Totems, Worimi art work, Throsby Creek, Carrington, Newcastle.
Our country's good standard of living, in the main, means we are very fortunate. Thankful. Indulged.
As well as nationalism, the concept of a global community is very appealing.
Australia Day 2017

food, artistry, trees

Near the hotel, the food from an Indonesian resto offered a beaut change of diet.
On its walls, works were exhibited and one, Spellbound, $250, was evocative of epic mythology.
 Gustav Klimt ... conservation? ... a note from the young artist went like this. 

My name is Agung Putrayasa.  I live in Indonesia, in a small village with my family.  My inspiration came from the work of artist Gustav Klimt and Nature. I am studying art at college and the sales of my paintings help me to continue my art education.  My message through my work is to say to the world the tree is most important for us all and our world.  Please save the tree and forests for our furture generations. Contact .......

 Phone Booth Project, Installation. Moree NSW Gallery.
  The pay phones are a happening place in the Western desert. They're always ringing out and there's often someone hanging around waiting... people had terrific tales, achievements, business, of keeping family together and of love and friendship, of loss and difficulty and the ongoing struggle to sustain their way of life.
  Western desert phone booths are part of a continuous history of communication for Martu people in the region, from waru (fire) to UHF and CB to the telephone line, and maybe one day mobile phone reception to bridge the distances.
  A video installation reveals this. Take a seat.
 

 Karlamilyi  ...blending figurative and abstract imagery to present an energised landscape that is filled with elements of the seen and unseen world...painted by Amy French and Lily Long. From the exhibition We don't need a map: a Martu experience of the Western Desert shown at Moree Plains Gallery. Next seen at Gold coast City gallery then Araluen Arts Centre NT.

This week is one of special recognition of the Aborigines - our first nation.
They peopled the whole continent.  Their ecological footprint was small never the less, things changed drastically, recently I travelled about 6000ks and saw very few Aborigines. Most towns have institutions that give the impression in the main that history began a few hundred years ago with the Europeans.
I am unable to note the artist's name due to my blurry photo and other difficulties due to the internet connectivity.

Bonny Hills or Lake Cathie must have been the inspiration for this work.

BLACK TOTEM II 1993 Brett Whiteley. Dream that Newcastle will hatch into a community with quality of life rather than the brash or the biggest and have sustainability over consumerism.

or is it a nightmare, tempting fate. This is inviting a mega fauna, a giant dodo from the pages of Dr Seuss

www.newcastleproductions.com.au has Trevor Dickinson and special take on simple local sights and individual styled urban features warts and all.

MONA gallery in Hobart.  I think this is the roof.
Outdoors, the estate is vineyard covered and is in production so its art and wine and the whole little peninsular on the Derwent River is making its mark. Warm winter events are planned there in TasMANIA.
Local interests can be made the most of as the falling dollar just takes the shine off the travel bug.  

 

Last night, Le Tour de France was seen speeding into Chartres. (SBS)

Heritage. Some areas favour timber carving -  surely the best medium and the carvings at Cathedrale de Chartres are lovely examples of seemingly medieval art and a long series enclose the choir area. This contrasts with the awesome (filled with awe) stained glass.
Early centre of pilgrimage and UNESCO World Heritage site.

Tranquility theme. 
The cocktail room in the grand old Paragon in Katoomba NSW where the fox trot, the 'all stars', glitter and glamour and sobranie smoke haunt the stillness therein. 
 

Muse.
At Faulconbridge, the works of Norman Lindsay are shown in his former residence, which he left to the National Trust. He was an artist, sculptor, writer, builder, ship model maker, produced etchings, and he led a very eventful diverse life that ended in 1969.
Robust women make up a hugh body of his works. Wowsers were in his sights.
As part of the war effort, Lindsay had painted war posters, so his second wife feared enemy occupation in WW2 and shipped a selection of works to the USA for safe keeping.  Unfortunately, while the crates were on a train they caught fire outside Scranton PA and much of that collection was lost.  The internet reveals the illustrated bio and more, and one link is found here

Entrance doors at Saint John's Lambton.
Generally, we look in vain for redundant artistry on the local scene.
Kids matter school?!

