This has been a busy week in the art studio as usual, still I try to post at least one post every day on social media to keep my profile up and also to have fun and interact with my lovely friends both from real life and new made in cyberspace!

If you would like to follow me on the other media platforms here are some links which you can either copy and past or just click on the highlighted names;

Instagram; http://instagram.com/marie.jonssonharrison   Pinterest; http://www.pinterest.com/artnaive/  Facebook ; https://www.facebook.com/Naiveartbymarie  Twitter; https://twitter.com/Naiveview so come on down and be part of the fun!

INSTAGRAM

I find these days that Instagram is ticking along nicely without the annoying ads and popups seen on Facebook so firstly here are a few of my post from there.

CERAMIC AND MOSAIC SCULPTURE

Then there was the Carrots and Peas artwork a sculpture made out of ceramic and mosaic posted with this quote;

“Life is not like a box of chocolates.  It’s more like a jar of jalapenos.  What you do today might burn your ass tomorrow.”  ~Author Unknown

FUN WEEKEND

We did also have a most enjoyable weekend down at Hindmarsh Island staying with good friends and taking part in the annual Yacht Challenge.  Here is our efforts in dressing up as The Sopranos!

ARTWORK

Pottering of the Port artwork always receives a lot of attention and has also made it into quilts and duvet, shams and pillowcases made by ARTnBED selling in New York and Israel as well as on the internet.  My quote for this artwork was;

“Remind yourself it’s OK not to be perfect!”

I couldn’t agree more with that as we often put too much pressure on ourselves in that department.

Till next time happy painting and sculpting and to you all.  Wishing you a lovely week.

Love Marie xxx

FOR EXPLORING MY WEBSITE HERE ARE A FEW LINKS

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.

As we are looking back over the week I thought this quote by Doug Larson may resonate;

“Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days.”

It doesn’t take long for the year to roll around and before you know it is Christmas again!  This year as we often do we are going to see the spectacle Carols by Candle light in Elder Park, Adelaide.  It always inspires the creative process and I am sure many artists feel the same way.

CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT

These days we celebrate Carols by Candlelight all over Australia in all the capital cities and smaller country towns and they are held on many different dates all throughout December.   This time my husband and I together with our daughter and her boyfriend are planning to attend.  It is great that this tradition has now spread around the world and people gather usually outdoors in parks and sing carols in choirs and usually accompanied by musicians.  Lots of wonderful artists both very famous and up and coming stars do the rounds of the different shows and they are compared for the most part by Radio and Television personalities here in Australia anyway.  The audience of course sing along and everyone has a candle or two which they hold up and sway from side to side with the music at times, a very atmospheric sight just glorious!

ARTISTIC INSPIRATION

As a family together with my mum and dad we started going to the open concert after our son Kai was born and soon joined by the little miss Hillivi and we have only missed a few along the way.  In times gone by we used to arrive early in the afternoon to stake our claim on a spot close to the stage put down a picnic blanket with a basket full of delicious goodies and lovely wine.  It was always a few hours wait before the show began at sunset and we would take turns to stake our claim on the blanket whilst some of us would head up to the city to shop and walk about.  These days we arrive a little later but it is still something we look forward to very much.  However there was one year that nearly turned us off for life when the weather suddenly changed and turned so nasty we thought we would freeze to death.  We still talk about how the coldness that night was equal to shopping down Canal Street in New York at Christmas time, well nearly anyway!  This time the weather is supposed to be nice and warm so lets hope that is the case.

CERAMIC AND MOSAIC

It was this time last year that my art blog and painting featured the acrylic painting of Swedish Lucia which was used for Project mapping on the Swedish Embassy in Poland see this story 205 Projection Mapping & Art in Animation This week however the artwork is a wall based sculpture and made from handmade ceramic and mosaic and features a sing-a-long family around the piano, with some recognizable artists artwork on the walls! (If you look close, you will find Picasso and Miro among others)

Here is a quote I think fits well by Carol Nelson;

“Christmas is a time when you get homesick — even when you’re home. “

Till next time happy painting and sculpting and Happy Holidays to you all.

Love Marie xxx

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 was really thrilled to be asked if the image of one of my Public Sculptures could be used on the new “One Card” system (interconnecting library card for borrowers).  The SA public library “one card” network is connecting the systems of more than 130 public libraries across South Australia to let you borrow and return items wherever you go, using your current library card.  Users can borrow items including books, DVDs, CDs, magazines and children’s picture books with it.  They are also able to use an online reservation booking system or call in at any participating library across the state to pick up or drop of books.

PUBLIC SCULPTURE

The image used for the Balaklava Library is this book stack water feature sculpture that I was commissioned to do for the library (mid-north in South Australia), a few years ago.   I had of course lots of fun designing this sculpture and as I love both the water and books, so it was no stretch.   It is made from hebel and handmade ceramic and mosaic and took hours and hours to complete.   There are ceramic little fish in the water pond as well.  We left the decision of what books should be included to the local population and conducted a survey through the local paper, schools and library to find out the names of the most popular books and authors to be included in the artwork.

THE ART OF BORROWING BOOKS

The launch of the ‘one card’ was held last Friday and I was invited up to Balaklava as special guest together with many other dignitaries.  It was both a festive and informative event and I was really touched by the very warm welcome I received.  Balaklava was my home town for 18 years and it really feels like home to me!  (My heartfelt special thanks goes to Lyn Marshman, Kevyna Gardner, Helen Barr, Trish Langdon and Julie Brice and everyone else involved as well, Thank you all

These photos were taken by the Editor of the Plains Producer Les Pearson and were first published in their paper.

SCULPTURE GARDEN

There is also a mural on the wall at the entrance of the library as well as the water feature book sculpture which is set in a little garden and was created in memory of Des Ross in recognition of his service to the local area as well as Australia.  Des was both the President of the Local Government Association as well as the Australian Local Government Assoc., and a board room in Canberra is named “The Des Ross Room” in his honour.

Here is a quote by Charles Medawar that I think fits perfectly here;

“Librarians are almost always very helpful and often almost absurdly knowledgeable.  Their skills are probably very underestimated and largely underemployed”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting and also borrowing books!

Love Marie xxx

If you would like to see some art blogs about other Public Sculptures here are some links;109 Stories behind the Wall and121 Volunteers our Backbone and  128 Sculpture and Women

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.

Carols by Candlelight is such a lovely Australian Christmas tradition.  Last week my art blog and painting featured the acrylic painting of Swedish Lucia which was used for Project mapping on the Swedish Embassy in Poland see this story 205 Projection Mapping & Art in Animation This week however the artwork is a wall based sculpture and made from handmade ceramic and mosaic and captures my memories of the Carols by Candlelight celebration in Elder Park here in Adelaide.

AUSTRALIAN TRADITION

The history of the tradition heralds back to the 19^th century in Moonta, South Australia where the Cornish Miners would get together on Christmas Eve with candles stuck to the brims of their safety hats and sing Christmas carols.

The tradition then spread to Victoria and Melbourne and was made popular by a radio personality named Norman Banks.  According to Wikipedia,  Norman was walking home from his night time radio job when he walked past an elderly woman sitting up in bed listening to Christmas carols being sung on the radio.  The woman’s face was lit by candlelight as she sang along and this made Norman wonder how many other people spent Christmas alone.  This in turn gave him the idea and the first ever event was organized in Alexandra Garden Christmas 1938 where 10,000 people attended.

ARTISTS & STARS

These days we celebrate Carols by Candlelight all over Australia in all the capital cities and smaller country towns and they are held on many different dates all throughout December.   The tradition has now spread around the world and people gather usually outdoors in parks and sing carols in choirs and usually accompanied by bands.  Lots of talented artists both very famous and up and coming stars do the rounds of the different shows and they are compared for the most part by Radio and Television personalities.  The audience of course sing along and everyone has a candle or two which they hold up and sway from side to side with the music at times, a very atmospheric sight.

