Davernator

Is this goodbye?

2011-06-19T20:26:00.000+10:00

I'm not sure. Is it?

Do I move my blog over to my FABULOUS NEW WEBSITE?

I've started posting over there to see how I feel about it. So head on over to stay in touch.

And who knows? Maybe I'll be back.

I'll have to ask my webmaster extraordinaire how to keep the name Davernator with the new blog.

It's not a name one can give up easily.

Lucky Charm

2011-03-28T10:06:00.000+11:00

This auction is an awesome project. Amazing Australian and international jewellers donate beautiful things for you to snap up at bargain prices ($30 reserve)

And all proceeds go directly to the Red Cross Disaster Relief and Rescue Fund.

YOU HAVE TO CHECK IT OUT!! (that's the link)

GO NATALIA!!

fashion

2011-03-23T08:57:00.000+11:00

I know it's so yesterday's news, but the Rocks were selected to be in the opening event of the l'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival! Michelle Jank, accessories designer and stylist extraordinaire spotted the earrings at e.g.etal and thought they were perfect for the 'Denim Decades' section of the opening runway, Fashion Full Stop. As I can't afford my own photographer, I nicked these images from Fashionising.com and unfortunately couldn't find a photographer's credit.

This should be mine!!

2011-02-10T09:01:00.000+11:00

photo nicked from here

Although I'm really quite glad it's at the Man From Snowy River Museum. Apparently the Australian War Memorial have tried to get their hands on it but the Men From Snowy River have dug their heels in. I love a regional museum.

It was knitted by Jim Simpson when he was a prisoner of war in Germany during the second world war (is that supposed to be in capitals?). On arrival at the camp he was warned that the German guards would take his new naval pullover from him and send it to the Russian front, so he went to the loo and unravelled it! And that was the beginning of the quilt. Jim is the quintessential digger, he retains his humour through adversity and he has some great stories to tell. You can hear some of them in this wonderful 5 min doco produced by Culture Victoria
.

New range?

2011-02-03T09:43:00.000+11:00

Waltjim Bat Matilda

2011-02-03T09:17:00.000+11:00

My mate Mel Robson posted this on her blog and I had to share. It's fantastic.

Waltjim Bat Matilda - Ali Mills from Skinnyfish Music on Vimeo.

Waltjim Bat Matilda by Ali Mills from Skinnyfish music via Vimeo
.

If I had a real job...

2011-01-29T21:04:00.001+11:00

... I would be happier about this.

I would be happier because I would not be experiencing the combined frustrations of post-Christmas bank balance blues and a New Years resolution to cut back on my art buying.

And I would be exceptionally happy because I would be battling it out in the ebay auction room (one of my favourite pastimes) to procure more beautiful things to surround myself with. And all with the knowledge that my fantasy salary would be supporting a worthy cause.

As it is, I will lustfully drooling over my monitor and dropping hints that my birthday is coming up soon and as I was overseas for a recent milestone birthday, perhaps someone... anyone... might feel the right combination of guilt and generosity and BUY ME THIS...

Marilu Guzman "Box and Vases"
Starting bid : AU $30.00

Earthenware
Hand built, dry glaze
Box - 21 x 11 x 8 cm
Vase - 14 x 8 x 4 cm

Or this...

Kevin White "Vase"
Starting bid : AU $200.00

Porcelain
22 x 19 Diameter cm

Or this...

Ayumi Horie "Crocodile Mixing Bowl"
Starting bid : AU $100.00

Earthenware
6.5 x 20.3 x 15.2 cm

Or this...

Dawn Whitehand "Fibonacci"
Starting bid : AU $ 50.00

Stoneware
Wheelthrown & manipulated, Volcanic glaze.
30 x 16 x 16 cm

Or this...

Janet Mansfield "Teabowl"
Starting bid : AU $20.00

Stoneware
Woodfired in anagam kiln.
H 9 cm

Or this...

Jane Sawyer "Stretch Series platter"
Starting bid : AU $50.00

Slip coated Red Earthenware
50 x 8 x 20 cm

Or this (Oh Yes! Most especially this)...

Vipoo Srivilasa "For the Future"
Starting bid : AU $ 200.00

Earthenware
H 22 cm

Or this...

Shannon Garson "Paddock Jug and Paddock Bowl"
Starting bid : AU $ 70.00

Porcelain, oxide, glaze, underglaze
Jug - 23 x 10 diameter cm
Bowl - 8 x 12 diameter cm

Or this...

Gerry Wedd “Thylacine Thong”
Starting bid : AU $ 90.00

Glazed ceramic
Cobalt decoration
Womens 9 (25 x12 cm)

Or this...

