Stella Grammenos-Dimadis Blog

 Nature repeats itself "It never occurs to me that (skulls) have anything to do with death. They are very lively. I have enjoyed them very much in relation to the sky." Georgia O'Keefe In the previous blog, I wrote about the the human form and the importance of it in creativity and art.  Mastering the human form will allow the creator to master other forms in nature. I have some palm trees in the back yard which have surprised me by how high they have become.  They were sold as small trees and now over power my small back area, towering over the trees in suburban Melbourne.  Despite their height, I have enjoyed the changes that they display with each season.  I don't know much about palm trees, but come autumn, they shed some of the old branches and their bark.  Mornings I will wake to find these scattered in my very small yard, did I already say I have a small yard?  You can imagine the space these take.  In any case, recently I found a piece of the bark on the groun

  'Life Drawing' ,  Pablo Picasso had once said that "In drawing, nothing is better than the first attempt."  I am not entirely sure about that sentiment, at least not in the life drawing class that I attended this evening.  I hadn't been to life drawing class in about fifteen years and when I contemplated that thought I wondered to myself why that was so.  I had always enjoyed life drawing for it had taught me to look closely at the subject; every line, wrinkle, muscle ripple, shadow, shape of the human body and once that had been mastered I had the confidence to draw anything on the planet.  Nature repeats itself time and time again, shapes inherent in the human body will be seen elsewhere. But back to Picasso, hmm, I'm not sure that the first attempt in the life drawing class is anything to brag about.  In Life drawing classes the poses are initially for a short time, and then they get longer to allow the warm up of the brain and the hand.  So in essence th

 The Daily Art Challenge I'm not even sure why I feel compelled to create a daily art challenge, and in my head it somehow feels like the right thing to do.  Will I be able to create an art work daily?  I pretty much doubt it, but today, as the sun is shining in Melbourne I am confident that I just might be able to create 365 art works.  One a day. Nope, actually, impossible to do it.  I work slower than that.  I contemplate my work and whilst I like working quickly, the output will not be extraordinary, and I'm fussy and a perfectionist. Today I explored Joy Hester, and feel somewhat inspired.  The verve of her works has made me want to focus on my art more.   I have always admired her work for the energy, power and enigma that is ever so present in every one of her strokes.  I like that the works are created impulsively and quickly which in some ways does not allow room for too much thinking, as a result Hester's works have a lightness of being that are weighted with her

Cruella “Cruella was in a box a long time, now Estella can be the one who makes guest appearances!” -Cruella Every so often, a film encapsulates all of the factors that make it ‘wow’, leaving the audience totally satisfied.  Cruella, directed by Craig Gillespie, starring Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, screenplay by Dana Fox and Tony McNamara, produced by Disney does exactly that. It was released in Australia on May the 27th, 2021, not the best year for a release due to the Pandemic and inherent lockdowns in this country, but nevertheless a real treat on any screen. The film follows Estella before she becomes Cruella De Vil; a gifted, precocious girl whose rebellious streak, fighting spirit and desire to become a fashion designer is the perfect mix for her journey through life.  She was orphaned at 12 from whom she thought was her biological mother, but of course the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and with the help of her two childhood partners, Horace and Jasper, Estella eventually

  "Our creativity is what enables us to function, day to day, in a changing environment, without it we would not be a surviving species". Richard Hill ‘The Art In Healing’ explores the role that creativity and art  play in people’s lives, particularly when personal trauma occurs or when people are afflicted by natural disasters. The inspiration for the film came about by contemplating the questions; ‘Why is art such an important aspect to civilisation and our society’? and ‘Does the human brain benefit from interacting with art, and if so, how’? From these questions a number of people offered their experience and research, especially in describing brain plasticity and the ability of the brain to rewire after an artistic experience. ‘The Art In Healing’ showcases a number of professionals, ranging from art therapists Simona Weinstein and Cornelia Elbrecht, therapist Richard Hill, musicians, Merelyn and David Carter, artist, Dr Anne Riggs, street artist, Amanda Newman, arts fa

'Kindle a light in darkness' "As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.' Carl Gustav Jung, 1962 The world as we know it has disappeared forever, and there will be a different world, it may be a better one or not, we can only wish, but in this dystopian time we have the ability to make the changes that will be needed to make it a better one.  I liken it to an all evolving work of pottery, that is spinning and shaping well, until it doesn't anymore and it collapses in a heap; huge mess.  This is what our world could be doing now, spinning, moulding, but collapsing in front of us.  It is probably time to envisage what a perfect world will look like, and what is needed to shape it into a utopian world.  It could be the time to ask and reflect on what is needed to make that happen.  It is up to us, ultimately, possibly as a collective, but inherently, the responsibility lies in each and every one of