THE ART OF A GOOD CHARITY

The Adelaide event was sponsored this year by Woolworths with the funds raised going to the Women’s & Children’s Hospital Foundation due to the hardworking Marta Harbuzinska, Christina and Natalie Angus and their team and some of the acts featured here were Samantha Jade,  The Collective as well as Humphrey Bear.

ARTISTIC INSPIRATION

As a family we started going to the open concert after our son Kai was born and have only missed a few along the way.  We used to arrive early in the afternoon to stake our claim on a spot close to the stage put down a picnic blanket with a basket full of delicious goodies and lovely wine.  It was a quite a few hours wait before the show began at sunset and we would take turns to head up to the city to shop and walk about.  These days we arrive a little later but it is still something we look forward to very much.  However there was one year that nearly turned us off for life when the weather suddenly changed and turned so nasty we thought we would freeze to death, lol.  We still talk about how the coldness that night was equal to shopping down Canal Street in New York at Christmas time, well nearly anyway!  All wonderful memories for more sculptures, paintings and artworks in the future.

THE ART OF LIGHT

So next year if you haven’t been go along to your nearest Carols by Candlelight no matter what religion or culture you come from it is a lovely event for all concerned.

So here is a quote I think fits well here by Earl Nightingale;  “We all walk in the dark and each of us must learn to turn on his or her own light”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting and maybe carol singing to you all.

Love Marie xxx

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

Body art is something I have always been fascinated with, I guess it comes from my background as a model and later opening a beauty salon where we also did all sorts of makeup and body art.

PAINTED FACE

This image was painted by my father artist and sculptor Ted Jonsson on my face and used as the logo for the beauty salon, which I ran together with my mother whilst modelling before switching careers altogether as an artist.

PHOTO SESSION

This particular photo session was in the evening and on the drive home I nearly scared some motorists half to death.  I had forgotten that I still had the makeup on as we made our way home in the car, my husband was driving when we stopped for a red light.  We sat there for a little while and then I turned and looked at the car that pulled up next to us and the couple in the other car got such a fright upon seeing my double face they ran the red light and took off like a bat out of hell!   LOL!  I can be a scary girl sometimes (well our SA Government thinks so too as you can see in this story 179 ART AND CHAINED TO THE RAIL WAY TRACK).

Anyway body art comes in many forms like body piercings and tattoos.  I am quite fond of tattoos, particularly on men, there is just something a bit “bad boy” about it that appeals to me.    I have not got any myself unless you count permanent eyeliner into the equation, although getting that done certainly hurt just like a normal tattoo.  I may one day get the kids initials done but have as yet not found a motive I like or for that matter a place where I want to have it, big decision as it is FOREVER!

BODY AS YOUR CANVAS

Another form of Body art is using the body as your canvas as these photos of my best friend Debonella shows as the court jester.  These days the practice has taken a step forward and leading the way in my opinion is South Australian artist Emma Hack using models as canvas.

EMMA HACK

She has been exhibiting extensively throughout Australia since 1990 and recently made inroads overseas as well particularly in London, New York and Singapore and her works evoke a rich array of visual narrative and magical realism as these images  below show.

ARTWORKS BY EMMA HACK

My particular favourite series of Emmas is her BIRDS OF PREY collection that had Emma working with real Australian wild life such as an Owl, Wedge-tailed Eagle and Peregrine Falcon and exploring the notion of camouflage and drawing inspiration from another era.  Inspiration also came from the iconic Florence Broadhurst range of wallpaper designs and that series culminated in a wonderful coffee table book.

AUSTRALIAN ARTIST GOTYE

Another collaboration that I loved was with the Indie band Gotye for the single “Somebody That I Used to Know” where Emma provided the make up for the film clip.  Gotye or “Wally” went on to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the fifth Australian-based artist to do so and he also went on the receive 3 Grammy awards in 2013.  Incidentally he is also a favorite with James Abberley a wonderful artist in his own right which you can listen to and read about here 111. Indie music, Art and Paintings with James Abberley I’ll be a Bird.

QUOTES ABOUT ARTISTS

Here is a quote I think fits pretty well here by Leopold Stokowski , although we have to add the word body to the canvas part too;

“A painter paints pictures on canvas.   But musicians paint their pictures on silence”.

Till next time happy painting and sculpting and making music too you all.

Love Marie xxx

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

Oh boy what strange 6 weeks I have just had!!  Life happens to you whilst you are busy doing other things as John Lennon said.  Normally I sit in my art studio with an amazing view, the house perched up high like an eagles nest, high above a train track and overlooking a valley, beach and sea as far as the eye can see going all the way to the horizon.

Really wonderfully inspiring for an artist and probably why a lot of my paintings lately have been aquatic scenes.  Well our wonderful world was interrupted a couple of months ago with the Transport Departments electrification of the railway line.  Not something we had anticipated would bother us too much, we had seen the artist’s impressions and they looked just fine.  A couple of poles 50 meters apart and a few wires – not much to whinge about and you cannot stand against progress.

So the drilling started and then surprise, surprise they struck rock (we live on a mountain DOH! Why they didn’t anticipate that is beyond me.)   The drilling went on and on for weeks, day after day, 3 days drilling in every one of the 9 holes outside us, 7am – 5pm seven days a week.

PAINTING HAPPY PAINTINGS

Well to cut a long story short, painting happy paintings is impossible with over 83 decibels of incessant drilling 15 meters from your doorstep.  As is just living life and apart from tearing our hair out to add to the drama now my husband and I were fighting too.  So hubby got that fed up and cross he went out and told the workers off and that is when we found out what was actually happening on our street.

5 MONKEYS WITH A COMPASS COULD HAVE DONE A BETTER JOB.

Our street one of the most scenic streets in Adelaide had been selected for special treatment, not poles 50 meters apart for us.  No the “so called experienced” (cough, cough) engineers from Halcrow designed this by Google map from Queensland with no visual consideration as to where these structures would be best placed from an environmental and aesthetics stance.  Instead the Tensioner Hubs (overlaps) has been placed more like a game of “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” with an astounding haphazard lack of forethought.

STATE OF THE ART

I would like to point out though that it is not the POLES that we object too, we are well aware that we would have poles all the way along the railway line for the wire to sit on with this old and antiquated system.   The South Australian Government who is clearly misinformed call this a “State of the Art” design (LOL) perhaps they should have done a little bit of Googeling themselves.  It is not too hard to find out that the Noarlunga/Seaford Rail Electrification was actually first designed in Hungary before World War ll and trialed back in the 40’s before it came into widespread use in the 1950.  So the statement ”State of the Art” is terribly misleading as there are multiple much better designs available across the world this Century.

THE ART OF THE OVERLAP

No, what we are strongly objecting to is that the Transport Department in their wisdom has picked our street to erect the Tensioner Hub (overlaps); which will consist of Portals, Junctions, Gantries, Tensioners, Double Poles with cross Members, all set very closely together some 20 meters apart and others with 1 – 2 meters apart.  Made from huge steel beams,  7.5 meters tall and 350mm wide with lots of electrifications gadgets hanging from them.

NOT ROCKET SCIENCE IS IT?

These so called “Tensioner Hubs” (or overlaps) will then be erected all the way down the line to Adelaide at a distance of approximately 1.6 km.  So there are a lot more people all along the coast line who will be unfortunate enough to get one of these monstrosities outside their houses.  Our objective is to get these unsightly structures placed in a less obtrusive position wherever there is an alternative place suitable, as there is here some 100 meters away from the presently planned position.  We have enlisted several independent engineers who verify that the structure can be moved without any safety concerns or other issues.

