RETURNING

Returning Oil on linen 50 x 92 cm

 

Returning? Returning from where, from whom?

 

I often think about the presence of the future in the past. Sounds non-sensical in some ways! But, I've had experiences which, with hindsight, have heralded the future. However, it has only been with hindsight that I have the Ah Ha moment of realisation. In a sense, hindsight is a return to a moment in the past...realising that the past can 'return' to the future.

 

The concept of return or returning, is probably more apparent in the saying history repeats itself. Now this can be not so bad or it can be dreadful, particularly in the case of war. Whilst the weapons and tactics of war might have changed, the underlying human instigations perhaps have not? Why do we resort to war and conflict over and over again?

 

When we gaze out into Space we are seeing light, emitted from stars, that has travelled billions of year to get to us. This light is the past being witnessed in its future. In my mind we 'return' to the past, to those moments just after the Big Bang, when we see the stars. It makes me tingle with awe.

 

There is also the story of Adam and Eve, who upon expulsion from the Garden of Eden, are aware that a return to Eden is possible and something to strive for. Adam and Eve, representing humanity, are sent forth to experience the space between antimonies, that space created with the injection of 'evil' into the equation. 'Good' now had a companion, albeit a recalcitrant one. With humanity experiencing life, in this space between antimonies, it was given an opportunity to understand who it is not, thus making it possible to discover who it actually is. The repetition of war and conflict suggests we have a few more lessons to learn!

 

Now to my new painting above called Returning. The cascade of arced trees rustles with light, reflecting that emitted by the blood red moons. Interpsersed amongst the colourful branches of the trees are various dots, including red ones. These seem to whisper to the moons, echoing time seemingly passed and time heralded from the future. Yes, regular readers will identify the trees as my much loved age-old trancsultural/religious trees of life. This symbolic reference to life embraces its entirety, from pre-human [even pre-Earth] to that which exists in a post-human future, that may witness through implosion [or other forces] both a death and rebirth of the Universe. In a sense...the ultimate RETURNING.

 

I have used the word returning as the title rather than something like The Return, because the latter is finite, a once off, whereas returning suggests a constancy and an eternity.

 

Here are some links to other posts where I discuss concepts of returning:

Collective Memory

Perpetual Beginning

Body As Site

Past Present Future

 

MY BOOK AND CHRISTMAS

 

I have some copies of my book For Everyone and it would be a fantastic Christmas present! So if you want one or even more let me know, via comment [which I won't publish] and I will get back to you. Or you can contact me HERE

 

AND MORE CHRISTMAS

 

I have made two new 'galleries' on my website, in preparation for Christmas. If you are after present ideas, for Christmas, or any other celebration, please check out:

 

Oil Paintings Under $1000

Works On Paper Under $1000 

 

Cheers,

Kathryn

 

 

 

 

ALL OF US

All Of Us Gouache on paper 15 x 21 cm

I have three stretched canvases ready to paint. I've prepared the initial layers of paint and ideas are tripping through my brain. I am going to start on one after I have written this post. And, it will be linked to this new work on paper, above, titled All Of Us.

Regular readers will immediately recognise my much loved age old transcultural/religious tree-of-life. Yes, it's the 'shadow' [seemingly] behind the two figures, one male and one female. This 'shadow' represents variously, all history, geneology, human race evolution.

Yet, the figures are ambigiously orientated. Are they looking into past history with their backs to the future? Are they looking forward to unwritten future history with their backs to the past? Are they able to see all past and future histories with abilities to view from multiple perspectives simultaneously? The latter is a sophisticated way of viewing the world and the universe. I believe, in the 21st century, that we are being invited [perhaps implored] to 'see' this way. I suggest being able to see multiple perspectives simultaneously will enable humankind to [re]ignite imagination, wonder and compassion, to reveal better questions, which ultimately will lead to better answers. These answers, may lead to more questions, but the result could go beyond sustainability of the planet [and humankind] to something more. 

