The hard light of day : an artist's story of friendships in Arrernte country

Written over the course of 25 years, this book is a candidly brutal and groundbreaking account of race relationships and friendships in the central Australian town of Alice Springs. In the early 1980s, artist Rod Moss arrived to teach painting in Alice Springs and soon was adopted as a family member by the local Arrernte people. Keeping a journal during the next three decades, he chronicled his experiences as he taught, struggled to paint, raised his children, and immersed himself completely in the Arrernte lifestyle. Filled with evocative photographs and paintings, this rare insight into the reality of life there illustrates the endemic violence, alcoholism, and rampant ill health as well as the enriching and transformative power of Arrernte friendships and culture. A story of a whitefella-blackfella friendship that offers hope for the future.Two years after artist Rod Moss arrived in Alice Springs to teach painting, he met an Indigenous couple who had set up camp in the gully beside his flat. Over the next twenty-five years, his friendship with Xavier and Petrina Neil and the friendships that grew from it with the families of Whitegate, an Arrernte camp on the outskirts of town, would nourish and challenge Moss beyond his imagining.The Hard Light of Day offers a rare insight into the reality of life in the Centre, from the contours of the MacDonnell Ranges and the textures and sounds of Arrernte culture, to the endemic violence, alcoholism and ill-health that continue to devastate Aboriginal lives. In recalling the relationships and experiences that have shaped his life and work in Alice Springs, Moss reveals the human face behind the statistics and celebrates the enriching, transformative power of friendship. Illustrated with Moss's evocative paintings and photographs, The Hard Light of Day is an incredible journey into a world never shown in the mainstream media, and an artist's chronicle of the moments that have inspired him.'No other talented white Australian artist has mingled for so long with Aboriginal people with as much respect and intimacy as Rod Moss. The result is an oeuvre of supreme importance to this countrý??at once naked, droll, precise, compassionate: a Realism performed with unusual ethical intelligence. Now we have the writing to match the painting. With regard to our lives and theirs, it, too, breaks new ground.' Barry Hill, author of Broken Song.'Moss sees the truth of the Centre: here is the hidden face of today's Alice Springs.' Nicolas Rothwell, author of The Red Highway A story of whitefella-blackfella friendship that offers hope for the future. Two years after artist Rod Moss arrived in Alice Springs to teach painting, he met an Indigenous couple who had set up camp in the gully beside his flat. Over the next twenty-five years, his friendship with Xavier and Petrina Neil and the friendships that grew from it with the families of Whitegate, an Arrernte camp on the outskirts of town, would nourish and challenge Moss beyond his imagining. The Hard Light of Day offers a rare insight into the reality of life in the Centre, from the contours of the MacDonnell Ranges and the textures and sounds of Arrernte culture, to the endemic violence, alcoholism and ill-health that continue to devastate Aboriginal lives. In recalling the relationships and experiences that have shaped his life and work in Alice Springs, Moss reveals the human face behind the statistics and celebrates the enriching, transformative power of friendship. Illustrated with Moss's evocative paintings and photographs, The Hard Light of Day is an incredible journey into a world never shown in the mainstream media, and an artist's chronicle of the moments that have inspired him. A story of whitefellablackfella friendship that offers hope for the future Two years after artist Rod Moss arrived in Alice Springs to teach painting, he met a married couple who had set up camp in the gully beside his flat. Over the next twenty-five years, his friendship with Xavier and Petrina Neil and the friendships that grew from it with the families of Whitegate, an Arrernte camp on the outskirts of town, would nourish and challenge Moss beyond his imagining. The Hard Light of Day offers a rare insight into the reality of life in the Centre, from the contours of the MacDonnell Ranges and the textures and sounds of Arrernte culture, to the endemic violence, alcoholism and ill-health that continue to devastate Aboriginal lives. In recalling the relationships and experiences that have shaped his life and work in Alice Springs, Moss unsentimentally reveals the human face behind the statistics and celebrates the enriching, transformative power of friendship. Illustrated with Moss's ev A Story Of Whitefella-blackfella Friendship That Offers Hope For The Future. Two Years After Artist Rod Moss Arrived In Alice Springs To Teach Painting, He Met A Married Couple Who Had Set Up Camp In The Gully Beside His Flat. Over The Next 25 Yrs Their Friendship Grew. Offers A Rare Insight Into The Reality Of Life In The Centre. Neighbours -- Shedding Of Skin -- Welcome To Country -- Weaving And Writhing -- Rocks And Hard Places -- Boy Child -- Of Snakes And Men -- Safety Nets -- Falling Dark. Rod Moss. Includes Bibliographical References. Also Available In An Electronic Version Via The Internet At The Publisher's Homepage: Http://www.uqp.com.au. Title Page......Page 4 Copyright Page......Page 5 Dedication......Page 6 Contents......Page 10 Left to Right......Page 11 Preface......Page 12 Neighbours......Page 16 The Sheding Of Skin......Page 26 Welcome To Country......Page 56 Weaving And Writhing......Page 80 Rocks And Hard Places......Page 118 The Boy Child......Page 148 Of Snakes And Men......Page 172 Safety Nets......Page 200 The Falling Dark......Page 236 Afterwords......Page 258 Paintings......Page 266 Related Reading......Page 310 Acknowledgments......Page 312 About the Author......Page 313