Blog Space New Links every one Attention every one I now have a myspace blog set up. If you wish to know more about me Jamahl Pollard then follow the links and click on Jamahl's MySpace Let me know what you think SORRY TO ALL! Sorry too all those who have wanted to talk to me at late. I have had to relocate from the city to the country as I could no longer afford to pay the high rental in Adelaide. I now live at Berri a country town located in the Reverland of South Australia (Australia) I have sent out an easy 5000 applications for work over the last 10 years to gain very little employment. Not enough to pay the bills and keep my art career afloat. I don't know where my art career is headed right now as I have a serious lack of funds to expand it furhter. If you are able to purchase any work, then that will help me build my career as a disabled artist. Not only that you will have purchased an investment piece of original art work that is easier to maintain than an investment property. REMEMBER the development of any art projects can only continue with your support. Thank you. Event Photos Australia's Greatest Auction Job Vacancy Dam IT Help Desk Work For The Dole Textbook Counseling The Working Poor Australia Mine Future prospects Above are some of my cartoon sketches can be purchased as T'shirts. They are available for $47 including postage & handling. Order yours in sizes, M / L / XL, white or black 'T'Shirts Just send me an email with your request and an order form will be sent to you. Business cards have been made and are circulating around the world as you read this. I have written a disability awareness training prgram focusing on issues of what is like to be Blind/vision impaired. I have run the program at Keylene Kranz Institute in Adeladie teaching Enroled Nurses as part of their disability studies. The program highlights through my experience the every day challenges I face in the terms of emotional and physical effects of undertaking education, social interaction, education, employment and recreational activities. ATTENTION every one I am now holding off from expanding over seas to Ward Nurse Gallery located in Soho New Yourk City. They were wanting to exhibit my portfolio and some art works for their stock room and to hang in the Gallery space. The outlay was going to cost around $5000 to set it up and the fact that I lost my job as I am unable to drive a car, didn't help the situation. I have found it increasingly more difficult to continue my work as a mental health support worker for the disabled, as management didn't want me to work with clients as I am unable to drive. So now my income is gone to expand overseas. All major projects have stopped for this point in time untill the $$$$ thing improve. Event Photos Mirror Working away Wooden stand holder I've been busy Above left photo, I restored an oak fire surround that I found in a rubbish pile on the side of the road. All it needed was a clean, varnish and a polish. The mirror was original. Was unable to find the rest of the fire surround. My partner at the time was quite impressed with the end result. Very glad I din't gift it to her as I would have lost it when she walked out on me. Above midle I am working away on a surreal Australian landscape. Also I am hoping it will not rain. I enjoy working out side as I get the best colour use. Above photo on the far right shows some more of my wood working. I restored the oak stand found in a hard rubbish pile. Every one thaught it was a piece of fire wood before I started working on it. But now they are eying it off. The other is a container for all of those things that get stuck in the kitchen draws. Made from pine off cuts and some jarra decking. It is quite heavy but at least it wont fall over. Not participating in the Fantasy 4 exhibition as others in the group wish to hold it at a night club. Not a suitable place to exhibit as the risk for damage is quite high. Will not be participating in the comming Head Exhibition as part of the FEAST Festival held annualy in early November, to celebrate the gay, lesbian community and their allies. I wasn't happy as the person organising it was quite unprofessional. ABC Radio. I have just conducted a live to air radio interview with Radio National as part of their Meet The Listener a part of their morning Life Matters program. The intervew was conducted on Tuse 23/9/08 at 9:45am. To listen to the intervew head to www.abc.net.au/rn and look for the program titled Life Matters and you will find the intervew in the Meet The Listener section of the program. Current Well I am no longer the painter but also have become the painted. I have taken up some modelling for a life drawing group. It is interesting to see how each person will interpret the same subject matter differently. It has helped me to accept and appreciate my body and what it looks like. I have more of a respect for the model now that I am also the model too and not just the artist. Have put on hold the development of my ON LINE AUCTION page for the web site. I have a serious lack of funds to develop this project. I wanted some thing better than what is on offer at EBay. An addition to my site where you could pick up some real quality original investment art works at prices you can afford. Gone through the designing process of the fine details to make it work. Need to sell $2000 woth of paintings to pay for the web designer for it to happen. KEEP UP TO DATE with the web site as there are new works and events being added monthly. Middle photo below is my brand new coffee table I've just finished. Made from recyceld timber from hard rubbish nights. Radiata Pine foor boards with Jarra planks in the middle for the top. Origan frame and legs from an old varanda and Boltic pine floor boards for draws. Feet were from an old bed head. it is quite strong and is at the right hight for eating from on those cold nights infront of the TV and fire place. It was also quite good therapy as it helped me deal with the pain of my partner waling out on me. And heres to all of those who stated that I would not be able to use power tools to make some thing like this. Event Photos Me with power tools1 My Coffee Table Me with power