NEWS

                                                   Cosmic Frisson Oil on linen 90 x 180 cm

I have just sold Cosmic Frisson [above] to a new hospital! Very excited.

PLUS

• My entry for the $25,000 Mandorla Art Prize in Perth is a finalist. The award is announced 10 August. I will upload an image once the exhibition is live.My painting is called Birth of Knowledge.

Cheers,

Kathryn

www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com

JOY

Sap of Life Oil on linen 55 x 80 cm

Will be in QUIVER

A few days ago I was excitedly telling a friend about my recent painting Ouroboros I was explaining how I had combined two age-old symbols, the snake consuming itself [ie: ouroboros] and my much loved tree-of-life. I was, apparently, getting quite animated as I explained why I had combined the two symbols. I was in the throes of describing how the two symbols embodied the distances of the quantum and the cosmic, and how I had been inspired by reading about modern cosmology, when I glimpsed, out of the corner of my eye, one of my daughters. She was clearly sending me a non-verbal massage that I was being weird!

So, being a marvelous modern mother, I said to my daughter, 'Am I being weird?'. The reply was, 'Yes Mum, you are weird... but I Iove you.' So, I replied, 'Well, I think you're very lucky to have a weird Mum.' The response was, 'Yeeeeees Muuuuuum.' We all had a good laugh!

Well, I was probably getting a bit over animated. When I do this, my arms apparently make wild gestures and my body is pumped with energy. I suggest that these are signs of JOY!

So, I started to think about what makes me feel joy. Indeed, many things do...from a new pair of shoes, to my children, to receiving a reply to an email from an astrophysicist. Now this spectrum provides for a broad range of joyful moments! However, I am going to focus on those things, and moments, in my creative practice that bring me joy.   

Me in my studio which I share with the hot water system and where I paint on paper.

 

                             Me in my studio [aka garage] where I paint my oil paintings

This painting became THIS and then THIS [A painting called 'One']

JOY

• Yes, getting a replies to emails from a variety of people, including astrophysicists, academics, philosphers etc, over the years has given me great joy. Why? I think it is the acknowledgement that my creative activity touches upon relevant and contemporary discussions, which cross multiple facets of thought and investigation. JOY!

• In some cases the email exchanges have continued, with a rich and regular injection of stimulation and feedback. JOY!

• My regular followers of this BLOG bring JOY! You know who you are.

• Reading about things I have thought about, but not realised were 'out there' in the world of debate and discovery, until I read about them. The synchronicity is exciting. A feeling of being connected to this kind of energy is very exciting. JOY!

• When I prepare a canvas I often splash paint and turps around ultimately leaving the canvas either upright or flat on the floor, to let the paint do its own thing. [See teh photo of me above] Upon returning to my studio [aka garage], with new eyes [so to speak] I am often blown away by the results of the combination of my manipulations and chance. I feel excitement well up in my heart...JOY! I then very keenly take up my brush to take the painting further.

• When I have been working up close to a painting for awhile, I will step back from it, to view it from a distance. Now, sometimes I am not happy with what I see, but many times, I see something I did not realise I was creating...beauty...well at least I think so. The feeling is a combination of surprise, gratitude, satisfaction and some fear...but also JOY

• Getting a phone call, email or letter to tell me I have been selected as a finalist in an art prize. I enter many art prizes and have become very 'hard skinned' about rejection! My middle name is 'persistence'. So, when I receive notification of acceptance...JOY! Yes, yes, yes. I have been known to jump up and down on the spot...yes my children think it's weird when an 'old person' does this.

A long time ago I won a senior section state-wide prize which celebrated Queen Elizabeth's silver jubilee. Here I am with Her Majesty and I think the DG of Education at Queensland's Government House. My painting is top left. It's 1977! Yes, lots of JOY and anxiety too! Whether you are an monarchist or not, meeting the Queen, as a teenager was pretty exciting.

