LUCK?

Becoming The Light Oil on linen 160 x 120 cm

It has been over a week since I last posted. But, as you can see, if you are a regular reader, I have revamped and upgraded my BLOG! There's all sorts of things you can do now! You can Tweet posts share posts on Facebook or share the blog on Linkedin and more. Plus, on the right I have listed links pertaining to my book 'FOR EVERYONE:Words and Paintngs' and listed some of my 'quiet activist' posts which deal more specifically with my concerns about the rapid expansion of mining in Australia, particularly CSG.

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WHAT I AM READING

I am currently reading Too Much Luck: The Mining Boom and Australia’s Future by Paul Cleary. I went to the launch at the Queensland University of Technology about 10 days ago. There were three speakers including the author. The second speaker was Ruth Armstrong, a farmer and an ecologist from near Cecil Plains, on the Darling Downs. Here's a link to an article which will fill you in on her story http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/fertile-grounds-for-coal-seam-test-case/story-fn59niix-1226059965718 The third speaker was Prof Kerry Carrington http://staff.qut.edu.au/staff/carringk/ Prof Carrington spoke about the social impacts of the rapidly growing mining and CSG industries. She called for great caution in the face of potentail eco-terrorism and more.

In Too Much Luck: The Mining Boom and Australia’s Future Cleary examines various aspects from the economic, social to the environmental, looking at current events and their immediate impact, as well as long term issues. He looks to history for lessons...which our politicans seem not to have learnt. He compares Australia to other resource rich nations [Chile, Norway and East Timor] which have 'harvested' profits to ensure they return and maintain economic benefits to the people now and into the future. He very clearly highlights the economic impacts on other industries in Australia eg: tourism, manufacturing and education, pointing out that these industries employ more people than the mining industry. However, all three are suffering major losses. I recommend you buy Too Much Luck: The Mining Boom and Australia’s Future http://www.blackincbooks.com/books/too-much-luck

Can We Eat Coal For Breakfast? Gouache on paper 30 x 42 cm

http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2010/11/food-fantasy-in-future.html

UQ SYMPOSIUM

Last week I attended an afternoon symposium 'Governing Human Beings In The Age Of The Brain: A Symposium With Nikolas Rose' hosted by the University of Queensland's Centre for the History of European Discourses. Fascinating presentations . Here's the program:

 
“The Biological Imaginary: Science and the Somaticised Self”
Elizabeth Stephens, ARC Research Fellow Centre for the History of European Discourses
The University of Queensland

“Avoiding the Seductions of Neurohype in Ethical Analyses of Addiction Neuroscience”
Wayne Hall, NHMRC Australia Fellow
UQ Centre for Clinical Research
The University of Queensland

“Brain Whisperers: New Forms of Consumer Monitoring on the Frontiers of Neuroscience”
Mark Andrejevic, ARC QE II Fellow
Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies The University of Queensland

“A Neurobiological Complex? Governing Human Beings in the Age of the Brain”
Nikolas Rose, Martin White Professor of Sociology
BIOS Centre for the Study of Bioscience, Biomedicine, Biotechnology and Society
London School of Economics
 

This symposium follows another two day one I attended at the University of Queensland a number of weeks ago. It's theme was virtual anatomies. Plus I attended two interesting panel discussions at the Gallery Of Modern Art [GOMA] on creativity, young minds and so on. These were held in conjuction with the Surrealism exhibition which was on at the time.

 

Meeting Place Of The Mind Oil on linen 100 x70 cm

http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2011/06/meeting-place-of-mind.html

I sense a tension between the potential that our love affair with technology is prepping us for an 'evolutionary' development towards a state of singularity ie: human/machine, cyborg etc on the one hand and the desire to recapture the grace of spirit on the other. Abdicating our minds/brains to machines is already happening...in the name of 'progress', yet the juncture of culture, pscychology, technology, science, religion poses questions which grapple with age-old questions of what it means to be human. I have more thoughts on this and will write more over time.

