CRAFT + DESIGN CHALLENGE

And that’s a wrap — 

Some fabulous work created by almost 400 artists and makers during July thanks to the Craft + Design Canberra Daily Creative Challenge 25. Thirty-one days of creating in some shape or form, on the theme of ‘Rewilding.’ All the participants produced really impressive and inspiring bodies of work. You can see it all on Instagram. Including stuff by me. Writers welcome so there I am – infiltrating as as one friendly voice said.

The theme fits well with my current poetry project. (Tell you later.) I wrote draft prose poetry, semi-memoir (as poetry often is) and micro poems/haiku, sometimes combining them with quick splashy paint sketches as a (desperate) way of presenting them visually (not that that’s essential). Some days I produced art & text works which I do periodically — acrylic paint on small canvases with either found text or original haikuish pieces. It depended on what time I had that day or whether the daily word prompt had me flowing or floundering. 

Mostly motivating though occasionally frustrating, like when you come up with a great response to a prompt one day, only to find it fits a future prompt even better dammit. 

So … 16 small art & text canvases, a bunch of haikuish bits, a sprinkling of prose poetry drafts. Plus my Instagram account has moved from ‘No posts yet’ to 54 posts and 341 followers (I was so lagging) including many amazing creatives — thank you all. 

Prompt: Propagation 
Size: 13 cm x 13 cm #cdccreativechallenge25

I’m very grateful to Craft + Design Canberra for this opportunity. It came at the right time. Just when I’m pushing hard at getting back into the swing of writing and thinking about those same subthemes in a Binalong to Canberra context. (Prompt words included: water, moon, abundance, rejuvenate, nest

twined, rhythm, naked, feral ...) A big shout-out to artist daughter Aroona Murphy who still keeps a close eye on the Canberra arts scene all the way from Ireland, and brought it to my attention. 

So July challenge … I guess that’s a wrap! Or is it … have already started on art & text on canvas versions of the sketchy pieces. Let’s see what the end of August brings. And PS: regional poetry workshops rolling out soon — Yass, Young, Goulburn.

Prompt: Rhythm — Take 2
Size: 13 cm x 13 cm
#cdccreativechallenge25 

Prompt: Rhythm — Take 1
#cdccreativechallenge25 

EXERCISING OUTSIDE DURING COVID-19

At Bargang Beach a solitary elderly returns to his car ski walking  then standing in front of the car  he twists and holds  twists and holds  side bend hold  side bend hold  Breathe in hold tucking chin in  breathe out shoving chin out A Eurasian Coot does bottoms up dives  chin out swallow  chin out swallow  bottoms up dive several times then move on A Purple Swamphen practises ‘Flying like a Crane’ from Five Animal Qi Gong standing on one leg stretching her other leg and that wing backwards slowly with perfect balance massaging her heart and lungs The kayaks return to shore gliding in like orange and white swans Other couples cycle and walk Soloists jog or stand still contemplating lake or life 

 

The white Hilux is back we are neighbours again I’ve also seen that ute before realize he’s the pissing fisher guy dub him The Slasher A small green bird lands on the mirror that sharp black line of beak a black outline edging the folded wing the white strip under the dark of eye He flies off (I moved) I take a call discuss workshops online once just an option now the new world for all of us and I have so much to catch up on Three resident swans mooch by legs paddling underwater bills tangerine against their black heads and bodies the tips catching light three floating stars On my other side a passionate young couple have to exercise control