Tea Taking Paraphernalia

Tea Taking Paraphernalia

Kylie Marie Stevens

Encaustic, tea and spoon on mounted linen

600 x 600mm

2011

$250

The opening night of Infused is tonight at The Swich Contemporary Art Space.  I have been in and had a look at the show and it looks fantastic.  It was so much fun working on this piece and contemplating all things tea.

This is the artist statement that accompanies my piece...

“Tea Taking Paraphernalia”

While exploring tea for the Infused exhibition I began contemplating the parallels between tea and other drugs. 

Both the taking of tea and drugs are often steeped in ritual, both provide comfort, become ingrained in habit and require specific paraphernalia. 

Similarities can be seen between the chopped leaves at the centre of both the tea and marijuana rituals.  Connections are also present between the spoons used in tea making and in the cooking up of injectable drugs. 

“Tea Taking Paraphernalia” is a mixed media encaustic painting, created using real tea for the pigment.  Tea leaves float within the texture and the used spoon adds a sculptural element, hinting at the parallels between tea and drug taking.

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If your local or in the area during July I hope you can get along and see the exhibition in person.

 

Workshop

Looking to learn how to use some exciting new materials?  Keen for something inspiring to do this weekend? Check this out…

SOLD

Starlight

oil and silver leaf on linen

920 x 730mm

2002

I just got word that this painting sold in at the Black and White exhibition at Drawing Point Gallery.  I’m sad to see it go as it’s a long-time favourite, but I hear the new owner loves it and that makes me smile. 

I’ve also sold a couple this week in my 9th… 9… $90…9:00… over on facebook.  Why not pop by to see which ones or perhaps nab yourself a bargain. 

Creating with Tea...

I’ve been sprinkling, rubbing, boiling, playing and loving painting with tea in my creative space this week. My studio smells so good! All for an up coming tea themed group exhibition, titled Infused, at my local art space The Swich.

It’s so much fun to be pushed out of my comfort zone and into exploring new subjects with my work. I can’t wait to see how this piece turns out, as I don’t have a firm plan, just an idea of the feel I want and a firm desire to have fun with it.

psst...‎9th… 9… $90…9:00… If you don’t know what this is all about yet click the link and find out – you don’t want to miss out on this!

A lovely infusion…

Stopping for a cuppa is often a stalling/procrastinating tactic on a painting day, but not today.  Today I shall be making lots of tea and it’s all in the name of research and “paint” prep….

Delivering Donations to the Displaced

Hot off the work bench, I literally only finished this piece minutes ago.  I’m really happy with it, but I am not sure about the name, I’m hoping something more eloquent will come to me…

It’s the latest in my community series and it is about my memory of the well worn path through our local evacuation centre during the floods.  Many, many locals who were not affected donated anything they could to those in our community who had lost so much.  It was such a help to me to be able to do something positive amongst so much devastation and I hope that in some small way it gave comfort and practical assistance to those in need.  

Every time I visited the evacuation centre the piles of donated goods was larger and not just piles of used things, but specially purchased items, the specific requirements that were called for, one day it was toiletries and baby goods another day it was, sheets and towels or cleaning gear and gum boots. It was uplifting to see the community reaching out to help those in need

In my painting the evacuee’s are represented by the scattered dots, the people I saw when visiting the evacuation centre where in shock, wandering, seemingly aimless and scattered around the grounds.  The ark of dots in the corner represents those on a mission to deliver goods and offer a hand in any way they could.   It still brings tears to my eyes to think about just how many people where at that evacuation centre and it was just one of many. 

Anyway I didn’t intend for this post to be sad, so to end on a more positive note here it is, my latest painting…

Delivering Donations to the Displaced

Kylie Marie Stevens

Encaustic on mounted linen

600 x 600mm

2011

What do you think?

Creating again!

My creative space is up and working again in our fabulous new home.  So much has happened since my last post.  We are all settled in at the new place, I have three paintings out in two different group exhibitions and one in a competition.  We have been on a road trip for a family wedding and I’ve had a little interview uploaded on to You Tube (my 22 seconds of fame!).  And then on my return to blog land I find we have a new home for our creative spaces as well, exciting times!

I’m so happy all of the busy, busy days are over and I can settle back into some sort of normal rhythm.  The painting that is on my work bench has waited so long to come to life and I am really happy with how it is coming along.  Hopefully I will be able to share the finished piece in the next couple of days.   

I’m very happy to be back here in blog land too, I can’t wait to find some time for visiting and catching up on what you have been up to.