s w i n g

^hand painted textile fabrication for new artworks^

The pendulum.
Did you feel the shift from January to February?
Geez I did.
Especially today.

It was as if everyone woke up from their dreamy summer slumber and decided that it was time to wake up, shake the sand off their feet and get back into 'stuff'. Stuff like new projects, new emails, new conversations and events. School started for parents, teachers and kids in the last week too... so the Summer holidays are officially over. It even rained today in Sydney. The first grey day in about two months or more...

This week also marked my officially re entry into the studio.
Ive been working and sorting out my space, and my head space, as I gear up for a solo exhibition in late July.
I have also announced three new workshops at Koskela and the studio in the last few days too.

And in amongst it all Im starting to realise that 2014 already has a new feel to it.
Im excited for the opportunities and experiences to come...
And the journey that is just beginning to swing into place.

^tiny weaving goes for a swing^

^ new drawings taking shape as they hang on the studio wall^

^trying to find the right marks with my new series of drawings and weavings^

i n d i g o * w e e k

^luna. 2013. weaving^

Did everyone enjoy the full moon last week?

It was so spectacular that it was hard to not be inspired by its luminosity and intensity.

Every year this full moon is particularly special. 

And as such it has a name. 

Its called The Harvest Moon, as farmers could work under its beautiful glow late into the night.

In the studio ive been working on a series of works for my solo exhibition next year. 

And my theme is the universe. 

So you can imagine how excited I was to witness this amazing moon in the indigo night sky.

While weaving this little bowl last week I watched the moon light up the night and I realised how connected we all are to the seasons, the shifts in temperature, the light, and to each other. And how artists are inspired to create what they see, think and feel while in the studio. 

So I decided to name this woven form Luna. 

In appreciation of the beautiful night sky...

and The Harvest Moon... 

that shone brightly whilst I was making it.

^The Harvest Moon. September. 2013^

urban mash up^

While waiting for the car to be serviced I took a stroll down to the waters edge
in lovely ol'Balmain... and found this beauty!
I love the rusted metal on the hoop.
The time was about 1140am

Suburban street. Morning light.
Winter 9.10am

Always love a good lane way...
and this happy little stack of milk crates
was found as the sun was setting at 5pm

The lavender is in full bloom at the moment
and the smell is intoxicating.
Before sunset on Sunday I took this shot at about 450pm

One for the tourist in me.
This image loops back to the top shot
as it was taken down at Thames St Wharf in Balmain
at about 11am.
Everything was crystal blue and sparkling and I was waiting for my car!

view from the hood

^newtown. 2013^

pattern on pattern.

busy artist at his street easel.

street poetry in the form
of binary stencilling, and a paste up!

then + now

Australian Outback 2012,
woven bowl
made with recycled plastic bags +  wool

Desert Palette, 2013,
 made with
wool,raffia, up cycled material off cuts, cotton, recycled plastic rope 

Question/
What are the similarities between these two weavings?
Answer/
Well - Both weavings have the same theme of the Australian Outback.

Both weavings combine different materials and textures.

Both have the same palette, the same feeling, and funnily enough, were commissioned by the same person - to be given as special gifts.

BUT... the bowl at the top is tiny, and made for a little jobs, like giving jewellery a safe place to sleep at night.
And the new weaving -pictured below- is big, bold, and built to hang on the wall.

Over the past few years my weavings were made as a fun side project, and I didnt take them too seriously.

But this year something has changed. 

Ive started to explore and experiment with the way I make them and - like my drawings and paintings - they're beginning to tell stories and convey themes as they start to become part of my new series of exhibition artwork.

I guess your art practice constantly evolves, grows and changes.

But I feel that this change is a big one that Im only now starting to fully explore.

And im excited.

i l l u m i n a t i n g

With a break in the rain... a was able to go out for a walk
 - and just at that moment the sun came out

A beautiful conversation captured between a graffiti tag, and a strand of aerial roots
that formed part of Kath Fries'
installation art piece at The Incinerator Gallery 

I looked down and found this.
 simple. textured. perfect.

