8.5.07

window sill

<>

It's been a while between posts. A variety of things have been keeping me occupied, including a new macbook. I've never really used OS X before so I've had to learn to do stuff a bit differently. Just little things. I really really like it. So far anyway. Nothing has broken yet.

It's lucky i got it when i did because my desktop PC decided to ignore its CD/DVD drive. Not good when you've gotta send a CD of photos (last post!).

I've been spending way to long downloading and changing icons around. I have so many icons now, i have three sets of insect icons. One is specifically bees. Another set is internal organs, and another is little felt characters. I think they're called felt critters, funnily enough.

This is not all I've been doing, of course. I have also been doing some studio rearranging. Firstly it was minor change, the things on my windowsill got rearranged. Some of the things that were there i put in a little show (at project, artist run space where i do stuff). I also got some little things back from Wollongong city gallery. The photos are of my rearranged windowsill. And then i did some bigger changes, made a mess, and cleaned it up (mostly).

/

The exhibition is an open entry type thing, it was a last minute (well night before) decision to go in it, swayed by director-chairperson Sara. She is very persuasive. I am actually vice-chair, though i feel something of a fraud. Sara's never missed a committee meeting so I've never had to fill in.

I did help hang the show, though i didn't work as hard as some other people, as i had an urgent thing to finish that i don't really want to talk about.

Plus hanging other peoples work drives me a little mad sometimes. The other folks hanging will vouch for that because they had too listen to the cursing and swearing. And i don't usually swear that much. Actually, hanging my own work drives me mad too. But somehow not quite so mad. At least most of my stuff isn't in straight lines, i think that makes things easier. And of course i know which way round it goes. Most of the time anyway.
And if i put a d-hook (not that i really ever have a need for them) in some ridiculous spot that made my work jut out at 90 degrees from the wall i would only have myself to blame.

And then of course there's sitting the gallery, which the participants in the exhibition do. For the most part this works out fine. But occasionally someone doesn't show, and the gallery is not open when it should be. And you only find out about it later when someone gives you (and the gallery) crap about it. Obviously it is the absent person they should be so very irritated at. But of course they don't know who they are (or why they aren't there) so you're the next best thing.
.

Not that ARIs aren't good fun too.

9 comments:

Judith Hoffman said...

Jade, your window sill photos make such a serene contrast to your story of woe about hanging other people's art. You are very brave/dedicated to do it at all. I prescribe a little more time arranging your beautiful work on the window sill.

Oh, and I've been using OSX for awhile. It really is more stable than OS9. Worth the extra work in my opinion.

lauren said...

Hello from london!! I cannot tell you how much i do not miss helping hang others' work! Especially those darling artists in Wollongong who need some extra love with their professional practice!

London is great. I'm enjoying it. I'll post about it very soon - going to heaps of galleries and thinking today about possibly volunteering at an artist-led-space, if needs be.

hugs!

Jade said...

Thanks Judith. Yeah fooling about with other peoples stuff can be dangerous! Mostly they hang it themselves, but of course sometimes the gallery organizes these things....not to often, thank goodness.
Actually what i should've said was i've never really used macs before, certainly i've never had one. But yes definitely worth the extra effort, it's been a painless transition. The first couple of days was a crash course, but i think i'm pretty much on top of it now.

Lauren, hello from Wollongong!! Yes you lucky thing, escaping that sort of trouble, at least for the time being.....
Yes i think unprofessionalism is likely to be part of the parcel when it comes to ARIs in regional areas/'backwaters' such as wollongong (though i'm sure it's different in some comparable places). But i guess that is part of what makes it necessary.

Glad to hear you are enjoying yourself, must be kind of a relief to finally be there. I am especially enjoying reading your blog when you are so far away. It is all very interesting. Pun intended. Now i'm off to see if i can find out what pizza hut means in arabic.

Jan Allsopp said...

I recently got my first mac too - MacBook Pro and it's very sexy. Took me a while to get used to the differences but I like most things better than on my old PC. I especially love surfing the web on a sunny morning with a coffee and back in bed. (I've never had a laptop before and it's a joy.) I've got everything sorted or I thought I had. Now that the number of files is growing in iPhoto I'm finding the file system a complete mystery. Every photo seems to be in several places and changes to them in one place doesn't change it everywhere. I'm very confused. Love your stuff as usual and your window sill has me green with envy. Wish it was mine!

Jan Allsopp said...

Sorry Jade, but you've been tagged. Check out my blog for details.

Jade said...

Oh yeah Jan iphoto is weird. Haven't really caught onto that myself yet, i don't think i like the way it does things but maybe i just don't know how to use it. So far i've been using other things. I cannot see how iphoto would help me be organized . Still figuring out a few of the bundled apps, i am sure some will be completely useless.

That is fine about the tagging,no need to apologize, i am very soon going to do a big tagging post so now it will be even bigger! I shall get it all done in one lot, it's good timing really. I'm afraid i'm going to have to get you back though, i'll try and make it only once. And thanks for saying such nice things in your post!

Anonymous said...

I just discovered your website and your work is amazing! i love the incorporation of the horsehair, paper and thread and all else that you merged so well together. The details in the MECHANICAL EQUITANT are breathtaking! i can't wait to explore the rest of your site.

Jade said...

thankyou so much Mien! I have just started exploring Red Red Day. Your work is wonderful, i am glad you found me so i could find you. Thanks for the link, i will add you to mine very soon!

Anonymous said...

Jade, i am so in love with your work! thank you for sharing so many great quality pictures of it on the web. i hope to see your work in person one day...