The art and artists who inspire me

I spent many years travelling to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities as part of my paid employment. I learned how to be quiet, to be present and still and I learned to listen. Mr Roughsey, of Mornington Island, created this painting of wildfire using the edge of a eucalypt leaf - every single stroke. Up close it is mind blowing to see the individual marks.

I visited Lockhart River about a year after the tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of so many travelling from Seisia / Bamaga. After our official business, I wandered over to the Arts Centre and Mr Platt was still working on this one. The paint was wet and I had to wait several weeks for it to be shipped home to me.

Hermione is a commission from Melbourne based artist Sophie McKinnon. Her sheep are beyond gorgeous, and Hermione's gaze seems to follow me around the studio where she proudly hangs out with the other textiles.

A favourite is Cunningham's Gap, which we view from back entertainment area. This liquid graphite work was created by my sister, Sue George and hangs in our entry.

Lisa Call's stitched art works are exquisite. I met Lisa i Philadelphia in 2012 and we've been in touch ever since. Lisa is a life coach and created the Make Big Art community (full disclosure, I'm a member). These three pieces are visible from every aspect of the studio and hang on the opposite wall. Simply stunning.

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Making progress Trees #2

The mess before the beauty

The excavator's words have stuck in my head, rent free. ' I have to make one hell of a mess before it can become beautiful. There is no beautiful end without the mess '. Or words to that effect. The retaining walls at the back of the house have to be finished before anything else can happen in the yard - and in between downpours, a few expletives and more rain, it has beena testing time for all involved in the construction. I thought about his words - and the effort of making a quilt from scratch. The planning, drawing, testing, dyeing, playing, creating, starting again, creating and the final 'ah ha'. There is so much 'mess' before a quilt is resolved becomes a thing of meaning and beautiful in its own way. Blessed are the excavators.

Mapping it out - initial thoughts

I find the process that resolves itself as a textile work challenging. In the beginning I am clueless. This is as much a strength as a source of mild anxiety. I have learnt persistence and turning up are as important as creative thinking. I'm mindful my first response is not going to be the best so I'm starting with a mind-dump. My focus is the Neville Bonner Pedestrian bridge connecting Queens Wharf to South Bank. Thoughts are scratched deep into journal pages. I'll find more connections over coming months. Right now I'm challenged and torn. What started as perfunctory research about Meanjin's (Brisbane's) newest bridge has developed into a sense of disappointment and WTFWTWPT (WTF-were-the-white-people-thinking)? I'm unpacking those thoughts in my journal - the architects and their inspiration, the consortium , what the bridge connects, where it leads, Yuggera and Turrbul people's connections to this part of the river, Mr Neville Bonner's own ...

Ali George Artist

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