Mitupela.net

In a previous post I talked about what I wanted for my 50th Birthday. I have a wonderful work of art on my wall above my desk (where I can look at it any time... like I did just then), made up of six vibrant parts. I asked each artist to write something of their part in the piece. This post is about Monica's piece as her comments are still coming (I hope).

Not an easy ask for Monica, and I admire her courage and resolve: It's a great photograph. I also like mico-views and the beauty that can be found in small places, closer places, as opposed to the wide panoramas and vistas.

In a previous post I talked about what I wanted for my 50th Birthday. I have a wonderful work of art on my wall above my desk (where I can look at it any time... like I did just then), made up of six vibrant parts. I asked each artist to write something of their part in the piece. This post contains Nathanael's comments about his piece.

This is such a typically Nathanael work of art that it makes me smile each time I look at it. I'm not really sure why I love Scribbly Gums or why I chose if for a username and avatar; but I think it had something to do with the scribbles, and how I develop the projects I work on: Nat's piece seems to sum up my reasons in a very concise and articulate way. It's very touching and disarming to be understood by your children.

I was inspired by your 'Scribbly' web handle and wanted to create something that represented the link between that handle and yourself.

I wanted it use really... 'real' materials, hence the paper, watercolour and charcoal. I also wanted something with a little mystery to it, just like a handle represents a person but doesn't encompass them.

The background is fairly blank and simple, while the tree itself is really busy, complex and crazy yet it still forms a picture of a tree. This is how i wanted to represent you.

In a previous post I talked about what I wanted for my 50th Birthday. I have a wonderful work of art on my wall above my desk (where I can look at it any time... like I did just then), made up of six vibrant parts. I asked each artist to write something of their part in the piece. This post contains Keren's comments about his piece.

Keren's piece immediately reminded me of our garden at Fogarty's Cottage, where we had several Crucifix Orchids. These flowers always took a prominent part in our Christmas celebrations where we would decorate the manger and sing on Christmas morning under the wattle tree. Keren's wishes and desires have been achieved, as each time I look at this piece the anointing on it touches deep into my heart.

This is a representation of a crucifix orchid, which in my opinion is one of the most beautiful and meaningful flowers in existence as it shows as again in nature the reason why we all live and are saved.

The crucifix orchid is also a combination of two of my father's loves. That is of God & Jesus and of the garden, plants and horticulture; and the passion he has for both of these that he shares with my mother.

Red can be seen as a passionate colour both of Jesus's courage, love and passion that he showed on the cross to render our salvation, but also the passion, love, trust and time Dad has put into his life, family and friends which has made us all what we are today and we all love and appreciate him for this.

In a previous post I talked about what I wanted for my 50th Birthday. I have a wonderful work of art on my wall above my desk (where I can look at it any time... like I did just then), made up of six vibrant parts. I asked each artist to write something of their part in the piece. This post contains Briony's comments about her piece.

Briony's piece is remarkable and dominant, not easy to hang or to place in the overall piece (maybe she summed me up pretty good??). When I realized that she'd defaced a bible to produce it I was initially shocked .

Of all the pieces, Briony's enables me to "look back" and savour my past; very interesting that that's what she's taken to be my major influences: it's certainly what fills my life and memories.

The guitar and it's coverings are representative of some of the major influences in your life. It kind of provides a snapshot of what makes you you (only a snapshot of course... far from all encompassing I'm afraid).

Your parents and siblings were obviously a major influence in your life as a child, while your own family have obviously been very significant in more recent time.

The covering of the guitar (passages from the Bible) represent the strong influence of God in your life (I tried to pick passages that I thought were meaningful, but I'm afraid most of them were covered...). The purple splays represent the 'times' through will have course impacted on your you and your life.

The timeline is actually meant to be a 'less significant' piece of the artwork. Obviously, it shows the progression of time through your life, which of course is what binds all of the different influences.

The concept for the piece originated when Briony was painting a portrait of/for Ray [her father]. She [mapped out the portrait by drawing] the canvas into a matrix. I though it was a great idea and said that she should put a single colour into each of the squares of the matrix. It started me thinking about the impending piece that I was to make you.

It was important that the colour was homogenous, otherwise I felt it could be a little random - I know that red was your favourite colour as a boy (well, that's the memory I have of a conversation anyway) and I think it is the most vibrant pure colour there is, hence red was chosen as a colour.

The image was chosen because I felt it encapsulated a sort of mature renegade, larrikin that is always bubbling under the surface. I saw the image Nat did of you as a younger version, but obviously you have matured and I think this image captures this.

The image is pixellated because I thought it would be an interesting way to view the artwork. Up close it's all a bunch of red boxes but as you move away the image comes into focus and there is clarity. Sometimes I think we need to take a few steps backward to see the whole picture and not just the little part that we're transfixed with at that point in time.