t h o u g h t s ....

A tiny toast for the new year!!

this one is an oldie but a goodie... when we still owned foam eskies and drank tinnies of Tooheys Draught!!

Such a big big year...

For me and for many many others....

Some good, some bad... but never never dull!!!

Life changed alot for me as I looked to recover and rejuvenate from all the ill health I had experienced in the last year or so.... and establish new ways of living, breathing, working, communicating and creating!! Yes it was a big year and to try and review it would be hard...

So im going to try and answer some quickfire questions to see if I can find some special moments that I may have shared with you on this tiny blog....


Favourite exhibition....

for fine art.... The brilliant exhibition by Ken Unsworth at Cockatoo Island for the complete experience. The place, the scale, the sentiment...

for craft/design... Hard one but I loved the ceramic show White Heat at Manly art gallery and for jewellery it had to be Mel young and Lauren Simeoni's show at Metalab!


Favourite gallery.... for artist run spaces it has to be Gaffa and the amazing work of Miss Kelly! And for commercial galleries its a hard one... so many different shows this year that many spaces found it hard to be consistent but if I had to choose one it would have to be King on William...


Favourite book... Hard one but I think it has to be White Tiger by Aravind Adiga...
closely behind the God of Small things that crept up on me...


Favourite stroll... Had to be my visit to Cockatoo Island!
Brilliant discovery and new inspiration.


Favourite market...Still has to be Surry Hills markets!
Found many many good things there over the course of the year.
And with a trip to see whats on at Metalab gallery and lunch at
Lemon cafe it is always turns into a great day!



A moment I enjoyed.... Had a great Christmas season actually. Maybe because Ive been feeling better! But had a great time at the Clovelly bowling club for a work Christmas party.... Really enjoyed a day a while ago visiting Manly art gallery for the ceramic triennale, with dinner thrown in for good measure.... And then there had to be my favourite event of the year which was seeing Matthew Herbert and his big band at the Opera House with a drink at the beautiful Opera Bar !


Favourite track/album.... Too too many to mention!!!! Started with the re-emergence of Q-Tip at end of 2008 and now his has just released a track track with Kammal the Abstract which is brilliant!! His is too good! But there was the new album by DJ Mitsu The beats for hiphop, the new album by the brilliant Recloose, Robert Glasper for jazz, The new SA Ra album for nu-wave soul/funk, and the discoveries of Theophilis London+ K'naan with his track America.... There was too too much good music this year and many were found through listening to my guru...Gilles Peterson in the UK!


Favourite gallery walk....Still has to be the walk from Oxford st down to William snaking through Darlinghurst... NAS Gallery, Liverpool st, Robin Gibson, Watters, King on William and sandwiched in there a lovely coffee and some people watching at Bill + Toni's on Stanley...


Favourite tv moment....Toss up between The Wire series 1-5 and the first two series of True Blood... Cops vs Vampires!! Oh dear what does that say about me???


Favourite art achievement for 2009...Had to be making the finals of the Mosman Art Prize but I did love being involved in the Object Gallery staff show again at Gaffa...It was our 3rd successive show and it was fun as always! This year was also special as it was a tiny achievement for me to even participate and get out there after my time at home recuperating....



Favourite bar/cafe.... Had a brilliant night earlier this year at The Falconer... Michael Jackson had just passed away and all night they played his albums. But great atmosphere, food and service... And for cafes it had to be Bayleaf in Byron!

Favourite Magazine.... had to go to Dumbo feather!

Favourite movie.. In the year of the Australian movie it had to be Samson + Delilah! But i also loved Balibo. But some truly great movies this year... Gommorah, Seraphina, slumdog millionaire and more recently Where the Wild things are and Bright Star... And as for docos it had to be The September Issue!

Pluses + Minuses....

For minuses there was the loss of art magazine Art World, the loss of more spaces to the GFC {as if Sydney could loose anymore!!}, the passing of some great artists and the the drying up of some much needed funding to the arts...

But on the plus side there was the reinvention of Art Monthly magazine, the expansion of Gaffa gallery for 2010, the move of Sabbia gallery, the ingenuity and pure inspiration of some amazing people behind the scenes in Sydney such as Nina from COTA + KJ from Object, and then there are the artists who exhibited some beautiful work this year...Thank you!!

And for next year???

There are so so many events that it will be a jam packed year in Sydney! Starting with The Festival of Sydney in Jan, the new Art Month Festival in March which shall be interesting, the Sydney Biennale, Sydney Design 2010 and Art + About in October...

And Im sure there is much much more im forgetting!!

And for me personally...

In 2009 I have learnt so much... about my character+ my spirit, about how to give and more importantly how to receive.... Ive realised a few of my dreams and im looking forward to more opportunities and gifts in 2010! Im excited and open to what awaits and I hope to share some of it with you...! Ive absolutely loved writing this tiny blog...its taken me completely by surprise and I look forward to the next chapter...starting in 2 days time!

Have a brilliant New Years Eve and ill see you soon

take care

xx