Davids Art Projects

2016 saw the second Sight For All Photographic Competition and Exhibition called "One Day For Sight" and managed by Atkins Photographic Lab. A colour is chosen and photographers have one day to take the shots, pay a fee and submit work, finalists are selected and exhibited and the winner receives $5000. 2015 colour was yellow http://atkins.com.au/sight-for-all-2015/. 2016 the colour was red http://atkins.com.au/sight-for-all-2016/. The winner was Tony Kearney's 5th Floor. Gallery - http://memorybank.atkins.com.au/galleries/one-day-for-sight/red. Below is my entry "Primes" as a finalist. Pics below show the people at the event and the finalist photographs, mine isthe red 7.

My first installation shows a series of feelings. The first image (top right) shows a person in pain - can see out yet boxed in, depressed and blue - it could be a disintegrating relationship, job problems, an immigrant is pain.
(The back of this image shows marking off the days.)
Panel 3 is on the left with light, bright shackles and the steel chains have gone. The blues are replaced by optimism plans, pathways and goals.
Panel 4 is below - escaped (Out of the Box) bright and cheerful.
The second photo shows the rear of panel 1 with marking off the days and (on the right - panel 2) there is a change of fortune and shown by more colour and escaping the frame.

Photo 3 is of me and my Merit awarded painting - “Peloton and Sampson Flat” (ref 2015 Sampson Flat bush fires).

Photo 4 celebrates Adelaide which is the only city in the world surrounded by park lands. The suburbs (in the corners) are in water colour with acrylic roads. The city is in acrylic and in a Yin Yang relationship with the Adelaide Park Lands in water colours. The city is concrete and glass and the park lands are soft, restful and kind. This is called "Parklands - Giving the City a Hug"

My work presented for the Sampson Flat Bushfire Community Exhibition Jan 17 2016.
The warning, tension, focus, listen, prepare;
sirens, smoke, heat, noise, more noise, so hot;
sick feeling, loss;
then quiet, surreal, lifeless, no colour.
Embryonic life
New start
New opportunity
New awareness
New community
The Sampson Flat Bushfire started on the 2nd of January and burned for 6 days destroying 12,500 Hectares with a perimeter of 222 km. 24 houses were destroyed with no loss of human life. By Australian standards, not in the top 10 but one of only a few fire to threaten the outskirts of a major city suburb. With linear parks and creek lines full of Eucalypt trees, the potential was huge. To reflect on the destruction and feelings of the affected people, an exhibition is running at the Golden Grove Cultural Centre (the NE suburb under threat) and the Gumeracha Library (an affected area in the Adelaide Hills).

The exhibition ran for six weeks in the Festival Theatre Art Space. Adelaide is the only city in the world to be surrounded by park lands. The Adelaide park lands provide a beautiful 7.6 km sq backdrop to the CBD and surrounding suburbs. They also provide a Botanic Garden, fabulous out-door arts area for WOMADelaide and a film festival, an amazing zoo, tennis courts, cricket ovals, Adelaide oval, Golf courses and tracks for a V8 car race and an equestrian event. Not to mention running, walking the dog and the odd barbeque. A very special place for the people and wild life but often eyed as a resource for new developments. To highlight the importance of the park lands, the Adelaide Park Lands Preservation Association have an Art Prize. The next will be opened on April 15th (as it happens is my birthday) to May 29th 2016. Although I have submitted three entries for this competition, the image shown was purpose designed with the importance of the park lands being front and centre. The water colour suburbs with acrylic roads surround the city which is shown as (not the square mile) but a Yin / Yang circle. Simply, they go together “ … Like A Horse and Carriage”. I don’t want to suggest that one is masculine or feminine or that one is positive and bright while the other is dark and negative but rather that there is an interdependency and a synergy which enhances both spaces.

The first painting "Just A Walk In The Park" is from the King William Street bridge looking over Karrawirra Parri (River Torrens) in Adelaide. Pinky Flat extends on either side. The prestigious Festival Theatre is the the left, the Intercontinental Hotel, the amazing Convention Centre and the new hospital under cranes. The walk-ways and bike paths frame the grassed banks where so many concerts are held. The couple walking on the left are enjoying "Just A Walk In The Park". This painting was a finalist in the inaugural Parklands Art Prize in 2014.

This painting, “Emerging”, is a Finalist in Royal SA Society of Arts spring 2015 exhibition “Stepping Out” (Sept 27th to October). This GM Holden is emerging, being born, almost ready to leave the production line and step out onto the street. The Australian flagship car, Holden, will not be made in Australia (Adelaide’s Elisabeth plant) after 2017. End of an era and the loss of hundreds of jobs.

As a kid, I remember the factories where my Dad worked were very dark, loud and heavy. This Holden production line is bright, gentle and light - just like spring.

