needa learn howda knit like dis

Just a quick one.....

this is possibly one of the best things done with needles and yarn to date!

I promise to give you a more thorough update on my BIG project soon, hopefully this flyer image will be sufficient for now ...... good news- I'm up to 60 spheres so far, only 90 to go!

ORGANISM

I've been distracting myself from my BIG projects by tinkering at little ones. This distraction is called "ORGANISM NECKLACE" and is made from vintage kimono off-cuts. The hand-stitch pulls the fabric in so that it gathers, ripples and creates an almost fungi look, or some unexplainable organism.

My paper urchins I've been making for a while now have been adopted by the retail clan at Craft Victoria. If you get a chance, have a look! They're $40 and are handmade from the start to finish!

my fingers seem to be developing calluses simply from folding pages over...

... but that's okay, I have some goodies to show for it.
There has been a little re-working on ideas for the MINE christmas window, however. Originally I was to make a tree from piled book sculptures, but I decided it didn't look as effective as desired. This idea may or may not be scrapped. In the meantime I've discovered my book-sculpting has become somewhat of an addiction.
Got any old books?

feeling bookish

{for a very bizarre reason, I cannot change the polarised look of this image}

{click on the image for a closer inspection}

{this one too!}

I'm making book sculptures for the MINE Christmas window. So far, I've made about six, but have been op-shopping for more. Some days you have the bug for op-shopping, and other days you don't... I had a not-so-successful day yesterday. Venturing to three different op's and not so much as an old children's book in sight!
This beauty is a find my friend came across, and picked up just for me {very kind}. It's a publication from the seventies, and originally published in French. There is some incredible information within the pages, but I adore the pictures.
Happy "hump" day.

Combing the Fringe

As you may know, I collaborated with Darlington Garage for this years just recently concluded Melbourne Fringe Festival. I contributed a family of hanging paper spheres..... and this component won a FRINGE AWARD!!!!! With the aid of substantial funding I have been offered the opportunity to re-create the installation for this years Falls Festival in Lorne. The work will be installed perhaps as a set for the bands, or maybe spread through-out the forest {this idea I'm particularly fond of!}..... What a wonderful thrill!
link
I'll show you MINE

Watching over me day and night

{Click to enlarge}

Gracia Haby and Louise Jennison aka HAMMER&DAISY are installing their work into MINE's window space for their upcoming exhibition "Watching over me day and night".
Come to MINE for our opening night, Wednesday the 15th from 6pm-8pm at 5/540 Mt Dandenong Tourist Road Olinda, VIC. There'll be homemade lemonade!

Darlington Garage Presents.....

I'M INVOLVED IN A FRINGE FESTIVAL SHOW! OUR COLLECTIVE RANGES IN A FLURRY OF PRACTICES.
Here are some images of what you would perhaps catch an eye-full of if you could come and see it....



"Darlington Garage Presents" a showcase of hybrid art, collaborating between actors, dancers, and performance-artists, media and sound artists, musicians, film-makers, photographers and installation artists. And robots.

But just what and who is Darlington Garage?
Well, aside from being a spider-infested shed out the back of dubious shared accommodation, Darlington Garage is a group of emerging artists from various backgrounds and areas of expertise who pool their collective creative resource in the formation production and performance of multi-discipline, multi-medium and multi-faceted pieces.

The works are disparate, but the themes are surprisingly concise and unified, centring around the essential human question: Who am I? Framed in the literal, the figurative, the historical and the surreal, often in the same work, the quest for identity, self and surety, in a rapidly changing world is a crucial part of the artists' work. Being emerging artists, breaking free of the chrysalis of teenage life, tertiary education, feeling the cold wind of the real world blowing for the first time, this search for a self-identity that will stand the test of time, and the tides of ones own mind is immediate, pressing, and also deeply rich soil for creative seeds to grow.

Featuring the critically acclaimed Absolute Necessity, Balls as seen in the Emerging Writers Festival 2008 and several new works across an array of artistic mediums, this is a night full of fun and frivolity that will keep you thoroughly entertained.

AT The Brunswick Street Gallery, Level 2 - 322 Brunswick St, Fitzroy Friday 3rd October through to Thursday 9th October (excluding Tuesday 7th October) from 8pm till 10pm.

paper urchins

Some new work I've been playing with. Yet to be strung on their own length of yarn.

I've defined them as urchins, as the humble sea-urchin shares its resemblance.

sea-urchin noun
any of a group of spiny, marine animals with a spheric shape and a shell made up of many calcareous discs.
{Michael Holland, Heinemann Australian Dictionary fifth edition, Rigby Heinemann, Reed International Books Australia, Port Melbourne, Victoria, pp 996.}

feeling inspired

I hardly show the illustrations I make, so I thought I should.

{drawn from the inspiration of Camilla Engman and Dylan Martorell}

{drawn from the imagery of Bridget Bodenham's ceramic ring and "skulk of foxes" brooch}

Thelma

Well, I know we've been seeing it all week across four blogs, but here are more images of the delightful "Thelma's" creations that are resting under the display lights of the window exhibition space at MINE.
Well Done Elaine! And well done to the helping hands of G and to L.
Also, I made some book-sculptures and they {very luckily} feature as stuffie-supports in the window.
{LoVE}

MY LITTLE MENAGERIE

At MINE- the children's store I work at- Elaine Haby is soon to be exhibiting in our front window. Please do come and visit us, or peek through the window at her sensational "Thelma's" Stuffies and brand new Belgian Linen tote bags.


