See ya later

It's beautiful here at the edge, 2018 [original] with my workroom in the background.

And so, the original “it’s beautiful here at the edge” has sold. It’s off to Nelson on Monday.

It’s new owner, B, has children and so I worked with my framer to come up with a solution to make it kid-proof and now it has a double frame and kick-ass museum glass. God it looks good.

I told B that if she hadn’t already bought it, I may have kept it for myself… you can see every imperfect mark through the high quality glass and I love it.

Anyways, I’ve spent this arvo saying goodbye to it before I packaged it… I did weird things like take photos of it with me and in various positions. Yep, I am quite fcking odd…

Me and my artwork...

Then I packaged it... including hand-sewing corners onto it to protect the frame… Got all Rapunzel and pricked my finger and while I was sewing thought just how very lucky I am to be living this artist’s life. I actually get to spend time hand-sewing a corner in my favourite red-thread :-).

Check out the blood...

The last photo in this sequence is the end result of the the packaging… and it hasn’t even got the box on it yet! Safe to say this artwork is wrapped fairly well…

I’m going to miss having this artwork around but I’m also so pleased it’s found such good home. Thanks B, for deciding it was right for your family. And you might want to allow yourself a fair bit of time for the unwrapping. LOL.

IT’S A KIND OF LOVE SONG, 2018 [for you, N]

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It's a kind of love song, 2018 [for you, N]  // detail

I completed this painting this morning. 

Well, it’s more of a drawing in paint than a “painting” in the conventional sense of the word. 

Seen in entirety, and in the light of the world rather than a screen, it is delicate and quiet, just like my feelings about this beautiful moment in time are.  It’s taken me two years to make a bit of work that fit the feelings I have for this, that suits the memory. 

The words go like this: 

When we stand

together

your hips

meeting mine

my fingertips gently

in the groove your spine makes

your hands flat

at the small of my back

when we stand up like that

together in the sunshine

it draws everything that’s important

between our two bodies close

it’s a kind of love song.

I’ve used the words “it’s a kind of love song” before.  In an artwork for my mother, as the title of the show I did for her.  In that artwork, the words had so much sadness wrapped up in them, because jesus christ when someone is dying you feel your love for them like a song but equally keenly feel the loss so dark and heavy.

This time, in this artwork, the words are light and gentle because standing in that sunshine with him that particular day was just one of those moments I don’t think I’ll ever forget it was so beautiful.  Thanks, N, for those years we had.  I don’t miss you anymore but damn the memories are good.