Arts Activated Conference 2019

Fantastic. I really enjoyed the conference. I made friends with artists, institutions, universities in Australia as well as overseas. What a wonderful day! Great fun, catching up with old and new friends. Btw, I come up a bit in the video that shows I'm sketching a person. 
Day 1 Video 

Program is here. Great speakers. 
https://home.artsactivated2019.com/program/

Day 2 Video  Btw I come up in the video, too. I enjoyed the workshops and networking. This conference has shown methods and tools to expand an artist's career to the future. Talking of me, another residential council staff has contacted me after the conference. With them, I'm now enjoying a chat over my potential future job.  

Friends, have you ever attended any conferences or workshops? Try them. Don't be shy. They will give you more opportunities, helpful knowledge and new friends. 
Thank you very much, Accessible Arts, for your hard work.

Arts Activated Conference 2019

Spring, Hope and Dream

Cherry blossoms are a national flower to Japan. They are, now, blooming out in Sydney. Lovely. A spring always reminds me of hope and dream or wishes. My dream is to create a quality picture book!  

Re a children picture book illustration, I'm placing the text on the images/spreads in the storyboard. Mentors, publisher Helen Chamberlin and Ann James give me very positive feedback and a great encouragement and guide. Busy. This Thursday and Friday, I'll attend the Arts Activated Conference for people with disability. If you are interested in it, come over! 

I love to see life coming up again in a spring after a winter. Tiny greens whisper how strong life is in a chilly wind. Always, a spring will come. Yet, I feel, one condition applies or hope, if we want to get into a spring in our human society. Keeping hope or never give up hope, is the crucial condition to make it happen. That requires courage and guts.  

I'll keep up. Take care, Friends. If you join, see you at the conference. Let us have hope and dream. 
Happy Painting and Have a Creative Week! 

Spring, Hope and Dream

Catch Up With My Dear Friends in Deaf Festival

We enjoyed DeafFestival 2018 in Parramatta. I did "catch up with" good friends, Riona, Sue and Kristina, my superheros at Accessible Arts NSW, Contemporary Art Museum and peak bodies. We say "Good" in Auslan and smile. *Auslan is an Australian sign language. Face painting was fundraising for Deaf Society at the festival. Children and volunteers were enjoying communication in Auslan. Lovely. Many people were coming and having a cheerful chat in Auslan. Visitors looked so happy. 

I'd introduce my great friends : Riona Tindal, Sue Jo Wright and Kristina Tito. 

Riona Tindal has overcome her difficulty and gained a PhD. She's become the expert of Australian frogs and a visual artist. Her guts and a story encourages me. She could not hear frogs, but her team assisted her and examined collected frogs' data. So, a bonus, her team members, all became PhD candidates! Furthermore, she precisely recorded each frog by drawing and watercolour painting so that they would bear a scientific argument. Her paintings and drawings are very beautiful. Breathtaking. Imagine, even people without disability cry in the painstaking process of PhD research and a thesis. It demands a huge energy. Riona challenged herself, prejudice and has overcome them all. What a woman! Sadami, your leg is not a problem at all!   

Museum of Contemporary Art stall

Sue Jo Wright has already come up in my blog post on Arts Activated Conference 2016 held by Accessible Arts NSW. She was born with no sound, but she's a promising photographer and today, an Auslan interpreter at Museum of Contemporary Arts Australia. 

Kristina Tito advocates the disadvantaged in society. She's been working for access, equality and social justice at peak bodies. She's one of my strong supporters. I have nothing, but good friends. I'm very proud of being their friends. 

Accessible Arts NSW stall

Nice! The friends' smile always gives me energy to move forward. I'm enjoying the projects. You, too, have a productive week and enjoy life! Happy Painting, Friends. 

Catch Up With My Dear Friends in Deaf Festival

1) Wave Heads 2) A great response to Prof Hawking image on FB

Very strong winds bashed/blew up wave heads at Narrabeen. The splashes and yellow orcher sand amused me. Can you believe that Sydney, it was more than 40'? In this sketch, paints got very quickly in a hot air or too soon. I tried three sketches on spot and learned the importance of speed to create washes in an extremely warm weather. Not easy, but I've got some clues. I want to challenge the blown up waves' heads more. 

