A Place of Her Own: MO

If you wanted one, and you have a place of your own to create.

Count yourself lucky.
I, do.

 Yesterday, Mr Fascinata and I did a road-trip.

Down Murwillumbah way to see Margaret Olley's place of her own.

Margaret Olley's home studio.
Margaret Olley is a national treasure artist.

After her death the rooms of her house were carefully packed up and restored in a

purpose built annex of the Tweed Regional Gallery.

The Yellow Room and the Hat Factory.
Her creative place is an inextricable part of her art.

You must go.

There's always a few other shows on at the gallery, too.

 It took about fifty minutes to leave the city behind and see

sugar-cane and Mt Warning on the horizon.

Margaret Olley was born in the area.

 It was a truly beautiful day.

Here's the view from the Gallery's car park.

 Sculpture that nods to the surrounding dairy industry.

 

 Here's Margaret.

She died on the 26 July, 2011 at 88 years. The day before she was painting.

She got around on a walking frame adorned with a tattered old Chanel ribbon.

If you squint you can see it, here.

The frame is in the gallery, for keeps.

So is the ribbon.

The walking frame has seen the pyramids in Egypt.

Margaret travelled all her life.

I have listened to her talk at three exhibitions and seeing that

ribbon again made me cry.

 

 Margaret did countless still-life and interiors of her creative space. Here's  'Afternoon With Corn Flowers' (1990).

There's many more where this came from.

 



 There was also a range of black and white photos of Margaret's studio, captured
by a photographer who was shooting work completed for her forthcoming exhibition.

 Here's the dining room table, below.

Margaret was a great cook and loved to entertain.

She would rather stay in, than go out.

She said that when she went out, her creative processes stalled.

Sometimes dinner parties would take place in and around the props

for her paintings.

 Her creative space really was the epicentre of her life.

 

There's also a moving mini-documentary about setting up her studio at the Tweed Gallery

and the people she knew and loved in the last few years of her life.

 She wasn't precious about 'things'.

 

In other news, the tree's packed up and put away.

 I have weaned myself of Christmas and am getting ready for 2015.



Any news?

Do you have a place of your own?

Where do you go?

 



Frida's Frippery

 I have been given an edict.

The tree must come down today.

 I know one person who leaves her Christmas tree up all year.

So there.

Saves a bit of work, but I don't know if I could trust myself not

to eat fruit mince tarts and chocolates all year either.

That tree is definitely a trigger for all sorts.

I will be wrestling mine down today.

I promise.

Meanwhile, in retrospective frippery I want to tell you about

 

a couple of Frida inspired headpieces.

 Late last year I had the fun of making a couple of Frida Kahlo inspired headpieces

for A, who was going to luncheon.

I worked with two fabric characteristics, one including using the bias (or stretch) of the woven grain.

That is the lovely rolled edge and ease you get when you cut fabric on the 45 degree angle.

 The curves are lovely.

 I arranged the fleurs in a little bunch and added turquoise leaves.

 The second headpiece used heat to curl and twist cut fabric petals.

What are you up to?

How are you skirting around your chores?

Any tips?