Family Newsletter Christmas 2009

Wishing you the compliments of the Christmas Season and a ... Happy New Year

Wow 2009 is nearly over… how can that be????
My first year of retirement has been full of surprises and as everyone warned busier than I anticipated.

I have managed to establish a routine that includes regular walking and this is also when I manage to take many of my photographs. The light is wonderful early in the mornings and in the evenings so I can loose myself in the moment. Surprisingly every day is different, the weather and the random nature of events continue to intrigue and delight. I have also lost nearly 10 kilos, an added bonus ;-))

Photography has become a paying hobby and I have done a few “GIGS” for ETSA Utilities, The City Council, Tourism Enterprises and various other businesses as well as selling images at the local Art Gallery and online. The ARTS has also been a focus and I participated in several exhibitions during the year. I have also become quite active at the new "Yarta Purtli" ( Place of Stars) Art Gallery and I am now a bit of an expert at hanging exhibitions. This will be useful when I hold my first “solo” exhibition FACE up in March Next year.

The surprise move of the year was starting a Photography Group at Curdnatta Gallery. This has been popular beyond all expectations and a source of new friendships and contacts.

You can keep up with the latest by visiting the SHARPSMUSIC website http://www.sharpsmusic.on.net or this blog.

We are all preparing for another wedding in March 2010. Carly and Brad announced their engagement this year. I have enjoyed the freedom of being able to go shopping for wedding bits and pieces without having to fit everything around work. The wedding will take place the last weekend in March at the Willows Restaurant between Port Augusta and Quorn. Brad is the son of local identities Graham and Julie Archer and is currently an assistant manager of the new Tassie Hotel in Port Augusta. Carly is still working for SA tourism in the Flinders Ranges and Outback region travelling the region and interstate... you can join the FACEBOOK GROUP :-))

Tamsin and John made several working visits from Melbourne and we also managed to visit them and attended some of the Melbourne Festival of Arts events. They have been very busy in their new business and you can get an idea of what they have been doing at their website

http://www.singingbowl.com.au/ . Congratulations to John for having his portrait of Julia Zemiro included in the finalists for the National Photographic Portrait Prize.

Yes the music shop is still a hive of industry something that has become very evident now that I am home more often ;-) I have no idea what I am doing but I often have to help out there too. John and his band have participated in many events including the Desert Fringe. Another successful concert was held recently and the new theatre is the perfect venue providing a sense of occasion and yet intimate connection to the audience with great acoustics.

Making sure everyone is well fed has been a focus this year with a range of dietary requirements becoming the norm :-// currently all is well and we seem pretty healthy.

Live music is alive and well, the weather has been good for golf and the snapper have been biting… almost a perfect year.

Enjoy the Christmas Season!

Love from John and Georgie Sharp

One Place Over Time.

I have been thinking about putting together another PhotoBook of images for quite a while but the dilema has always been "what topic?" ... "what genre?".... There are so many facets to my work.

Then out of the blue I won the opportunity (see previous post) and I had to make a decision.

The Curdnatta Photographers have a long term project "Same Place over Time" and I had been toying with ways to present my images so I decided this would be the topic of the book.

The PhotoArt team http://www.photoartgallery.com/ have a pretty good setup where you can work on the book and come back to it to make changes before you make a final decision and purchase. You can also share the book on line so others can see it before they make a purchase. You can take a peek at the final product here...

One Place Over Time PhotoBook

( if this link doesn't work for you you could try As I See It to get a sense of the layout or try viewing the 20 page version .

There is also a DVD with many of these images and more available at Curdnatta Gallery.

Oh .. now I am also working on a book to accompany my exhibition in 2010.

FACE up PhotoBook

Festive Photo Comp

This is the result of combining a couple of photos from our recent Curdnatta Art Group's Christmas lunch. I entered it in The Photo Art Festive Photo Competition and now I am a Festive Photo Competition WINNER

You can see more of my pics at http://www.photoartgallery.com/artist/GeorgieSharp

and http://www.sharpsmusic.on.net/Georgie.html

Curdnatta Photographers - "Patterns in Nature"

The Theme for the Curdnatta Photographers in October was "Patterns in Nature".
Initially I wondered if I would be travelling over familiar territory as I already have so many images of nature's designs, some of which I have used in my textile works however by concentrating on the actual pattern and using black and white I found a wonderful new world of design... I think I am hooked !!! I'll definitely continue to add to my collection and no doubt some of the results will end up for sale in the Curdnatta Gallery.

Opening of ETSA Utilities Davenport Training Facility

I have provided images for ETSA (Electricity Trust of South Australia)Utilities several times now. The latest event being the opening of the Technical Training Facility by Senator Annette Hurley, Senator for South Australia, Australian Labor Party.

The Technical Training Centre at Davenport (near Port Augusta) is a major initiative by ETSA Utilities. The facility complements theAdelaide training centre and provides apprentice and refresher training forthe northern based workforce. It also provides training opportunities in the electrical field for local Year 11-12 students, increases trade training opportunities for Aboriginal people, and improves services in the northern part of South Australia.

