So it is now Monday and I have well and truly missed last Friday's Illustration Friday deadline for "Stretch". First time in eight months.
So what is my excuse??!!
For the first part of the week I was in a panic. My day job is managing an indigenous art centre in... as you all know by now....the middle of nowhere!! (see map for exact location of nowhere!)
View Larger Map
But this wasn't the panic. We have been only open six months, but on the day I found out my mother was critically ill I had just left a meeting in Alice Springs with a gallery who had offered us our first exhibition on Friday 7th December (last Friday, "Stretch" deadline!)
So this was exciting, very exciting. But the closer it came to the deadline the more I worried about leaving my mum, especially as the days leading up to leaving she was becoming day by day physically less able. But she insisted I go. So on Thursday morning I flew with my family back to Alice Springs to meet my ladies who had been bused up from "nowhere" for their big day. When they drove in at 8pm that night they burst out of the bus, brimming with excitement.
Twenty-four hours later, as the clock struck on the Illustration Friday deadline we were all going to sleep after the opening night of their exhibition. And, for a little trivia... the twelve beautiful canvases had been "stretched" twice before they appeared on the gallery wall. Once, to prepare the linen for painting on ...and twice, once completed to frame them for the exhibition.
So... no illustration from me this week (or last week...if we are sticking to schedule), but here is a slightly amusing "How to stretch the perfect canvas" instruction video for you!!
And if you want to check out the ladies paintings come look at their blog:
http://minymakutjara.blogspot.com.au/
Hi, Claire, first, I want to say that I envy your work, be working with these women artists, I suppose that should be exciting. congratulations
ReplyDeleteI see these women as a natural work of art, each one of them.
I know exactly where you live because when I told one of my daughters that I would send something there she show me, in Google Earth, where is, (she lived six months in Australia)
Finally, I hope your mother's health improves.
good week for you, Claire!
and congratulations again!! :)
CONGRATULATIONS on the exhibit!!! What an exciting time for those artists! While I enjoy IF, sometimes other things are far more important, & this is one of those times! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good post. I enjoyed the link to these wonderful women's stories. It's just great what you are doing! Hope your mom's feeling better!
ReplyDelete