Loss of a Friend - a Family without a Father

It was with great regret that we learnt the news that our dear friend, Mihai Cristea, passed away in Bucharest, Romania on August 18th 2010. Mihai was in his homeland for a routine operation, but suddenly passed away from cancer that struck silently but deadly. Words are not enough to express the sadness and hole left in the lives of those he leaves behind.

Mihai was a dear friend and fishing buddy. Mihai touched many people in his life, as he worked for the Romanian Embassy here in Canberra Australia, and made friends easily within the Diplomatic community. Not only did Mihai have many friends here in Australia, but also in other countries where he was previously based working, always, for the Romanian Government. Unfortunately, he was in Romania for an operation to try and help a previous leg injury sustained whilst serving his country, and received no compensation. These leg injuries left him almost a cripple and in pain every day-all taken in the line of duty. The deepest shame and saddest thing is, Mihai has dedicated his life to serve and work like a dog, and in his deepest hour; his moment of passing; there is no ownership or recogonition for his dedication.

His pride and joy....his family. A wife, dedicated and hardworking, Gina. Two daughters..the youngest above, Madalina, loved her father above the heavens. Madalina works in a Coffee shop. It is her wages that pay for their family. No...you heard me right. These employees of Romanian Government in overseas missions, rely on their children for money to survive...the basics....groceries only. Not only is there something seriously wrong here, but if you work for the government, dont you want a wage? We might mention the government later.....

Madalina, is typical teenager living in a wonderful place like Australia. She works hard, studies hard, loves her family and is focussed in what she wants. Shame she is supporting her family at an age that she cant even vote.

But being so dedicated to her father...she tries to understand his passions and interests and stories. She has been hit hard. Madalina had to collect her older sister who is studying in another city, when hearing the news that their father had past away. They needed to be together at this time of mourning.

Corina, his eldest, heartbroken as well. The greatest injustice was that this man who had dedicated his life to the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE) for most of his life, was left down at the end. Mihai's wife, Gina, some how found a flight to Bucharest to return to her husband, that she left only hours previously to return to her daughters. Less than 24 hours later, the phone call that put her on a plane to return to bury her husband, left her daughters alone. The daughters were not present at the burial of their beloved father in Bucharest. The Romanian Government so fraught with corruption and self-serving officials overseas didnt dedicate a dollar to honour one of their own workers. The Ambassador here in Canberra, a man of highliving and own self-importance, wants to keep his dollars in his pocket. Sadly, it is at this point, that this information has to come to light. Forgive the outburst of emotion and information, but there is a much more sinister picture left behind. This picture is one that is being replicated around the world, the story shared by others. But, this is our story. We lost our Friend....and a Family lost their father.

Enjoy the Fishing my friend....but keep the best place for me....George

Soccer Ball Vase

Newest video on Youtube, George making the Soccer Ball vase. We had many enquiries regarding the piece often seen in the background of Georges videos. So, due to popular demand, see the creation of this functional vase online.

World Cup is over, but soccer is still played everyday....somewhere in the world.

You Tube link is on this blog...take a look!

Gate of Faith - Epilogue - Part Two

Okay, it wasnt QUITE finished....The stand has been added and courtesy of Can Fab Powder Coating, Fyshwick, received a coat of clear paint. This clear coating offers durability over time, makes it easier to keep clean and free of dust, and makes it shinier !

Super shiny in the sunlight....

The stand keeps the Gate much more stable....

The polishing is Georges unconventional style.

Gate of Faith - Star of David - Epilogue

And..its proud creator! Thankyou Mr Brancusi for continuing inspiration.

The "Gate of Faith" set outside for a photo opportunity. Stainless Steel is brilliant outdoors, and George's polishing, albeit unconventional, gives a vibrance to the surface.

In the workshop, the Frame is attached to the top of the two columns. Finally, complete!

The parts required; two columns, and the star in its frame; ready to be attached to the top of what we call, "Gate of Faith"

Star of David....

The frame and Star of David complete, here its placed in between the two columns. Next job is to attach the frame to the top side of the columns.

