Reflection Day 26th January - it's time

 

Reflection Day

26^th January

a day for all Australians

 

I have been a little introspective of late, which usually happens to me when a subject of real importance is being discussed socially. Is this happening a lot more lately or is that just that I am getting older?! Actually just what do I think about Australia Day? I have been fortunate to have listened to many wide-ranging opinions from members of the community. Every person's opinion should be regarded as valid. Not every Nation however has a national day. Here is a proposal that I would like to put forward to the Australian public regarding the debate that arises every year in the lead up to Australia Day.

 

The argument for and against changing the date I feel, will continue to go around and around on an annual basis unless a well thought out and brainstormed idea is acted upon at all levels of the community and government. How on earth will twenty-plus million people agree on which day?

 

The issue is intrinsically complex and I feel every one of us is entitled to have their opinions heard without judgement, but perhaps it’s time to be more forward thinking.  I believe the answer comes down to identity and heritage. Yes, let’s look back for a bit before we look forward more positively. I don’t believe you can fully understand the complexity of the Australia Day issue unless you look back at one's family. Identify yourself, think about it and ask yourself “am I an Australian?” “do I identify with any other nationality outside Australia’s jurisdiction?” Or perhaps even ask yourself "do I want really to be an Australian?” Then I believe we can move forward.

 

Just as we have very recently legislated to change the wording of Advance Australia Fair to “we are one and free”, then surely we can legislate to change the title “Australia Day”, though not the date. The 26^th January should be a day of reflection for all Australians. It is actually the date that is the source of all the debate. Yep the day Captain Cook planted the flag at what is now known as Botany Bay … terra nullius … while those already on the shore looked on. We all know the enormity of Australia’s Indigenous Peoples history and what followed. I hasten to add that can’t be dealt with in a few lines of writing.

 

From our earliest years in education we must learn about, reflect upon and acknowledge our past. Such education is not available to so many around the world. As Australians we are very privileged and fortunate however there are parts of Australian society which through no fault of their own are definitely not as privileged or fortunate. So it is time for those privileged Australians to do something about it.

Surely all Australians should be able go forward as “one”, as the newly amended Advance Australia Fair states. I believe changing the existing Australia Day to become a national Reflection Day for all Australians would be an important step of the many we must take towards true reconciliation.

Flowers and the Dickerson

 

 

 

 Two of my absolute favourite things ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hamish & Madison

Canberra

25th December 2020

 

 

Such beautiful moments, happy children. Mind you, they are happy most of the time. I miss them.

 

Christmas 2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wishing you many happy moments over the festive weeks.

 

The kindest gift you can give someone is time.

Not quite there yet.

 

 

 

the spirit of twenty twenty

 

I have just finished prepping for tonight's class that starts at 9pm my time. As the workshop series is run out of Ardington in the UK it is their 10am Monday morning. Ardington is a sweet little English village with a pub, an old schoolhouse and a few scattered homes with gorgeous country gardens, hanging baskets and idle lanes. Truly beautiful, I know I have been there.

Staying in a village nearby Lipscombe Regis, we, Pam and I traveled to Ardington to this wonderful old schoolhouse to teach. Was that 2017? Welcomed by scones & chocolate biscuits and some wonderful English characters we settled into exploring the art deco movement in lettering.

It's not what I am doing now though. I am on and adventure with the German script artist Hermann Kilian. Presently I am finishing off my final class for the Ardington Academy with whom I have been teaching since May pretty well non-stop. Perfect from this distance in the middle of a pandemic. Interestingly enough the workshop series classes have been quite successful and very enjoyable except for the time of day. 

These classes take a great deal of my energy and time. Preparing for zoom classes is quite different from teaching from the front of a classroom where you don't have to talk non-stop. You have time to pause, wend yourself around the classroom to give critiques of peoples work. Use you body language to approach and deliver some meaningful assistance and guidance to the student. In my zoom classes all my materials are a arms length. Papers labeled with that the exercise is and the order of the five or six exercises I am going to demonstrate in that time. I start with a coffee, I have one mid-class and am ready for another at the end. Exhausted. You try talking for two hours non-stop.

Anyway, I like my teaching but there will be a lot less of it next year so I can concentrate on some serious art, exhibit something worthwhile, research and write some articles. I don't think I know anyone who is not looking forward to twenty twenty-one!

 

 

 

 

Winding down ...

 

 

With one more class to go for 2020 I am starting to wind down a little from an amazing seven month teaching schedule that started up due to pandemic living. I could never have imagined my creative life would change so much and for the better.

Life has changed on several fronts but mostly in my teaching, creating art, creative writing and writing articles etc. Most of all I am very happy and very fortunate. I know not everyone is feeling these emotions right now. I hope to address these issues soon here in my blog because I feel if I write it all here it will give me some perspective I think, even if no-one ever reads it, I'd still like to write. 

For now though I am exhausted and tired after spending a few days answering emails as the classes start to finish one by one.  I am looking forward to a quieter December writing a new program for Acorn Arts and brushing up the existing one Foundational Hand. I will also be working on technique classes for Calligraphy Italia. This will include lots of filming and writing.

I am also thrilled that our borders have opened to the rest of the Australian states and territories and I can visit at last with those two little grown-ups up north in January.

In the meantime I'll share this little piece that I did as an exercise for my latest class introducing the works of Hermann Kilian (German script artist) more widely.

 

Curiosity leads to learning ...

Classes & workshops

 

T U I T I O N

Due to the ongoing world pandemic I will continue to teach my classes online for the forseable future. Please make expressions of interest with Harvest and/or Riccardo respectively.

Acorn Arts and Calligraphy Italia

This allows me a little more freedom to continue to explore my work, start some new artistic endeavours and some research projects.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support.