FOR EVERYONE: Words and Paintings

Please check out the links on the right!

FOR EVERYONE is available on most online book selling sites:

PLUS:

Coaldrakes in Brisbane has some copies

and as of tomorrow [Thursday 24 November] the two bookstores at the Queensland Art Gallery and GOMA will also have some copies. I am dropping them off tomorrow!

BOOK LAUNCH

Thursday 23 February 2012

at Fireworks Gallery, Newstead, Brisbane

Scott Emerson MP, my local State Government member for Indooroopilly and Shadow Minister for the Arts will be launching FOR EVERYONE

The 30 paintings inside the book will be exhibited for a 2-3 day period too.

 

NEW GALLERIES: WEBSITE

I have made some new 'galleries' on my website. One is called 'My Women' and another is a selection of paintings under $1000. Please chack them out!

www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com

RITUALS RELICS AND ICONS

This exhibition is on at ANCA Gallery in Canberra http://www.anca.net.au/ from tonight until 4 December. I have a piece Hovering At The Centre  in the exhibition.

                                            Hovering At The Centre Oil on linen 30 x 30 cm

 

FABULOUS FORTY

USQ Alumni Exhibition

23 November - 11 December

Opening Friday 25 December

MadeCreativeSpace: Toowoomba

I have three paintings in this exhibition. I am not a past student of USQ, but I was their first Art Collection Curator back inthe early 90s when the University was the Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education DDAIE

http://www.madecreativespace.com/

Well...I think that's all for now.

Cheers,

Kathryn

BREATH

Breath Gouache on paper 30 x 42 cm

I am enjoying working with gouache on paper, continuing with the kind of paintings I wrote about in my last post QUIVER.

These new paintings are inspired by a few things...the age-old transcultural/religious tree-of-life, the female figure, my concerns for the environment, my interests in finding ways to visually seek out the potency of symbols so they have 21st century relevance and beauty. Regular readers will know of my interests and how they inter-connect to create paintings which are multi layered and often surprisingly political.

The painting above Breath places the figure of a woman, representing life giving, at the centre of a vortex or spiral. Have you ever played with a spiral? They quiver. It is this quivering, which reverberates back and forth, that makes me think of life forces, across time...past, present and future.

In Breath my much loved tree-of-life is depicted a number of times, with the red trees appearing almost lung like. The tree's capacity to mirror vascular systems and viscera excites and inspires me.

Signs of life ie: pulse and breath, do not recognise colour of skin, religion, sex or culture. We all share these fundamental signs of life, and as we feel our hearts beat and our breath's inhalation and exhalation, it reminds us of larger forces, earth's pulse and breath, and indeed, those of the multiverse. But, maybe we don't listen or take notice of these forces within us and around us? This question leads to the next painting called Montetizing Mother Nature, which has a more noticeably political intent, going beyond the reminder to notice which is implicit in Breath.

Monetizing Mother Nature Gouache on paper 30 x 42 cm

The three female figures are connected to earth via trees-of-life, as they are connected to the heavens. These vascular-like trees seem to pulse with life. The women are representative of nature, with the figure on the right is inspired by me! Yes, I have a very long plait, which reaches well past my hips. When my children and I went to see 'Avatar' we all thought I must have been the inspiration for the blue people, the ones with long plaits that could be connected to the life forces in the ground.!!!

Anyway, moving on...the women are 'decorated' with small $ signs. The 'landscape' is also painted largely with small $ signs. Regular readers will know that I often use small $ signs, initially not discernible when viewed at a distance, but clearly seen when the viewer is up close. I am 'asking' the question 'Have you noticed?'. I am also interested in the idea that a painting seen from a distance can be a different painting when viewed up close. This is a metaphor for the life we lead today ie: we live locally in an increasingly globalised world and we need to be able to 'see' multiple perspectives simultaneously in order to negotiate [I prefer dance] across the 'stage' which exists between the local and global.

