Author: Theo

On stage

by Theo

It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll Baby

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Time Warp. Photo by Ashburton Online.

I was recently on stage again in Variety Theatre Ashburton’s Its Only Rock ‘n’ Roll Baby. Featuring over 30 songs, the show had the tagline “The Songs we Sing to, Dance to, Laugh to and Cry to” and it did that with songs grouped into brackets such as The Flirtys, Country Classics, One Hit Wonders, Love Hurts Sometimes, Kiwi Classics and Inspirational. A bracket of songs on domestic violence titled “It’s Not OK EVER” was emotionally powerful and to lighten the mood it followed with the audience singing along to Sweet Caroline and Delilah. I played the role of a reluctant volunteer beside an overly enthusiastic volunteer with cue cards for the songs.

It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll Baby Programme
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In the Dungeon (dressing room). Photo by Ashburton Online.
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And then I kissed her. Photo by Ashburton Online.
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Trouble. Photo by Ashburton Online.
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Time Warp. Photo by Ashburton Online.
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Pretty Girl. Photo by Ashburton Online.
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Don’t mess around with Jim. Photo by Ashburton Online.
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Don’t mess around with Kim. Photo by Ashburton Online.

Ashburton Online has more photos of the show on Flickr.

Roles

As you can see from the above photos, I played a variety of mostly comedic roles – Loser Sidekick, Disinterested Cue Card Holder, Tough Guy, Zombie, Pretty Girl, Jim and a Balloon Boy in the Just One More bracket. There were several quick costume changes as well as makeup for some complete transformations. Curling my hair took ages was worth it for the laughs when I turned around in Pretty Girl.

Reviews

The show was enjoyed by all those I talked to and local media published some reviews.

30 Year Hiatus

It has been about 30 years since I last performed on stage, so it was great to get back into singing, dancing and acting. As a child I was incredibly shy, but since being involved in theatre I have overcome the fear of performing in public and during this show I was never nervous. I am keen to join the next production – auditions are being held soon for JC Superstar.

Coincidentally just after opening night, a video of the show that first got me started in theatre was shared on YouTube [warning: 2.5 hours of low quality audio and video]. I never saw Woodville Little Theatre’s show Brylcreem live in 1986, but rumour about the show and after-party motivated me to want to join the back stage crew for their next production. With this in mind I went along to rehearsals of Streetcats in 1988 intending to be in the background but I got cast in the show and made my debut on stage.

Knitting Needles

by Theo

One of the ladies at the Ashburton Society of the Arts Monday Art and Craft group gave me some unwanted knitting needles for recycling.

What do you do when someone gives you knitting needles? You knit with them. So I started knitting them into a sculpture.

Knitting Needles, metal and plastic knitting needles, 36x10x22 cm
Knitting Needles, metal and plastic knitting needles, 36x10x22 cm

The knitting needles were a mix of individual plastic and metal needles with different colors and sizes. The metal needles were quite pliable and relatively easy to knit with.

Knitting Needles (rear view), metal and plastic knitting needles, 36x10x22 cm
Knitting Needles (rear view), metal and plastic knitting needles, 36x10x22 cm

Some of the plastic knitting needles were brittle and so they snapped into multiple pieces and flew around the room when I tried to knit them and so I have threaded them into the weave. Softening the rest of the plastic and metal knitting needles in boiling water helped for coiling them into a ball.

Face the drama

by Theo

What will you face today?

Choose your drama: Tragic Comedy or Comedic Tragedy

Face the Drama – Tragedy, acrylic on wooden disc
Face the Drama – Comedy, acrylic on wooden disc

At the Ashburton Society of the Arts’ Monday Art and Craft group, we each received a wooden disc and were challenged to create something with the theme of faces. Above is my contribution, based on ancient theatre masks, with the faces painted on each face of the disc and “Choose your drama: Tragic Comedy or Comedic Tragedy” written, with my signature, on the edge.