Fibrespace

October brings the Annual General Meeting of the FIBRESPACE textile artist's group. This is the meeting when we plan the topic for next year's travelling exhibition. A FUN and creative experience with lots of laughter and often unpredictable results. Members travel from all over the state and this meeting will be held at Edillilie in the middle of Eyre Peninsula.

People will be bringing along their pieces for the collaboration with The Rocky River Riters, a small additional exhibition to our annual exhibition. Members have chosen one or more written works to be depicted through Textile Art. I have chosen some of my marbled fabric to create the "Sea Dragon" and added a sheer gause to give the effect of being under the sea. The "Survivor" is an image of a tenatious tree that grows in the Port Germein gauge , printed on to silk and quilted and beaded. You can click on the images to see them large.

The pieces from "Fibre Frolics" (this years exhibition) will continue to be toured and exhibited in country venues across the state.

Melbourne International Festival of ARTS

We spent a wonderful few days in Melbourne visiting Tamsin and John and experiencing some of the amazing productions that were part of the Festival.

Transe Express opened the festival and although the night was cold the free event was well attended and quite spectacular.

Leonardo's Last Supper was interesting.. a half hour of video effects that explored the painting of the Last Supper and revealed some intriguing patterns and symbolism... shades of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code ;-)

The London Philharmonic Orchestra was SUPERB and the Hamer Hall was the perfect venue offering excellent views so that the orchestra could be seen as a living organism , working in perfect unison and harmony.

The surprise event was Cameron Carpenter's performance on the Melbourne Town Hall's amazing traditional organ......... the Town Hall R O C K E D that night !!!

You can see a slide show of the visit at... http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgiesharp/4007512206/

City Council

Another opportunity to work with some interesting people presented itself this week.

Following on from being involved with the city banners I photographed the city council members and council staff for website and promotional materials.

RAW COLOUR

During the month of September the Curdnatta Art Group presents "RAW COLOUR" an exhibition in primary colours....we all brought in our pieces today and the final result will be very bold... and as we discovered.... supportive of the "ADELAIDE CROWS FOOTBALL TEAM" :-))

This is mine. An interesting experiment in how colours on the screen translate into printed form and a journey in light and shade.

Earlier in the year the Curdnatta Art group held a Photography exhibition and surprisingly nearly 30 people from the town and surrounding areas participated.

We decided there was a need to support photographers and on August 1st the first meeting of the Curdnatta Photographers was held.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/curdnattaphotographers/

People are at all stages of their development but it looks as if it will be a supportive and happy group.

The August CHALLENGE is SPRING.... and when you get involved you realise SPRING is about to burst.... and in some places is already abundant....

3 photos to present at the next meeting... oh dear what to choose is the dillema.

A bit of FUN

Currently taking photos of the staff of a local company for business and website purposes. This is always challenging as people are not confident having their photos taken for display purposes... At times like these you learn to have faith in your camera and PhotoShop for the sake of happy clients.

City Banners

Well here they are!

The new city banners depicting some of my photographs.

It has taken a few months to get to this stage.

Port Augusta is an attractive city but for many years its industrial roots permeated promotional materials and the minds of people who live elsewhere.

The banners are the first step in moving towards a new look for promoting the city as a family friendly city followed soon by a new look website.

Part of the brief was to use recognisable landmarks/ features.

I am delighted to be involved in this initiative as I have been quietly promoting Port Augusta through my images for years.

You can see more Port Augusta Images at http://www.sharpsmusic.on.net/Georgie.html
and http://www.flickriver.com/photos/georgiesharp/tags/PortAugusta

"FACE UP"

I am currently working on my first solo EXHIBITION which will be held in the new Yarta Purtli Galleries in March 2010. This builds on some experimental work that I produced last year and portrays local identities in unique situations. In each case participants are offered the opportunity to bring aspects of their life into the mix or create virtual realities. This has meant taking many support photos which are digitally manipulated to create the final image.

It has been a lot of fun so far and I look forward to creating more.

You can see more examples at http://www.sharpsmusic.on.net/Georgie%20Sharp%20photos%209.html

Now that I am a PHOTOGRAPHER....

Some how over the last 5 years I have become a photographer!!!!

People are beginning to associate me with the craft and this week I was employed to record the Premier's visit to our town. Primarily it was an opportunity for the young man who is the Labor candidate for this area in the next election ( the previous Liberal Member is retiring ) to be seen and photographed with Ministers and the Premier of South Australia at various functions.

It was an interesting day and I met some old aquaintances at the Aged Care facilities and attended the opening of the Pakani Arangka Unit at the Port Augusta Prison. This is a new concept where young Aboriginal males can be housed in a unit which is like a home and given the opportunity to see the Flinders Ranges (cultural and spiritual significance) and work on developing an outdoor area and garden.

This builds on previous opportunities ;-))

Getting Started

It has taken a while to take the first step in creating a personal BLOG but here I am . I'll be interested to see where this journey takes me.

For the past 5 years I have connected with the world using FLICKR http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgiesharp/ and this has introduced me to people whose company I have enjoyed and led to experiences I would never have dreamed of . Blogging may offer the opportunity to expand on some of these experiences.