Completion number 1…..@ RMIT School of Art Gallery………..April 2016
Completion number 2……@ Narek Galleries, NSW……………November 2016
When all is said and done, at the end of the day……numerous platitudes come to mind. Meanwhile I am left with a mixture of feelings……which brings with it a tentative start to the new year.
Completion number 1. – To begin with, experiencing the set-up of my work at RMIT School of Art gallery was a challenge. One in which I could not have conquered without my partner Andreas Amentas. Planning, shifting, manoeuvring tabletops and legs, plates and bowls, boxes and bubble wrap and then, moods and fears, food and wine…..would all have been impossible without Andreas beside me. Thank you Andreas.
The work was only in the Gallery for a week and on the Wednesday my examiners came through and marked, wrote and commented on both the Dissertation and the manifestation of that – the three dimensional work. I was uneasy, secretly annoyed that it was not possible to discuss or communicate with the examiners, but also, quite relieved that I had nothing to do…. Then the opening night with friends and the following day, the pack up….
Completion number 2. – In between the PhD Completion at RMIT Melbourne and the Narek solo show on the New South Wales coast, I continued to make in the studio…….I had a feeling that some added work was needed just to complete a few of the series. I also considered the galleries clients and how in any show, a price range, from low to high, would be appreciated. So, after a few pyjama days, a few more months in the studio and a lot of firings, I boxed everything off and headed to Tathra. Narek Galleries is run by Karen O’Clery. It is the old Tanja church, a small timber building, converted to a beautiful gallery space. My solo show was the last to be held in the space, as Karen had sold the space (just that month) and is now moving her business and further gallery opportunities to Bermagui. I do love holidays, I really like travelling and I also love the wide open spaces of the coast line, so I had a great week in Tathra, with my family too. The exhibition was a success, financially as well as …emotionally? I’m not sure how to describe it but it was …satisfying, that’s a good word for it. I got to share the work in a space that played with light and therefore was able to reflect a mood or an ambience that wasn’t present in the RMIT gallery. The clients that Karen invited to the opening night were also interesting and what I gleaned from their experience of the show was invaluable. I think having the opportunity to exhibit and mingle and talk and discuss your work and ideas is something only now, as a more experienced maker, I appreciate. The people at the opening asked me questions such as; how on earth are politics and porcelain linked? Why is there so much pain on the images of the work? Tell me about why there is….the image of a ribbon..for example and interestingly…I don’t need to understand the narrative, I like to feel the work with my hands…….input and questions which delighted and surprised me.
One month later, after a few weeks, I received the few left over/unsold work from the exhibition and proceeded to sleep like never before!!
Today, as I write this, it is the first day of February, 2017. After completing the PhD and the Dissertation, the solo show and subsequently the year, I am faced with the inevitable question…what are you going to do next? As politicians say whilst collecting their thoughts during an interview………………………………that’s an interesting question……………………………!