• I did definitely jump up and down on the spot when I received the first copy of my book For Everyone: Words and Paintings. A package was delivered to my door...I wondered what it was...looked at the sender info and realised it was my book. One of my daughters was home at the time. She even jumped up and down on the spot! It was just so exciting to open the package and see my first book [so far only!]. Given that For Everyone is essentially about reconnecting to one's inner child, I think my response, and my daughter's, was entirely appropriate.

• I have held many solo exhibitions over the years, but each time, when the show is fnally hung and I see a body of my work in its entirety, I feel JOY tinged with satisfaction and some fear too!

A view of my last solo exhibition VORTEX 2011

• When someone buys a painting! JOY! Money means I can keep painting, so you can imagine the sheer joy... and relief...a purchase gives...not only to me, but to any artist. There is such satisfaction opening up one's bank account to see credits!

• Now this has been unexpected, but I have had a number of people, after buy one copy of For Everyone return to by 3, 5 and 10 more copies. JOY!

• One of these people is a family lawyer. She has bought a total of 16 copies, to give to family law type people, from mediators, to counsellors and I think even a Judge. She is keeping some to lend to clients. When I spoke to her recently she explained how she was using the book with her clients, helping them to understand themselves and their situations. Can I tell you....I felt so grateful, excited and JOYful, that someone had really 'got it' and that For Everyone was helping people. Check out Feeney Family Law where my book is mentioned on their BLOG.

• Now, this is probably really weird, but I get very excited when I am asked to speak about my work or aspects of it. Public speaking, to many people, is frought with feelings of fear and anxiety. But, for me it's excitement [well with a little bit of anxiety]! I have spoken at many forums over the years, but one of the most memorable was in July 2008 when I was asked to be the guest speaker at the Univeristy of Queensland's graduation ceremony for the Faculties of Arts, and Behavioural and Social Sciences. I chose the topic of 'Perspective' [regular readers of this BLOG will know why]. I was told I should speak for around 8 Minutes. The first few seconds, where I was a tad nervous, passed and I realised that the slight rustling in the audience had quietened to very still and attentive silence. As I tried to not notice my face reflected back to me in the huge screens dotted around the massive UQ Centre, I felt a welling of excitement and JOY. They were listening to me!

QUIVER

Count down to my next solo exhibition. It opens to the public in just over a week! Now that's exciting!

Please check out Carolyn McDowall's article in The Culture Concept. When I saw this article I felt JOY! 

17 - 29 April Graydon Gallery, 29 Merthyr Rd, New Farm, Brisbane, Australia

Please check out a recent QUIVER post and my online gallery on my WEBSITE

Meeting Place Of The Mind Oil on linen 100 x 70 cm

Will be in QUIVER

Cheers,
Kathryn
www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com

LAUNCHED

My book FOR EVERYONE: WORDS AND PAINTINGS was launched on Thursday night. And it was a fantastic night too. Scott Emerson MP, Queensland State Member for Indooroopilly and Shadow Minister for the Arts [as well as Transport and Multicultural Affairs] launched FOR EVERYONE. Around 90 people came to the event, on a miserably wet night too. Thank you to all of you!

I've uploaded some photos of the exhibition and some from the launch.

The exhibition showcases the thirty original paintings inside FOR EVERYONE. Click here for more details.

The exhibition is at FireWorks Gallery 52A Doggett St, Newstead, Brisbane.
Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Friday 10 am - 6 pm Saturday 10 am - 4 pm
07 3216 1250

Good News!!!
The exhibition has been extended until Friday March 2nd! Thursday night extended to 7.30 pm!

Achievement, Alone, Excitement Within, Asleep: All gouache on paper

Dare to Be, Behind The Mask, Inspiration Calling, Disappearance: All gouache on paper

 Keyhole, Listen, Inner Child, Beyond The Boundaries: All gouache on paper

Now to some photos from the launch night!