The Royal South Australian Society of Arts asked me to run a photographic course in Port Adelaide last weekend. On Saturday I talked about the 6 main "adjustables" on a camera (focal length / view angle, Focus Point, F Stop, Shutter Speed, ISO and the "half-press and take-the-picture-now" button) then we toured the Port togethertaking photos. After lunch everyone did their own thing. There was a dusk / night shoot and at home to select the Port Top 10 pictures. On Sunday we saw everyone's contribution and listened to their Port story. We are having an exhibition of all the work at the Port Community Arts Centre June 27 to July 5. Attached are some of my photos in my story.

The "Tugs of War" exhibition was opened today (April 18) at the Royal South Australian Arts Society cnr Kintore and N Terrace (2nd floor). I received a merit award for this painting (a triptych) "Fragile".

The young are thrown against the vivid reality of conflict and death.
The returned soldier has killed and could have been killed. The isolation inside is ripping him apart.
Loneliness and buried memories weigh heavily long after the physical scars have gone.

The exhibition looks amazing and is very engaging and sombre. Well done Vikki and Bev and the crew. The exhibition is open from the 19th of April to 24th of May 2015.

Tugs of War, an exhibition by the Royal South Australian Arts Society

War - hopeless, futile, get involved and you "bleed" for life. This thought provoking exhibition will be opened by His Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le Governor of South Australia at 2pm on Saturday April 18th 2015.
My finalist paintings below -

Fragile
The young are thrown against the vivid reality of conflict and death.
The returned soldier has killed and could have been killed. The isolation inside is ripping him apart.
Loneliness and buried memories weigh heavily long after the physical scars have gone.

Deck Hands
The briefing is over, the machines prepared, final checks and the roar to the sky. Funny, it’s very loud yet I hear nothing. I am far above yet a second from contact. Isolated, yet through humanity, connected.

The Office
Diesel smell, hard steel;
not in Sunday best, not home;
confined, orders;
no laughter of children, no beer by the barbeque;
tense anticipation, teamwork;
no freedom, no life.

Front Line
THIS is the boundary between us and them. Torn apart. For what? Are they not the same? Do they not yearn to go home to their families?

Invited to provide photographs in the vicinity of Gallery 1855 to participate in an installation for Adelaide Fringe 2015. Starting on Feb 8th. The other artists are (Rebecca Cooke (visual artist)), Angela Walford and Anna Couper (ceramicists) in the creation of an installation ("built impermanence") which reflects on the landscape prior to and following the existence of the gallery. Bec charcoaled a tree on the wall, Anna and Angela adorned the floor with fallen ceramic leaves and bark and I presented photographs on the walls. My photos ar below.

I participated in a conference sponsored and run by The Arts Industry Council of SA called A Forty Year Vision – What do we want the arts to look like in 2055?

- .. “dream big dreams: to stop, to come together and to articulate the deeply held, often intuitive impulses, of our own hopes and visions for our society as we look to the next 40 years.

This event was on the 5th and 6th of November 9am-5pm at the Adelaide Town Hall. Using the process of Open Space Technology and facilitated by Nick Sweeting from London's acclaimed theatre company Improbable, this unique event aims to give voice to South Australia's passionate and committed cultural constituency.

150 people participated in the event in the Adelaide Town Hall concert auditorium.

There were sixty eight sessions over 2 days with nine sessions running at consecutively.

I suggested that the output from the conference be presented to SA Government (who were represented) to let them know where the arts community want art in SA to be in 40 years – and ask them to take it on and fund appropriately. And also to alert the Health Ministry as to how much money The Arts projects saves their department by reducing depression in prisons, fly-in-fly-out mines, farming communities and aboriginal communities.

I suggested and ran two topics - “Art, Science – Ying and Yang” and we discussed the role of science in art and how encouraging science in schools would cause an increased interest in the art – Yin and Yang.

My second topic (on day 2) was Synergy. In the conference on day one we had heard a lot about Adelaide being small, despite Adelaide’s “Cultural Capital” logo, there did not seem to be as much interest as in other states. I had been discussing China visits (he has 50 to date) with a cultural representative and came up with the idea of using twinned cities to make Adelaide “bigger” in the arts.
Current Adelaide Sister Cities are –

Austin, Texas, United States of America
Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Himeji, Hyogo, Japan
Qingdao, Shandong, Peoples Republic of China
Dalian, Liaoning, Peoples Republic of China
Chengdu, Sichuan, Peoples Republic of China

But in addition The Arts Industry Council of SA could “twin” with industry, commerce, banks, school, universities, retailers, mining companies, farming communities to create a conduit and avenues for sharing the arts. (Twinning as a relationship of separate components, increasing understanding, awareness and exchange rather than a partnership with merging ideas.)