Two frames welded and polished. The Star of David also, welded and polished, and now sits on the rods that allow it to spin.

So we have the shape of the Star of David. The idea is to place it in a hexagon frame, comprising of two frames, and have the Star spin within the frames.

Columns - Beginnings

First job is making the two columns, the start of the project...

George first made his Infinity in 2001 (pictures below in blog). Now 2010, sees the reinvention of Brancusi column in a new size and function.

In Georges hands, Infinity will look different.

Brancusi Reinvented 2010

As part of our travels in January 2009, one of the highlights was travelling to Tg Jiu, Romania. The purpose of this trip was to see the wonderful work done by Romanian artist Constantin Brancusi. To see in person the "Endless Column" was indeed exciting.

Brancusi is the inspiration for much of George's work, and The Endless Column is going to be further reinvented by George, as you shall see in further posts.

Vienna - first leg of travels

First stop, Vienna Austria. Departed Australia in the summer to land the other side of the world in winter. This very beautiful city welcomed us with dustings of snow and christmas lights. We had one night in this city so did a very quick lap. Wonderful little coffee shops where you smoke inside (!) and delightful christmas markets to invoke the festive spirit. One night is not enough for this visit, but we had to fly next day to Athens, Greece. Weary from the long-haul international flights, we collapsed in the hotel bed to start our adventures the next day.

1st December 2008 - Romania National Day

George with The Charge d'Affaires a.i. of Romania Mrs Florina Sava and Honory Consul Mr Nicolaie Cojocaru. Photo taken at the Romanian Embassy at the National Day Celebrations.

Several Artworks were on display and viewed by Embassy Representatives from around the globe. We met many interesting people from diverse nations. One in particular was a local Tasmanian politician, Dick Adams MP, who was very engaging and very tuned-in with current issues. He was intelligent and entertaining and very interested in George's art and story.

"The Canberra Times" article published on 1st December to celebrate Romania's National Day.

Paradise

Custom designed,"Paradise", is the result of a special request from a client. It is a fusion of two pieces in one to be the focal point of a garden display combined with two "Agatha" pieces.

Destined for a lavish South Coast location, its fortunate that stainless steel will withstand the coastal conditions.

"Paradise" proved popular with the Canberra locals as well, and one piece also went on display at the Romanian Embassy here in Canberra for a special reception celebrating Romania's National Day.

Marketing On A Budget ie. none

We had a wonderful week of publicity.
Above is a photo of the advertising we had in "The Canberra Times" (which was free of charge) and a pleasant surprise upon opening the local paper. Published were all the photo's we sent and the "Old Bus Depot Markets" also personally congratulated us on the addition to its pages.
This topped off the week which started with a radio interview with George on National Broadcaster SBS-Radio. A Pod-cast of this segment will be linked at right but it is in Romanian language being part of their Romanian Program.
Another exciting addition was the ABC TV website "Artpost", which is a vibrant site allowing artists to expose their work to the world. Again, will post the link to the right as it has shown enormous interest and popularity with people surfing the web for new art and artists. The number of views is amazing, thankyou.

"Hello Friends" - Bryan & Laura Davies, UK

It was with great pleasure to make contact with two artist's in Leeds UK, who also share a great passion for Constantin Brancusi.

Bryan & Laura Davies have a wonderful public art-work in Bridgewater Place Leeds.

"Hello Friends" is a bright and modern piece with Brancusi being a vital reference for the commissioned work. We will place a link to their blogspot on our page as it is indeed exciting work that these people are doing. Please explore their blogs and pages, their vision is exceptional in the world of arts and architecture in general.

Must also thank Bryan for all his travel tips and information regarding Brancusi's Studio in France and other art-loving recommendations....thanks Bryan, will send you a postcard!

First Market

"Old Bus Depot Markets" was an ideal location to show our wares and other artists were extremely supportive and welcoming. Within the first ten minutes a fellow stall-holder told us we were a welcome addition in that we had something different to offer. Another stall-holder purchased one of George's vase's. It was all very positive. Surprisingly, it was the larger items of sculpture that a number of people were very interested in. Were they "one off's?", Can you make infinity with a square base? Can this be converted into a water-feature for the garden?
Interested people who recognised that we had something that wasnt available anywhere else and that they would have something unique.

