Drawing day 2008 has been and gone, I thoroughly enjoyed myself but didn’t create as many pieces as I hoped!… by the end of it I was really beginning to get a handle on the media and having lots of fun doing different things…. all seven pics I created can be seen here my photographs are still terrible, the light is getting pretty bad now that it’s winter again.
The gallery has wonderful natural light and a really interesting layout that I think will be perfect for my white Impasto works…. this location (apart from being one I’ve always wanted to show in) is just down the road from where Liam and I had our accident. so it makes sense that my first solo should be so close to where it all began, and with my most hopeful and uplifting works.
One of the Controversial works by Bill Henson Photograph from the Age A spokeswoman for Australia’s Classification Board, speaking on condition of anonymity under board policy, said six photos had been referred to them…. as this notion has now been rather spectacularly thrown out, I doubt there is a legal leg to stand on. The newspapers are already reporting it as a victory and that the cases will be shut down…. more than that, it has raised some ugly feelings towards art in general and nudes specifically, it has seen galleries taking works off their walls for fear of persecution and to people being afraid to express their opinions.
the light is interesting and I’d like to play with the pose some more but there were elements that were a real struggle, especially on such a small surface that are probably marring my observation of this painting. usually when I’m a little too close to a piece, if I work at it rather than getting into a zen state, I find it hard to separate out the work from the finished product. and that isn’t to say that I don’t eventually fall in love with the pieces that took effort or that the zen pieces are better in some way, I just find it harder to distance myself from the pieces my mind was actually present for.
Another of the Nude Teen Pictures under debate by Bill Henson .A local paper, from Bill Henson’s old stomping ground Northcote, took a different tack in this case by interviewing local children and seeking their opinions on the controversy…. I remember those days all too clearly and I think that it’s important that no matter whether you agree with the works or not, whether you accept the models choices to pose, take a moment to appreciate the bravery it took and the strength they must need to stand tall in the face of this controversy…. And while the students had concerns about the impact of the work and the ability of young people to give consent, they also defended the right to freedom of expression in art. “I think you should look at art for being art and stop focusing on the negatives,” Mutinta said.
Picture by the Daily Telegraph And just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s not art. the key debate in the Bill Henson controversy is whether these images are pornographic…. there are some strange, strange people out there, but that I don’t think that these pieces are sexual in any way…. There are those out there who are insisting that because it’s a nude, it’s sexual and because it’s sexual, it’s pornographic and therefore illegal.
The seizure of the photographs, and the possible prosecution of Mr Henson, the Rosyln Oxley9 Gallery or the parents of Henson’s subjects, takes up valuable police and court time that would be much better spent pursuing those who actually do abuse children. [From Open letter in support of Bill Henson – National – theage.com.au ] Around the country, while some galleries are cravenly pulling their Henson pieces out of their collections and off the walls other galleries are standing firm and standing up for freedom of artistic expression…. Mr Savill, like many of his art industry colleagues, was appalled when police last week confiscated photographs by Henson – one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists – and decided to hang the picture beside an Arthur Boyd nude, “to remind people that nudes have inspired artists for centuries”.
[From Art, not porn – Opinion – theage.com.au ] I have been thinking further about the issue of sexualization of teens in art. I think if the case against Bill Henson were to go through we will start to see extreme limitations in the freedom of expression and artistic freedom…. [From Art, not porn – Opinion – theage.com.au ] I agree with this, by trying to anticipate what might turn a pedophile on we may be stepping into their shoes and thereby, not only destroying our own view of art, but possibly ruining the experience for others…. we can stop trying to predict them, stop trying to anticipate what they might find titillating and risk damaging freedom of art and expression, the reputations of renowned artists and focus instead on making sure our children are safe and educated.
One of the Controversial works by Bill Henson Photograph from the Age Officers raided the Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, in Paddington in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, just before the exhibition was due to open on Thursday night…. The raid, and the prospect of an artist facing criminal charges, has reignited the debate about what constitutes art. [From Law Society backs nude child pics artist – Breaking News – National – Breaking News ] I have been so angry about this whole mess that I haven’t been able to write coherently till now…. the police raid and seizures, the statement by Prime minister Kevin Rudd that these works are ‘revolting’, the galleries that are also pulling Bill Henson’s works from their collections or the constant newspaper articles referring to these artworks, by one of Australia’s premier artists, as ‘”art”‘.
Now, Liam has never liked the smell of turps anyway (the odorless is worse though, much worse for both of us) so it’s time something was done. I have enough poisons and problems with my system without adding further ones to the mix, I wanted to upgrade to better quality paints anyway so today I took the plunge and ordered some Windsor and Newton Artisan Oil Paints. these are legitimate oils in every sense, but the oil in them has been treated to accept water rather than repel it, meaning that they can be cleaned with soap and water.
Jennie's Palette 