A Big Mixed Bag of Lollies

Anish Kapoor Memory

Multiple exhibitions in one venue can sometimes be a mixed bag of lollies.  There’s usually the big musk stick that pops out the top of the bag and draws you in and then there are the ones  at the bottom, the three for 5 cent  jubey things.  My trip to the Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney was like that.

Anish Kapoor proved musk stick-like to be as good as it looked. Something sweet and distinct at every bite, leaving a unique taste in your mouth.  The promise of more sweets inside was the huge mirror dish reflecting Sydney Harbour on a perfectly blue hundreds-and-thousands sparkly day.  Having been impressed by his work for a long time I was hoping for the best and I got better. As usual looking at the works on line, in books, on DVDs doesn’t cut the musk stick.

At the same time the other exhibition South of No North jubes proved to be strawberries and cream. Delicious with no fan-fare, three for one. The exhibition was based on works by Noel McKenna, Wiliam Eggleston and Laurence Aberhart. Noel McKenna’s work has always made me smile. From his doggie poster series to big things. This was a wonderful exhibition and although it is hard to compare the  monumental work of Anish Kapoor, there was a similarity in the complete paring down of subject and the strength in simplicity. I especially loved these small tiles of simply drawn ordinary objects and one of the best known useful products ever deserving to be lauded in glazed ceramic : liquid nails.  It was also wonderful to see his influences in Aberhart and Eggleston.

So my little bag of MCA mixed lollies proved to be quite sweet . It wasn’t too sickly and way too tempting to refuse.

If you hadn’t tried this before, click here for my Doggie Quiz inspired by Noel McKenna.

How Much is that Doggie

Art Quizzes, Thinkers, Feelers or Artists?

So far in the Art Quiz #4 Who painted my BMW?, the Aussies are in the lead with someone taking out 100%!  In my search for other material to start Quiz #5  I stumbled across the mammoth personality art quiz on the BBC website.

Having undergone a number of tests to check your capabilities for differing positions, I thought this one seemed more appropriate to me. Most of us have done the bonding, teamwork exercises and in reality there should always be a different category for artists.  At a job test a while back I was given the scenario of air crash in the snow with 12 things on the list, prioritise….blah blah blah until they said a roll of canvas. I guess the others would have thought of it as shelter. I think more like shoot the others, eat them and paint like Frankenthaler, stains on canvas. It would be better and easier than gaining a residency to the antarctic.  There should be an alternate category for artists. We’re thinkers and feelers but art is always uppermost in our minds.

Dude, Who Painted my Car? Art Quiz 4

My car is white.  I think if I had a choice I might paint it green, lime green. Lately cars have been getting less and less colourful.  This quiz is based on some BMW’s that have been given a coat by some major artists. Ready to give it a spin? Put yourself into gear and put you fingers to the metal. See if you can match the artist to the car.

I would say that BMW may just supply the artist with a car but I’m afraid there are no prizes in this game except for the absolute glory of getting past the winning flag. Give it a try and click here
After the quiz you can click on this link and see how you fared.

http://www.bmwdrives.com/bmw-artcars.php

The Results are In..Artist or Housewife.

Well you all did pretty good on this one- ARTIST OR HOUSEWIFE QUIZ quite a few topping the 100%. USA & Australia topping the polls. I didn’t get anyone that took the chance to name the artists or housewives so no bonus points. I’m sure Martha Stewart would rather have been called an artist but she was indeed one of the housewives.

 

And those of you who picked my daughter as a housewife -you know who you are!- deduct 50% off your score.

If you still want to take a punt don’t read any further, NO PEEKING. Click on the link. If you want to take a stab at who they are make a comment. Remember it’s anonymous if you want.**** SPOILER ALERT READ NO FURTHER****

ANSWERS

1.

ARTIST : Margaret Olley

2.

HOUSEWIFE: Margaret Fulton (Chef/Cook)

3.

ARTIST: My beautiful daughter (Graphic Artist/Zinester)

4.

HOUSEWIFE: Martha Stewart

5.

ARTIST: Alice Neel (Painter)

6.

ARTIST: Helen Frankenthaler (innovating painter, RIP)

Santa Should use a Typewriter, A writer’s quiz #4

It was a vintage typewriter that gave away the secret of Santa.  I guess I was about eight or so, I had desperately wanted a typewriter for Christmas from Santa. The generous old man that he was led to Christmas morning under the old silver foil tree decorated with purply glass grape lights, a very old typewriter with a piece of lovely white paper rolled ready -waiting. The paper turned out to be a note from Santa, it said this was a special typewriter, “your grandfather’s whom you had not known, take very good care of it”.

The note was not typed by Santa, perhaps he had prepared the note before getting the typewriter from grandfather? Perhaps it was that sticky “S” key that didn’t ever quite reach the paper with enough force? There was however something familiar about the scratchy blue writing.  Grandfather had been a police sergeant, like his father before him. Obviously those powers of deduction had reached down the generational line and grabbed me that morning and shook the slowly dawning sensation that the note was in Dad’s writing! He was Santa! There was no Santa! I never asked why he had written that note rather than typed it, perhaps I would have been woken by the gentle tap, tap, tapping. You could never mistake typing for hooves on roofs. Dad wasn’t a policeman or detective like his brother, or a writer like his brother Ian but he was inventive, creative and would admire the way Typewriters can be used in art.

Typewriters still are used in our home so it was with great delight when I saw a cover of a magazine with an array of models and thought I would base my next quiz on this topic.  Whose Typewriter is This?

Thank you to Benjamin Law  &  Amanda Austin for their article in Smith Journal -the Frankiepress

Artist or Housewife…my art quiz #3

I recently read a blog from a painter that stated all she wanted was to be a housewife and an artist.  I have in the past painted with a broom and used cauliflower for monoprinting in the midst of preparing dinner. I am certainly not a housewife but I really feel that the two don’t mix that easily. It has however inspired me to create my 3rd art quiz. ARTIST OR HOUSEWIFE? Have a crack and let me know what you think. The image above is from Australian Artist Davida Allen. I read her book The Autobiography of Vicki Meyers over 10 years ago and it has stayed with me. I felt this was a great image that would suit this quiz Teatime

Astounding Results for my First Art Quiz

The results are in! Check out the answers for How About an Art Quiz. There is also still time for the second quiz Who Painted This for all those who haven’t tried their luck. It’s multiple choice give it a shot!

How about a Quiz

Do you think you know the difference between a sculptor and a writer?, between Claes Oldenburg and Atilla the Hun?

To mark the end of a favourite show Spicks and Specks where they played Musician or Serial Killer, I’ve trolled through some books and came up with a quiz.

For those that took the Quiz last week here are the answers…….Top scorer 83% -don’t know who you are it’s completely anonymous but I don’t give prizes anyway but if you feel like telling me you were the one – feel free.

If you are reading this for the first time and want to have a crack at the quiz -##spoiler alert## Don’t read any further -here are the answers.

 

Thankfully everybody got this one right! This is George Bernard Shaw not a politician. Did that honest face give it away? Everyone picked De Kooning on the bike in a beanie too.  So here are the results for those who have been waiting.

• 1. Artist : De Kooning
• 2. Politician Malcolm Fraser – former Aussie Prime Minister
• 3. Artist : Pollock
• 4. Writer: George Bernard Shaw
• 5. Artist : Josef Albers
• 6. Sculptor: Henry Moore