Me with Scott Emerson MP...and FOR EVERYONE

Speech making Me with Scott Emerson MP and the Director of FireWorks, Michael Eather watching.

Scott Emerson MP, Me and Director of FireWorks Gallery, Michael Eather.

Book sales are going really well. Two people returned today to buy more books! Plus a number of people who could not get to the launch came along today and bought books.

Please click HERE for more details about FOR EVERYONE...where to buy etc. It is available online many online book selling sites plus GOMA and Queensland Art Gallery Bookstores.

It is also available as an e-book...BUT only in colour in the USA with a Kindle Fire

Cheers,

Kathryn

www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com

INSIDE FOR EVERYONE

Alone Gouache on paper 28 x 37.6 cm

BOOK LAUNCH UPDATE

It is one week until my book For Everyone: Words and Paintings is officially launched! Whilst it was published in Sept/Oct last year I decided not have a launch in the middle of Christmas mayhem and partying. So, next week it is! Thursday 23 rd February.

Please check HERE for all the details, plus testimonials and more.

The launch will take place at FireWorks Gallery one of Brisbane's best known art galleries. Check out the gallery's history HERE I am very grateful to the Director, Michael Eather, for allowing me to hold the launch and mini exhibiton at FireWorks.

The thirty original paintings inside For Everyone  will be exhibited from the 22 - 25 February at FireWorks Gallery. The paintings have not been exhibited before.

*The e-magazine The Culture Concept has written a short piece about the launch.

For Everyone

The thirty paintings inside For Everyone are each accompanied by some short, and sometimes, poetic prose which is neither didactic nor descriptive. The prose and paintings stir your inner child/essence so that the book becomes all about you, and the conversations you have with yourself and others. Whilst the paintings were initially inspired by observations of my children, particularly as they entered the educational system, over the years I have realised that they are more about the inner child/essence which lives within us all, influencing how we react to events in our lives, how we love and hate, how we cope with success and failure...and so on.

INSIDE FOR EVERYONE

I have uploaded some of the paintings inside For Everyone. The paintings were created in 1997 when my children were very little. In fact, I was pregnant with my third child when I painted this series. She is a bit put out that she's not in one particular image, the one just below called Dare to Be. This painting depicts a family of four, Mum, Dad, and two children with a crowd of eyes staring at them. Yes, it is a painting of me, my then husband and our two children. I have tried to portray how we felt when we were lobbying for a differentiated educational program for our eldest child. We lived in a small country town and the issue became a point of discussion around the community!

Yet, whilst this painting was inspired by a particular series of events it actually, I believe, demonstrates how we all might feel when we step outside the norm. We feel all eyes are on us, we temper our behaviour not to be too noticeable, we gird ourselves to pursue what we think is right...and so on. We can feel anxious, fearful, questioning ourselves and others, angry, disappointed, excited, proud... These kinds of feelings wax and wane as we grow older. But as we get older we become gamer and braver. But, do we?

Dare To Be  Gouache on paper 28 x 37.6

Asleep Gouache on paper 28 x 37.6 cm

This is the prose I wrote for Asleep:

Why did the slow tortoise and the fast hare race each other?

Steady wins the race, so the moral goes.

But, do mismatched races benefit anyone?

Which One? Gouache on paper 37.6 x 28 cm

The initial inspiration for Which One? came from witnessing how my children changed their behaviour according to environments eg: home, educational etc. I watched as they conformed [or not] to perceived expectations from teachers and friends. How they negotiated the complexity of playground dynamics, performance expectations from teachers, parents, friends etc. Absolutely fascinating and I am sure very normal. Yet, sometimes I wondered if one particular child was really just too attuned to other's expectations and approval or disapproval!

As time passed and I re-looked at the paintings in this series, I realised that paintings such as Which One? 'speak' to all of those who are vulnerable toseeking approval and avoiding disapproval, often becoming angry with oneself when behaviours and decisions are based on everything but one's own desires and dreams. Ultimately the question asked is 'Who am I?'

