a few drawings. a few paintings. and one old globe.

^one moment. one. view.
Pop up studio exhibition.
November 2013^

I honestly dont know where to begin with this post.

I think my silence last week spoke more than any words could.

Its December.

Its summer.

And Ive had my head down and my bum up in the air... trying to get through a pop up exhibition, hosting a workshop by my friend Tina Fox at the studio, and then teaching one final weaving workshop for the year at Koskela.

Yep. Its been crazy.

And now I have a whole heap of photos and stories to share. 

And I dont know where to begin!

So I might just start where my last post ended - and share a few photos from my pop up studio exhibition on Friday and Saturday.

As you can see from these few photos, I had many little drawings and sketches on the walls. Plus a prop or two (thank you trusty globe!). Most of these artworks had not been exhibited or seen by anyone before this moment. They were just drawings that I had placed in folders for me to look at and play with.

So I have to admit it was funny to see them all up on the white walls of the studio. 

But funny... in a good way.

Thank you to everyone who came along, said hello, complimented the works, and also bought! 

Im really excited that a few of them will now be a part of other peoples collections, and be seen on their white walls. 

In the next few days I will be making a donation from some of the proceeds of the sales to the Crohns and Colitis Association. And if you would like to know more about this worthy organisation, or make a donation to their Christmas Appeal,  please click here...

x

My globe makes a rare guest appearance in the tiny pop up show...
I think it enjoyed the attention!

Harbour Thread n Connections.
Mix media drawing on paper.

Another angle on things.

Rattle n Hum Series
 Mix Media drawing on paper

one moment. one view

^Pop up exhibition for two days will be happening at my studio very soon...^

This little pop up exhibition all started with a conversation. 

From a few lovely people who had seen the boat drawings Ive been posting on instagram in the last few months. 

They were wondering when and where they were created, what size they were, what materials I had used....

And then they subtly suggested I put them all together. 

So they could have a look.

Recently Ive been busy working on new artworks for next years solo show, and organising workshops for December and January. 

So I didnt see or appreciate what was staring back at me the whole time.

A pop up show.

Full of all the little drawings and sketches that I have created, but never shown.

So before I knew it I was organising a collection to hang on the walls of my studio for all to see. 

I guess you could call it a pre Christmas get together.

And everyone is invited.

Im actually looking forward to seeing them up on the wall too. And giving them alittle bit of attention... before I get carried away with 2014!

.....

one moment. one view.

pop up drawing exhibition 

November 29-30

11-5pm
24a Australia st Camperdown
Small drawings on paper and wood starting from $45
A donation will be made to the Crohns and Colitis Association from the proceeds of the event

this little post card drawing will be there....
as well as many other drawings and sketches on paper and wood.

I didnt realise how many drawings
 I had created around the theme of boats and the harbour...

Getting them all lined up and ready to go...

u n i q u e

Sandra, me and Tina at the Australia Day ceremony in North Sydney
having our photo taken after receiving the
 '2012 Community Group of the Year Award' ...

Sundays.

A day to read the papers till your hands are black with newsprint...

A day to drink 20 cups of tea with  a side order of 'week in review' chats with friends, family and house mates on a comfy couch....

And a day of recovery from Australia Day hang overs... and of running around parks and beaches with everyone... and no one.

This Sunday im taking it very slow.

And not because of a hang over!

No - Im just enjoying the rain after days of extreme heat.

Im enjoying the act of 'not talking' after a fun trip to The Blue Mountains to visit good friends this week.

And Im also enjoying the quiet that only Sundays can bring, as yesterday was a busy Australia Day for me, as I was up and dressed early for a very special ceremony to receive a truly lovely award for the Pop Up Project.

Late last year North Sydney Council gave us the news that the 8 of us had received The 2012 Community Group of the Year Award for all our hard work on the Pop Up! Which was a huge honour... and surprise.