Community. Taken in very small doses. Yet have noticed that churches are significant for community and are where you will confront the seven ages of humanity in all its glory and struggle.

All the drama is present.

Youthful energy; marriage; births; extended families in a whirl; illness and recovery, ageing as well as the gradual chilling loss of familiar old faces. And our response. The stuff of our existence and sure to ground you.

Can't really say much about the subject of worship except, surely it is not an act of individualism.

True, few children are church goers. There are other ways.

When church going is found to be redundant, then the role of community in our lives is overlooked.

                                                                                                                

nonsense act at national museum canberra - slides

Beach scene. Original art deco painting in Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle.

These 'pages' take a look at Newcastle and other parts of the state and jump from one to another and contain mutterings about all sorts of abstract topics.  From 2006 onwards.

Turn to virtual nightlife where old parts of the city lose the crowds.  Return to the twenties.
Some photo - not. Click to enrage enlarge.
Or is all this to deter shooting up? Fluorescent blue light use.

An illustration from the book Saraban A chef's journey through Persia, Greg and Lucy Malouf.  Each  'surah' with a decorative cut-out through which to glimps highly ornamental images as well as scenes from Iran and the people and food. 

Newcastle folk in Ellamorevale have debated at length an application to build a Mosque and raised objections about traffic problems and the debate just reached an important point at a time which conincides with the revisiting of extremists actions from the past, overseas.  Newcastle is not very multicultural in an obvious sort of way. Apart from the need for actions based on justice and good will, by and large, a multicultural presence is good for a community.

A farce has taken place in Pakistan as contradictory stories come out.  All's fair in love and war. How embarrasing for Obama and co.  Governments have gone insane. I'm ashamed. And the unsavoury Pacific solution for refugees is included in this rant. Also, where ever does the pronounciation come from that sounds like Muzzlems instead of Mooslems.  I wonder if those US daily shows, that don't reach here anymore, are giving the government heaps.

Japanese souvineer in cotton.

Anglican Parish of S.Stephen, Adamstown

Religion aside, one day we will probably value the heritage in community buildings such as this.  Very good, bad or indifferent they hold the story of lives, community effort, history and craftsmanship.

  A sacred space and multiple use? Yea, what does the future hold? Upkeep is costly. Iconoclasts are never too far away.   These words are not targeting this particular church but the general situation. 

光荣的中国兔年新年的新年
Year of the Rabbit..
...the sun rises in the eastern sky and hundreds of birds sing in harmony....

from Chinese Propaganda Posters. From the collection of Michael Wolf. publisher Tashcen. Gorgeous and sinister in equal measure - The Independent London

Outside the art gallery, Newcastle.
Perhaps goods and services use the front entrance too.
The gallery building will be extensively enlarged soon which will be good. Funding for that is a big ask, evenso, the new building will duplicate existing services that are available close by because galleries take on more than their core activities and they seek complications and provide space for education as entertainment, a social venure and last but not least a chaotic coffee shop. It is a model that celebrates diverse activities.

Hey, Small is beautiful.  In so many ways we slavishly follow the bench mark established by XYZ gallery, overseas in providing this and that. Why?  Just to become another commodified clone? All look the same. The patrons and staff back from world centres need reassurance that way. Does travel really broaden the mind! Or education for that matter.
The Wetlands is into empire building as well.
Possible alternative auditorium space. City Hall, near the gallery, appears to have oodles of venues available for use and in Darby street, coffee shops abound. Perhaps two fine church buildings in the same street could double as cultural centres - but there I go copying others, for example,  they say that Saint John the evangelist (I believe) in New York city, (an exraordinary Gothic ediface) stages any amount of cultural events.
The daring possibilities are endless. Update: Cathedral of Saint John the Divine is what is intended.