Would you like to meet our goats? This is Lucy and Maud (I named them after Lucy Maud Montgomery who wrote Anne of Green Gables) and just incase you're wondering they're not inner city goats, they live with my lovely fellow just outside of Melbourne where they have lots of land and even a small unused quarry to climb about on. We adopted them when they were only a few days old and had to bottle feed them for the first three months as they each came from a litter of four and weren't getting the attention they needed. They are now very tame, they follow us around and come when called, that is when they're not too distracted by what they're munching on. I can not speak highly enough of goats, they really are the most beautiful animals you could ever care to meet.
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Thank you Indie Fixx for interviewing me for your Wednesday Indie Artist Fix! Thank you also to Amy over at the beautiful Pikaland for mentioning my 2011 Calendar.
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I can't help but think that the greatest responsibility of working high up in the city is not to let anything fall out the window!
I'm sure nobody on Little Collins Street would appreciate a pot of Windsor and Newton ink landing on their head.
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This is an illustration I recently completed for an English speaking newspaper in the United Arab Emirates. It was used to illustrate a beautiful story about an expat living in London.
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Guess what… I got myself a new studio! It’s an excellent studio, right in the middle of the city, up many winding stairs at the very top of this amazing building. I haven’t had a studio since I moved out of the little gallery/studio in Northcote last June so it is great to sit at my old desk again and feel like I have my own nook.
When I get to the top of all the stairs and open the door I’m greeted by a whole range of interesting characters.
That’s because the most talented Cat Rabbit is here too! Also, soon to move in are Andrea Innocent and Nior.
I am studio happy.
P.S. Do you live in Brisbane? If so you should go and meet Cat Rabbit and these little fellows in person at the Finders Keepers market this weekend!
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Anke Linz and Andreas Oettinger take amazing photographs. They work together under the name Billy and Hells. Big inspiration.
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I finally got some gocco prints that I'm happy (enough) with. I printed them on long pieces of paper so I'm going to have fun colouring and decorating them. I actually quite like the scratchy, haphazardness of the print (although I did end up cheating a bit and I printed them by hand using the traditional screen printing method).
Also, while I'm here I really wanted to say thank you to Holly over at Decor8 for including my 2011 Calendar in her excellent calendar round up. Thank you, thank you!
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I like everything about these creations made by Misako Mimoko. I only knew of her fake watches (which I also like) but I recently stumbled on a second blog and found these little people. She must be quite fun.
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Dear Gocco, we don't seem to be friends do we? After a few trips to the local library's photocopier, two used screens and four bulbs I can't seem to get a better print than this. I think solid lines might work best so I'm playing around with the original drawing in photoshop to try and make it more suitable... the saga continues (until I use up all my supplies).
In response to the comments on my previous post, the remaining Gocco printers are now being sold by an Australian company called Nehoc. You can find them here. You can also occasionally find them on ebay (which is where I found mine). They do seem to be a dying breed though.
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Years ago I saved up some money and bought myself a Gocco. I really thought it would change my universe, I loved the look of that little orange beast. Well, I ended up using it once and it has sat on the shelf ever since. Such a shame really. So, I recently got organised and ordered myself some new supplies and I'm going to give it another go. I'm unsure about what level of detail you can get out of it but I have sketched up this drawing and am hoping it will work (I admit she looks a little sceptical). I thought about doing a multi colour print but I think I might keep it simple using only black ink and then hand colour it. Fingers crossed!
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It is quite excellent to know that my pictures are out and about in the big wide world, it keeps me inspired to continue making them. The original of this girl, however, I wouldn't have minded keeping.
Oh well I guess it's just lucky that I don't live in 1872 and I am now able to reincarnate her as a rather nice print.
Thank you... for all my recent shop rambles!
It's soon about time for some art making rambles I think, I have just organised my next solo show for 2011. More details and pictures of picture making to follow...
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I was walking around the city today with my Mum and Dad and on our travels we visited Craft Victoria were I found these fantastic little guys made by Handmade Romance, aren't they great? They each have personalised little tags telling you what they're into... I remember one of them likes playing with lego.
Also at NGV Australia I found the work of Sally Ross in a show called Contemporary Encounters, I love the portrait on the left especially.
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Calendars and tote bags are go!
This year the calendars are made up of 6 double sided cards, all are contained in a heavy duty envelope so you will have somewhere safe to keep the future months. As I mentioned yesterday the tote bags are cotton canvas and come packaged up rather nicely I do think, you can see exactly what I mean in the picture just below.
All can be found right here: myfolklover.etsy.com
Also, I recently found hiding away, a small pile of the gift wrap I made last year with Frankie magazine, so all orders between now and Christmas will receive a free sheet (or until I run out)...
Little update: I ran out of gift paper!
Thanks!
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I made a tote bag! I picked them up on friday and I'm so happy with them, in fact I've been sporting one around all weekend. They are made of cotton canvas and are perfect for lots of things including the odd high sea adventure. They are soon to be in the shop, along side my calendar (tomorrow... which is tuesday). Yikes it's shop week.
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My calendars have arrived from the printer! I will spend the next few days packaging them up as this year I am going to put them in a heavy duty, lovely looking envelope. That way if you don't want to have them all out at once there is somewhere safe to keep the future months.
(If all goes to plan they should be available in the shop Tuesday 12 October. Thank you!)
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I have been busy... busy designing my 2011 calendar. It is a similar idea to the one I created for 2010 but a little bit nicer I think. There are new pictures! And it's square! Oh special. Here are a few little sneak peeks, digital style. As soon as I have it back from the printers real life photos will be taken and into my shop it will go...
Happy weekend to you.
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I just noticed it's been two weeks since my last post, that's a long time even for me. What have I been doing? Searching for lost spring sunshine, trying to keep the slugs off my new vegetable seedlings, watching the chickens grow, wondering if I'm going to release a calendar for 2011, finding beautiful pictures. That kind of thing. Speaking of beautiful pictures, aren't these lovely? I can't quite work out the artist's name but if you click on an image it will take you to a website. Happy September to you.
Update: Thank you Dia! The artist's name is Ikenaga Yasunari.
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Beautiful images from the exhibition Women Only: Folk Art by Female Hands currently showing at the American Folk Art Museum in New York.
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