I can’t afford to put anything on Trademe, this is something I was planning on selling.
These are for sale, but please do not contact me, I’m not selling it on my website.
Sunday Funny – Trademe Not
Blog
Diazepam and Meds
I used these in my final year at Unitec. Unfortunately, I didn’t complete my degree. At the time, I was still drinking quite heavily, and the long drive to Unitec’s Mount Albert campus often felt exhausting. Looking back, it was a challenging period of my life, balancing study, travel, and personal struggles.
Corbans Estate
I went here to Corbans Estate with my support worker some weeks ago.
Unfortunately someone has mislaid my copy of the book that came with the exhibition.
I’ve just been to another artists show in Titirangi. It’s beautiful there. I wish I could live in Titirangi in the bush.
I intend to get out of here asap. I’m over living here.
Unfortunately I don’t know the name of the artist, but it was a good trip out for the day.
Work Space
This is my workspace here in supported living. This is my space with my hardware equipment here to allow me to blog.
I’ve never used the crystal ball, it was a gift from a friend. I keep it covered up.
I miss my family but I don’t think Christmas is going to happen this year. For various reasons I think I’ll most likely be here on Christmas day, but with all my heart I wish I could be with my son’s family.
I’m with Godaddy as a host, they advertise as the biggest domain owner in the world. I find their service to be quite testing. I’m going to have to recover my account again. I’ll do that tomorrow.
I’m looking forward to moving it over to another company here in New Zealand, but for now my hosting is paid for. Unfortunately I’ve found them to be difficult to work with. They charge for security which should be included. At least it used to be.
I had that sorted. Now I’ve got a battle on again. Such is life, it’s a test.
Life in Supported Living
Life in supported living continues one day at a time. Between appointments, budgeting, doctor’s visits, and paying down debt, there is always something that needs attention. Thankfully, things are moving in the right direction.
I’ve been here longer than I expected. I don’t particularly like the boss. Some time ago she told me not to trust her, thus I don’t.
Recently I’ve started photographing the things that make up my life. I’m interested in recording my identity, my surroundings, and my lifestyle as it is now. The photo above was taken in poor light, so the quality isn’t the best, but it still tells part of the story.
The flower prints on my wall will probably be the subject of my next post. They are part of the space I’ve created around myself.
For now, my mobile phone and Gmail are the tools I use to download images and add them to my blog posts.
I Couldn’t Get Psych Boxes to Cover the Walls
Some of these are from my collection, I used to save my medication boxes because I knew at some point I would be studying art again.
I used a glue gun as an adhesive, fortunately I didn’t have to take them down. This was at a particularly hard time of my life. I ended up in hospital with cellulitis on my foot. I didn’t realise how dangerous it could be. One of the staff members took me to hospital and I was in there for a few days whilst they did their magic on my foot.
Medication Boxes on Walls
I gathered the boxes one collection at a time from different pharmacists, never quite sure how many I would end up with. Eventually there were enough to almost fill a room. Their sheer number gave them a presence that a single box could never have achieved. The work became my final Diploma submission.
The timing was difficult because I was dealing with grief, and I could have sought special consideration. Instead, I decided to submit the work as it was. Whatever its strengths or weaknesses, it represented that particular period of my life and study honestly.
Medications on Lightbox
Photograph created during my Diploma studies at the Rutherford satellite campus. Using a lightbox I found through Freecycle, I experimented with light and image-making outside the assessed coursework.
Although the work was not included in my Diploma submissions, I was pleased with the results and kept the photographs as part of my personal creative journey.
Original Printing in Proda Madrid
The card appears to reproduce a classical religious painting showing:
- The Virgin Mary seated in the center holding the Christ Child.
- Two cherubs (putti) at the base.
- A robed saint holding a cross on the left.
- Another saintly figure seated on the right.
- The composition is typical of an Italian Renaissance “Madonna and Child with Saints” painting.
The filename “LA MADONNA BELLE ARTIE” suggests the card may be referring to“La Madonna” (Italian for “The Madonna”), although I can’t verify the exact title from the image alone.