STATE OF THE ART SUPPORT

We have had strong support from Nick Xenaphon (Independent) Vickie Chapman & David Speirs (Liberal) and Amanda Rishworth (Federal Labor)as well as the Messenger Newspaper, Radio 891’s Matt & David and 2 episodes by Paul Makin from Today Tonight.  The recent Today Tonight showed the Labor Government’s Ministers and Transport Department’s cronies as they really are; inflexible, uncaring, misleading and arrogant.

And so the infrastructure started going up 10 minutes after the TV crew left and officials left, as the workers and trucks must have been sitting waiting in the wings.  So the “Big Cheeses” who after 6 weeks of us begging  finally came to our street, were only here to give us lip service in the most insincere way.

It did amuse me to see they had employed a few security guards to keep watch, one stationed outside our house and the other by the vehicle entrance.  Funny how frightening my threat must have been to the powers that be, to chain myself to the railway track.  We put up a sterling fight and Power to the People I say!

ART AND POLITICS

Here are a few of quotes I think fits perfectly here;

“When leaders act contrary to conscience, we must act contrary to leaders.”

(Veterans Fast for Life)

“It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.”

(Voltaire)

“As long as the world shall last there will be wrongs, and if no man objected and no man rebelled, those wrongs would last forever.”

(Clarence Darrow)

Till next time, when I should be back on track (pardon the pun) and telling you some happier stories, Happy Painting and Sculpting to you all.

Love Marie xxx

Footnote:  I would really like to thank all of you involved in fighting this cause, you all did a fantastic job and everyone played their part and never wavered.  All spent hours researching railways, electrification systems, best practice, environment, the law and the like.  Countless meetings, protests and media calls and never mind all the hours of writing emails, letters and making phone calls. For a small group who really didn’t know each other before all this we did a fab job.  Thank you Bryan for getting us started and Richard for being the good cop against my bad cop (although I did like your analogy of me being the bull at the gate and you the limp squid too, lol:) Thank you Ursula, David, Susan, Denice, Keith, Jenny, Steven, Dot, Paul, Dawn, Nicky, Sam, Kai, Tonia, Jan, Graham, Nadine,Paul  and everyone else that helped.  You are all stars and at least we did get a slightly less offensive monstosity erected, well done!   Big Hug, Love Marie xxx

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

I have PMT and a Hand Gun, any questions?

My girlfriend had that quote on her fridge for many years and it always amused me greatly.  Hormones have a lot to answer for don’t they, too much or too little and we all fall apart.  Remember the teenage years with the angst of emotions due to the raging hormones, when we didn’t know where we fit in and who we were and even what we were doing half the time.  Couple that with the stress of school, homework, nagging parents and peer pressure and there is no wonder that teenagers in general do some crazy stuff.

CERAMIC AND MOSAIC SCULPTURE

This ceramic and mosaic sculpture features the Scotch College students in Adelaide rowing, sculling a sport which  has people of every age enjoying life to their full capacity.  This is not a sport just for teenagers and I do have two good friends who still compete on a national and international level in the Masters Games at 65 and 85 respectively.   So OK, as you get older you may require a top up of those hormones but hey that’s no big deal!

GRUMPY OLD MEN AND ART

At the other end of the scale from teenagers, there is the Grumpy Old man syndrome and that seems to me to be a direct correlation to the lack of testosterone or thyroid problems which also has to do with hormones.  I figure the grumpiness comes from feeling tired, unhappy and depressed with a flagging sex drive – who can blame them really, that’s enough to make anyone feel low.  Often there may also be an underlying medical problem such as high blood pressure, diabetes and blocked arteries.

THE ART OF SEX HORMONES

Testosterone is vital in puberty responsible for the voice being deepened, helps to build the muscles and keeps the bones strong and also boosts the size of the penis.  After the age of 30 there is a gradual decline in the testosterone; however that should not normally lead to a lack of interest in sex.  So before you go and reach for the Viagra have a health check and sort out the other medical issues first and then check the testosterone levels and if need be get a boost.

THE ART OF HUMOUR

What I think is vital in tackling any health issue is a good sense of humour and that is what I try to do with my art.  Sometimes tackling the bigger issues through painting and sculpting to give you all something to think and laugh about.  Why not also with a joke; so here is one for you; Did you hear about the man who swallowed his Viagra too slowly?  He got a stiff neck!

So you would think women would be used to having to both deal with and talk about hormones having all suffered from PMT – Pre menstrual syndrome for a large part of their lives.

THE ART OF NOT MENTIONING THE WORD MENOPAUSE

It therefore perplexes me that women are finding it so hard to deal with and discuss Menopause.  Mention that word at a dinner party and find the women shut up, and the men looking around too scared to speak.   It is something glossed over and just not talked about unless it is during a heart to heart with a very close girlfriend.

Is it because for some, it signals that the child bearing years are over – well you can understand the sadness when menopause strikes a 30 something woman, or is it that it makes them feel old?  However for most women the “change of life” comes along in the 40-50 age group, with forty being the new 20’s and fifty the new 30’s that’s just not old anymore.  So just like hormones played havoc with your body in the teenage years so the pesky little devils try to again.

Now luckily we live in an era where we do not have to put up with that – I mean who would voluntarily  put up with the Oestrogen deficiency symptoms such as; hot flushes, light headedness, headaches, irritability, depression, unloved feelings, anxiety, mood changes, sleeplessness, unusual tiredness, backache joint pains, muscle pains, new facial hair, dry skin, crawling feelings under the skin, fewer sexual feelings, dry vagina, uncomfortable intercourse and urinary frequency, loss of memory, muddled thinking and heart palpitations.

It is bad enough to have to suffer through one or two of these symptoms never mind having the smorgasbord effect, lol.

THE ART OF GETTING YOUR LIFE BACK

So women of the world unite, don’t suffer in silence.  Go and speak to a Doctor who specializes in menopause a normal GP will not do (unless you are lucky enough to find a GP with very sympathetic ear and all the specialized skills required).

There is help out there in form of HRT and it is not the bad guy that the press have been making it out to be either.  Best medical information has HRT as very safe for the otherwise healthy woman.  However what is important is to get the dosage right and that takes some consultation over a few months and the added benefits apart from the oestrogen deficiency symptoms disappearing is the long term reduction in diabetes, bowel cancer and osteoporosis.

THE ART OF BEING HEALTHY AND SEXY

GET YOU LIFE BACK, feel as vital and energetic, positive and sexy as ever.  Menopause once treated is no big deal at all.  What’s made it a big deal is the way we have handled it for so long, swept it under the carpet and talked about it in hushed tones.

So here is a quote for the boys by Rita Rudner that I think fits very well here;

“Male menopause is a lot more fun than female menopause.  With female menopause you gain weight and get hot flushes.  Male menopause – you get to date young girls and drive motorcycles.”

Although the ladies may prefer this one instead by an unknown author;

“My husband, being unhappy with my mood swings, bought me a mood ring the other day so he would be able to monitor my moods.  We’ve discovered that when I am in a good mood it turns green and when I am in a bad mood it leaves a big red mark on his forehead!  Next time he will buy me a diamond..duh!”

Till next time,

Love Marie xxx

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.

Like millions of women across the globe I have been reading Fifty shades of Grey and just finished the first book in the trilogy (Fifty shades of Darker and Fifty shades of Freed).   I had actually had the book in my possession for about 3 months without reading it.  The reason was that I am much more of a biography type of girl and like to read what real people are doing and usually get a tad bored with fiction when I know it is not actually based on a true story.  I must admit I did read the first couple of chapters early on but found it boring and skipped through to some of the “good bits”.

