From the Coalface

"Alice's Cupboard"
Construction by Peter Kreet from the Salvaged Show  590x630  $500

Alice's cupboard down which she had ran to arrive at wonderland and experience a new world.
Constructed out of found objects and used without modification.

I realise I must resist the temptation of allowing these postings  to become too serious. On a lighter note last
week was a pain. Firstly there has been the weather, more or less very Irish ,showers followed by heavy rain, wind up to 100kh per hour along with a temperature of around 8 to 10 degrees. On the bright side the rain drops gathering around the olive leaves shining like stars in a night sky all very lovely. When the fruit will ripen only the gods know, for the moment the only company they have is the mist slowly drifting through the grove. It is all very romantic and spiritual. Some varieties are starting to show colour, I have covered the trees with shining things like a Christmas tree to ward off the birds. Not that they eat the fruit they simply pick  causing them to drop to the ground, unprocessed olives are unpalatable but no one has told the birds so the ground becomes covered in fruit like confetti at a wedding.

In between showers I have been rushing out pruning the odd grape vine here and there so I have finished four rows, then into the studio to put a few more dabs of paint on the portrait I'm painting. This painting is developing in an entirely new style for me and I am quite pleased with the direction for now. Against this backdrop I have been trying to get work to two exhibitions, one called Salvaged, work made from discarded objects, two of these works accompany this blog. The other is a landscape show up at Swansea on the east coast. I had intended driving up myself but the weather was so bad I had to run around looking for a carrier. It was just as well for water was running over the road in places and there was enough firewood on the highway to keep the average household going for a year.

On my way back from negotiating the freighting of the paintings, I was surprised to come across an old man feeding a large flock roosters on the highway. There was certainly a large selection to meet every taste, white, brown and everything in between. I assume they are all the discards from various suburban back yards , the owners of which have fallen foul of there neighbours. No doubt they could not bring themselves to put the roosters into the pot.

Finally I had to collect the work from the Salvaged Show, much to my surprise over nine hundred people passed through over the few days the exhibition was on. Just goes to show how creative activity at all levels has a great commercial potential every one concerned seemed pleased.

"Honey  Bouquet"
Construction made from fencing timber old , a bee honey frame and timber off cuts.
$750.