This artwork is also practical. For those who struggle with procrastination, it doubles as a huge coin when you need help deciding how to face the drama of the day. Will your day be tragic or comedic or both?

This painting is currently in the exhibition at the Ashburton Society of the Arts‘ Summer Exhibition (21 Feb – 21 March 2021).

Clairmont, inspired by Clairmont’s The Chair

by Theo

The Ashburton Art Gallery currently has an exhibit of Mount Hutt College Year 10 Students’ work inspired by The Chair by Philip Clairmont. We went to the opening of this exhibit and it was fascinating see the work and to hear how the students had developed the work.

The gallery has the original of The Chair also on display and is running an activity for the public to submit their own artwork inspired by The Chair. Below is my submission based on Clairmont’s work and the Clairmont Swivel/Rocker Chair by Kincaid Furniture Company, Inc.

Clairmont, Fineliner pen on card, 147x210mm
Clairmont, Fineliner pen on card, 147x210mm

Hand me the money

by Theo
Hand me the money, shredded paper, 10 x 6 x 12 cm + 10 x 22 x 5 cm

I recently shredded years of old bank statements and recycled some of them into these statements of the different hands in economics, trade and giving.

Open handed (right)

Using an outline of my right hand traced onto cardboard, I built up the sculpture, gluing individual strips of shredded bank statements. The right hand is light weight, but firm.

Depending on your politics, you might see those on the political right as tight fisted and money grabbing, but instead I have portrayed the right as open handed, giving and receiving, serving each other. Not a hand out begging, but lending a hand to mutually help each other.

  • Cardboard from globe box as substructure
  • Bank statement strips glued to card
  • Covering more of the palm of the hand
  • Covering more of the back of the hand
  • Open palm. Is it waving?
  • Back of the hand. Is it beckoning?
  • Open handed detail
  • Overflowing with coins

Tight fisted (left)

I pasted individual strips of shredded bank statements on my closed left fist and then carefully removed the sculpture and filled the hollow fist with more shredded bank statements before applying further strips to the outside. The left hand is heavier but softer than the right.

Again, depending on your politics, you might see those on the political left with an open hand sharing the wealth and giving to those in need. Instead I have portrayed the left as a fist, raised in angry defiance. Grabbing for money and power at the expense of others.

  • Raised fist
  • Fist rising
  • Grabbing
  • What is the fist concealing?
  • Punching?
  • Detail

The invisible hand

Between the two hand sculptures is an invisible hand. In economics, the invisible hand is a metaphor for unseen forces that move the free market economy. We cannot see what the invisible hand is doing. Perhaps it is open handed, perhaps a closed fist, perhaps something in between giving a rude gesture.

Hands apart
Hands together
Hand in hand

The Bible has a lot to say about money. This verse is apt.

‘But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. ‘

Matthew 6:3 NLT

Cork Screws

by Theo
Cork screws, hand carved cork, 50 x 20 x 20 mm
Cork Screws, hand carved cork, 50 x 20 x 20 mm

This visual pun came to mind as I was contemplating what to do with my collection of corks.

Cork Screws (close up), cork 50 x 20 x 20 mm
My collection of Cork Screws, photograph.

Cork is difficult to carve, creating chunky shavings and so it is a delicate and time consuming process. I attempted to carve one cork which claimed to be recyclable and seemed to be made from a kind of rubberized paper material. It was very difficult to effectively work with and so if you want to carve your own cork screws, stick to the natural corks.

Cork Screw #3, recyclable cork (50 x 20 x 30 mm)

More photos on Flickr.

Practical Rubber Cheese

by Theo

I get my share of spammy comments and junk feedback on this website. Often they are from server bots testing for security vulnerabilities or trying to get their spam links posted on the website.

Practical Rubber Cheese, Digital Image

From time to time I read through all the recent messages to the website to make sure I am not missing out on a good deal on “конвективные секции котлов (convection sections of boilers)” from RanertgopriliVR in Moscow or to help AllenMutVW who is “looking for a demo of the game named X-Hex”.

