Harpist in the gallery

IF a warm autumn afternoon in Binney Street was not relaxing enough, passers-by of the ARTBOX were turning their heads on Thursday to catch a glimpse of a self-taught harpist in action inside the makeshift, 'itinerant' art gallery. Di Mackrell has been playing the harp for over a decade and decided to bring the smaller of her two instruments - made with all the right curves by Malmsbury musician Andy Rigby out of hoop pine, blackwood, and jarrah - and delight firstly herself with her tunes and then those in the street. Artist Bruce Hargrave worked meticulously on a commissioned water colour in the ARTBOX's corner. Ms Mackrell - a North Dakotan native but now from Kelvin View - has had enough years in Australia to almost cover her mid-west twang when she stopped after a mesmerising rendition of Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Waters. "If you have played the piano, then there is a lot of transfer which I discovered because I was first a piano player. "I always wanted to play a harp but I had other instruments and thought maybe I don't need a harp and then I went to a music camp and they had one and I asked if I could try it. "And because I played piano and could play by ear, I could play a tune straight away. "So I just had to have one." She then plucked a few strings and her revere for the harp returned as the lulling opening to Sting's Fields of Barley drew the lazy afternoon mood back again.

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