INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

 

   Happy International Women's Day dear Readers..

I hope you are all well..

At last we have a soft breath of Autumn late in the afternoon, and sometimes a cooling South-Easterly breeze late at night.

Bliss....

This week I went to my sewing group, and completed a tri-fold pouch, a slow-stitched collage of old linen, lace and fabric scraps.  It will be a gift to a special member of our family.

Front

 

and Back.

The Sewing Sisters spent as much time talking about Junk Journals as we did working on our sewing.

I got lots of new tips and special little bits and pieces to work with.

Nothing to how you yet, but I am diligently learning and working on my first journal.

Meanwhile, back at QAGOMA where I work as a tour guide,

a new exhibition has opened.  Above is a work called 'Skin Country' by Carol McGregor, of the Wathaurung people.

It is a giant map of the greater Brisbane area, made from ochre, charcoal, wax thread and pyroincision on grey possum skins.

 The Brisbane River snakes across the map, surrounded by delicate botanical pictures of native flora, painted with natural pigments sourced from the areas depicted.  Some of the flora correspond to Aboriginal suburb names which come from the abundance of a particular plant in the area.

The use of stitched possum skins is informed by the artist's inheritance of possum-skin cloak-making traditions.  Traditional possum-skin cloaks were worn by Aboriginal people in cold weather and colder climes, the inside of the skins marked with personal tribal designs, totems and maps of Country.  Contemporary possum-skin cloak-making continues this practice.

The Red Cardinal nest is located North of the River, and slightly to the left of centre where there is a fern with an orange leaf or seed pod above it, which could be mistaken for a red bird if you were very imaginative...

(Edited to add:

In Australia all native flora and fauna are protected species.  The only exception is that Indigenous peoples can hunt for traditional purposes.  In this case, the Possum skin cloak is a traditional item.  Possums are very common, and in fact many people regard them as a pest.  They are not killed, only relocated if they are living in your roof, which happens a lot and has happened in our house.  Koalas, for example, are an endangered species and would never be hunted to make an art work.)

Hermannsburg Potters

Hermannsburg Potters

The exhibition is titled 'Seeds and Sovereignity' and is open in QAGOMA now.

Enjoy the weekend

XXXXX