12 June 2014

Arts and Crafts


Today I would like to show a few items in detail you may have missed in our house tour.
First up are some paintings.
This one is titled Poppies. I did this in a childlike style because it refers to the two Grandfathers who are now no longer with us, my Grandfather, and my kids' Grandfather both who were named Poppy.
And of course referring also to the remembering of the dead from war with the flower Poppy.


The next one is called Interbred.
I painted this while living in New Zealand and seeing how the Maori culture is interwoven into the white culture, especially in Rotorua.
It made me sad to think that our Aboriginal people could have had the same respect.


The next painting is painted to encourage myself.
I painted it to look like heiroglyphics carved in stone, swirling around a centre full of life, and from that centre emerges a force which carves its own way through the stone.
The symbols are those used throughout the queer world, and the letters underneath are 
 LGBT in the Greek Alphabet (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender).
The line is 'To swim against the stream, salmonlike, a silvered gleam, knifepoint slicing its way'
a line from one of my poems.


The following are paintings I've done of The Artist and The Actor.



Now we come to crafts. This is the only thing I, as crafty as you like, could bring myself to make for my unborn first child.
Its a wallhanging of native Australian flowers with faces.
Waratah, Wattle, Flannel Flower, Tea Tree, and Banksia or something like that!


The white objects are two from a series of four I carved out of polystyrene at art college.
We were learning Maori carving techniques and had to invent a design incorporating them on four different shapes.
I got top marks for the cone, but he didnt like the sphere.


It's a lizard hiding in grass...his head...


...his body...


...and his tail.


As part of our Rotorua stay we bought ourselves a piece of glass to remind us of its volcanic nature.
Isn't it gorgeous?
We don't have formal display cases with lights, so we stand it on the little wall behind the sink and the downlight shines into it. I put my rings in it when I cook. I like using precious things.


And right beside the glory of the lava glass, at the other end of the bench, and the other end pricewise!,is my green bottle collection. I look into them and feel like I'm in another world, like underwater or something.


Lastly we have my shoes I was too embarrassed to put up on Sheila's Shoeshine this week!
They are very crafted.
Old boots that are nearly at the end of their life, looked grungy, so I drew on them with oil pastels.
But I wasn't totally happy, so one day when I felt reckless, I cut out the tongue so you could see the socks, and darkened them a little, then feeling I needed to break up the shape, I painted the instep with black shoe dye. It now looks high heeled!
Then feeling still more reckless, I cut off the top of the boot. 
Now they are much lighter with less leather.
The leather is so soft and I have a sheepskin inner sole, they are like walking on clouds!


I hope you enjoyed my micro tour!
Please come again :-)

'Til next time, keep creating,
Jazzy Jack

16 comments:

  1. i´m impressed!
    so much different kind of styles. i like interbred and the lizard ball most!
    your shoe art remembers me of a skirt suit i had once - soo often altered/resewed/redecorated from a late 50´s original to some punk to neo roccoco....now the jacket has a new owner and a piece of the cut off skirt (for neo roccoco) got use as a waistband for a new project.............
    the volcano bowl is gorgeous, i too try to use such things, we don´t have a vitrine in our house.
    xx

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    1. I've learnt a new word...vitrine. Why haven't I heard of this before?
      Thanks for your lovely comments on my art, and calling my shoes art! I hadn't thought of it like that before :-) We arty types can always see more possibilities. I love the story of your skirt! :-)

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  2. OH what fun to see all of this. I think the boots are fantastic and you should not be embarrassed by them! Like Beate I really love the lizard ball, and I love your LGBT painting! Now that they've added Q you have to paint that in too! LOL I also love the woven texture in your painting Interbred. Oh and the green glass bottles are absolutely something I would collect too. I do have a collection of coloured glass and four pieces are bottle of various shapes and colour.
    Thanks for sharing, Jack!
    xoxo

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    1. My pleasure! Thanks for reading :-) I'm trying to see my boots in a new light with your encouragement. Something I should have mentioned, I had to form the lizard sphere before I carved it, out of a square piece. That was the hardest part, to not have lumps in it!
      Nobody comments on Interbred in real life, but I love it. You guys obviously have taste :-)

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  3. Those green bottles are just gorgeous with the light glinting through them! I love the piece you made to commemorate your unborn first child and your carvings and painting are incredible.
    Those boots rock! x

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    1. Thanks Vix! Nice to see things through others' eyes :-) I'll have to be kinder to myself.

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  4. It's wonderful to see some of your great creations framed here with their stories, as well as the gorgeous coloured glass and those special portraits. It's been fun. D&M xxxx

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    1. Yes, it's a special eerie sort of green! Yes, I love telling my stories, although sometimes I think it's better if people put their own interpretation on artworks, because then it's personal to them!

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    2. Just noticed your comment has somehow been deleted. It wasn't me! Honestly! :-)

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  6. Great work, all of it. And a very intriguing collection. Thanks for showing it to us. And thank you for the lovely comment you left on Project Minima.

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    1. Thanks Pao...great compliment from an artist like you! Glad you enjoyed your tour.

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  7. Loved this post because I got to see all your lovely artwork. That wall hanging was particularly lovely....

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    1. Thanks Leslie! That means a lot coming from you:-) thanks for stopping by!

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  8. Jazzy Jack I can see how creativity is part of your life. Creating is as essential as breathing for you. It's a wonderful experience and so nice to share with us.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. You hit the nail on the head...creating is definitely as essential as breathing, and more important than housework;-D

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