The white light of Winter falling down on a bundle of twigs
held together with a blue piece of string

Its a wet, grey, cold week in Sydney
so  I thought I would go out and look for colour.
At the end of the walk  I was drenched!
But I did find this little pocket of colour!

It was the Winter Solstice -
and after a day of torrential rain I had to get out of the house - even for a few moments -
to stretch my legs and look at the Indigo sky before nightfall.

johnny come lately.

vivid festival, 2013

If I said Winter to you what would be the first few words that would spring to mind?

June.

Cold.

Snow.

Home comforts.

A warm fire.

Light installation festival?!

Yep. Im guessing that last one wasnt at the top of your list?!

But in this part of the globe it seems that the Vivid Festival has become synonymous with Winter.

Back in 2009 Vivid was just a little light festival that highlighted small light artworks and installations that were exhibited around The Rock precinct, and found with the aide of a tiny paper map - and a torch! 

Five years later Vivid has been turned into a 'super' festival - merging with The Festival of Dangerous Ideas and The ISEA (Electronic Arts Festival) - offering 3 massive weeks of talks, performances, symposiums, events and walks.

Now - Im a bit of a 'Johnny come lately' when it comes to attending a blockbuster event these days. 

And maybe its because im small and can get easily lost in the crowd? 

Or maybe its because im still trying to make friends with the cold? And with Winter itself? 

(maybe its all of the above!) 

So on Friday night I finally made it down to see the Vivid light show at Circular Quay, before its final curtain call tonight. And, as you can see by all my photos,  I loved it!

The highlight for me was the Opera House projection called Play that was created by The Spinifex Group.

The light show and accompanying score that was projected onto the big white sails, was bigger and slicker than in previous years. And I loved sitting at Dawes Point, on the grass, in the dark, and having the sound bellow out around me.

But sitting under the harbour bridge and watching the night sky light up with flickering lights from the surrounding suburbs is always a magical thing to do... no matter what time of year it is!

a few of my finds while walking around the vivid festival on friday night...

its in the stars....

bits n bobs that are inspiring the new series of works at the studio...

Stars.

The Multiverse.

Strings. Quantum Mechanics.

Bits n pieces of matter and molecule 

that make you and me.

Since moving to the Camperdown studio this massive subject matter that has been keeping me very VERY busy. Ive never been so focused and so inspired to make a new body of work in such a short space of time. Im completely fascinated by the stars. The universe. And everything seen and unseen. 

The colours are alot deeper and the drawings and weavings are a lot more complex.

This week I completed another woven form and a couple of drawings. 

And I should be satisfied.

But Im not.

This subject is too huge and too interesting for one little person and two tiny hands.

Let the artworks continue to flow!

a collection of ideas that continues to multiply and grow as the year goes on....

botanical 101

Botanical lesson #101 with two of the lovely kids that came along to the
Koskela workshop...

A big wooden table all laid out with beautiful green leaves ... before the chaos began!

From reading this tiny blog you may have noticed something about me...
I love a good stroll around my city.
From the inner city to the harbour bush trails,
I love walking and soaking up my surroundings.

The sound of the birds, the smell of the wet grass, the feel of the hot sun on my back
And the sight of a thousands of beautiful colours - from the grass to the tree tops.

That is what inspired the botanical printing making workshop that Ive been teaching for a little while now.
I love collecting a smorgasbord of leaves and foliage for the kids to study and observe.
And then see beautiful wall paper sized prints evolve and take shape from the patterns and textures of each leaf.

(And to watch little faces light up in the realisation of what they have created in the blink of an eye... is priceless.)

These images are just a small sample of what happened a few weeks ago at Koskela when I taught my latest workshop to a group of lovely kids in the April school holidays.

I hope these photos add a little bit of colour + texture to your Monday morning!

Miss Marigold.
These were her practice runs before we started the 3m print!
photo: Ashely from Koskela

Such beautiful prints in the most beautiful colours...
photo: Ashley from Koskela

Bubblegum pink was the preferred colour on the day
Photo: Ashley from Koskela

ps... I just have to say a big thank you to Ashely for all her lovely photos.

lenky's eye...