After the sketching, I enjoyed a long distant swimming. Come over, Sydney! Many blogger friends in a northern hemisphere have begun to feel the visit of spring. I hope you'll enjoy capturing waves by watercolour in an upcoming supper.  

Thank you very much for a great response and many "likes" on my Prof Hawking portrait both on my Facebook and the post shared by Accessible Arts NSW on Facebook. Accessible Arts NSW  and I are very happy. I hope the image will bring others hope.    
Now, I'm working on projects, research and roughs.  
Friends, you, too, enjoy life. Happy Painting!    

1) Wave Heads 2) A great response to Prof Hawking image on FB

How Young Are You?

Regarding "How old are you?", we might as well change ways of asking such as "How young are you?" When I play with children in a park or elsewhere, kids ask my name and "How old are you?" Quite interesting to see their parents secretly smiling or giggling around me. I feel adults want to know how old I am, too.  My answer is clear. "When I was born, I saw dinosauruses walking around my house. I'm very old. They were huge. I saw a T Rex." One day, my answer impressed a little boy. He asked me, "Were you scared?" "No, some of them were friendly and not so big." Ah, what a shame, I had to go home after exercises in a park (*the picture book illustration is waiting for me!). I wish I could have a chat with that boy! In our imaginative world, the boy and I could have played with dinosauruses. I love to do pretending with children. Why are children young?

A girl between a woman and a child

I think because children have dreams, creativity and imagination. As long as a person has a dream and strives for it, she is young, I believe. Among us, adults, I feel some people are much younger than their real ages. They have dreams, working to achieve it or enjoying their work. "How young are you?" sounds appropriate to ask such young heart people. I do not mean to deny our physical aging though, the sentence sounds nice. People enjoying their work are shining. I feel that Emma Bennison is one of them, young people. 

Emma Bennison steps down Accessible Arts Australia Chief Executive Officer and will move on to lead Blind Citizens Australia, the national consumer organisation of Australians who are blind or vision-impaired. She was the first AAA CEO with disability since 2012. Thank you very much, Emma, for your wonderful work in the arts, disability and cultural sectors. I'd express a deep gratitude for Emma's genuine empathy and huge efforts on behalf of artists with disability. She's kind and brave that she even disclosed a private life as an example in conferences to talk of the quest of equality and human rights. It was lovely to make friends with world leading peak bodies through her in Arts Activated Conference 2016 held by Accessible Arts NSW. 
Also, her attitude has become my role model. Not only being staying passively in a peak body, but also, taking initiatives in society is the beauty of a participant.  
I'll take initiatives and want to pay back what I've received from AAA and Emma to society. 

Emma, please keep up your wonderful work. I'll do my best in my own way. I wish her success, joy and a bright future. 

"How young am I?" I ask myself. I enjoy my work (*oh, I love it absolutely!!) and hope myself to keep a fresh eye to see the world like a child. 

Forever young Friends, Happy Painting! Enjoy dream and life! 

How Young Are You?

Arts Activated Conference 2016 by Accessible Arts NSW

The conference is wonderful to update information, catch up others and expand network. Accessible Arts NSW staff advocates artists with disabilities and any involved people such as peak bodies and supporters. There, as if a world value became "upside down and inside out," because usually discriminated people were the centre of the world! I felt so good. No one looked at my leg or sometimes wibble wobble walking. All the staff and participants, we smiled each other and nicely enjoyed chats. I often shared time with deaf people. I really did not mind deaf. My drawing amused deaf artists : Sue Jo Wright and Luke King. 

New friends : Sue (*above) is a photographer and a $6,000 grants recipient last year. Luke King is lovely and one of the presenters in a workshop! He is a visual artist (*so good at biro drawing!) and Auslan curator at National Gallery of Victoria. This is a part of his work. 

Andy Warhol , Ai Weiwet Access Tours in Aulan @ National Gallery of Victoria. Guided tour in Auslan only, no voice translation provided. Tour leader Luke King, artist. Cost Free, Exhibition admission fees apply. Meet Exhibition entrance.  Luke is a visual artist with a BA of Fine Arts (Hons).  Luke runs a workshop to lecture and lead art tours for deaf people and Auslan students.

