Author / Leonie Andrews

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Posts by Leonie Andrews

I am an artist of the landscape of common objects. Discarded items and suburban life fuel my art practice.
by Leonie Andrews

Little books

I made this book back in June and forgot to post the pictures. This concertina book is 8cm high and about 5 cm wide. As it is made from some left-over bits of pages from my drawing book its shape is a bit ‘random’.

June

My plan for this little book was to do a series of sketches of objects that caught my eye in one of those beautifully set out interior design books.

Juneb

The book I was looking at was Hand Made Home by Mark & Sally Bailey, (published by Ryland, Peters & Small 2011). There were lots of interesting pots, stools and chairs, fabrics and other paraphenalia. My goal was to only spend a few minutes on painting each item.

The book is painted on both sides and is 42 cm in length.

18june12a
18june12b

This took just over 1 hour to finish, which went a long way to ensuring that I didn’t overwork each piece.

by Leonie Andrews

Finger Drawings

One of the more unexpected features of the Kobo e-reader I received for my birthday was a sketching function. The device does describe this as an experimental feature, which it certainly is.

However there’s nothing like a challenge – and in this case the challenge is that you draw with your finger!

4augtv

While you need the whole of your finger pad to draw, what comes out is a very thin line. That’s it, no thicker lines, no colour, no way or erasing any line you don’t like.

There also seem to be some random glitches like the right angle that ‘appeared’ in the drawing of my jacket hanging on the door.

Picture1

At this stage my images are fairly rudimentary, but that said I think they have a certain naive energy.

Jenbervin

In this work I was responding responding to work, The Desert, by poet/artist Jen Bervin whose works can be found at her website.

by Leonie Andrews

Drifting in My Own Land – Nalda Searles

Nalda Searles has been one of the major influences in my artistic life, specifically her interest in using what is to hand and encouraging you to spend more time on actually creating work than on going and buying the ‘perfect’ material. I first met Nalda when she stood in for Ruth Hadlow in a class at Geelong Textile Fibre Forum in the early 2000’s.

Her exhibition Drifting in My Own Land has been on show at the ANU School of Art Gallery for the past few weeks. I managed to get just one view of it on my return from Newcastle.

I did two drawings on the day and I’m now kicking myself for not just putting more money in the parking meter and going back to do more.

24july12a

Blind drawing of Kangaroo Couple, 1995-2008 (the piece has undergone several transformations to reach it’s current state).

24july12lr

Focus on the two heads of the kangaroos made with fodder grass.

The exhibition was essential Nalda. Sculptural objects and textiles made from disparate materials that are just so ‘right’ when they are brought together. Here is her work Tjunti, 1996, made with a perished tennis ball and quartz stones picked up in the bed of the Tjunti river.

Tjunti

Nalda says “I found these things and put them together.”

 

by Leonie Andrews

Also seen in Sydney

I only had one day in Sydney, but when I looked at the program for the Sydney Biennale I knew I had to include a flying visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art, which was one of the Biennale venues.

I had to see in person the work of El Anatsui a Ghanaian born artist who lives and works in Nigeria. I’ve long wanted to see these monumental works that look like textiles but are made of small scraps of metal wired together in large ‘patchwork’ forms.

Afor_2010

Afor 2010, aluminium liquor bottle caps and copper wire.

Detail_afor

A detail of Afor showing the wiring together of the flattened bottle caps.

Anonymous_creature

Anonymous Creature 2009. El Anatsui says of this work “When I enter my studio I see huge bags of bottle caps. Because each little cap represents an entire bottle of liquor that was consumed, I think about the quantity of drinks that have been consumed in my little community, which is frightening. So consumerism is a part of what I am playing around with.”

by Leonie Andrews

Seen in Sydney

While in Newcastle for the Fetish exhibition I took the opportunity to take a quick trip to Sydney to see the Kamisaka Sekka exhibition, Dawn of Modern Japanese Design, at the Art Gallery of NSW.

I’m glad I made the visit to see the exquisite work of this designer. The show is displayed over two floors and is drawn largely from works from the Hosomi Museum in Kyoto.The introduction to the exhibition shows works from a number of artists of the Rinpa School who influenced Sekka’s work.

Ogata_kenzan

This plate with decoration by Ogata Kenzan of Chinese bellflowers (1712-1731) is a particular favourite.

Bookshapedplate

I also like the working drawing showing various versions of this plate design by Sekka 1920-30, Kiyomizu Rokubai V, made the plate.

Cigarette_box

Cigarette case 1920’s, design by Sekka and lacquer by Kamisaka Yukichi.

Twotrays

These pawlonia wood trays with designs of pine trees were high on the list of ‘if I could have one thing from this exhibition…’. Design by Sekka 1920-25.

Worldofthings

A woodblock print from the series A World of Things, 1909-10. The original watercolour for this particular print, Plum Blossoms Beside the Eaves, was on display and was thoroughly engaging.

I’ve been working on my own response to the show, tentative steps at present. This design of 100 Flowers, 1903, in brocade for a window curtain caught my attention. I particularly liked the multi-coloured hydrangeas. Each sepal was one colour and was bordered by a second colour

100flowersdetail

My response, rather brighter, was to make ‘hydrangeas’ in crochet. Not sure how I will use them as yet. I’m using up left over tapestry wool that I found in a Newcastle op-shop.

19july_12lr

Closer to Sekka’s painting style are a series of paintings using Japanese pigments I’ve had sitting around my workroom for several years. Time they got used.

27july12lr