Ken's Blog

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Trip to Cotton TreeAn easy start at 9am after coffee with Helen, moving out of the Lachlan Valley at 95 Klh and into other catchments to the north. Bell river, Cudgeegong and beyond. As I drove toward Cudal only an hour into the trip my vision was obscured by dust. There were red clouds of dust being blown by the southeasterly wind; making the atmosphere and country beyond appear fogged or as viewed through sand blasted glass. I couldn’t get a glimpse of the offending farm machinery, but from behind a bare ridge, toung of red dust rose into the air. For some reason the shapes formed by the dust reminded me of Indonesian shadow puppets. The ridgeline acted as a stage front, and the dust figures rose and danced on the wind, disappearing as fast as they formed, being elusive on the perfect sky blue background. Only one tree stood on the ridge as the other audience member, we didn’t applaud. The elusive dust performers stayed that way as my camera had a flat battery. As I sit here and write the offending camera and... Read More...

“We give what we have. The rest is just the madness of art.”Manning Clark paraphrasing Henry James 1967I pencilled this in crayon on the north side of my stone this morning. Had most of it slashed off by the afternoonWalked to the Symposium site along the esplanade, people seem pretty friendly, plenty of hello how are you, and hows it going, being offered from stranger’s. Helped Fiona set up the hoses power and shade. On the first day there is a lot of adjusting of services and the like. The stone just sits there brooding while all the activity goes on around the area.Spent most of the day sawing the big stone with the quick cut saw. Making progress and lots of noise as well. There is a constant cloud of dust drifting across Cotton tree park toward the local restaurants and coffee shops.Constant noise from the angle grinders and air compressors and hammers will drive the local shop owners crazy by the time we finish. This is modern sculpture in the rew. Warts and all, dust and all, noise and all, grit and all... Read More...

Slow start to the day as we rise from our respective day after travel beds. Look around Graig and Fionas workshop which is extensive and marvel at the quality and diversity of work in the place, not to mention the fork lift and beautiful stone building that is the workshop and office space. Ive learned more in half hour just looking at this set up than bodging up my own place for years.Such is the life of teaching yourself in isolation.Drove to Cotton Tree Park via the freeway of the Sunshine coast. Its gangbusters here, with development , development, development. This place will be terrible in twenty years if not sooner. Lets not dwell on the negative.The stone is amazing and not as hard as I thought, it seems a little softer that Carrara and more grainy, with a courser texture. Simona reckons it’s more like Greek Marble. I don’t know because I’ve never seen Greek Marble in the flesh only pictures in a book. Tomorrow we start, so tonight it’s a early to bed after some shopping and house keeping, breakfast materials... Read More...

Totalling up expendature for the month after being in S.A for the Limestone Symposium and purchasing tools and stone for the next couple of months. Plenty of outs and a few ins in the account. Have decided to become a sole trader artist. Talked to my accountant and he reckons it time. So Ive taken responsibility for getting my reciepts and tax invoices in order at least and in one place, a folder for each month.Getting excited about going to Maroochydore and woirking with the ITALIANS and Fong and Craig Medson. Reckon Ill learn alot here and hopefully make some new friends. Thought about getting hold of an Italian CD to learn some phrases on the way up on the long drive. it will take me at least two days to drive there.Had a visit from Paul Stumkat and his family who live near Warrick in Qld. He works in sandstone, good fella who was trained as a taxidermist in Museum work and model making. Knows his wild life and is a handy carver, he sold a big carved frog in S.A. to the arts admin people from the government.... Read More...

When you read the dimensions of a block of stone on paper, then see the block in real life, there a couple different reactions that can happen.One reaction or thought that goes through your head is something like this.“ Gee that block of stone is smaller that I thought’Or you can have the opposite reaction.“Gee that block of stone looks enormous”.Judging from the low volume curses and looks of disbelief on the many faces, the second reaction was the most common on the opening morning of the third National Limestone Sculpture Symposium in Mount Gambier.Forty Six artists, roughly divided fifty- fifty male and female converged on the Old Mount Gambier Goal and its precinct to chip, saw, rasp, grind and chisel their way through some hefty blocks of local coralline limestone, and the much harder local red dolomite. There were representatives from most states of Australia and two international visitors, Maggie Jones and her partner John from Kansas in the USA.The symposium site next to the Goal was divided into workspaces... Read More...

Hi Ken,Thank you for the photos of the marquette - they look good. Everything is moving alone now - have received all the money from the private property developers to run the symposium. Hard to believe but true. The contracts are still being nutted out with all the different departments - sorry. However I can tell you I have selected a beautiful piece of marble for you. Craig & I just returned last night from Cairns - we couldn't get out to Chillagoe because of Cyclone Nelson - roads are under some fast running water but the owner of Cairns Marble had some blocks in their work yard. Found a good block about 22 tons to be cut into 3 blocks to fit your sculpture along with Hew Chee Fong's and Luca's.So next week another trip to Cairns after the roads open to get marble for Simona and a part of Fong's.I'll talk to you soon,FionaThe project in Maroochydore is going ahead, carving four blocks of Chillegoe marble with 2 Italian sculptors and one other Aussie Hew Chee Fong. Cant wait to get into it. 2 x1 x1 metre blocks... Read More...

Back to Cowra on a 40 degree day, the colours are so washed out with heat haze bliinding the horizon and frying the ground and road. Saw an emu at the top of Burley Jack, a hill on the east side of Cowra. They are comming in from the west as the country is drying out. The opening at Charles Hewitt Gallery went very well. I sold two pieces and another yesterday, got a call on the way home from Jacquie at the gallery to tell me the good news. The opening night was packed out, standing room only and the wine ran out as well as the champaign.Tim sold a couple of paintings and looks like picking up some more sales, his work looked great. Not sure if I have the skills required to work a crowd. Sold the work "From the Dry" to Heinz Wicki an major collector of contemporary Australian art, what a great person to buy one. Lives on the Harbour on the north shore somewhere. Couldnt talk with him much though because of the nature of the night, goiing deaf is a bugger in big crowd. Just sorting out my tools and gear. Carved... Read More...

I'm in the last weeks of the residency at Thirning Villa in Ashfield. Saturday we held a student exhibition in the grounds of the tennis club, mounting works on curtain rods and plinths in the court yard. Sixty people arrived and drank wine an looked at the work. Im glad to say that there were proud looks and nods from the whole crew. Such a diverse crew took part in the programe learning to carve Mount Gambier Lime Stone. One of the old Polish ladies has started a petition to have me come back again as Artist in Residence. Im humbled to think that they enjoyed the process so much, through the heat and the humidity and the rain. There is a great deal of power in being let be creative, to have permission to "do".

Apart from the exhibition of students work Ive been fininshing of the work for Tim and My exhibition. "Double Vission". Plenmty of sanding and getting the surface right. Illl be glad wjen this show is on the floor. Next big gig is the Maroochydore marble Symposium.