Ideas are Jumping

Yesterday we shot photographs of my sentinelle work in a studio- they came out so good..... the only thing lacking is maybe the work itself and the fact that I did not finish the sixth sentinelle in time ( I sold the sixth ochre sentinelle in France earlier this year-I had not intended to sell  part of the series yet as they will be exhibited in Prague and in Beaujolais next year but  as sales have been way down these last two years economic necessity determined otherwise and so I have to make another- different but still referencing the desert). So I am working on a seventh and have to finish the quilting- she will be the lady of the bilbies- creatures who are endangered that live in the desert and are thought to be important in maintaining vegetation in desert regions) So thank you to my teacher Michael Brand for allowing me to shoot the photographs and helping me set it all up- and my other teacher Christine McMahon for letting me loose on InDesign and on making a catalogue! The photos came out  so well that it's got me sparking at all the edges thinking of interesting ways of  using them and then making  the catalogue have an edge of difference!

Then I have to think about how to get money together to get it printed so that it is affordable.

I just wanted to share lady of the Forest again with you- she exudes a sense of mystery to me that obviously derives from the hand dyed fabric:

And this little one is a printed panel that has been hand stitched- I sit and do these at night- the look is so different to the machine stitched pieces- I still have a few colonial knots to go but then she is done!Thank you so much for the feedback on this little panel-  those who have emailed me to buy them ( the printed panels are $15 each) tells me I am on the right track as well as your comments on my previous post.

This  icon/madonna/spirit/sentinelle/mother/earth thing has been floating around in the brain ether for a long time and has in fact made various appearances in journals over the years and even as a small linocut  quite some years ago ( though I can't find the linocut any longer)And when I travel and visit cathedrals I always seem to be drawn to the Magdalene/Madonna churches, but it isn't only about that- it is also the way they look out into the world that draws me and the message they send- and then being able to somehow encapsulate my cultural heritage and express love for the land- i love the spirituality with which many indigenous artists have connected to the land- but theirs is a sacred journey - my european connection is different yet I to feel that  the land is an essential part of my being. I also love how Fred Williams came up with such individual marks for creating his landscapes and his changes of perspective- he found a voice with which to express his connection to the land- it's very intimate and personal and I marvel every time I see his work. These sentinelles are expressing some of this feeling and yet of concern too- that's why i want them in all corners of the world and already they are  finding places in different parts of the world. The stories are important!