Winter Art Bazaar

I had my very first stall at this years Winter Art Bazaar, and it was loads of fun (and lots of hard work). We were fortunate to have beautiful sunny weather, and a reasonable turn out despite the cold. I received many compliments on my work, and only one or two little old ladies said "I just don't understand it". I even sold a couple of items, and made a few contacts with other arty farty people, which made the whole event worth while.

Here are a few pictures of the stall, and a bit of a sneak peek at the things I had for sale. Those items that didn't sell are gradually being added to my Etsy stall, as well as some new works and some other bits and bobs. Get in quick before it all goes!

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A little something..

I've finished the rose I was working on. Finally. Just in time for my brother's 21st birthday too.

Here are a few progress shots. I had completed the rose in black and white oil pastels and was originally planning to paint the background with acrylics. I really enjoyed working with the oil pastels though, and I had forgotten the intensity of colour that could be achieved with them, so I continued with them for the ground.

I am really happy with the end result, as is my brother. I kind of like that the rose is floating about over some random abstract assortment of colours and shapes, and that the rose (a flower normally quite vibrant) is devoid of all colour, as it is concentrated in the background instead. I gave it a clear coat of gloss enamel before handing it over, as the pastels easily rub off and smudge with contact. Hopefully this will allow it to last the test of time.

Happy Birthday little brother. X


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Wishing for longer days and a sleepy baby...

It has been a while since I've managed to find the time to make some quality arty stuff (that hasn't been intended as a pressie for someone), so there has been fewer time to blog about it. Oh how I wish for longer days, and a baby who would sleep a whole lot more. We can dream can't we?

Anywho, I felt I had no direction with my artish endeavours, so I have embarked upon a new body of work. I don't really have a title that encompasses all the ideas floating about in my head, but hopefully I'll come up with something soon. I am in love with pattern and colour, and I have always been fascinated with doodles (not the rude kind) and automatic writing/drawing. I am inclined to believe that Jackson Pollock was closer to the truth when he exclaimed that there are no accidents, but I find it fascinating to see the beautiful patterns and forms that often emerge from the unconscious when idly sketching away at the edges of a page. Mine always tend to contain intricate little patterns and details, which when enlarged are really simple compositions of geometric shapes. I love that the imagination recalls images of objects or people that we are familiar with when we look at abstract forms, so I've kind of run with it. I'm currently working on a few paintings, as well as embroidery and plush creatures, so it will be a mixed bag of work really. Hopefully in the end it will all come together.

This one is acrylic on canvas, approx. 62 x 50 cm, no title yet. My husband thinks it looks like the queen in profile, with the top being her crown and the right side her face. Now that he has put the image in my head, its all I can see. Perhaps I should paint 5p in the upper left corner.

I think a great deal of my inspiration also comes from textile design, and patterns designed for home interiors.  The painting below was a gift for my lovely husband, and one of my personal favourites. It was inspired by an IKEA fabric that had uniform rows of tear drop shapes in black and white. It's no longer being sold so I'm afraid I can't say who the designer was, or the name of the print. It reminded me a little of the work of Mitjili Napurrula, and aboriginal artist working in the Northern Territory. So here is my interpretation, more organic than the fabric design, but still in contrasting rows of black and white. a little more unifrom and less colourful than some of Napurrula's works. There is something a bit special about black and white patterns, for me at least.
 

Apologies for the picture quality. I was too lazy to take it down from its place on my living room wall, and the lighting in that room is terrible for photography. It is acrylic on canvas, untitled, and measures approx. 77 x 102 cm.

Well, as long as the boy is still napping, there is painting to be done.


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The holidays are over.

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season. Having celebrated my husbands birthday which is in February, I came to the realisation that the holiday season is well and truly over, and it's time to get back to work. I have been a very busy beaver these last few months. Among friends and family, we decided to try a hand-made Christmas. Rather than spending loads of money on gifts, we crafted our little hearts out making lots of presents for everyone we know. Not everyone thinks they are creative, but when the push comes to shove, all the presents I received from the crafty and non-crafty people were thoughtful, innovative, and lots of fun.

Among some of the things I made was a little box frame collage for a good friend who once told me that everyone needs a little whimsy in life. The photograph below doesn't really show the depth of the piece, but the text is made from pearly card stock with pink thread sewn on the sewing machine, and is adhered with thick double sided tape so that it has a three dimensional effect.

Another one of the gifts I made was a little note book. I have a collection of vintage Golden books which my son and I love, but some are a little politically incorrect and very much a product of their time. This one had some beautiful illustrations though, and was titled 'The Glad Book'. I took the book apart, kept a few of the prettier illustrations, and cut some pages of coloured paper and graph paper to size. I reorganised the pages, and stapled the covers back on, using some fabric tape to reseal the binding where the golden book binding usually is.

