Junk Artist Blog

Hit the below link and check out my latest article.

http://www.thearcademagazine.org/english/?p=1362

While I was out taking my nephew and two neices Kayla and Paris to the swing park last Thursday we went via a creek to get there my 8 year nephew TJ started to tell me a story as we neared the creek.

As he held my hand and we were walking close to the creek he said uncle Steve legend has it that the creek was called River of  Life I asked TJ why is that, he said that a sick man who had cuts all over his body entered the creek bathed in the water and when he came out he was cured, all his cuts had gone away wow I said thats amazing. Then as we went a little further he said uncle Steve see that forrest of trees over there legend has it that its called the Forrest of Dreams, again I asked him why is that, he said if you go into the forrest and make a dream you will be portelled into that dream and your dream will come true, again I said wow what a great story. We got to the swing park and played on the swinng sets TJ said uncle Steve if I had a dream where would I be portelled to, mmm I had to think about it for awhile.

I asked TJ if I was portelled into my dream would I be able to be portelled back again he said of course you would, so I said I would like to be just for now helping Santa in the north pole wrap all the kids presents so he is ready for christmas day when his slay will be full. TJ asked if I would wrap his and his sisters presents and what would they be getting, I said its a surprise and you will have to wait till santa delivers their gifts and that they had to be good kids until christmas day TJ said Iam excited now and can’t wait to see what santa will bring and I will be very good.

When I got back home I thought to myself what an inspiring walk it was with TJ and his sisters hes a very insightful 8 year old boy with a fantastic imagination, rock on TJ your a blessing.

Well iam back from the bush been awhile since i blogged heres some snaps of my adventures out in the red dirt central Australia.

well no snaps as yet the system wont allow me to upload my images

Well been outback now 11 months today which is also mothers day. I sent mum some flowers.
so much has happened in this the hardest year of my life yet, also the most challenging and rewarding. dead dad in december he died suddenly that hurt but i do have some of his ashes that mum sent upto me and i have buried those in the Imanpa red dirt at the back of my house it is a place i can go to and say the things i did not get a chance to say to him while alive, I split up with my Annie that has been hard as I Know we still love each other, I was airlifted out again with a serious infection in my leg i did 7 days on a drip in the alice hospital and 2 week recovery in Adelaide that is the second time i have been evacuated from Imanpa, the environment is so tough out here iam constantly feeling sick, I got food poisoning last week at 2am in the morning had to ride it out for hours as the nurse was on leave, I sometimes get lonely, I miss my son, I miss normal, being able to go get a DVD and a pizza, catch a movie, go the beach, going for a walk along the river.

But what you don't get anyware else in the world is the amazing sunrises and sunsets, the wild animals crossing the highway at radom, packs of camels, wild brumbie horses, majestic powerful wedge tail eagles feasting on road kill, kangaroos by the hundreds, snakes and goannas, beauitiful bird life, the thorney devil lizards, hundreds of cows searching for food and water, millions of tourist heading by the bus loads to the incredible Ayres rock, i get to see on a dialy basis the imanpa artists sitting in the red dirt doing tradional dot paintings and wood carvings and the most rewarding is to see the beautiful smiles of the Imanpa children doing it so tough in the outback their smiles are like a sunset all on there own. come to think of it I don't want to be anyware else just yet, there is still more of GOD'S work to be done

I went to the Gold Coast for 10 days met my son and two mates up there it was a wild time so good to be near the water everyday.

At Imanpa I have become Bumbleb cultrual father to Xavier, Team Leader, and surragote parent to many of the disadvantaged youth out here, i have a welding shop, gymnasiam,art and junk art programs running on a daily bases.

Shine on a crazy diamond only the strong survive out here I have 2 years of my contract to run, rock on, I will stay strong. I have read two things this week that I would like to share here they are:

"Everyone dies but not everyone lives"

accredo - "to accept whole heartedly and believe unconditionally"

till next time

Well I got bitten Sunday by a Red Back spider at Imanpa while at work and have just been air lifted to the Alice Springs hospital been on a drip for 5 days and in lots of pain as I have Cellulitist. Didn't know a little RED Spider could cause so much damage. Iam on the mend now after being pumped with lots of penicillin into my body to fight the infection, have to keep my leg elevated and stay off it as the swelling was very bad, almost had to have my right leg where the bite is amputated at the groin, would not have been best pleased about that. But all is on track for a full recovery and I should be back running the Imanpa marathon real soon.

still lovin the outback.

Stay tuned for some red hot photos of my spider attack at Imanpa.

