Category Archives: My Art

Art, JK. Leahy Short Stories, My Art, Poetry

A Storyteller

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A Storyteller – Stories, Poetry & Art

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JK.Leahy Illustration, Jan 2016

A storyteller illustrates a story about a girl, her mother and a turtle.

As the graphite glistens like a medieval etching on stone, the crisp white paper grows pictures. The art dances and the images come together and get close in a circle.

The storyteller adds smiles on their faces; the story is going to have a happy ending.

But, as the three characters get closer during the shading, the storyteller accidentally gives the mother a tear. Another tear is added deliberately for balance. Then the storyteller gives the girl a tear, somewhat reluctantly. The storyteller’s eyes fill with tears.  She works faster as tears stream down her face. She begins to shade around the three characters. She cannot separate them. The storyteller is pulled into the circle, to the three characters. There is no separation. It is the law of nature. It is the law of memory and love. It is the law of characters that we love.

Art, My Art, Writing Stories

The Bird of Paradise – Painting

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Painting – Mixed media. JK.Leahy©

I am back to the studies of the Bird of Paradise. It is one of my favourite birds. This bird is also the main feature in the national emblem of Papua New Guinea (PNG). I believe we still have 39 species left in PNG.

Initially I started this artwork with my garden plant dyes and then watercolour. I have since added diluted acrylic paint. When it is finished, I will post it here.

 

 

 

Art, My Art, Painting, Writing Stories

Freda Completed – Watercolour Art

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Watercolour painting by JK.Leahy©

This is Freda. I started work on her in January this year (see earlier post) but never had time to finish her. Recently, I went over some of the unfinished watercolours and decided to do some more work on her. I think Freda is completed. Let me know what you think.

I thought she would make a good character in one of my stories. To finish Freda, I ‘rewarded’ her, with a mouth full of betel nut. Having a betel nut smile is a typical Papua New Guinea way.

Recently, while in PNG I spent some time with my mother and my aunts, nieces, and the rest of the family, just chewing betel nut and talking. We shared a lot of stories.

Freda looks more like my mother now that I have aged her. Maybe because, I saw my mother recently and noticed how much she has aged while I have been away.

 

 

Art, My Art, Painting, Poetry, Women, Writing Stories

In the park – Poem

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Watercolour by JK.Leahy© Title: “In the Park” (Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens)

In the Park – JK.Leahy©

Restless is the breeze

where light has ceased

Alone, I sit in the dark

where we kissed in the park

Heightened heat burns

And time rhythms heartbeat

I wait in the park

where our footsteps left a mark

Years worn boulders and

seedlings aged into forest

Grave is nearing

for our meeting in the park

My Cootha is one of my favourite places in Brisbane. My closest friend and my son’s godmother Marina works in the temperate gardens. Often when I visit her, this wooden contemporary bench is where we sit and have lunch. I painted this watercolour for her as a gift. The poem is just an observation of people who come to sit in the temperate gardens.

Art, blogging, Living, My Art, Nature and Environment, Stories

A Camera Opens New Doors – Tribalmystic Blog

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A camera means more new pictures will be seen on Tribalmystic stories. It also means I can share my garden with you, virtually.

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Samanea Saman bloom. It is also called False Powder Pluff.

I got myself a ‘real’ camera today. A Nikon D5200. It may not be a Pro level camera and not what I was aiming for, but I have not had an SLR for nearly twenty years so I am thrilled. My son Nathan loaned me some money for it. When my younger son Chris and I arrived home, guess who already had the package opened and was handling it – Chris!

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Mum was cooking and giving stern instructions from the kitchen for Chris to wash his hands first and not leave any greasy prints on the lens or any part of the camera. Poor Chris…I’m sure he was just laughing inside his head. Who tells a 16-year-old what to do these days? Know the feeling when your kids play with your stuff?

Then, the little bugger went off and charged the battery and started taking pictures. Oh well…I guess he was just as excited as I was, even when he pretended he wasn’t.

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There was some light left and I went for a quick walk in the garden to try the camera with some very curious bystanders. I shall show the ‘bystanders’ on Tribalmystic stories later. These are pictures of Salmanea Saman, often referred to as the false powder fluff – not the stuff you wear on your make-up though.

I have to get my photography grove back. Let me know what you think of my first pictures. Thank you.

Art, My Art, Nature and Environment, Painting

My Day Today – Art experiments

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Potato prints using acrylic and plant dyes from the garden
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Plant dyes from my garden on watercolour paper and digital graphic outlines (black). Below – work in progress and starting to look like birds.

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Art, blogging, Life, Living, My Art, Nature and Environment, People, Stories, writing

The picture I waited from my home for: Byron Photographer

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Byron Bay photographer Dylan O’Donnell took this stunning photo of the International Space Station passing the moon on Tuesday. Photo Contributed

The media has called it the holy grail of astro-photography. The Cool Stuff of the week is Dylan O’ Donnell’s fantastic photograph of the full moon with the incredible capture of the space station on the top right.

The BYRON Bay (Australia) photographer who captured the shot on Tuesday with  International Space Station passing over the moon said this was his second attempt to take the stunning shot.

“I’ve only tried once before and I completely botched it, it looked like a blur,” he said.

