This artwork was accepted into the Waterhouse Exhibit at the South Australian Museum this past year. My goal with the work was to press home how very vulnerable Australia is to climate warming. Using the book, Fatal Shore, by Robert Hughes, I cut several Eucalyptus leaves from the pages. Then colored them with the watercolors made from the soils of Australia and finally burned all the edges. I made a dust pan for them to be swept into.
When I left this beloved country last April I gave several of these leaves to friends there and then placed the rest in and among Eucalyptus leaves in some of my favorite places.
I weep for the country and all the suffering to be endured by some of the most resilient people I have ever known. If you can make a donation of any kind to those working so hard to help, please do. I chose the Country Women’s Association of New South Wales and intend to give more to other charities covering the losses of their people and wildlife.
Here at home it has been a good several days. I was thinking that Lee might become too confused with having a student here for a day of white line printmaking. I was afraid that I would have to end our sessions but instead Lee was looking forward to Kent being here and greeted him in the driveway with an offer to help him bring in supplies. I even did some of my own work while working with Kent. A good day indeed!
Also I am keeping up with the drawing a day and haiku.
I had to have this
African incised gourd from
the Smithsonian.
Baskets by Lee Cole
can trigger a return to
beloved Australia.
I knotted in all
my African beads and bronze
while dressing this gourd.
This gourd end has been
turned into a percussion
rattling instrument.
And the Bush Book now has two more double pages.
A bluebird, copperhead snake, box turtle and katydid.
One very big bumble bee.
More later.
Tonight I will make Lee and me some tomato-bacon soup to go with leftover quiche.
I will have some Australian wine and think of the friends there who still may not know if their homes survived.
Til later.