Domestic Bliss in Waldschach, Austria

Waldschach is a lovely little village about 40 minutes to the south of Graz.  It's primary industries seem to be small orchard, grape vine, grain crop and fish farming.  There are many deep forests and lakes between the hills and mountains which make wonderful walking.  Even at this time of the year the distant mountains are snow topped which can actually be seen from the windows of the house where I'm staying. 

When I'm not walking with Alex and his dalmatian Argos I'm stitching or cooking.

These biscuits were made from some of the walnuts grown here on Alex's parent's property.  That day I also made a vegetarian lasagne which is a bit of a novelty for meat loving Austrians but it was all eaten and apparently enjoyed (I also used home grown carrots fr that).

This cross stitch is based on a Swedish design I've been wanting to stitch for years.  The single floss colour made it an appealing choice for a trip abraod: no worries about running out of a colour and not being able to match the colour.  Alex and I happily spend hours in bed side by side with me stitching and him reading :)  And we try to make room for Argos too!

The above photos were taken at the Roman Carnuntum near Vienna - a rebuilt village based on actual acheological digs and findings, accurately presented in all details.  Unfortunately my phone's battery ran out because I could have taken many more.  We'll be seeing many other historical sites though as Alex has a passionate interest in ancient history. 

And finally there are dozens of Catholic shrines throughout Waldschach and Austria in general... this is me wondering why Argos has suddenly dashed away... and that's enough for today... soon it will be lunch: the most formal meal of the day here.

Location:Grieskai,Graz,Austria

Packing Preparations

Six (6!) days and counting until departure :)  I have decided on which pieces of luggage I'll be taking: The two Skyways cases that served me very well during my last trip to Europe and two Crumpler pieces (satchel and backpack) all of which I can trust to be light and durable.  The cases will be checked through to Vienna and the satchel/backpack will come with me on the planes.  The weather in Austria is said to be very unpredictable in April… but hey! I'm from Four-Seasons-In-One-Day Melbourne so I figure I'll cope.

Being the list-loving person that I am I have created a comprehensive Word Doc inventory of everything that I intend on packing.  I have also been watching YouTube videos made by seasoned long-haul travellers on how to pack and what to pack for that extra bit of cattle-class in-flight comfort.

The recent events with the missing Malaysian Airlines plane has given me a certain sense of deja vu! Last time I flew to Europe was a few weeks after the September 11 events...  which, while slightly disconcerting at the time actually made for a VERY comfortable flying experience due to lower than usual passenger numbers.  I had a whole row of seats to myself on the longest leg and slept very well all stretched out.  Until the Malaysian Airlines plane is found I guess they will keep suspecting terrorism which may mean increased security… but oh well… good!

I'm keeping up with my Olive Leaf extract dosages and have so far avoided illness despite recent work at a childcare centre where I was coughed over for all three days.  Fingers crossed I remain healthy despite the reported measles outbreak too!

Guessworking Abroad!

The countdown has begun and in 10 (TEN!) days I will be departing Australia for Austria via Hong Kong and Helsinki.  This will be my main journal site that I will hopefully maintain for the full 5 weeks using my iPhone Blogger app.  

For over 640 days this trip has been planned by me and my very significant other, Alex, so naturally I'm very excited and more than a little nervous!  I have travelled to Europe before in 2001 but with an Australian's Studying Abroad tour group that was conducted in conjunction with Monash University.  This time I will only have myself to rely on until I meet Alex at Vienna Airport.

I'll be staying in the city of Graz (Austria's second largest city) and Alex's family home in Waldschach (approximately 40 mins from Graz).  My exact dates are: depart Sydney March 25, arrive Vienna March 26, depart Vienna April 30, arrive Sydney May 2.

I'm feeling fairly well prepared with my passport, travel insurance and packing mostly organised and ready to go.  I'm looking forward to spending the small amount of foreign currencies that I've had stashed for years and hope that they are still legal tender!

Poetry Lovers' Page: The Wishing-Caps by Rudyard Kipling

Poetry Lovers' Page: The Wishing-Caps by Rudyard Kipling

Visual Art Diary

This is a reserved space for the documentation of a Visual Art Process Diary (VAPD).  Here are some examples of my artwork and other images I find relevant to my art making.

(Image Above) Ann Arien and Lucy Lippard protesting in front of the Whitney Museum of Art, September 1970, demanding a 50% representation of women and nonwhite artists in the Whitney Annual. 1970. At the time of this protest 50% of practicing New York City artists were women, but only 18% were exhibited in galleries. 

Source: http://www.theslideprojector.com/art6/art6lecturepresentations/art6lecture13.html

I really like the composition of this photograph.  Colour photography was available at this time however black and white film, I think, is more effective.  The greater contrasts in B&W images creates a mood of quiet tension.  You don't have the distraction of the language of colour. Notice the contrast of the facing woman's profile and the light on her face against the dark background... this highlights and defines her features very effectively. Notice the interesting shadows around her feet... these details are seen more clearly because of the limited B&W spectrum.

I have used similar techniques in this pencil drawing "The Dream of the Recluse" (1993). Once again the black and white tones create quiet tension.  Like the photograph the key points of interest are in the corners of the image rather then in the centre.  The eye probably goes first to the Dog or the Moon and then by careful compositional decisions is led clockwise around the picture.  Dog --> looks at man --> below the 'capturing tree roots' --> leeds up to the network of branches --> and then across to the 'grasping' limb and moon --> the downward moving marks of the water flow then returns your eye to the dog and so the cycles may begin again.


The Dream of the Recluse


This drawing s part of a series of illustrations for a work of fiction I wrote 1989 -1990 entitled "Guesswork".  The recluse, shown sleeping, is at this point of the novel confined while hiding within his bathroom inside his home.  His quiet life was invaded by a teenage squatter / petty thief who believed the house to be abandoned.  The recluse falls asleep on cold tiles while considering his predicament and dreams this cold scene.  In the drawing/dream he is presided over by a dream-dog inspired by the fairy-tale "The Tinderbox" which I have strong memories of borrowing from the school library as a child. The dog's stays as protective or malevolent in the fairy-tale book was ambiguous for me as a child and represents the invading squatter with whom the recluse eventually comes face-to-face.

"Temptation"

This was one of the first drawings I did at uni for my B.A V.A.  in 1989 while at the (then called) Northern Rivers College of Advanced Education but which is now called Southern Cross University.

I was 19 years old. Drawing with pencil was my most 'comfortable' medium and I felt like I could effectively express any idea or feeling through drawing with a lead pencil.  I regularly attempted to work through 'unresolved conflicts' through drawing and this is an example of the process.  At this time of my life my boyfriend was deemed to be very traditionally attractive... but I wasn't attracted so much to the external, everyone knew I preferred geeky types (!) and were probably confused by our relationship.  He had chosen me though and I went along with it for a while because he was also a good person.  In the end it ended sadly as I think I knew it would.  This drawing was done before the end and I feel was a bit of a prophecy... do you know or create your own reality/future?

"Young Man On Teal Couch" (detail)


This was also painted in 1988 when I was a first year Visual Art student.  I minored in painting and this was part of an assessment series of paintings.  It was one of the first attempts at using the oil paint medium as opposed to acrylic paint.  I had painted/drawn several artworks depicting sleeping people and animals.  I was interested in the slower sense of anticipation ('what will happen next") and of time passing compared to the depiction of awake and active figurative images. The slower sense of time passing and quietude is calming and today I usually have this painting on display in places where I need to calm my thoughts.

From My 1950s Kitchen

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Anyone know the names of these flowers?

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