DUCK TIME

Winter in Australia is the season for the Golden Wattle, Australia's National Flower.  I spotted this bush covered with little fluffy blossoms on my daily walk.

Lately, I have also encountered many pairs of wild bush ducks by the creek.

They are shy, and walk away from me and my camera...

I had to ask Mr Google for a picture to show you what they really look like:

and with the arrival of Spring, soon there will be lots of...

baby ducks.... taking chances on the roads, marching in a line round the park, and swimming in the creek..

My Canadian decoy duck, just because.

Mavis Ngallametta, 'Wutun #2,' 2014.

Indigenous Australian artist Mavis Ngallametta, lives and works in Aurukun, on the western side of Cape York, in North Queensland.  

Here she paints the country of her adopted son Edgar, the area just inside the mouth of the Archer River, close to the sea.  They come by boat to camp and go fishing here, teaching the traditional ways to the grandchildren.

This huge work is painted with natural pigments and charcoal with an acrylic binder on canvas.  Ngallametta collects the white clay she uses in her paintings at this special site.

What I love about this work is the wonderful way she uses indigenous painting motifs, clouds of dots and weaving lines, in a European perspective of the landscape: sea in the foreground, beach and land further back.

But best of all, and I didn't even notice this until the second time I viewed it, there are ducks:

In fact, there are lots and lots of little ducks, black ducks and white ducks, concealed in the waves, swimming about and having a wonderful time.

Teho Ropeyarn 'Utku an Alarrakudhi - Anbachama Ikya (Emu and Brolga - beforetime story)' 2014

Another bird picture and another indigenous artist from the Cape York Peninsula, Teho Ropeyarn.

This large linocut print depicts a traditional story about Emu and Brolga, two Australian native birds.  The multi-panel installation features different scenes from the story of jealousy and treachery, connected through a meandering yam vine which is part of the narrative.  

Teho Ropeyard is from the community of Injinoo in the north of Cape York, and currently lives and practices in Cairns.  As permitted by his elders, he recreates stories in a contemporary form, using rhythm, patterns and imagery not typical of the art of his people, but re-telling the stories in new and imaginative detail.

It is a stunning piece of art.

Both these works are currently on display at the exhibition 'GomaQ, Contemporary Queensland Art'.

Regular readers know that I love to sew, but until I began to read sewing blogs, my practice has always been to buy fabric only with a particular project in mind.  Well, those days are gone.  I have now learnt that fabric can be bought, and stored for the future, and this is called 'stash building'..

I suspect it could also be called hoarding, but that's another story..

Things have been rather busy in the Cardinal nest of late, and while very little sewing has taken place, a little stashing for summer has been going on.

My delicate blue flamingo georgette arrived from Darn Cheap Fabrics, a handy Australia fabric site, and the grey floral rayon is from Spotlight.

Then there is the stone stretch bengaline from Style Arc, and mocha jersey from Darn Cheap Fabrics.  

Let's hope I find some time to start a bit of Summer Sewing -

soonish..

We took my father out for his Sunday drive today.  He was good, ate all his lunch, loved the coffee, and enjoyed the view.  We stopped at a couple of farm stalls, getting a big pumpkin, and two huge avocados.  

They were Darn Cheap too.

Have a great week.

XXXX