Weekly Photo Challenge : Work of Art

The word and world of “Art” is huge. It can be interpreted in so many ways. Just the recognized meaning of art, as in paintings, has many different styles.

 When travelling and staying in new places for short periods of time one of the challenges is to fit in and find new friends. That is why this theme is so appropriate for me this week as I have just found a new group of friends.

New friends, notice the intense concentration.

I haven’t done any painting for a long time, I’ve occasionally sketched and been inspired to pick up the pencil again by Lisa over at “Zeebra Designs and Destinations” who challenges us to take time out for art. (Take a look at her art it is truly amazing.) But the last time I attempted painting was back in the 1990’s.

So back to the present. I love art both created and the wonderful art of nature. I try to capture nature’s art with the camera and could post many photos I have taken. But this time art has a very different meaning for me. It is connection, it is sharing, it is attempting to recreate what you are looking at and it is a new bunch of people who were strangers, but now we share a common interest and slowly get to know each other.

Jim and Jack. Jim is giving a helping hand to another new comer to the group.

Jim is our teacher and inspiration, he gives freely of his time to encourage and help. Art is his life and he has so much knowledge and patience as we all struggle to create our own works of art.

Take a look at his art here <www://facebook.com/jimcentsart>

So every Friday we will join this group to enjoy the company and the immersion into the world of our art.

I try to capture the colours of nature.

Jack and his Aboriginal themed art

From 9am to 1pm there is plenty of time to chat.

Geraldton has a special place for the senior citizens. The Queen Elizabeth II Seniors & Community Centre provides seniors activities that promote healthy ageing including a lounge, free cuppa, library, free internet access. The centre is also available to the community for hire. Citizens groups also use the centre for indoor recreation eg bowls, exercises, dances and their meetings.

In all our travels this facility would be the best we have ever come across. Every day there is a diverse number of activities to join in. Not only have we joined the art group, but Jack strums along on his ukulele with another enthusiastic group, while I attempt to keep up with a lively bunch of line dancers.

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There will hundreds of different interpretations of art this week, click here to check them out

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Lingering look at windows : Another visit to Yungaburra

Yungaburra is not a large village but there is so much to see (click here to see my previous post about this charming village) So it certainly needed another visit.

This time we followed the art trail.

This church has been reborn as an art studio.

Lead lighting at its best

I could not resist buying. What a great space to create in.

This original church made an ideal studio, it was light and airy and the designs reflected the happy atmosphere. I could not resist buying a cushion cover with the design of a sunflower on it, one of my favourite flowers. When we moved to the next door gallery look what we walked past.

Could not resist showing off this happy sunflower

Now that is one huge sunflower. It towered above smiling down on me.

The next gallery specialised in wooden furniture. Solid, lovingly carved using all Australian woods, Red Cedar, Silky Oak and many others. The pieces gleamed with many hours of precision work to create that deep shine and lustre.

Studio and gallery of hand crafted wooden furniture

Looking out along the road into Yungaburra

Taking a short cut back to the village we came across this old building tucked away behind the pub.

This studio and craft shop was originally the laundry of the Yungaburra hotel built 1920’s

Inside this looks like the original glass

Finally on our way home we called into the “Full Circle Studio and Gallery”. After finding galleries and studios in old churches, heritage laundries and imposing two-story buildings this was a purpose-built studio, intimate and full of an amazing diverse range of art work. We spent quite awhile talking to Sue, the multi-talented artist. Of course we could not photograph her art but go to her website www.fullcirclestudio.com.au and see what she has created, it is unique and original.

Built especially for a studio to display the art work

Look what I can see through this window

A relic from farming days

This post is inspired by the challenge from Dawn of “the day after” to show off windows we have found on our travels. Visit her post to see more windows bloggers from round the world have found to show us.

Growth has come from disaster in Childers

Palace Memorial building now the art gallery and tourist information centre

Two days on the road and we are settling into our routine of travel. Leisurely start with breakfast, pack up van and take off with no set plans for the day, just see what turns up. With thermos for cuppa and supplies on board we stop and eat when we are hungry and start looking for some where to camp for the night about 4pm. Because the weather is slightly cold and have had intermittent showers we are going into caravan parks with power so we can put on the little oil-fired heater. Last night was a van park behind “The Golden nugget” road house and truck stop just south of Gympie. The road house had a shepherd’s pie special on the board at $9 so couldn’t go past that. What we forgot was that this is a truck stop and the serving was tasty but HUGE.

Today we arrived in Childers at mid-day. In 2000 they had a terrible disaster when the Palace backpackers, that was in the building above, was deliberately torched and burnt to the ground with the loss of life of 15 young international backpackers trapped in their dormitories. We have passed through Childers several times in our travels and seen it slowly transformed from a rather scruffy small town with not much to stop for, to a vibrant community, proud of its heritage and the centre and heart of the town is the beautifully restored Palace Memorial Centre, the downstairs area is a tourist information centre and is staffed by very helpful and friendly local volunteers. We went upstairs to see the memorial painting of the 15 young people, and the story of the tragic fire. But what we also found was the most amazing works of art by a young 15-year-old aboriginal girl. Chern’ee Sutton has taken aboriginal dot painting and stories of her ancestors dream-time to a vibrant and modern interpretation. When looked at they are fresh, the colours glow. Then we were given 3D glasses to go round again and look at them. WOW!!! they just jumped out and vibrated with life, we could hardly tear ourselves away from them. Butterflies floated in front of deep indigo pits with the dream-time dots flowing in and around them, just amazing. Do go on the link to see some of her work, and read her story, but of course you need to see them in reality to get the full impact, not just photos.

Childers street art, not sure what it is…

Bronze sculpture in memory of the Kanakas from the Pacific islands were forcibly shipped to Australia to work in the cane fields

Dogs waiting and playing while the boss is in the pub

Delicious $10 pub lunch, crumbed Barra, 2 pieces each,, beer battered chips and salad

Travel Theme : Art

Ailsa of <Where’s my backpack>Has this week chosen a subject that is integral to travel. Art is all around us: even underground, go see Ailsa’s photos of a NYC subway.

Most towns have art galleries and we always search them out. Then there is art and craft shops and galleries. Sculptures, murals, mosaics, creations large and small to gaze at and photograph.

But I consider the greatest art of all is the stunning displays that nature presents us with. We try to capture that beauty in our photographs to bring the memory of places we have visited home with us.

The great artists have left many paintings for us to admire. When in Adelaide we went to Hahndorf, a short drive into the Adelaide Hills, to see the “Cedars” home and studio of the great Australian artist Hans Heysen. He has brilliantly combined the majestic beauty of the Australian gum tree into his works of art.  The house was as he left it, full of his paintings and drawings.(click on this link to see more of Hans Heysens beautiful paintings, he was a very prolific artist)It is now maintained by the family. The garden was a haven of peace, then we walked across to his studio set among the magnificent gums he loved and painted all his life. Copies of the original paintings were positioned in front of the actual gums in the setting that he painted them.

Magestic gums

Copy of Hans Heysen painting showing the gums in the picture

Gum trees in the afternoon light

Letter from Hans Heysen