Saturday, December 5, 2009

So humbled today - thank you, Leon and Julie



Stefan, my sincere gratitude back, you have helped so many humble souls to display and enjoy each others art in a way that was not possible before. You did it solely from the goodness of your heart. That is why the Outsiders Festival in Adelaide was not only a success, but also a way for many to believe in their own art as relevant parts of their own creativity, for you shone that light by believing in their talents and befriending then as your peers. This is the true definition of community. I am so humbled and grateful to be part of this special group of individuals. Together, silently and non-physically we are evolving and we are quietly making a difference . With much love and thanks,

Leon Woods

Although I could not go to Stefan's Festival, I would just like to congratulate him on the magnificent job he has done. I would like to thank him very much for letting me take part in his festival and from what I hear it was a outstanding success. Proved all his critics wrong , and I will certainly be looking forward to next year. Thank you Stefan.

Julie Stephens>

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Time for Stefan Maguran to shut up!




It has been a glorious journey!
In such a relatively short time, my life went from an efficient project manager contributing to the Great Move to China and India, to a single-minded person organizing an Outsiders festival in Adelaide (just pause a bit and think about the enormity of this task!).
Anyhow, it is over, the show is just a few days away, it will be open by Olga Sankey, Senior Lecturer in Visual Arts at the University of South Australia, and I will let the works and artists speak for themselves.

It took a lot of hard work, a lot of money, and the benefit for me is that it is happening much better than expected.
I made so many friends along the way.
I will mention Julie Stephens for her kindness and support, Angela Polglaze, for driving her truck all the way from Melbourne, in desperate need as a result for some cash to fix it to be able to move on, Mike Retter for his help with the video production, is spite of his personal dramas, and everybody who has helped and you know who you are.

Thank you, and although I did not mention everybody, please believe me I love you all.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

The Curriculum Vitae and the Naked Truth

A very nice otherwise gen Y lady from an employment agency told me to trim my Curriculum Vitae to improve my chances of getting a job.
First, because I should hide my age.
I say, it's time to grow up, go back to finish your basic education. learn some good old respect for the elderly, then come back and let's talk again. If at your age you don't value experience, wait until you get there and don't be surprised if people treat you like trash. I hope we're clear on this front.
And don't try to give me the crap about not being able to learn and adapt or being too slow at my age. Like you, I am on Facebook and Twitter and watch Scrubs, but unlike you, I can also program any remote controlled devices. As you have already proven, you still struggle with spelling "Principal" (Read your recent ad: "Principle Engineer required, bla, bla")
Second, to hide my artistic endeavours.
Well, I've got some news for you. If a potential employer is so dumb that she/he cannot understand that while unemployed I painted about 400 paintings, learned how to paint, draw, and sculpt and organised a festival, which shows my enthusiasm, energy, time and people management skills, and, of course some artistic talent, which indicates a higher degree of usage of my available brain, then I don't believe I would want a job with that employer.
So, pull out your head from your little (and I might add, cute) ass, and grow up. It's for your own good.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

So humbled today

"About a week ago I dropped in on Stefan Maguran. He lives in a house with walls covered in canvases. Different sizes and styles. I sit down and a huge monkey looks back at me with melancholy of glowing eyes. The picture must be bigger than a square metre. "Did you paint that Stefan?" I ask, he replies "Yes it took me about half an hour, it was one the early ones I did".Early ones means about two years ago. I dont know how old he is and I dont want to guess but he is old enough to be my father and they both drive pretty much the same cars. He started painting two years ago. I diont know quite how readical a shift that was. Did he do little drawing through out his life or think about it? Appently it started as gifts for his daughters wedding and it didnt stop.He was an elecrical engineer and he could have designed something in your fuse-box. The radical turn around and recent uptake, quite prolific too, of art practice has given him a zeal of a teenage art student.A passion and ideological relentlessnes that is usually burnt out by this point. Breaking free from structured blue-prints into dripping and pouring paint.The rational electrical design background mixed with spontanious brush stabbbing insticts is unique. The mid-life conversion to painting has created an outsiderwho wants to break in through the back door with a crow-bar. He will jimmee the lock and drag in his canvases weather the owners like it or not.Covering his walls is a collection of his own work but others too. He surounds himself with works by other people, originals not prints, to form a stimulating environment from any angle. The Outsider festival is his latest baby. A project that will last a month and involve many interesting create forces in South Australia and elsewhere even tracking down work from oversees. Surrounding himself with creativity is what makes him feel most alive. He loves to practice art but is also very interesting in others creativity.Its almost as if someone has said "You cant make a festival!" and he is relentlessly proving them wrong . Multi-platform ranging from music, video, painting and more to be announced, Stefan is forging his own reality. To take up art practice all of a sudden and jump ahead with an Outsider art festival only two years later is quite inspiring."