This is the prose accompanying Which One? in For Everyone:

Who are you?

Self perceptions can morph wildly

from one situation to another,

especially if the approval of others is the master.

When you ponder the other paintings in this post, and in For Everyone, you will see how they all relate. Indeed, the painting below Disappearance takes on interesting connotations when considered with Which One? Do people 'disappear' as they morph to expectations or do they need to disappear to find themselves again? Think about Which One? in relation to Who Pulls The Strings?

Inner Child Gouache on paper 47.6 x 28 cm

Disappearance Gouache on paper 37.6 x 28 cm

There are many conversations you can have with yourself about Disappearance.

Let Them Fly Gouache on paper 37.6 x 28 cm

Who Pulls The Strings? Gouache on paper 37.6 x 28 cm

I'd like to think that people, who buy For Everyone will return to it time and time again, just to ponder and to let their imaginations 'go'. But, there are many possible scenarios where the book can be used to spark conversation and creativity. A primary school teacher has told me she will be using For Everyone as a stimulus for her gifted and talented creative writing class. I young consellor has seen possibilities where the book could be used as a stimulus for conversations with clients/patients, to draw out those secrets we hold within our psyches, within the inner child. I can see For Everyone being a tool to stimulate conversations with the elderly, where memories of their early lives may be stirred, revealing those details that are often missed in simply recalling facts about events.

PRICES
The paintings will be exhibited from 22 - 25 February at FireWorks Gallery. They will be on display for the actual book launch on the 23rd. Details HERE

All, but one, will be exhibited unframed. I have framed the painting which is on the front cover of For Everyone so people can get an idea of what the paintings might look like when framed. The unframed price is $700 AUD and framed $920 AUD

My children have picked out one painting each to keep.

Cheers,
Kathryn
www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com

THE MOON

Memory Oil on linen 80 x 120 cm 2002
Memory Previous Post

I am working on a new painting...an 'everything landscape'. But, whilst I have been working, thinking, sitting and standing in front of my easel, I realised that over the years the moon has been a significant inspiration. As reguler readers know, the cosmos inspires me...not just the literal one out there in space, but also the metaphoric one within our psyches.

So I decided to upload a selection of my paintings where the moon appears. And, as I went through my files I realised that whilst the moon represents time and cycles it also anchors me to my childhood... or rather it stirs my inner child through memory. Indeed, the painting above is called Memory. Childhood memories were also the stimulus for the painting below When I Was A Child I Dreamt I could Fly.

In both paintings the phases of the moon orientate the figures in time and space. Time's dance of infinite cyclical movements, stirs the universal memory. I am reminded of a recent post Elemental Dance where I mention the Whirling Dervishes. Their mesmerising, and trance inducing, whirling movement seems to condense the universal/multiversal cycles of life to a persistently contemporary beauty which reminds us of life's propulsion. Like a vortex the Dervishes suspend time linking all experience.

When I Was A Child I Dreamt I Could Fly Oil on linen 80 x 120 cm 2003

When I Was A Child I Dreamt I Could Fly Previous Post

The painting below The Flat And Fanstastic Horizon is also grounded in memories of my childhood growing up on the flat treeless Pirrinuan Plain outside Dalby, in S.E Queensland Australia. The whole painting is created with a cascade of tree-of-life symbols. The full moon forms a portal-like presence in the night sky.

I have previously written about my Grandmother, who had a great interest in astronomy. She tried to teach me and my two brothers to identify certain stars and the constellations. Apart from my Grandmother's cosmological interests, the night sky of my childhood could not be ignored. On a clear night the Milky Way was like a swathe of glistening fabric flung across the heavens. The glistening was not dulled by any ambiant lighting from cities or major settlements. The stars and the moon glowed fulsomely and elegantly.

