24 February 09

A bird scarer used in the current pile
of cars

The opening really was fun – caught up with a lot of people who have bought my work. Also went to the Rosalie Gascoigne retrospective, anticipating a rare treat, only to be very very disappointed. The labels all indicated that the works on show were from major collections, so I wasn’t looking at her minor work and there was nothing there. No intensity, no magic. Got halfway round and realised that all the carefully presented works were barren of that essential urgency of creativity and also, on closer examination, some of the straight sawn lines simply weren’t straight. Nor were they intentionally random. They simply wavered a bit. Then two ladies arrived with their 2 year old offspring, closely followed by a guided tour led by a lady with a very penetrating voice, immediately followed by a (very quiet and well-behaved) party from the local spastic association, at which point I left.

Then I decided to have a go at all that Gascoigne stuff myself, having previously ignored the idea as being too far above me, and ideas are hurtling round and round my head while I continue to paint the pile of cars and the Melbourne lanes for the ArtMelbourne 09 show in April.

Ken has bought me some electric shears suitable for old ladies to cut metal.