Silence of the Lands

As with previous art exhibitions at Fat Tuesday (Two Goats and a Dog - 2011, Lost Found & Stolen - 2012) this exhibition is as much about our relationship with one another as the development of our art. This time our group has been expanded by the inclusion of Ana Pereria De Vlieg.

At our initial meeting we came up with the idea of landscape as a theme. All four of us have explored landscape in one form or another in our previous artwork.

Some of our early attempts at a title for this exhibition included “Land Claims” and “Land (re)claimed” but both were rejected for their political association. We have recently settled on the title “Silence of the Lands” this was inspired by the following quote “Where the river is deepest it makes the least noise.” Lara Mellon was instrumental in coming up with this title and she says: “There’s an unsettled quietness in all our work … a peaceful threatening …” 

In order to challenge each other and underline our association we decided to all approach the method of making art for this exhibition in a particular way. Each of us selects an image and shares it with the other three - specifying a particular format i.e. A4, A5 etc. We all paint from the same reference image and share the results at our regular meetings, which occur about once a month.  Each artist can submit as many versions as she wants of the same image, as long as the same reference is used.  These monthly meetings are held at Durban Girls’ College Art studio in the afternoons where informal crit. sessions are conducted.

  

 Above: Original Reference photo

Above:  Maggie Strachan – Red Earth  – 15x15cm

 

 Above: Joan Martin – Ana’s Gold – 15x15cm  

 Above:  Lara Mellon – Sienna Soil – 15x15cm

Above: Ana Pereria De Vlieg – Tilled Soil – 15X15cm

Please join us at the opening, any of the walkabouts or visit the exhibition during the three weeks it is open. See invite below:  

You are invited to an exhibition by:

Joan Martin, Lara Mellon, Maggie Strachan and Ana Pereira de Vlieg

Tuesday 18th June at 6:30pm until Saturday 6^th July 12noon

@

Fat Tuesday

Bellevue Campus - Bellevue Road - Kloof – 031-717-2785/9

Cash Bar Downstairs or call ahead to book a table for supper at Bellevue Café (031) 717-2780

Tues 18^th June 6:30 – Exhibition to be opened by Joan Martin

Sat 22^nd  June 10:30 -  Walkabout from a psychological perspective with Estelle Hudson, Narrative and Family Therapist

Sat 29^th June 10:30 – Walkabout from an artist perspective with  Jeanette Gilks, Fibre Artist and Art teacher

Silence of the Lands featured in the South African Artist magazine

Our third exhibition at Fat Tuesday Gallery, Bellevue Campus, 5 Bellevue Road in Kloof, Durban, called Silence of the Lands, is going to be held from the 18^th of June to the 6^th of July 2013. Read about the origin of our title in the article published in The South African Artist magazine March/April edition (Issue No.9)

The works featured in the magazine illustrate the working method we have adopted for this exhibition Each of us selects an image and shares it with the other three - specifying a particular format i.e. A4, A5 etc. We all paint from the same reference image and share the results at our regular meetings, which occur about once a month.  Each artist can submit as many versions as she wants of the same image, as long as the same reference is used.

Already in these very early works distinct differences in approach and style have emerged. Most of Ana Pereira De Vlieg’s work reflects her passionate personality and this is underscored by the bright layering of paint she uses in her work. Lara Mellon’s work depicts the swirling misty atmosphere that has become a characteristic of her work. Maggie Strachan demonstrates masterful observational skills in her interpretation of our shared references.

My mixed media pieces have returned to a monochromatic colour scheme that reminds me of the etchings I made when I was at university. I have also built up a low relief on these small works in plaster and stamped words and textures into the surface. You can see larger images of my pieces here.     

Estelle Hudson talks about the tree in my work

Our exhibition Lost, Found & Stolen at Fat Tuesday closed on Saturday 26^th of May. We ended the exhibition with a walkabout by Estelle Hudson a narrative and family therapist. She conducts dream workshops for professionals, Masters students and interested people. Her personal interests include feminist spirituality, drawing, painting and dream work.

Above: Origin Reworked, mixed media on board, 15x20cm (sold)

She spoke about all of our work in terms of how it related to dream interpretation. She focused on the interpretation of the trees in my work. The following is an excerpt from her talk:

Above: Playing Celestial Symphonies, mixed media on board, 15x20cm (sold)

Joan’s ghostly trees against a sky of both light and storm remind us of the reality of the opposites.  Carl Jung's statement is relevant: “It is only when we experience the Opposites of life that Wholeness happens.” “How we long to achieve the growth the tree fosters in itself, the reach and rootage, the sturdiness and balance between high and low, the way it meets the season, holding its ground.” -  Book of Symbols .  

Above: Whispering Trees, mixed media on board, 15x20cm (sold)

In myths sometimes people are transformed into trees and if we are to ask in the language of dreams, “What part of Joan is a tree?” because I know Joan's paintings and how often the tree emerges, I identify: the resin she uses in her paintings has its origin in a tree; the tree has an animating spirit and she often will house in her trees articles of sentimental and precious worth. 

“The tree as self can come into existence, centred and contained, around which occur incessant processes of metabolism, multiplying, perishing and self-renewal...(repeating the theme of Lost, Found and Stolen) “the tree is also a cosmos encompassing psychic spheres of refreshment, creativity and initiation transcending space and time.. … Alchemists did not forget that the tree may represent not only a place of awakening to new life, but also of suffering. “   

 

above: Maggie Strachan & Joan Martin at Estelle Hudson's Walkabout

Joan as an art teacher is constantly initiating, creating, challenging to new frontiers her students and her artist friends.  What part of Joan is a tree?    Well!  I would say what an image, symbol, the tree is of Joan!Carolyn Myss says in her book, “Your biology becomes your biography” and I would say looking at Joan's paintings of trees and the clarity of the trees physiology, has indeed becomes Joan's biography.

A video of my sketchbook

Before sending off my sketchbook to New York I made a video of the book. This was intended to be a record of my book & is not an artwork in itself. The video was shot without a tripod - so is a bit shaky in parts. To see scans of this book click here

Lost Data

The weekend of the opening of our exhibition I lost all of the data on my external hard drive. Original photos I had taken, records of all the art I made for the exhibition & the two exams I had set for this term all disappeared.   Luckily I managed to retrieve a lot of my images from Ana Pereira De Vlieg who did our first walkabout.  She took copies of my work so she could prepare her talk, which was enthusiastic, colourful and insightful. Ana is an absolute delight – she is a warm generous person & is fantastic to watch in action. Her mom gave her the big red hibiscus flower (fresh) to wear in her hair that morning.  Click here to read her interpretation of my work. 

Before I hang any exhibition I normally lay out the works in my entrance hall. It is the only space in the house that is empty of furniture & long enough to get a good idea of how all of my works will look like together. My cats normally hang out with me & take interest in whatever I am up to. This time was no different & they sniffed, paraded up and down next to them and Matilda (my Devon Rex cat) even tried to sit on one artwork.

Hanging at Fat Tuesday normally goes quite smoothly, with the Bellevue Café downstairs supplying the cappuccino coffees, our “hangmen” Fred (My husband) and Patrick (Lara’s husband) doing all the measuring, mathematical calculations & hammering, we managed to put the exhibition of 100 artworks up by lunchtime. (We started at 9am) 

Read more here (Lara’s Blog). She has also provided a link to her Facebook page where you can see many more pics of our hanging experience, the opening and Ana’s walkabout.