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 

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