The Alleyway

'Rosemary' by Peter Hardie

We live in the inner city of Brisbane, in a very creatively vibrant, urban eclectic ‘Hood’. Our funny cottage which also houses our gallery is a very ‘old lady’ indeed, one of the original houses built in the 1930s by Italian immigrants who first settled in this area of Brisbane. We call the house a crooked old lady as our back lounge-room floor is literally at a slant! But ‘she’ has character that’s for sure! Underneath serves as Banx’s studio and on one of the concrete stumps under the house are the height measurements of every growing child who has once lived in the house, measurements from the 60s and 70s. The house backs onto an old alleyway. In days gone by, the outside loo man would bring his truck down the alleyway and change the sawdust etc (!) in all of the outside ‘dunnies’. Today when I stand on our back landing overlooking the alleyway I have witnessed the most extraordinary sights over the past four years we have lived here… you name it, we’ve seen it happening in that alleyway. It’s like a parallel universe that alleyway! This morning was no exception… bizarre but hilarious.. yes, three large garden gnomes, strategically placed overnight on the side garden beds on the alleyway. I LOVE the mysterious underground movement that is ‘Gnomes’! I loved them in the film Amelie… and several years ago, when my niece and her partner went to live in London, they snuck my Mother’s (her Grandmother’s) gnome off her front steps into their suitcases without her knowing and took him overseas with them. He sent ‘Nana’ postcards and pics from all over the world of his travels.. he even had his own email address! I just know when we wake up tomorrow those gnomes won’t be there anymore…. Mystery, and magic and the eccentric bizarre – the world needs more of it! This gorgeous photo of a Gnome is by my fab photographer brother Peter Hardie, check out his website sometime!

Tour of Duty

Today we toured a massive building site that is about one to two months away from completion. Once the project is completed, in various stages, artworks, installations, glass art, you name it, will be required inside the building. We were invited to take a tour for photos and measurements in order to put our proposal together, what I hadn’t bet on was having to change into a hard hat (that kept slipping off my head!); huge work boots, about four sizes too big (I resembled a cross between an eccentric bag lady and Minnie Mouse!) and a very (!) fashionable fluro vest.. wow did I look a sight. Banx took these sneaky pics when I wasn’t looking! To say I am not accustomed to noisy dirty dusty building sites would be an understatement! If someone had given me a dustpan and broom at that point I would have started sweeping up that dusty mess straight away and that’s really saying something as I’m not a Domestic Goddess by any stretch of the imagination… so stay tuned for the “after” pics in a few month’s time….

A Good Cause

Last night Banx and a lot of other Qld artists participated in the Cerebral Palsy yearly art auction. It is an extremely worthwhile cause for such a debilitating disease. The target this year was $45,000 – which is the money needed to support one child with cerebral palsy for one year. Artists are invited to donate and exhibit an artwork. The fund raisers at Cerebral Palsy work tirelessly all year making sure the evening is a success; the auctioneer donates his time and expertise; everyone pulls together behind the scenes.

The theme was ‘Colours of Queensland’ and there were stunning works all available for sale. Deputy Lord Mayor David Hinchliffe’s; Elisabeth Lawrence’s; and Cooper Wilson’s originals were just a few of my favourites. Previous year’s creative themes have included ‘The Doors’ (artists painted on old doors)… “Window of Opportunity” (old windows installed and painted on – see pic above); and “River City”, the fond nickname for Brissie The money raised helps go towards much needed equipment for sufferers. It is always difficult choosing which charities to support, there are so many deserving ones desperately needing funds or efforts.

When Banx and I visited Sri Lanka in 2003, where he was born and raised, I particularly wanted to visit Nuwara Eliya SOS Children’s Village. We went there and I met “Durga”, just a little bub standing up in her cot at the time. She and her two sisters had been left abandoned in a community hall by the parents who couldn’t afford to feed or look after them anymore, and now they live in the wonderful SOS Children’s Village, attend school and are growing up with a beautiful house mother. Each year I receive a photograph, it’s lovely watching her grow up.

Art is Good for Your Health!

Yesterday we hung art at a very long-standing client’s premises… a hospital! They have been renting contemporary abstract art from us for a few years now and every three months, we change it over for them, for a whole fresh new look. It’s always fun for those in the medical suites choosing the new art as everyone has a different viewpoint, a real conversation starter and distraction from their everyday working lives, but it made me realise just how good looking at great art is for your health. There are lots of studies on the internet backing this up. Apparently looking at art lowers your blood pressure and stress levels, and one particular study in the UK found that participants’ saliva cortisol levels (the best indicator of stress) reduced by 32% after they spent their lunch hour viewing art. Cortisol is a very important hormone in our bodies but excess amounts can be very detrimental. And let’s face it, everyone these days seems to suffer from some form of stress in their working lives. We actually live in our gallery, surrounded by many, many pieces of amazing gorgeous constantly changing artworks, all originals, painted by around thirty extremely talented creative individuals, so we really have no excuse for high stress levels in our household!!

Rainy Day

Rainy Nights
by Irene Thompson

I like the town on rainy nights
When everything is wet -
When all the town has magic lights
And streets of shining jet!

When all the rain about the town
Is like a looking-glass,
And all the lights are upside-down
Below me as I pass.

In all the pools are velvet skies,
And down the dazzling street
A fairy city gleams and lies
In beauty at my feet.

It's A Sign of the Times

I just love these signs down by the river in my neighbourhood,they make me giggle each morning as I walk by

Funny Face

Besides being one of my favourite Audrey Hepburn films, I actually saw the funniest face this morning on my morning walk… a Boston Terrier! How cute are they… it reminded me of the funny dogs we met on our travels through Brittany over a year ago, here are a few funny French faces, finishing with two of my favourite Aussie dogs, Rocky (otherwise known as Rock Star!) and artist Banx’s creation: Lady McBark, isn’t she a right regal hound!