Mike Retter

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

unfknblvbl


I wanted to apply for a grant with the Helpmann Academy for the catalogue of the Outsiders Festival. Then, I was told that I was not eligible, as I was not enrolled in the BVAD course. Explanation below:


"You are enrolled in single subjects for the BVAD but you are not enrolled officially in the degree as you need to apply through SATAC for that. We do offer some units as single subjects in the degree if there are spaces but as a single subject category in that situation you are not enrolled officially in the degree. I know it is a bit complicated but that is the situation."


Today, I have received a letter from TAFE SA that starts as follows:"As you are a current student in the Bachelor of Visual Arts and Design..."


I believe I have been unfairly treated in this instance and I feel extremely unhappy about that. I believe this was a very important lost opportunity for fairness to prevail, for the School to get some much needed exposure and for some Outsider Artists to get the recognition they deserve.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Trams on King William Road

Went to see the opening of the Uta Mooney and Adam Oehlers exhibition at the Greenhill Galleries today (see my Adelaide - the backwater of Australia blog) and I saw, covering a door in the hallway a Pro Hart representing the first trams on King William. The asking price $20,000. Checked my pockets, my wallet, the balance on my credit card and I've decided I'll make my own.
I've used the panel that Amanda van Gils used to pack her painting. On the back she wrote: this is very good to paint on.
So there you have it - now I have my own copy of Pro's painting and on the back Amanda's autograph.
Recycling has a new and improved meaning.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Looking ahead

Someone just said:
"I’m sure that people who are thinking of submitting paintings to your festival would be filled with confidence to hear that the organiser is broke and begging for paintings..."
I am not quite broke, I am destitute and with little chances to find a meaningful job at my age.
The Government, in its wisdom has allowed me to do training in painting, sculpture and drawing to improve my chances of getting a job.
Some might find this ironic, but I don't. I have embarked on this with the same determination and efficiency that has allowed me to finish my projects on time and move on all my life.
So if you have any doubts about sending paintings to a broke man, don't.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

A very humble thank you

A sincere and humble thank you to all of you who, through donations (in money and paintings), registration to the Outsiders Festival, continuous and kind support, are contributing to a cause that it is very dear to me.
As you all know, I am planning to have a gallery dedicated to Outsider Art and your donations will go towards establishing that gallery.
My gallery is open to anyone who wishes to be part of it.
The gallery will be in a house we own on Anzac Highway, close to the Highway Inn, a place that is undergoing a major development in the near future.
The Greenhill galleries have open a gallery at the Highway Inn, very convenient and extremely favourable for us.
At present there are a few things to be sorted out, and this year, only the Rumpus Gallery is functional (that is, an independent portable house at the back of the property).
During the Outsiders Festival it will be used to present any objectionable material (non-family friendly - if you wish).
Essentially I intend to have there a hub where there will be plenty of activity, not just a gallery that will be open a few days a week, with three weeks shows that rarely (apart from the opening) someone visits.
I believe in diversity and I believe that because of the extremely poor position of the artist in the mainstream, any art should be encouraged, especially art that comes from people who make art for the love of it.
I have embraced the Outsiders idea exactly for this reason. I believe that Outsider art is more genuine than most of the stuff that "respectable" galleries have on display.
So, therefore, if you have any pieces that you wish to present, I am very happy to put them on display - I do not have any selection criteria.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Bits'n pieces about the Outsiders Festival - 1-30 November 2009 - Adelaide