However when I recently caught up with a girlfriend who is in her mid sixties, an ex librarian and very well read, who said that she actually enjoyed the book and was amazed at how the author could write the sex scenes with such fevor and variety, my interest was sparked again.  Furthermore she said her own daughter who is in her late 20’s read the 3 books over one weekend, which peaked my interest even more.

As you can see by this wall based sculpture “Adam and Eve” or the alternative title “Apple juice may be fine but I rather have some wine” (handmade ceramic and mosaic artwork) I always like exploring the theme of sexuality and you may also like to read these 14. Adam & Steve 2 Sculpture and 35. The First Adam and Steve Artwork

ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS

What is it with this book, Fifty Shades of Grey that crosses the generations and makes millions of women across the globe, yummy mummies, singles, married, rich, poor get all hot and heavy as they read about Christian Grey and Anastasia’s escapades?

Exploring this thought brought me back to thinking about the cavemen days, how did it work then? Did the caveman just drag the women by the hair into a bush or a cave and had his way with her.  Is there something in our DNA that still lingers on and makes us a “little” submissive?

I say a “little” submissive as the above scenario would be totally abhorrent if the caveman was a “sweaty one toothed Oaf” and the encounter was rape instead of a mutual attraction.

I think that is the key isn’t it, there has to be that spark of electricity that you can feel in the air when your eyes meet and sex is the foremost thing on your mind.

ARTISTIC LICENCE

Not that the couple in my Caveman acrylic on canvas board painting would have much privacy to get hot and heavy with all those children running around, but they must have found the time I figure!

It has been very interesting listening to the discussions around this book both in the media and also with friends.  One male friend who has not actually read the book is totally perplexed as he thinks all his perceptions of women and women’s lib has totally fallen by the wayside with the topic of S & M of Fifty shades of Grey.  However I was trying to tell him that after reading it I think he has totally missed the point – a point you only understand if you do read it.  For myself the thought of the Red room of Pain with some weird guy dressed like Hannibal Lecter would make me run for the hills (if I was able) and perhaps that is the idea some people that haven’t read the book think it is all about.   On the other hand if we are talking silk scarves or ties and there is trust and a strong mutual attraction, then that’s another thing, right? Personally I also really liked Anastasia’s feistiness and the clever use of words in their email banter.

THE ART OF CHOICE

Well E.L. James must have hit on a collective nerve.  Perhaps it is that in this day and age when we women for the most part are strong and independent.  We have the choices to live our lives the way that we want, have casual encounters, marry or not, travel the world, stay home with children or work.  Maybe even so, far down in our DNA we also have a need for the man to take charge.  Perhaps not all the time but there is something extremely sexual about giving over your control and not being in charge at least in the bedroom.   Also I think women enjoy the erotic mystery of the written word where as men are more visual creatures and like seeing (the old lights on lights off debate)the sexual act and are more turned on by pornography than women as a rule.

AGEING & THE ART OF SEX

Which brings me to a great article a girlfriend of mine Nadine Williams has written called “Brown’s long magazine life “Sex-cess” on her website, which is a must read.  Helen Gurley Brown recently died at the ripe old age of 90, she was a trail blazer and as Nadine says “her magazine mantra metamorphosed the sex lives of the modern woman.     The author of the 1962 best-seller Sex and the Single Girl reckoned if women weren’t sex objects, they were in trouble and while good girls went to heaven, bad girls got to go everywhere.”    I have always loved that quote as well as everything else that ever came out of Mae West’s mouth – another trail blazer for the modern woman.  If you fancy a read of my Art blog on Mae and see the Mae West painting here is a link 72. Mae West “Come up and see me some time” & Art

Anyway another thing that Helen Gurley Brown said;

“My own philosophy is if you’re not having sex, you’re finished.  It separates the girls from the old people”

And for what it is worth – I think she has a point, a good point!

I always sign off with Happy painting and sculpting, however this time I will also borrow from the movie with the music of the fabulous group ABBA called Mamma Mia and say Happy ….

Love Marie xxxx

Ps  I would really love to hear what your thoughts on the subject are so make a comment!

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.

My husband and I have always had a happiness trick that we have used throughout the years and that is to play Saturday night!

The art of happiness, what is that I hear you ask – well it goes something like this;

You know when you have those days or weeks where life gets you down, the car won’t start in the morning and then you get the electricity bill which throws you and then you drop the jar of jam which makes a mess everywhere.  Mmmm… that is when my husband and I looks at each other and decide now we got to play “Saturday Night”.

Playing “Saturday Night” is great and the best thing about it is it can be any day of the week.  All you have to do is to make it cosy.  A yummy dinner is required but it can be as easy as a take away pizza or as fancy as a 3 course meal. Take away containers are not allowed in sight as it should feel special, so no plastic cups either just good glasses.  Setting the table in an artistic fashion adds to the mood, all the colors in the paint pallet makes me feel good.   Candle light is always nice, as is a roaring fire or sitting by a pool in summer or running water (even a small water feature will do.)

Now for us a bottle of red wine is a must but of course, use whatever drink is your favourite.  When we were having money problems early on in our marriage the budget would only stretch to a $4 dollar bottle of wine, but that didn’t spoil our fun one bit, it tasted just fine to me at the time.

If you feel like talking do so over dinner but if you need to just switch off get a good movie and just get lost in it.

When the kids were little we always had chip and dip and lollies on a Saturday and watched a family movie together before they went to bed and then we would continue with the adult version of our Saturday night!

THE ART OF BEING CREATIVE

Of course you could also schedule in a picnic or a day’s outing as you can see in this handmade ceramic and mosaic artwork – where we are going to Granite Island, South Australia.  Of course painting,sculpting and just creating anything has always helped me be happy too.  So I would really recommend that – a hobby of some kind, even cooking is creative.

If you have little kids they may enjoy an extra Saturday night every week too.  We swear by it, of course whatever problems you have are still there in the morning but to take a little vacation from the stress and worry even if it is only for a few hours, certainly has always helped us.

Oh before you think that our poor kids were fed a diet of chip and dip and lollies I have to say that during the week both at school and at home we all ate a very healthy diet, so once or twice a week to be able to have some “naughty” foods made it all the more special.

Just as sometimes if we went to an all you can eat type of place we would let the kids attack the dessert bar before their main course, lol.  This happened rarely mind you but it was so worth it just to see their excited little faces!

So here is a quote I think fits perfectly here by Jacques Torres;

“Life is short. Eat dessert first”. – Jacques Torres

Till next time, happy painting or sculpting!

Love Marie xxx

If you fancy reading another art blog about how to make yourself happy here is a link; 33. Art & Dont worry be happy

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.

This artwork “Our Richest Treasures” made from handmade ceramic and mosaic is part of a public sculpture called the Federation Gateway Sculpture at the entrance to Balaklava a town in the Mid North, South Australia and celebrates the senior citizens which are among our richest treasures.   Here is some links to more about this Public Sculpture; 109 Stories behind the Wall and 121 Volunteers our Backbone

CERAMIC AND MOSAIC

The 1901 wall depict 9 separate stories and the 2001 wall tells another 8 stories of both ordinary and famous people who have connections with our district.  Their tales are told in pictures and words with my hand-made ceramic tiles surrounded by mosaic and the words which has been etched on aluminium plaque.

THE ART OF A SENIOR CITIZEN

As the Australian Government announced recently that they are going to pay employers a bonus for hiring and retaining older workers I thought this artwork of Mrs. Clare Bowers was topical for my blog this week. (More on Clare later).

The plan is to pay a $1000 bonus to employers that recruit workers aged 50 years or over for more than three months and the government are also extending programs that provide support  to employers who promote older workers and will put more funds toward career advice services and also education for mature workers.