A successful day!! everything looked beautiful and the response was amazing, thankyou Canberra!

Gehry

"The Gehry", a surprising shape that bends in an unexpected way. Changes shape when you rotate the vase and the sunlight is stunning on its polishing. With the finished product completed , we thought it curved like a Gehry facade.

Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Music Hall in Los Angeles. With the Stainless Steel addiction comes other dangerous habits. The need to see this metal in unconventional forms and pushed to the boundaries of the imagination. Franks process of sketching, folding and cutting paper to experiment with shapes is something that George also does before creating his work. I get to use the sticky tape.

Infinity, Jackie and Buzz

"Infinity" outside the John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University. This building is amazing to look at and "Infinity" takes on another representation at this location. We thought that the geometric shape of the column resembled abstract DNA, somewhat appropriate - considering the location.

Incidently, Jackie Chan (one of our favourites), has been a very generous supporter of the ANU. Jackie has donated large amounts to be used in the area of medical research in memory of his much-loved mother who, with his father, was a long term resident here in Canberra. Go Jackie! and thankyou !!!

To quote Buzz Lightyear..."To Infinity and Beyond!"

"Majestic Bird" and the Birds

Like an Alfred Hitchcock movie, whenever "Majestic Bird" is taken outdoors for an outdoor shoot, Birds (of the feathered variety) seem to be attracted to its presence. These pictures show how we were quickly joined by some very curious (and noisy) magpie's at the Australian National University grounds.

Agatha

Stainless Steel is a durable material designed for indoor or outdoor environments. It will not rust or corrode and Stainless Steel will always keep its shimmering and brilliant finish.

When creating any of his projects, George cuts the shapes and then joins them by welding. This ensures a strong and durable connection.

Grinding is then performed for smooth clean edges. The Stainless Steel is then finished with polishing or a grinding-tool to give it dramatic effect.

Above is "Agatha", a Stainless Steel resembling the Agapantha plant. Loved it on land, next to the water. Loved it even more in the water!

Brancusi Vase

Love this vase, and we have turned it upside down too as a plynth which is highly effective. Again, a Brancusi inspired shape for a base with gentle widening to the top of the vase. We have it filled with Magnolia flowers in the window - beautiful.

Mars

"Mars", or, ok it looks like a soccer ball. Wouldnt like to hit this one with our head though and I think a goalie would be diving out of it's way if it was propelled through the air.
Made out of stainless steel its an item you just want to pickup straight away and bounce it up and down in your hands. Its one of the items we will have at Old Bus Depot Markets next month, and just to let you all know (in response to a question), we are still working on the prices of the items in the lead up to opening the stall. We promise to let you know and to publish more pictures.....

Another bird...

And this one was too lovely to leave out. A wonderful image of another Brancusi bird.
Must get back to the subject of stainless steel......

Birds in Space - ANG

These two "birds" are located in the Australian National Gallery Canberra. Beautifully presented within a reflection pool. Will put the ANG link on our page to give much more information about this work and Brancusi. Thankyou ANG for giving us the opportunity to see these two continually (and for free of charge)

Partnership

and here is some of George's works (oh and us). Shall give some more close-ups (of the works...not us) and of course keep you posted on our endeavours in the market place....remember, we are at Old Bus Depot Markets all November and the first weekend in December. Hope to see you there :-)

Constantin Brancusi

Constantin Brancusi studio in Paris (above) is a living display of Brancusi's works. So many beautiful objects and a glimpse of the man that was the artist.

"Endless Column" (below) by Constantin Brancusi is located in Tg Jiu, Romania. We shall post more images of Brancusi art, and we hope you find it inspiring. We are lucky that here in Canberra at our own Australian National Gallery, there are two Birds In Space on display.

Shall post Bird photo's soon...too many beautiful images to choose from.