Breaking News

Port Community Art exhibition feb 2017 - Impressions

Adelaide Fringe at The Rising Sun Inn - RSASA exhibition

Adelaide Town Hall 150, RSASA 160 exhibition in the Town Hall

Sight For All Photographic competition and Exhibition

Made Fellow of the Royal South Australian Society of Arts - July 16

Presenting My work for consideration for RSASA Fellowship

SALA 2016 at the North eastern Community Hospital

SALA 2016 at 42nd Street Cafe

I have been invited to show my art in a local hospital

Royal SA Society of Arts - my 3rd Merit Award

Royal SA Society of Arts "Out of the Box" Exhibition for the Adelaide Fringe

Sampson Flat Bushfire Community Exhibition

Adelaide Park lands Art Prize

Royal SA Society of Arts - Monochromatic Exhibition

St Peters Cathedral Art Prize- Finalist

Royal SA Society of Arts -

Finalist In spring 2015 exhibition “Stepping Out”

Royal SA Society of Arts -

Finalist In Adelaide Airport "A Taste of SA"

Royal SA Society of Arts -

Finalist - SALA "salt of the Earth"

Ex at National WIne Centre - Adelaide

Entry in Port Adelaide Community Art Fantasy Ex

Synergy in a local shopping centre

Our local major shopping centre Westfield Tea Tree Plaza has allowed me to show work in the empty shops to make them look used. Synergy. In Tea Tree Plus I have an exhibition of my work and work by Jan both from Off The Couch Art Studio.

Photo Course in the port

Write-up in the adelaide newspaper

Watercolour & acrylic on canvas with gesso and watercolour ground

As promised, this is a set of pics of the watercolour and acrylic on canvas with gesso and water colour grounds experiment. I'll say more about the products later. The 1st imageis the whole canvas (more experimentation to go), the rest of the pics are close-ups.

Tugs of war at RSASA merit award

The "Tugs of War" exhibition was opened today (April 18) at the Royal South Australian Arts Society cnr Kintore and N Terrace (2nd floor). I received a merit award for this painting (a triptych) "Fragile".

The young are thrown against the vivid reality of conflict and death.The returned soldier has killed and could have been killed. The isolation inside is ripping him apart.Loneliness and buried memories weigh heavily long after the physical scars have gone.

The exhibition looks amazing and is very engaging and sombre. Well done Vikki and Bev and the crew. The exhibition is open from the 19th of April to 24th of May 2015.

City of Salisbury watershed art prize - finalist

Tugs Of War RSASA Exhibition

Tugs of War, an exhibition by the Royal South Australian Arts Society

War - hopeless, futile, get involved and you "bleed" for life. This thought provoking exhibition will be opened by His Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le Governor of South Australia at 2pm on Saturday April 18th 2015.My finalist paintings below -

FragileThe young are thrown against the vivid reality of conflict and death.The returned soldier has killed and could have been killed. The isolation inside is ripping him apart.Loneliness and buried memories weigh heavily long after the physical scars have gone.

Deck HandsThe briefing is over, the machines prepared, final checks and the roar to the sky. Funny, it’s very loud yet I hear nothing. I am far above yet a second from contact. Isolated, yet through humanity, connected.

The OfficeDiesel smell, hard steel;not in Sunday best, not home;confined, orders;no laughter of children, no beer by the barbeque;tense anticipation, teamwork;no freedom, no life.

Front LineTHIS is the boundary between us and them. Torn apart. For what? Are they not the same? Do they not yearn to go home to their families?

Tour Down Under Peloton & Sampson Flat fire

Just completed leading a Photographers course for Royal South Australian Society of Arts. It went well and there could be an "on location" follow-up course in April / May.

Finalist in Tea Tree Gully 1855 "Pocket Art" exhibition for the Adelaide Fringe. I presented 2 photographic compositions - Daylight - reflections in the Stockholm Norrström river at six different times of day and a set of eight photographs of rope associated with boats.

Finalist entries in the 2014/5 Port Adelaide Rotary Art Show

Finalist entries in the 36th Victor Harbor Rotary Art Show (sold the yachts).

Jan 15:Photographic Workshop

Nov 14:A Forty Year Vision – What do we want the arts to look like in 2055?

The young are thrown against the vivid reality of conflict and death.
The returned soldier has killed and could have been killed. The isolation inside is ripping him apart.
Loneliness and buried memories weigh heavily long after the physical scars have gone.

War - hopeless, futile, get involved and you "bleed" for life. This thought provoking exhibition will be opened by His Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le Governor of South Australia at 2pm on Saturday April 18th 2015.
My finalist paintings below -

Fragile
The young are thrown against the vivid reality of conflict and death.
The returned soldier has killed and could have been killed. The isolation inside is ripping him apart.
Loneliness and buried memories weigh heavily long after the physical scars have gone.

Deck Hands
The briefing is over, the machines prepared, final checks and the roar to the sky. Funny, it’s very loud yet I hear nothing. I am far above yet a second from contact. Isolated, yet through humanity, connected.

The Office
Diesel smell, hard steel;
not in Sunday best, not home;
confined, orders;
no laughter of children, no beer by the barbeque;
tense anticipation, teamwork;
no freedom, no life.

Front Line
THIS is the boundary between us and them. Torn apart. For what? Are they not the same? Do they not yearn to go home to their families?