(26) Linda Weil – Toybox of Dramas
(1096) Tracy Davidson – All Work No Play
About this Artwork:
PRICE: $300 AUD
‘Dolls, Cars and Toys that Move’ prompted me to peer into the toybox of my childhood and imagination. Open the lid of this imaginary container and you instantly realise that my dolls led a traumatic life. My best friend George-Next-Door reluctantly played ‘Mums and Dads’ and treated my dollies violently. We both enjoyed giving the ‘real hair’ doll a haircut in the hope that it would grow back curly. It was lucky I was not overly fond of dolls so was not too concerned that tugs-of-war would detach heads and limbs even though it meant trouble and a smack from my mother. I took revenge on George, when, as a fiercely competitive and excellent player of marbles, I won several of his best Dinky cars. Then his mother discovered his diminishing car collection, stopped our games, and lectured us on the evils of gambling. Together George and I would play dress ups, race cars, smash down towers of blocks, demolish wind-up toys to see how they worked and decapitate dolls while playing Cowboys and Indians. We both desperately wanted to Ride the Range on a real pony, but this was not to be, for how could we be trusted with a living animal when we treated our toys so savagely? I was sad when George moved away when I was six. My mother was glad to see him go, but I never found another friend who was quite so delightfully destructive. I wonder where he is now.
About Linda:
Linda Weil; Artist’s statement.
I draw.
I am passionate about the art of drawing in all forms; pencils, inks, charcoal even linework in brush. My first and best loved medium is graphite pencil on a quality hot press paper. I love the directness of the medium, the sensual feel of the drag of pencil across paper that makes an immediate mark. Graphite is a rich, expressive, and exhaustive medium that many undervalue. For me, a pencil will let me convey a variety of thoughts, ideas, and emotions in a uniquely individual way.
My artistic career has spanned many years working in print mediums, advertising, and publications. This working experience has taught me the value of telling a complex story with a minimalist palette in line and tone in my private practice. ‘Painting’ with a pencil allows me to explore a vast range of tonal effects from needle sharp contour line to soft, velvety depths of shade. Mechanical gizmos fascinate me, and I enjoy engineering reality and life with the technical. I find it sheer enjoyment to explore the intricacies of detail within a concept, its’ mechanics, surface textures and relationship to the world.
View Linda’s Art Aviso profile HERE
Linda was supplied with the following page from Newnes’ Pictorial Knowledge Encyclopedia:
Newnes’ Pictorial Encyclopedia
Volume 9
Familiar Things and how they are made.
Dolls, cars and Horses that move.
About this artwork
Price: 190 EUR
Page 227; Dolls, Cars and Horses That Move.
That I was allocated this page was quite apt for me as my work is strongly informed by my childhood. Because of this I found it a really evocative image. I decided to use part of the imagery from the page depicting 2 women assembling dolls. I created a digital image which I printed only a vintage napkin. I focused on the woman in the foreground by stitching details into her face, hair & clothing to lift her off the page and give her an importance which she may not have felt by doing such a mundane job. Despite her job being mundane it was an incredibly important one, in my view, as it would’ve brought joy to hundreds of children. Women’s work during the 1950’s, and still today in many respects, was not valued and they often worked long hours In poor conditions for very little money. Despite changes for the better in recent years, there is still a long way to go for women to get the respect and recognition they deserve in the workplace. I am happy that I was randomly given this particular page so that I could highlight this issue that is close to my heart.
About Tracy
My work is strongly informed by my childhood memories & experiences. My father served many prison sentences and in my work, I express how his confinement affected my family and also notions of lost childhood. In addition I focus on my beloved grandmother’s battle with Alzheimer’s. She was a very strong woman who suffered much adversity in her life. She has always been a constant inspiration to me in many different ways and I owe a lot of my values to her.
Within my work I explore ideas of fading memories and the loss of the essence of a person to the devastating illness.
I use vintage textiles including handkerchiefs, napkins, baby clothing and doilies to print and stitch onto. Words, as well as images of personal objects from my past, feature strongly in my work.
Since the COVID pandemic I have begun to make my work again after a couple of years of abstinence. It has helped me with my mental heath and I have found it very satisfying and therapeutic.
Link to Tracy’s Art Aviso profile HERE
Tracy was provided with the following page from Newnes’ Pictorial Knowledge Encyclopedia:
Volume 9
Familiar Things and how they are made.
Dolls, cars and Horses that move