tools 2 Proving a Point! Above I am proving a point that a person with a vision loss can use power tools. I am a self taught carpenter as no study institute will take me on as they feel I am an OHS risk. Here is mud in the eyes to those who have tried to dictate what I can and can't achive. If your passing by in Berri (South Australia) I am able to arrange private viewings if you are iterested in purchasing or to discuss details of possible commisioning me. Simply Just send me an eamil with your details to arrange a meeting at my home address. Berri Iformation I have exhibited some of my work at the Berri Visitor Information Centre during Jul-Ag 08l located at the bottom of the Main Street on the River Murry. I was there painting out the front on the weekends when climatical conditions permited. Sold a painting and was quite happy. Below is a photo of an amazing artist Richard Maurovic, who opened my first ever art exhibition in 1998 at the Port Adelaide Art Community Arts Centre. If you get a chance check his work out as his reputation is going from stregth to strength. His work reminds me very much of Jefery Smart. Event Photos Richard No 1 Richard No 2 Marterdom Gift Vouchers Above is also a flyer advertising the wounderful work of Lorraine Marter. Every woman should not miss this opportunity, hand crafted garments, original desingns and accessories on offer at prices you can afford. Visit their Gallery at Kulkyne St Renmark S.A. Ph (08)85864445 Some works have been selected for exhibiting at The Gallery located at 55 Cassilis St Coonabaraban New South Wales. For enquires and further information please contact Claudia at her web site; www.thegalleryofc.biz Thans. Do you have a friend who has every thing and don't know what to buy that special person. Then I am working on putting up a gift voucher page for those of you who are tiered of giving the same old presents. Will let you know of the progress. Whats that you say at the bottom right. That is my new artificial eye with one of my paintings inserted in to the puple. The painting can be seen in in the Gallery under the sureal section of my web site. The title of the work is Children Play No 2. Mr Peter Knowles is the one who helped put this together for me. He thaught I was a bit strange but he did it any way. I wanted to use this to help promote my web site. I have found that people are able to work out easier that I am vision impaired and also a lot more accepting of my vision loss. Also below are some photos of several deer skills I have attached to the grape vine in my back yard. I'm working on putting it in to a painting or several paintings. The grapes aren't ready yet but will be an interesting look when they do. Will take more photos at different times of the day. Event Photos P1010182 Deer 3 Deer 2 Deer 1 Deer 4 Deer 5 What Is It Like? "Whats it like to live with a vision loss?" is one of the most asked questions. Dispite all of my efforts to be as normal as you, my disability does dictate what life I am to have. My employment opportunities are quite limited due to not being able to drive a car. My qualifacations are often over looked as employers are unable to see beyond my disability. The lack of income means I am limited in what I can do, like being able to afford to expand my art career further or go on holidays. I have to constantly save $$$$$ to pay for my artificial eyes, valued at $900 every 3 year and purchase other adaptive technology I use to live independently. I spend quite a bit on glasses and other reading aids, thats where all of my spare $$$ go. I am also affected socialy as I can't allways afford to participate in certain events with friends due to a lack of income. Okay I have a disability pension, but that just covers the bills, with very little at then end of each week to do any thing else. I'd like to be in a loving relationship with a partner. The down side is there is a strong possibility my disability is genetic. So I have decided I don't want to create children, as I know how difficult it is to live with a disability. Organisations supporting the disabled only cater to the needs of severaly mentaly disabled, leaving me in the gap. I have to live close to shopping and disability services for me to live independently. I have never met a woman who can accpet and understand why I live my life the way I do, sadly I am conditioned by my disability. As much as I don't want it too, it is reality. I would like to earn money from a job I enjoy as I want to feel as though I am doing some thing, too feel connected to society. If I want a partner, then having no income apart from my disability support pension won't help. lets face it if you were a woman would you want a partner who wasn't working! This is not a sorry campagin but the cold hard truth as to what it is like. So there you have it, I'll let you come to your own conclusion as to what it is like to live with a disability. The Lonely Bull The Lonely Bull Collection Can be viewed by clicking on the title. These are 3 of my sold commissioned works in 2007 showen as a set. Enjoy. Event Photos Paringa Backpackers 2 doc file: The Lonely Bull Collection . Paringa Backpackers Paringa Pre Sketch Sign Back Packers 2 Commission Thank you to the Paringa Backpackers a small town just North of Renmark here in the River Land for Commissioning me. I am working on a sign promoting the business as they have a lot of back packers come in for the picking of localy grown fruit. Above you can see the work in progress, from the pre-sketch on the right to various stages of the project. Below far left photo is taken from an article from the local messanger paper promoting an open day at the Paringa Museum restoring old farm equipment and other realted activities. It is a place where we support each other to over come our difficulties/disabilities/problems. 2 great guys eating as usual by the BBQ, the feature of an old partly restored Beford Truck. I'm working on a mural at the moment for the care takers hut to brighten up the place. Photos below show me working away on the profect. More photos to come. Event Photos The Real BBQ Paringa Mural 2 Paringa Mural 3 Paringa Mural Paringa Mual 01 Paringa Mural 02