Alenka and her iphone make a visit to the studio... 

Something new and exciting to share with you today.
And I cant believe its taken me this long to do it!!

After 6 years of writing + photographing for this tiny blog -

Today is the first time Ive ever had a guest blogger.

Since moving into the Camperdown studios in January Ive tried to have as many people over to visit. 

One - because it is such an amazing space. 

And two - because I want others to share it with me. 

I couldnt imagine it any other way. 

The place feels so lovely when others come to sit, play, observe and create. 

And that is especially true when I have lots of people over for a workshop! 

So when my lovely friend Alenka, and her son Jona, came over for a visit a few weeks ago, I was eager to see what her eye would find while she took a walk around the space with her camera.

Alenka is an amazingly creative person who loves to share her projects and discoveries on her beautiful blog called yellowpaperkite. She also loves colour as much as I do, so I knew she would be keen to photograph all my colourful fabrics + objects.

As you can see she took some beautiful photos of the Camperdown space.

But she also made me see things in a new light! 

Thanks you Lenky for your beautiful images 

and for your visit to my Camperdown creative crash pad x

My collection of fabrics... some old, some new... some remnants!

Two woven forms sitting side by side - one made by me... and one given to me.

A little collection of objects -  found for pennies, or given for free !

These little glass jars with rubber stoppers are treasured items to me
as they are filled with pure coloured pigments.
I bought them in Marrakech when I travelled to Morocco 8 years ago.
I never use them!
I just like to look at them.

inspiration * interpretation

Got totally sidetracked this week.

And ended up being completely absorbed by a new artwork,

that I didn't even know I needed to make!

But let me rewind the tape a little.

Last Saturday was the first weaving workshop at the studio. 

And after rearranging the furniture and making sure I had enough chairs, 

everyone had a place at the big wooden table to play + make.

We talked. We weaved. We drank coffee and we promised to do it all again.

It truly was a lovely atmosphere.

And I was inspired to weave again.

In the last few weeks, Ive been making a bee line for my paints and easel,

to work on a collection of ideas that have been knocking around my head for the past few months.

But by Monday all I could think about was weaving something blue, 

something moody, 

and something textural.

Above you can see a few of the things that got the ball rolling...

Texture. A mix of materials. The colours of blue/tan/black. And string. 

But not string in the normal way...

String as in String Theory.

Yep Im heading into Quantum Mechanics and trying to reinterpret 'String Theory' in artwork form.

Will it work?

Who knows.

All I know is that this woven form wanted to be created this week.
And as you can see from the image below...
Its already starting to take shape.

^ b o t a n i c a l *

Botanical printing workshop for kids at Koskela

Last year was a big year of change for me.

After working in galleries for over 10 years, things began to shift.

I left Object Gallery. I challenged myself to complete a new body of work and have a solo exhibition, six months earlier than i thought. I was offered a chance to start a new pop up project with 7 other amazing artists. And I got the opportunity to teach.

Teaching is something that Ive always wanted to do. 

Creating with a group of people is an amazing thing. I love watching people making something new and getting their hands busy with a whole lot of new materials. So much of the work we do these days is technology based. Even in the arts. It makes me wonder where we will be in years to come.  Will we know how to write and draw? Will be shy away from anything creative as we will fear the process of making a mess and playing?

When I was growing up I had some amazing mentors around me. And in primary school there was one amazing and colourful woman named Mrs Salmon. Mrs Salmon taught us craft one day a week and she was someone everybody loved. She was larger than life with a laugh to match. And she always wore brightly coloured clothes while presenting us with an array of crafty projects.

I loved her and her positive attitude. She could make anyone excited by what they were about to make, believing that the act of trying was more important than the completion of perfection - which is a mantra that stays with me to this day.

So, when Koskela asked if I would like to teach a children's workshop late last year I jumped at the chance. 