Kenji Uranishi “Tower Block”
Starting bid : AU $ 100.00

Porcelain
slab
5 x 14 x 17 cm

Such low starting bids!! And so many more to choose from

All the relevant information can be found here. And here's link to the facebook page which seems to be visible to all regardless of whether you are a facebooker or not

blah blah blah

2011-01-18T14:08:00.000+11:00

To start the year off I'm going to do some back tracking and link to a few interviews I did that appeared on the webs last year. Who knew I could talk so much!

Craft on Foot is an initiative of Craft Victoria. It's a podcast hosted by Kate Rhodes and it offers a self-guided audio tour of my hood - Flinders Lane. (although perhaps not for much longer. More details as the year progresses). I talk about my experience of working in Flinders Lane over the last 16 years!!! (listen out for me shooting my mouth off about our greedy landlords - this might come to backfire on me someday)

The Audio Design Museum was put together by Object in Sydney and is a library of Audio tours of the design precincts of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Vivianne Stappmans, of the Design Guides, came up to the studio and interviewed Nicky, Cass and I and we appear in the 'focus on jewellery' podcast under the Melbourne tab.

I did a graduate profile interview for the School of Performing and Creative Arts at Deakin University. I'm not a graduate of Deakin but I'm a graduate of somewhere so they used me as an example of a successful (cough, cough) arts business! It has a kind of business focus so is less interesting than the other two.

And here's a picture...

Humph was chasing the rats in the lane behind the Nicholas building and was spotted by a professional photographer, PJ Santiago, who wanted him for his portfolio.

Chadwicks here we come.
.

Bad Beasts...

2010-10-06T09:33:00.000+11:00

... have entered my head. I can't believe I didn't post about this before and now it's finishing!

If you haven't seen this exhibition currently showing at Craft Victoria then I highly recommend that you get along to it before it closes on the 16th October.

Natalia Milosz-Piekarska and Karla Way have created a very haunting installation of jewellery and objects in gallery one at CV.

(both images nicked from Natalia's blog - I hope that's ok?)

I initially thought that the installation might have worked better in a more intimate space like gallery 3 - creating a kind of protected hide-out. But when you walk through the space with these numerous talismanic pendants you become aware of the spacial limits of their protection more profoundly. It kind of reminded me of certain horror movies but in a good way.

And, of course, the jewellery is beautiful.

And in breaking news... The exhibition is to travel to Metalab in Sydney next year.

If I was in Budapest

2010-09-24T08:18:00.000+10:00

I would definitely be going to this....

I don't know whether I have any Hungarian readers but if I do, I encourage you to go have a look

Flora Vagi was Manuel's assistant at the summer academy but I had admired her work long before I met her. Indeed, I own one of her brooches!

Jet lag has released it's grip on me but the PAED (post amazing experience depression) is lingering
.

Enmore fundraising auction

2010-09-09T07:24:00.000+10:00

To all my Sydney readers: Git along to this...

wow. I'm renowned. I'm chuffed
.

vernissage

2010-09-09T06:35:00.000+10:00

Great word vernissage. It means: "a private viewing of paintings before public exhibition.
ORIGIN French, literally ‘varnishing,’ originally referring to the day prior to an exhibition when artists were allowed to retouch and varnish hung work." from the dictionary on my computer's dashboard.

If I didn't think I was going to sound pretentious, I would start to use it from now on instead of "opening".

This is just a photo of Flora's shoes. And of the floor in the studio where the landscape architects were working. It was the old smithy and I thought the floor was beautiful.

And this was the entrance to the room where we were exhibiting. It's a time-line of the process of the workshop. If you look closely you can see the bright red Australia from our first project.

I know it all looks kind of empty but I was taking photos very early on and then forgot (had too much to drink) to take more photos when the crowds turned up.

Here is the set up for the still life workshop that I mentioned in the previous post

and a close up:

The End

2010-09-09T06:10:00.000+10:00

You might have guessed that I am post-posting.

Yes, I am back in Melbourne and as I was lying awake at 4.30 this morning, I thought that I might as well use my extra jet-lag time to my advantage and catch up on the blog.

The intention project was our last project and the one that we got the most time to work on. It ended up being only about a week as we had to allocate 2 days to setting up our exhibition.

At the end of the summer academy there is an open day with all of the studios open for the public to come and have a look at what we've been doing. It is not supposed to be an exhibition as such, more an open studio, but a lot of the courses set up exhibition style displays. We thought it best to put on an exhibition as a studio tour wasn't really a great way for people to see what we've been doing - our work being so small and all. One of the painting courses was about still life and they had left the still life props set up surrounded by the large canvasses that the students were working on (I've got photos for another post).

