PRESENCE

                               The Presence of Angels Oil on linen 60 x 100 cm

I am having a small exhibition PRESENCE in Maleny, that lovely township in the green and undulating hinterland behind Queensland's Sunshine Coast. My parents retired to Maleny just over 20 years ago, so it is kind of like going home. I have exhibited in Maleny 3 times before. Once in 1994 and then twice more recently. The two recent shows were at The Upfront Club and my next show will be there too. http://www.upfrontclub.org/

DETAILS:
Title of Exhibition: PRESENCE
Dates: Thursday 20 – Tuesday 15 June 2010
Venue: Upfront Club, 31 Maple St, Maleny. 07 5494 2592 http://www.upfrontclub.org/
Opening Event: Thursday 20 May 6 pm – 8 pm

ABOUT PRESENCE
PRESENCE will be an exhibition of oil on linen and works on paper paintings exploring the potency of archetypal symbols, particularly the trans-cultural/religious tree-of-life.

I investigate what these symbols may mean in the 21st century as we live locally in an increasingly globalised world. I play with perspective to deliberately create ambiguous images which provoke questions about how we view ourselves and others. I believe I do not actually finish my paintings, because every conversation, whether within oneself or with others, provides a completion. Thus, there is the exiting potential for multiple completions and life beyond.

The exhibition is called PRESENCE to suggest that by exploring new perspectives we may see and feel things which we may not otherwise see or feel. Maybe we will find a way to imagine and then 'find' other dimensions?

The painting below was inspired my daughter when she was about 3 years old when she looked out from our verandah to our garden and exclaimed, 'Look Mummy the leaves are dancing.' Trust a child to see and feel something which I had not. I am so glad she reminded me to look, see and feel.

                                                        The Leaves Are Dancing Oil on linen 36 x 36 cm

ABOUT THE ARTIST...MOI
I grew up on the flat plains of the Darling Downs in rural Queensland. In this relentless space, as a small child, I dreamt I could fly. This ‘experience’ has inspired my explorations of literal and metaphoric perspective.

I have an extensive exhibition history in S.E Queensland as well as exhibiting overseas where I have held solo exhibitions in London 2002, Dubai 2004 and Abu Dhabi 2005 and have been included in group exhibitions in Seoul and Dubai.

Exhibiting in the Middle East, and the conversations I shared with people from across the region, has propelled my explorations of literal and metaphoric perspective. I am passionate about art’s potential, as a catalytic agent to inspire agenda-less, but not directionless, conversations which collapse the distance of difference to reveal similarities.

Since 2008, when I last exhibited at the Upfront Club, I have been a finalist in 14 art awards, including the Stanthorpe, Prometheus and Tattersall’s art awards.

My Mother, Elsie Brimblecombe exhibited HIDDEN CITIES [inspired by Italo Calvino's book of the same name] last year at the Upfront Club and will be exhibiting new paintings in October this year. My niece, Edie Brimblecombe will be exhibiting at the Upfront Club in September.



MORE NEWS

Oline communities which may interest some of you?
I have recently joined the Wiserearth online community. Here's a link to its BLOG http://blog.wiserearth.org/

Another online community which I belong to is The Peace and Collaborative Development Network http://www.internationalpeaceandconflict.org/ There is a constant stream of interesting links, jobs, conferences and so on. Anyone working in the area of peace and Conflict Studies will find mountains of resources.

And...another is Art Action Union http://artactionunioncommunity.ning.com/

WHAT I AM READING
I am nearly finished Martin Rees's book 'Our Final Century'. It is not a large book, but it sure has some huge ideas, even with topics dealing with nano sized investigations and inventions! Whilst he postulates various cataclysmic scenarios regarding the potential demise of humankind and even the planet, Rees's sense of wonder shines through with a freshness that makes the book far from depressing. A sense of wonder is a gift...and one I hope to never lose. I mentioned this book in a recent post http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2010/04/idea-sketches.html


Cheers,
Kathryn
My website http://www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com/

IDEA SKETCHES

                                                       

                                                    

                                                                            Becoming oil on linen 100 x 60 cm 2010

A multitude of ideas are going through my head at the moment. I am reading four books. Each one is providing inspiration. Regular readers of my BLOG know that books do spark off visual images for me. The last book I wrote about was Dr. Norman Doidge's 'The Brain That Changes Itself'. I have read it twice. Here's a link to the post I wrote about the painting above Becoming which was inspired by Norman Doidge's book. http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2010/02/becoming.html  
 

Below is an example of the type of sketches I do when I am reading, or when I am sitting on the ferry with time to contemplate everything from the books I am reading to things I hear...and so on. The sketches below are in a small art diary I keep in my handbag. These particular images are a result of my contemplations about 'The Brain That Changes Itself'. Regular readers of my BLOG will notice the tree...tree-of-life. This archetypal motif is one of my visual guides as it seems to link everything in a systemic way as well as with some kind of resonating consciousness or 'knowing'.

                                       

At the moment, one of the books I am reading is 'Our Final Century' by Martin Rees, British Astronomer Royal, Lord Rees of Ludlow and Master of Trinity College Cambridge*. I read an article about him in the Australian Financial Review [Friday 23 April] by Paul Broks and was fascinated enough to go looking for his books. I found 'Our Final Century' at Borders on Friday afternoon and have been engrossed ever since.

Regular readers of my BLOG, who know that I explore the positive potency of humankind, might be surprised that I would be attracted to a book which 'paints' a multitude of potential apocalyptic events for the future, with a suggestion that humankind and/or the planet might not survive the 21st century. Despite the apocalyptic nature of the potential scenarios there is always hope and as Rees comments, the most amazing developments are not normally predicted or predictable.

The history of science fascinates me. This fascination started as an 8-10 year old when I devoured biographies of famous scientists. It was propelled by Prof. Mac Hamilton in 1980 when I took a year long subject at the University of Queensland, called 'The History Of Science'. This subject was a history of the philosophy of science and was the most interesting and stimulating subject I studied. I also grew up surrounded by technology, because my Father is a HAM radio man and we had every gadget possible...Dad often making them eg: our first tv in the early 6os [before any of our neighbours!].

As I have written before, I am very interested in the process of consiously eliding, in my paintings, that which I believe has a neutering influence on our psyche. Images of dystopian gloom petrify me and petrification is of no use to anyone, because it means you're stuck and impotent. Plus, there are enough images of distaster and dystopian gloom in the mass media, in film etc! By consciously eliding the negative it is always present 'in absentia', thus hovering as a reminder, but not stupifying or petrifying us into neutered vessels. The conscious elision also discounts any accusations of rose tinted naivity and blind ignorance.

The agency [not role, as it is too prescriptive] of art is to remind us of potential, one way or another, and I have chosen to focus on exploring ways to connect people by collasping the distance of difference to find and embrace similarities. If people are connected the potential for brewing disaster via deranged fundamentalist/terrorist groups or a 'single aberrant personality' [Rees] are diminished. Rees suggests this in his book [chapter 6]. Art's catalytic agency to stimulate conversation within oneself or with others is manifestly important.

The next three images are more 'idea' sketches. The first two are a  result of  flashes and contemplations stimulated by Martin Rees's book. The last image has three quick sketches which were inspired by another book I am reading at the moment. This book is an interesting balance to 'Our Final Century' ...and it is 'Prayer Works' by Rosemary Ellen Guiley. These sketches will influence and inform future paintings. As readers can see, the transcultural/relgious tree-of-life will be a continuing visual guide. When reading both of these books the image of the tree seems to root itself into the propositions and scenarios posed by both authors.

* Rees, Martin Our Final Century; Will Civilisation Survivie The Twenty-First Century, Arrow Books, 2003, UK

PRESENCE

In Maleny opening Thursday 20 May 6-8 pm. The exhibition PRESENCE will continue until Tuesday June 13. @ the hippest place in town 'The UPFRONT CLUB'. This small exhibition is a collection of my paintings from the last couple of years that 'speak' about presence. Maleny is a great place and it is where my parents retired over 20 years ago...so it is a bit like going 'home'.

Cheers,

Kathryn

BEYOND..............................................

The painting above is called 'Beyond The Dark Night Of The Soul'. I wrote about some of my thoughts when I was painting it in a previous post where I uploaded sections of the work-in -progress. http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2009/11/beyond-dark-night-of-soul.html

In the previous post I wrote that I wanted to focus on the 'beyond' part of the title. I had and still have no desire to paint something which could be called 'The Dark Night Of The Soul', athough when I first heard the phrase it certainly interested me, because it so succinctly described THAT place we go to in our heads and hearts when things seem to be falling apart. Indeed, if readers have ever been to the 'dark night of the soul', you can understand why I would not want to replicate it in a painting, although many other artists have and do [and the mass media supplies us endlessly]! The word 'beyond' in the title clearly gives the message that this painting is not just a warm and fuzzy, feel-good image, because 'the dark night of the soul' as something that has been experienced but overcome, thus it exists in absentia.

Regular readers know that I have previously written about the existence of things in absentia. This concept really fascinates me and I enjoy its possibilities. For me, things can exist in absentia when they have been consciously elided. The conscious action leaves a shadow of sorts, thus rebutting any claims of blind ignorance. One of the most significant possibilities, for me, is how this concept motivates me to paint a sense through the use of symbols rather than trying to depict things realistically. I know it is a fine line...where is the difference between sensing and depiction? For me the latter predominantly relies on the eye...of eye ball and pupil... a recognition that relies on something seen and then an ensuing predominantly intellectual interpretative stage prior to a realisation of an emotional response...if any. Whereas sensing may not be just about visual recognition, but more about feeling and a sense of a presence which may, in fact, cause the intellect some disquiet. I like to think this is as an agitation of the of cellular memory. I'll leave it at that for the moment...I sense more thoughts are to come!

PRESENCE IN MALENY

So, this brings me to my small exhibition PRESENCE which I am having in Maleny opening May 20 continuing until June 15. I love Maleny because it is really very pretty, it is where my parents now live [for 25 yrs after selling the farm!] and the population is an exciting and stimulating eclectic mix of people. Remember...Maleny was where THE people stood up to Woolworths to try to save a precious wildlife area and keep the face of BIG business out of town [to protect local businesses]. My Mum and some of her mates [along with many others] even protested with placards and the whole works! PRESENCE will be at The Upfront Club http://www.upfrontclub.org/ which is a hub for music lovers, art lovers, people watchers, foodies and so on. It is run by a co-operative...yes Maleny is pretty cool!

THANK YOU
Thank you to all my visitors to my BLOG. Recently the numbers have increased and I think I see that some are regular visitors. I have written the BLOG since August 2006 and I am very grateful that there are people out there, from all over the world, who drop by to read my ramblings.

Image: Beyond The Dark Night Of The Soul Oil on linen 100 x 100 cm 2009

And, thank you to all who came ot FRISSON. It was a great success in all ways!
Cheers,
Kathryn