Places I went. Things I did. Thoughts I had

Last week was a bit of a mish-mash of activities in the studio

1. I sorted through the meter high pile of stencils on top of my plan draws. Then cleaned out the 12 plan draws - I felt concerned that despite the ephemerality of my practice I have still accumulated vast amounts of paper/card and other art making residue. I often ponder a project that would forces me to use up all of the old stencils and drawings. The easiest option would of course be to re-enact Micheal Landy's 'Breakdown' exhibition in which he shreadded everything he owned, in order to explore issues of value and ownership, or I could make use of his Art Bin 

2. Made a paper-mache lions head hat for Brittany's Harry Potter costume, and a death eater costume for Jon.

3. Re-read Terry Smiths 'Provincialism's Problem'. Then read 5-6 articles around the Provincial Problem. Followed by 2 unrelated ABC Artworks podcasts, that both touched on examples of how we still suffer the cultural cringe in Australia.

4. Started doing my tax, whilst watching Gillard's announcement of a Carbon Tax Price. Got a bit conflicted, cause in theory I don't mind paying taxes - especially the carbon tax. Broadly speaking, I use a range of the services that taxes fund and from my egalitarian position I do believe that those who have more, should contribute towards those who have less. However, I spent hours and hours entering in every single receipt, even those amounts less than $1.00, in order to do what? Yep, pay less tax. Why is it so hard to live wholeheartedly without compromise?

5. Dug a whole in the garden to consider new ideas for work. Considered the whole. Thought: that's not a bad idea.

6. Drove to Lorne for the day to do a site visit for the 'Sculpturescape' exhibition. Came back to the cardboard tent idea again! Does this idea keep coming back because its worthwhile, or am i just stuck in a creative bog.

7. Went to the Vienna exhibition at the NGV, with my Dad, and spent several hours talking walking looking and wondering. We each brought our own separate knowledge: mine - the history of ornamentation and Dad's - of travels in Vienna and an understanding of broader world history, and we combined it with a love of talking about, around and through ideas.

8. I ended the week with a call asking if I could teach Landscape Painting and Drawing 1 day a week. This additional work load sent my already soupy head space through the blender, and i found myself initially overwhelmed with the amount of things I was trying to do. So after some cut-throat prioritising and a lengthy family meeting, I have decided to do the following; firstly I'm saying no to all social events, secondly I have decided that I won't be able to resolve my ideas for my trip to the US before I leave. I have a 3 week residency and so I need to rely on my own experience and expertise and trust that I am capable of turning up and creating the work once I arrive. I feel quite liberated by this, not just because its one less thing to do this month but also because I'm excited by the potential to respond more directly with the landscape when I arrive.