The room we used for the exhibition had wooden slab lined walls which I thought was going to be problematic but we managed to put together a cohesive and elegant show (if I do say so myself!)

This is Sooyeon Kim's work in the foreground and the photo gives you an idea of the space. That white stuff in the background that looks like snow is a huge pile of salt!

A close up of one of Sooyeon's pendants - leather, gold, thread and pearls

Peter Sahle's work.

and a close up of one of the brooches - silver, gold leaf and coral (?)

Satita Rojpojjanarat

and a close up. This is a bangle. We are doing a swap.

Elisabeth Reichl - laminated paper neckpiece and acrylic ring with gold tag. The neckpiece was bought by a collector which we were all very excited about.

yours truly.

Jacqueline Santos

and a close up - paper and paint.

Yamuna Valenta - textile and marbles

Yamuna again - copper.

Lucia Rizzieri - silver, copper, textile and paint

and another close up. You can see that we were quite creative in overcoming the problems with the wooden walls.

Anja Eichler

one of Anja's morsels - silver, gardening gloves and something spiky!

Samira Götz

and my favourite work of hers - felt, silver and thread.

Melanie Sinnhofer's work was a display of photographs as her work wasn't object based...

false eyelashes

silicone

And Wolfgang Löffler

press the button and...

various materials

and the guillotine ring. If you tap the red bar on top, the razor chops down and shazam! No finger!

Not really, there's a stop built into it but it was quite difficult to release it while you were wearing it.

More photos can be found over at the Jewellery and Other Stories blog.
.

Intention project finale

2010-09-08T21:35:00.000+10:00

Here are some of the last pieces I made. They came at the end of the project and are less illustrative of my intention but I was having so much fun with the wood that I couldn't help myself!

a brooch which was an exercise in composition. It's about 120mm across.

three views of a neckpiece (and another three awful photos of me)

Here's a close up of how I strung the "beads". I drilled 2 holes about 15mm deep into either end of the 'bead', then strung two drilled 10mm lengths of dowel onto the thread and tied knots at either end, and then glued them, knot first, into the drilled hole.

The glue is still wet in the photo but as it dried, the plugs of dowl blend into the plywood much better
.

Happy Birthday Stephen

2010-09-08T20:49:00.000+10:00

Stephen was the indispensable tech guy at the summer academy. He got things when you needed them, he fixed things when they broke, he provided the entertainment at the afternoon openings at the academy and he knew where to get the best pizza in Hallein.

He also had a birthday in the last week so we all made something for a chain that was put together by Manuel...

Intention project part 3

2010-09-08T20:39:00.001+10:00

After discovering the beauty of plywood, I went on a bender. And I was still able to incorporate elements of steel. The following are the compositions that finally made it within the "frame" of my intention (Manuel used this term a lot and it was very helpful as we all tended to get carried away and move away from our orgininal intention).

I never would've thought I'd be using wood. It started as a means to make quick models but it turns out that it's materiality was perfect to communicate my intention.

a brooch - 300mm long

a neckpiece (fittings not yet attached) - 300mm long

another brooch - 300mm long

another neckpiece - 300mm long

another brooch - 300mm long

and another brooch - 300mm long

fun with the linisher

Yes. I'm a tourist

2010-09-04T20:39:00.000+10:00

On our final weekend in Hallein, Elisabeth, Lucia and I jumped in Anje's car and drove to Vienna.

I think I deserve some congratulations on my bravery in sharing such an awful photo of myself.

Here's something we saw on the way...

Austrian Aldi

And some things we saw when we got there:

SUNSHINE!!!

and the view from the Leopold Museum

My favourite Schiele from the collection at the Leopold Museum

The Hundertwasser house

a giant moth

a miniature jeweller's workshop in the window of a jewellery supply shop

and Dick files

Unfortunately Austrian shops very strictly observe closing from Saturday Afternoon to Monday morning so I couldn't have a better look around. It was interesting to see a jewellery supply shop at street level though.

Elisabeth lives in Vienna and she and her fella Philip (and their dachshund, Gonzo) very kindly put us up in their beautiful apartment in the 7th district, which is a very interesting and creative part of Vienna. I want to live somewhere with a staircase like this...

Intention project part 2

2010-09-01T04:15:00.000+10:00

After working with paper models, I decided to try making some of the forms out of steel. This is where I ran into problems.