In Monetizing Mother Nature I am thinking about the commoditisation of natural resources, the monetry value placed on carbon, water, wind and so on. Will a carbon tax eleviate global warming? That will be something we'll know in time, but I am sure there will be people making a lot of money carbon trading. Regular readers will know of my concerns about coal seam gas extraction and mining here in Australia and overseas. Huge amounts of money are being paid for exploration, mining, production, and foreign companies buying land and Australian mining companies. But at what real and ongoing cost? There is a vocal and growing community anti-CSG movement here in Australia, asking this very question. Without adequate scientific analysis of impacts on above and below ground water resources, potential soil degradation, plus social and health issues what might we ultimately lose? People are very concerned, frustrated, angry and anxious...all potent ingredients for social unrest.

Regular readers will know that I grew up on a farm on the Darling Downs and that I also lived, as an adult, for 18 years further west in the samll rural township of Goondiwindi. I understand the concerns people have about water and soil. I also understand farming practices and how CSG, and increased open cut coal mines, can affect production and efficiency. After reading a number of reports and articles, and attending forums on CSG I have been, and continue to be, deeply concerned about the haste of CSG activity, and the government's inadequate pre and current monitoring of the industry.

If one steps back from the close view ie: money money money to be spent and made...to take a view of the bigger picture as seen from a 'distance', the money to be spent and made now pales against the potential massive 'value' loss caused by a plethora of issues ie: the potential for loss of food producing farm land due to aquifer water cross contaminations, introduced contaminations, depletion, plus soil degradation; erosion of farming IP due to farmers leaving or forced to leave the industry plus subsequent unraveling of rural social fabric; the fact that methane is a more dangerous contributer to global warming than carbon dioxide..I could go on because the picture is BIG.

In Monetizing Mother Nature I am playing with the word monetize. It's a word I see on my BLOG backpage where I have opportunities to monetize it. The opportunistic nature of the commercial world is fascinating, but not so when the mindset erodes how we might 'value' things by monetization when their 'value' goes way beyond money.

Please see below a list of other psots where I write about my use of small $ signs.

Now for something a bit lighter!

What I Think About Whilst Planking/Bridging Gouache on paper 30 x 42 cm

This is me planking. Yes, my long plait, mentioned above too, has a gravity defying life of its own! I started planking, to keep me trim and tight, a while ago when a friend spoke glowingly about its affect on his waist line...and it was discernible! But, it is so incredibly boring. I count in tens, sometimes in 20s, just to break up the time, to get to around 40- 80 seconds, depending on how bored I am. But, when I start to imagine, as in the painting above, the time goes much more quickly.

OTHER SMALL $ SIGN POSTS

http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2008/07/earth-for-sale-120-x-160-cm-oil-on.html

http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2009/03/currency.html

http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2010/04/monetize.html

http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2010/10/water-gallery.html

http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2010/11/murray-darling-currency.html

http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2010/11/food-fantasy-in-future.html

http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2010/12/oils-aint-oilsany-more.html

http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2011/02/commodified.html

http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2011/06/planet.html

BLAKE PRIZE DIRECTORS' CUT EXHIBITION

My entry for the BLAKE PRIZE http://www.blakeprize.com.au/ whilst not a finalist was  in the group considered for the finals. AND, from that group the directors select works for what's called the DIRECTORS' CUT EXHIBITION. And, my entry COMPASSION is in it! http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2010/07/compassion.html

This link will take you to where you can see the list of selected artists. http://www.blakeprize.com.au/news/2011-directors-cut-artists-announced

The DIRECTORS' CUT is an online exhibition and the images are live from 26 October - 23 January.

Cheers,

Kathryn

www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com

http://www.youtube.com/user/kabrimblecombe?feature=mhee

CURRENCY

Murray Darling Currency Oil on linen 120 x 160 cm

Click on the image to make it larger.