This takes me to another painting, a more recent one to The Flat And Fanstastic Horizon. In fact, only since starting this post have a I realised the connection between the two paintings. The second one is The Beginning Of Everything  [It is below The Flat And Fanstastic Horizon.] Please read my previous post where I write in more detail about my grandmother and the landscape of my childhood.

In 1969 when man first walked on the moon, my parents, particularly my Father, insisted my brothers and I stayed home from school to watch the landing on TV. I still remember the grainy black, white and grey images.

The Flat And Fanstastic Horizon Oil on canvas 100 x 120 cm 2006

The Beginning Of Everything Oil on linen 90 x 180 cm 2010

The Beginning of Everything previous post

In Unison Oil on linen 92 x 208 cm 2006

In Unison previous post

I did not write much about In Unison in my previous post but regular readers will identify my inspirations. And, there's the moon reminding us of cyclic rythms over time. This painting was sold to a collector in Korea.

Meeting Place Of The Mind Oil on linen 100 x 70 cm 2011

Meeting Place of The Mind previous post

In Meeting Place Of The Mind the morphed male/female figure, synaptic in its connective qualities, is hooked into the universal/mulitversal tune. The phases of the moon are watchful as they shed their varying nuances of light on generative impulses. The moon is more commonly thought of as a symbol of feminine power, with the sun symbolising masculine power. However, there are exceptions in some cultures [some African and American Indian tribes, in Japanese, Maori and some Oceanic symbolism where the moon has a masculine fertilising symbolism]. When I read this I thought of Meeting Place of The Mind where 'mind' is neither male nor female, but a force where life's compulsions become one.

Mother Nature Gouache on paper 30 x 42 cm unframed 2011

Previous post

In Mother Nature [above] the female figure, representing Mother Nature, seems partnered with the moon. In this case the moon is a symbol of feminine power. The fulsome light of the moon is reflected in the curves of Mother Nature's womanly body and the vascular/placenta-like branches erupting from her feet. The moon's light reveals Mother Nature' aura, shared with all existence.

Sap Of Life Oil on linen 55 x 80 cm

Sap Of Life previous post

Sap of Life essentially refers to water, the sap of life. As in Meeting Place of The Mind the female figure represents Mother Earth, her aura reflected in the moon's nuanced light. The feminine power to give life with a fertility that flows in an eternity of cycles dances along with the universal song, waxing and waning in timbre. Please read my previous post here

BOOK LAUNCH AND TESTIMONIALS

Just a reminder that my book launch for 'For Everyone: Words and Paintings' is Thursday 23 February! Click HERE for more details.

TESTIMONIALS

Not only is Kathryn a deeply talented, original and inspiring artist, she has a gift for wordsmithing as well! Utilizing the raw power of her art, ‘For Everyone’ is a masterful insight into the very essence of who we truly are, our complexities, our simplicities and who we are meant to be. Dr George Blair-West, Author of The Way of the Quest

In Kathryn Brimblecombe-Fox’s book, 'For Everyone: Words and Paintings', the combination of words and images is a gift to the senses. I highly recommend it. Felix Calvino, Author of A Hatful of Cherries

For Everyone is absolutely beautiful and as I read the prose, and looked at the paintings, it was like going on a personal journey of my life. It touched on fond memories of my childhood and reinforced my beliefs in being an individual. As a teacher I know this book could be used in so many ways. In 2011 I organised and ran the Gifted and Talented Program in Writing at my school. Many students in my class published their poetry and stories in an Australian wide writing competition. I am continuing in this position in 2012 and will incorporate this unique book to help my students develop their ideas and be more expressive. The paintings and phrases in For Everyone are great conversation starters. They will also inspire and encourage students to be brave enough to share and express their thoughts and individuality. This book is a fabulous resource for educating and inspiring young people to share the beauty from within! Lou Walsh: Primary School Teacher

BLOGS/SITES OF INTEREST

Here are a few blogs/sites I think are interesting. It's a broad array!

