because sometimes stupid things are funny

cats from long ago

I was having a coffee with a fellow artist friend yesterday, who was telling me about some collages she'd made in the past of cats with the eyes cut out and more cats' eyes behind them. Spookily (and just plain spooky) similar (we seem to do this quite often - great minds think alike?) to these works, which I thought had cats' eyes in them too ... but turned out to be a raspberry, a flower, and two birds - ha!

What's it gonna be?

The past few days I've been working on some double-doily action - all I can say is thank goodness they sent me two. But now I'm faced with the dilemma - which one?!

There's some splicey colourful action happening here ... and details of my other one to come! (I can't be giving it all away at once now can I?) While I am loving all this colour work, something just isn't sitting right. Do you ever do creative things and wonder how they happened? I really don't feel that this style belongs to me, even though it is me, coz, like, I did it. Obviously. But it doesn't feel me. Me me me! Ok I'll stop.

Don't get too comfy - this one isn't finished, and the other one is still to come ...

It feels like such a strange dilemma though: on the one hand, this doily feels exciting and a little bit scary because it's out of my comfort zone. But on the other hand, it pisses me off - I feel like it's cheating somehow, because I don't do abstract art. But CLEARLY I do. Because there it is. My brain is VERY twirly right now. PLEASE HELP. 

x

evolution?

This is gonna seem really strange, given the size of this work (about 14 x 14 cm), but I have been working on this piece (in a sense) for over TWO YEARS! I know, that is really silly. But I started these little fairy sheep in my honours year and had no idea where to put them - they kept coming out of the collage-material vault (yep, I have a vault) for a play on my cutting mat, and then going back in again.

Finally this wee plant presented itself while I was in Berlin - I have this feeling that these poor little bird-sheep want to eat the nectar that is at the top of the plant, but their tiny little hoofs won't let them get at it - and now I feel mean for turning them into mutants when they could have stayed birds and flown up to eat the nectar. And now I feel a little bit crazy for discussing the welfare of my paper animals. 

Did you know that Sheridan Jones is Awesome?

Well just in case you weren't aware of the Awesomeness that is Sheridan Jones, here's some images from her recent show Above the Mantle at CASPA artist run initiative in Castlemaine. These works have so much detail in them, photos just don't do justice to the intricate work that goes into them - I MIGHT be wrong, but I think we are looking at gorgeous etching techniques, hand-cutting, overlaying of inks and some serious folding work. All in some stunning frames and ... those glass thingies ... what are they called again?

Love that little mouse, and it was sold right under my nose (literally - I was leaning over it and the red spot just whisked its way in)!

I think the owl was the Pièce de résistance (ok yes, I wiki'd that, so shoot me), of the show, entirely sculpted out of paper. Beautiful stuff!

Really, Sheridan's work gives you the joy and beauty of natural history, without the uncomfortable faux pas (so french today!) of having real taxidermy-ed creatures and preserved butterflies to ruin the moment. A delicious (and politically correct) alternative really - I strongly recommend investing!  Sheridan's show is on until the 31st July, so get amongst it! Nothing says fantastic weekend like a day trip to the country.

And if you're in the area, come say hi!

x

Pussy Queen

Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe! (I don't think I will ever make mature work.) I especially like her little man-ferret-adviser.

derek just wanted to get a better look at his balls.

I do apologize - the scanner did some nasty shit to the colours in this painting, they are slightly less scary in real life. 

coloured cockies.

Good morning All!

Here is the next stage of my cockatoo drawings, though I am dubious - I don't know what I was thinking with those colours ... however, one must soldier on. I'll keep working on these suckers and maybe eventually they might look ok again. I now need to reattach their heads to something ...

Though, this one seems to have more than meets the eye - baaaahahahaha! Get it?! I clearly need to leave the house.

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,
x

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!
x

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.