I started working on the Outsiders Festival idea because of the frustration I found everywhere in trying to find venues for the SALA show in 2008. I realised then how many people are making art with love and passion, mostly for themselves. Since then, a lot of things have happened. One was that I started hosting the Outsiders group on Redbubble, as the cheapest option to host images from potential interested parties. The group now has more than 400 members and an unmanageable number of images, it includes established artists, trained and untrained artists, disabled artists and outdoor photographers. At the same time I had a very negative reaction from the arts fraternity in Australia about the name of what I was trying to do. I've asked repeatedly Redbubble to allow me to change the name of the group to Visionary, or to register a Visionary group, but it was all too hard to them. So I got stuck with the name. I am a person that rarely gives up (most of the time I had to be fired to leave) so I took the cross and went further. I am now less than two months before the event that I have publicised as much as I could from my almost non-existent income and it is way too late to change the name.But what's in a name?As I said somewhere else, replying to this comment: "I just don't think that I personally could contribute enough to society by being an artist." This is where I belive we are all making a mistake. We have an obligation to change the way society sees artists, especially now that manufacturing has moved elsewhere. Yes, sport is important, yes TV is important, but it is totally unacceptable for the human beings to be so de-humanised as to ignore the wonders of the human brain. Accept it or not, we are all outsiders and it's time to stand up and fight for our rightful place in society. It is symbolic that the war is fought by an unemployed immigrant outsider, but I trust that in the end there will be light. What is sometimes disheartening is that fellow artists keep trying to denigrate our efforts. We might not be doing everything right and we would love some help rather than just being ridiculed or ignored. Regarding the understanding of the word outsider (“'outsider' art by definition is art that is created without formal training, with disregard to it's commercial potential and for the sake of the activity itself.” – as someone said once) - I agree that is one definition. In this day and age it is though very hard to stay between those boundaries. Take Jungle Philips for example. In theory he is an outsider, but if we take the above understanding of the term, he is not, as he is actively promoting his work starting from his colourful fence to his facebook presence. Not to mention that this year he has obtained a grant to help his practice. Strictly speaking, an Outsiders Festival using this definition cannot exist, as the people who could take part, once taking part would automatically be disqualified.

Monday, September 7, 2009

To date or not to date

Went to see an exhibition that shall remain nameless at a gallery that shall remain unnamed yesterday and I left very confused.
It was not a declared retrospective, but it looked more like a pawn shop.
All sorts, new valueless stuff, old overpriced "take it or leave it" uninteresting gigantic nonsense celebrating some weird looking old "has been" (perhaps still is).
Amongst the cacophony of unfinished, unresolved trials and tribulations, the work of Julie Corfe really stands out. Profound and simple.
But the real motive of my post is to talk about signing and dating one's work.
Until now, I believed that dating your work on the front was a very good idea, but after seeing this show I begin to believe that this is a very bad thing, if one curator decides to feature your work in a show like this.
There are plenty of reasons why works don't sell, but having your work made six years ago in an exhibition that pretends to be fresh is most likely very damaging to any one's career.
I've seen some pieces that keep popping up at various events - not bad, but not good either. More like studies, you know, the school studies type. Aimed at improving one's technique, not creativity.
To end, I was very unimpressed, although the show has attracted quite a crowd. The sad thing is that the crowd was the one that always gathers together, just to be seen (and have a free drink?). I will check later if any work has sold. I'll be very pleasantly surprised.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

The Tall Poppy Syndrome





I cannot believe how prevalent is the Tall Poppy Syndrome in the arts community.
It sounds like sour grapes and it is totally counter-productive.
The enemy is not your fellow artist - it is the lack of education and the continuous shooting in the foot reaction to efforts to change that.
In a discussion on Tony Moffitt's blog about group exhibitions someone very nicely tells us how collaboration is beneficial - how group shows attract more people than single - artist galleries, yet people keep attacking any attempts to promote that.
I know art is a solo adventure, but it doesn't have to be a fight for survival of the fittest.
The end benefit is to the wide community and therefore collaboration can only be beneficial. This refers to the Outsiders Festival - Adelaide 1-30 November that I am organising.

I've had, over the last few days, some very nasty reactions to the efforts of promoting the festival, culminating with this beauty from Cat Taylor:

"he's like an untrained dog who pisses all over a house marking territory."

Monday, August 31, 2009

Full circle

After a few lessons about colour, composition and techniques, I am back where I started.
My good friend Daniel, God bless his soul told me to go to TAFE to learn.
And this is what I've done today in class.
Sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it?

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Objectives

My good friend Daniel Hutchings once suggested that I should, for a while, stop using colour and do some training in drawing.

