Thursday, December 31, 2009

Three Bicycles

The best thing about summer would have to be- apart from developing a honey tan (and increasing skin cancer risk) going for rides. It is just something I completely avoid in winter, and following a troublesome year for my attaining a decent, rideable bike, rides are well overdue.
After much Ebay searching I finally found my little Siobhan, a "mushroom/gold/beige" number, with lever gears and tyres thin enough to eject me from her saddle when squished into tram tracks.
Burning thighs on a ride home after a day of lazing on the beach burning my skin is definately a great feeling, I suggest everyone give it a go!

Rough&Tumbles





I thought taking some photos of my latest knitted pendants against this lovely vine-ridden wall would make great shots- unfortunately, I was a bit wrong, and the harsh sunlight ruined the day! Nevertheless, here are a couple of the more decent ones- after all film is expensive!
Here I've also begun knitting necklaces with tiny needles and embroidery thread, the effect is a very delicate if not ephemeral "chain".

Message in a Bottle


So I finally found that great Industria place that supply those gorgeous little bottles for salt and pepper that places like Batch tend to use. They stock an assortment of little glass bottles and test tubes, I purchased an array, which I will probably use in installations of hanging pieces over the year..also great for housing dried flowers!

Santa Clara













This year (or last I should say) I actually put a gigantic effort into Christmas- I decided rather than spending big $$ on locally designed jewelry, which has been something I've done in past years, I made alot of presents, including hand-sewn and embroidered tote bag "stockings" from vintage quilt covers.
The stockings were stuffed with bought bits and pieces including Loccitane and Acca Pacca fragrances, novelty knitting needles, Aesop soaps and hand balms, Tea Too teas, books, calendars and Baker de Chirico (amazingly packaged) nougats.
Along with all of these goodies I packed hand-sewn and embroidered journal covers- fit with names, from flannelettes and floral quilting fabrics, felt teddies and a little teabag softie for Mum. (I actually remembered the pattern from a book I saw but unfortunately cannot remember the name of)
I spent far too long on wrapping- using a whole Acne Paper and Mousse magazine (expensive wrapping paper I know!), making small tags accentuated with gold pigment and black ink names, and a whole heap of wool (as ribbon) of course!
All in all it was a good day, spent with kind people eating delicious foods- I got some really gorgeous presents including a surprise Coconut Lu bracelet from Ma, but, presents aside- Thank God it's over for another year!!!

A Little Purple


Breakfast


One of Karl's most favourite things in the whole world would have to be eggs. Eggs are probably one of my least favourite things, and having to watch him eat them day in day out can prove to be problematic, but still Karl and I sort of have a tradition of eating great breakfasts.
Here's one we prepared earlier.

Sometimes

Flowers ARE just enough.

Automation #2


This is the beginnings of my second (larger) attempt at an automated cross stitch, through this one I'm trying to evoke a sort of lacework feel, using my favourite tonal palette including, beige, beige, beige, and some peaches.. I'ts a really delicate piece and trying to get every little stitch perfect is proving difficult especially seeing as most of my sewing time is post midnight!

It's hot in the Kitchen








There's something about Japanese novellas, mostly, (or all of the ones that I have picked up) are written in this sort of clear, concise yet eloquently descriptive way, A Personal Matter by Kenzaburo Oe is a favourite of mine.
Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto is a little book that I picked up in a second hand bookshop in Hawthorn about 4 years ago, at the beginning of the year I re-read it, the simplistic manner in which it's written made it almost hypnotic- a strange mood is imbued once the binding is cracked- a similar mood to that created by Haruki Murakamis writing, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is currently housing my miniature persian rug bookmark.
So I thought, why not make this book a little more mine, after sitting quitely on my bookshelf for a few years I altered the paperback by including close-up, fogging, out-of-focus black and white 35mm images of Karl and I in bed.
Some of the images are caught somewhere between totally ambiguous and abstracted, whilst others shout a pretty obvious statement. Kitchen is probably one of my favourite pieces, it's such a subtle memoir, and there is a curious nature in the fact that the dialogue produced by the images can be instantly put on hiatus, with the tiniest movement- closing the cover.

Christmas





Just a few bits and pieces that I got from lovely souls at Christmas time, including a gorgeous handmade fine ceramic cloud to hang heavy on my window frame (I still have to upload some film photos of my handmade gifts and softies.. but alas I'm still waiting on a scanner!!)
Merry Christmas, I hope everyone got as many thoughtful gifts as I did!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Arielle de Pinto





Arielle de Pintos work caught my eye last year, specifically her spooky, woven chain masks, her work, indicative pieces that facilitate the creation of a subtle intrigue- how exactly were these made?? woven, knitted? who knows? What exactly are they??
The exaggerated nature of her often delicate and finely crafted statement pieces is imbued with a spookiness alike no other.
Her masks are in an entire new ball park- something I had never really considered as a piece of jewelery, yet their beauty is undeniable. The fine chain she employs, knitted, woven and looped to convey a sense of webbing, produces a sinewy, metallic evocation.

Maria Lau




Maria Lau is UK design/maker, she develops unconvetional jewelery and prop clothing using semi-precious stones and familiar materials- including pantyhose, or tights, seeing her pieces in the beginning of 2008 inspired me to include this material within my work, a material that holds an ability to parody skin whilst maintaining mundane qualities.
Through her work she solidifies her belief that everything holds a significant ambiguity, on closer inspection.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Mia Pearlman





A few weeks ago I bumped into a little book called Paper: Tear, Fold, Rip, Crease, Cut which opened my eyes to the art of paper cutting- something that I was briefly aware of- after an elaborate jewelery shoot in British Harper's Bazaar this time last year, and a distinctive memory of a lace-like piece in the 2004 VCE top arts.
Yet, ever since viewing the incredible array of works featured in this book, I keep coming across amazing examples of this artform, inclusive of the work of Mia Pearlman.
Pearlman's exquistively cut, bent, and formed paper installations are mind-blowing, the amount of patience and intricate methods associated with these works is awe-inspiring.
Some of the pieces are laser cut, but as far as I can tell most of it is by hand- her layered installations allude to clouds and tornados, an artist-made natural occurrance.

Nicholas Hlobo





Recently, I opened Surface Design magazine, to have revealed to me rather a wealth of inspiration, although I definately could not afford Borders' brutually over priced $27.95 price tag (as opposed to an American $10) I was able to jot down a few names .. Nicholas Hlobo was one of the them- his work with fabrics, and sewing/stitching, using found materials to create three dimensional, highly textured hanging pieces, small sculptures and installation are intriguing and luxurious.
Through the use of satin ribbons he alludes to the feminine and domestic, and juxtaposes these elements with references to male sexuality and phallus with use of found objects inclusive of inner tyres.
Hlobo is an male South African artist employing methods culturally associated with women, he explores themes including culture, sexuality, ethinicity, race and gender.
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