“The International Space Station ISS passes through the sky semi regularly, but for it to line up like it did with an almost full moon is quite rare.

“Some people go chasing around the world to try to line it up but I just waited from my home and it was about 12 months from the last time it lined up that way for me.”

Reported by Rodney Stevens

Art, blogging, My Art, Stories, writing

A Song of the Turtle – Children’s story entry

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JK.Leahy © Illustration, 2015.

I have submitted this illustration with my entry for the children’s story in the Crocodile Prize, the National PNG Literature Awards.

If you like the title and the picture, be sure to look out for the story on this blog. I would be happy to share the story once the judging is completed.

blogging, Life, Living, My Art, writing

Premio Dardos Award – Value Added to Blogging World

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At the end of April I was nominated by the lovely Lisa W Tetting for the Premio Dardos Award. I was ill at that time and was unable to write a post about it. I am now catching up on some of those writing that needs to be done and I would like to thank you very much Lisa for nominating my blog for this award. I am deeply honoured that you are of the opinion I have added value to the blogging world.

Please visit Lisa’s blog, Rebirth of Lisa.

Since Lisa’s nomination, I have also been nominated for other blog awards. I will respond to your nominations in the next two weeks between my regular posts.

What is Premio Dardos Award?

The Premio Dardos Award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in their effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values every day.  As per Lisa’s words, these stamps were created with the intention of promoting fraternization between bloggers, a way of showing affection and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web. Since I launched my blog 18 months ago and followed many other blogs here on WordPress, I have grown as a writer and a person. I have also shared knowledge I learnt here to my friends and family.

I have also made friends with many bloggers on WordPress and these connections mean a lot to me.

The Premio Dardos Award are simple:

1) Accept the award by posting it on your blog along with the name of the person that has granted the award and a link to his or her blog.
2) Include the image of the “Premios Dardos” in the post.
3) Pass the award to another 15 blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgement.

The nominees below have contributed in some way to the cultural, ethical, literary, and my personal values. (Please note that some of my nominees are award-free but they are worth mentioning. I hope you can visit and read some of their interesting posts).

My nominees are:

Beauty Along the Road

Radiance Project NZ

Millie Thom

Pacific Paratrooper

How the Cookie Crumbles

Chris the Story Reading Ape

The Rattling Bones

alphastare

Confedcontessa

yadadarcyyada

Author Joel Savage

Life in Russia

ESGEE Musing

First Night Design

Whole Production

 

 

 

 

 

blogging, Life, Living, My Art, Nature and Environment, People, Stories, writing

Living in the Trees – The Korowai People

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A life of contentment in the rainforest. The Korowai People of West Papua in Melanesia.

Irian Jaya's Kombai and Korowai people live in houses built in the treetops.
Irian Jaya’s Kombai and Korowai people live in houses built in the treetops.

Living in the trees is natural for the Korowai and Kombai people in  the southern eastern Papua. These tribal Melanesians are one of the last people on the planet who survive purely on their natural environment. The Korowai’s are also referred to as the Kolufo and have become known to the world through pictures and documentaries as one of the most amazing architects of tree houses.

The tree house builders survive in the basin of the Brazzan River in large areas of deep rainforest and swampy lowland. They are hunter-gatherers and horticulturists who practice shift-cultivation and have a very rich and an extraordinary oral tradition. They live together in small communities.

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Image: BBC Documentary

The higher they built a house, the more prestigious it is. The reason behind this amazing architecture which often reaches up to 100 feet or more off the ground is to avoid floods, insects and diseases. It was also a way to spot tribal enemies as the Korowai themselves had practiced cannibalism in the past.

Sowayen climbing down a “yambim” or ironwood tree after knocking loose a nest of black ants that he uses for fish bait. The Korowai are superb climbers, and get up thick trees like this by gripping vines with their hands and splayed toes. It took him about a minute to get up this tree, and it took Neeld Messler, a rope expert, over an hour to rig this tree with ropes so the photographer could climb it safely. In the lower left corner Sayah is watching. One of their fishing methods is to put a piece of an ant nest in the water and wait for the fish to come and eat the drowning ants. The fisherman hides behind foliage on the river bank, and shoots the fish with a four-pointed arrow. This picture was taken as part of an expedition for GEO Magazine and National Geographic Magazine to document the way of life of the Korowai tribe. Most of the Korowai in these photos had never had prior contact with anyone outside of their language group, and have no material goods from the outside world. They live in tree houses built above the forest floor to protect themselves from outsiders. The Korowai believe that contact with outsiders will bring an end to their culture. Cannibalism has been part of their traditional system of criminal justice to avenge the death of their clansmen, but the practice is dying out and is outlawed by the Indonesian government. The Korowai believe that most natural deaths are caused by sorcery, and must be avenged by the death (and consumption) of the person responsible.
Sowayen climbing down a “yambim” or ironwood tree after knocking loose a nest of black ants that he uses for fish bait. The Korowai are superb climbers, and get up thick trees like this by gripping vines with their hands and splayed toes. This picture was taken as part of an expedition for GEO Magazine and National Geographic Magazine to document the way of life of the Korowai tribe.

The Korowai people build their houses high above the forest floor, and deep in the swampy lowland jungles of Papua.

In the BBC documentary below, you can watch from start to finish, how a Korowai tree house is built.