Mel Anderson Visual Artist and Storyteller | Artist

Mel Anderson Visual Artist and Storyteller

Phone: +61 408 947 336

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24.01.2022 Hot from the kiln! Tiny Folk and lots of other bits and pieces. #tinyfolkadventures #wildclay #ceramics #dangarisland

24.01.2022 Coming together ...

23.01.2022 Picking up my Tiny Folk Field Guide this afternoon for delivery this week. Excited!

22.01.2022 Evolving. You know that time of the day when the sun is low and making silhouettes of branches? When the sky is blue but the stars are waking up? This cyanotype I’m altering reminds me so much of dusk and twilight. And it glows at night.

22.01.2022 Handmade Linen Dogs by Helen Thompson aka Holy Smoke... Artists Without Borders UK-based artist Helen Thompson aka Holy Smoke offers a collection of handmade an...imals and wire sculptures. The animals are handmade from natural linen and vintage textiles, drawn with hand stitching and raw edges to convey expressions of humor and pathos. No two animals are the same and their sizes are variable from 25cm to 50cm in height. At present there are six character types available alongside birds, foliage and nests. See more

21.01.2022 Meet Winston. Winston runs the Tiny Folk Makers Shed every Wednesday at the Dangar Island Ferry Wharf and is a powerful Gum Nut Guru. He can gaze at his navel for hours on end and has perfected the art of lucid dreaming and juggling. Winston was a Gum Nut Guru and yoga teacher in St Albans until one day he decided to go searching for himself by taking a pilgrimage on the river. He built himself a small green coracle and simply left, leaving no word, one hot summer’s night in ...January. His pilgrimage took many months and he had many adventures, he even spent some time in a wallaby pouch over winter when it was too cold to travel. He has fond memories of that time in the bush and still keeps in touch with the wallaby. These days he enjoys the comfort of island life and the occasional cold mud bath. Winston often visits Marvin in his dreams and is pretty adept at traveling the astral planes. It was Winston who introduced River to the Will-o-the-Wisp that broke her heart and the two no longer talk. Winston feels a little bad about this but he knows River is in charge of her own journey and he can’t be responsible for everyone. Winston is a little bit too full of himself at times.

19.01.2022 A few more #cyanotypes cooking. I can’t wait to see how these turn out. @ Dangar Island

19.01.2022 I have a bit of a soft spot for Gerrin. He is really such a sweetie. Let me introduce you. Gerrin is a fashion iconista who thinks he is a witchdoctor. He makes all his own clothes and particularly likes a good headdress. He only uses natural fibres and discarded feathers and he is completely and utterly crazy. No one really cares that he is bonkers though, he is always doing spells to make things better and he is such a charming fellow that everyone loves him like a brother.... The world in his head is very strange, but he is a kind and gentle person and perhaps in some way the magic works on him. He thinks he can fly and the Tiny Folk often have to take him to Mavis to heal his broken bits with her stink-bug medicine. The worst time was when he fractured both his legs and he had to get them replaced with gum nuts. Mavis had to get Oscar to help with that one! These days he doesn't try to fly as much but instead has made himself the most magnificent beaded wings. He speaks to Marvin in his dreams and flies at night instead. If you see Gerrin make sure you compliment him on his remarkable beading!

19.01.2022 I really do not know what happened to Jumble. He really is the shyest of all the Tiny Folk to date and disappeared before he ccould ever be found. Perhaps you could help me find him? He is still out there on Dangar Island somewhere! No one knows where Jumble came from, he just turned up one day on the ferry wharf shed with his two left feet and proceeded to make himself at home. Jumble doesn't talk about his life much but you can see from his face that he holds some sad times... in his heart. He finds it difficult to look people in the eyes and always keeps his head down in company. Jumble doesn't talk to people much, only the children. He does help out in the community garden a lot though and harvests nectar from flowers, rainwater and dew from leaves, and sap from young trees. He makes the most lovely nectar aperitifs and you can often see him mixing cocktails at the club. He puts all his love into baking the most amazing cakes to sell at the Cafe but you will never find him where there are lots of people. His heart is very fragile and words can hurt him very much. Be sure and be kind to Jumble if you find him on your travels. Every kind word he gets lifts him just that little bit higher and makes him feel a little bit more invincible. And we all need to feel invincible some times.

