Getting underway ...

It seems that the Christmas lull has been a bit protracted this year. Or maybe I am just lazy ...? Anyway, there is a show coming up in February that I am very happy to have been accepted into so I thought I should get started on some work. The theme of the exhibition is "Wear a Piece of Adelaide" and it runs throughout the Fringe Festival (South Australia is the Festival state after all!). The premise is that you can create jewellery that is literally made of a piece of the city or something representative of the city/surrounds. I am planning some pieces made from wine bottle glass, specifically wine bottles from South Australia, most probably from the Barossa Valley because that is where I live!

Working with glass can be pretty exciting and as always when you work with recycled materials, you have to be prepared for outcomes you might not have envisaged. 

This is part one of a multi-part process ...

These pieces will most likely become earrings. Eventually. There are plenty of steps to follow!

Oh and glass can be. teeny bit dangerous ... Band-Aids are a necessary part of this whole process I have found!

Despite the little nicks (wow fingers bleed a lot even from teensy cuts!), I am super happy to be feeling productive once again. Now if I could just summon up the courage to clean up the studio ....

Just saying ...

 Yesterday I was catching up on some stuff in Blogland and read Pip's post about Jay Chou - this fabo artist (like her work dahling!) who has created (among other things) a portrait using coffee stains. You have to see it to get it so click over here. That evening I was adding some patina to some bead caps I had made and I rested them on a bit of scrap paper - nasty stuff patina - it makes a mess. When I lifted up my little beadcaps to polish them, I was left with this ...

The paper was stained by the patina - darker where it had pooled and even a bit of colouration in places. Now because I had seen Jay Chou's work, I looked at this a bit more intensely than perhaps I would usually have done - truth be told I generally just screw it up and chuck it in the bin! Any how, I whipped out my trusty pencil and added a few lines and this iis what transpired ...

Now my point  ( and there truly is one - I promise!) is  not that I am a great artist - clearly - but rather that because I had been exposed to an artists work, I looked at things differently - with new eyes if you like. Hence my outlook was broadened and who knows how this may influence my own work/life and in turn the impact I might have on those around me? Perhaps I will look more creatively at a problem and you know - solve it creatively! Such is the ripple effect of art, seeing it, experiencing it. It is a no-brainer as far as I can tell - we really do need art in our lives. If there happen to be any govern-mental types out there who have the ear of those in control of the money - please spread the word - We Need Art. Art Needs Funding. Shit. I think I just twisted my ankle getting off my soapbox.

Getting on with it!

So what has been stopping me from getting to work on some gear for an exhibition in August? Could it be the looming deadlines for Uni assignments? Perhaps it is the challenge of getting out of bed now the mornings are cold and dark?
Of course I have been enjoying the company of dear friends lately ... Maybe I have just been doo-lallying about or worse still, procrastinating! Valid as all these reasons might seem, I had a sudden revelation last night  - in a flash of brilliant clarity the reason for my lack of progress was startlingly clear - I DON"T HAVE A NICE JOURNAL! Doh - it should have been obvious some time ago that one must have a suitable receptacle for one's ideas and designs. So, it was full steam ahead last night and I whipped up a decent sort of cover for the only journal (not in use) that was lurking in my work room .... 

 

An assortment of odd bits gleaned from the fabric cupboard - I see a bit of a bandanna in there along with a shirt I got from the oppie that the ManBeast declared too "girlie" to wear - that's the small roses on a cream background - pfft - too girlie indeed!

 This is a bit of a woven placemat thing - I remember buying it for the graphic without any real intention for it's use and now here it is, gracing the front of my new art journal - which just goes to prove that covetting interesting fabric and hoarding it is in fact a perfectly sensible thing to do.

And now, the process begins ...

  Wish me luck ...

Speaking of chaos ...

Well this is what my work room looked like a week ago - what a disaster! 

Oh dear - just looking at it makes me shudder!

The place is positively littered with stuff that needs dealing with ...

Eeeeek!

Well the good news is that I have indeed had a clean-up. Really, it was more like an archaeological excavation than a tidy-up! I will show you the proof of my endeavors later ( need to tweak it a bit 'cos I've been working in there ...) but trust me, I really, truly did clean-up and it was well worth the effort. Sometimes you just have to tame the chaos!

Now if I could just manage to maintain a studio like this one ...

This studio belongs to artist Kamala Dolphin-Kingsley and  I found the image here where there are lots of good arty things to read about - isn't it gorgeous? Her work is great - she is a girl after my own heart because in her bio she says "Oh - and I like glitter" after listing off her fave artists! Ah well, I live in hope of maintaining a space that stays this tidy! And clean!

Journeying.

Tomorrow I am off on a wonderful adventure - an art retreat - and guess what arrived in the letterbox today?! A beautifully handcrafted journal made by my dear friend Melissa! It has a fabric cover and the pages are made from all sorts of recycled paper things - envelopes and cards and maps etc. Every page is different and exciting and I can't wait to fill it up with tales of my trip! There are little pockets and windows to put special things in and just the right amount of area to write in - enough to keep a good record but not too much intimidating blank space.
How lucky am I? And how thoughtful is my friend? I have to admit I went the sook a bit when I unwrapped it!
Melissa has called it "An Artful Journey Of The Utmost Kind" - too delightful for words huh?!

 This is what it looks like ...

I have already put pens (3 colours!) and some photos of friends and family in the front pocket. I have packed a tonne of stuff to take with me - good thing I am driving to Victoria - I would have definitely exceeded the luggage allowance on a plane - I probably would have had to buy two tickets!

Have  a great week everyone!

To Market, to Market

If you happen to be in the Semaphore area tomorrow drop by St Bedes market and say "Hi" to me! My daughter and I are having a stall there. We will have handcrafted jewellery, second-hand clothes,elaborate candlesticks and some pretties from Miss Melissa over at Mogs Designs.
Here is a sneaky peek ...

Remember all those glass bits and pieces? Well here they are in their new incarnation!

Shiny, shiny candlesticks.

 

 Pretty jools from Viva la Diva

  

Garlands and brooches from Mogs Designs ( truth be told this is a pic from last year!)

  

It should be heaps of fun - there is live music and excellent coffee so if you fancy a little art and craft by the seashore, Semaphore is the place to be tomorrow.

I won't be drawing the giveaway until late Sunday - ok lets face it, probably Monday - so there is still time to join in.

Wish us luck - lets hope the Market Goddess is smiling on us!

Farewell!

There are other kinds of leavetaking! When a piece of your artwork is off to a new home it can be both exciting and a little bit sad! I keep in mind that the person who bought it must love it as much as me and by paying for it they enable me to get more resources to make more art! Kinda the Circle of Life for artists! This one was called "Third Drawer Down". It has lots of components and bits and pieces - stuff you might have in your junk drawer - every home has one - my fave component is the pig - a kids toy!