Sing Me Your Story...the final part of It Starts With An Emu

 While this is technically the end of the series following the development of these pieces; I'm going to take a minute to slip back to the beginning...although, at the time, I didn't realise it was the beginning. Confused yet?

The images above are of the Devils Marbles in the Northern Territory. These marble shaped granite rocks are dotted over an area of about 1800 hectares, balanced on one another in seemingly impossible formations. The traditional owners, the Warumungu people, share the creation stories that tell of these rocks being the fossilised eggs of the Rainbow Serpent. The Aborigines have songs that record a great deal of their culture - their stories - which are handed on through song to following generations. Walking among the devils marbles, you come across an information sign which tells of the belief that spirits inhabit this area; that they coax the children in to visit with them and never let them return to their families, and that the people have 'forgotten the song to sing the children home'. It's a little chilling. And, after wandering among these remarkable rocks for a while, losing your way once or twice, it is easy to imagine that thousands of years ago - when there weren't thousands of tourists tramping around every year - that little children would run off playing, become lost and simply vanish!

A couple of weeks ago I started to share the creation of these pieces with you. We left off with the background of this one in a condition I was very happy with, and waiting for the strong focal point it needed to tell it's tale.

I settled on a black dimensional paint - called Xpandaprint - applied with a rubber stamp. This stamp has a series of oval shapes and wavy lines that reminded me of the Northern Territory - especially the Devils Marbles. When heat is applied (with my trusty heat gun) the paint bubbles up and becomes lumpy and crusty and delicious! Perfect for the application of a very careful and gentle rubbing of gold gilding wax.

Sing Me Your Story 13cm x 18cm

© 2010 Tracey Hewitt

All that remained was to tear some more map pieces with the words sing me your story written on and apply them to the canvas. There is something about the power of a song - think of nursery rhymes and even those awful commercials that you will never forget the words to - handed down through generations to help a culture remember, that speaks to my soul.

Thanks for following along with these little canvases - I've enjoyed sharing them with you and have loved the comments some of you have shared with me!

They are, as I write, in their new homes in Indiana...And, if their new owners happen to visit here - I hope you like them!

Teaching - A Wonderful Way to Learn!

A couple of weekends ago, I had the great privilege of teaching a workshop to members of BAVA (Biloela Area Visual Artists). They explored making fabric paper and handmade beads.



Here's Gwen - I couldn't resist snapping a shot of her in that delicious light beside the window! She's busy making the coolest bead from nylon lace - wrapped a round a satay stick and zapped with the heat gun to melt and dissolve it into one organic, funky lump! Gwen was once a dental assistant for the dentist I used to see - it was so much nicer to be in her company as an artist!! No drills and suckers...only heat guns and satay sticks!



Meredith and Michelle were cooking up unique ideas for procuring a heat gun of their own! The unanimous decision was that every girl should have her very own heat gun - they are way too much fun to live without! I think there was one going on each of these girls Mother's day lists!



Glenda added the finishing touch of a light rub of gilding wax to her fabric paper...such a beautiful colour!

Come day's end, none of us wanted to go home - there's such a marvellous energy when a room full of people get together to explore, discover and create! And, as always, I found I learned so much from these great women - teaching is a most inspiring way to learn!