GEMMA BLACK : ARTIST / CALLIGRAPHER

"We are sorry. We are more sorry than we can say." The full manuscript.   A close up. Two manuscripts were created. An original and a hand facsimile identical to the original. Two originals in other words. This photo was taken before I erased the lines to show the beauty of the gilded letters which were tooled, very softly, with a metal stylus. Hair follicles can be seen. It is a privilege to be invited to create a manuscript that will remain in perpetuity for our future generations. We all hope that a tragedy such as Thalidomide never happens again in this country. The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese MP has now signed this manuscript which will be on display in Parliament House, Canberra. To aid the longevity of such manuscripts my preference is to work on vellum which is calf skin. Such skins, calf, sheep and goat, have been used for centuries to create written artefacts in the form of books in codex form and earlier in some scrolls. Here you can see the soft yellowish tone...

  It was a very special occasion to host friends from the Canberra Calligraphy Society at our home for a talk about, and show the body of work, “The Boats of Humanity” before it moves offshore to Stanford University Library. It was such a lovely day as we all talked things poignant, the importance of words and their presentation. Plus sharing insights into the script and the tools and materials used. Such fun! They all took home a “Boats” trinket. 🕊️☮️ 

From the recent Canberra Calligraphy Society exhibition 2024: three little pieces  

  Malua Bay June 2024 Do not be fooled it was bitterly cold on the beach today! Pam, Reta and I set off to the south coast to catch up with Ellen and Alan but both were so unwell we didn't get to see them. So, what do three friends do, we go for coffee at Mossy Point and shopping to Moruya and Narooma. We spent one full day at Mogo, visiting every shop, nook & cranny. The highlight was Amanda's art & craft emporium and lunch at Grumpy & Sweethearts!  Dinner at Raymonds, the Malua Club and on our third night we indulged in pizza! The car went very well. Smooth and low on the mountain bends and a dream on the long country highway. We powered up again at the Super Charger in Narooma. Forty-five minutes from 53% to 100% ... while we shopped.  No worries! Today I deactivated (not deleted) my Facebook account. I have wanted to do this for quite some time. I find that many of the posts thereon, no longer resonate with me. I am not finding common ground. The prolifer...

  ... from today's journal entry I would like to share this paragraph: "And on that point of feeling blessed, I do feel blessed not in a religious sense but in a secular way of being fortunate. Faith, I believe comes in secular forms as well as religious. Belonging to community. Community that is already with us … all around us. And it is free, you don’t have to “join up” you just have to be brave and reach out. It all starts with two people having conversations and moving on proactively from there … three people, four people … more." And though presently my health is still under par the rheumatologist and I have a plan which is a huge step in the right direction. So, how about I share this very green photo of one of my regular smoothies. The ingredients here are: kale, apple, orange, hemp gold protein powder & mint. Mint is so underrated and gives the most heavenly taste to many recipes.

... it is a beautiful and dangerous thing! But ... once stung you will never forget the burning sensation that made you cry, scream and run up and down the beach. WHAAAAAAA!  As a child though, one got to know the nature of the beast ... such a little thing ... that sting. Just like the jack jumper ants in Tasmania, the remedy is not far away.  I noticed this bluebottle on Malua Bay beach, Yuin Country yesterday. If I had have encountered it in the water I may be telling a different story. As children we would be warned to watch out for bluebottles and on occasion we would be stung. The pain is immediate. The remedy: grab a handful of wet sand and rub the sand very hard and roughly into the raging red marks left by the long stinger tentacle. It was dreadful when they wrapped around your legs in the water ... you had to get out and get the sand to rub at the tentacles and get them off. Sometimes you could kick the tentacles off in the water but you had to be very careful....

Yuin Nation country, Malua Bay, NSW   I must say the ellipsis, the ... (dot dot dot) ... punctuation mark is one I tend to use quite a lot. People have different reasons for using it but I use it for two. One, it acts like a thought pause similar to when you're speaking and you look up to some unknown point, waiting for inspiration. I also use the ellipsis as a way to omit an unspoken word or phrase. It comes from the Ancient Greek:  ἔλλειψις ,  élleipsis  meaning 'leave out'. I am enjoying our time away at the coast. Malua Bay is a beautiful area and to walk the beaches and drink good coffee, have time to relax a little and heal. I say "heal" in the way of healing both my physical condition which at the moment is the poly myalgia rheumatica mentioned in a precious entry as well as the mental difficulties and disappointments I have been experiencing lately. Many of which I have carried for a long time. The past eighteen months has been an interesting one. As you...

Pieces of Peace "As individuals we cannot possibly take on the pain of the world, but we must bear witness to it. Our work here is to tell the story of our time for future generations. Atrocities beget atrocities, life is cyclical. And, as many more famous a person has said before me when will we ever learn. Surely if we stand up and show up and write about it and make meaningful things these will help us all. There are better, kinder humans in the world than this. Surely at the very least, can’t we disagree agreeably starting within our own community." GB

One of many book shelves in our home. It is really soul refreshing to have a some time to myself. I love it when I look at the diary for tomorrow .... any tomorrow ... and there it is, blank! Vita Sackville-West once wrote: "Days I enjoy are days when nothing happens" .  I can relate to that feeling. Although, on days that start out "blank diary day" all sorts of wonderful little things happen. So, on this "blank diary day" I spent a little time gathering book titles of recent reads. I compiled this list for my Journal, and, as you can't read my journal I thought I would share some books with you. Some are from The Sister's Bookclub I share with my three sisters: General: Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens The Moreville Hours, Katherine Swift  fabulous thank you Georgia The Weekend, Charlotte Wood  really enjoyed this book And Every Word is True (re. Capote’s In Cold Blood), Gary McAvoy Whole Notes, Ed Ayres American Dirt, Jeanine Cummins The Li...

  The past fifteen months has taken its toll on me as there has been a lot of pressure and stress. Self-inflicted of course, as that is the way of things with me. Subsequently I have been diagnosed with (nothing sinister) poly myalgia rheumatica which has seen me at a low painful ebb. Coupled with very high blood pressure which is not a good mix, we are now just getting that under control. As my lovely doctor says "Gemma, you do not want to have a stroke" .  To address the PMR issue I have just started a steroidal pain management treatment and the prognosis is very good. I have known for some six months or so that something was not sitting quite right with my health so it was only about a month ago that the body responded with a " stop now ". It’s just a bit of a pain really but I do wish to live a long a fruitful life. Who doesn't, right!? Some of you know I have taken steps to slow the rhythm of my everyday life to manageable and more enjoyable levels. While t...