Installing Miles of monkeys

Ballard to Miles

I recently, last week I think, drove to Miles and back to deposit some monkeys for an exhibition.

Roughly 60, or just short of it as my beautiful baby claimed a few monkeys on the way.

Miles is approximately 3 hours from my wee house in Ballard (QLD).  The drive was fascinating.  I love how amazing Australia is and how quickly the terrain transforms from green hills to vast agricultural country to dry but dense with a different kind of tree.  I have driven the middle of Queensland many a time and I always gauge getting into 'the heart of QLD' when you start passing small towns. I don't mean places like Oakey that have a small hospital or Wondai that has a timber museum of a whole one room. 

No I mean the small silo towns.  The ones that have 3 huge silos and 2 - 5 houses. There seems to be heaps of them, but when you talk to people who travel the middle of QLD they don't give directions like, 'yeah we just passed through Brigalow, we are coming up to Warra'. Nope these towns don't get a mention.  

Everytime I pass through one of these towns my mind wanders and I imagine a life were I live out there, just me, my family and the zoo of animals I have collected along the way.  You know the dream where you are away from the hussle and bussle of life and live the simple life. 
As I imagine sipping freshly squeezed orange juice from oranges I undoubtedly grew myself, I snap back to the reality of I like my house. My house is great close enough to not feel isolated yet far enough away to feel all alone. Plus I would never have the patience to actually grow my own oranges.

3 hours passed quickly and before I knew it Violet (the baby), Gaby (my sister and WORST road trip partner ever. Captain snoozehead), the monkeys and myself were at Miles. 

It was great to see the space, it is beautiful. Dogwood is worth a visit and I demand that the next time you are passing through Miles take a pit stop and check it out. 

It was also wonderful to see friend Ashleigh at the head of the ship.  Ash and Anne were wonderfully welcoming and great help with installing. 

All up it took about an hour to put up the monkeys in there new temporary space. 
I enjoyed making each of the monkeys, they all have wonderful personalities.  Not many complainers in this batch.  

This exhibition was really important for me, it made me think about the journey monkeys and I have been on and where it all started. 

I have posted the full story on the 'Artworks' page in the monkey section.  Worth a read, although I am a little bias. 

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Sock Monkey @ Dogwood Crossing Miles