The National Gallery of Victoria is currently exhibiting their collection of Felton Bequest images of scenes from Rajput courts. They are intimate and symbolic, and from 2019 there is something timeless about them, even though many of the paintings depict historical events and individuals. I think this has to do with context, some of the … Continue reading Remnants of paradise
Art
Review: Compare the pear
I left it a bit late to see Baldessin / Whiteley Parallel Visions at the National Gallery of Victoria but I made it at the last minute and was pleasantly surprised. I won't go into a huge amount of detail about every work. Nor will I deliver much on the background of George Baldessin or … Continue reading Review: Compare the pear
October: it’s a wrap
Often I feel like I'm not achieving enough. Days contain all sorts of things that need to be done, but there's not enough structure. Meanwhile, sleeping has been extremely absent, which means some fuzzy thinking and fatigue. Is there such a thing as Seasonal Affective Disorder for spring? Whatever it is, my head hurts. Yet, … Continue reading October: it’s a wrap
Starting something
I didn't mean to, but I started something. I have an Instagram account, and it's mostly full of sunsets, art, and visually arresting things (and puns) and now RedBubble promotions. I don't really use Insta for writing related efforts. This week I started to. It's been both frustrating and creatively fulfilling. After endlessly tinkering with … Continue reading Starting something
Architecture of fire
The Common Campfire is an interactive, responsive light installation by Adam Grant, whose previous creative endeavours include Jafflechutes and This Bike Has MS. This particular work appeared under the auspices of Test Sites, a City of Melbourne support program for interdisciplinary artists to develop and share works with the community. But enough facts. This is … Continue reading Architecture of fire
Bec in Wonderland
I took in ACMI's Wonderland exhibit. It had inklings of a classic Sherlock Holmes-like escape room vibe, but that receded. What replaced it was a journey. There were rooms featuring original illustrations, footage from the oldest filmed versions of Alice in Wonderland. There were rooms for Charles Lutwidge Dodgson ephemera, as well as for magic … Continue reading Bec in Wonderland
Making it real
It's not unusual for me to have ideas bubbling away and then dismiss them out of hand even before a plan or action can take place to make them concrete. But occasionally I do more than talk. For instance, I established my Medium account for my short stories and essays. But I've had this idea … Continue reading Making it real
Review: Dark Imaginings
Gothic literature can be dramatic, macabre, and weirdly insightful. To my tired eyes some examples of Gothic, like Castle of Otranto are also unintentionally and refreshingly hilarious. Yet Gothic tropes persist in popular culture even as they were interrogated centuries ago, and continue to be. Since it is Rare Book Week in Melbourne I took … Continue reading Review: Dark Imaginings
Seen one, haven’t seen them all
Wandering around the Art Gallery of New South Wales was weirdly disorienting. It was a new building to me, but it was filled with familiar artists: Australians like John Brack and Grace Cossington Smith in addition to the usual Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood painters. Obviously, the individual works were different to those in the NGV or anywhere … Continue reading Seen one, haven’t seen them all
Thou art that
I wasn't going to take part, and then I vacillated for a while, then I decided to, so I did. Yes, I will be entering this year's Sketchbook Project run by the Brooklyn Art Library. I am justifying my entry to myself because when I saw the listed themes to work to, I had an … Continue reading Thou art that
