Tuesday 19 May 2009

ABC Wednesday,R for Roy McIver, Australian Artist


I dedicate this post to my good friend Roy McIver, artist of Hopevale, the Aboriginal compound near Cooktown in Australia.



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Roy McIver at the opening of the art exhibition. On the right his wife and sister( my daughter's mother-in-law).




To enlarge click on slide. These are the words of the uncle of my daughter's ex-husband about each painting:

"I am Roy McIver. I was born at Cape Bedford, Hope Valley Mission, north of Cooktown. I am a Binthi Warra elder of the Guugu Yimidirr people- a nation north from the Annan River to Starke River. I now live at Hopevale, northwest of Cooktown.
I trusted the land to inspire me to paint.
Bayi( Dilly Bag)
When I think of our old ladies I remember them being so busy. As a child I saw them making dilly bags and using them in so many ways. All young girls were taught the processes of making these bags.

Birri Gurra Walngangay( Homeland River and Lagoon)
Special sites of varied and plentiful foods were called "thamaam". It had special significance as a meeting place for ceremony.

Maji Bithaaygu Buliili ( Raindrops)
When I look at nature in the tropics, there are two seasons: Wet and Dry.
The power of the raindrop is renewal.

Manyjalbi Nanggurr ( Mountainside Camp )
At times mountainside camps were necessary. A protected cave made a good birthingplace and site.

Ngayu Binaa Ngathu Bubu ( I love My Country)
After many years I was able to make a successful claim on some of my traditional country.
When I go to my land I feel relaxed and happy and I commune with nature.Being there gives me great joy. I feel I have come home, I belong.
A feeling of not belonging somewhere adds to a feeling of insecurity.This is very important to address in land issues and Reconcilliation.

Buurraay Thabulthabul( Sacred Waterhole )
I was going back to my country and on the way I stopped by the sacred waterhole.This waterhole is said to be the site where the Creator Spirit, the Rainbow Serpent, returned to rest after moving over the land creating all that is.

Dunggangay Thawunhthirrgu ( Friendly Spirit People )
Dunggans are from the Spirit world.At times they come down into this world, They visit waterholes and lagoons, making merry, paddling canoes, laughing and screaming with joy and diving for fresh water mussles.Whenever people come nearby, talking or making noise the Dunggans would disappear.



ABC is created by Denise Nesbitt.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with R.

35 comments:

Rune Eide said...

You do have a gift of making posts so interesting that one forgets anything else. You have shown us some of his art before, but not like this. I take off my hat for both of you.

Sylvia K said...

What a lovely and interesting post as always! Love the art! Wonderful colors. Thanks as always, Wil, for sharing and continuing to make the blogging world so interesting and fun!

Gigi Ann said...

Reader Wil,
You always have such interesting things to share with us. Thank you for sharing and all the time you spend preparing such a fine slide show for us to enjoy. Like I have always said, I always learn something new each time I visit.

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

Dear R will,
Thanks for your véry interesting post! I like to read all about Roy ( or other artist's)and your vieuw on Australia. I love to read more!

Will, sterkte met je been, jammer dat je niet kunt komen, alhoewel: via internet is ook alles te volgen (foto-expositie) Ik zou je graag ontmoeten, we hebben veel gemeen. Kus/ liefs :)

JoAnn/Holland

Jane Hards Photography said...

RuneE as as usual for me has said it all. Always something very personal about your very informative posts.

Tumblewords: said...

Oh, my gosh! This is wonderful - Mr. Roy looks like an artist, doesn't he! Astounding art he makes. I started to choose a favorite and found the list encompassed nearly all of the slides. Beautiful!

Carol said...

What a very interesting post! And beautiful artwork.

Arkansas Patti said...

I hope you are lucky enough to have some of his work.
You always interest and never bore. Thank you.

Etje said...

Wil om op je vraag van gisteren terug te komen in verband met 6 dingen die je gelukkig maken. Kan ze allemaal onderschrijven behalve die van de kleinkinderen want die hebben we nog niet.

Groetjes

kRiZcPEc said...

thanks for sharing. :)

Unknown said...

As always, I learn, learn, learn when I come here. And, I always walk away blessed! Delightful post!

Bradley Hsi said...

Thank you Reader Wil to introduce us to this remarkable man and his incredible art.

Roger Owen Green said...

I'm utterly fascinated by the technology employed here, mostly because I haven't a clue how to do that!

anthonynorth said...

An excellent post as always. It's so good to hear about such artists. He should get far more exposure.

Marie Reed said...

Thank you for introducing me to this fabulous artist! I think my favorite is the sacred water hole. The colors and texture are so stimulating and take me to quite another place and time!

Jeanette said...

Gday Wil.. Very interesting post and wonderful Aboriginal art.

Brenda said...

Wonderful! You have shown these in a book form, with the pictures turning and the explanation of each drawing. I was just curious if there is a book. His work is amazing. Thanks for sharing these.

Dina said...

Good to hear what he says and see what he paints, through you, Wil.
Fair dinkum.

Leslie: said...

My favourites are "Spirit Realm" and "Raindrops." Incredible art!

Arija said...

A great post Wil.

Q said...

Thank you!
I am wowed!
Wonderful artist. It is a joy to be part of ABC Wednesday.
Sherry

The Weaver of Grass said...

Lovely stuff - the colours are so interesting.

TYRA Hallsénius Lindhe said...

Interesting and creative post Reader Wil. I think that is the greatest thing about blogging to learn something new every day.

Tack för ditt trevliga inlägg, ha det gott/ Tyra

Vicki Lane said...

Fascinating, Reader Wil! I have always enjoyed pictures of Australian Aboriginal art. A wonderful slide show and having the artist's words is a bonus!

Janie said...

it's so interesting to see this colorful art and learn more about the aboriginal culture and traditions. I always learn new things here.

Sherrie said...

Hi!
Awesome "R" post! The paintings are beautiful!!! Thanks for sharing the exhibit! Thanks for stopping by my place. Have a great evening!

Sherrie

Rose said...

A very interesting post, as always! I'm not very knowledgeable about art, but I do like native art. Adding the commentary of the artist really helps in understanding the inspiration and meaning of each piece. Thanks for sharing!

Fhaye said...

You have a talent in writing too!

Anonymous said...

Very interesting post, I need to come back later and read more carefully. Thank you for visting my blog.

jay said...

His paintings are really interesting! They have such depth. I really like them!

EG CameraGirl said...

Fabulous post, Wil!

Dragonstar said...

Fascinating! Your slideshow is such a good way to show all these wonderful paintings.

Small City Scenes said...

MY Goodness--That is so very interesting. Love the slide show and story. Thanks for sharing with us. MB

SandyCarlson said...

Roy sure can paint! Thanks for sharing this.

Janice Thomson said...

"The power of the raindrop is renewal." - love that statement very much. Delightful paintings!