Show Me The Treasure

Home Archive for 2014

at 21:09

Tidings - Christmas's In's and Out's

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Last year, I hit upon the somewhat recessive, but space efficient concept of decorating the fireplace for yule tide flippancy . The painted fire, a peon to consumerism that was installed, lasted, with some augmenting of gaffer tape for 2014. At the end, it flagged, there were jokes about the fire going out, and the two bar heater.

at 08:50

Green Clocks and Spider Calenders

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Like a green clock , this spider orchid shimmies its way centre stage for the first week of December. There is something beakish in the buds, but opened they fool nicely with the aranas to make another green day. Like a green clock , this spider orchid shimmies its way centre stage for the first week of December.

at 08:59

On the Floral Trail

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Forget fashion's forarys into prints and go direct to the flower. These two, taking quite different tactics in the art of self propogation were demuring along the bush path from Middle Head to Chowder Bay.At these prices of course they cant last. . Forget fashion's forarys into prints and go direct to the flower. These two, taking quite

at 08:34

Guavamos!

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Obscured by guava leaves, guava flowers, a fine froth of antipetalous stamen, something like apple blossom with guavitude, are lovely finds on the first Tuesday of December. The leaf pattern's reticulate loveliness is unexpected extra. Obscured by guava leaves, guava flowers, a fine froth of antipetalous stamen, something like apple blossom with guavitude, are lovely find... Obscured by

at 21:22

Powerful Owl Service

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A fuss from the noisy miners drew my gaze to a tree on the edge of the park next to Balmoral Beach. Too wit, an owl, something red, messy and deceased in its claws, was ignoring the miners' protestations, to stare down the spectators with its one good eye. It seems out of sync with time of day,

at 16:13

Making Up Stories for Matrices

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Yesterday, strolling to the beach, all at once I came upon a box of golden paperbacks, with a help yourself note.Not one to look a gift horse in the eyes, I pocketed an an old Penguin. on which I will report anon, and for more immediate fun the 1938 school classic, Raven's Progressive Matrices, and duly progressed through

at 15:41

Cycadic Motion

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Like an aggregated botanical exclamation point, the cycad is emphatically exuberant in putting its best fronds forward. These graphically elegant set are no slouches on speed either, from yesterday to today, the remind that fronds waits for no time. Viola. Like an aggregated botanical exclamation point, the cycad is emphatically exuberant in putting its best fronds forward. These

at 08:45

Thinking Tools for Hour Glass Days

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Thinking Tools for Hour Glass Days Image

Like Wordsworth's sister, all at once we came across a host of fluoro digging tools. What would be par for the beach if seen in a single pair, this quiet riot of spades and buckets inveigles a disquiet, a singular sense of whimsy whooped up, an idea that this mise en scene is not so much an invitation

at 21:38

Resolution of the Chicken and the Egg

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Resolution of the Chicken and the Egg Image

Falling, or might I say stalking, smack dabbers between those two hoary competitors, the chicken and the egg, the bird and its orbital origin, this one member of a small flock of similarly headless aves, suggest, in the no nonsense stride towards the sand, that maybe we are all a little parochial in our perspective. Sculptures by the

at 13:26

Come in Spinner

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Like a visual merry-go round, a reverse of spinning out, this was base camp and summit for one of a set four coast totems from Caterwilliamson and Linda Matthews in Sculpture by the Sea (2104). Bravo, these just might be my favourites for their clever rearrangement of the horizontal plane, spun out into near meaninglessness, then coalesced into

at 08:40

Un-Selfie-ing in Lisbon

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Perhaps the Cacau Cru mean to pivot on the ambiguity of whether their character is painting himself in or out of the picture but I like to think that this may be discreet advice on the perils of the selfie, a call for modest self-effacement and a certain level of anonymity. Perhaps the Cacau Cru mean to pivot

at 18:38

Return to Keirle Park or The Dissolution of Memory

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Return to Keirle Park or The Dissolution of Memory Image

This an overlooked aside from the Keirle Park series, those once a week sketches in the car, cataloguing the to's and fro's, the oval walkers and dog ball throwers, the skater set, tennis players, aspiring football teams and slouchy sets of teens who smoked in cockie circles in the furthest corner, all playing second fiddle to the day's

at 16:17

Fog Lights Inaction

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Saturday doubled up on fog, waking to foghorns, that forlorn long bovine wail that echoes around Sydney Harbour and the foreshores is one of the better variations of Spring. Like in Camelot the morning fog disappears. Usually. Saturday afternoon saw the fog pawing its way back, grey and misty, sneaking over Middle Head and giving a Mona Lisa

at 08:35

Swept Sticklers for the Deck

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Time has turned the deck here into something of a chameleon, an exercise in patience, and repetition, this small pile bought down courtesy of this week's wild wind, was swept into a neat post card of kindle. Why this should be pleasing? The sense of time played out in twigs, the tonal graduation? Perhaps its being an artifact

