April - May - June

Friday 13th, full moon... interesting timing to write a post here... especially since I've not been here since April! But since I couldn't sleep tonight I decided to put on the light and tap away on my computer and why not visit this sadly neglected blog.

Its two months since my previous post and why so long?

Simply busy. Non-stop busy!

Two months have been jam-packed with new experiences and projects,  deadlines and must-do lists, travel and residency experiences. Routine things like sleep and daily life get thrown and one can easily start to feel like focus on only the essentials is a good idea. And even then time is limited.

Ive posted consistently on my Facebook page HOMAGE TO THE SEED which resembles a very abbreviated daily diary...

Facebook images from the Plantbank Residency

and also on Instagram which, although I started about a year ago I really on learnt to use it in about March. Its a basic form of visual documentation that has grown on me.

Instagram images from the plant bank Residency!

I like that one can start a conversation so spontaneously and exchange just a few details and (quite easily) choose to continue the conversation in this light manner bit by bit.

Blogs by comparison are rather like the slow food of the online sites... Instagram at the other end of the spectrum... fast and constant... in your face... but curiously not as soulless as it first seemed to me... because of the particular people I find myself connecting with some of the time.


So that is where I have kept up to date online!

At my blog Visual Eclectica I did recently post reflections of the Plantbank Residency, a simple account of my time there. Once home from that brilliant few weeks down south I immediately stepped into an incredibly fast pace of work commitments... some of which were more involved than previously imagined.

At Homage to the Seed blog I posted on Plantbank earlier on.

So much to photograph at Plantbank.

Despite being flat out these two months there has been some slow time and certainly times Ive pondered what I discovered on residency and conversations that have been important.

I will return with more on this very soon.

Good night!
Sophie

From the cool of the mountains to the summer heat of home!

Really missing the vistas of Springbrook Mountains and the National Park since arriving home on Wednesday... New Years Day. Its uniqueness, this region known as;

 The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia (formerly known as the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves) include the most extensive areas of subtropical rainforest in the world, large areas of warm temperate rainforest and nearly all of the Antarctic beech cool temperate rainforest. Few places on earth contain so many plants and animals which remain relatively unchanged from their ancestors in the fossil record.

The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1986 (extended in 1994).

The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia were one of 15 World Heritage places included in the National Heritage List on 21 May 2007.

Having time to muse on this recent trip and the work being done by the Springbrook Rescue Project
that we took part in whilst staying at Koonjewarre has been very useful. Not rushing about during the present heat means thinking and reading time... always productive for  disparate ideas to get a chance to weave together a bit! As I tap away on the keyboard my feet are soaking in cold water and an overhead fan and small floor fan are chugging away.

The pond at the entrance to where I stayed on the mountain retreat had this beautiful moss-covered tree that was stunning and absolutely had to be photographed. The location is utterly unique 

One of the highlights of the week was meeting Aila Keto whom you can read about here at Jane Elix's blog or below here:

Dr Aila Keto, Australia

03 July 2012 | News story

Australian born Aila Keto is the founder and President of the Australian Rainforest Conservation Society (ARCS), an NGO Member of IUCN. She has made a sustained and major contribution to conservation science, policy and practical programmes over several decades, and is widely acknowledged for her leadership, influence, knowledge and experience. Continue reading here.

The work of Aila Keto, husband Keith Scott and supporters of the Australian Rainforest Conservation Society have played a massive part in building recognition and awareness of this region's global  uniqueness as a biodiversity hotspot.

About ARCS Founded in 1982, the Australian Rainforest Conservation Society (ARCS) is a national, non-government, not-for-profit organisation with headquarters in Brisbane. Its goals are to protect, repair and restore the rainforests of Australia through research, lobbying, public education and grass-roots support. ARCS has succeeded in achieving protection for large areas of Australia’s rainforests and continues to play a leading role in the ongoing work required to conserve this rainforest heritage. image found here

Through 2013 I kept coming across whispers, news articles and reports from this region about Springbrook National Park's future. The work of the Rescue Project and in particular Aila Keto was being challenged in the media and my concern over the politics of this state, change of Govt plans and more led me to spend time in Springbrook at Xmas to find out for myself what was at stake. The possibility of a longer residency was discussed and when there is something to report I will of course post on it.

In the mean-time I am pouring over the images I took whilst up there and thinking my way around this very critical topic as I draw in the studio back at home again. I've also been revisiting the Flickr sites of a couple of keen photographers, especially by Black Diamond + here, who's extensive background in Australian Rainforest Fruits, seeds and such has long informed my own work at Homage to the Seed. Please note the COPYRIGHT NOTICE if you visit his professional flickr site. Images are not shared without permission and I've had excellent communications when I've written so I ask you respect this request.