At my drawing class, I was told to loosen-up and draw like I used to paint.
I don't mind either way, it is fun and as long as I can forget about my daily struggles, it is good enough for me.
My little war against the backwaterish attitude has suffered a small defeat.
Although in the end it has been agreed that I was entitled to apply for a grant to print a catalogue of the Outsiders Festival with the Helpmann Academy, being a student of an associated school (in the program or not), the admission came a few days after the deadline has passed.
More an more I have to admit that Adelaide is aiming for the title.
Speaking of which, the SALA Festival is on in Adelaide and surrounds.
As expected, the government, instead of using the event to promote the Festival and Artistic State, is ignoring the festival, the same as it does with all correspondence regarding the Outsiders Festival.
The battle continues.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Meet Fred - NFS

Fred has been busting his ass off all his life to provide for the family and to fill the pockets of his employers.
Fred is now unemployed and when he doesn't hang by his corporate tie that he loves so much, he is organising an Outsiders Festival in Adelaide 1-30 November 2009.
He cannot get grants, he has little support, being an outsider, but he has a lot of friends willing to be part of the festival.
So, all in all, Fred is a happy person.
Say hello to Fred, and if you can, please put your spare change in his bucket.
Thank you.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Drawing class - NFS

A terrible day today.

Today I was told that being enrolled in the BVAD course - single-subjects does not mean that I am enrolled in the BVAD program.

I am not an expert and I may be slightly annoyed by this, but to me, if you enroll in a BVAD (Bachelor of Visual Arts and Design for the uninitiated!) course single subject, it means that you are in the program and are studying single subjects.
The difference is that you pay 3 times more than people enrolled through SATAC, as the fees are not subsidised.

Well, today I was told that what I believed is wrong and if you enroll to do single subjects you pay three times more for the privilege of filling vacant places in the program, but you are not actually enrolled in the program.

Then I went to my drawing class. And because I finished early with the things on the table, my teacher asked me to fill in the blanks. And here you are: the classroom with some objects in the middle.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Study 1 - NFS

This is part of a study on colour schemes with simple spherical objects.
Hue contrast - opposites on colour wheel:
Blue - Orange.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Moving on

A new phase has begun in my life. I am a full time student (again).

Bachelor of Visual Arts and Design.

I've been doing design and visual arts for quite some time now, so people may ask why.

For starters, because the Government has decided that at my age and with my qualifications, experience and knowledge, I need re-training to be able to re-join the workforce.

So, when I told them about my interests in the arts, they have agreed to subsidise a small part of this program.

So, why not?





Saturday, July 18, 2009

Australian sky - NFS

To wake up in the morning and to see the magnificent blue turning into all the colours of the rainbow. To pinch yourself and realise you're not dreaming. To realise you're not in Heaven, but so close.
Hell is there somewhere, you can feel it, you can remember, there is warmth coming from everywhere.
To feel you're not alone in all of this beauty.
To hope that people touched by this are being transformed.
To believe that all the bad in the world is just misunderstanding.
And then to know that man kills man with bombs.
To look up the blue sky turning into all the colours of the rainbow and to ask yourself:
Why?

Thursday, July 9, 2009

My speech at the opening tonight



Dear friends

It is with great pleasure and humility that I welcome you to my show today.

This show is about my no-return journey into the wonderful world of the arts.
As you all know quite well by now, I started painting out of the blue exactly two years ago, when my beautiful daughter Ana married my beautiful son (in law) Peter.
Happy anniversary, Ana and Peter!

I started by throwing house paint onto canvas and some of my works hang in some of your houses and they can still be seen at Jock Gilbert Real Estate.
It was a liberating experience that I continue to enjoy from time to time, as you can see here.

But this show is about my experiences with oils.
I started using oils as I realized that I wanted to say more than I did up to that point.
The experience, as you can see in my works, has had ups and downs, but it was overall extremely rewarding.
It has highlighted my shortcomings, places I need to re-visit, places I need to go to, but most important, the fact that I can get where I want to be if I work hard.

I came to Australia seventeen years ago with my beautiful wife and my beautiful children, with a few suitcases and five American dollars in our pockets.

I was granted a skills migration visa, so I was here to help filling the gap in the skills shortage.
For seventeen years I helped manufacturing companies move their operations to low cost countries. I did this quite successfully, to the extent that I made my position redundant at every single company I worked for.

Now, as my children have grown up and they can almost stand on their own feet, I’ve decided that it is time to stop destroying so many lives and start filling a different gap in the skills shortage in Australia.

The focus on money, possessions, economic downturn, has led to a situation where the arts have been all but ignored. And yet, making and appreciating art is one of the major things that define us as humans. It is also something that cannot be moved abroad.

