As promised here is a bit more about The Centenary of Federation Gateway sculpture, this time I want to tell you about the wonderful community spirit that helped to make this project possible.

You may want to recap to Stories of the Wall, to see main structure of this sculpture, although images of the sculptured fence are yet to come, in another  art blog.

CERAMIC AND MOSAIC

This ceramic and mosaic artwork depict of some of the individuals, schools and service clubs they represent, on parade and without them this project would never have been possible at all.   Because there were so many individuals who selflessly spent hours and hours helping on this project I cannot mention each one individually but you all know who you are – and I Thank you so very much.

ARTISTIC VOLUNTEERS

There literally were groups all over the district doing their bit towards the project, all the way from school children who interviewed the old folk in the age care facilities and homes.   Schools, child care,  kindies, church groups and others who got together to mosaic the farm animals on the fences (that lead out from the sculptured wall) to a regular bunch of arts and craft enthusiasts that regularly met at my studio to mosaic the background to my ceramic images.  We got a lot of work done all the while chatting and laughing and drinking cups of coffee together, a nice little interlude for me a normally solitary artist to have some company.

PAINTING ON CERAMIC TILES

Not to mention the team of dedicated individuals that poured and fired the tiles that made up the “veranda’ area in front of the sculpture and also ran workshops where the towns people could paint their own stories on individual tiles.  Yes nearly everyone in the local district was involved in this project from the tiniest babies who had their hands and feet imprinted on the tiles to the CEO of the Wakefield Council Phil Barry who so enthusiastically supported it.

I must say that I was very saddened indeed to hear that Phil just recently lost his fight against a brain tumour, something that shocked the whole town.  Phil Barry truly was a wonderful and caring man not only to his own family and friends but to the whole town.  Rest in peace Phil, we will always remember you.

COMMUNITY ART

That community spirit is something that I miss now that I live in the “big smoke” again, everyone are always ready to lend a hand.  There were so many times I was surprised at the generosity of the country people, just imagine the surprise a bunch of us got when the lady living opposite the sculpture (who also worked as a full time primary school teacher, mind you) suddenly appeared with afternoon tea and freshly baked scones, lashings of cream and jam for all the workers.

Dale Gathercole the project co-ordinator whose book “Stories behind the wall” which was published to coincide with the opening of the sculpture said; “ In 2001, the International Year of the Volunteer, to each and every one of you who has selflessly served, a sincere Thank you.”

So here is another quote about volunteering by Elizabeth Andrew that I think fits in perfectly here;

“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.

Till next time happy painting and sculpting and volunteering to you all,

Love Marie xxxx

If you enjoyed this Public Art blog you may also enjoy this one;  77 Book stack water feature Sculpture

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

I just got home from a meditation class, which was only the second time in my life that I have attended one. It does seem to me to be a little bit crazy to be waking up with the alarm blaring in my ears so that I can go off to a class to sit and learn to relax! One would have thought if that’s what I needed perhaps staying in bed and a few more hours shut eye would have done it. But oh no – powers that be says otherwise, so off I trotted to the class!  Think the man in my ceramic and mosaic artwork below is doing more than meditating though – if you want to see the whole image of this sculpture use this link to the art blog 10. If You Remember The Sixties, You Weren’t There, ART

My mother used to go to mediation classes 25 years ago, and come home singing its praises. I could for the life of me not understand why someone would be going to sit in a room full of strangers and try to relax, it seemed like a complete oxymoron to me.

ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS

The way to take time out for me in the past would be getting a massage or having a glass of wine and watch a good movie etc, and that has always worked well in the past.
However these days I find it harder to shut the clutter in my mind up. What is it with that – why do we have to have an internal dialogue in our head that just doesn’t shut up! A head full of random thoughts everything from great painting ideas, to new blogs, worries about health, children, pets, parents, car accidents, house burning down, and burglars (or a combination of all of the above at the same time, LOL). Never mind all the things I said and shouldn’t have, or the things I should have said but didn’t. Don’t start me on the stuff I did or didn’t do- that alone is a whole new chapter!
Get my drift, I really need to learn this meditation – just to be able to take time out and get some rest without actually being asleep.

So there I was this morning sitting in a room full of strangers, just like my mother 25 years ago. (She has always said about a lot of subjects “Just you wait and see” so this may be another of those “I told you so moments”!)

MORE IMAGES TO PAINT

Anyway it was not as bad as I thought, the strangers all turned out to be very nice people, friendly, kind and cheerful. A couple of them arrived in gophers (3 wheeled motorized bikes for the elderly or infirm) and as we got chatting I found out another person had Aspergers syndrome and ADD, which makes it even harder to get a quiet spell apparently.
There was a candle burning but apart from that there was no hokus pokus, just a soft speaking lady and a CD player with background sounds of waterfalls and birds tweeting and a voice guiding us through the meditation step by step.
There are lots of definitions about meditation but as far as I understand the idea is to contemplate; to keep the mind fixed upon; to study; To sit or lie down and come to a deep rest while still remaining conscious. I am aware of two different types; Insight meditation and Transcendental.

Insight meditation: A form of Buddhist meditation that employs concentration sharply focused on bodily sensations and mental events, practiced with the intention of gaining insight into reality.

Transcendental Meditation: A technique for detaching oneself from anxiety and promoting harmony and self-realization by meditation, repetition of a mantra, and other yogic practices, promulgated by an international organization founded by the Indian guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (c.1911–2008) (reference Google)

All very good if you manage to do it. However so far I have had little snippets of quietness in between sneaky thoughts that clamour in to disturb me, everything from; what I am going to eat at lunch to shopping lists and urgent matters I should be doing instead of sitting here with my eyes closed. Although there were a couple of times there when I nearly fell asleep and fell of my chair – maybe I just should have stayed in bed instead!

Perhaps one day I will manage to do it properly. Until then I leave you with a part of Kindness Contemplation, adapted from Jack Kornfield “Path with Heart” who in turn adapted it from a traditional Buddhist meditation.
May I be filled with kindness………..
May I be well…………..
May I be peaceful and at ease………
May I be happy……………….
May everyone be filled with kindness………………..
May everyone be well……………..
May everyone be peaceful and at ease…………..
May everyone be happy…………….
Till next time,
Love Marie xxx  (c)

Footnote;  A dear friend of mine has meditated twice daily for the last 40 years,  her name is Nadine Williams famous Author of bestselling book “From France with Love” a former senior journalist with the Advertiser and  now runs her own website.  Here is a link Nadine Williams as it is full of wonderful stories and information about just about everything.  So go and have a look and happy painting, sculpting, reading and mediating to you all.

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.