How to host a tea party in a tree

“The tea-masters held that real appreciation of art is only possible to those who make of it a living influence. ” (Okakura, 1906, 71)

Life imitates art far more than art imitates life. (Wilde, 1905, 10)

Last Sunday we tested our long-overdue tea-party-in-a-tree, with incredible success!

I had wondered if i could persuade a fit photographer friend to document the event, and he replied immediately asking if his friend could as well. Two tree-climbing photographers, both keen to give up their Sunday for a mad morning tea! So thanks to Richard and Ben, we have some wicked pictures to share.

All were keen to follow the style of my original illustration and scrambled for some op-shop gold. Ben's sister even made for him a last-minute top-hat and bow tie that morning.

"Our insight does not penetrate your culture deeply, but at least we are willing to learn. Some of my compatriots have adopted too much of your customs and too much of your etiquette, in the delusion that the acquisition of stiff collars and tall silk hats comprised the attainment of your civilisation." (Okakura, 1906, 4)

I had been scouting trees around the city for a while and was set on a very interesting row of trees with branches that spread out like a mezzanine. We circled the park and fell in love with the huge Morton Bay Fig at the other end. The lowest branch was only just within reach and the vast, dense foliage provided a surprising level of privacy.

Our equipment is under continual revision and the latest edition is a hanging basket prototype for a miniature stove and windbreak. Tea is not as simple when you're perched in a tree, and one begins to appreciate the process. It became much more of a tea ceremony. By the time we had negotiated the passing of cups, the last to be poured was the fruitiest, most bitter cup of Irish Breakfast I have ever dared to enjoy.

At one point a couple of noisy Galahs raced beneath us..

With fresh tea in-hand, I was high on the novelty of it all. I could get used to this.

 

(Kakuzo Okakura, 1906, The Book of Tea)

(Oscar Wilde. 1905, The Decay of Lying)

nintendo DS sketchbook

Waiting for the market response to the Ipad (specifically new developments in stylus compatibility).
In the meantime, i heard about some artists hijacking the nintendoDS as a crappy tablet pc substitute, and it works. I can now make full colour-studies in under 4 minutes standing on the platform waiting for the train.
Here is some spam:

No pressure sensitivity, no undo, but huge novelty value. Introducing: my cup of tea that went cold, my long-suffering brother, some other nonsense, inside the Perth Artifactory, Leederville train station at night (in under 3 minutes) and a plushy frog that i dissected/reassembled.

The following week: the honeymoon was over and the absence of pressure sensitivity started getting to me. Fancy tools do not make you a better artist. However, i'm getting faster at composing my tones, and the lack of an undo function is good discipline. 

Above are a few more train stations, a hilarious collaboration (the squiggly one is a snippet) and some special requests.

After a few weeks i got over the lack of pressure sensitivity and started to have some fun.

More train stations! (including an icy sunrise), some robofun, a nebuliser in a kitchen sink.. and a persistent aquatic theme.. Most of these took less than 10 minutes.