SABATO, EL SEIS DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-DIEZ
Back home to Whanganui: ceramics on the go, waiting to be underglazed, then fired. On the far left is the broken, slumped base for the scrimshaw salt and pepper set. I've just finished remaking a new one, ready to be glazed. I'll be posting an image of it in the next couple of days.
ALSO, I'm on TV tonight - details here.

VIERNES, EL CINCO DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-DIEZ
A sand-wang with island background at Karekare beach. I don't believe that was present in The Piano.

JUEVES, EL CUATRO DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-DIEZ
Door to the McCahon House shed in Titirangi

MIERCOLES, EL TRES DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-DIEZ
After the excitement of Laneways and then our interview, we retired out to Karekare to say at our friend's place down by the beach. There I was surprised to see two of my works, a scrimshaw from 2007 and an ex-voto from the 26th of Sept, 2007.

MARTES, EL DOS DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-DIEZ
from left to right: Dirty Three; Warren Ellis going nuts, the 3d's: I saw there last concert in Wtgn in 1997 - watching them at Laneways was liked they never broke up. Me after the gig with wristbands - red one is the VIP tent band courtesy of Si and Katy, who I hung out with, along with Aaron and Heidi and Tom and Kathleen.

LUNES, EL UNO DE FEBRERO, VEINTE-DIEZ
Daniel Johnston at Laneways. See yesterday's post for links. He was amazing, played for about 45 mins, half solo, half with a guitarist. Unfortunately, about three-quarters through, Cut Your Hands Off started playing on the opposite stage and drowned out Johnston, but all in all, an amazing gig.

DOMINGO, EL TRIENTA Y UNO DE ENERO, VIENTE-DIEZ
Today, we're off to Auckland for a few days - a bit of work + pleasure as I'm going to (now sold out) Laneway Festival, primarily to see Daniel Johnston and the newly reformed 3d's.

Daniel Johnston image courtesy of Rejectedunknown.com

SABATO, EL TRIENTA DE ENERO, VIENTE-DIEZ
Five recently completed crucifixes. The tallest one on the left measures 300mm tall x 150mm wide by 70mm deep, just to give you an idea of the scale.
From left to right: Last Kind Words (28th of Jan 2010), Corpus Christi (24th of Jan), Trinity (25th of Jan), One (26th of Jan) and Simplicity (27th of Jan). All completed this year.
The Last Kind Words crucifix is based on an old blues song by Geeshie Wiley.

VIERNES, EL VEINTINUEVE DE ENERO, VEINTE-DIEZ

A scrimshaw from 2006 called 'Life Pursuits' (you'll need to scroll down to the bottom of the page). An apt work for us at the moment. This work now lives in a cabinet with some real scrimshaw in Nashville, Tennessee.
I haven't made many more scrimshaw over the past year as they've seemed to have been replaced by my cruz de las animas that I've been making and painting. They are very similar in content even though they're very different, physically speaking.
Originally, I started making these historical objects if I wanted a real one but couldn't get one, same with the ex-votos and the crucifixes. The tables have somewhat turned as I haven't been able to secure a real scrimshaw after a decade of making them...and now I've stopped making them, yet I continue the ex-votos and retablos, having purchased several of them over the last three years. I'm not giving up hope in getting a scrimshaw, it's just that I'd have to sell four of mine to be able to purchase a real one.

JUEVES, EL VIENTIOCHO DE ENERO, VIENTE-DIEZ

Two new plates I've finished underglazing, again, in a delft-blue. The left one is tentatively called 'Eye Teeth' and the one on the right, 'Amina and Phoenix'. Tentatively as you never quite know what will come out of the kiln until the final firing.
Once bisque-fired, the blue tones on the plate will be a little bit darker than what you see in the photos. Once the clear-glaze is applied and then fired, the tones with be a lot darker and (hopefully) there will be plenty of contrast between the white and the dark delft-blue.
These plates will be in the second firing along with my toilet-bag shoe reliquary, a virgin mug, a melancholic coin jar and a hell envelope stand.

MIERCOLES, EL VIENTISIETE DE ENERO, VIENTE-DIEZ
On the left is a photo I took in Twizel in the town shopping centre. I took the photo because it instantly reminded me of the Spanish and Mexican paintings of 'life and death contrasted', a common mortality theme in Spanish and Italian Baroque painting. The middle image is a tinted engraving from the Wellcome collection in London and depicts what looks to be a French Aristocratic woman next to an obilisk. The third image is a painting of mine called 'Travelling May Induce Calcium Deficiency', an oil painting from 2008, 1000mm x 800mm.

MARTES, EL VENTISEIS DE ENERO, VIENTE-DIEZ
Here's a photo from Gloria Fraser Gifford's book Mexican Folk Retablos depicting a retablo that's been cut up to use as a template for shoe or sandal soles. I mentioned this image way back in May last year.
Sorry for the delay.

LUNES, EL VIENTICINCO DE ENERO, VIENTE-DIEZ
Today is Wellington Anniversary Day, so it's also Whanganui Anniversary Day. The council was looking into having a separate day just for Whanganui, but they canned that idea in 2007. Below is a greeting card for a friend. It says "Working out New Zealand" across the top. The Parthenon-headed figure is holding a 'culture' medallion and saying "...C'mon, mush, work harder!..."

DOMINGO, EL VIENTICUATRO DE ENERO, VIENTI-DIEZ

It was the Sarjeant Gallery's 90th birthday last year so each of the nine full time staff selected ten of their favourite works from the collection. I have a little work in the show that was originally exhibited in The Museum of Inherent Vice, my end of residency exhibition in 2007. The grouping has been selected by senior curator, Greg Anderson and features works that have been recently purchased or gifted to the Sarjeant collection since his appointment to the job.
This is the first time my work has been in a grouping with Ed Ruscha's work! (clockwise, from top left: Galvanized Hand with label; grouping- Ruscha's photo is at far left; my work between Fiona Pardington and Paul Johns; wall text by Greg Anderson.)
The exhibition finishes on the 14th of February, 2010.

SABATO, EL VIENTITRES DE ENERO, VIENTE-DIEZ
The first set of completed ceramics for Malfunction Baroque at the Rayner Bros Gallery in Whanganui. The exhibition opens 1st of April, 2010.

VIERNES, EL VIENTIDOS DE ENERO, VIENTE-DIEZ
A screenshot from Simon Sweetman's Blog On The Tracks blog. This particular entry focuses on the '27 Club' and is illustrated with my drawings from the Whiteworld series.

JUEVES, EL VIENTIUNO DE ENERO, VIENTE-DIEZ
Still from 'The Gravy'. There's a brief interview with me as part of a Whanganui artists documentary. It will be screening at 9.35pm, Saturday the 6th and Tuesday the 9th of February on TVNZ 7. If you can't get TVNZ 7, then you can watch it at this address after the first screening.

MIERCOLES, EL VIENTE DE ENERO, VIENTE-DIEZ
Last travelling post, a photo of the Arahura passing us in the Bluebridge sailing into Wellington. It was rough sailing with a few turning stomaches.

MARTES, EL DIECINUEVE DE ENERO, VIENTE-DIEZ
A Sinclair ZX81 at the Ashburton Museum. This one is particularly flash as it has the 18kb booster pack on the back of the touch-sensitive keypad. I spent more time looking for the syntax errors in the programmes than actually playing them, but they were good to learn on.

LUNES, EL DIECIOCHO DE ENERO, VIENTE-DIEZ
Whitebait at the rele's place, all ready to become fritters, Wanaka.