Showing posts with label Nepal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nepal. Show all posts

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Hope For Women in Unexpected Places

Hope for Women in Unexpected Places is an exhibition  by TEAR Australia, it is a photo exhibition, but I was asked to create a piece for this show - that isn't a photo.

I was very excited to support TEAR as they do fabulous work both here and overseas with those who are the poorest in our world.

I was asked to create something that honoured women and the work they do. I chose to focus on water as this is an essential of life and sometimes one that poses difficulty.
While I was in Nepal I  noticed that the women collected water in large metal containers and then often carried them in a large basket they carried slung from their heads. Washing is also often done in public, communally, at the water taps or down near the river. This also involves carting the garments in the basket.
Washing in Nepal is a colourful palette flying in the breeze and the dhaka fabrics, traditional to the area I visited, are particularly beautiful.

I chose to combine these images and fabric along with a map of Nepal to create my piece for the exhibition.
Washing in Nepal is the result. It depicts the water vessel, the woman carrying the basket of clothes and the washing blowing in the breeze above the stepped rice fields of Nepal.

 detail of dhaka fabric and map of Nepal used in the piece.
Washing in Nepal

detail of the water container image

If you would like to see this piece and the rest of the exhibition you can find it at 
Chapel on Station Gallery 
cnr Station st  & Ellingworth Pde, Box Hill, Victoria
from February 20 - March 4 
Tues - friday 11.30- 3 
Saturday 1-4pm
Sunday 4.30 -7pm

There is an event on Friday 27 February with speaker Hailey Bartholomew of 365 Grateful 
and music from 2 members of The Tealeaves
hope to see you there, tickets are available here 


Thursday, September 25, 2014

Tansen,Nepal

I have been in Tansen for nearly a week. It is a town perched on the side of a ring of hills. Apparently you ca see the high mountains from the peak behind the town, but sadly there has been heavy monsoonal cloud hanging over the mountains for the whole week.
I did catch a glimpse of the high Himalayas as we left Kathmandu and I live in hope that they will appear when I am in Pokhara and then on the trek I will be doing next weekend.

Tansen is a town where the weaving of the traditional Dhaka fabric used to create the Nepalese hats and other garments. I was able to visit where the weaving is done. The weavers sit in a dug out pit and the loom has weaving cards that determine the different coloured thread the shuttle sends through.
I have had a great time looking in the fabric and garment shops and have purchased a beautiful sari and shalwar chemise, as well as some of the traditional dhaka fabric.



Wednesday, September 24, 2014

A drawing a day and Teachers workshop

The first weekend I spent in Kathmandu was taken up with a full day of teaching art to Nepali teachers. it was a fun day with all of the teachers appearing to enjoy themselves learning while making artwork.
I have been diligently drawing everyday and have nearly half a sketchbook of imagery. It has been a good discipline to draw each day and I have certainly noticed an improvement in my skills.





Friday, September 5, 2014

A New Adventure

This time next week I will be in the bustling city of Kathmandu in Nepal.
I am fortunate to be travelling with a friend who has lived there so I am looking forward to learning about Nepal from an insiders point of view.
I will be doing a some teaching for a day - running a workshop for teachers on creative ways of teaching art to young children.

I am also planning to create some visual memories for me to use at a later date in my own artwork.
I have prepared a new visual diary by painting some of the pages with ink and gesso.I find it easier to get into the drawing and layering if I already have started before I leave.
I have a little visual diary too that is pristine.

 I hope to spend time drawing and collecting papers - as usual, and then cut, glue and draw over the top.