Chalking Cheerful

I am chalking cheerful
even though I’m not an artist
from my drive way to your drive way
from my pathway to your pathway
wherever you are

HOPE.

I am chalking unicorns and dragons
teddy bears
and love hearts.

I am thinking of the grandparents
missing their grandchildren
the people stuck in their homes
the people without homes
the playgrounds without children
the children who never had playgrounds.

And flying towards us is a dragon
in his talons a vaccine
And the teddy bears send a hug to the doctors and nurses
and the teachers and all those looking after us

Unicef says to draw the real life heroes of today
they are all around us.

I am chalking cheerful
Will you join me?

June Perkins

That Day

That day when we ran into
watch tv
the black and white of
Sesame St
now full colour

was jump up and down on the couch
joy.

That day when someone looked at
me and said
you can’t talk to me
you are not my friend

was tears.

That day when my friend
made a necklace for me out
of fimo and it was frangipanis

the past was lost
and part of me was healed.

That day when someone tried
to break into our house
and our friends arrived
before the police did
and stayed to make us tea
when the intruder was taken away

was scarier than a cyclone
and preparation.

That day when I found out
I could write and research
the rest of a history story
I had been waiting to do so for
twenty years

was a story saying
I bless you
to share me.

That day I told my story
about Yasi
to help others
I began to let it go.

In a Gentle Way Shake the World

June Perkins ©

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”
–Mahatma Gandhi

I matched this quote and image, because the gentle art of henna, can be a way for people to spend time together to build friendship and community. We had a henna workshop recently, which uplifted all who attended. Whilst we learnt to apply the henna we talked about traveling and feeling connected to the world. There were many nationalities, experiences, cultures and spiritual backgrounds in our gathering, and in our diversity we also felt oneness and unity.

This month’s contribution to Nineteen Months, for more visit NINETEEN MONTHS

Memory Land

Towards Spaces Beyond

Butterflies on the wall, a new creation by artists
calls the People of this city to turn towards
the spaces beyond

“Darkness hath encompassed every land, O my God, and caused most of Thy servants to tremble. I beseech Thee, by Thy Most Great Name, to raise in every city a new creation that shall turn towards Thee, and shall remember Thee amidst Thy servants…”
-Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations

Writing Poetry in Response to Art

Workshop Offered at Magda Community Artz

(80 Boundary Road Bardon, QLD 4065)

OCTOBER 7th Saturday 2-3pm

OCTOBER 8th Sunday 2-3pm

Click HERE TO BOOK (Selection of Date option will come up and you choose the day).

Description

June Perkins will share some ways in which the visual arts can inspire poetry. Participants will be invited to write their own poetry interacting with the Illumine Exhibit. They can also bring along a photograph or visual arts piece that they would like to write about.

This workshop is suitable for youth and adults who love both art, photography and poetry, or who are visual artists beginning to develop their poetic skills.

Although the workshop formally concludes at 3pm participants are welcome to continue on in the space writing their visually inspired poetry until 4pm if they wish and to chat about poetry and art.

Biography

June has been a poet since childhood, and has had many poems published, in collections of Pacific, Far North Queensland and Baha’i Writers during that time. She crowd funded and published the well received illustrated poetry collection for children and families, Magic Fish Dreaming. She recently shared her poetry and participated in a panel at the Queensland Poetry Festival.

June regularly contributes photographs to the Nineteen Months website, and attaches written reflections and quotes that speak with her photographs for this. Her blogs often include her own photography. She is generally interested in working across art forms as well as in the empowerment of youth and adults through writing.

Professional Website

For more information mandala and tapa workshops also available for this festival, visit our website https://beillumined.wordpress.com

This event is part of the mini Illumine Festival.

Girl Child, Fairy Dancing

Barefoot Running Boy Breathing Freedom

Divine Tree

posterdivinetree2

“When a soul has in it the life of the spirit, then does it bring forth good fruit and become a divine tree.”
-‘Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks

Here the hands represent the soul
in action and on that hand
is the imprint of the divine tree.

You can read and see more photographic reflections on the month of Speech at Nineteen Months.

Hidden in Brisbane – Chainsaw Sculptures

When you look up
you will see
attached to the trunk
a giant gecko.

When you look around
carved in a tree stump
a kangaroo;
hours of chainsaw artistry
not to take a tree down
but to adorn or transform it
to art about nature;
to make you want to connect
with the creatures
that live there;
leave the world of your phone
as you walk
with nature converse.

Now look
there’s a real possum hiding there
bounding out when you notice it
saying, ‘remember you saw me
you don’t need to take
a photo of me with your phone.’

Thankyou Matty G
for your clever artistry;
Thankyou Far North Queensland
for making me always want to look up
down and out…

2/05/2015

(c) June Perkins

Research reveals that the two chainsaw sculptures above are done by Matthew George, a Queensland creative chainsaw artist.

You can find out more about the reasoning behind the project here Chainsaw Art at QUT’s Kelvin Grove.

The main idea of the sculptures is to connect the viewer (most likely a student) back with nature, and to encourage them to look up, and at the ground, rather than stick to their mobile phone.

They certaintly captured my eye. After seeing two I knew there should be more and my curiousity was lit and I went off on a web search.

I love making discoveries of real animals, but these art ones were also intriguing. Some even looked freshly done.

The other day when I was looking around QUT, I noticed a real live possum! It was staring at people wandering past, and was a gingery colour.

So far I have just found two chainsaw sculptures, but there are a few more hanging around the campus.

For even more information see Matty G Inc.