Let’s talk Rone!

One of my favourite artists and Geelong local Tyrone Wright – Rone – is such a huge inspiration to me! His whole concept of beauty and decay really speaks to my creative soul. The fact that he paints such beautiful images that will only (for the most part) last 6-8 weeks is beyond comprehension but at the same time brilliant!

Rone first came to my attention when someone compared some of my work to Rone’s – I had to look him up and realised what a wonderful compliment I’d been handed. I had just missed out on getting tickets to his Omega Project but devoured every image I could with a lustful hunger!

“The concept of creating something beautiful within the context of decay and decline is central to the experience of any street artist,” Rone explains. “As is the idea that whatever you create might be gone the next day.” “For the artist, street art is all about embracing that transience and impermanence. And for the audience, it’s about seeing it (and taking photos of it) while you can – which highlights a major shift in how we now consume art,” he says. “Because it’s often so short-lived, street art tends to exist more through the ways that people document it; through photographs, prints and social media. “Documenting art has become an inextricable part of our experience of viewing it. And knowing that all this work will be knocked down in a matter of weeks acts as a pretty strong motivator for people to come and experience it before it’s gone.”

https://www.r-o-n-e.com/omega-project

In the last standing house in a residential building site in Melbourne’s inner North, Rone painted beautiful portraits of women amongst the decay. He then collaborated with interior designer Carly Spooner to style the cottage with pieces from the era, knowing it would all be demolished in 6 weeks!

Rone’s next project took 12 months at an Art Deco mansion in the Dandenong’s called “Burnham Beeches” – Empire was an immersive, sensory spectacular! Again partnering with Carly Spooner and others he created a bygone era through his haunting portraits of Lily Sullivan, a beautiful musical score, different scents to mark the seasons and the look as though the glorious gardens were reclaiming the property. (Think Miss Havisham in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens) All captured on film and you could take a virtual reality tour while Rone was working to create his masterpiece! It really did take my breath away!

https://www.r-o-n-e.com/empire

So Rone’s work is simply breathtaking and it is what I inspire to do in so many ways! The fact that Empire, like most of his works and projects are time limited really resonates with me. As with life, it’s so fleeting, we are but drops in the ocean of time. Beauty amidst decay, time lost, memories left behind, darkness, outlines, photographs – what we do in this life can only carry on to the next through our actions, art and teachings. Let’s make them earth shattering for generations to come! Let’s bring the world love amidst the hate, kindness and compassion through our art.

Life is short – But love is eternal!

Self Isolation!

Boy are we living in crazy times! Unprecedented times for the world but a time I think the world needs! Definitely a time the humans of this planet need, to stop, re assess, reset. We have been destroying this planet systematically and along the lines destroying ourselves! For what? More money, faster cars, bigger houses? Most people have lost sight of what’s really important – us! People, family, the earth! Care factor is zero and it’s disturbingly sad! Fighting over toilet paper??? I’m happy to be holed up in my house (though I’m packing to move) It’s a crazy world out there and I hope that at the end of this is a much more caring world!

In the meantime I’ve stumbled across some real gems online. One particular movie caught my eye about Robert Mapplethorpe, a photographer from New York best known for his black and white photographs. “His work featured an array of subjects, including celebrity portraits, male and female nudes, self-portraits, and still-life images.” – Wikipedia. I had never heard of him and was absolutely fascinated with his eye and how he captured his subjects including the beautiful flowers. Not afraid to push the envelope stand true to what he wanted to say and certainly not ashamed of the naked body which he found beautiful and erotic! This is exactly how I feel and I couldn’t believe I didn’t know his name though I knew some of his work.

http://www.mapplethorpe.org

I am so inspired by photographers and their imagery – it’s what I paint! Sure I manipulate some images to better suit my eye and what I want to say but in essence the photographers I follow and are drawn to are the ones that take a picture similar to my minds eye. Being a hair and makeup artist and having worked with many brilliant photographers, I’ve found the ones that take a truly beautiful (for want of a better word haha I’ve used it a lot) image, the ones that walk the line between worlds, the ones that push the boundaries and break the rules – they’re my people!

I’ve been blessed to have found a few of my people over the years and in fact I’m still finding them! The great creatives that sit between worlds, belonging everywhere but nowhere all at once. On the edge of madness and sanity most often but it’s on those edges where the true magic happens! Safe is not an option!

I will leave you with this quote which for me says it all!

Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.

Cesar A. Cruz

Out here on my own…

Now I’m all alone again and feeling blue

Irene Cara’s song & lyrics come to me often when I feel like this. Missing the old me. The me before Star died. The me that was full of life. The me that knew how to love. The me that trusted. The me before Star died!

Now I’m all alone again and feeling blue

I close my eyes so I can be with you

Oh baby be strong for me

Baby belong to me

Help me through

Help me need you

I pack up some things coz I’m like a travelling roadshow! I’ve barely lived here for 6 months and I’m moving again. Can’t even seem to paint. Can’t focus. Thoughts of my uni assignments are high on my agenda. I need to prioritise but can’t seem to organise my thoughts.

Just wanna drink! Want the safety of my mothers embrace so it’s to my bed I go. Swaddling myself in the comforters embrace.

I channel surf until something catches my eye. A doco on Erwin Blumenfeld. I had never heard of this photographer but the images I see before me cause excitement! I devour this new found info – he’s a breath of fresh air breathing new life into my soul. His eye, his technique, his rebellious attitude to rules! The way he captures an image, a woman, many women. His covers of Vogue – OMG! I’ve found a kindred that is years before his time – and mine! This is the beauty I try to create with my brush! His life a roller coaster too but then these are the crazy lives of creatives.

HOME

I have found another to add to my ever growing list of inspirationals!

I then stumble across some short films made in Australia by female directors and I am enthralled again. Inspired by such talented women and the stories they tell for they tell stories with a different eye. An eye like mine. Female, feminist- maybe – but I don’t like labels either! Just good different!

So I have produced more than anticipated today amidst these anxious, crazy times. In the embrace of my comforter, under the eye of the stars, I was guided to these wonders. Food for my soul = content for my creativity = passion for my paintings & another blog down for my schooling!

Insomniac

As I lay here unable to sleep as usual, I’m thinking of my first few weeks as a student doing my MFA. My head is full of all that I’ve been learning, my assignments, my upcoming solo exhibition and of course Covid19! Sometimes I feel my head will explode haha! To top it off I’m packing to move house – again! Aaaah what a crazy life! A roller coaster ride but I’m exactly where I need to be in my journey and that’s back at school doing my masters. It’s exactly what I needed to push my art forward – really take it to another level! So while we all wrap our heads around the Coronavirus and social distancing with the high likelihood of a lockdown (I’ve already started) I’ll try and get my head around writing this blog and talking about what my art means to me, my inspirations and what I want my art to say! In these uncertain times there’s A LOT on my mind but I want to return to the origin of my creativity and it’s self expression. It’s always been about me, my emotions, common ground with other women, equality and trying to bring about social change while still making beautiful images. My art is a visual diary of my emotion so let’s see where I go from here?? I have been doing loads of research and have so many ideas but I’ll talk about that in my next post and try to figure out how to add more images. Right now I need to get more sleep before more painting and packing. Good night (or good morning haha) x

An article on my residency in France
Drawing from experience