And yesterday Tina, Sandra, Pat and myself went along to collect our award and enjoy the ceremony, which saw many people receive their Australian citizenship. I had never seen or been a part of something like that before. And seeing a young family from another country be so excited to become an Australian and start a new chapter in their lives was truly moving... 

It definitely was a unique Australia Day.

And one Ill never forget.

Thank you to everyone who was involved with the project and who came along to the workshops....

This award is for you too

x

trip the light

3-metre painting in progress at the pop up studio space, 2012

Its December. Well - it's mid December and Im into my last few days at The Pop Up!

Six months down and only a few days to go....

I cant believe how those months have skipped, or flown by, whilst Ive been knee deep in workshops - and one hellava commission!

Both of these project have pushed my artistic boundaries and given me more confidence as an artist. But this massive commission - to complete two big, technicoloured canvas paintings for a family home in Sydney - let me run wild on a scale that I have never EVER attempted before!

{And funnily enough Ive loved every minute of it.}

Ive had friends tell me in the past, that they would love to see my artwork on a bigger scale. 

Well - Kylie, George, Gino and co.... Ive done it!! 

And I just hope you like the results?

Ive posted about this commission a few times over the past few months, so if you would like a tiny recap, please have a look here.... and here.

But now this little journey has come to an end. 

My paint brushes have been packed away, and ive created a tiny pile of stuff in the corner of the studio that is all ready to be moved out... and moved on. 

Thank you to the Deans, for this great opportunity.

Its been so so great to work on this project...

And in a space that has been truly perfect. 

Nearly there.... but it just needs to be hung on a wall so I can look at it for final touches... Dec 2012

Details from panels 1+ 2...

taking the long view... and starting to think that it needs a title

Ta da! Its finished and ready to be given to its new owners!
And the name?
Trip The Light, 2012, Acrylic on Canvas

workshop weekend at the pop

The pop up space on Saturday -
all dressed + ready to host its last weaving workshop on Saturday...

What a creative week!

And what a massive weekend!

The place never looked more colourful and festive.... as the pop up was used to maximum effect these past 7 days!  During the week worked I worked on the 3-metre painting (which is still nameless), Olenka had friends join her at the jewellery table to make new pieces for Christmas, and on the weekend i hosted a weaving workshop on Saturday followed by an abstract painting/drawing class on Sunday! Phew....

Way back in June eight artists were given the keys to two empty shop fronts in a suburb of Sydney in order to create, inspire  display our wares, and invite the community to join in! After this week I feel like we achieved those amazing aims... having a great time along the way.

Thank you again to everyone who came along to ALL my workshops. Ive loved meeting you, chatting with you and creating with you. Thank you for sharing your creative selves with this tiny project... and for bringing materials and baked goods too! 

I have one more weaving workshop for the year and this time it will be hosted by Object Gallery in Surry Hills! If you would like to come along, please have a look here....

And if you would like to join my mail list for future workshops, please drop me an email at tinytrappings@gmail.com ....

see you soon x

Another amazing group of people at the weaving table... getting busy!

The start of a new coil bowl... made with a mix of  materials to add tons of colour... and texture!

I love it when people create in the colours of their outfit...
This is Amelia and her lovely red nails....
making her first woven bowl 

The lovely Tiffany came along to both workshops -
but on Saturday she discovered my comfy armchair, which is perfect for weaving!

awwww... im going to miss this creative space.

Phillip who came to his second class at the pop up.... sitting next to Anna + Hannah
who were lovely new additions to the table! 

The wall in Olenka's space was given a new look on Sunday...

And lastly - this little still life grouping was from Sunday's
abstract drawing/painting workshop.
We were so busy creating and talking that I forgot to get the camera out again.
Do this is one of the only photos I have to show you... sorry!
Needless to say there were a lot to beautiful artworks created in those few hours...

rhythm and flow

In the Pop Up this week... November 2012

Busy week and my body has quietly whispered in my ear, and let me know that its time to take a break! Which is fair enough. As you're investing so much of your self in a creative project - especially one with a deadline - you automatically start to unwind and recharge when its over. Even if its for only one day!

