Three and one third by five

Or seeing the tiny up close. These are all plant parts, collected inland and pressed between glass in slide transparencies. The 'frame' is approximately 3 1/3 cm by 5 cm. 

  

From the top:

Pimelea flowers from the Hills

Red Velvet calyx near Sandstone

Ephemeral dancers near Paynes Find

Everlasting bracts near The Granites

Hair leaf in cross section near Paynes Find

Ptilotus flowers and granite sand near The Granites

Spinifex and dune sand near Virgin Springs

Lichen and everlasting bracts near Wiluna

Below are images of the type of country in which the above plants were collected.

Looking up

Looking up (mostly) into the trees by the inlet and playing with black and white and filters in photoshop.
From the top; Banksia, Allocasuarina (sheoak), Eucalyptus, Melaleuca (paperbark). Each tree has its own distinctive pattern of growth. I am in the process of experimenting with solar plates and creating the necessary 'transparencies' on acetate sheets. All good fun although the dogs get a little fed up with me stopping to take photos ...

East meets West down South

Nikki Green beside her work Emunah (Faith)

Nikki Green's East West: A Pilgrimage is the latest solo exhibition on at the Butter Factory Studios in Denmark. It is the culmination of a journey that took Nikki to 'the crossroads of ancient civilisations in Turkey and Israel ... and to the cultural diversity in New York'. While overseas in 2012 Green delved into the mystical side of her Jewish heritage alongside an exploration of printmaking techniques in studios in Israel and New York. 

Mandala Series, black and white photographs

The geometry found in architecture, nature and eastern ornament is strongly evident in this current series of works by Green. Shown above are a series of photographs that have informed her work.

 The sublimely beautiful work Emunah (Faith) which is pictured at the top, has finely layered white on white multiple lino block prints. The effect is simple and mesmerising, capturing the essence of sacred geometries.

  Below is the work Etz Chaim (Tree of Life) which was an early work created by Green while in New York. The Etz Chaim is a symbol of energetic balance.

Etz Chaim (Tree of Life), lino block print on paper

 Below is Alul (The Emanation Series) a set of prints on canvas. The original prints were created by layering up to seven carved lino blocks of different sizes to create the varied but harmonic series.

Alul (The Emanation Series), glycee prints on canvas

In this next set, the work on the right is Ein Sof (Without End) and the two works on the right are Segulah (Treasure). They explore ideas of the subconscious, unity and inner treasure.

Eis Sof ( Without End) and Segulah (Treasure), lino prints on paper

This exhibition is on until the 11th February and is worth a visit if you are in the area. The works have a duality of simplicity and complexity which is quite intriguing. Green uses the interplay of texture, pattern and colour to great effect, at times restrained and at other times bold and complex. 

General view of the exhibition

Tenterden textures

I recently had the good fortune to camp for a few days on a small farm at Tenterden. Amongst other things the past generations of owners kept all their vehicles and bits of farm machinery. A veritable time machine for the cultivated history of the farm. This old car took my imagination. It seems to be moulded into the landscape.

I just love the lichen growing on the glass and paintwork.

There were tractors and trucks to delight the eye too. The Morris truck even has a fan mounted on the dash. Air conditioning in the early days.

There is a wandoo tree on the farm which had signs of the original inhabitants of the land. It is amazing because it has both the marks of a shield tree and the ring barking marks left by the first settlers.

The current owner very generously shared the history of the farm with us. His grandparents took up the property in the 1940's and his parents took it on the 1950's. The property was mostly uncleared and used for grazing sheep. The land that was cleared for cropping was all done by hand as were all the improvements on the property. The family lived a simple life and loved the wildlife there. He described the land as being as much a part of them as they were a part of the land. Apparently local Aboriginal people who had links to this part of country used to periodically visit and camp in the bush for ceremony and dong a roo to eat around the campfire.  When his parents finally had to leave the property due to ill health they both died within a few months.

Currently the farm is not being grazed and there has been good regeneration in some areas. Suitable paddocks have been retained for cropping. Tree plantations have been established both for economic and environmental reasons. The property is registered for land for wildlife and they are looking at whatever other options may be available for them to keep the farm in the family and retain the excellent natural bushland values which they love. As a visitor camping out under the wandoo I loved it too.