I am one of these people that think that age is just a state of mind and the thought that there is that age discrimination in the workplace is just ridiculous.  A good mix of young and old and people from all different cultures and ways of life is the key.  You need young people who can look at a task or problem with fresh eyes and ideas and also the older person with life experience and some mileage under their belt to provide a balance in most work areas.

That said my first occupation as a Fashion Model was a very youth oriented profession, although I have looked on with amusement as there has been quite a movement there too into the older woman who still looks great. To me it does make a lot of sense to have the clothes that are aimed at the more mature bracket modelled by the women that are actually going to wear them.

THE ART OF STAYING YOUNG

From my observation it all started by Lauren Hutton being retained by Revlon during the 80’s and 90’s and then followed by the likes of Elle MacPherson, Christie Brinkley and Jerry Hall.  In the last couple of years the Couger trend has really caught on and the oldest model rumoured to be hitting the catwalk is Carmen Dell’Orefice who at 79 still looks fantastic (with a little help I presume).

Mia Freedman from Mama Mia said recently “ As far as I can tell, there are only two ages for female celebrities: Dame Judi Dench and 30. At Dame Judi’s end, it’s pretty lonely. Just her and Betty White. At the other end, it’s gridlock with everyone from Courtney Cox, 47, to Lindsay Lohan, 26, visually colliding at the age of 30.

This is weird. Especially when – like me – you fall into the twilight zone between 30 and Betty White.”

Mia does have a point and she is not suggesting that we stop dying our hair, fight wrinkles and go without makeup but she does go on to say that there is a time when you go from looking amazing for your age to looking a little weird and then seriously weird, lol.

These days the designers in New York and Paris are getting on the band wagon and hiring the older birds, much to the audiences delight who laughed,  clapped and chatted  throughout the shows which is not always the norm at these events.

THE ART OF AGING GRACEFULLY OR NOT

What has made me cross in the last couple of months though is the flack that both Demi Moore and Madonna have been getting from some reporters.  In this day and age when so many of us are careful about what we eat and stay fit and healthy.  Why shouldn’t Madonna be up there on stage for the release of her new album, dancing as if her pants were on fire!  She is probably fitter now than ever, looks great and sounds great.  Maybe there is something in the saying; “ that you are only as old as the man you feel.”

Madonna had the last laugh though as her album has shot up the hits list and went straight to number one.  MDNA is Madonnas 12^th album to top the chart, beating Elvis Presley’s record which stands at 11.  So obviously she still resonates with both the young and the older demographic.  Demi Moores story on the other hand has been a little sad as we have watched her desperate attempt to keep up with her daughter and her young friends through a haze of alcohol and drugs after her very public breakup from her much younger man.

I would be the last person to cast a stone her way as I still love to party – if there is music playing I will still dance till the sun comes up and partake in a drink or two.

THE ART OF GROWING UP

Chili Davis quote “Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional”, which brings me back to this Centenary of Federation Sculpture and Clare Bowers.

When Clare was eighty years old she was most interested to see the silos being built in her home town of Balaklava.  So on one of her shopping trips she asked one of the builders if it was possible to go to the top of the silo.  The arrangements were made and at 5pm on the allotted day the residents to the local old folks home where Clare lived, were ushered outside to a prime viewing spot on the footpath.  They were all very surprised to see Clare hoisted to the top of the silo in a safety cage.

Clare certainly had a zest for life and at the age of eighty-seven she again soared to great heights, this time as the eldest passenger of the Balaklava Gliding Club.

I think these quote fits well here the first one by Judith Regan;

“The key to successful aging is to pay as little attention to it as possible”

And the second from Henry David Thoreau who said;

“None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm”.

Till next time  happy painting and sculpting and staying alive to you all,

Love Marie xxxx   (c)

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.

]]> http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/132-age-is-just-a-state-of-mind/feed/ 1 http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/124/ http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/124/#comments Fri, 02 Mar 2012 01:03:28 +0000 http://www.mariejonssonharrison.com.au/new/?p=3200 PUBLIC SCULPTURE

Alf Traeger, “Wiring the shed to the farm house seemed a natural step to take for an inventive ten year old boy living on a farm opposite the Dalkey cemetery.  He never dreamed that these early tinkering would be so vital to a nation.  By 1927 Alf Traegar had invented the pedal wireless, enabling isolated outback Australians to communicate; making the flying Doctor a reality and educating thousands of youngsters through the School of the Air.”

The above paragraph is what is written on a plaque next to this ceramic and mosaic panel which is part of the Centenary of Federation Gateway Sculpture situated in Balaklava, South Australia.  If you would like to recap and see & read more about this sculpture use these links for the art blogs; “Stories behind the Wall”. & “Volunteers our backbone “

ARTISTIC VISION

According to Alf Traeger’s stepdaughter Glenda Shepherd who still lives in Balaklava where Alf grew up, after moving there from Victoria.  He was very interested from an early age in anything mechanical and surprised the whole family by building a telephone line from his house to a shed on the property some fifty meters away, at that time 1907 he was only twelve.  He had used a pitchfork as a magnet for the telephone, the diaphragms were the tops of tobacco tins and to make the microphone carbon granules he used pieces of charcoal from the stove.   Alf went on to do a mechanical & electrical engineering course and set up a small electrical business making generators and radio transmitters.  In 1925 Alf met Padre John Flynn who traveled extensively in the outback of Australia and his dream was to be able to bring medical help where ever it was needed.  His vision was a communication system that would be able to bring “Flying Doctors” to the outback.  So Alf started working on this idea and after thee years of experimenting Alf was able to produce the “Pedal Wireless”.

PEDDLING ARTIST

I was actually very fortunate to have tried out this contraption myself many years ago.  You see very close friends of ours Bill & Lorna Wilson who at one stage were the largest landowners in the Southern Hemisphere had the “Pedal Wireless” both at Frome Downs Station and Werocata in Balaklava.  The original one was battery driven but that proved costly and unreliable so therefore the pedals from a bicycle was added.  So you could sit on this contraption and peddle with the legs and the hands could tap out the message by Morse code.  Alf set up a “mother station” in Cloncurry and then installed 6 smaller “baby sets” in cattle stations and at Birdsville Hospital.  The first message was from Augustus Downs station some 300 km away but the “pedal wireless” could send and receive messages at least 800 km away.

As the Morse code was a bit tedious Alf designed a keyboard in 1931 and later it was replaced by voice.  Now the isolated people of the outback were able to reach out for help and receive a diagnosis to their ailments and immediate instruction in first aid if that was needed.

THE ART OF THE FLYING DOCTOR

From this initiative Alf was able to help John Flynn with the first Flying Doctor service called Aerial Medical Service which started in 1928 came into its own with the “pedal wireless” in 1929 and slowly found its feet.  Qantas supplied  them  with their first aircraft and in 1942 the service changed its name to the Flying Doctors Service, later on in 1955 added the Royal to the name; Royal Flying Doctors Service.

The “Pedal Wireless” also was instrumental in facilitating the long distance learning the kids of the outback enjoyed with School of the Air which started in 1951.  This meant that the school age children did not have to go away to boarding school but could be taught by teachers from far away.

So thank you very much Alfred Traeger, you did good!

So here is a quote I think fits well here by Georg Christoph Lichtenberg;

“Everyone is a genius at least once a year.  The real geniuses simply have their bright Ideas closer together”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all,

Love Marie xxx   (c)

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.

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.

On Tuesday this week it was my very overdue turn to have “The Artist lunch” at my house.  You see a bunch of us have been meeting every now and then for the last 20 years, getting together over a good meal and some drinks and talking shop!  Well not just about art, life in general too and along the way we have shared in the ups and downs of life and as you would expect over time there has been plenty of those too.