I thought of some of the fun + easy things I learnt as a kid - and remembered botanical printmaking as a great way of getting your hands dirty with colour.

As you can see from these photos, we had a great class with everyone taking home a big wallpaper sized print to put on their walls. 

This Wednesday im doing it all over again for the school holidays, and there are a few last minute places available for anyone who would like to come and join in.

All the details can be found here.

Thank you to Koskela for these images.

I never got the chance to get my hands on a camera.

They were always too busy!

Getting stuck in with LOTS of colours and lots of paper!

Its printimaking using all your hands, knees, elbows and arms
 as we get busy making our wallpaper design...

in the detail

second koskela weaving workshop

its true what they say...

it's all the details.

I had another brilliant time on Saturday for my second weaving workshop this month at Koskela, as I was privileged to meet another lovely group of people who were keen to create a handmade object of their very own.

I loved watching everyone pick up their materials and click their hands + fingers into creative overdrive, while chatting with new faces seated round them.

Many had never tried weaving before. 

So it was amazing to see everyone leave the class with the beginnings of a beautiful object.

It was a really lovely morning. 

Within a space that is so inviting and inspiring. 

After I had packed my car with all my materials I decided to unwind by walking around Koskela's showroom floor, so I could take in all the beautiful colours, textures and patterns that are displayed on every surface. 

And as you can see from these few photos, I got inspired by all the details.

In even the most humblest of surfaces. 

It really is the little things...

That make me happy.

* r e v e a l *

Trip the Light, Acrylic on Canvas, 2013, 3 m x 1.2 m

So this is just a short post today.
As I wanted to reveal this painting to you.

Do you remember the massive commission I had  for two new canvas paintings last year?

Well - today I can finally show you the happy conclusion for painting #2.... or as I like to call it 'the BIG one'!

It was an exciting process to work on. And a lovely family to work with.
And it has all resulted in this!

The clients are happy.
The painting looks happy.
And Im relieved!
{And happy}

{ IF you would like a recap, please have a look here }

Trip the Light, Triptych painting in its new home....

over a pot of mint tea.

Playtime in the sketchbook... Feb 2013

I love it when things flow and happen - in such a way - that you know they were meant to be...

Does that sound too cosmic and 1970s for this time of the morning? 

Maybe...

But on Saturday afternoon three lovely ladies caught up over a cup of tea and realised that the conversations they were having were important. Important as they were being honest, open and truthful about everything... and nothing. 

We talked about life, the universe, pregnancy, illness, creativity, and about doing what makes us feel happy, healthy, and in control of our own lives.

And about half way through our second cup of tea we decided to get some art materials out on the table and play.

Nothing serious.

Just simple sketches. 

I loved that it all just flowed and no negative words were uttered such as... 'I cant!' 

By the time I was about to leave - after I had been given a house tour by the lovely little Rosie - I felt relaxed, reinvigorated and excited for the week ahead.

Amazing what can happen when we make the time for each other...

And have a chat over a cup of tea.

Thank you Anna and Alenka for a lovely afternoon.

in the stars.

The beginning of something BIG! 

In my last post I was chatting about catch ups over the summer holidays in Sydney and how I spend  my time in the wake of Christmas.

Well - in the last week something shifted.

I was starting to feel restless. Yes - Ive been loving my time with friends and doing all the things that you over summer... like live at the beach! But I was starting to get some ideas about new projects and artworks for this year. Which caught me by surprise as I usually dont get those kinds of thoughts and visions so early into a new year. 

But an idea was asking to be noticed. And before I knew it I was bypassing the beach and making a beeline for my tiny studio under the house. Not to draw or paint. But to weave. And go BIG! 

And today I can show you the first woven form for the year. 

Its the biggest piece Ive every attempted and ive called it Whistlers Star.

Is it what I saw in my dreams and thoughts?

Not quite.

But its a start....

And it truly feels like the beginning of my new series for 2013.

The finished woven bowl entitled 'Whistler's Star' 2013...

A tiny close up...

Pattern on pattern on pattern! Maybe this will be a theme for this year?