When the first big commissioned painting was picked up by its new family on Tuesday, all I could feel was happiness and relief.
Happy that it was finished and relieved that they loved it!

In the end I called it 'The rhythm runs though it' 2012, as it felt like there was a river of energy running diagonally though the canvas. There is a landscape in there too - but as it is so abstract I really wanted the title to reflect the colour, light and energy that I tried to highlight through the work.
And boy - is it colourful!

On the wall is the finished painting : The Rhythm Runs Through it, 2012

Still on the easel but im pretty sure its finished

On Tuesday I also dropped off my 3 metre canvas' to start the BIG ONE as it is now called!
But first Im taking a big breath...

pattern play

working on large scale drawings for the commission///nov 2012

Anyone back the winner today in The Melbourne Cup? 

Other than my mate Fiona, I don't know anyone else who was that clever!

I let the race pass me by this year. 

After YEARS serving food to large tables of drunk men in dark suits, I think its an absolute treat to not have to focus on the horse race 'that stops a nation' on the first Tuesday of November every year! 

Im happy to break the pattern and be a bit of a renegade. 

Today I had a much better pattern to tend to. 

And that was my daily stroll up to The Pop Up to play, paint, and this afternoon, say goodbye to a finished commissioned artwork, as it was placed into the waiting arms of its new owners! 

And they loved it! hooray!! What a relief! 

One painting down, one BIG one to go....

Pattern on the ground.... patterns on my apron... and patterns on my top.

Patterns from a mural found at Bondi last week...

Patterns from an artwork created for a special celebration....

Graph paper patterns that form the background to one of my favourite drawings

Patterns created by Emma Kidd aka benconservato... for our pop up workshop calendar this month

And finally patterns to sit on while reading at The Pop Up...

going abstract @ the pop up painting workshop

So many materials.... so little time!
 Realism to Abstraction painting workshop, October 2012

At this end of the big table, Meghan, Cecilia and Julia were getting busy with the watercolours...

Hi everyone....

Happy new week to you. 

I hope you had a great weekend? 

I sure did. 

Saturday was a bright and sunny Sydney day and I had set up The Pop Up with as many art materials as I could, in readiness for all the lovely people who came along to the sold out Realism to Abstraction painting workshop. 

I wanted everyone to feel like they had a lot of choice in what they worked with, and what they created on the day. And boy - did they create - with some amazing images materialising before my very eyes, within two short hours! 

From the table to the floor, the place was a hive of activity and experimentation, and it was really interesting to see how everyone's own unique style came to light so quickly. 

Everybody's starting point was unique, so it was great to see each artwork unfold - with a few great conversations and laughs in between! 

Of course...

It was a full table - and everyone was working in their own style,
using all sorts of drawing and painting materials.... which was brilliant!

Julia was creating this amazing collage artwork using a vase of flowers as inspiration,
Cecilia was translating marks and colours from a landscape image into a dot abstraction....
and Alison in the background was concentrating on colour with a paintbrush in hand.

Down this end of the table Tina and David were creating beautiful abstract drawings
using urban landscapes, and graphic shading as inspiration...

Josephine, who has come along to many of my workshops,
 found a nice quiet spot in the pop up to explore and experiment
with colour and texture with paper...

On the floor - Alenka spread out the materials and large pieces of paper....
and just went for it - which was so great!

The table... filled with so many lovely people.
Tina, David, Maureen, Esther, Meghan, Cecilia, Julia and Alison...
all getting there hands dirty!

I loved that Alison and Alenka worked on the floor.
So great to see so much colour... I just wish I could have let loose too!

Thank you to the lovely Cecilia for the suggestion of this workshop.
I hope everyone enjoyed letting their mind be free in order to play, create and have fun?!

I loved it and im so glad there is another one of these workshops on The Pop Up schedule for November...
As I want to do it all over again.
Now!!
{haha... Im such a big kid!}
x

think BIG.

