Another Reason I Love Melbourne

I have said many times how much I love graffiti art...not vandalism but art. When I first moved to Chicago I went to buy spray paint for some project or another. I didn't see any on the shelves so I asked the man at my friendly Ace Hardware but he looked around suspiciously and then waved me towards the back of the store. I was really confused. I just wanted spray paint...not crack. He whispered asking what colors I wanted then put the cans in a bag before rushing me up to the check out while trying to hide my illegal items. Outlawing spray paint was Chicago's answer to the graffiti problem. All this did was make people start using a glass eating acid that causes much more damage than paint.

Melbourne took what I think is a more positive approach, The Graffiti Mentoring Program along with the Graffiti Management Plan. "Do art not tags" is the name of a graffiti education presentation being offered to Year 5 and Year 8 students in schools within the City of Melbourne. Actors visit classroom and provide information about the differences between graffiti and street art and how different choices can lead to different consequences.

Matt and I were walking in the rain but when we passed by an art covered laneway we had to take a detour. This is what I read about it on the City of Melbourne's website. "The Street Art Project in Union Lane 2008 was the most significant and active stage of the Graffiti Mentoring Project. The laneway is in a high profile location in the heart of Melbourne’s retail hub and was increasingly uninviting and heavily tagged. A Street Art Permit and Planning Permit were sought for the creation of a street art mural with the full support of the building owners, David Jones and the Walk Arcade. The mural spans 550 square meters on both sides of Union Lane.The mural was created in the city’s busiest retail period between November and December 2007 by more than 50 young people between the ages of 13 and 28 who were supported by artist mentors, a site manager and project coordinator. "
I don't think tagging will stop anytime soon but at least Melbourne is looking for positive ways to promote graffiti art instead of just outlawing spraypaint.

National Tree Day

Sunday was National Tree Day in Australia so Matt and I gathered up Luke and Natarsha and went off to plant some trees. We found a site at Animal Land in Digger's Rest. Once we got to the farm I felt like a silly, city girl sliding around in the mud with my ballet style shoes on. Luckily, I never fell down. The kids had a great time feeding a baby lamb and gathering eggs from the chicken coup. We planted four trees before Luke was ready to go home. After digging in piles of poo and mud I was pretty done myself but was happy to have contributed to Tree Day.

Kimono Exhibit and The Burger Monster

Matt and I went downtown to the Immigration Museum to see a kimono exhibit from Melbourne's sister city, Osaka, Japan. The exhibit was on the second floor but we were distracted by the first floor. There was a film showing various groups and their reasons for immigrating to Australia. There were examples of everything from the Irish famine in the 1800's to international marriages to many various conflicts across the world that have led people to flee to Australia.

There was also a timeline of Australian immigration up on the walls complete with advertisements of each decade. For many years Australia adopted an "All White" policy meaning any person of color wasn't welcome. There was a newspaper article on the board about a group from China that had made it to Australia but just after immigration laws had changed. They weren't allowed off their boats and were sent straight back to China. This magnet poster from 1910 was meant to attract immigrants to Australia as long as you were the right color. If you look closely the first two lines are rather ironic. I am happy to say this policy went out the window a while ago.

We realized we were going to run out of time on the parking meter so we headed up stairs to the kimono exhibition. Most of the pieces were from around 1850. There were very plain, everyday robes and extremely elaborate examples. There was one that used a resist dye technique that I really loved. One of my favorite parts of the exhibtion was miniature wigs done up in traditional hair design. Each hair design told something about the woman wearing it as in age, marital status and if she had children or not. There was a dress up room with a video explaining how to properly put on a kimono. Matt was a good sport and let me dress him up.

We went to run a few more errands when we ran into this fine fellow on the street. The one and only Burger Monster!! Matt again obliged me with a stupid tourist photo.

Nana Fata

In celebration of the capture of the evil monster, Radovan Karadzic, I decided to put up a piece from a few years back. I made a miniature series of women who had taken their own lives. I know it sounds morbid but some of the stories were pretty fascinating. Some dear friends of mine from Bosnia told me the story of Nana Fata. She was an elderly lady (approx. 65) from Dobrinja, Bosnia who the Cetniks attempted to capture and take to a concentration camp. To stop the capture she threw a grenade killing many Cetniks and herself in the process. My little picture of Nana Fata lives in Bosnia now...where she should be.

Geebung Then and Now

I went for a walk today even though it was a little drizzly outside. I was in need of glue...just regular glue. I didn't think it would be such a hard thing to find but I had to go to four different stores. Along the way I passed some old photos of Hawthorn, my new lovely neighborhood. I am not sure what year this picture was taken but I am happy to say Auburn Road really doesn't look that different.The same big, beautiful building which was known as the Auburn hotel is now the Geebung Polo Club. This is where a bunch of us ended up after our wedding. I took this picture today and besides the cars the street scene is almost identical to what it was many years ago. I didn't know the Geebung Polo Club got it's name from an A. B. "Banjo" Paterson (who also gave us "Waltzing Matilda" and "The Man from Snowy River") poem of the same name.

Lunar Corona

On Friday night Matt and I went to a footy game just to watch the Magpies lose... again. We still had a great time though. Aussie Rules fans are very passionate and all of the language flying around is very colorful. When we were leaving I noticed a rainbow around the moon. Once again, this was something I had never seen before. Matt was dragging me along, holding my hand, telling me to stop looking up and get out of the street so I wouldn't get hit by a car. It was way too cool to stop looking at. They are called Luna Coronas and are formed by the light of the moon hitting ice crystals in the clouds. It was beautiful.

Australian made

I was doing a little research for a painting when I came across this label for Australian made Absinthe, Moulin Rooz. I thought it was funny.