This latest painting Murray Darling Currency falls into my 'quiet activist' work. It is political although not initially overtly political. However, as the viewer ponders the painting, and notices various elements, commentary on issues surrounding the Murray Darling Basin/catchment is obvious. Check out this site for information on the importance of the Murray Darling Basin for Australian agriculture and water [obviously both related issues]. http://www.murrayriver.com.au/about-the-murray/murray-darling-basin/

This new painting follows a work on paper, by the same title, which I painted last year.

                                      Murray Darling Currency Gouache on paper 52 x 63 cm [framed]

                                      http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2010/11/murray-darling-currency.html

In both paintings the area of the Murray Darling Basin is painted with small blue $ signs to pose questions of value, all kinds of 'value'. The word 'currency' in the title deliberately plays with its many meanings, from water flow, to money, to contemporaneousness and political currency. The viewer does not discern the small $ sign when looking at the painting from a distance. They become evident as the viewer moves closer. This is a deliberate 'tactic' on my part to ask, 'Have you noticed?' Issues surrounding water supply and management, food production, soil nutrient sustainability, farmer returns, mining impacts, social cohesion, regional development and more all play their part in the life of the Murray Darling Basin.

In both the oil and the work on paper the 'landscape' is created with my much loved tree-of-life motif. In each case the tree spills out from the bottom left to cascade into land and sea. In the oil painting I have painted the continent of Australia depicting rainfall areas ie: the darker the green the more rainfall. The tree-of-life is a perfect life symbol as it denotes systems which give and propel life. Just as the body's vascular system propels life, the earth's water systems also propel life. The Murray Darling Basin is a perfect example of a life giving and propelling water system. When understood as a life system, like a vascular one, then questions of value take on a different perspective...don't they?

The work on paper Murray Darling Currency will be in my exhibition 'Paradise' opening next week 9th September in Melbourne [details below]. I will have a few of my 'quiet activist' paintings in the exhibtion as triggers to pose questions about environmental degradation and concepts of paradise lost. Indeed, what if THIS is paradise and human quests to seek paradise eleswhere 'out there' blind us to the paradise of here and now?

The new large oil painting  Murray Darling Currency will not be in the exhibition as I just finished it. All the paintings for 'Paradise' went off to Melbourne on Monday.

PARADISE

Exhibition Dates: 8 September - 8 October

Purgatory Artspace

170 Abbotsford St, North Melbourne

Tuesday - Saturday 11 am - 5 pm

purgatoryartspace@gmail.com

03 9329 1800

http://www.artabase.net/exhibition/3275-paradise

ARTICLE   ARTICLE   ARTICLE   ARTICLE

AND Please read this wonderful article Carolyn McDowall from 'thecultureconcept circle' wrote about my work and 'Paradise'. http://www.thecultureconcept.com/circle/paradise-in-purgatory-kathryn-brimblecombe-fox-finding-light

SYMPOSIUM AT UQ

On Tuesday and Wednesday this week I attended a fascinating symposium at the University of Queensland. The symposium  was called:

Virtual Anatomies: The Cultural Impact of New Medical Imaging Technologies

http://www.ched.uq.edu.au/index.html?page=159754&pid=40622

Regular readers of my BLOG will probably know why such a symposium interests me. Over many years many scientists and doctors have asked if I have had medical or scientific training because they see vascular or reproductive systems in my work. Sometimes my trees look like brains or kidneys, cross sections of tissue or cells. [I have no medical or scientific training other than senior biology!] Yet, these same shapes, cross sections and so on can also take on landscape qualities, such as aerial views of water systems or moutain ranges, cross sections of land and so on. The body as site and site as body are the things that interest me. Even beyond the boundaries of earth...body as cosmos, cosmos as body. As regular readers know, I sometimes take the tree-of-life into the cosmos, to help find its roots in the beginning of time, as well as to reveal its symblic potency in the 21st century.

Cheers,

Kathryn

www.kathrynbrimbelcombe-fox.com