Confessions of a Jizz Mopper

Julie and David

Of the photo's taken over the downward spiral that was the weekend, this is my favourite.
Tis of our dear fiend Julie and mutleyjames in our elevator.
Who knew that there was such a thing as too much Saki.
In the studio I have commenced drilling larger than large leaves, here is one of the baby studies.



I can't tell you how much I am enjoying the time spent in the studio, especially the inception of art night. Art night is a gathering of people who want to learn a particular skill. Over the past three tuesdays I have taught about 16 people various Macrame knots, tricks and techniques.
This usually is accompanied by a civilised meal and drink to match.
Left the studio pretty early today as did the other occupants as it was way to chilly, performed sluggishly today, but slow and steady aint a bad thing.

Came home from the studio too early.... should have just kept going with the flow.

Well here I am, sitting at the work computer composing my final entry as an employee of Kens at Kensington, Sydney's legendary gay male sauna. When I walk out of here in 10 hours time after 10 years, I will be officially unemployed, extremely excited and terrified all at the same time.
This blog is going to have to be re named as jizz mopper no more I will be.
Any suggestions?

Billy goat Bone, scissors, chir pine cotton and unknown seeds.

Ok, here I am a couple of hours early for my third last shift at the tubs, just been reading through what I've missed from the past few days and well, decided to post something. I'm not really good at making things that are meant to look like something. But it was fun to give it a go. I can't tell you how light I feel for finally making up my mind about this leaving here.
You know I think I'm going to combine the sculpture with flowers and become a florist. Can you imagine that?GHEY FLORIST!
FAAAABULOUS DARLING. hahahaha.

Ok, i just read my sleep deprived rant from two days ago..........wow was I delirious or what.
But that is all about to change, as I am going into work tomorrow on my day off to hand in my resignation...again.
This time there is no stopping me and no persuasion to make me change my mind will work.
I have been working in the Sauna for ten years, and I think I have seen all I can see there, it's time to seek new longer horizons.
Speaking of horizons, my gaze is firmly fixed on my first solo show in 5 years this December.
Autumn has been a bit of a disappointment materials wise, but from this new ideas have been born and some old ideas and forms have bubbled back to the top, like these.



Time in the studio has been a bit thin on the ground, but time there has been productive.

I've been pretty absent from lj lately, not out of boredom, but sheer computer time and well I don't think I have much to offer in terms of new work or ideas. It's four something in the morning and there is one punter still here at the sauna and these words are just being spewed out.
There is alot going around in my skull, none of which I need or want to explore at any great length, which is just adding to the turbulence inside my head.
You know Meatloaf said once that two out of three aint bad, I wonder what he'd make of one in 240 something, cause I certainly don't know.
Autumn has been a sad time for collecting materials , it's rained so much that all the leaves I was hoping to build another body of work out of, composted before my eyes.
I suppose some new ideas need birthing.
It's late /early depending on your perspective and this is just a mindless piece of babble. Apologies .

being possessed by the spirit of Oscar Wilde tonight helped me to come up with this...
"Tis better to be blown over than it is to be overblown"
Having fun tonight this morning.

Have been trawling through a daria Box set (pirated of course) from the US. And OMG Daria IS the most intelligent Cartoon ever made. I now know why MTV have refused to ever release it on DVD. If you can get your hands on season three onwards .... do yourself a favour.

It's starting to get to me the grey sky thing, sometimes I think I'm more plant than mammal.
I needz some sunz.
Or something else to shine brightly in my sky.

OMG I have Bronchitis. and virtually no voice.
The house has never been so quiet (except for the constant barking cough)
It's autumn and I am meant to be out collecting all those autumn leaves for sculpting.
I am battling which comes first, art or health.

Tonight the boys are out for dinner and I'm watching the Sydney Swans and West Coast Eagles slug it out.
It's not a bad night to be curled up on the couch watching sexy thugs in short shorts chase a small ball around a paddock. (cough cough)

It's seconds from walking out the door to go to work time, and I nearly forgot.
A BIG BIG BIG Birthday smooch to cuboz Hope you have had a good one Dom! X X D

Well it's been about a week since lj has entered my life.
This week has been a lot of fun, I have sold art, I have made art and I have slept well, so I'm not sure why it's been so long between visits or rather posting.
I think that it could be that I am perceiving between facebook and lj that too much of my time is lost when the only thing I am thinking is living and breathing my studio and all that's been imagined lately.
Life is peachy!

Pod 09 #2 Drilled Sydney black bean.

As promised, a drilled Sydney black bean pod.
Today I spent the day removing the skin of said pods and drawing on them. Fun but toxic, they are poisonous. Blech.

Pod Sydney Black Bean Pod, copper wire, black cut tacks.

Well it's that time of year again when the Pods are falling from the trees.
Like last year, they are getting the nail and wire treatment, but this year they are also ( like so much of my work lately ) getting the Drilly drill drill treatment. Will show you tomorrow. All is good otherwise.
Oh, the sky was bruised tonight, lovely.

Drilly drill drill #2 drilled magnolia leaf

More of the same.

Drilled magnolia leaf.

Something less sculptural but still organic.
These have been fun.

Pendulum Knife, chir pine cotton blonde shellac

This is the completed 'Pendulum' from Edgar Allan Poe's the Pit and the Pendulum or at least how I imagined it.

The studio has been a freakin hive of activity and today the news got even better.... I have six more days of holidays before I go back to work on the 19th. Hooray!

Well it's been a while, and yes I have calmed down.
I have booked my first solo show in five years at TAP Gallery in December.
Hooray, a deadline. I don't know why but they bring out the best in me.
This is what I've been up to in the studio this week and a bit

This one below combines a knife, chir pine and cotton, it's based loosely on my impression of Mr Poe's pendulum.

Life is peachy.

Sorry to keep harping on about my trip to Broken Hill , but it was just SO good.
The town is just chockers full of buildings from the early 1900's, built with the wealth dug from the earth.
These days Broken Hill is a silver city and is slowly gearing itself towards being a tourism town, as it a launch pad to the central deserts.
Below are a few examples of the pubs and bars, the top one is Mario's, the hotel featured in Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

Broken Hill. AWESOME!
For those of you who don't know where Broken Hill is, it's in the top North West corner of NSW on the edge of the Australian Central Deserts.
This is where the second major overview of Australian Basketry and Fibre art was held. In the Regional Gallery to be exact.
I was lucky enough to be invited by Curator Virginia Kaiser ( the totally awesome mother of fibre art in this country ) to participate in the show. I had two pieces in the show and sold one on opening night. But , damn what a show, here are my favourites.... remember all these objects are baskets of sorts or made from basketry materials. I Hope you get something from these.









More to come later, God it's great to be back in Sydney though. I have come back red from the dust of the earth, time to put some smog in my lungs!