THE NAIVE GROUP

We were trying to figure out how we met the other day – there were 3 of us “core” people, all 3 naive artists that initially got together, we think it came about when another naive artist Howard William Steer (Story Art) had wanted to meet the new kid on the block, moi!  As he and I had a joint exhibition over in Melbourne very early on in my career, I did not attend the opening so Howard came to visit when we lived in the church and brought Ursula Kiessling with him.

ARTISTS OF ALL GENRES

Ursula paints bush and wildlife in a semi naive repeated pattern – her use of colors is second to none.   How we then met Bronwen Roodenrys (who paints gorgeous sophisticated naive ladies and big cats) is for now a blank, lol but anyway glad we did, and we have added more “core” people to the group and not just naïf but all sorts of artists.  Catherine Fitz-Gerald who paints mainly large succulent and delicious fruits that cover the whole canvas, which makes me hungry every time I see them and Lynley Cooper who can turn her hand to any medium and style and always experiments and surprises us every time often with large scale contemporary works.  My image above is from another lunch that whoops, lol turned into midnight, funny how that happens.  It is handmade ceramic and mosaic and if you look closely on the left hand side you can see me with the ponytail sticking up in the air and hubby a little worse for wear spilling his beer.  Fun time had by all!

ARTISTS & ANIMATORS & WRITERS

The person that hosts the lunch can invite whoever they please and can add and subtract the invitation list as they chose which makes it very interesting.  So in attendance on Tuesday at my place were apart from the aforementioned were Valli Palmgreen, a Finish/Estonian artist who I have admired from afar for many years, she paints quirky pictures with the feel of Beryl Cook but in her own way.  Sarah Philip, the wife of our electrician that did our new house and as it turns out she lives on the same street as us and is a talented muralist and abstract artist.  Jenni Mumford paints in oils in Post-Impressionistic styled landscapes and still life and lives in Encounter Bay with views to die for which no doubt inspires her work.  Also in attendance was Suzie Flashman, my neighbour whose talents include animation (she did my animations on my website) and wildlife photography and she has also recently started drawing in pastels.  Of course we cannot forget Nadine Williams, journalist and award winning Author of the book From France with Love, which is optioned for a movie.  She also runs her own website which is in magazine style and always very interesting.

ART AND FOOD

The only problem now was what to feed these lovely people as I don’t cook, well unless you count burned toast and boiled water as a good menu for a dinner party!  Lucky for them I had a flash of an idea – I am good at assembling, lol.  So off to the supermarket I trot and with help from a great guy behind the counter, who was very amused at my lack of knowledge in the small goods section (as a vegetarian that is not my forte, lol ) I came home with shaved smoked ham, turkey, roast beef and salami.  To that I added cheese, dolmades, boiled eggs, tossed salad, olives, broccoli and capsicum sticks, crackers and dip, red/white wine and sparkling red (my favorite).  The artists brought dips and bread, chicken, coconut rice, fruit and cake, wine and champagne and so we had a feast fit for a king.  Hubby who was supposed to have a rest day could not keep away and was like a bee in the honey pot!  This time around all the artists was women, but that is not the rule!  We finished up just before 5pm and I look forward to the next one!

Another naive artist I greatly admire is Grandma Moses who lived to the ripe old age of 101 and I named my darling dog Moses after her and just like his name sake Moses lived to the grand old age of 18 which for a dog is pretty good.  Grandma Moses didn’t start painting until her late 70’s, a late bloomer so to speak and spent her old age as an American celebrity.  Here is one of her quotes that I like:

“Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be.”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting and whatever else you are doing,

Love Marie xxx  (c)

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.

]]> http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/110-artists-lunch/feed/ 1 http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/109-stories-behind-the-wall/ http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/109-stories-behind-the-wall/#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 06:19:56 +0000 http://www.mariejonssonharrison.com.au/new/?p=2911 PUBLIC SCULPTURE

These images are from “The Centenary of Federation Gateway” sculpture which was commissioned by the Wakefield Regional Council and took some 18 months to complete.   It started as a seed planted by Dale Gathercole and grew into an amazing community project.

Prior to this I had been awarded a mentor-ship grant jointly by the Australia Council, Arts S.A. and the South Australian Arts Trust (Country Arts SA) in 1999 to pursue the idea of turning my colorful naive paintings into public sculptures.  My mentor was artist Andrew Stock and the idea was to explore the ideas surrounding the use of colorful mosaics and combining that with clay (ceramic) figures.

As the Centenary of Federation celebrations date was looming Dale, the Headmaster at Balaklava Primary School, thought it would be a great idea to mark that in some way in our community with a permanent landmark.    As a friend and a fan of my work, she had watched me transform my art from canvas to sculpture and approached me with the idea of doing a public sculpture.

PLANNING A PUBLIC SCULPTURE

This then led to letting my imagination soar and conceptualizing, developing and planning ideas whereby my husband Bryan’s knowledge as a former builder and draughtsman was invaluable.   Robert Veitch from the Wakefield Council was then approached and after presenting drafts, models and detailed budget requirements he whole heartily endorsed the idea and got the council behind it.  The project was also helped along the way by Dale’s tenacity of chasing grants, and as a result we received several grants by the Centenary of Federation Committee & Country Arts SA & Veterans Affairs as well as many hundreds of “in kind hours” generously donated by the whole town.

THE CENTENARY OF FEDERATION GATEWAY PUBLIC SCULPTURE

The sculpture was officially opened on the 23^rd November 2001 by Neil Andrew MP, Member for Wakefield following a community celebration in Balaklava, South Australia.  The Centenary of Federation Gateway stands proudly as you enter into the township and is believed to be the largest Naive Sculpture in the Southern Hemisphere spanning 44 meters across.  The idea is that the whole sculpture looks like a Federation house, complete with roof and a veranda.  So in the center are two six meter by three and a half meter walls, located at 22.2 degree angle to each other which are rendered to look like sandstone with red brick quoins on the corners and around the doors.

One wall represents 1901 and the other 2001.  In the 1901 doorway we see the back of a life-size woman, made from hand-made ceramic tiles and mosaic, strutting through the door in all her finery, long dress, hat and umbrella in hand.  Through the 2001 doorway, she emerges as the modern woman, complete with short skirt, sunglasses and a mobile phone.  This reflects the changes that our society has undergone during the last 100 years.

CERAMIC AND MOSAIC

The 1901 wall depict 9 separate stories and the 2001 wall tells another 8 stories of both ordinary and famous people who have connections with our district.  Their tales are told in pictures and words with my hand-made ceramic tiles surrounded by mosaic and the words by Dale which has been etched on aluminium plaques.  These are rendered into the wall to allow the sandstone to surround each story.   Dale who was the Project co-ordinator also compiled the book “Stories behind the wall” which was also launched on the same day by John Meier MP, Member for Goyder. (Which I have used to jog my memory on the events too!)

There are of course many stories to tell you about the making of this project and I will do that as time goes on I promise!  Use this link if you want to see some of my other Public Sculptures.

Here is a quote I like that fits well here by Daniella Kessler,

“You can do anything if you put your mind to it… and you will succeed when you put your heart into it.”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all,

Love Marie xxx  (c)

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.

Look out the Outsiders Art Festival which opens next week in Adelaide.  This is an annual event organized by Stefan Maguran, who calls himself an underemployed artist and Project Manager.

This Giclee print “Expose yourself to Art” is one of my pieces which is included in this show.  The original artwork was done in handmade ceramic and mosaic.

THE OUTSIDERS FESTIVAL MUSEUM

The festival takes place at several venues across Adelaide and the driving force behind it all is of course Stefan who has worked tirelessly on this project for months.  According to his art website, the festival and The Outsiders Festival Museum is entirely sponsored by the Maguran family budget from his extremely patient, caring and understanding wife and her salary.

So on behalf of the 40 something artists involved we thank you!  The artists this year are from around the world with works from Spain, France, UK, USA, Taiwan, Turkey and of course Australia.