One "Lucky" Koala

This little guy has been dubbed "Lucky" after he survived an unexpected car trip near Brisbane. He was hit by a car going 100km(60mph) an hour and got his little head stuck in the grill. His ride lasted 12km(7m) before people alerted the driver who was unaware of the koala dangling from the front of the car. Some rescuers unstuck the koala using household scissors like a miniature version of the "jaws of life". After a few hours of tender loving care at the animal hospital Lucky was sitting up and eating. At the hospital it was discovered that Lucky had koala chlamydia which has been a huge detriment to these marsupials. He is receiving treatment and will be released back into the wild in around 45 days. It is coming up on Koala mating season so these little guys are more likely to be out on the roads...be careful out there!

Tagine

I went to Morocco with Angela two weeks before I met Matt. Of all the places I have traveled it was by far the most different from home and I loved it! The people that we met were unbelievably welcoming and hospitable. Morocco was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. We were there during Ramadan and could hear prayers all day even floating up to the window of our hotel room. I have been intrigued by everything Moroccan since then.

Matt and I received a gift certificate for David Jones (equivalent of Bloomingdales or Dilliards) from all of his friends at work. We were planning on a shopping day and were looking through the catalog when we saw they had tagines, a traditional Moroccan cooking pot, and on sale. Good tagines aren't cheap so I was very excited. We had to go to two different stores but finally got the last floor model. Yay!! Until yesterday our tagine has been used as a piece of artwork sitting on display on top of the wine cabinet. They are not only useful for making great meals but very beautiful. All because of the domed top which in my case could always double as a hat.

Matt and I went to the Vic Market (I love that place) and got all of our veggies right from the farmers. I love tagines because you use very little oil but lots of good for you stuff...especially the apricots! It took about a half an hour of prep and two hours of slow cooking but I am happy to say came out tasting delicious.

So while I may not be able to do all of the cool things I did in North Africa on a daily basis like riding camels and climbing around the Cave of Hercules at least I can bring a little bit of Morocco into my home.

Tesseract

I hate math. The subject has always been the bane of my existence and almost kept me from getting a college degree. A perfect example, I did very well in all of my costume design classes except tailoring. Why? Fractions. Tailoring involves a substantial amount of math. My finished coat at the end of the class looked like it was made for a child on one side and a mutant giant on the other. The only mathematical theme that has ever held any interest for me was the tesseract. As a child I was obsessed with Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time which was all about tesseracts. Matt and I just finished watching The Last Mimzy based on a 1943 short story Mimsy Wore the Borogoves by Lewis Padgett (a pseudonym of Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore). This story also featured tesseracts. There are even claims that Alice's Looking Glass was really a tesseract so I just wanted to post this cool little tidbit I found on youtube...all about tesseracts.

Smelling the Flowers

So I actually stopped today to not so much smell but simply marvel at some beautiful little flowers on the side of the road today. They were SO purple. They almost looked like those flowers that have sucked up water with dye added to it they were so bright. The picture doesn't even do the color justice. Once again I was on the side of the road, looking crazy, hunched over some weed taking a picture. They were so pretty I couldn't help myself.

I was on the way to the post office to feed my new addiction....Swap-bot. Much in the way I signed up for a German pen-pal (who always wrote about being in love with her school bus driver) out of a Seventeen magazine when I was in elementary school I have now signed up on Swap-bot to trade postcards and ACTs (Artist Trading Cards) with people all over the world. This may not be the best use of my time but I am looking at it this way... on all of these ACTs or homemade postcards I can try out new styles and techniques. Anyway, it's fun and people are into all kinds of things....everything from pin-ups to photos of front doors. I made a little butterfly card and his wings can move.

Tequila to Champagne

Happy belated 4th of July to everyone!!! I was trying to find a 4th of July celebration here but only found a buffet of chili dogs and a punk show celebrating everything that particular group of people hated about the USA so decided to make my own fun. Mick and Bec came up and we went to an art opening at Per Square Meter in Collingwood. Matt and I have driven by many times and always wanted to go in. I did a little investigating into the artist who was showing and REALLY liked her work. This was definitely way better than the last show we went to. Aida Sabic's work was wonderful and I want to purchase one of her pieces once I am allowed to work. We all went out to dinner and later someone (probably me) had the fantastic idea to start drinking tequila. Not a good idea....very, very bad idea! The next day was spent in bed eating a healthy combination of McDonalds and Pizza Hut, watching movies and feeling like a truck was repeatedly running me over. Bad Idea!!!

The next morning Matt and I decided to go for a little hike to make up for our Saturday of sloth and gluttony. We took a path around the Yarra River which was a little higher than I would have liked but I forged on. There were Rosellas flying around and a kookaburra in the trees.

I felt like I was in Ireland or at least I should have been because there were shamrocks climbing all the way up the hills we were walking through. Matt started rambling about how some Irish person probably dropped seeds at some point and these evil shamrocks may be eating up native plants. We had shamrocks in Florida but who knows. Australians get very feisty about non-native plants.

After our little hike it was time for my first volunteer day at Droomkeen in Riddell's Creek. This was the best volunteer job I have ever had starting with a surprise glass of champagne. I spent the afternoon with two absolutely lovely ladies Lee Fox and Glenda Millard, who are both authors of picture books and novels. I got to read both of their pictures books and they are wonderful!!! If anyone is looking for some books to get their little ones these ladies do fantastic work. We had a lovely afternoon looking at books and talking to a few visitors. It's always a fantastic day when peacocks are around and they definitely were. I love Dromkeen! For those of you who live in Melbourne definitely check it out!! http://www.scholastic.com.au/common/dromkeen/