tough titties in the post!

Yeehaa! What a crazy day it's been - like a normal person's Monday really, with important emails, deadlines, forms and five chocolate biscuits (I must be getting better).

You may have heard (or read) me mention a group show that I'm involved in next month hosted by the tough titties group, A Touch Of Class, as part of the annual Sydney Design Festival. This has been organised by the clearly awesome Alex and Lou (who are THE tough titties), as a hats off to women's traditional skills of yester year. The works are to be made on gigantic doilies, and I've been waiting for DAYS for my doily to arrive from Sydney - and lo and behold, just when I thought I better ring someone, I look out the window and there's the postie, holding a giant tough titties tube. Oooh!

One of these days I'll manage a not blurry photo. Gah. But now for the next challenge - what the hell am I gonna put on a giant doily?! (Apart from a giant piece of cake ... keeping in mind I gotta get this sucker back in the tube again ...)

So if you happen to be in Sydney on the 3rd of August, at Somedays gallery in Surrey Hills - check it out! Unfortunately I won't be able to make the show, so it would be great if some of you Sydney-siders could report back! I can't wait to see what these other ladies do with their doilies. Doilies is starting to sound like a made up word now. Doilies doilies doilies. Anyway, more info can be found on the tough titties site, and you can 'attend' the event on the facebook page here!

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some doily art to attend to.

Doily.

a whole lotta cocky

Oh my god - I could have a field day with the amount of cock-related humour here. I will TRY to refrain (but know this, I will be giggling the whole way through this post. I can't help it.)

Here are some samples from my most recent endeavour (e.g., picking up a pencil yesterday), a study on my most favourite bird, the white Cockatoo. (Or in THIS case, Cockafive - HAHAHAAA!!!! I know, what a dad joke. I am a little ashamed.) There a billions of them up here in Daylesford, and they truly are a sight to behold. These sketches are part of a bigger plan I have (with a whole lot MORE cockies), but are still in experimental stage. So we shall see!

I am still kinda amazed at how different it can be drawing the same thing over and over again. Repetition. Fascinating stuff (for me at least).

Hope you enjoy,
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experiments in colour

Just been fiddling around with the tree in the back yard again (wow that sounds wrong). 

But if you turn it on its side, it kinda looks like an eagle or hawk or something! Either way, its been nice to do some meditative work lately, a little like colour by numbers, but less regimented.

preview

Currently I'm spending a lot of time in bed. The flu is a bitch. And I'm talking real live flu with pain from my eyeballs to my toes. It's making me pretty grumpy actually. However, a friend sent me an awesome pick-me-up email, which inspired me to at least get out of bed to clean my teeth. Now that the painkillers have kicked in, I'm having a lovely (yet somewhat comatose-type) play on the computer. I thought 'my goodness the blog's looking a bit 'sadlies' (a term my dad uses for me and my sisters when we're being pathetic ... like now), I better get something on there.'

So here is a wee preview of a large-scale work I recently completed. I can't give away ALL my secrets at once can I? As soon as the sun comes out again (hopefully soon), I'll get some more photos of work happening. In the meantime, it's soup and tea for the next few days. And possibly a disney movie.

Next time I promise to be more sprightly! And maybe more generous with images ... maybe.

Hehehe!
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please pause for a shameless moment

I will freely admit; that I feel like a bit of a tosser this week. And that is because I am now officially one of those people who carry around business cards. My smarmy chuckle when I smugly hand them out comes all too naturally - it's a little bit scary. But I can't help it. THEY ARE SO COOL!!! I mean LOOK! They are teeny weeny little pieces of cardboard with PICTURES ON THEM! And not only pictures, but MY pictures! Whaaaaaaaaaaaat!? There is something uncannily seductive about the printed word, so make that printed word your own name and all hell breaks loose. Am I the only one who feels that? 

What I really mean to say, if you are one of the poor souls (e.g. half my mates) who've had to smile politely and somewhat enthusiastically at me, after having one of these (awesome) suckers shoved in your face - I apologise. I know that you know that I know that you already know my phone number and email address. Thanks for humouring me guys.

... But they're TINY! What's not to love?!

sketchy ideas in the meantime

I'm having some thoughts that may develop into ideas, but in the meantime, some gouache-doodling is keeping me afloat. Aaah.

work in progress

Drawing that may well become a painting that may well become something else after that. It's getting there.

whimsy thinking and carrot soup

Hello All!

You might be wondering (or not) where I've been the past week, and here I am to tell you. In between starting a new job as a PR assistant, having True Blood marathons on the couch (it's winter, give me a break!), inventing new soups with whatever's left in the fridge (today's soup is carrot, celery and lentil - I'll let you know how it goes), I have been THINKING.