at 19:08

Postcards from the West Wind

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While Tuesday's whirligig wind bought down a whole suit of sticks, it also snipped off these green tips from the parperbark and jacarandah trees, were a kind of message, though I am not sure what, though Marshall McLuhan's 'the medium is the message' seems to fit. While Tuesday's whirligig wind bought down a whole suit of sticks, it

at 07:58

Spilt Drinks - An Opportune Media

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In the sort of calibrated beloved of spin doctors, in the Years of Spilt Drinks, I decided to redefine what was a spill to only those drinks that made it onto the floor, thus taking the pressure off small visitors and small residents who were prone to knock over glasses of juice and water. A small spill at

at 08:01

Models of Discretion

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This orchid falls somewhere between being showy and inconspicuous, a state of balance perfectly suitable. This orchid falls somewhere between being showy and inconspicuous, a state of balance perfectly suitable. This orchid falls somewhere between being showy and inconspicuous, a state of balance perfectly suitable. This orchid falls somewhere between being showy and inconspicuous, a state of balance

at 20:19

Red Hats To The Rescue

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These three women, tribal in their statement red hats, blue/purple outfits and red shoes, might be an installation of the best kind, a self-organizing fluid, a tribal collective of collectors, nearly antique art savants, friends of a feather, I saw them drift into the Queensland Gallery of Art, and thought aha! the Qld art club's answer to The

at 08:22

Teepees of LEDs Spells Incandescent

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Teepees of LEDs Spells Incandescent Image

Five teepees of little movies playing on LEDs create a glade of pleasant nearly strangeness in south side of Hyde Park. Like coming across fragments of dreams out for a night picnic, some murrmuring quiet stories, another a character in search of adventure, it's hard to pick a favourite, but then favourites always were over-rated. Five teepees of

at 15:51

Wollongong Here I Come !

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The kind folk at the Wollongong Writers Festival have invited me to join them, though I understand that many of my readers in the Ukraine ( hello up there) and United States will find this a bit of a challenge to get there by 12 October 2014 please consider yourself invited. 12 October 2014 Rocket Readings1:30

at 12:20

Champ Chimp Trumps - Cards Up for New Farm

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Champ Chimp Trumps - Cards Up for New Farm Image

Signal boxes are being singled out everywhere as substrates for art installations. This card sharp chimp hails from New Farm, Brisbane's funky south of the city groovy collage of old queenslanders with their wrap around verandahs, the one below movie-set perfect with the vintage Holden ute out front and not a lick of paint for a century

at 10:38

What a Spool Believes

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This dervish-esque installation at the Queensland Art Gallery looks nearly better in a photo, the blurring giving it a greater sense of volume, though one misses out on the pleasant machine hum and faint zephyr produced by the spinning. I think this is the perfect opportunity to create a sound track, Rose Royce's Car Wash - and surely

at 16:33

Wall Masquerading as an anti-hero

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This might be a comment on the faceless-ness of crime, an aside on the surveillance state, a deft pun on the stolidity of the superhero paradigm [ha, just tricking, this last option is a complete phoney] or simply a way to get some three-d into street art thingy. This bandit in mixed media is lurking in the lane

at 08:06

Lead Time - Going Nowhere Slowly

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Looking around this morning for a missing cable, in my house jacks and cables are prone to wander, I realised I was experiencing lead time, that gap where you start doing something but go nowhere while you're searching for the wherewithal. Much of this is about placement, was it too optimistic to leave ones recording paraphernalia en plein

at 14:53

Cossie Drama Hits the Rails - Missives to Aqua Alpine Part 4

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Cossie Drama Hits the Rails - Missives to Aqua Alpine Part 4 Image

Readers may remember that they last time we heard of the Aqua Alpine Cossie Drama Saga was when Lady Murasaki wrote demanding the return of two of her characters. Since then the following missive has arrived from a hybrid character, Ojii-San Tank Engine , who also sent this selfie. Dear General Mai Hem, The consequences of the action

at 08:18

Sighting of a Green Thought

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Leura Cascades, plashes in with special lighting effects seemingly an actualistation of Marvel's 'green thought in a green shade'. The crepuscular divisions of sun light, that here have gone someway towards splitting themselves into their constituent wavelengths brings along with it those two arcs of green and green/blue. There is no going past light. Leura Cascades, plashes in

at 18:46

Stella and The Coffee - Katoomba by Starlight

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Stella and The Coffee - Katoomba by Starlight Image

A weekend of rumbling around the Blue Mountains, walking to cascades and falls, studying fems, including my favourite Gleichenia needs good coffee. In the dark days good coffee in Katoomba was like a rumour no-one really believed it existed. Enter the small representative of the constellation of Cassiopeia in Lurline Street, lovely coffee, good toast, morning sunshine (

at 21:14

Budging the Bars - Jailbirds and Bards

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Budging the Bars - Jailbirds and Bards Image