Visit this page

Through the flickr page I found the link to the Rainforest Seed Project which was put up by the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney which is something I definitely wish to learn far more about.

This excerpt  comes from the link about to the Project.

Australian rainforests - diverse and vulnerable

Australian rainforests cover only 0.3 % of the land and yet contain more than 50 % of the plant biodiversity of our nation. Three significant World Heritage listed areas that occur on the east coast of Australia have large rainforest components. In NSW and southern Queensland, the so-called ‘Gondwana Rainforests’ occur as a ‘discontinuous chain of islands in a sea of fire prone eucalypt and agricultural lands’. They contain more than 200 species of rare and threatened plants and animals.

There is much to absorb and attempt to somehow bring to my own project. Drawing is good thinking time and last night I cleared space to get into drawing with Sepia ink.

The four images below are all inspired by images found at Black Diamond's Flickr site. Each is a species I wish to learn more about

This species is the Australian Native Peanut tree, Sterculia quadrifida, and the photo below was taken by Denise Rivers ... see post at Homage to the Seed here. I recently planted this species at my new home, in a pot as instructed, especially as I was unsure how large a tree it might grow to be.

 I was drawn to some images of the Native Wisteria or Callerya megasperma.

Scientific Name:Callerya megasperma (was Millettia megasperma)

• Pronunciation:call-ERR-ee-ah meg-ah-SPERM-ah
• Common Name:Native Wisteria
• Derivation:Callerya:
  
  megasperma: large Seed
• Type:Vine, tall woody Climber to the tops of trees, Climber,
• Family:Fabaceae
• Flowers:Purple, lilac, spring
• Fruit:Pods, long woody velvety with large brown seeds
• Vegetation Type:Sub-tropical Rainforest, Wet Eucalypt Forest

Here is  a very simplified version of this seed pod. It like to take time to really get to know a species and do many drawings, simple and complex in order to build some familiarity.

 Below is the same pod, drawn in ink and aquarelles.

Cross-referencing info online brings much more to the process of drawing. Often the documentation,  whether through blogging or other means,  leads to a far greater understanding of the species role in the eco-system.

Each time I visited a viewing point on the mountains  and gazed out to the coast (in this image below you can see high rise buildings through the haze ) I could help but wonder how many people have travelled to the Gold Coast to visit, or been enticed to stay without even stopping to ponder these ancient mountains, let alone visit and acknowledge their importance and value.

Image from here.

I spent New Years eve in the temporary Studio I set up at the mountain retreat. Only 4 of us were left onsite that night...and we shared a simple meal of Avocado on toast and various nibbles. And chocolate! We talked about the places we value and have travelled to. I then returned to the studio and did some drawings and pondered the year coming in.

My new years resolution was to make sure I identify the seeds

I photograph asap so I don't forget where they came from or 

what they are. These were found onsite up there yet I forgot to 

get the name and now have to track them down when I can.

Thos pods below are Mahogany and have been collected ages

ago and are a good drawing subject in workshops and classes.

May 2014 see more people on this planet awakening to the life-giving value of the environment beyond real estate prices and development possibilities. Every day and every conversation counts if we are going to succeed in keeping this planet sustainable for human life. Not caring and not acting on this is as much a problem as anything being done out-right to destroy the natural ecosystems that preserve our future.  I wish I could say otherwise!

Best to all,

Sophie

On retreat in the mountains ... a mini residency

From Boxing Day to New Years I'm staying at Koonjewarre in the Springbrook National Park.

Image found here

I've not been here but this image is of a well loved place nearby.

Koonjewarre is one of the locations currently undergoing an ecological restoration project with the Springbrook Rescue Project an arm of the Australian Rainforest Conservation Society's work.

I arrived on Thursday afternoon and it was a warm summer's day. Waking up the following morning, yesterday, at 5.15am I took this photo from my verandah and thought how wonderful to be in this peaceful setting.

The mist lingered day and night creating a mysterious yet gentle mood ... quite inspiring in fact. Lulled into a state of great relaxation an afternoon nap compulsory... however I worked till 10.30 that evening and have posted some journal pages here.

temporary studio has good windows looking across the lawn and forested hills

The temporary studio set up for the stay... also where I am doing several workshop for some here for the camp that kindly included me in their program.

I worked in several journals and used mainly Sepia ink and twigs from an acacia tree with wonderful pods I also drew.

