“Desiderium” Acrylic and silk thread on silk 95cm x 95cm $600 There is a bottle brush tree near the front veranda, that we saved from a dreadful black fungus by cutting it right back. When flowering in Spring, the noisy miners are all over it, often squabbling like children over the best positions. It reminds me of times past of ‘bagsed’ seats ‘shot gun’ and times even further in the past when my lap was prime real estate for nightly reading. Memories are bittersweet.
“Memory of Les Misérables” Acrylic and silk thread on silk 104cm x 70cm $500 The Toowoomba Choral Society produced Boubil and Schonberg’s musical “Les Miserables”. The production was superb theatre and had an ‘effect’ on all those participating on stage, behind the scenes and in the audience. This time I helped as part of the catering crew. I loved seeing the actors rush between scenes and catching quick glimpses of them on the tv monitor in between serving and doing the dishes. Victor Hugo who wrote the novel “Les Miserables” was also an accomplished visual artist admired by both Van Gogh and Delacroix. I incorporated some of the same aesthetics in “Ma Destinee” 1867 in ‘Memory of Les Miserables.”
“Empire Theatre” Acrylic and silk thread on silk 90cm x 90 cm $500 “Empire Theatre” Looking through the eucalyptus trees the view of the sky from my home has been painted on silk. The image of the Empire theatre building has been embroidered over and into the painting. In 2022 I had the privilege of ‘moving’ on the Empires’ Armitage stage in my first experience as an actor. I find it interesting that the visual work foreshadowed this life changing experience.
“Calendar Girls” Acrylic and silk thread on silk 90cm x 90 cm $500 The local theatre company ‘Shoe box theatre” trusted me with a part in their play. I learnt so much about myself, relationships, hard times, good times. I met amazing people. I was pushed as far out of my comfort zone as a person could possibly be. The reference for the background is a photograph I took of a field of sunflowers at Allora, half a world away from the Yorkshire sunflowers in the play. The embroidery - some text I wrote in a diary the director (Terry Brady) gave me to help me prepare for my part.