Shifts in Blue, Mixed Media on paper, 2010

Do you remember when you were a kid on holidays and someone having the bright idea of pulling the MEGA puzzle from the shelf and deciding that it would be the BEST family activity to attempt?? 

I do. It always ended in tears and with the puzzle being thrown into a million pieces on the floor!!

Now... do you remember trying to piece that puzzle back together again on your own...?

Well - this was the dilemma that was facing me a month or so ago when a lovely family from Sydney commissioned me to create two MASSIVE paintings for them, using artworks that I had created over two years ago as inspiration. In my mind those paintings were on a shelf, in a box, and I wasn't sure if I could and recreate them again!

In a post from last week I talked about my excitement at being asked to do this commission, and how I had begun to sketch my ideas out for the first canvas. Well this week im knee deep in paint and Ive moved my sketches onto canvas. Yay! 

Im pretty happy with how its going. So now its time to tackle the second artwork for them... which I have to mention is 3m long and over 1m wide! Im talking HUGE!! And I have to admit ive been a little nervous about this one. Not only will it be the biggest work I have ever painted, but it will be in the style of a series of artworks I completed over 2 years ago.... 

Hence the puzzle!

So how do you rewind the mind and create a new piece when you've moved on from that series artworks? Well.... you pull out your images, you take a deep breath and you start to remember the marks, gestures, colours and ideas that sparked those artworks years ago... 

and then let go. 

The new artworks will never be the same. 

You've changed. You're artwork and influences have changed. 

But what remains is the intention and the feeling that you put behind them.... 

In this post ive shown you some of the works that my Sydney family loved while they tried to work out what they wanted on their walls. These artworks are from The Hummingbird Series I completed at The Primrose Studio in 2010... and they have now become the inspiration for the 3m painting. 

Mosaic Movements, mixed media on wood, 2010

Large scale sketches on paper, 2010

Large scale drawing on paper at The Pop Up Space, 2012

So after looking, feeling, thinking, observing and remembering all those works from 2010, I set up my materials at The Pop Up, and started to create this large scale drawing on paper. 

Now its not exactly like the artworks from 2010.... and its not exactly like the artworks from the solo exhibition this year... 

Its somewhere in between.

It has its own personality.

And that feels right. 

Now back to finishing the first canvas, so this drawing can become a massive 3m painting.... !

Wish me luck!

October Weaving Workshop in session...

Before the October weaving workshop began I took a few photos of the space...
while it was all colourful and calm... 

A tiny new piece made from Vic - on her first day weaving! 

Saturday.

Another beautiful Spring day in the city.

And the table was all ready....

For the October Weaving workshop at The Pop Up.

This month the table filled with so many lovely new people - to meet and play with.

And that's what has been exciting about this project - meeting lovely and inspiring people from all corners of the city. And we have the most amazing conversations! I have to keep remembering to refocus and teach as I get swept up in interesting and inspiring stories from across the table!

It really has been a pleasure meeting all of you. 

And this month we had the full age spectrum in attendance - from a Grandmother of 80 years of age, all the way to a beautiful six year old who came to draw while her mum came to play! 

So so great...

And there is only one more weaving workshop for the year!! 

It will be sad when it comes around in November as Ive loved every moment of these weaving collective sessions! 

Its been humbling and has made me so thankful for this space. 

Anyway -

Hope you like the photos from Saturday....

x

The lovely Alison starting a new piece - while her amazing woven bowl that she started on
her first class sits on the table waiting to be finished off...

The new lovely ladies to the table - Eva, Vic and Louise... chatting and weaving!
It was so great to have to many new people at this workshop...

Pro weaver in the making - Josephine - starting a new piece with a click of her fingers.

Weaving in action - with Kate.

The table - all fresh and new.

The beginning of a new piece... by a new student to the table.... 

So many textures and materials... so little time!
Ands so the table has been packed away until November, and our last weaving class for the year
at the pop up...