What might suggest serenity and calmness in paper...

becomes thunderingly clumsy in metal. This is mainly due to the folding technique I employed but also because of the shiny surface of the metal. For those of you who haven't tried it, soldering mild steel is more difficult than soldering non-ferrous metals, it requires a high heat but it also oxidises very quickly and the gold flux we had in the studio burnt out much faster than the ezi-weld flux I'm used to. I also wanted crisp corners, not folds, and I wasn't prepared to score those long lines in the steel. So I cut through most of the line and folded the rest but I still didn't get crisp lines.

Back to the drawing board.

Manuel very smartly pointed out that even though my stated intention was to make jewels that elicit feelings of serenity and calmness in others, I was being steered by my unspoken and unacknowledged intention to use steel in my jewels. He pushed me to work more three dimensionally and to work more quickly and emotionally rather than intellectually. Emotionally is the wrong word but the intention was to make jewels that elicit a feeling rather than making jewels that are "about" something.

So I picked up some soft plywood scraps that were hanging around the workshop and played around...

Cool. I thought. The soft straight lines of the linished ply are quite calming

what happens if I exaggerate the lines by burning and painting the surface of the wood...

and then add the steel back in...(I had made one nice crisp edged steel form before giving it up as a bad joke!)

And then, an 'in-progress crit' threw up the suggestion of making them bigger...

and bigger they became...

(more to come)
.

If I was in Melbourne...

2010-08-30T17:21:00.000+10:00

...I would be going to this exhibition

I certainly would.

Two wonderful jewellers Katherine Bowman and Vikky Kassioras

Jet lag depending, I might be able to get there on the 9th.

I'm in London and there will be posts to come of the last days in Hallein. boo hoo
.

Random Hallein Entertainment

2010-08-24T06:36:00.000+10:00

Getting steel cut at the local Bauhaus (hardware shop!)...

Buying tools...

diamond drills and burrs, high-tech cup burrs, a pair of titanium tweezers (solderer's friend) and CHECK OUT THOSE REAMERS!!!!! I love them. They come with a beautiful hand attachment and lovely white plastic container - and they're ten times better than the three I have left from the set of 6 I bought when I first left school.

hmmmmm... reamers...

Melanie, Sateeta and hammock.

The view from my new desk - we had to move when a new group of students arrived. Between these windows and those buildings is the Salzach river which flows from here to Salzburg.

Austrian comedy: make your own champagne from bath water, skim milk powder and yeast...

...and disgorge.

Note the change of POV of those last two photos - Yes, I got sprayed with disgusting milky, stinky sparkling muck!
.

Intention project

2010-08-24T06:09:00.000+10:00

I'm so sorry. I thought I would have loads of time to post but I'm at the studio from 8 til 8, then have (need) a beer and then crash. But here's some photos of preliminary paper models for our current, and last, project: The Intention Project.

Hopefully I'll get in another post before my fingers stop working...

This was my intention...

Thinking about voids and spaces...

And movement...

and composition...

a photo of a relatively tidy bench - it's been better. It's been worse
.

I'm in!

2010-08-20T16:28:00.000+10:00

just found out by email
.

Just to prove it's not all work and no play

2010-08-18T05:30:00.000+10:00

Saturday night in Salzburg...

at a great bar opposite the künstlerhaus (art house)

that's our Jacqueline on drums!

and yours truly clanging heads with Lucia on the dancefloor!
.

zinc and salt

2010-08-18T05:16:00.000+10:00

I think I might have already mentioned it but I'm really interested in using steel in a place which has a history of storing mountains of salt.

In the first week I grabbed a piece of what I thought was steel sheet from the scrap box, covered it in salt, dripped water on it and left it to see what happens. I subsequently found out it was zinc so I just forgot about it.

Then I found it again...

wierd, huh?

Anyone able to give me the chemical formula of what's going on here?

Anyone?

Bubble-Man?
.

'at' project complete

2010-08-18T05:08:00.000+10:00

We all managed to understand what we were meant to do... in the end.

This is the piece that was made by Melanie 'at' me... (not my best angle)

And this was the piece that was made by me 'at' Melanie...

It's a pendant made from card and sterling silver.

The crit... (l-r Sateeta, Peter, Anja, Jacqueline, Manuel, Flora and Wolfie)

It's been interesting to work from drawings and models. Normally I just get started working from the ideas in my head and make things straight in the material I imagine is right for the idea. This is not the way I was trained but over the years I've gradually slipped away from drawing and model making. But it's so much fun! I guess it's because I have so many things going on at any one time in the studio it's difficult to clear a CLEAN space to work with paper.

