A recent weekend at Camp Coorong, on South Australia’s south-east coast, opened my eyes to the beautiful simplicity of the ancient Narrindjeri world, a simplicity yearned for by many, particularly those who struggle to fit in to the fast paced and competitive western world. It also revealed to me in starker detail than ever before the devastation brought upon the Ngarrindjeri peoples and their land by European settlement. Through a guided tour of Bonney reserve, a delightful little patch of coastal mallee scrub, and over a round-the-fire dicussion, Tom and Ellen Trevorrow shared their stories, interweaving the wonder of the...

Recently I have been working on a series of self-portraits showing me as I appear Monday to Friday in my work clobber. I am attempting to match appropriate facial expressions with common adversarial cliches. “I object!” is perhaps the most well-known legal exclamation. Few can deny having at some point practiced this in front of a mirror, releasing their fury at some injustice, defiantly raising one of their fists while clutching a toothbrush with the other.

….and I’m already preparing for my next exhibition, a smaller one in Ecco Espresso Bar, Central Market Arcade, Adelaide. The cafe, which can be accessed from Victoria Square, is between the Hilton International Hotel and the Sir Samuel Way Building (District and Supreme Courts). Illustrating the contrast between the grandeur and functionality of Adelaide’s edifices of Justice and the dysfunction that brings people through their revolving doors, the Order in the Court exhibition will run from 14th August to 14th September 2009 (click on Coming events for more information).

The Elizabeth Magistrates Court

Who is this “Malinda-Ro Koehn”, with whom I am exhibiting in June?
Not only is she my closest companion and my gentle manager-in-art, but she is a budding photographer with a keen eye and a love of the slightly odd. Stimulating in the viewer deep contemplations and wistful imaginings, her studies on windows and doors is a good example of her style. Here are a few to whet your appetite:

See you at the exhibition!

What a week it has been! The preparations for Quiddity and Oddity have been gaining pace like a narrowing stream approaching a cataract.

Last Tuesday ABC radio interviewed Malinda-Ro about how her renewed interest in photography has provided a diversion during her recent struggle with cancer, and she gave a very nice plug to the exhibition, at which, of course she is joining me in exhibiting works. You can view the ABC article, listen to an audio and see a slide show at the following link: http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2009/06/11/2595364.htm?site=adelaide&rotator=true

Today, after having added finishing touches until 3:00 am, we shuttled...

In the aftermath of a thoroughly spiffing opening to Quiddity and Oddity it has been rather difficult to go about my normal tasks today. As I walked into the office this morning the usual ping-pong of mindless greetings “morning”, "morning, “morning”, seemed surreal. What kept me from gushing all over everybody was the deep fatigue that had set in as soon as I got home last night – that deflation of energy that follows all such climactic events, similar to the gush of air that happens when an untied balloon is released. But, I had no choice but to get...

Due to her phenomenal success in our Quiddity and Oddity exhibition I thought it imperative that somewhere on the net there be a more substantial sample of Malinda-Ro Koehn’s photographs than I have heretofore displayed.

The following photographs sold well at the exhibition:

defiant

visual harmonics

symphony

reaction

feathered friend – unidentified duck

dislodged

entanglement

lurking

…and the following ones ought, in my view, to have sold, because...

Camping near Cadell on the Murray River in South Australia over Easter, I was annoyed by the speedboats and jet skis incessantly ripping back and forth across such a scenic canvas, and by the mosquito-like whining of mini-bikes throwing contemptuous clouds of dust on this masterpiece. But the River and it’s immortal cliffs stood motionlessly, as if knowing this irritation will pass, and despite all the racket, imparted to me a suggestion of its peace. Enough peace, I think, to inspire a painting or three.

Here is one of them:

… and another:

I have always loved dragonflies…

linocut multi-media, 2009

…their glossy wings catching the sun’s rays as they dart about, splitting them into rainbow colours,…hovering for a moment, then suddenly changing directions and gliding several metres, hovering again, and changing again,…whirring and spraying out colour and light,…their multi-segmented eyes seeing everything from an infinite number of angles,…darting, changing, hovering, looking and changing again.

Malinda and I have recently paid several visits to Strathalbyn, a quaint little town on South Australia’s beautiful Fleurieu Peninsula. So charmed were we by the town and it’s friendly population on our first visit, that we started thinking it might be a nice place to buy a house and eventually settle.

On the other hand, although I knew there is a locally-organised “Art-Trail” in Strathalbyn, I was wondering whether such an out-of-the-way place would provide me with enough creative stimulation to push me on in my artistic journey. Quaint may not be what my art needs.

In the course...