EVERYBODY MEANS SOMETHING

WOLF ART + WORDS

DUCKSMAHAL

MONEYTHOUGHTS

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN SYMBIARTIC

QUILTOPIA DESIGN

Cheers,

Kathryn

www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com 

LOVE...Valentine's Kind

                                                    Sending Love oil on linen 90 x 180 cm

So, I have decided to be a little light hearted for this post. I've decided to focus on love...yes love....the romantic kind.  Valentine's Day is just around the corner!

I have uploaded a few paintings which I think would make great Valentine's Day presents. Why, because they are about love, some are a little sexy, a couple remind us of the Adam and Eve adventure. That story which is so often very simplistically interpreted eg: man was lead astray by a woman!

So let's begin:
Sending Love above, is my interpretation of love emmanating from a central force eg: heart! The heart is the tree-of-life, which is a symbol of life, itself signified by a pulse...heart!  Love is pure, hence the white and pale tones of the tree and the emmanating light which cascades from it. In my mind, we have the capacity to conjure great feelings of love, and then send this love, as white light, out into the world or to the people we love. Our imaginations hold a force which extends beyond us.

Into My Galaxy Oil on linen 85 x 147 cm

Into My Galaxy...well what more can I say! When in love the 'galaxy' is just the two people who are in love. Their own world, where sparks fly, frisson seduces, time collapses and perfection reigns.  Now, this painting, as it has been pointed out to me, can also be read as the moment of fertilization! Regular readers will know of my great interest in collapsing perspective. So, we have travelled from a galactic perspective to a very intimate internal one. The latter being the moment of life's first quiver, a culmination of an act of love.

Forever Connected Oil on linen 120 x 80 cm

Forever Connected is a painting which 'speaks' about the connections forged by shared stories across time and cultures. On a macro level we all share the same story...the one about how the universe/multiverse was created! Focusing in a little Forever Connected refers to the story of the burning bush and Moses. This story is shared by the three Abrahamaic religions, thus connecting Islam, Christianity and Judaism forever. And focusing n a littel more, the love of two people also forges a connection across time through children and other relationships...and this connection continues even in divorce and after death! 

Compassion Oil on linen 100 x 100 cm

Compassion is a really beautiful painting! It is currently hanging in my sunroom and many people have commented on it. This painting was also selected for the Blake Prize Directors' Cut online exhibition. The paintings selected for this were shortlisted for finalist selection in the main Blake Prize, but did not quite make it. http://www.blakeprize.com.au/galleries/directors-cut

Two trees-of-life meet in a blaze of light, their branches connecting and embracing to form a circle, which seems to be many things at once...an opening to a portal, a crown, an embrace, a celestial entity.

Compassion is a very important ingredient in any relationship, whether it be between countries or individuals. This is the post where I write about my thoughts on compassion and Compassion http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2010/07/compassion.html

Remembering The reason Why Oil on linen 100 x 70 cm

Sometimes, in a relationship, one needs to remember why. Please check out my previous post HERE

In The Garden of Eden Oil on linen 50 x 94 cm

This is a painting not simply about Adam and Eve, but about men and women. please check out my previous post on this painting HERE

'She was not made out of his head to surpass him, nor from his feet to be trampled on, but from his side to be equal to him, and near his heart to be dear to him." [Jamieson-Fausset Brown Bible Commentary] Oil on linen 80 x 120 cm

The title of the painting above says it all really...don't you think?

Hot Gouache on paper 15 x 21 cm unframed

So, back to a bit of fun. Hot is a small painting and it is meant to be HOT! Sprouting wings, red, swirling colour...up to you!

The paintings above range from $300 AUD up to $6,800 AUD [Excluding packaging and freight]

[Prices correct as of 11-1-12, but will change as time goes on. if you are reading this in many months time, please check for updated prices]

AND, I do have many other paintings on my WEBSITE

Some paintings are listed with prices. Please contact me via my website for any price enquiries.