OUTSIDER ART

So what is Outsider Art I hear you say?  Well it is a little bit hard to define and it depends upon who you are talking with.  However the general conscientious is that the work is out of the mainstream so to speak.  The artists are usually self taught and follow no rules and paint for themselves and because they have to, want to and cannot stop.  Their work does not conform to the fashion of the day and the techniques can be unconventional.  Another word for Outsider art is Art Brut which means art in a “raw” state, uncooked so to speak.

ART BRUT

I have seen it mentioned that there is a distinction between “art  brut” and Naive art, and that is that the Naive artist remain within the mainstream of painting proper, and they do this because they hope for public recognition.  However I cannot agree with that all, I have seen many artists work that straddle the two worlds and morph into one.

NAIVE ART

From an Naive artist perspective if anything is a point of difference between the two genres it would be that the Outsider art shows often a more troubled soul with work in the muted tones perhaps a bit more confronting and darker.  Whereas the Naive artist’s artworks in general depict a colourful and happy world.

Perhaps what makes this Outsider Festival a little bit different is that the work is very diverse and manages to straddle several other genera of art as well.  If you would like to see some of the works without travelling all the way to South Australia have a look at this fabulous new publication edited by Stefan Maguran called the Outsiders Festival 2011.

For the rest of you here, do come and see for yourself as I am sure there will be something for all of you to enjoy.  For the first time this year the festival includes Outsiders Short Film Festival, with films from Australia, UK and Taiwan as well as a performance by Hot Tutti (part of the Tutti Ensemble).

DATES;

1-30 November 2011

Official opening;

2^nd November 2011

1.00 – 6.00pm

The West Torrens Auditorium

1 Brooker Terrace Hilton

Also individual exhibitions at the following Galleries;

Black Diamond Gallery

66 Commercial Rd

Port Adelaide,

Jungle Phillips Gallery

558 Marion Rd

Plympton Park,

Langdons

215 Sturt Rd

Adelaide,

Stefan Maguran Gallery

316 Anzac Highway

Plympton.

So here is a saying that amused me greatly from the Simpson and reminds me that as an artist you do have to have thick skin, lol.

“Your husband’s work is what we call “outsider art.” It could be by a mental patient, a hillbilly or a chimpanzee.”

Love

marie

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

So I thought I was doing so well, feeling fit and healthy, giving the credit to my great fitness regime of daily exercise, lots of fresh vegetables, fruit and nuts and plenty of water (Got to keep the exercise up if you are an artist and sit at an easel painting all day).

I was watching all the others drop like flies giving in to the colds, flus and viruses and thinking that my immune system was second to none.  Feeling rather smug really and no doubt that’s what did me in – smugness is not a great quality and what happened was just Karma.

NOT SO PICTURE PERFECT

So here I sit in the bedroom feeling rather worse for wear, lol no not that kind of worse for wear- the sniffling spluttering kind, with a runny nose and a racking cough.  When I look in the mirror someone by the name of Rudolph springs to mind, and it’s not even Christmas.   With a husband, daughter and son who enquire by the door if I want anything before the scuttle off to the opposite part of the house just so they don’t, heaven forbid, should get whatever it is that has descended upon me.

I know it’s not the flu as every year for the last 10 years we have had our flu injections and if it was the flu (proper) I would not even be able to lift my head of the pillow.  However as this started it came with the aches and pains in the arms and legs and a general feeling of malaise.  It is enough to give you the pips really, I haven’t got time to be sick, so little time and so many things to do.

Now whatever you do if you feel a little ill do not follow in my footsteps and Google the ailment as that is guaranteed to make you feel ten times sicker than you already do.  These people on my ceramic and mosaic sculpture called Drunk as the Lord at the Oxford, will no doubt be feeling ill tomorrow although that will be self inflicted!

THE ART OF THE VIRUS

This is just a taste of what Wikipedia says about viruses; A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms.  Most viruses are too small to be seen directly with a light microscope and they can infect all types of organisms such as animals plants and even bacteria.  Viruses are found in almost every ecosystem on Earth and there are millions of different types.

Viruses are spread in many ways, by insects or coughing and sneezing or like the gastroenteritis virus which goes the faecal-oral route (Yucky!) and then there is the HIV which is spread by sexual contact.

As antibiotics have no effect on viruses it is enough to make you ponder whether Howard Hughes and Michael Jackson were on to something with the gloves!

Don’t forget to bring a miners lamp, magnifying glass and tweezers if you are contemplating some sexual contact, oh better bring the book “WHAT ANIMAL IS THAT?” too just in case you cannot identify what crawls down below, LOL.

Well it is quite obvious to me that I will have to stop this goggling of diseases as that would have to be a short cut to the Hypochondriacs Club, for sure.

As a matter of fact I think I am actually feeling a little bit better now that I have seen what a lot of terrible ailments I don’t have!

So here is a quote I like from Lisa Marie Presley;

“I’m a hypochondriac. Yesterday it was brain damage from the vodka the night before. Today, heart attack – my arm and chest started hurting at the same time.”

So until you come and visit me again, I hope you are all happy and very very well.

Happy painting and sculpting to you all.

Much Love

Marie xxx        (C)

If you enjoyed this health & art blog you may also like this one; 97 Meditation are you serious

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.

Over the years I have done quite a few paintings and mosaics of mermaids and here is one I would like to share with you called “What the?”  It is acrylic on board and actually framed in mosaic, but that part was not photographed before it sold unfortunately.

ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS

I have always thought of mermaids as the beautiful women of the sea and as a child dream about swimming about effortlessly, just as my little niece Annika does now, she is totally fascinated by the mythical legend.  It goes without saying that her whole room is full of mermaids in every description.

The word Mermaid is actually from the French language “mer” is the word for “sea and “maid” the word for woman.

ARTS AND MOVIES

My favorite mermaid movie would have to be Splash a fantasy/comedy starring Darryl Hannah and Tom Hanks.  The 1984 American movie was directed by Ron Howard and also won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Darryl Hannah was the mermaid and looked like Lady Godiva of the sea and the mermaid tail that she wore was fully functional.  Apparently she was able to swim so very fast with this tail that her safety swim team could not keep up with her.  This was due partly to the fact that Hannah had been fascinated with the Hans Christian Andersen’s tale The Little Mermaid, and had as a child practiced swimming with her legs bound together.

BOOKS AND ART

The classic Hans Christian Andersen’s tale is of course a darker story as anyone familiar with this Danish Author knows, whereby the mermaid takes the sea witches potion to exchange her tongue for real legs, and if the prince falls in love and marries her, she will get an eternal soul.  Otherwise she will die brokenheartedly and disintegrate into foam!!

So all you out there who dream about becoming a mermaid, watch out – it’s not all it’s cracked up to be!  Never mind then the mermaids in the latest installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’ where they are ferocious and fearsome and looking more like vampire fish – although beautiful of course.  How else could they lure men to the bloody and brutal demise!

I do think I prefer the sweeter version the “Little Mermaid” cartoon from the Disney stable where everything works out just fine.

MERMAIDS IN SCULPTURE

When I was little and we lived in Sweden I really enjoyed our visits to Denmark and loved to see the gorgeous sculpture in bronze at the Copenhagen harbor in Langelinie where the Mermaid sits on a rock.  The statue was made by sculptor Edward Eriksen and his wife had been the model for it.  Carl Jacobsen from the Carlsberg family (well known for the beers) had commissioned the artwork in 1909 because he had been fascinated by the ballet of the Little Mermaid.

Another memory of Copenhagen is when we went to the zoo.   Mum and dad must have been feeling the pinch a bit being on holiday and all; and told my brother (who really was quite big) to sit in a pusher/stroller, that you could hire there and then tried to pass him off as a 4 year old when he was really 6.  I remember the funny look on his face and the fact that the man in charge did not quite believe the story but let us in anyway.