Here we each have a jewellery bench and in another room we have a large trestle table each on which to make our drawings and models. A lot of us end up making our final work in paper or textiles - So far I have used only a limited amount of time at the jewellery bench because it's really difficult not having my own torch, my own pickle, my own tools, and everything at my fingertips. Normally to drill a hole in something, I reach to my right, get the drill bit, put it in the flexi on my right and drill away. Here I have to get up from the bench, go to the tool selection, pick out the right drill bit (I only brought 1.0mm), go to the other side of the room where the flexi is set up, possibly wait for someone else who's already using it, try drilling, realise I need beeswax, walk around looking for the beeswax, go back to the flexi, someone else is using it again, wait, and then drill. I'm so spoilt.

Anyway, here's an image of all the models I made for this project and there will be plenty more to come with the new 'Intention' project already underway.

The leadership of the nation

2010-08-17T16:31:00.000+10:00

I've voted! It's in the post.

When I left I was quite pleased to be leaving behind all the palaver that comes from the pollies and from the media in the weeks before the election. But, strangely, I've been missing it! I've downloaded the missing bit on my computer so I can now listen to 774 live... And all I get is Ben Bloody Cousins!

in progress...

2010-08-13T15:48:00.002+10:00

The "at" project.

Can't be explained.

Sorry.

Even I don't understand it. We have moved from direct representation (the Australia brooch) through to a more subliminal, instinctive way of working. We've determined that one thing that jewellery is is a language. It's like we're trying to translate from the subconscious. You can see from my self-portrait, and from my work generally, that I work in a very constructed, thinking way, so all this emotional codswallop is doing my head in! (This is not strictly true, as one of the reasons I wanted to do this course was to try to develop this side of my creative practice. But, boy, when you're used to working one way, it's difficult to make the switch.)

Manuel has named the course: "Jewellery and Other Stories" and it's very appropriate.

So to "at"...

it's not this.

and not this.

and definitely not this.

but it might be this (note the wearing of new birkenstocks)

and this

but I'm still not sure
.

Italian Market

2010-08-12T04:34:00.000+10:00

Every year in Hallein they have an Italian market which runs for the weekend. The streets of the old town become lined with Italian produce stalls.

hmmm... salami...

antipasto...

strange fruit...

Italian love songs...

Italians...

Porchetta...

Gluttony....

And fun! (Wolfie, Soo Yeun and Sateeta)

Yours truly and the translator (Lucia)
.

My name is Anna

2010-08-12T04:20:00.000+10:00

A self-portrait...

... in steel...

... 4mm thick steel...

... with a saw.

75mm x 75mm. Not heavy enough.

cut more.

encase in wool.

put around your neck.

everyone else
.

Salzburg

2010-08-12T04:06:00.000+10:00

As you know, I went to Salzburg for my day off. It really is a beautiful city.

This is the view from the fortress. The fortress sits on top of a sheer mountain and it is reached by funicular

It is also the location of the Salzburg campus of the Summer Academy but, being Sunday, the art school area was closed off.

The Salzburg Summer Academy has a prestigious history which I have only just learned about. It was established by Oskar Kokoschka in1953. After the barbarity of World War II he wanted to create an open meeting-place where people could gather to cultivate humanist ideals. He called it the "School of Seeing" and it's basic principle was to provide a non-institutionalised, non-academic environment in which students could experience art and develop inwardly through creative seeing. He sought to encourage open-mindedness and enthusiasm amongst the students. (From the summer academy website)

From my point of view, his vision has been realised
.

no time to scratch

2010-08-12T03:02:00.000+10:00

So, we have been busy. I am so exhausted by the time I get home I can only collapse into bed.

We have completed 2 projects since the ring exercise, complete with 3 hour long crits! I don't think I've had a 'real' group crit since I was doing undergrad at Sydney College of the Arts in 1993!

I don't want to give too much away of Manuel's projects as there is pretty much always a surprise involved. And when I return to Melbourne I am going to lobby hard to get an institution to bring him out to Australia to conduct workshops as he is the most inspiring, intelligent, creative and FRUSTRATING teacher I have ever had (we started a new project today which is really pushing my buttons!)

Suffice it to say we have gradually been moving from direct representation to subconscious responses, as you will see...

You can take the girl out of Australia...

This is a brooch worn over the heart and is about 300mm across. It is cut from a bright red plastic chopping board with the little bench surround and peg cut from wood and the chain is made from binding wire. It is a direct representation of my love for my studio in Melbourne.

Bleaugh!

.

The sun is shining!

2010-08-08T16:11:00.000+10:00

So. It's Sunday and the sun is shining. I can stay in my room and catch up on my posts about the work we've been doing...

or I could catch the train to Salzburg and spend the day wandering cobblestone streets and visiting art galleries.