I was stumped when it came to another of my friends. He likes art and architecture, and while I was looking at some photographs I had taken on a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York a few years ago, I stumbled upon these. I had been so inspired by the building as much as its contents, that I photographed elements of the architecture, including these three images of the ceiling at different parts of the building. I altered the colours of the images so that instead of being black and white, they had a blue, teal and purple hue, making them pop. I then mounted and framed them. Voila!

Among some of the other things I made were a black cushion with the word 'Meh' appliquéd on the front in white; a t-shirt with the slogan 'IRONY: The opposite of wrinkly' which I saw somewhere but don't know who to attribute it to; A massive (store bought) mug, personalised by printing onto it with stamps and ceramic paint; another cushion made of the most awesome moustache fabric; and a white singlet t-shirt that I covered in grey paint splatter. Naturally I was so excited about the gifts that I forgot to take photographs of them to post here, so once I have chased everyone down for pictures I'll post them here.

I also got busy taking photos of my son dressed up in tinsel, and a few of him sitting in a basket on the beach with some letters in the sand spelling XMAS. I sewed the photos to some cards made of various pieces of card stock, and some holiday greetings typed out onto white paper with my vintage typewriter, and glued to the card. They turned out better than expected, so I'll chase them down and post some photos here too.

I'm still working on the rose painting, as well as a few other little projects now too. I can't wait to finish them so I can post them here. I might pop up a few progress shots soon too.

Enough blabbing. Back to work!

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Hopscotch Sundays...

So I promised to list some of my items for sale in my Etsy store, but that hasn't eventuated. Last Friday I got a call asking if I could do the Hopscotch Sundays market at Broadmeadow PCYC, so I saved it all up for that. 

I was super excited, but also super stressed  because it was on Sunday, so I only had a day and a half to prepare! Fortunately my handsome Husband didn't end up having to work on Saturday, so he looked after the little man while I ran around like a chook with my head chopped off. 

Newcastle has a lot of great stores, but they are all spread out. What we need is a great big superstore, with sewing supplies, art supplies, hardware, paper supplies, office stuff and snack (most important) all in the one place. And an IKEA... but I digress. 

Eventually I had everything I needed, and I headed home to finish up some of my bits and bobs so they were all ready for sale. I ended up with bibs, upcycled glass jars (a great success, so there are more coming), Xmas decorations, brooches, pirate badges, hand-painted tea cups, fabric belts, appliquéd tea towels (also popular), a few little art works and one of my plush dolls for show. Here are a few (poor quality) pictures of my set up. I am yet to get any signage, but that will come later.

It's a fantastic market with so many talented stall holders, but unfortunately it ran at the same time as two other large markets on a stinking hot day, so we didn't get much of a crowd. Despite that I still managed to sell almost all the jars, some cups, some belts and a number of brooches, so I was pretty pleased.

What a long day, but also fun. Hopefully I can get a place at some of the monthly markets in Newcastle so I can make this a more regular event. 

Products of a one lady sweat shop...

The past month has been a very busy one. I've been working on a number of crafty projects, some of which will be listed for sale in my Etsy shop soon. 

I think I was channeling feelings of romanticism and feminism when I made this spotty fabric belt. Tied in the back with a lovely big bow, and accented with a cute little vintage pearlescent button at the front, it dresses up any plain dress or long shirt, without being too over the top. I've made another one out of the left over fabric from my wedding dress for a more formal look, and I'm working on some brighter colours with fabric flower accents for a sunny Summer feel. More pictures coming soon. 

Since my little man has begun eating solids, I've a new found appreciation of a good bib. I found that there were practical bibs that weren't so nice to look at, and pretty bibs that weren't so practical, and everywhere I go, the only options are pretty pink things for girls, and blue things for boys. Frankly, that's pretty much the case with any baby accessory, and I am a bit sick of it. There are so many other lovely colours and patterns that are great for both boys and girls, so I've decided to make my own. Here are a few I've whipped up. They are big enough to catch most spills and splashes, with stylish contemporary and vintage fabrics on the front, and an absorbent terry cloth backing for extra messy and dribbly babies like mine. They now have snap button clasps which weren't affixed when I photographed them. 

I've also been thinking up new ways to get crafty on a tight budget, and have had a go at recycling and repurposing things I find around the house and in op shops (thrift stores). Below is a little experiment with some glass jars, little plastic figurines I found stashed in my craft cupboard, a hot glue gun and some spray paint. Now I can keep my little odds and ends organised!

To new beginnings...

Welcome all and Sundry to my new blog. I am really excited about getting this blog up and running, but I spent so much time perfecting my bio (and browsing the interwebs) that I ran out of time to write a glorious masterpiece of literature to mark my first post. Instead, I will leave you with a picture of one of the pieces I am currently working on. It's a little bleak at the moment, but it will be much more colourful once completed. 

I present, a rose...