Sue and Luke were very friendly. I could not understand Auslan at all. I was a deaf among them and Auslan interpreters. I only "twice" used papers and talked with Sue. Our healthy and rich quietness made me comfortable. All of us loved photos and drawings. We looked at our works, saying, "Ooohhhh!!" "Waaahhhh!!" laughed, giggled, smiled and enough! Art is universal language!!
Sue introduced me to a Disability Discrimination Commissioner from Human Rights Commission (*I've loved that organisation for ages!) An Auslan Interpreter from Melbourne asked to pass on hello to my mentor Ann James. (*I'm always so proud of my mentors, Books Illustrated and Helen Chamberlin to anyone! They become a good conversation opening with others.) The interpreter remembered Books Illustrated and felt like visiting there. Btw, sometimes, people mistook me for a deaf at the conference. 

In the key speakers, Pádraig Naughton from Arts & Disability Ireland impressed me most. His life story and very caring advice was great. 

• Expertise.  
• Connect a local level, first, and grow.  
• Disability led practice, but art work/activities need to involve whole/any people.  
• Don't do it alone. Make friends as many as possible. Collaborate. 

Three key speakers : Left to Right, Veronica Pardo (Arts Access Victoria), Emma Bennison (Accessible Arts Australia),  Pádraig Naughton ( Arts & Disability Ireland).  I had a chat with each person later. Emma's good memory amazed me. She said, "You're a drawer! You sketched me!" (*Emma remembered my voice and name!) I met her at Accessible Arts Australia conference 2012. 
http://sadamisgraffiti.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/dont-play-me-pay-me.html
In addition, I became a finalist twice at their national arts competitions.    

However, the Arts Activated Conference did not cover the need of non English speakers. Sadly, only a few non English speakers participated it. When I addressed my concern about the lack of services for non English speakers, Emma agreed me and asked me, "Keep in touch." I told her, "I'm happy to offer a help in my capacity." Settlement Services International asked me lots of questions on how to advocate clients. He said, "Language barrier is another disability." In my mind, "No, non English speakers are not disabled. A social system has dysfunction," I thought though, listening to his thoughts. I hope that equal access of arts for anyone will come true. Mulitlingualism must be achieved for equal access. 

Btw, do ye realise? In Auslan, a right hand is used more often than a left hand, I've found. An interpreter agreed me. We chatted over sign language. Each country has a different sign language. If we can have a universal sign language, it would be lovely. 

Facebook helps to expand my network and enhances it. Very interesting and fun to connect others and get feedback and warm cheers from FB friends. You'll find deaf people, Auslan interpreters and Pj Lynch, too on my facebook. https://www.facebook.com/sadami.konchi 

Yey, my hero Pj says he is honoured to be a judge of an art competition with Padraig at Christmas. 

An effective use of a social media platform is a very good networking strategy. I met the staff from Australian Museum. Their executive and I are good friends. So, we enjoyed a chat. I hope we will nurture our friendship. 

Special thanks for all Accessible Arts NSW the staff and volunteers. You are the real heroes and made this wonderful event happen for us. 

The conference refreshed me. I could get back to the picture book project and others and made a good progress. Thank you for a strong support. I feel my life gets richer! I want you, too, make your life rich!  Cheers, ((Hugs)).  

Friends, Happy Painting!! 

Arts Activated Conference 2016 by Accessible Arts NSW

've started FACEBOOK!

My facebook has started. Come over, if you like!  

https://www.facebook.com/sadami.konchi

I've set up FB to show my art works and keep this blog to chat with you over my thoughts etc. This is my facebook mark, a little one (*you can find it on the right side of this blog). The cover photo of my facebook is your familiar work, a "girl feeding birds." 

I'm still learning a lot how to do Facebook. Fortunately, many established illustrators have helped me : Anne Spudvilas, Anna Walker and Elise Hurst. Of course, Ann James and Blogger friends, too, supported this computer hopeless. Oh, a computer scares me so much! I could not get how to start up and --- embarrassing --- asked Helen Chamberlin for help. Sweet Helen offered me a "first friend" and assisted me. Her face calmed down my panic at that time (*I was nearly crying!). Phtew. 

Thank you for strong support. Aw, really without your help, I could not come along this journey in art. 

Btw, I attended Activated Conference (two days) 2016 run by Accessible Arts NSW. I'd report you what I thought and felt. I made new lovely friends and deaf. I do not know sign language though, we did not have language barrier at all. I'll post my sketches of Australian sign language / Auslan interpreters as well as key speakers or presenters. 

Have a nice day! Friends, Happy Painting!! 

   

've started FACEBOOK!