I hope you'll forgive me
.

Cast Off

2010-08-08T16:05:00.000+10:00

Keeper Gallery at Gaffa in Sydney have put out a call for an exhibition of jewellery that incorporates casting. I just thought I'd spread the word....

This was sent to me as a PDF from the lovely Mel Young. If you click the image it opens as a larger file which you can download. If you still can't read it properly and you're interested, shoot me an email and I'll send the original through to you. annadee at annadavern with an au after the com.

Art school is so cool

2010-08-07T16:20:00.000+10:00

These are the two 'techs' of the summer academy, performing at a small vernissage for a small gallery in the school called 'Alcatraz'.

students enjoying the entertainment

The woman sitting on the fair right is Gabrielle Winter, she is the director of the summer academy in Hallein.

Manuel invited Fritz Maierhofer to the academy to give a talk about his life and work. It was very interesting and I feel very fortunate to have been here for this as Fritz is one of the key figures from the contemporary jewellery movement of the 60's and 70's. Why, there are even images of his work in Oppi Untracht!
.

random images...

2010-08-07T16:04:00.000+10:00

...from Hallein and the academy. Yesterday marked the end of some of the courses that are running here - 6 new courses start on Monday so there will be a big influx of new students.

This is taken from one of the painting studios during the vernissage (opening) of the presentation of the work from the course. The works were displayed all around the building so it was great to be able to have a good walk around and discover areas that I hadn't been to before. This building is like a warren except that all the spaces are huge. It is very easy to get lost.

salt on the ceiling

In the morning I went with Peter (fellow student) to the Bau-Max which is the hardware store. Looks just like Bunnings. I even felt like I knew which aisle to go to to find what I was looking for!

Have I mentioned that it rains a lot in Hallein/Salzburg.

This is a parking clock! You set it to the time you arrive and the inspectors know how long you've been there. Genius! Let's hope they don't catch on in Melbourne.

random street view from the centre of town. Unfortunately my wide angle lens doesn't capture the height and proximity of the mountains which loom over this town
.

Publishing opportunity

2010-08-06T05:42:00.000+10:00

Now, I don't "call" myself a textile designer. But that doesn't mean I don't make things from textiles.

A few years ago I was invited by Glenys Mann to teach a workshop at the Ballarat Fibres Forum. Being the open minded cross disciplinary artist that I am, I said 'yes'!

Well! Had I known what I was signing up for, I would've done it years ago. Suffice it to say, I've been back every year since, as a student.

This year I did a basketry workshop with Anna King from Scotland and this is the result...

Four baskets and a hanging thing. salami elastic and cable ties.

tallest: 45mm. photo: Terence Bogue

detail...

Yes. Salami elastic and cable ties.

So, to the publishing opportunity. I recently found out about TAFTA's plans for a Fibre Design Book through the Craft Almanac and thought: Salami elastic, surely that's fibre? And sent in my images. I've just heard that the images have been approved by the book designer and have now been sent through to the selection panel.

The closing date for applications is the 1st September. So to all those artists out there whose media of choice might loosely define itself as a fibre, get applying!
.

The Treasury - more things I'm missing in Melbourne

2010-08-05T15:54:00.000+10:00

The wonderful and very generous Emma Grace has been opening up her studio to would-be jewellers to bring along their broken or un-loved jewellery and found objects, to fix or re-create into something new and unique. And now it's being incorporated into the Craft Cubed festival! Craft Cubed is the thing I most regret that I'm missing out on.

CWA meets DIY in sustainable jewellery making workshops

The Treasury

The Treasury workshop is based on the simple ethos that everything has potential and nothing is trash. Participants are invited to bring along broken or un-loved jewellery and found objects, to fix or re-create into something new and unique.

It is an opportunity to re-connect with the idea of community; to exchange skills, materials, thoughts and inspiration. Participants will sit around the table with plates of food and tattered jewellery piled high and leave at the end of the day with a bundle of ‘new’ jewellery and a bunch of new friends.

The Treasury is about sustainable fashion – guiding people away from ‘throw-away culture’ and leading them back towards the way we used to live; where if something broke, you fixed it, and if you got bored of it, you made it into something new.

Emma Grace’s playtime as a child was built around creativity and resourcefulness. Clothes and accessories were fixed and made out of anything and everything. There were no limits to the things that would be sewn, strung, taped, glued and bound together.