This show marks the starting point of the road of no return I am taking. I know it will be hard, I thank my wife, family and friends for your generous support and I promise not to disappoint.

Thank you again for coming,

I love you all.



My speech at the opening tonight


Dear friends

It is with great pleasure and humility that I welcome you to my show today.

This show is about my no-return journey into the wonderful world of the arts.
As you all know quite well by now, I started painting out of the blue exactly two years ago, when my beautiful daughter Ana married my beautiful son (in law) Peter.
Happy anniversary, Ana and Peter!

I started by throwing house paint onto canvas and some of my works hang in some of your houses and they can still be seen at Jock Gilbert Real Estate.
It was a liberating experience that I continue to enjoy from time to time, as you can see here.

But this show is about my experiences with oils.
I started using oils as I realized that I wanted to say more than I did up to that point.
The experience, as you can see in my works, has had ups and downs, but it was overall extremely rewarding.
It has highlighted my shortcomings, places I need to re-visit, places I need to go to, but most important, the fact that I can get where I want to be if I work hard.

I came to Australia seventeen years ago with my beautiful wife and my beautiful children, with a few suitcases and five American dollars in our pockets.

I was granted a skills migration visa, so I was here to help filling the gap in the skills shortage.
For seventeen years I helped manufacturing companies move their operations to low cost countries. I did this quite successfully, to the extent that I made my position redundant at every single company I worked for.

Now, as my children have grown up and they can almost stand on their own feet, I’ve decided that it is time to stop destroying so many lives and start filling a different gap in the skills shortage in Australia.

The focus on money, possessions, economic downturn, has led to a situation where the arts have been all but ignored. And yet, making and appreciating art is one of the major things that define us as humans. It is also something that cannot be moved abroad.

This show marks the starting point of the road of no return I am taking. I know it will be hard, I thank my wife, family and friends for your generous support and I promise not to disappoint.

Thank you again for coming,

I love you all.

This is it



This is it - today's the day - I look outside - it's raining. A good sign for this year's crops. I'll have a drink tonight for all of you. Thanks for your kindness and support. Cheers!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Stefan Maguran - Evolution - a three day only event



Announcing Stefan Maguran solo show - Evolution
A three day only event
Opening:10 July, 6:00 - 9:00PM
Closing:12 July, 5:00 PM
Open Saturday and Sunday:10:00AM - 5:00PM
The Stefan Maguran Rumpus Gallery, 316 Anzac Highway
For the opening night, RSVP - essential
contact: Stefan Maguran
stefan@maguran.com
0403 877 589

Friday, June 12, 2009

The end of the line

" Psychological obstacles often impede the unemployed from finding work...
Unemployment has been linked to lower levels of mental health, Two factors specifically documented are depression (Feather and Barber, 1983; Graetz, 1993; Morrell, Taylor, Quine, Kerr & Western, 1994) and self-esteem (Crowther, Marshall, Bond, & Huxley, 2001; Feather, 1975; Hale, Fielder, & Cochran, 1992).
Feather and Barber (1983) discuss depression as a reaction to unemployment. They note that depression as a result of external factors is typically transient and situation-bound. In the context of long episodes or repeated periods of unemployment however, the depression could potentially develop into a more generalised form."
Tara Coppins and Denise Skinner - University of South Australia
Thank God for painting - it's so liberating - who needs a job?Stefan Maguran - 12 June 2009

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Jungle Phillips meets Munch




Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Obstacles


A counselor appointed by my previous employer as part of our separation package has asked me to get my story straight.
Here it is:
After so many years of being involved in restructuring and change management, I want to do something else than destroying people's lives.
Is that clear enough?

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Crossroads


I was born a long time ago in Romania. Although my parents have initially agreed to help me in pursuing my love for the arts by enrolling me in the School of music and arts in Baia Mare, later on they have made it clear that living from art was not a realistic option so, I took their advice and got a Master's degree in Electronics and Telecommunications. I had an intesersing career in Romania, where I worked in a Research Institute, writing 35 research papers and working on several very challenging projects. When the Communist regime collapsed in 1989 and the savage capitalism started showing its ugly face in Romania, I took the opportunity to leave to fill the skills shortage in Australia. I lived for the last 17 years in Adelaide, where I've used my skills and talents to design home appliances. I've also used my Project Management skills to help the Great Move to China of the Australian Manufacturing Industry. As a result of my successfyul activities, I 've found myself several times made redundant (which was the aim of the game, I guess). On May the 1st the French company I worked for has allowed me to pursue my life long passion for the arts. I am doing this with my well known enthusiasm and energy. For me, there is no return. This time, I will continue pursuing my dream until the end of my life.I paint daily, I have quite a few blogs related to painting. I have a solo show in July, I have an open studio as part of the SALA festival and I am organising the Outsiders Festival in Adelaide in October (or November) this year. The financial side of things is still to be sorted out, but I am working very hard on it. I have drastically reduced my expenses and I am looking at innovative ways to saving money. I would be grateful if, after reading this, you could help. I have placed donation buttons on my blogs, or, if you prefer, you can buy my art. There are several convenient ways you can do that.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Fire




