks off across 40 acres (!!!!) of art but not here. Australian displayed art is clearly a more protected species so I am unable to deliver as many snippets of inspiration as I would like. And no, I’m not upset I can’t make t-shirts, or my own eye wear cloth cleaner, I just want to capture the mood in exhibitions, the scale, that live action of standing in front of such power, have an overall record of what might be my favorite room of the exhibition or a glance between visitors to a tantalising snippet of my favorite piece. That’s special. Magical. Unfortunately, unattainable. Thats it then, I’m going to the Louvre… (more…)

Thanks Theo!!

You’ve cleaned my plates, (and safely), and now all they need is sweet scratching.

I’m at ‘blank canvas’ status, for me that means ‘where do I start, which of the million things that I want to do do I choose?’ and the terrible accompanying thoughts, ‘how long will my capacity hold out, this has to be a short task’. That part is a killer!!!

But I’m happy I can say I went for it yesterday during my year’s final life drawing session with Meredith, I began with one plate and then just kept going… it’s the only way to loosen up and let go of the ‘I’m scratching on a plate’ panic.

To add to the thrill, pain or no pain, yesterday’s session had to be a fuel up in preparation for the dry art period that’s coming with festivities (not to mention it’d been weeks since I had a session and was going to burst!). (more…)

So theo, tell us a little about your art side?

Unfortunately, for me, I am not an artist but I do believe that I am artistic. I love and appreciate art in all forms and am an admirer for fine art, sculpture and photography. I also see art in interior design and architecture which both also interest me very much. Then there is also the ‘behind the scenes work that I do involving art. Having married an artist I am never short of having a stretcher to stretch, a copper plate to file or a canvas to prepare for Soula to paint. May not sound very exciting but at the right time it can be quite soothing and meditative when you get lost in the rhythm of this preparation work.

What do you like most about it?

What I love about art is the way that an artist can express themselves through their work. However, I also like it when there is not much to be interpreted, but rather when an artist can capture an object or person for what they are through their desired medium. A still life produced accurately, a line drawing of the human body or a photo of a face can do so much to move me.

What don’t you like about it?

Art (or the art world) annoys me when it becomes pretentious or politically driven. Eg: an abstract piece from an unknown artist consisting of black paint on a canvas can go from being worth $100 and titled ‘black canvas’ to being worth $10,000 by being titled ‘The darkness after a terrorist attack’. I do respect when an artist produces a piece and provides his/her meaning behind it, however there is a fine line between determining when a piece is being produced purely for financial gain as opposed to being produced simply because the artist is doing what they love to do.

…and now be honest, what’s it really like having an arty wife?

Its wonderful. I am lucky enough to be surrounded by her creativity and artwork. We get to discuss, look at and appreciate art locally and when we travel and are putting together a very modest collection of pieces we like (and can afford). Then I get to meet all her arty friends. I meet other artists, photographers, printers, sculptors, gallery owners, etc. Its a great part of our society to be involved with and you simply cannot have a conversation with them without a glass of wine – perfect!

This is such a brilliant idea!!! I couldn’t pass up the chance of having my sketchbook travel the world (and then live forever in The Brooklyn Art Library). After all if I can’t travel why should my children miss out hey? Fly, kiddies, fly!

So basically I registered online, ordered my sketchbook and became super friendly with the posty for a few weeks until he finally handed over my parcel. On arrival I must admit I was disappointed, it was a small sketchbook… so I had a few words to myself, “Soula, you always have to push don’t you, always have to set a much larger target. Remember you’re battery operated now and a small sketchbook is actually sufficient for you, probably even pushing it”. I can’t STAND that voice of reason. (more…)