18.01.2022 50m of high-tensile fence wire has a contact mic at each end for stereo audio delight. When visited by coal tit, blue tit, robin, magpie and jackdaw, the birds'... dancing and balancing render an amplified sci-fi experience. Filmed by Hazel Palmer in Stirlingshire, Scotland, as part of the upcoming Perpetual Eco-Opera project. #EweTube #EcoOpera #Birdmusic See more

17.01.2022 This is really extraordinary work. The process to make the patterning is amazing.

17.01.2022 Some garden rocks I have been working on over the years. For sale at the community garden on Dangar Island on Sunday (weather permitting). Hope to see you there!

16.01.2022 Наткнулась на интересный пост: художница Диана Шерер заставляет корни растений расти так, как ей хочется виться узорами, живыми коврами и кружевом. Цель Дианы... - создать текстиль будущего на основе корней - такое полотно, которое будет плести само себя. Под постом комментаторы сломали все копья: зачем это ей, ужас ужасный, кто это носить будет, как это она делает, это невозможно и т.п. Понравился только один коммент: вот из-за таких чудиков появляется нечто новое, без которого потом люди жить не могут..) See more

16.01.2022 Japanese patience and precision by Kutani Choemon

16.01.2022 Playing around with some clay magpies. This one is looking a bit scary. Trying to capture the playful energy of the magpie, looking forward to becoming familiar with making more. Loving the eerie silhouette!

15.01.2022 My new exhibition opens this coming weekend - October 10-November 21. #cyanotypes #ceramics #hawkesbury river

14.01.2022 Canopy of jacaranda

14.01.2022 Australian Aboriginal artist Naomi Hobson Painting & Tapestry " The Royal Harvest " Tapestry Work for the Australian Embassy of Indonesia / Jakarta /2.05 me...ter x 2.8 meter long Woven by Pamela Joyce & Sue Batten & Tim Gresham & Jennifer Sharpe Naomi Hobson Artist www.austapestry.com.au See more

14.01.2022 Cyanotypes in progress. Still wet! Single and double exposed. Exhibition preparation is now in full swing!

13.01.2022 Noel is looking rather spiffy this morning in anticipation of some special Tiny Folk Hunters arriving. I have been sprucing up the #dangarislandlittlepeople and Noel is particularly proud of his outfit today. For locations check out https://melanderson.com.au/dangar-island-tiny-folk-install/ and I have a Field Guide in the cafe now too. Look out for the red ribbons I have added for those pesky hard to find #dangarislandtinyfolk and enjoy The Hunt!! #ceramics #hawkesburyriver

12.01.2022 Today I am putting together some little people to populate the island. I can’t wait to meet them! #dangar island #hawkesbury river #exhibition

12.01.2022 Paint job. Before & after.

11.01.2022 LAST DAYS! The #dangarislandtinyfolk are coming back to the fold on January 27, 2021. We’ve lost a few along the way - poor Jumble who never had a chance. Marcel who walked off the job. Burble who went the way of all her family. Rashida, who may just be digging her way to the mainland. But ... NEVER FEAR! After some TLC, repair and restoration, a new batch of Tiny Folk will be populating the island and Brooklyn in March. The game is afoot with more tiny folk and their stories, watch out for the Duck People arriving on this new tide and stay tuned for more information soon. In the meantime, a minutes silence for those we have lost along the way. RIP.