Working with twigs makes for quick drawings and scratchy organic forms.

Its a great opportunity for working loosely and simply.

One of the fellow campers Maria noticed this moth late last night and thought the markings were exquisite and someone might like to draw it today.

Waking up today I found the day was reasonably bright and clear although cloudy which I quite like. My sister reported yesterday they'd had an abysmally hot day back on the coast near Brisbane where she lives so all of us here are relishing the cool of the mountains and thanking our lucky stars for being here at this time of year. Rain is frequent here. In January last year over 600 mls of rain fell in that one month.

I'm going to go seed collecting now before today's class so I will sign off.

Happy holidays everyone!

Tanks Art Gallery, Cairns

THis image is taken outside Tanks Art Gallery, Cairns... looking inside to where my 'Homage to the Seed: In the Wet Tropics' show is ongoing till Nov 4th. The Gallery is open 7 days a week at the moment with three shows currently running. Jacqueline Scotcher and Robyn Glade Wright opened the week after my show and offer alternative rich explorations of the natural world making the combined showing thematically very compatible. Robyn's title Red-listed highlights crucially the story of Biodiversity loss in Far-North Qld.

The image comes from Gallery assistant Nelly Armstrong, who deftly orchestrated the much-commented-upon hanging of the 

show, backed up by wonderful trio Karen Thompson, currently an intern, Arian Edmunds also an intern, and the very experienced Tony Castles, Gallery assistant who was onsite to complete the hanging.

Gallery Curator, Chris Stannard was always in the background keeping everything moving in a most inspiring way, ideas man and problem solver that he is... excellent in his many roles. And special mention to Gio Funari, go-to man for practical support during the Residency. This is a superb team and I send them my grateful thanks!

Ive been posting news far more frequently at my Homage to the Seed Facebook Page as I've been waylaid somewhat from the usual blogging routine. However, a

 few days ago I wrote this blog post at Visual Eclectica about the return to Brisbane... it explains why things have really slowed! 

Its 5.30pm , Saturday and I am sitting outside the State Library of Qld in the cafe watching the rain come down and wondering how to get to my car given I didn't bring an umbrella. Until they close the cafe at 6pm I guess this is an ideal place to sit and type away. There's a fresh breeze blowing and I can just see the river. It's springtime here and the nearby Quandong trees will be loving this rainfall! Its one of my favourite precincts in Brisbane and I am planning to come back early tomorrow to work in one of the quiet nooks on the 3rd floor!

This image was taken for the Tanks Art Centre Facebook Page of the  view when you walk inside this fascinating Art Space. I will add further photos as I get them sorted.

Also from the Tanks FB Page:

Also from Tanks FB page:

I had great trouble photographing this one as its 4 metres long and extends around a corner. Glad the Tanks crew took this!

Same source:

From Same source:

And what better place could there be for an exhibition featuring rainforest fruits and seeds than this rainforest surrounds at the Cairns Botanic Gardens where the Tanks Art Centre is located.

Tanks FB Page:

I will find out who took the Photos for the Tanks Facebook page. Perhaps the wonderful Lisa who does promotions. WIll check the source!

More images soon. Closing time at this breezy cafe!
cheers,
S

Working on the verandah...

'

One thing I expected during this Cairns Residency was rather hot weather and the likelihood of too many mosquitos to want to work outside. This weekend brought a light drizzle of rain in the mornings but setting up on the back verandah has been the perfect space with the big table, overhead fans and mozi-coils burning!

                       A watercolour book Ive been working in... using the lino-print materials.

'

My preference is often to work in journals till ready to work larger... especially when working with new materials or ideas.

A small square motif!

A new work below on unstretched linen.

Referencing an earlier work.

Using the lino pod-form to create the structure was an interesting approach.

It was a beautiful afternoon with just the radio for company.

I like this blue for a change of palette.

This piece is approx 140cm x 80 cm.

I'm reluctant to add more at this point although its more minimal than originally intended. I like the textural aspect of working with the lino on this linen.

The edge of the unframed work is stitched with a brown linen thread. It will be pinned to the wall for exhibiting!

I have a week of pretty intense painting in front of me now. Ive settled into a good working routine after two weeks. I had to learn not to push it and to be very open to what direction emerged.

Bye for now,

Sophie

Lino printing as a starting point

Images from the residency studio. 

Working with lino... but breaking the rules in order to interpret the seed capsule cross-sections in a somewhat painterly way. 

Rushing off to an appointment I willpop back and add more details later.

Identifying species I collect is always interesting. The Cooper book on Rainforest fruits of Australia is a huge help.

another cross section...