⚪️🔴🟠🟡🟢🔵🟣⚫️ NEW DIRECTION - Ed. No. 44 THE JOURNEY TO YOO
THE STORY OF A PAINTING
ENJOY THE JOURNEY
Artwork: ROBERT J. HAWKE - PORTRAIT OF A NATION 1988 [1986/87]
What you can see is all that is left of it.
The full artwork was made up of 5 Panels over 15 feet long and 7 feet high containing a painting within the painting. It's preparation involved seeking the permission in person of the then Prime Minister through his Secretary Jean Sinclair to paint his portrait, a telephone conversation with Blanche D'Alpuget who pointed me in the right direction,
seeking for Keith Potger of the Seekers fame to put his imprimatur on the artwork (see handprint above) and the Lady of the Trees Luci Bucknell giving moral support on a trip to paint a sketch of Bob Hawke in Old Parliament House, Canberra.
This was quite an undertaking.
And yet even though the finished work was selected for a one night stand at the Art Gallery of NSW (more as a novelty act leading into the Archibald Prize 1987) I don't have either a single photo of the completed work nor did I retain the concept drawing for the work.
Dr. David Armstrong (then Chief Executive of the Australian Bicentennial Authority) was delivered with the framed artwork concept visual.
Detail of artwork "THE OLD & THE NEW" (1986)
Sydney Morning Herald Art Prize
My big National Identity "Hawkie" artwork all began with a smaller most capable artwork that was selected for exhibition in the Sydney Morning Herald Art Prize 1986. (See detail pic above. It too no longer exists.) With the success technically and critically of this particular work I was buoyed with youthful enthusiasm to have a go at the larger artwork to contain the smaller Herald work.
I had plenty of passion.
Little did I realise what I was taking on….
I was so much younger and totally idealistic.
The thing I remember most about it all was this being the first time I found myself stretched to total exhaustion and was left wondering what's it all about…Alfie?
The thing I remember most about it all was this being the first time I found myself stretched to total exhaustion and was left wondering what's it all about…Alfie?
Totally bewildered and strung out by the end of it all.
Ultimately I was disappointed with the whole thing.
In my impetuous youth I didn't achieve what my expectations wanted and so "I" eventually dumped the work for the wrong reasons. Attitude is a useless by product of the mind that is simply just out to get at us and mostly does. We have to learn to appreciate, value and respect ourselves. Another very expensive lesson along the way.
Looking back with the wisdom of hindsight what it was all about was an artist expressing encouragement that we should participate in celebrating ourselves. What an irony considering I personally wasn't enjoying the experience at all.
There was also a twist. The artwork was a journey and at its centre was a dual portrait
of Bob Hawke as the Admiral of the Second Fleet (see above gold naval buttons) and too he was presented in convict rags (see above bolts from the chains that bound him) symbolic of our own lost ability to see and do what is real and true.
A choice.
I explained that to Mr. Hawke.
The impetuousness of youth. I was stupid enough to go back to the electric fence with another two additional major works over decades trying to address the same subject (i.e. Australia's National Identity) way out of my depth or my creative and technical capabilities.
I mean what the f—k drives us? Recognition? Winning? Ultimately I just reckon I had something I wanted to say and tried darned hard to say it mostly unsuccessfully at the time. Each time I attempted one of these big national identity works I was left with terrible frustration. I just didn't understand my limitations.
I didn't understand myself so how could I understand the Nation?
On reflection it has taken me the major part of my life to realise that you must enjoy the journey rather than live in a dream of the destination. That is living in fantasy.
Too many are addicted to fantasy in our world of today. (I mean just look at free to air TV or our Media generally. It's made for Adults with an immature outlook. We are so lazy in spirit.)
All terribly disappointing when the bubble bursts. And it's begun to burst.
I've realised that most of my life has been lived in a fantasy of my own creation and I've robbed myself of much of the gift of the wonderful life I have been given. And this is quite a sad even tragic admission to have to make. I've got plenty of company though with which to commiserate. And that's what humans do whinge, whine and blame rather than put in the effort to find out.
Sure along the way I met some wonderful people*.
It was an adventure but like Candide or Pippin and yes Dorothy too I found out ultimately there's no place like home. And I'm talking about knowing my own heart.
*I mean just to pick up the white pages and look up Blanche D'Alpuget's phone number and have her pick up the phone at the other end…and actually be helpful. It was only last year I stood in a bank queue and the lady herself was standing right next to me. I just smiled.
We rejected that concept most soundly and most recently with the failed referendum.
But we know. Don't we?
"The Three Wise Harlequins"
is now renamed...
"OUR FUTURE: STOP, LOOK & LEAP" (1993>20??)
about seeing yourself , again celebrating what we discover about ourselves.
I hope I can say I've learned something along the way.
Sitting in my Resume for many years now is the concept visual for a final 4th similarly themed major artwork titled "BENNELONG DREAMING" and presently it looks like it is going to sit there for some time. The passion is now diminished smothered by the storm of discontent that is raging presently. You see we're being made to look at ourselves whether we like it or not. That's natures way. We had the choice and it appears stuffed it. Now for the tough love.
Bob Hawke was always a person that revelled in his life and a good choice to command the portrait of a Nation. But that symbolic lost convict Hawke is now manifesting in our own eyes. What the pending artwork is saying is that we all have our part to play in making our lives better and as a follow on contributing towards a better Nation and a better world.
It's an artwork we all need to create.
Homework begins with:-
Priority No. 1 - OURSELVES: in a search for our own well being.
Point No. 1 - ATTITUDE: Shove it where the Sun don't shine.
I can say that. I'm an artist.
Australian Artist Brett Whiteley also once said something along the lines of…
'I've put in the work. You do the bloody work.' for yourself.
What is your vision for YOO?
👋 Celebrate yoo!
⚪️🔴🟠🟡🟢🔵🟣⚫️
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