Lol little bit of naughtiness must run the family as my husband and I did the same trick a couple of times when the kids were little.  However not with the same success as our daughter, little Miss Hillivi who was always a handful (if you remember from other art blogs) and would pipe up and say “No I’m not 4 you know, I’m really nearly 7”.  Caught out again, lol.

So I leave you then with a mermaid poem by  William Butler Yeats (Irish poet and playwright)

“A mermaid found a swimming lad,
Picked him for her own,
Pressed her body to his body,
Laughed; and plunging down
Forgot in cruel happiness
That even lovers drown.”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all,

Love Marie xxx    (c)

If you enjoyed this art blog you may also like this one; 68. We’ve been to Bali too & Art

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 bet you all know where the inspiration for this painting came from, yes of course being pregnant and all that.   Seems like a long time ago now and a time filled with excitement and trepidation.  I cannot say it was a great state to be in as feeling sick and fat are not two of my favorite experiences; however the outcome which was two beautiful and healthy babies certainly was, and they have been my inspirations for countless of artworks both paintings and ceramic and mosaic sculptures over the years.

Why is it that when you are big and fat with a belly full of baby everybody wants to touch your stomach, however when I am in peak condition with a six pack and really would like to show that off, no bugger is interested in feeling my tummy, why is that?

In this painting you can see my Doctors waiting room, Dr Jack a wonderful friend apart from being a great obstetrician and his lovely offsider Sister Sue.

THE ART OF 9 MONTHS OF WAITING

You may also wonder why a few of the pregnant ladies are looking so grumpy – well let me tell you.  It’s not bad enough that you have a baby pressing on your bladder for 9 months but every time you go for an ultrasound they make you drink 2 liters of water (and no matter how busting you are, you are not allowed to go to the toilet.)  So imagine that a whole waiting room full of ladies wriggling around on their chairs totally unable to sit still, as if that’s not bad enough!  Oh no when its finally your turn (and don’t hold your breath) then you have to lie down and endure a very cold & gooey probe being pushed all around  on top of your stomach, before you are finally allowed to sprint off  to the toilet (or waddle lol whatever the case may be).

THE ART OF EATING

I for some reason also thought that being pregnant was a “free for all” in eating and managed singlehandedly to stack on 25 kilos during that time, seemed more like I was having a baby elephant than anything else.  Shame too that I couldn’t even blame the weight on the baby as both of my darlings were quite tiny when they arrived.    Really lucky that I was able to get my own body back after all that, as the one I borrowed (so to speak) seemed more like a strangers, lol.

ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS

So where does babies come from you may ask…. Well there are many theories about this, could it be the birds and the bees or perhaps the baby was found behind the gooseberry bush or in the cabbage patch?  Now I will have to subscribe to the idea that babies are really delivered by the stork as when I did a bit of research on this matter I discovered that some say the myth originated from Scandinavia who believes storks are gentle birds with strong family ties,   although this myth does have some competition from both Germany and Holland.  Acclaimed author Hans Christian Anderson’s tale “The Storks” from 1838 tells a gruesome tale but I prefer to look on the bright side of life and think that Storks are a fertility symbol and associated with springtime and birth.

They are also a symbol of good luck and used to actually nest on top of roofs.  So I guess that’s maybe how the folklore got started; some embarrassed mum or dad when asked where babies came from, pointed at the stork on the roof sitting next to the chimney, and it would have seemed almost believable!  Well especially as we all know that Father Christmas uses that entrance too.

So here is a joke I found from the storks point of view.

“Two storks are sitting in their nest, a father and baby stork.  The baby stork is crying and the father stork is trying to calm him.  “Don’t worry son, your mother will come back she is only bringing people babies and making them happy.

The next night it’s the father turn to deliver, so mother and son are sitting in the nest, and the baby stork is again crying with the mother saying “Son, your father will be back as soon as possible, he is just bringing joy to new mommies and daddies.

A few days later the stork parents are desperate, their son has been absent from the nest all night.  When finally shortly before dawn he reappears – and they ask where he has been all night?

The baby stork says “Nowhere much, just scaring the shit out of college students!”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all,

Love Marie xxx    (c)

If you enjoyed this art blog you may enjoy this one; 6 A million miles an hour and little miss chuck up

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

I had so much fun making this ceramic and mosaic artwork piece, firstly because I am a little piggy when it comes to food and just love to both eat and look at pictures of food and also it was fun to make the people all have open mouths with bits of broccoli and stuff poking out.  At least in my wall based sculpture I don’t have to worry about my table manners!

THE ART OF FONDUE

The fondue was such a lovely craze back in the 70’s when there would be Fondue parties held all the time.  However the history of the practice stems back to 1699 when it was firstly printed as a recipe in a cookbook (melted cheese cooked with wine to dip bread into.) As far as I understand Switzerland has always made wonderful cheeses but during the cold hard winter months of yesteryear the cheeses would dry out a little bit and since food was scarce and roads covered in snow they had to rely on a little imagination and voila the fondue were invented.    As early as 1875 it was already the Swiss National dish and then became popular in the United States in the 60’s & 70’s.

THE ART OF THE SWINGING SIXTIES

Perhaps why this dish became so popular in the rest of the world was because the Swiss had invented a little game as you sit and take your turn dipping the bread into the pot.  According to Hamlyn Press the publishers of The Fondue Cookbook it goes something like this:  If a woman drops a her bread into the pot she has to kiss all the men at the table, if a man drops the bread into the fondue pot, he has to buy a bottle of wine, and if either of them drops the bread for the second time, he or she must host the next fondue party.  So perhaps this was the start of the swinging 60’s and the Swingers party – it all started with cheese and not sex!

ARTISTIC FOOD INSPIRATIONS

The imagination boggles, lol but it sure makes stale bread taste great – although us Swedes (as opposed to the Swiss) have another way of doing that.

Our contribution to the stale bread is Fattiga Riddare (Poor Knights is the translation although the Google translation says it is French toast) however this dish has more in common with pancakes.  As the stale bread is left overnight soaking in milk (you can also add egg and flour if you want) and then they are stirred like a pancake mixture and fried.  Served with jam and cream or whatever you fancy.

Problem with writing about food is its making me hungry so if you just pardon me for a minute – I will be right back with you after a little spell to the kitchen……. Back again …bugger I will have to restart that diet tomorrow again!

THE ART OF MULLED WINE

Another of my favorite dishes when I was living and modeling in Switzerland was the Raclett, which is yummy melted cheese served with a couple of small boiled potatoes, gherkins and pickled onions, could also include some meat (but being a vegetarian I would opt out on that bit).  I don’t know if I remember it so fondly because of the food ingredients or because it was usually served with Glue wine (gluhwein is spiced and mulled wine served hot) In Sweden we call it Glogg and we add some vodka or brandy to the recipe too, oh trust the Swedes, lol.

So here is how to make Gluhwein/Glogg

Start with a bottle of red

6 cloves

Cinnamon stick (broken up)

Lemon rind/orange

Caster sugar to taste

Raisins, almonds

Assemble all in a saucepan. Heat it over a low flame and be careful not to let it boil, simmer for about 45 minutes then strain the bits out of it (or have fun picking cloves out of your teeth – well that’s not that bad as the raisins and almonds are delicious.)

Here is a quote by the wonderful artist Frida Kahlo

“I tried to drown my sorrows, but the bastards learned how to swim, and now I am overwhelmed by this decent and good feeling.”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all,

Love Marie xxx    (C)

If you enjoyed this art & food blog and would like to see another on this topic here is 73 The Art of Snack attack at hungry jacks

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