Friday, July 9, 2010

Tah Tah!



I've moved!!! (I think!) I'm still getting used to it, so cope with my lack of internet talent for a while! But come and visit me over here!!!

http://claraemily.wordpress.com/

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Cross Stitch amendments,,



This is my second large scale text based cross stitch of 2010, I've been completing them on black aida cloth in order to differentiate mine from the another style in the class, and also working in this large scale rather cold, freehand font. I've decided that although they are aesthetically contemporary and cleanlined, I'm going to work on some smaller cursive fonts in order to make these pieces a little more 'me', they will still be on the larger scale, just hopefully not so time consuming as I currently have about six to complete!

Flotsam & Jetsam





After many excruciatingly frustrating trials, involving cotton, crochet thread and embroidery threads, I've finally found a thread that has the strength to hold my manipulated shells, and here are some shots of the (almost) finished product - it's been pared back and simplified into oblivion, but I kind of like the fact that at least one thing in my 2010 portfolio won't be entirely over the top!

Wool Braids!

Despite this terrible photo of my translucent vampire skin vs. my flurescent red dress, and funny face - I finished another French knitting plait necklace last night, whilst waiting for Karl to finish cooking dinner - I'm planning on sewing two or three together, they're much more effective as larger more structural pieces!

Sarah CrowEST


I briefly checked out the happenings at Linden today, and Sarah CrowEST has some seriously intriguing and awesome sculpture/ceramic/figurine kind of things on show at the moment - glitter ah! And although I couldn't find any appropriate images, it was a pretty exciting exhibition, I loooveee seeing interesting contemporary ceramics in real life (as opposed to craft/art magazines) I studied ceramics as a brief minor in my first year at UB, and I really think that the lecturer stuffed up by not showing us much contemporary ceramics- instead we were told to research makers like Picasso and Rudy Autio - there is so much awesome ceramic stuff going on out there and if only we'd had a helping hand in finding it there might've been a lot more ceramic majors graduating this year!

Friday, July 2, 2010

With Glass



At the beginning of the year I collected and cleaned a heck of a lot of smashed windscreen glass from sides of roads around my area, I was planning to use them in an installation at the end of the year- accompanying my baby quilt actually.
But as soon as I brought them into the studio, another student literally grabbed hold of my idea and has used them in a series of photographs, therefore, I haven't been able to use them at all, despite it originally being my idea and the object containing symbolism appropriate to my work.
In short, I've had to abandon the material, and find something else, which I won't be bringing into the studio, and thought that I would take some shots with the glass, just for fun, here are the more succesful ones - I was reinterpreting and old idea, having had adopted similar compositions in my manipulated Japanese novella piece from 2009.

2010 Photo Series








Disappointingly, after taking a trip to my mum's, and driving around for a quite a while in the dark around Wonthaggi, and even going to the cemetery in the middle of my night by myself, none of those particular shots worked out - not a single one!!!
So out of the last few rolls of film that I've had processed these ones are probably going to be featured in my end of year series.

My street..


I've lately been trying to take alot more photo diary style shots- as in I'm trying to have my camera more readily avaliable at all times.. here are some of the results from my street!





I'm beginning to be a lot more appreciative of my little apartment in the winter, it's relatively cosy and I'm quite happy to spend alot of time indoors, working on various projects I've also worked out that having numerous candles lit not only creates a warm aesthetic lighting but also works as an extra heating supply!!

Yum Yum at Mums!



I did a heck of a lot of cooking whilst down at my mums, lamb cutlets with lemon and garlic asparagus and honey roasted dutch carrots, not to mention vanilla almond and berry cupcakes, carrot cake and yoyo's!
I also found my new winter love, whilst I was spending my time in mum's warm lounge room crafting away, it is fresh lemon and mint and honey tea! It's so good and not too bad for you either (I assume!)

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Julianne Swartz




These are some of Julianne Swartz poignant photographs, I'm positively obsessed with any incorporation of mirror into art pieces!
Currently I'm being extremely productive, but my creative juices are definately a little in drought at the moment, seeing works like these can definately lighten the mood!

"In The Ditch!"





Here are some pics of the finished baby quilt (almost finished, I still need to decide what to, and embroider a patch onto the underside and organize installation techniques, but these things have all been put on the back burner as I'm planning to exhibit this piece in the end of year show as opposed to the upcoming Melbourne show!) with mum's help and quilting expertise, we completed the quilt, with cotton batting, quilting in the ditch and a hand sewn binding (edging).
It's a lot smaller than I thought, and might take a few washes to get the flexibility that my installation ideas will require, but I truly love it and think it's a pretty good effort for a first quilt!