Here is her artist's statement
"Some come with buttons for noses and others sport stripes on their stumpy tails. Some have small pockets filled with tiny red felt hearts and others have ears that flop from left to right. Some are rotund and others are lean, and some come with lips that are wide and arms wider still. Differences, quirks and individual mannerisms aside, all stuffed creatures are made completely by hand with a full percentage of love by Elaine Haby (who masquerades, with her foot on the peddle of her sewing machine and a pin in her mouth, under the name Thelma).
These are her things handmade especially for you, a host of stuffed creatures and roomy tote bags fashioned from Belgian linen. A recent addition to her handmade parade, her tote bags are large enough to house a stuffed companion alongside a favourite read. Lined and double-stitched for good measure, they ought to afford a grin."

FIND THEM
at
MINE- Kids in Olinda
5/540 Mt Dandenong Tourist Road, Olinda, Victoria.

Lazy lazy

Sorry.... I'm sorry........... I've become a slack blogger.
The worst thing is that I was never a good one to start with.
It's got to the point where I'm considering removing it for all its negligence it receives from me.
I promise I'll behave better.

{Love}

up above

In the store I work at, Nina Still's mobile, "Blossoms". Beautiful from bellow.
You can find them at MINE. 5/ 540 Mt Dandenong Tourist Road, Olinda.

circles

Nests

Here are a few images of the gorgeous nests that were created for the Northern Exposure arts festival. If you get a chance, the display will still be up in the window of "imagine me" at 271 High Street in Northcote for a week. If you're there you must also peak in the next shop's window. In "Big Dreams" you'll see Al Stark's illustrative sculptural installation. It blew me away. I just wish there was more online information about him to pass onto you!
Have a great weekend.
{Love}

northern exposure

I'm contributing work again to the Northern Exposure arts festival. This year for the festival component "High Views". I'm collaborating with a gorgeous troop of young women, and a collective titled "People-heart-People". The installation follows the idea of the home, and what we value in it. We have been busy weaving sustainable and recycled nests from cut-offs of plant-life, and industrial materials, following an ancient Australian Indigenous basket-weaving technique that is tragically beginning to be forgotten by younger generations. Indigenous Elder, Aunty Dot taught "People-heart-People" organiser, Emma Power, and Emma taught me. In an effort to keep this tradition alive, we'll be exhibiting our nests along High Street in Northcote for the arts festival from Friday 20th June to Sunday 22nd June. High Street will be blooming with opening night fever on Friday from 6-9pm. Please Come! Check out the website www.northernexposure.org.au

Sorry about there being no picture for this post!

something is on it's way

Besides folding origami breasts for prospective necklaces, I have been busy with another jewellery concept. It involves paper spheres... lots of them!
Wait and see....
In the meantime follow these links for a bit of amusement.
- Miranda July teaches us how to make a button.
-Andy Goldsworthy's environmental art.
{Love}

birthday

It was my birthday on Sunday.

My family and friends celebrated early on the 25th, spoiling me with banana and chocolate cake, brownie, lemon syrup cake, fairy bread, lasagna, and ham sandwiches... Not to mention a mountain of wonderful and unique presents.
Among my beautiful gifts was a linogirl ceramic necklace, a Bengt & Lotta bird necklace, and a ring recycled and transformed from an old baby's spoon by Melbourne Jeweller Greg Mann at the Rose Street market. I was given a set of dry etchings of endangered fish in Australian waters by Clare Whitney, and a handmade doll found at Kallista market {who I named Poppy, as I was given her on ANZAC day}. Through the mail arrived a gorgeous handmade Oskari, by "Themla", and I was fortunate enough to be given a screen printed canvas bag, and an "electric firefly" light globe {which admittedly Chris and I struggled to put together - but who reads instructions, hey?}
Wow, what a list of gifts....I was incredibly lucky. I just love them all so much I had to share them with you.

Chris and I attended a friend's engagement party on Saturday night in Ballarat, so decided to utilise the experience to venture to regions that were until that point neglected by us. We drove along the highway listening to the unfamiliar voice of a satellite guide, but preferring the wails of PJ Harvey's "White Chalk", and rhythmic intonations of Camille's "Music Hole" until we reached Daylesford.
Here we sampled a very much anticipated coffee and warming porridge from the cluttered and cosy "Cliffy's emporium", before strolling up the tree-lined street, littered with leaves of red, orange, and the most vibrant of yellows, towards the Sunday market, where we found beautiful quinces, perfect for poaching. We discovered "A Day on Earth", quite an interesting home wares and furniture store with a definite otherworldly and industrial pull. Within pidgin holes was found beautiful ceramic works with painted bases by Australian artist David Bromley, and rusting old colanders. Amazing glass blown balls and Japanese fishing floats mingled with old prams and Scandinavian sideboards.
We continued to Castlemaine, where we lost ourselves in an enormous shop which had absolutely everything in it, from crockery, to carpenters planes, old tins, vintage toy cars, antique chocolate moulds, baths, bedheads, and cabinets. We then discovered a bookstore, in which I found myself a $2 vintage children's book, "The Triumph book for Girls". Maldon took us to heritage listed ruins and crisp 7 degrees Celsius temperatures, reminding us even more of the crazy misfortune of forgetting our coats and our cameras for the weekend!

It was a lovely birthday.
{Love}

green

I'm avoiding filling out my grant application.
{Love}

paper me paper you

Contour Line {copyright} paper earrings for sale. Delicate and Intricate layers of alternatively textured papers, with perforations. Silver-plated earring hooks, presented to you in a warm cream-coloured seed pocket. $15 a pair.
In a special spontaneous giveaway a pair will be free to the lucky person who gets drawn out of the hat. Leave your email so I can collect the postal address if you are the winner.
{Love}