AND

Please check out my BOOK LAUNCH SITE

For Everyone: Words and Paintings

NEXT EXHIBITION

QUIVER

17-29 April

Graydon Gallery

Cheers,

Kathryn

PS...Please click on the 'share' buttons below if you have Twitter and Facebook accounts...or any other sharing social network membership. It all helps spread the word. Thanking you in advance.

MY WOMEN

Homage Mixed media on paper 37 x 27 cm 1991

The female figure has been a constant presence in my work, particularly since 1991 when I had my first baby. Not all my work depicts women, but I have been told, that my work exudes many aspects of the feminine. Regular readers will possibly think of my love of the tree-of-life, an age-old transcultural/relgious symbol of ongoing life in all its many splendours.

The painting above 'Homage' was created when I was pregnant with my first daughter. The pregnant woman is me, but she seems to resonate with shadows of herself. These are the women of my paternal and maternal ancestry. I look at this painting now and chuckle. Why? Because it is prophetic...the three baby figures on the left seem to be telling my much younger self, that I will have three children. And, I have.

I called the painting 'Homage' because my maternal grandmother died only six weeks before my first daughter was born. I was her only grand-daughter and a very strong link existed between me and Grand-ma-ma [Yes, that's what she insisted on being called!].

The stepping depicted in the painting was a conscious attempt to depict some kind of ascension, progress...birth to death...but also whatever existed beyond them...no end.

                                                                Life Oil on linen 80 x 200 2005

This painting 'Life' was created fourteen years after 'Homage'. It depicts a road with figures dotted along the route. This painting 'speaks' of the cycle of life, but belies the notion of a circle! It is actually somewhat 'dark'. In this painting I am reflecting upon the power of insidious expectations placed on women ie: that there is a 'road' or 'map' and deviations are not welcomed or possible. Well. I know that is untrue. My deviation, like that of many other women, was divorce.

                                                Am I Mirage? Oil on Board 40 x40 cm 1992

Living With Distance Oil on linen 120 x 160 cm [Diptych] 2001-2

The two paintings above, done ten years apart, resonate with a feeling of distance, yet the female figures seem to emerge from the landscape. In 'Am I Mirage?' I believe now, that the younger me was searching for some kind of identity that was not hinged to the identities I played to 'fit in' to societal expectations. In 1991 I lived in a small rural community, in 2000 I divorced after eighteen years of marriage and moved to Brisbane.

I'd like readers to look at the above two paintings and compare them with the next two.

Breath Gouache on paper 30 x 42 cm 2011

                                     Mother Nature Gouache on paper 30 x 42 cm 2011

The two paintings above, painted this year, and nineteen years after 'Am I Mirage?' and ten years after 'Living With Distance', tell me that the feeling of distance is not longer there or if it is, it is not about being lonely. In the recent paintings the female figure seems less agitated, less tethered. She is Mother Nature, so she is me and she is you. She is that impulse for life within us all...that impulse shared with whatever urge it is for all existence.

Given that I was born in the country, and then spent eighteen years of my adult life living in the country, it is not a surprise that landscape is an essential part of my inspiration. However, I sense that my recent work is untethered from specific place, as if landscape itself is freed from being bound to Earth. This reminds me of another painting [below] called When I Was A Child I Dreamt I Could Fly.

                    When I Was A Child I Dreamt I Could Fly Oil on linen 80 x 120 cm 2003
                  http://kathrynbrimblecombeart.blogspot.com/2006/09/school-holidays.html

When I Was A Child I Dreamt I Could Fly painted in 2003 [when I was certainly no longer anywhere near the age of a child] is a painting directly 'speaking' with my inner child...my inner essence. Even now I can remember the feeling of flying...it was fantastic. AND, this takes me to my book 'For Everyone: Words and Paintings'....a book which calls to your inner child or essence by prodding memory.

Cheers,

Kathryn

www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com