This painting is the backstage version of what happens in the changing rooms during a fashion parade, it is part of a diptych I did on the subject close to my heart. As many of you know I was an international model (former Australian Model of the Year), modelling as Marie Jonsson (maiden name) after emigrating from Sweden with my family well before I started to paint for a living. Modelling is something that came about after I was a finalist in the then Beach Girl Quest held at Glenelg Beach each summer.

ACRYLIC PAINTING

In this acrylic on canvas board painting you will find Tanya with the stopwatch in her hand waiting for the right cue to get her models going through the curtains.  The male and female models are being helped by the Dressers and the running sheets for the models are on the walls.  The models are brushing up on the choreography as well as having a drink of champagne.  Tanya’s trusty assistant Michael is in the foreground with the hats and ties.  These days when political correctness has crept into our society, the models may not get a well deserved glass of champagne nor change all together and smoking is a thing of  the past.

MODEL AND BEAUTY QUEEN

The former beauty queen and model Tanya Powell had just opened her own modelling agency and was looking for fresh faces to add to her new agency and called me up after my photo appeared on page 3 in The News (the newspaper of the day, since closed down).  Of course I felt very flattered and excited and it was just a matter of time until I left my job and started to model full time. The TANYA POWELL MODEL AGENCY very quickly became the most successful modelling agency in South Australia and the only one that also has a branch in Melbourne which is also still going strong to this day, run by Tanya’s equally stunning sister Candy.  Tanya’s highlights includes managing and choreographing the Elders Woolboard fashion parades for 5 years in Perth, Adelaide, Queensland and the Victorian rural wool growing areas.  She has also produced and choreographed over 900 fashion shows throughout her remarkable 38 years in the industry.

There are many wonderful qualities Tanya possesses but the ones I value the most is the fact that no matter who or what she is dealing with she is always very warm and down to earth.  You won’t see any diva behavior from her nor any airs and graces but you will find a genuine person, beautiful both inside and out.

THE ART OF STAYING YOUNG

Just this week Tanya was interviewed on Channel 7’s program Today Tonight in reference to being in her early 60’s and still a knockout.  As she said she has never had any problems about disclosing her age, after all age is just a number and Tanya believes that good skin care, eating healthily, exercise and being happy is what has kept her looking decades younger than she is. She does have a rather unorthodox exercise regime though which includes walking around her hills property followed by her 2 dogs and her goats!

ARTISTIC INSPIRATION

I also happen to know (insiders knowledge, lol) this fitness regime also includes tending to the prizewinning chooks, mucking out, changing the hay, watering etc, using shovels and a wheelbarrow.  Something I will just have to paint one day as I have never seen Tanya with a hair out of place and my imagination sees her doing this work in her Chanel suits or at the very least wearing last year’s George Gross and Harry Who’s outfit!

MORE PAINTING IDEAS

I probably wouldn’t be that far wrong anyway as one weekend when we still lived on our farm in Balaklava our house quests included Tanya and her husband Jack as well as Candy (Tanya’s sister)with her then partner  Bob “Bongo” Starkie (guitarist & backing vocalist in the 70’s band Skyhooks). The wonderful image that stayed in my mind is of Candy, a natural in the saddle, was riding my horse Rumor in a big circle in our paddock when Bongo went out and stood in the middle serenading her with Skyhooks songs and playing his guitar.  The fact that Candy was at the time wearing a $4000 dollar lime green Armani jacket and Bongo was in one of the most successful ever Australian bands Skyhooks are just mere bagatelles.

THE ART OF MEDIA

So Tanya Powell became my close friend and mentor many moons ago and oversaw the start of my career (as she is doing with my daughter Hillivi now) as well as managing me whenever I arrived home from interstate or overseas.  Tanya with a dance background choreographes and supplies models to all the major department stores, shopping centers, fashion labels, TV channels, for commercials, movies,  magazines and the like both here and in Victoria.

She also organized several overseas tours to Manila for a group of us models to do lunch time parades in some of the top hotels there as well as touring to other parts of the Philippines with the show.  The show was called Jungle Fever and we were courted by the jet set with their learjets, fancy yachts and champagne all under the watchful eye of our “mother hen” Tanya.

Those were the days!

Here is a quote I believe fits rather well here by Marie Stopes;

“You can take no credit for beauty at sixteen.  But if you are beautiful at sixty, it will be your soul’s own doing”.

Till next time happy painting and sculpting 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.

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.

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