Workshop Dates: 8, 15, 22 & 29 August 2010 (Sundays in August)

Location: Emma Grace Studio, The Nicholas Building, 37 Swanston St Melbourne

Times: Sunday 2 – 4.30pm

Cost: $20 per workshop / $10 Craft Victoria Members

Bookings: email Emma Grace via enquiries@emmagrace.com.au

Nicholas Building Open Studios

2010-08-05T15:32:00.000+10:00

Bummer! I'm missing it.
19th and 20th August. Put it in your diaries.

More info here
.

getting our hands dirty

2010-08-05T06:27:00.000+10:00

Make a ring in an hour he says!

I've been thinking a lot about salt. And about the effects of salt on iron. There's a lot of old rusted iron around this building. And it reminds me of when I lived in Newcastle in NSW and how your cars became cactus in a few short years. And of living in Sydney and people in the Eastern suburbs bemoaning concrete cancer.

So. I grabbed a chisel and hammer and went to work on the old salt encrustations around the building and found a length of iron wire which had obviously been hanging around for a while. And this was the result...

with some help from a hot glue gun. Who doesn't love a hot glue gun.

But then, the exercise takes an interesting (and momentarily distressful) turn. And I'm making rings from hair and my fingernails.

very hard to photograph!

So, at the end of the day (definitely more than an hour later), this is my ring...

And the rest of the class?

12 Rockin' rings I reckon
.

first crit

2010-08-05T06:04:00.000+10:00

Today we set up the jewellery workshop...

I'm so digging working in the round. It reminds me of being back at college. When I was at Sydney College of the Arts the first year studio had 3 of these benches but they had six spots at each bench. It's great in a learning environment. I originally chose the spot where you can see my "keep cup" and crumpler bag but changed places as two of the students who were friends wanted to be split up. I'm now sitting at the spot in the bottom left of the picture.

Here is my meagre assortment of tools. A result of a 20kg luggage limit. Others (those who could drive) are more fortunately endowed...

I wish!

And so, we spent the morning presenting our work to the group. Our first crit, so to say!

Sooyeon (Korea) discussing her work with Manuel. Sooyeon studied at the Rhode Island School of Design in the US. What you see on the laptop screen is made from paper.

Samira (Munich) also showing work made from paper. Samira has just completed her Graphic Design degree and her final presentation was paper jewellery. Anje and Elisabeth look on.

Flora Vagi on the left is Manuel's assistant and an artist whose work I have long admired, Sooyeon (standing), Melanie (Austria) and Peter (Germany)

rapt attention
.

If I was in Melbourne part 2

2010-08-04T16:09:00.000+10:00

I would also be going to this exhibition by Helen Bowman...

Helen recently graduated from RMIT after studying at NMIT Greensborough (Vale).

I'm really sorry to be missing this show as I covet both of those brooches in the image above.

Also... Don't forget that if you have a show coming up, send the information over to Karen at The Melbourne Jeweller blog. Everyone who's anyone reads it!
.

If I was in Melbourne part 1

2010-08-04T16:03:00.000+10:00

I would be going to this exhibition by Claire McArdle...

If you haven't been, Guildford Lane Gallery is an Ace Space! It's right near RMIT and they have a number of galleries over a few floors and there's a bar downstairs!

Claire is an honours student at RMIT and every time I see her work I feel excited about the possibilities for jewellery generally. She's crazy!
.

What is Jewellery?

2010-08-04T06:26:00.000+10:00

What IS Jewellery?

Can you see my contribution? At the top?

Manuel is amazing (heart)! He has got us thinking jewellery and talking jewellery and debating jewellery and feeling jewellery. And it's only day 2! All of a sudden jewellery is a whole new concept for me. I love it when you get that fresh, excited, anticipation about something new. But this something has been my life for the last 15 or so years! It's like a second honeymoon.

practical demonstration!

Elizabeth (Austria), Anje (Germany) and Sateeta (Thailand) in rapt attention. There are 12 of us in the workshop.

Jacqueline (Brasil via Germany), Samira (Germany), Wolfgang (Austria), Melanie (Austria) and Peter (Germany via Austria) being interrogated by Manuel
.

The Salt Store

2010-08-04T06:02:00.000+10:00

Here are some photos of what will be my day to day surroundings at the academy...

This is the large room for us to work in. It is where we have been spending most of our time over the last two days as we discuss "what is jewellery" - more on that later. We also have a room with jewellery benches and equipment but those photos will come later when we start to work in there.

details...

still from the same room

This part of the room we will share with the performance art class which starts next week. That should be interesting!

the ceiling

And more views from around the academy...

This is Manuel standing in the student lounge. And check out this lounge!!

I wanna take it home with me.

students on tour.

some salt! No kidding.

encrusted salt! There will be more photos like this but they require lifting the camera up high and will have to wait until my neck is better - they've found me a fantastic physio and her name is Barbara!