10.01.2022 Anatomy of a Water Drop by Bob Kampman... Artists Without Borders Artists Without Borders' Group

09.01.2022 Balanced stone sculpture by Kubota Takeharu... @artistswithoutborders

09.01.2022 KOORIE ART SHOW AWARD WINNER Viva Energy Australia 3D Award LORRAINE BRIGDALE (Yorta Yorta Nations) "Yenbena Munalibik", 2020... Raffia coil weave, handmade ochre paint, handmade botanic Ink and river stone 580 x 300 x 300mm "This work speaks to both directions of my art practice. Weaving, ochre paintmaking/painting continually vying for my creative time. I started to create a (coil woven) group of Memorial Poles, to decorate with my hand made ochre paints, somewhat inspired by the Aboriginal Memorial installation at the NGA, depicting hollow log mortuary traditions of Central Arnhem Land, commonly known as Dupun ceremony poles. I felt a great affinity with this installation and its testimony of resilience of Australian Aboriginals and their culture, also I owe thanks to my own YortaYorta ancestors for the legacy they left and to the Yorta Yorta Nation people for their strength and resilience in continuing to uphold and teach culture and tradition. Though my idea development did not question proceeding with this art piece, I had a struggle with how I would decorate the (woven) poles, as there are strict protocols over subject matter and image making in various clans. I am not a Central Arnhem Land Aboriginal, I don’t have any permissions to decorate in those ways. My WIP developed, started to talk to me, I realised it was about my creative urge to tell my story, my touch with culture and ancestors and my journey thus far. Yenbena Munalibik is about my continued learning about my country through my weaving and ochre painting practice together. Yapaneyepuk (together) - Lorraine Brigdale See our website to view all the artworks and purchase online from the exhibition https://koorieheritagetrust.com.au//the-8th-koorie-art-sh/ Exhibition runs 7 Dec 2020 - 21 Feb 2021 Special thanks to our Award and Exhibition Partners: Viva Energy Creative Victoria City of Melbourne Metro Tunnel and to our Precinct Partner Fed Square Photographer: Christian Capurro

09.01.2022 Some ideas for plates I’ve been working on as an extension of my cyanotype work. With a mixture of local wild clays and commercial clays in exploring a new direction.

08.01.2022 Another Lady Garden collaboration. Apparently you can use these things to help you arrange your flowers ... I'm still trying to figure it out but enjoying mark-making and textures as I make some prototypes. Want to see how they work? Come on down Sunday to the community gardens on Dangar Island, weather permitting.

07.01.2022 Framing day!!! Still deciding which ones to frame but I’m getting there.

07.01.2022 Another little sneak peak of work for framing today. River Flowers. With some bioluminescence thrown in!

07.01.2022 Some new work and lots of prototypes for some upcoming markets. Once again I am enjoying working with Lady Garden Flowers on some collaborations. We will be at the community garden on Dangar Island Sunday morning, weather permitting. Stay tuned for some more work!

06.01.2022 All aboard for what's probably the longest theater stage in the world!

05.01.2022 Isn't this amazing? Ben Zarko carved this artwork depicting emu chicks in the bush. He and his kids found the wood (leant up against this tree), then Ben sande...d it down, painted it, then carved it with a knife. Amazingly, he drew this all free-hand, without sketching the design out first! : Ben Zarko, between Flinders Rangers and western NSW

05.01.2022 I have been playing around with stop-motion and revisiting my early animation skills. I am VERY rusty but that's ok. Here is a little introduction sequence I made with Tiny Folk body parts. It is fun to revist animation but it is so very time consuming! #tinyfolkadventures #wildcclay #dangarisland #threefishes #hawkesburyriver

04.01.2022 It’s pretty idyllic when I love hey?

04.01.2022 Exposing cyanotypes today. Long exposures of a couple of hours because the sun is not cooperating but some delicious results cooking up. Exhibition at Dangar Depot from 10th October 2020.

03.01.2022 Meet the lovely Bastian. Bastian lives with his father and pet cicada. They live in a cave in the roots of a grand old Banksia tree and can be hard to find in the winter months. Bastian's father is an inventor who had hoped his son would follow in his footsteps, but Bastian just wants to be an interpretive dancer. Bastian dances everywhere he goes. He does not speak, but dances the dance of the flower, taught to him by the local bees. Every flower has its own dance and this i...s how Bastian communicates with them. One day Bastian may turn into a flower himself, if he dances too much. This worries his father enormously as Bastian's mother danced herself into a Native Iris many years ago and now he can only talk to her when the wind blows from the west. Sometimes Bastian's father cries in his sleep and he yearns for the day another flower may come into his life and dance the dance of the Little People with him again. Bastian is only a child and he looks forward to his pet cicada growing up enough to crawl to the surface and grow wings. Bastian would like to fly with his cicada when this happens. In the meantime Bastian plays gum-nut guitar and dances his little heart out all over the island. He gets into all sorts of trouble at times but mostly he is forgiven. Except by Noel. Who won't talk to him after he interpretive danced all over his flowers one Spring Equinox. #tinyfolkadventures #wildcclay #dangarisland #threefishes #hawkesburyriver

01.01.2022 What a morning!!!!! @ Dangar Island

01.01.2022 Shadows of fog leaves on sandstone. Such beauty this glorious morning!