Sunshine Possum

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

sunlight recedes,
wolves howl in the night,
amongst red cellophane rooftops,
together we ate,
gnawing on the tense bread,
that was ours,
in the moonlight,
fur encompassed,
and mother's narrowing eyes were upon us.
Find me inhaling blue carpet,
sipping red currant iced tea,
mallards are windswept,
and frozen in flight.
Suspended above us.
As the ocean wails,
he comes,
circumfluent,
LED lights burn,
in the distance,
an amber glow.
Before sunrise,
before nostalgia,
we are enveloped by billowing red curtain lengths.
Toes exposed,
blue ice cold.

Rose Tinted Sinew


I'm not sure what's going on with my scanner, but here's a blurry image of a free form tapestry that I'm doing on a rug making base - it's a pretty quick little format, and I really love the alternate depths and dimensions the loose frame implies.

Tin Chandelier




I spent the entirety of my saturday drilling tiny holes into this tin box lid, with my trusty Dremel, and then threaded them with Swarovski crystals - I figured if everyone else in my class has decided to incorporate a kinetic element to their work (I would be utterly surprised if any of those aforementioned students knew the definition of this word) I've been forced to "up the anti" - and although these images don't really explain what exactly I'm doing, I think I have sufficiently 'upped the anti' with this tiny piece, I've just got to decide on lighting!
(Oh and I just thought I'd post some images of the damage you can do to your cheapo Ikea desk if you don't use a mat whilst drilling!!!)

Free style Text Cross Stitch



I'm getting much, much faster at cross stitch, considering these are the first non-abstracted/automated ones that I've done for about six months, I'm proud to say that each rather large scale stitching is taking me around four days to complete - therefore, I'm feeling good, a little less stressed even!
(Oh, and I'm calling them free style just this once, as my Mum was extremely surprised that I don't use a font pattern!)

Monday, June 28, 2010

The Bay


And seeing as I forgot my camera lead have a photo of it down here from less freezing times .. gotta love that graduated pastel sky!

Suck Lemons!

I'm at my Mum's place in the country at the moment, forcing her to help me finish my quilt, generally just sewing, sipping coconut black chai steaming hot tea with honey, baking carrot cake, watching my sausage dog make an absolute fool out of herself, and might I admit it, relaxing just ever so slightly!!

I'm loving the fact that the old ladies in the op shops down here (I got an AWESOME tan suede parka today for $5!) not only sew ALL of the stuffed toys in the shop jumpers, beanies and general warmth but also sell home grown non waxed lemons for 20c a pop!! So cute! These lemons on the other hand are of the fabric variety exquistely crafted by my exotic friend Sharon!

Friday, June 25, 2010

Carried on the tide of progress, we all seem to be fast-forwarding into a future where our memories become irrelevant relics from a useless and discarded past. - Matthew Flaming

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Skully Wuggle




This week has been extremely productive - I've finished the topside of the baby quilt, organized alternatives to casting my bones (here seen in gesso process), taken numerous photos and numerous more shall be taken over the next 7 days and started on a new embroidery/wrote a few more pieces of prose that are waiting to be embroidered!

In the remnant of the study break I intend to finish the embroideries/quilt, take way more photos ready to have printed, source the presentation bits and pieces, consult with a neon maker, re-think and produce an alternative to the rose ceiling piece - thanks to a rather abrupt flourishing of kinetic works within my class.... mmmm let's not talk about it... re-develop the memoirs of flotsam and jetsam pieces, and at some point in time get to all of the bajillion awesome shows on in Melbourne at the moment! Excited much?!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Quilt #2




And so here are some shots of the completed first component of the baby quilt, it's made up for fabrics including swatches of old clothes, pillow cases and the main fabric is an old doona cover that I've had for as long as I can remember, and the one of the major concept behind the works is to mystify the object whilst maintaining it's imbued memories.
I do worry that it looks a little too much at this stage, and I had a few ideas for the installation that I think I might encourage towards different projects as I think it would just be way too over the top! But as much as I hate to admit it, that over the top, kind of clashing florals is very me, and I think everyone who knows me will probably agree with that assesment!
Anywho, tomorrow I'm off to have molds made for pendants, followed by a solid night of full-steam- ahead embroidery things are getting serious over here!!