Sunday, January 29, 2006

Home Again

I have been away in Canberra and Corowa, and not only saw a variation on the Australian countryside but I had a distinctly different art experience. At the National Gallery of Australia, in Canberra, I saw Pollock's 'Blue Poles' which I have wanted to view 'in the flesh' for a very long time. I don't have to tell you it's a great artwork. I also saw Fred Williams and Brett Whiteley paintings which gave me a lift, plus of course other masterpieces by Drysdale, Nolan and co.

In Corowa I stayed with Bill and Vera Reeves - Vera being an artist and an active member of the Rutherglen Artists' Society. Vera started painting late in life and has already produced a large body of work in oils, acrylics, watercolours, etc. Before I went away, I took some poetry writing lessons at the Atwell Gallery over here, so I was interested to compare the two groups ... You can take a look yourself at http://www.rutherglenvic.com/visitorinfo/visitorinfo_content.asp?visitorInfoID=10 and http://members.iinet.net.au/~atwelart/index.htm

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Blue Poles at the NGA



I'm in Canberra at present so I took the opportunity yesterday of seeing the National Gallery. Great! I saw Pollock's great masterwork Blue Poles in living colour! & The Drover's Wife by Drysdale, a few Arthur Boyd's that I love - and a shop full of arty farty nicknacks which I would have loved to buy a take home - a tin Ned Kelly a la Nolan for one. Instead, I purchased a Fred Williams & a Brett Whiteley print.

There's beautiful Tang Dynasty sculpture downstairs ... and Monet, of course. I didn't see all of it, so I shall return one other day soon - hopefully.