And it always good to get a message of appreciation like this:

My children and I are excited to have found such a nice site, it is really what my friend and I have been hoping for. The detailed information here on the web page is definitely appreciated and will assist my family and friends a lot. It looks like each member gained a lot ofunusually deep amount of detailed information about the things I am always studying and the other hyper links and knowledge really exibits it. I am not usually on the internet during the night however when my clan get a break im always hoping for this type of information and things closely related to it. I have three of my cohorts that have acquired a liking in this because of what I have learned about it and they are more than likely going to be visiting this blog since it is such an outstanding score.  I’m also delving into in government issues and dealing with the new turns and twists in Trump issues and equally looking for alternate sports betting services to feed my hunger for making cash for my other hobbies…

RandallVuhCZ

Here are some other genuine responses to the contact form.

Namesolid state
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SubjectPractical Rubber Cheese
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Subjectdeposit
MessageJewelery
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NameRobertbrotoQJ
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SubjectMy riding blog
MessageFor sure, theoheartist.com isn’t a perfect place to share my equestrian hobby, but I have to start somewhere, so I thought that this category will be ok.
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NameComputers
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Subjectexpedite
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SubjectShoes
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Subjectopen-source
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SubjectKids
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Subjectsolid state
Messageport
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SubjectClothing
MessageSavings Account
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Subjectdigital
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SubjectGroup
MessageWooden
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Perhaps these messages are a secret code – can you decipher it?

Or perhaps they are meant as inspiration or instructions for a commissioned art piece.

Email addresses have been removed from these messages because often a borrowed, stolen or fake email address is by the spammers.

This is not a banana

by Theo
This is not a banana, graphite pencil on paper (148 x 210 mm).

Like René Magritte’s The treachery of images (This is not a pipe), this is also not a pipe. But it is not a banana. It is a digital photograph of a pencil sketch of a duct tape sculpture of a banana.

This is not a banana either

This is not a banana either, colored pencil on paper (148 x 210 mm).

It is a digital photograph of a colored pencil sketch of a print of a photograph of a banana.

Do you use a printed calendar?

by Theo
Do you use a printed calendar?
Do you use a printed calendar?, Digital image

I changed my calendars again today. Only five days after the start of the month. That might be the earliest I have changed my calendars since they arrived (though I don’t remember when they did and postage is notoriously slow, so they might have been installed late).

Since the advent of electronic calendars, I have had very little use for printed calendars. I do not buy them for myself, but I usually get one every year from our property manager and sometimes from a relative so we have 12 New Zealand photographs to look at. Of course, living in the opposite hemisphere, the images are counter to the season, but with global friends I am used to seeing Facebook updates of their summer beach images in my winter or their skiing photos during my summer.

Do you still have printed calendars and change them on time?

If I created a series of 12 images would you buy them in a calendar format? Would you look at them? Would you change them on time?

The world is falling apart

by Theo
The foundations of the earth are falling apart. Photographs of sculpture.

Just over a year ago, I created Non-flat earth (unpainted), a sculpture of a model of the earth that combined facts and legends of how the earth is supported.

The world is falling apart, photograph of a sculpture previously known as Non-flat earth (unpainted).

The foundations are crumbling and decaying which is kind of appropriate with the laws of thermodynamics and the current global pandemic.

However, there is hope.

‘They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. ‘

Isaiah 61:4 https://my.bible.com/bible/111/ISA.61.4

‘Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ‘

Revelation 21:1 https://my.bible.com/bible/111/REV.21.1

I could repair the sculpture. Or leave it to decay further. Or build a new one.

As the (unpainted) title of the original sculpture suggests the work is not finished. It was a prototype for further work and could have been painted to fit more with the ancient legends. My procrastination has given this sculpture an opportunity to express itself its own way.

Post about the creation of the original sculpture:

Non-flat earth (unpainted)