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I haven't made many more scrimshaw over the past year as they've seemed to have been replaced by my cruz de las animas that I've been making and painting.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.

DOMINGO, EL DIECISIETE DE ENERO, VIENTE-DIEZ
Our Lady of Peace Catholic church in Roxborough, diagonally opposite Jimmy's Pies, one of the best pie shops in NZ. I think his is one of the first en plein air crucifix (with corpus) I've seen in NZ.

SABATO, EL DIECISEIS DE ENERO, VIENTE-DIEZ
Lodge Dunstan at Clyde, right by the dam. The main door at the front is in the shape of an elongated Isosceles trapezium, I'm guessing to mimic the shape of many Egyptian building entrances.

VIERNES, EL QUINCE DE ENERO, VIENTE-DIEZ
Me in Gore. Up towards Twizel, or somewhere around them parts, there's another large model of a trout or salmon. I'm not sure which one came first.

JUEVES, EL CATORCE DE ENERO, VIENTE-DIEZ
A weird sign in Riverton. Besides the obvious spelling mistake, the arrow points to a fenced grassy paddock.

MIERCOLES, EL TRECE DE ENERO, VIENTE-DIEZ
This is Henry, a 112 year old tuatara at the Southland Museum and Art Gallery in Invercargill. Not usually active during the day, Henry decided to come out of his den and do a little performance especially for us. A bit of a ladies man, Henry lives in his enclosure with three girlfriends.

MARTES, EL DOCE DE ENERO, VIENTE-DIEZ
In Dunedin, just down Stuart Street from the Octagon is Albar. A quality bar, small and quiet with Emersons on tap, along with two hand-pull beers on tap. Quality. My cousin Stephen is a duty manager there.

LUNES, EL ONCE DE ENERO, VIENTE-DIEZ
One of my favourite shops in the South Island- The Holy Shop opposite St Paul's Basilica in Oamaru.

DOMINGO, EL DEIZ DE ENERO, VEINTE-DIEZ
A crucifix in a second-hand shop, North Colombo St, Chch.