I photographed this pilgrim in Madurai, just as he rounded the corner to a full view of the southern gateway of Sri Meenakshi temple. He was gone before I mustered up the courage to go and ask him what he thought, but it looks like he was suitably impressed by the astonishing sculptures on the ancient gateway.
This guy started off as a demonstration piece I was doing for a year 11 student who wanted to make a clay bust. Then it carried on into the next lesson where I had some year 8 students making clay masks. At some point in that lesson, I looked up to see two students listening to music through earphones, wearing their hats in class, and generally ignoring all of the things I was asking them to do. It’s a familiar enough sight in any high school these days, so I thought that rather than getting angry, I might as well just sculpt them. It made me feel better, and he can now sit in my room as a permanent reminder to others of what not to do in Art class.
I had two excellent experiences last week involving large metal animals.
On Thursday I saw the opening of Wayne McGinness’s first solo exhibition at ‘Umi Arts’ in Cairns. Wayne is a friend and lives nearby. He’s made the unlikely transition from boilermaker to artist and uses his metal fabrication skills in an unusual new approach to his family’s traditional Aboriginal designs. Check out more of what he does on Aboriginal Steel Art.
On Sunday I visited the studio of Atherton Tablelands Artist, Amanda Feher. She was a student many years ago in my class, but has since taken public art and sculpture to a level way beyond my own. I particularly liked her giant copper redclaw:
ART, MIND & SOUL 