I'm still alive

Well it has been a long long long time since I last posted on here. I haven't fallen off the face of the earth but things in my life have changed quite a lot.

In December last year my dad became extremely sick and was expected to die. He pulled through, but it was a very long recovery process and so that took up a lot of my time. I spent a lot of time home on the farm helping out as well as just trying to keep up at work whilst knowing what dad was going through.

I have also moved interstate since last posting on here. I lived in Adelaide for 18 years but I am originally from Victoria. When my dad got sick it made me realise how short life is and that it was time to be closer to family. At the end of December 2014 I moved to Ballarat, Victoria. I am now much closer to family and loving it.

I now work in Adult Education and teach work education programs. I love my job and enjoy working with such a diverse range of clients, it is very rewarding.

I haven't had much time to do any of my own artwork lately, but I'm trying to schedule my time better so I can fit some in. There's a lot of moving boxes to unpack before I can even start any artwork. ahhh.

So thats a quick update on me for the moment. I hope to be on here more often from now. I update my Facebook page more often so check that out if you would like.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarah-Bell-Art-and-Textiles/226796467381573

Fighting graffiti artists

The photo below if from an article about a South Australian business that recently had  graffiti sprayed on their window. I love their response. 

The actual article can be found at  http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/cafe-gives-graffiti-vandals-the-message/story-e6frea83-1226645348103

Amazing work made using screws

While muddling around on the internet the other day I came across this fantastic artist called Andrew Myers. 

He works in a whole range of mediums but one of his more intriguing ones is 'Screw's. He does a lot of portraits using screws but the one's below are my favourites. 

Below is a quote about Myers work in relation to the artwork that looks like a piece of hanging fabric.

In this dualistic piece, Andrew aimed to express the warm, soft, and smooth nature of a cloth sheet using the cold, hard, and sharp medium of steel screws. Just like actual sheets, this piece accomplishes a softer effect using a high “thread” count. In this case, the threads of 5,562 screws.

The background is created with limestone and marble dust, combined to create the effect of an actual wall.  Measures 4′ x 6′.

His work can be found at his website-  http://andrewmyersart.com/

The piece below would have to be my favourite.

Exhibition has received fantastic feedback

The art textiles group I'm part of SAlt (South Australian living textiles) is finishing up its first exhibition in Melbourne today. The exhibition has been on in the Exhibition Building at the Carlton Gardens for the last 4 days.

We have had fantastic feedback from a whole range of people. It always hard for people to know what to expect in terms of the quality of an exhibition when they have been unable to view any of the work prior to the opening. All in all it has been a great 4 days and I can't thank the other 4 members of the group enough. Thanks Judi Bushby, Julie Haddrick, Suzanne Gummow and Francie Mewett.

Below are some photos of the exhibition as a whole. Closeup photos of some of the works will follow in the next post.

My artist statement

Here is a copy of my artist statement so that those of you who read my blog can get more of an insight into the type of work I produce.

Sarah Bell Smith is inspired by identity, relationships, personal experiences and her love of nature.

Sarah's work takes an artistic approach with the use of bold colours and graphic images. Each piece of work begins with extensive research, drawings and the creation of samples, which are all based on her own photographs. She works in this manner, as she wants people to feel a personal connection to her work.

Art and textiles are Sarah’s whole life; her practice as an artist is constantly evolving.

SAlt exhibition- My work on display

As posted earlier, my work will be on display in the Exhibition Buildings in the Carlton Gardens Melbourne from the 18-21st April 2013. 

Below is copy of the artist statements from each of the SAlt group members and our logo.