Sunday, June 7, 2009

An afternoon with Ana Herburt - NFS




Saturday, June 6, 2009

Stefan the Great - NFS




Reflections




Thursday, June 4, 2009

Peter "Jungle" Phillips


Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Barossa




Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Homage to Jim Thalassoudis - sold


The Greenhill Galleries in Perth present Jim Thalassoudis until the 13th of May.
This is my humble homage to the master.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Planes falling from the sky


Airbus A330 flight AF447 is missing over the Atlantic Ocean.
My prayers are with the passengers, their families and their friends.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

I hate cubicles and open-plan offices


The recent swine flu epidemic has highlighted what I knew instinctively for so long. Open-plan offices are one of the most dangerous places to be.
Studies have found that the stress level in battery-hen inspired spaces is increased, productivity is low, the level of frustration is very high because of the total lack of privacy and the danger from viruses such as the one we're facing today spreading is extreme.
Add to that the current economic situation, where, for fear of losing their jobs people avoid taking sick leave and you have the clear picture of a disaster in the making.
It is just a matter of time until progressive companies will take the lead and address this issue. Today, when technology allows people to have video conferences from home, there is no excuse for companies to ignore their duty of care.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

New begining


Today is the last day of my life so far. Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life. I am declaring the "No turning back" show officially open. Cheers

Friday, May 29, 2009

Four seasons storms - winter


"You certainly seem to be very prolific."
Paul Greenaway, OAM

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Four seasons storms - autumn


"I like your use of colour. It looks like you're not scared to experiment with different styles either - which is a great attitude to have as an artist. "
Jasmine

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Four seasons storms - summer

"..find a subject matter that keeps you coming back to the canvas over and over again."
Adam Bogusz

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Four Seasons Storms - Spring


"You remind me of a cross between Pollock and one of my favourite Mark Rothko with the flows and subtle colours capturing your mood and emotions. It is so stimulating to discover the many joys and pathways of experimenting with techniques and compositions, however, the voice of a much respected teacher of mine rings in my ears when he repeated often that one needs to find one's voice and individuality by focussing on what makes you as an artist and a person unique. This is of course difficult when one is finding this voice. My gut feel is that your dynamic and spiritual abstract work is calling you to commit to that pathway."
Ursula Theinert

Monday, May 25, 2009

Smoke on the water




Sunday, May 24, 2009

The light at the end of the storm

"It can be of course tempting to try to paint something that you feel will be "commercial" and there is nothing wrong with doing that...but I have found that eventually it will all catch up with you if you aren't painting what you truly enjoy doing."
Adam Bogusz



Saturday, May 23, 2009

Flooding

The driest continent is flooding. Our thoughts are with all those affected.



Friday, May 22, 2009

Flowers

"These are absolutely beautiful!"
my mother-in-law



Thursday, May 21, 2009

Sinking

"yummy rich texture and mark making"
Petra Sohns Didion
"I like some of the flows there. Nice."
Mike Retter

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Scottish dance




Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Healthy choices

"They are looking after yourself"
"You need to be mindful of what you were trying to achieve, and if you feel you've done it, have confidence in the work."
Grant Gittus


Monday, May 18, 2009

A sign in the sky - Sold


"just keep going and believe in yourself...."
Kylie Greer
BRIGHTSPACE
"Stay open, keep growing! I wish you every success!"
Associate Professor John Barbour
Director, South Australian School of Art

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Alan Bamberger knows his (and now my) s...tuff!

" Thanks for the painting-- very nice-- it does bear a certain resemblance."
Alan Bamberger
"You're a funny man Stefan!"
Amanda van Gils

Saturday, May 16, 2009

A long way from home


Alone in the middle of all. The traveller, lost for words in front of this immensity, starts planning his return. Where to go from here?