Greetings from Imanpa Aboriginal Community where I have been working for the past 4 months.
I have had problems getting on line out here and have just got back on dial up, i also had a malfunction with my blog page but my good friend Shannell and web host has fixed it up tonight.
All i need now is a progam to shrink my photo images and hey i can share my past 4 onths journey it's been amazing journey.

stay tuned Mamu (my aboriginal name)

Well Annie has been and gone i feel so sad we had an amazing time together in Imanpa. We went surfing in the red sand, annie did a coupla back flips of the cliffs and went missing for a few hours but i did find her at the bottom of the cliff i threw her a rope and pulled her back up the rocky razor sharp cliff face. she had a few deep cuts on her back but we got them stitched up. After the sand hills we went diving in the water holes that was beautiful the water was crystal clear and full of crocs and mosquitos, we had a picnic on the roadside and watched and waved to all the road trains as they went speeding bye, they tooted there horns and told us to get off the fucken road, we just smiled into each others sandy eyes i could just see her through the dust it was very special time. At night we went up the top of the water tower and watched the sun go down. Annie pointed to the bright stars and tried to touch one as she leaned out i asked her to hold that position while i took a photo but her wrists are week and she let go of the railing and fell to the bottom i got a great snap as she landed she had a beautiful smile on her face as she lay in the hot red sand. I rushed down the bottom to help her up and she just moaned in pain and told me it was worth the fall just to catch a star.

Well 2 days at imanpa was all Annie could handle otherwise she told me she would never want to leave. So I loaded up the troopy with Annies 8 suitcases and took her to the Yulura airport it was a quiet 2 hour trip Annie did not say a word all the way there she was just reflecting on our incredible time together, silence when your with some one you love is the ultimate sign of affection, we didn't need to talk all annies cuts, bruises and stiches said it all. we got to the airport and just held each other and cried for hours then one last kiss and she flew back to Adealide.

Until we meet again Annie I sure miss you Imanpa is not the same without you.

Well still waiting on our lap top commputers and net access so i can do my daily blog updates, so much to share and talk about I also have some amazing photos to include taken around 200 shots so far mostly road kill ?

Just at the Ebenzer roadhouse this morning 10 km from Imanpa checking my email on the pay per minute net machine it certainly is hungry only eats brass coins.

well this week I have been backup ambulance driver to a double road crash fatality, not the road kill I wanted to see, made me realise that once your dead there is no more hello's or goodbyes no more beautiful sunrises and sunsets over the outback, nothing it ends there, I relise now that my life is very presious and I will enjoy every minute of air time I have left in me, life really is harsh and wonderful all in the same breath. Its so true, to love as if you have never been hurt, dance like no one is watching, and make time to redeem things that can be redeemed in your life.

My fellow mission workers are a great bunch of characters there's Angie at Imanpa, Shelley and Be at Multijulu, Anthony and Jillian at Docker River, Adam and Noreen at Fink then theres our team leader Peter, outreach support team Della and Rob, Daniella, Charles, Deb and lastly Erica the admin PA to Peter.

My Annie is coming up next week so Iam very excited about that hope she loves the sea breeze running through her long hair and a great view of the ocean. Will show her how to cook in the hot sand and catch fish with my bare hands. We can sleep in a hamock between two palm trees and sip champayne while the sun goes down.

We will have a wild adventure annie loves collecting sea shells and sunbaking nude in the sea weed.

ok times up until next time live life like there is no tomorrow.

well having a wild time so far in the outback so much to learn and experience iam in my 12 day now clocked up over 2000 km in the new 4 wheel drive v8 trooper. seen so many sights while getting finding my way around outback australia went to ayres rock thursday for a job to do along the way photographing road kill while the beautiful powerful eagles eat the remains, then a few wild brumby horses crossed the stuart highway so went of road and chased them into the bush, seen dingos, roos cows wandering the outback in search of food. today i took the local imanpa netball team to there game 4 hours away where a white camel wandered onto the field and 50 dogs great stuff.

i miss my annie out here but she may be in alice springs soon as she has applied for some jobs so as we can be together once again.

ok stay tuned for steve os outback adventures what a wild fucken ride this is hope i last in the job.

Well just writing from my new job at Imanpa 300km from Alice Springs where iam the new youth worker with Mission Australia been on the road for a week now and arrived at imanpa friday to start my job had a great time so far and will keep you posted about all my adventures. I have no internet access atthe community so have to come into the road house to log on.
talk more soon.

Well I have been very busy since my last blog a coupla weeks ago.
hit below link and see my work now at MOWA Museum Of Weird Art go to gallery and click on my name to see my recent works of weird art it's a great site and thanks to all at MOWA for including me in the weird world of art.

http://www.mowa.be

I also scored a job up in Alice Springs/NT as a Community Youth Worker Iam very excited about this, possible start date will be 11 June so I have sooo much organising to do and so little time. I will ride my hog to the alice with Annie on the back. (see image below)and the link below will tell a little about where I might be based and the issues I will face as a youth worker in the outback it will be very harsh out there and a great challenge.

http://www.users.on.net/~tangcnl/data/caylus/Useful%20info%20about%20Inhalant%20Substance%20Abuse/pauline_fietz_Childhood_paper_sept05.pdf

and the best news Annie is back from her vacation to Antartica she went missing after diving with the whales 12 weeks ago I haven't been able to function properly being so worried about her. Iam picking her up from Adelaide Airport tomorrow night and I can't wait to see her. Will keep you posted on all her adventures.

I have a new exhibition on show at the famous ArtsNorth Gallery titled 7 Deadly Sins my interpritation, the show runs for one month and is open daily 9am to 4pm 7 Judd Road Elizabeth the heart of raw art the concrete urban jungle, where only the strong survive.

Been fasinated by pigs since doing Gluttony one of the 7 sins so I did a photoshoot see images below.

Lastly I bought 12 full size Manniquins from an op shop last week got the lot for $35 bucks as the shop was closing down. So I have great plans for a new series but will have to transport them to the Alice. Will ask Annie when I see her tomorrow if she wants to do a road trip to get there. It would be a lot of fun as Annie is probably the best driverI have ever had the pleasure of driving with, she's drives like a skater on ice that has never skated before she really is awesome.

Ok stay tuned lots happening at the moment.

I have been experimenting with my painting this week and finished another sculpture to add to my Red Series.

The paintings are mostly mixed media with found objects added to them, i have used broken glass, smashed lightbulbs, fabric, dried paint skins, biblical crosses, shit, plastic babies and plastic off cuts.

Some art friends come over during easter break to do a photo shoot of me living at my crypt art house.

Below new works I completed over the week-end and today.
Mother Evoloution mmm don't really know what she is about it was created from a conduit of a spirit, not sure why I created her or where she imaged from ? but anyway I like her and her two kids all the same, she will be apart of the red series Iam currently working on.

The second sculpture is Eddy 17 years old he is a cousin of the disabled family and he has Cerebral Palsy he is a bit of devil and always gets into trouble.

My latest junk art sculptures titled the Disabled Palsy Family a part of my Red Series of works that will be shown at my solo exhibition at the Avalon Gallery in Adelaide.

The family members are Mum Julia 40 years old and has thalidomide, Dad Eric 38 years old has cerebral palsy, young son Benny 14 years old has hydrocephalus, sister Gwenth 16 years old suffers from cerebral palsy and pet dog Ky who has only 3 good legs. The family are attending church tonight and are questioning their faith in Jesus. Dad and the family are gatherd around Jesus and asking the question, why Jesus is my whole family disabled .....I don't understand. I also joined in on questioning and pray time.

Been working on a new portrait title fugly, using mixed media including, glass, paint skins, acrylic, glue skins, denim fabric and a pink tie.

Well I have been so busy this week I have only just stopped to blog this morning. Firstly the three continent Australia, New York and Hauge sky phone interview on Sunday night Australian time as mentioned in the below blog went well, the interview should be published in the next coupla weeks or so in the Arts in New York magazine. I will paste a copy in my blog when I have it.

I was also interviewed for the Adelaide Magazine last Thursday a story about emerging artist in Adelaide that comes out in the May edition so loooking forward to that.

I have been welding madly on the new red series of life size metal figurative sculptures see one of them Jesus below in the previous blog. The series will have 6 pieces in the set, Iam having trouble photographing them as they are minimal and transparent so to get any depth I will need to experiment with lighting to get the full effect Iam looking for, once I get this I will add the images to my blog.

I have confirmed my solo show titled 7 Deadly Sins (my version) for August 9th to 16th at the Avalon Gallery in Adelaide Iam very excited about this, it will be part of the South Australian Living Arts Festival the festival is in it's 10th year and thousands of art lovers travel to Adelaide for the huge event which runs from 3rd to 19th August.

I just finished filming a short boxing movie yesterday about my life as a fighter that is being edited this week so I should have it uploaded on my movie page next week I will add the link to my blog also.

Lastly some images below of some time travelers I sent these images of to the Birdwood National Motor Museum in Adelaide to see if they would like to exhibit my Time Machine as part of their Museum, I have not heard back from them so far.(the time machine has been exhibited twice at the Adelaide Museum and once in the Adelaide train station) I think it would be a great exhibit kids and adults a like constantly ride the machine when they visit the crypt art house.

That's all for now.

Some images of a new piece I just finished yesterday It's the second one complete as part of my Red Series of figurative sculptures, (the first is the disabled guy in feb blogs)that will be exhibited along with my 7 Deadly Sins a series of large mixed media canvas (they can be viewed in last months blogs) at the Avalon Gallery in Adelaide during this years SALA Festival opening on the 9th August .