What is this 'thinking' you speak of? Well, it is a vague and elusive temptress, that's for sure, very difficult to grasp. As you might already know, I spent the last 18 months specifically not exhibiting my work (a couple of shows slipped in the cracks accidentally, but it happens). Well, when I finished my honours degree in 2009, I was so mind-fucked that I wasn't sure I ever wanted to exhibit again ever ever. The system of financial support in Australia for art making is so shitty that I got cranky with the whole thing (which I create a whole new blog about). So I just kept my head down and got stuck into my version of bedroom art, and worked a 'meh' job, in an effort not to starve.

So in the last few months, now that I live in a bigger place with room for my desk (bless it's crusty old soul), and a little more time on my hands, I have started to think again. It's nice. I've been thinking about my work, and where it sits in context with this sphere of contemporary art practice in Australia. I still don't know - I told you I was thinking, not writing a Phd, ok? This led to some idle ideas of maybe trying to get some exhibitions after all. Maybe give myself a bit of a productivity kick in the bum.

So, maybe this is a good thing. Just from my 'thinking' I've been invited to be in a group show in August in Sydney, as part of the Design Festival (all will be revealed soon), a solo show in September (all will be revealed soon-ish) and an invitation for a project show at a prominent commercial gallery in Melbourne for 2012 (where THAT came from?) - details to come.

So all in all, I have decided that so far, perhaps thinking is actually rather productive. Who knew?

In the meantime, stay tuned for exhibition dates and sneak previews of works!

x

The other side

Ok, so I know what it looks like: I have a thing for fish. And cats. But it's not that I swear! Or is it? Hmmm. All I know is that there is a whole lotta colour and pattern going on here, and I like it.

Content aside. Not my fault that this cat is clearly a greedy mofo.

I really shouldn't have said anything - the more I write, the closer I become to being that crazy cat lady who sits in her room all day cutting out pictures of fish for her pretend paper cat to eat while singing folk music way too loud. 

Oh god, it has already happened. 

And some closeups for your sweet selves. Click on the images if you want to see even closer - this work is 76 x 100 cm on the crispiest fabriano tiepolo paper you ever saw (can you tell I went shopping this week?) - mmm, large!

Tomorrow? Maybe back to birds ...

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golden afternoon

Who am I kidding? It's fricken freezing out here. I woke up this morning and the whole street was shrouded in thick mist - couldn't even see the house over the road - true story! It was pretty awesome actually. Mmm ... missssst. Still can't get past that tree out the back - so mesmerising to draw! This piece goes with that series I seem to be developing, which you can see here (if you like).

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golden trees

and a very good day to you sir.

x

More schtuff.

I know I know - its all been a bit heavy on the 'here is some work that is now in a frame!!!!' lately, and not enough 'here is some NEW work, but I just can't help myself. There is something so luscious about a framed piece, like putting the finishing touches on it. And look: shiny.

Apologies for the crappy image - I will try harder next time!

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Laying down the law

Hello all! Here are some pictures of my work hanging in the Media Arts Lawyers (check out their website - it's awesome!) offices in Melbourne. Cool no? The lovely Romani Benjamin hung them for me, and don't they just look super cute? It's nice to have work in an unconventional place as opposed to the white cube. Loving their wooden in-trays too. Mmm. Gotta get me some of those!

And hey, if you're thinking you need some kind of law-like legal services, especially if your in the music/entertainment biz, these guys can sort you out.

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Aqualung

After months of cutting, here's a large scale work for your viewing pleasure, just finished! It is so strange, this work is approximately 75 x 55 cm (quite massive for me, compared with my usual 10 x 15 cm type works), but just doesn't feel big! Not enough fish? Maybe.

I brought these fish back from Berlin (and have been painstakingly cutting them out for the last 2 months), so it's nice to be able to use them at last! I made this work with a friend in mind, who was keen to have a 'kitty explosion' for a new album cover - so we'll see how he finds it!

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Garden View

This morning I woke up with that feeling of nothing to do. I mean, don't get me wrong, there is heaps I could do, but I have nothing to do that needs to be done today. No jobs, no workplace to go to. It is most unsettling. I know I should then do the dishes, wash my linen, apply for grants and shows, do a yoga session ... but all I can seem to do is stare out the window.

There is this is the tree that sits in the 'no man's land' between my back yard and the next door neighbours. See, the neighbours own our house, and in an effort to create a sound barrier, fenced off about 3 x 10 metres of (our) yard. There is a gorgeous tree in the middle, with remnants of a tree house flaking away on it. For now I am just content drawing it, but come spring, I will definitely be climbing over that fence!

You know, if you want to see the images in more detail, you can give them a hearty click.

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