The wording “Original Printing in Prado Madrid” on the card most likely means the image was reproduced from a painting associated with the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid, which holds many Renaissance and religious masterpieces and offers reproductions from its collection. [tiendaprado.com]
The image quality and color palette remind me of works by Renaissance artists such as Raphael (Raffaello) or painters influenced by him, but I cannot reliably identify the exact artwork from this photograph alone.
If there is any text on the back of the card, along the edge, or inside the card, a photo of that text would help identify the painting much more accurately. Often Christmas cards include the artist’s name, painting title, museum attribution, or publisher information in small print.
LA VERGINE IN ADORAZIONE
La Vergine in Adorazione (The Virgin in Adoration) is a subject made famous by the Renaissance artist Fra Filippo Lippi. In these devotional paintings, the Virgin Mary kneels in prayer before the infant Christ, who lies on the ground rather than in a cradle. This imagery comes from the visions of Saint Bridget of Sweden, who described Mary adoring the newborn Jesus immediately after his miraculous birth. [wga.hu], [it.wikipedia.org]
A well-known version, commissioned by the Medici family around 1458-1460, shows:
- The Virgin Mary kneeling with hands clasped in worship. [it.wikipedia.org], [en.wikipedia.org]
- The Christ Child lying on the earth, radiating divine significance. [it.wikipedia.org], [en.wikipedia.org]
- The young Saint John the Baptist, patron saint of Florence. [wga.hu], [it.wikipedia.org]
- God the Father and the Holy Spirit above, emphasizing the Holy Trinity. [en.wikipedia.org], [it.wikipedia.org]
The painting is notable because it departs from the traditional Nativity scene. Instead of focusing on the stable, animals, and other figures, it centers on a quiet moment of prayer, humility, and contemplation between mother and child. [wga.hu], [en.wikipedia.org]
The title translates simply as:
La Vergine in Adorazione → The Virgin in Adoration. [nsuworks.nova.edu]
LA MADONNA DELLE ARPHE
The Madonna of the Harpies (Madonna delle Arpie) is one of the most famous paintings by Andrea del Sarto, completed in 1517 and now housed in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence. [en.wikipedia.org], [uffizi.it]
The painting depicts the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child, accompanied by Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint John the Evangelist, with two cherubs at the base of the pedestal. [uffizi.it], [artsandcul…google.com]
The title comes from the strange creatures carved into the pedestal on which Mary stands. The art historian Giorgio Vasari identified them as harpies, mythological monsters, giving the work its traditional name. Modern scholars often interpret them instead as the locusts described in the Book of Revelation, symbolizing evil forces overcome by the Virgin Mary. [uffizi.it], [en.wikipedia.org]
Key facts
- Artist: Andrea del Sarto [uffizi.it]
- Date: 1517 [uffizi.it], [uffizi.it]
- Medium: Oil on panel [uffizi.it]
- Size: 207 × 178 cm [uffizi.it], [uffizi.it]
- Location: Uffizi Gallery, Florence [uffizi.it], [uffizi.it]
The work is considered a masterpiece of the High Renaissance. It combines the balanced composition associated with Raphael, the monumental figures inspired by Michelangelo, and the soft, subtle coloring influenced by Leonardo da Vinci. [uffizi.it], [uffizi.it]
Many art historians regard it as Andrea del Sarto’s best-known work. [en.wikipedia.org]
Legend of the Silent Pool
The Legend of the Silent Pool is a famous English ghost legend associated with Silent Pool, a spring-fed lake in Surrey, England. [en.wikipedia.org]
According to the legend, a beautiful woodcutter’s daughter was bathing in the pool when she was approached by a nobleman, often identified in later versions as King John. Frightened by his advances, she moved farther and farther into the deep water to escape him. Unable to save herself, she drowned in the pool. In some versions of the story, her brother also attempts a rescue and dies with her. [Haunted Ma…ilent Pool], [presenthistory.co.uk], [atlasobscura.com]
Local folklore says that her ghost still haunts the lake. Visitors have claimed to see a pale female figure on the water or hear cries coming from the pool at night. [Haunted Ma…ilent Pool], [atlasobscura.com]
The legend contributes to the eerie reputation of Silent Pool, whose clear, still waters and secluded setting have inspired stories of mystery and haunting for centuries. [atlasobscura.com], [en.wikipedia.org]
If you’d like, I can also retell the legend as a short atmospheric story in a folklore style.