Sharon Waldron Blaschke "Soaring, Stillness" Jan 7-27 2016

“Alternate Point of View from Mt Stuart and Bruny Island ”

61cm h x 61cm w

oil and wax on linen

 $600

“ Blanket of Night Falling on Maria Island ”

40cm h x 10cm w

oil on wooden boxed panel

$240

" Boat Harbour Buoyancy "

40cm h x 10cm w

oil on wooden boxed panel

$240

" Boat Harbour Dawn "

107cm h x 102cm w

oil and wax on cotton

$2500

 " Cape Raoul Endurance "

40cm h x 10cm w

oil on wooden boxed panel

$240

 " Currawong at Cradle Mountain "

40cm h x 10cm w

oil on wooden boxed panel

$240

sold

 " Dusk over Tasman Sea #2 "

61cm h x 46cm w

oil and wax on linen

$500

" Dusk over Tasman Sea #1 "

36cm h x 56cm w

oil and wax on cotton

$400 

 " Found at Sea "

10cm h x 40cm w

oil on wooden boxed panel

$240

 " Green Bell Frog at Glengarry "

40cm h x 10cm w

oil on wooden boxed panel

$240

  " Islands Like Us "

  10cm h x 40cm w

oil on wooden boxed panel

$240

 " Soaring Stillness "

71cm h x 106cm w

oil and wax on cotton

$1800

" Clouds Like Us "

71cm h x 71cm w

oil and wax on cotton

$700

“ Mountain River Goddess at Dusk ”

10 x 40cm

Oil on wooden boxed panel

$240

" Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoos at  Dusk "

71cm h x 31cm w

oil and wax on cotton

$450

sold

Artist Statement

Knowing what will make us happy can be the first step and hardest stage in the process of achieving an equilibrium. To find stillness within the transient, feelings of exhilaration extend and stabilise the sense of freedom, like a bird gliding effortlessly. The aim is to find peace while feeling fully present and alive; to feel exhilaration and peace; motion and stillness simultaneously; to accept and be fearless of change within the patterns of our lives, even the mundane. This is no mean feat for the human condition.

 We value what is rare, unattainable, and transient as these possessions and experiences create a heightened state of being alive. Our systems course with a varied chemical reaction stimulated by the unexpected or unknown.

Our astrological cycle has the potential to create a beneficial impact upon our state of mind.  The transition from night to day and day to night can stimulate within us a sense of ephemeral magic as light and temperature changes dramatically, while wild animals and plants respond and enhance the atmosphere of a shift in scene. Stillness can be experienced at its height during the transient times within our daily routine. If we are able to escape from our mundane obligations of performing our everyday roles we catch a glimpse of dusk and dawn. We can experience the magic in the changing light.

In this exhibition, dusk and dawn is explored as a symbol of the threshold and fabric between the conscious and the subconscious; waking thought processes at work by day and then freely translating and transforming  into a surreal dreamscape at night.  The weaving of conscious thoughts into the subconscious can be glimpsed at dusk and dawn, as I remember dreams from the early morning.

Animals, children and clouds predominantly feature as symbols in these works. Clouds are transient water vapours capable of floating and reforming. Clouds are water with the capability of flying. Clouds bring hope in the form of rain. Clouds create drama and character in our sky. Clouds are the actors on the stage of the sky.

Some paintings feature a landscape within a landscape, symbolising tolerance - an ability to see an alternative point of view to one’s own and promoting a “live and let live” approach to others. Children within the landscape are alone and enjoying the freedom of exploring parameters they choose for themselves. They are trusted to explore. They are viewed at a distance, far away from the critical gaze of the contemporary, ever judgmental, bourgeois. How stifling our society is with its layers of laws, spoken and unspoken ethics around ways of living, eating, speaking, dressing and consuming.

Keeping up with the world of humans can be exhausting and essentially in effect can make for a hollowing out of the soul.  Finding stillness within the expectations of our routines is an art form within itself.  At times it can be frightening to fully still the mind as we are afraid of what our inner thoughts would say and how our inner feelings will feel. How many of us will feel the wild within us caged and looking for a way out?

I have been reflecting upon the path I have taken and forgiving the child who took some wrong turns, through understanding her journey as a whole. For too long I lived waiting for dusk and now I am getting closer to waking with the dawn.

Sharon Waldron Blaschke                                                                January 2016