For this prompt, I wanted to explore the concept of the artist who decides to rework a completed painting.  Sometimes the problem is a fault in technique, color, scale, proportion, or even composition.  They are so dissatisfied with the piece that they scrape off the existing paint, or paint over it intending to improve or change some portion.  A classic, artistic, Change of Mind.   Like a garden, the work is never finished.

This happened with my 92-year-old Dad last year.  Prior to his death, he had painted a self-portrait, but obviously unhappy with it, had scraped it back and over-painted parts of the original. Before the rework was completed, his health deteriorated, and he died without having done any further work on the portrait.  We never knew his intention for it, other than the bald statement REWORK, written on a note on the back of a photograph.

I spent the first 4 weeks trying to make up my mind how to pay tribute to my Dad and my admiration for him and his art through the Cloth in Common vehicle.  I could not settle on a single idea and my mind whirled and spun while I tried to come up with something that would satisfy me and be worthy of my memory of him.

By the end of week 6, I had another change of mind and arrived at the conclusion that I was not ready to do something so personal, and that this was probably not the correct venue.  So, here is a picture of my Dad with my grand-daughter, taken in 2010. I’m sure you can see what a kind man he was.

By now, it was 2 weeks to reveal deadline, NO decision, NO work commenced.  Woke up Sunday morning, headache, scratchy throat…… COVID…. a week spent in a fog, then, one week to reveal deadline.

My piece is about the change of mind in the civic space. We humans like to have control of our lives, our homes, our work, society, futures.  We survive and blossom, largely because we are supremely adaptable, and change is inevitable in all aspects of our world.  However, critically important in all this change is to have a thread of continuity, familiarity, a base to work from, an appreciation of the good decisions of the past and the ability to learn and not repeat the bad things.

The capital city of the state of South Australia is Adelaide.  Adelaide was established in 1836 as a planned city for free British settlers in the colonisation of Australia. It was designed by the surveyor-general, Colonel William Light and planned with a square mile commercial centre and the first suburb, North Adelaide, surrounded by many acres of parkland.  Future suburbs then sprawled out across the plains.  It is a beautiful, interesting and well-preserved small city and features highly in Worlds Most Livable Cities lists.

Adelaide City Council controls the parklands and has largely maintained them for the amenity of the public, aesthetic benefits and recreational use.  But there are constant and growing calls for parklands to be utilised for housing and other developments, and sometimes the Council allows changes to the purpose of the parkland.  A recent one is the proposed demolition of the old Police Barracks and stables to build a new Women’s and Children’s hospital.  As is usual with these changes, not everyone agrees and not everyone is happy.

I felt this was an example of a civic change of mind, where society must determine what is best for the whole community, and there are a lot of lobbyists, self-interest groups, developers, green groups, and community groups all tugging in different directions to get their preferred outcome when a decision is made.  I guess that is politics and, in a democracy, the majority should determine the best outcome for everyone.  Of course, we all know that the system can be flawed.

My piece explores the original layout of the city with the surrounding parklands and the current uses. The parkland contains a zoo; sportsgrounds; the famous Adelaide Oval, much loved by cricketers the world over; botanical gardens, currently home to a Dale Chihuly exhibit (gorgeous); and are home to many festivals, concert venues and staged events.  Adelaide also has a street circuit for car races and has previously hosted the Australian F1 event, and currently V-8 Super cars, with temporary grandstands taking over areas of parkland.

I’m sure that change is inevitable for our city, as the pressures of modern living and the needs of the people change.  I hope that Adelaide can retain its character as a vibrant and interesting place to live that is accessible and accommodating.  I would also like to see the tussle between all the interested parties for the preservation or development of the parklands continue in a respectful and thoughtful manner for the benefit of everyone, even if we do see a civic change of mind.

My apologies if this rambles a bit.  I’ve still got a bit of mind fog.

Commenced:     November 2024 Completed:        November 2024

Dimensions:      1000mm H X 625mm W, 39” H X 24.5” W

Materials:          Wool pleated skirts, wool kilts, satin tie, commercial cotton fabric, Thrift store fabric, upholstery samples, angora scarfe, ice-dyed cotton.

Technique:        Fused, raw-edge appliqué.