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6 February 2017

Postcard from Tasmania: MONA (Museum of Old and New Art)

Three years ago, while visiting Australia, we were urged to visit Tasmania and, in particular, MONA: the Museum of Old and New Art. This time, we managed to fit this destination into our busy schedule and opted to travel by ferry from Hobart (featured image above).

On The Origin of Art

The current exhibition – which runs until 17 April 2017 – is housed in the bowels of the building, and the building itself is a work of art.

We visited during the day and the area lit up in blue above looks like this in daytime.

This space provides a brilliant opportunity to sit and reflect on the beauty of the landscsape, but especially the sky.

What’s it like inside MONA?

Unlike so many other galleries where stark rectangular rooms lead from one to another, each one displaying four walls of art, MONA presents a catacomb of spaces in which ‘art’ is allowed to breathe. Or educate, or amuse, or shock.

On arrival, we were given iPads which knew where we were in the building and what artifacts were nearby. One click provided us with a written report on the piece and, often, a recorded interview with the artist. Each item also had the option to love/hate it …

Believe me, some of the exhibits did leave you tempted to hit that ‘hate’ button. But most of them make you stop and think, which is no bad thing?

Memorable moments?

A lot of what’s on show relies on technology, like the waterfall which revealed words for a nanosecond, or the video of a Tai chi routine which demonstrated how we see movement.

There were also many examples of innovative art which challenge the viewer to think and rethink.

Is it worth going?

Definitely! Allow a whole day. Arrive early and plan to leave late. You’ll need time to reflect on what you’ve seen, and the various eateries and bars provide excellent choices. And manage to cope with vast crowds too.

This post is one of my POSTCARD series, sharing all things ART with you when I go travelling.

30 January 2017

Postcard from Tasmania: Gallery 81

Planning our route through Tasmania, we consulted TripAdvisor, as one does, and stumbled on this comment about Gallery 81:

Needless to say, we decided we must visit this gallery, if only to see how offended we might be by this religious fanatic. We made a note of the address: 81 High Street, Campbell Town, Tasmania. It proved to be on our route between Launceston and Swansea – perfect!

On the appointed day, we parked right outside this very modern building and went in, excited …

Gallery 81 – the space

Gallery 81 is very new; it was opened on 29 July 2016. The gallery space is stunning: a long narrow room with the most amazing view through floor-to-ceiling windows. It’s described on their website as a boutique cafe and wine bar – as well as an art gallery.

As you walk in, there’s a bar area to your left serving teas and coffees, and much else besides. Tables are arranged the full length of the room, providing a quiet space to enjoy both the artwork and the refreshments, and the view.

Luke and his wife Keryn are keen to promote Tasmanian products, so they have on offer such delights as ClearTas Sparkling Water, the Art of Tea and TasCaffe coffee. We were driving so we did not sample the Espresso 81 Martini!

The book: Gallery 81

Luke’s works are displayed not only on the walls but also within a book, a copy of which we purchased.

The pages of this book present 81 paintings and 81 reflections, which are Luke’s response to living the Tao.

Luke explained to us that, in 2009, he was in his local library and the title of a book piqued his interest: Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life, Live the Wisdom of the Tao by Wayne Dyer. Reading it resulted in Luke feeling compelled to paint his own interpretations of the 81 verses.

During the painting process, Luke was then also compelled to write his own words for each verse. The net result is the 81 paintings displayed on the right-hand wall of Gallery 81, and within the accompanying book.

Tao Te Ching, Verse 64: The journey of a thousand miles commenced with a single step

This is just one of the 81 paintings as hung in the gallery.

We were particularly struck by his Luke’s tagline: Ask, Listen, Paint, Speak Words on Fire.

Luke Harvey, religious fanatic!

So, we met Luke Harvey, the ‘religious fanatic’ and found him to be a charming man.

We got into a discussion and discovered Luke is a retired teacher, passionate about living the Tao.

He writes in the foreword to his book that he believes we each have a single life path, and that this path has many intersections where we meet the people in our life. We travel with some for a while, some for fleeting moments of time. All contribute though to the framework that is your life.

For us, we shared maybe an hour with Luke, and his wife Keryn, and were enriched by the experience.

They have travelled far and wide, and his 81 paintings – and his book – are a testimony to his life path.

To learn more about Luke, and his work, visit his website.

This post is one of my POSTCARD series, sharing all things ART with you when I go travelling.

23 January 2017

Postcard from Melbourne: Christmas brushes

Christmas in Melbourne seems an age ago, and we have seen in the New Year in style – and today I found an opportunity to spend my Christmas voucher, a generous gift from our hosts, on … brushes!

Which store did I visit?

With my voucher in hand, I made my way to Art Stretchers, a magnificent new store in Northcote High Street, walking distance from where Anne and I are staying.

I’d visited this shop before Christmas and treated myself to some A3 watercolour paper. I’d decided to paint a present for my hosts – more on that in a later post – and found myself in this magical store. They have everything!

What was I interested in buying?

I was looking for a high-quality brush, or two. With a weight allowance to respect, I couldn’t go mad on heavy items.

The range was incredible and what caught my eye was a fan brush, ideal for blending adjacent colours. The sales assistant was very attentive and offered to talk me through their extensive collection.

What did I buy?

Four brushes!

From left to right:

1: The fan brush which originally caught my eye

2: A 320S Squirrel Mop of German manufacture which loads well, but is hellishly expensive …

3 and 4: Two part-squirrel part-synthetic, cheaper options, sizes 12 and 8 which then gave me the entire range of ‘mop’ without having to take out a second mortgage!

Having tried out my three new mops, I am absolutely delighted with my purchase and so glad the voucher made a sizeable dent in the bill.

What brushes do you use? Which are your favourites? Let me know.

This post is one of my POSTCARD series, sharing all things ART with you when I go travelling.