A return to old haunts, to fossick and rake over the small treasures of locale turns up a nice suite of odds and ends, this cryptic image of Mr Budgie, smuggled onto bars, might be a clever comment on who is watching, placed as is it behind both the Newtown Court House and Police Station. Yard and Jail

at 13:19

Aha, This May Explain Why Some Mail Doesn't Make It

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Aha, This May Explain Why Some Mail Doesn't Make It Image

This looks like a set up I know, but last week the Postie left this tenuous connection between post box and post, one might say it was a post-hoc or even an ad-hoc arrangement. Is it a message that I need smaller parcels or a bigger letter box? A vote of confidence in the honesty of all passers-by?

at 10:54

Snow from Nowhere New Years Day 2014

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Snow from Nowhere New Years Day 2014 Image

I know I took this photo, it's the falling snow, the way it has snuck in and just keeps drifting down, like a snowdome that never needs shaking that makes me wonder. Like the milk playing rain in the puddles and dance scene in Singing in The Rain, this seems like a kind a trick. A variety of

at 22:42

A Fairy Tale With Three Rabbits

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Three shadow rabbits, one shadow grandma, heads only, and a fine Japanese bowl, the world writ small. The bowl, by way of Kyoto, is reminiscent of the brilliantly graphical lines of Keith Murray's designs for Wedgwood from the '30's and onwards. Murray, New Zealand's exemplar designer. Murray's keen sense of form, his elegantly stylised geometry, might or might

at 12:44

The Long Lunch and Wabi-sabi

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Lunch, daily but ephemeral, is often the forgettable meal, a mid-way refuelling, a matter of fact calorificaton of self. But here we see the end of a long lunch, long on table and long on time, slipping gracefully into the past tense, the afternoon light a soft apricot that adds some length to the perspective and a grainy

at 18:46

Kitchen Still Life with Shadow

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Why would an ordinary bowl with its strange plate chapeau evoke a sense of the great French still life painter Louise Moillon (1610-1696)? Thinking back recollected an intermediary, a fine white china bowl, shallow, handles broken off and lid long gone, itself now the same, that was a favourite place for cherries, which in their turn evoked those

at 15:20

Footnotes to an Autumn Tree

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Last week the Pepper tree, probably Schinus spp, tree in Edwards Bay Park found itself footnoted by yellowish mushrooms. Why this tree I wonder instead of the local angophoras? The whole fungi thing is intriguing, the idea of their labyrinthine subterranean habits, the back seat drivers of the plant world as it were, to borrow from Sylvia Plath's

at 17:25

Water Daubes make a Double Take

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In what seems like a short lesson in Impressionism, the Water Wall, constant distorter of both the in and out sides, seems to convert St Kilda Road into something Gerhardt Richter-esque. The wall, devoid of reflections seems the natural antidote for the glass selfie. In what seems like a short lesson in Impressionism, the Water Wall, constant distorter

at 09:53

UFO-esque in the Ensuite

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This luminous apparition was, and might still be, floating and focssing itself in the ensuite of the discretely elegant Lyall Hotel in South Yarra. It wasn't listed in the amenities guide, perhaps they might include a sentence, 'View our singularly lovely play of light, a conflux bought to you by the shaving mirror and the sun.' This luminous

at 22:22

Road, Ride, Roam -Wheat pastes Win the Day

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Road, Ride, Roam -Wheat pastes Win the Day Image

Three near poster sized black and whites, morphing into a black wall in Prahran, immortalise the lone rider, then re-contextualising the cyclist as breakaway man versus car highway hero, and then, urbane commuter. There was something more than appealing in this grainy, near elegiac set, that seems to take the wheat paste into the realm of mirrors and

at 08:30

Achoo and The Mailing Chute - Two Takes on the Post Box

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Achoo and The Mailing Chute - Two Takes on the Post Box Image

These are the belle lettres of letter boxes, both purely decorative and amusing . the lovely metalwork chute can be found by those with an eye for detail on the ground floor of the Nicholson's Building Catherine Arcade, at Number 37 Swanston Street, Melbourne, on the way upstairs to visit the intensely poetic Collective Works Bookshop. The poor

at 20:31

The World is My Oyster Mushroom

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A riot of frilled edges, a fairy cornucopia of cups - this set of stairs becomes the scene for sway of oyster mushrooms. It is as if the underground labyrinth of fungi could no longer be kept down and this sudden set of brown and white oyster mushrooms had to burst out along the path down to Chowder

at 08:56

Happy Phoenix versus Green Dragon

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If a certain symmetry, perhaps a ying-yangish complementarity fosters success, or a least longevity this pair of Chinese restaurants on Malvern Road, Prahran might be a case in point. A little way off the Chapel Street bustle, these resolutely unreformed facades, suggest that the Phoenix and the Dragon might persist by the same culinary upper hand. Or it

at 16:11

Gingkio biloba sneaks in

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How did I overlook this funny pairing, the gingko pattern around the edge of the manhole and that single, senescent gingko leaf snicking into the frame? Tokyo in December, where even the downcast eye is rewarded. How did I overlook this funny pairing, the gingko pattern around the edge of the manhole and that single, senescent gingko leaf