Easter Greetings

Pictured top: Underdrawing for Daisy Chain, a linocut in progress; pigmented drawing ink with touches of acrylic, 21.5 x 21.5 cm. 

The Michaelmas daisies represented in the work are associated with Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere (September-November) and were named for the time of year in which they flower. 

Here in the Southern Hemisphere, however, Autumn coincides with Easter and in Australia they are affectionately known as Easter daisies.

Directly following: Selected photos from a delightful Good Friday afternoon walk with Shane Jones (second from top below) in the wetlands by Ballarat’s Lake Wendouree.

For Shane and I, no Easter would be complete without the film Easter Parade. Every Irving Berlin song is a gem, the choreography is dazzling, and both are impeccably performed by its extraordinary leads: Fred Astaire, Judy Garland and Ann Miller. But my all time favourite is Drum Crazy, a number written especially for Fred Astaire, who was a fine drummer in his own right.The following still was snapped in our home cinema screen during today’s screening.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Easter.

HAPPY EASTER

For Shane Jones and I, no Easter would be complete without the film, Easter Parade (1948, dir. Charles Walters). This year, for the very first time, we were able to view it on the big screen in our home cinema. Despite countless viewings over the decades, it has lost none of its pizazz and the leading players, Fred Astaire and Judy Garland (with scintillating support from Ann Miller), are simply sublime. Every song in Easter Parade tells a story in its own right, while also advancing the film’s plot. The musical numbers are all brilliantly choreographed, staged and performed, but my absolute favourite is Drum Crazy. The film’s composer, Irving Berlin, wrote it especially for the multi-talented Astaire, who in real life was a skilled drummer. As an Easter treat, see him perform Drum Crazy HERE.

Widely regarded as a symbol of transformation and spiritual rebirth, the butterfly is also closely associated with Easter. For me, Easter has always brought the promise of new beginnings. Accordingly, here are three very recent paintings that hopefully capture something of the spirit in which they were made. Presenting a slightly different take on the Rückenfigur, these butterfly-women are so newly-hatched, I haven’t yet had a chance to assign titles to any of them. Partly inspired by Tudor portrait miniatures, each work is acrylic on a circular canvas and measures 12.5 x 12.5 cm.

To learn more about the many-layered symbolism of butterflies, go HERE. 

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter.