Jo Caminiti | Gardener
Jo Caminiti
Phone: +61 417 324 987
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24.01.2022 After yesterday's rather glum #restingzoomface I decided that I needed to do a #happyzoomface self portrait in my favourite colours . This time I filmed it so you can see how I use just three colours as my light, middle and dark tones. I thank Louisa Waters life drawing classes at the Gippsland Art Gallery many years ago for introducing me to this technique. How long do you think it took me to do this self portrait? Pop your guess in the comments below...... Today I also ordered Bonny Snowdon Fine Art - Pet and Equine Artist special selection of coloured pencils. It will take weeks to get here from the UK, but once here I look forward to doing some portraits of my furfriends to get my eye & hand back into drawing. I really enjoy watching and listening to Bonny's FB live sessions - she's inspired me to get back to some drawing again. Her pet portraits are simply gorgeous Another lilting Celtic tune "Carolan's Draught" by SIiinte from Free Music Archive
23.01.2022 I'm doing it LIVE ART BATTLE - THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON Queens Street Park, Warragul... Come along to see Gippsland Artists paint the landscape in this shady park on a lovely warm spring day I might even set up a Facebook Live if my technology cooperates
22.01.2022 Ridley Scott is collaborating on another Life in a Day film asking for submissions from around the world, so I filmed my day. The weekends are my days off from art, but as you can see, life on our patch is always full of many chores. It keeps us fit and occupied, and very fulfilled, and looking forward to a good night's sleep Yes, I am tanning another hide, it such a BIG job, but part of our "nose to tail" ethos. The entrails were placed at the bottom of planting holes for ...more olive, chestnut and oak trees, ready for me to plant tomorrow. A friend is coming over so we can work together on charcuterie when the butcher returns to breakdown the carcass. It's a whopping 350 kg dressed weight, 50% more than our previous steer 18 months ago. Bambi my Jersey heifer is due to drop her first calf in a few weeks, so there will be hand milking and cheese making to add to the rotation, and cute calf videos
22.01.2022 How many eggs can an emu lay in one season? I'll keep you posted Ralph has laid 18 so far! Any guesses on the final tally?... She was hiding them all around the old orchard paddock that is their home, and each day was an easter egg hunt . At least they are easier to spot than chook eggs. The last couple she has considerately dropped by the gate for me. This was today's gift For those who may have missed earlier posts, this year I am collecting the eggs as they are laid, and blowing them for future emu egg carvings. I've put my trial carving in the comments below. Last year I left the 8 eggs she laid with Cuddles, her male companion, to incubate and raise. I still have three of the adolescent emus freeloading at home as the bushfires then the pandemic has made finding forever homes very difficult this year. Anyone considering a unique characterful addition to their menagerie? Beautiful plumage...
22.01.2022 Spring is such a bountiful and busy time on our patch by the Rainbow . Tonight I'm very excited to slice our first homemade salami from our home raised & butchered steer. This is on the pizza in the oven right now I've been focusing my energy in the orchard for the last fortnight, wrangling the out of control berry trellis which is now looking quite civilised; pruning the grapevines, kiwifruit, gooseberries, jostaberry & red current; and chipping out ginornous thistles bef...ore they flower - I will call them a green manure crop and use them as mulch for the pumpkin patch. I've staked and guarded the three new olive trees I planted out last week. Still reclaiming another two 25 metre rows from the wilderness to plant our summer veggies, and hope to do some rather late apple pruning & grafting. I've also blown another seven emu eggs ready for carving.
21.01.2022 Some more resident wildlife we share our patch with - what a magnificent down by the Rainbow Creek. That bulge on the right is thicker than my rather chunky wrist. This could be the red bellied black snake that was hunting amongst my scrapmetal in the old cow yard last weekend. There are plenty of baby rabbits and bluetongue lizards that shelter there. RBBs are generally shy and, though venomous, no-one has died in Australia from their bite. Still, it behoves us to watch where we put our feet, and be careful when shifting materials. And, yes we are stocked up on snake bandages just in case. The Rainbow Creek is in spate, we've had over 50mm of rain in the last few days. This afternoon, the sun has finally made a welcome appearance
20.01.2022 Finally, after 8 hours on the pressure washer, refilling the fuel 7 times, I think the paved area has come up pretty good. The "before" photos are AFTER days of pulling weeds from the cracks, trimming back encroaching vegetation, raking up trugs of leaves and sweeping up buckets of dirt. I also took out trugs of milfoil from the pond and exhumed the pondpump from the sediments to get it working for the first time since we moved in 5 years ago. It's been epic, I reckon the pav...ing is at least the same area as the whole house. Note to self - don't allow the fallen leaves to sheet compost on the pavers, then grow a meadow from blow in seeds... The Irish jig from the Free Music Archive is called "Banish" - appropriate I think Happy New Year to you all, may 2021 bring some better times. I'll be back in my studio next week after a lovely Xmas break working on our patch with my partner
20.01.2022 I love JK Brown's beautiful intricate scrapmetal sculptures of life-like creatures. Thanks Tamsyn for sharing this BBC clip
19.01.2022 Today's pastel "Look into my eyes..." Pastel on paper, 300x420mm, Jo Caminiti 2020 Cuddles the Emu has a compelling gaze Despite the fierce look, he does enjoy his neck being stroked, and is a gentle parent, incubating and raising his chicks alone. I shared his parenting journey last year from July when "Ralph" laid her eggs, to September when the cute little stripeys hatched and following months as they grew No eggs this year yet, and maybe Ralph wont lay any with thre...e of last year's lot still freeloading at home. I check their paddock every morning Soundtrack "Cattails" by Kevin MacLeod from the Free Music Archive
18.01.2022 I love home-made apricot jam, it's summer sunshine in a jar Yesterday I made 18 jars of delicious apricot jam with 5kg of apricots, a dozen cracked apricot kernels, the juice of 4 lemons and 4kg of sugar. The apricots ripened a week earlier than normal despite our blissfully mild and damp season - not sure whether it's better to be making jam the week before Xmas, or between Xmas & New Year... Our run of warm humid weather meant they had to be picked and processed immediately as apricots are notoriously prone to brown rot. See more
18.01.2022 Charcuterie - what a delectable word Made 18.5kg of sausages today. 4 flavours - Fennel & white wine, black pepper & red wine, Simon & Garfunkel (parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme), and a bit of everything. Its salami and biltong making tomorrow, after I put flywire on the hanging cage. During the week, after freezing down the bulk of the meat, I made a couple big batches of bone broth, and next week I will render the tallow. After that, I will get on with making leather from... the green salted hide, and do a final clean up and bleach of the skull for a future artwork. It is a serious undertaking to home butcher a whole steer and do it's life honour by using every part. The waste went into holes ready to plant trees I've propagated, and the scraps went to our neighbour's hunting dogs in exchange for a tub of honey. Hard and satisfying work
17.01.2022 My partner has spent the last two weeks of his holidays digging out this area between big shed and old cowshed to get the levels right for a new concrete floor - another step towards creating our carpentry and metal workshops in the big shed This area we believe was the location of the old farm smithy, and was used as a rubbish dump. There are all sorts of fascinating century old finds including many bottles from around the 1900s to 1940s, buckets of broken glass, lots of r...usted metal and some old leather shoes & boots. He is also recovering river stones and bricks from an old path under the concrete breezeway as he lowers the level. It's slow going, but he is tenacious and will prevail Meanwhile, after weeks of effort and countless armfuls of weeds tossed over the fence to the emus, I have nearly got our orchard/kitchen garden in sufficient order to plant our summer veg.
17.01.2022 Five years ago I was raising and harvesting trout in the front garden at my previous home in Maffra. It's on my list to set up the aquaponics system here...one day... I do miss the lovely fresh fish on hand #homegrown #aquaponics #homesteading #thegoodlife #fish
17.01.2022 Not a bad haul for a two day blacksmith workshop for a first timer Today I made the tongs from scrap flat bar, finished the handle of my fire poker, and made another Celtic brooch. I was pretty tired after the couple of hours hammering the flat bar for the tongs - could hardly lift my cuppa at lunchtime - so it was a relief to use the smaller hammer and finer material to make another brooch. It was a fantastic workshop with Paddy at Arc Yinnar, and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.
16.01.2022 Yesterday 26 August was International Dog Day. Lugi the Labrador (named by my son after Lugia the Legendary Pokemon) is my constant companion in the garden, workshop and studio, and increasingly inside under an occupied computer desk or on the couch snoring through TV shows. He's an old boy now, mostly deaf, and sleeps a lot. He might not be the smartest puppy, but he sure knows exactly where to lay to cause maximum interaction, and gives that lab-perfected innocent look with those big brown eyes when we have to shout "Outta the way Lugi, MOVE!"
15.01.2022 Look what came today in the mail today Bonny Snowdon Fine Art - Pet and Equine Artist anniversary pencil collection from the The Coloured Pencil Shop Now I have to get some suitable paper so I can use this collection of beautiful pencils for some animal portraits. Coloured pencil was my favourite medium some decades ago. Yet another revived creative pursuit to add to emu egg carving, plasma cutting, leather tanning, soft pastels, wirework, vine crafting, scrapmetal sculptur...e, landscaping, Hebel carving, wood whittling... I do very much like the Coloured Pencil Shop's colour choice for their logo and string - it's my favourite too
14.01.2022 I made this today Doing a two day blacksmith workshop with Paddy and four other students at Arc Yinnar. I made a bottle opener out of half a horseshoe, a square punch out of a section of car spring (geez it was tough to straighten), this lovely celtic style brooch from rebar, and a fire poker from some 1/2" rod.... I'm grubby as, my arm aches, I have a blister on my thumb, and I can't wait until tomorrow #blacksmithing #celticjewelry #forgedinfire #newskills #gippslandartist
11.01.2022 Yesterday was my son's 21st birthday and we celebrated at home under Covid restrictions with only 5 guests, a big bonfire and a fabulous Sicilian spread from the recently opened Gippy's Pizza & Pasta Woodfired in Heyfield. Unfortunately his Dad couldn't be there due to increased restrictions for Melbourne reintroduced last week . 25 years ago I married my former husband whose parents both immigrated from Giardini-Naxos, Sicily after WWII. I've had the absolute privilege of s...pending some months in Sicily with his extended family before our son was born and when he was a toddler. Yesterday it was a delight to have some genuine Sicilian arancini and canolli handmade locally by the owners of our new eatery who come from Siracusa, Sicily In a fit of nostalgia (on a very rainy afternoon ) I got out my painting of the boats "due steppe" from where we stayed in Giardini-Naxos, and the linocuts I did of the traditional ceramic theatre masks I brought home as souvenirs - Satiro, Leone, Aeolus and Ciclope. I love this photo of our son in the gardens at Taormina looking down on Giardini-Naxos with the snow covered Mt Etna in the background Beautiful memories
11.01.2022 My Mum just posted this oil painting I did of her dog Jack from a little B&W photo in Year 10 art - That was 40 years ago!!! When I catch up with the Winter garden chores and then get onto the Spring ones, I hope to spend a bit of time using my new coloured pencil collection to do some animal portraits. I planted three olive trees today (finally, after potting them on for the last few years). I nearly have the berry trellis in some kind of order after it ran wild for two years. A beautiful day here for the first official day of Spring
11.01.2022 "Resting Zoom Face - Self Portrait" pastel on paper 295mm x 420mm Jo Caminiti 2020 I've seen this on my computer screen far too often lately I thank the #SBSLifeDrawingLive a couple of weeks ago for prompting me to unearth my pastels. I have been avoiding welding & plasma cutting since being really crook with a fluey thing, but it's time to get back out in the shed now that I have shaken off the cough (not so sure about the fatigue, but that may just be middle age & peri...-menopause ). I have a small practical project in mind to get me back into it. But there is nothing to stop me doing some drawing & sketching in the meantime Note to self - stop listening and reading so much news, and do more things that put a smile on my dial Stay safe & be kind (especially to yourself) #restingzoomface
11.01.2022 A big thank you to Rachael Lucas at ABC Gippsland for featuring what Gippsland artists have been getting up to during Stage 3 lockdown
11.01.2022 The best Christmas present ever, we brought Lugi the Labrador home from the Gippsland Veterinary Hospital this afternoon Two days ago he was a bit off, stiffer than normal with a tender tummy. Old labs are notorious for getting a twisted bowel or blockage from something they ate but shouldn't have, so the alarm bells were ringing. I took him to the vet where they found he had a ruptured tumor on his massively enlarged spleen that was causing him to bleed out internally .... The choice was stark, to immediately euthanase him, or to try emergency surgery which is a risky proposition for an old fellow like Lugi. The vets were very relieved that he came though the surgery and recovered so quickly - you can tell how worried they were by their level of relief afterwards. A big thank you to vets Emma and Cindy, and the wonderful vet nurses who looked after Lugi so well. So our Christmas will be a quiet one at home looking after the invalid, so happy that Lugi the Labrador is still here to share the good life on our patch by the Rainbow for another few years I wish you all the best for the holiday season however you celebrate it, and thank you for your support and kind comments throughout the year. I don't know about you, but I am definitely looking forward to the end of 2020 - bring on 2021
10.01.2022 I love this photo of me with my Mum and my Grandma Mum said it was taken when she was the same age as I am now, and she is now the same age as her mum was. Grandma was into the amateur performing arts - I have a wonderful photo of her preWWI with raised tambourine in a gypsy girl chorus line. She was really active in her retirement village Glee Club with singing and spoken word recitals. Mum says she was also very crafty with crochet, smocking, and other textile crafts. Gra...ndma was a wicked card player and she and I used to have epic Bolivia battles late into the night on the kitchen table. My Mum is a talented self taught pyrographer and fills her written daily journal with sketches. She remembers her Dad drawing quite a bit and he was a coach builder by trade. Mum taught me to draw at the kitchen table - I especially remember drawing horses using shapes to block out the main body parts. She is also crafty and can turn her hand at dressmaking, macrame, crochet, knitting and anything she sets her mind to. Mum made the jumper I'm wearing in the photo when I went off to university and I wore it for many years until it was threadbare and holey Grandma's father was a head gardener at public and private gardens. She spent her childhood at the Bundoora Homestead Art Centre (before it was an arts centre), and then the gardener's cottage at The University of Melbourne. Both Mum and Grandma have passed on their love of gardening to me
10.01.2022 Our very first baby kiwifruit I planted the male and female vines over 4 years ago. The male has flowered for the last couple of years, and finally this spring the female had a couple of flowers. Tomorrow it is exactly 5 years since my partner officially moved in to our little patch by the Rainbow. I had a couple more years of commuting between Maffra and here while my son was finishing highschool. ... My son now has only a couple of subjects to go next year and he will have completed his degree in IT. Due to Covid restrictions, he has been studying and working part time on the University IT Service Desk from home here since March. Sometimes it's handy having IT help at home who enjoys his Mum's cooking
09.01.2022 So glad my son celebrated his 21st birthday on Saturday and not yesterday! It rained all afternoon and into the night - 65mm in all An east coast low formed and channelled a continuous narrow band of rain from the SE over us. A few kilometres to the west missed out. The Rainbow Creek is up, the emus have created a quagmire, the paddocks are soggy, and the bluebells in the woodland garden have pushed up through the mulch overnight!... I have put my birthday rubber boots from Mum & Dad to good use today I found a jaunty Irish toetapper by SIÃiinte from the Free Music Archive - love the tin whistle
08.01.2022 Everything on the plate except the bacon was home raised or grown, and it only took 15 minutes to throw together (I am so tempted to get pigs, but it is a subject still under discussion ) I didn't even plant the spuds, they are the ghosts of potato crops past. Fresh dug baby spuds are soooo delish Note to self - make sure to repeatedly stab baby spuds before throwing in the microwave.... I better go wash the dishes and clean the microwave
08.01.2022 Had a lovely time today at the The Art COLT with Peter Cummings teaching us how to get the most out of rotary tools (more gadgets on my wish list ). This is my continuing artistic exploration of emu egg carving - the first side I did with a Stanley knife several weeks ago, and today I used a rotary tool for the first time. Peter, who does the most exquisite glass engravings, gave us a comprehensive rundown of various rotary tools and accessories, how to strip them down and m...aintain them, and some great tips on set up and techniques It was great getting around some artists and talking art stuff I'm looking forward to using Dremel Mum and Dad loaned me to carve some more emu eggs - and perhaps try my hand at glass engraving (look out windows and glassware ) (Note - Peter, as the instructor did not have to wear a mask. The rest of us did, except when drinking the wonderful coffees made by Gav) #eggcarving #eyeart #emu #eggart
07.01.2022 Another pastel today of Cuddles the Emu - he is quite the dignified fellow except when rolling around in the mud enjoying a good hosing. I took this photo last year while he was scanning the skies for threats to his babies. He can spot a high flying eagle or passing jet on its way to New Zealand (not at the moment though, the skies are still very quiet) This was a rather challenging angle, but I think I got there in the end My old video editing app "upgraded" to something ...unusable, so I had to find a different one. This is VideoShow which I am finding my way around. Bear with me while I learn it's features and quirks. The lovely soundtrack is from the Free Music Archive and is titled "Lullaby for Democracy" by Doctor Turtle Music
06.01.2022 Ralph has laid 5 eggs so far this season, but I still have three of last year's "babies" freeloading at home, so decided that it would be prudent to remove the eggs this time. Lessons learned so far: - Ralph & Cuddles don't turn an eyelash when I collect the eggs as they are laid ( thank goodness!) - emu eggs have tough shells and are hard work to blow ... - there is more yolk than white and it is super rich & a bit overpowering - 4 emu eggs contain around 4 cups of white and 5 cups of yolk - Don't wash the eggs out with vinegar as it marks the shell - I now know why a lot of emu egg carvers use dremels or dentist drills rather than a Stanley knife I've used the vinegar marked egg to have my first go at carving. Back in highschool (sooooo long ago!) my wonderful art teacher, Sheila O'Leary (everyone called her "Sol") taught me to draw eyes. From that time on, all my school, uni and work notes have been adorned with eyes and other favourite doodles I will use some of the white and yolk to do some baking tomorrow, I'll go easy on the yolk. My 1922 "Practical Tanning" tome has some tanning recipes using egg yolks to soften the hide, so I will freeze them until I get around to tanning the green salted steer hide We are still in Stage 3 lockdown here, with only 4 essential reasons for leaving the property and mandatory mask wearing while out. My creative output has been somewhat patchy lately. Wherever you are, I hope you are staying safe, well and sane
05.01.2022 Finally done with the charcuterie. This is my first time for salami. My friend Jodes, who was going to mentor me through the salami making, dropped off all her gear just before we went into stage 3 lockdown. The elastic nets are really important to compress the salami as they dry to prevent air pockets forming that may cause spoilage. I hadn't realised just how strong the elastic is - what a workout getting it on the thingy (the one that looks like a giant dildo) . Jodes ...said it was rather embarrassing walking down the street with it tucked under her arm when she bought it. The 10kg of salami and 4.5kg of biltong are looking good. The damp cool weather is perfect for curing, slow drying is key to avoiding "case hardening" where the outside dries too quickly, which prevents the centre from curing properly. I expect the biltong to be done in a couple weeks, and the salami done in around six weeks. #growyourownfood #thegoodlife
05.01.2022 Glorious sunset over our back fence
05.01.2022 OMG I just saw Ralph lay her nineteenth egg, AND I was lucky enough to have my phone on me to film it. She dropped it right by the gate again. I am so thrilled to finally see her lay one Last year's lot came over to check it out. As soon as she walked off, Cuddles came over and camaflaged it with some grass ... I've been weeding & spreading mulch in the adjoining new orchard, and I saw her being really subdued and crouching with her eyes closed, so I was keeping an eye on her. These eggs weigh in at 650 grams, equivalent to a dozen chook eggs. Gosh I am still grinning - so excited
05.01.2022 I finally have new glasses and I can actually see clearly again My old ones broke several weeks ago and I've been using a pair of cheapie chemist specs. The Landcare polo shirt is appropriate - over the past few days I've planted 4 hazelnuts, 2 chestnuts, 2 black walnuts, a pin oak and a fig in the paddock where I have already planted out 6 olive trees, and 22 tomatoes, a punnet of stars & moon watermelons and a punnet of lebanese zucchini (which I think the slugs may ha...ve eaten). All the trees I propagated myself, and the tomatoes were from my friend Deirdre Marshall - Theatremaker who always manages to sow many more than she can fit in her lovely potager garden. Exciting times, I have a few commissions in the pipeline including a biggie from some time ago... I better hurry up & get this garden sorted so I can get out to my studio.
04.01.2022 With worrying news just now that my State of Victoria has just recorded 191 new cases of COVID19 today in an escalating spike, I thought I would share my grandfather's brush with Spanish Flu on his troopship en route to Europe in the final months of WWI. Last year, as co-author of this book on the Australian graves workers in WWI, I briefly wrote about the impact of Spanish Flu on troopships towards the end of the War. Over 800 fit young men, including my grandfather, fell il...l and 25 died on his troopship HMAT Barambah after a stopover for resupply in South Africa. After the war, troops returning to their many homelands, took the pandemic with them. A hundred and one years ago we had state border closures, compulsory quarantines, social distancing, masks & hygiene advice, and heavy fines for breaching restrictions. And we had the same arguments about public health measures, freedom of movement and economic impacts. It's fascinating to search Trove for digitised newspaper articles of that time. #SpanishInfluenza Stay safe and well
01.01.2022 Yesterday on Remembrance Day I had the privilege of speaking about my Grandfather's service with the Australian Graves Detachment at the close of WWI. The interview with Jonathon Kendall on ABC Gippsland is just after the 9.30am weather report near the end of the recording (link in comments). (The photo is of my "Poppy With Seedpod" taken at the incredibly moving field of poppies display by 5000 Poppies at the Australian War Memorial in 2018)