This is part one of a panorama shot of one of the painting workshops upstairs.

Part two....

Wouldn't you like to work/live here?

And guess what? Destiny Deacon is teaching a workshop here. She is one of my favourite artists and she's working right upstairs from me. I would love to meet her but I feel that introducing myself and saying "I'm Australian too" would be just so naff!
.

Hallein

2010-08-04T05:22:00.000+10:00

So. I am here.

Hallein is a small medieval town on the Salzach river. It reminds me a lot of Tallinn in its medievalness!

I'm glad I took these photos when I first arrived and the sun was shining as it is now raining and is apparently going to rain for a month!

The Hallein campus of the Salzburg Summer Academy is in an old salt store on an island in the middle of the river. Salzburg means salt castle and they mined a lot of salt around here. Hallein actually comes from the Celtic word hall for salt - Hallein has a Celtic history (at least according to wikipedia)

The Barmstein mountains that preside over Hallein

I am staying in the student accommodation about 5 mins walk from the academy. It is very simple but clean and comfortable and I am in a four bed dorm by myself with my own bathroom and fast internet. There is a shared kitchen and laundry.

I don't know if this kind of stuff is interesting or not! But here's the view from my window...

Nice, huh? Shame about the telegraph wire but it's easy to ignore.

And check this out!

It's a sign!
.

NotFair

2010-08-03T15:22:00.000+10:00

Well, if I was in Melbourne this weekend, I'd be going to NotFair

Lauren Cross from Artnews

Billed as an event that merges the “curatorial notion of a major biennale with the commercial potential of an art fair”, NotFair’s title and raison d'être is more an assertion about its participants’ experience of the commercial art world than a stab at Melbourne’s major commercial art exposition. Featuring 32 of Australia’s most undervalued or underrepresented artists, the not-for-profit event aims to eschew the high commissions and outlays of the commercial art model and the gallery focus of the Melbourne Art Fair to, in essence, bring the artists directly to an audience.
from Broadsheet Melbourne

Akira Akira, Spillberg (Black) No. 1 from Broadsheet

Not that I've got anything against the Art Fair. I'd probably be going to that too
.

More Munich

2010-08-03T06:11:00.000+10:00

I went to Galerie Isabella Hund which is a sleek jewellery shop/gallery in the city centre...

The work was contemporary but traditional in style. Isabella Hund is a jeweller and she also represents other artists. I was amazed to see that some of the large rings had the prices written directly onto the work in washable texta! There was quite a lot of large geometric style jewellery and not much of the more organic cast forms that seem to predominate in Australian jewellery galleries. I wonder if this is a question of identity or isolation. Or just the style of that particular gallery.

I stumbled across another jewellery gallery called Schmuckgalerie tal 20.

It is owned by Elke Sunder Plaßmann and Petra Waibel-Grotjans. It's a really lovely space and their workshop is at the back of the room which can be blocked off by sliding blinds.

Elke in the gallery

They exhibit other jewellers' work as well as their own.

I also went back to Henriette Schuster's gallery workshop but she was closed.

Closed too were Galerie Spektrum and Galerie Biro but across the rod from Biro is a beautiful garden cemetery.

And there were many people enjoying the beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon picnicing and sunbathing amongst the deceased. You have to admit there couldn't be any place more peaceful than that.

On the way I came across an odd memorial to Michael Jackson...

There must be some reason why Michael is associated with this statue. There seemed to be attendants who were keeping the offerings clean, the candles lit and the flowers watered.

One more thing... On the recommendation of my honorary jeweller friend Ute, I went to Lodenfrey (fashion since 1842!) to shop for traditional Bavarian clothing.

check out those racks of leder-hosen!

and dirndls.

I would have loved to have bought one of their winter coats but 1000 Euro is just too far out of my budget! Thanks for the tip Ute.

.

Gallery Wittenbrink

2010-08-03T05:18:00.000+10:00

I found Gallerie Wittenbrink through the Klimt02 website. I didn't know very much about it as not much is mentioned on Klimt but the gallery has a long list of jewellery artists on their website so I went for a look. It turns out that the address I found for the gallery (which is in a really pretty part of Munich just south of the city center) is their painting gallery which is closed for the summer. Luckily for me the gallery attendant happened to be there and when I said I was actually wanting to see jewellery he said, "this is your lucky day"! It turns out that this gallery attendant is the jewellery curator of Wittenbrink, Christian Hoedl who is also a jeweller and graduate of the Munich Academy. And he told me they have a second smaller gallery in a large and prestigious shopping arcade in the centre of town. And he would be there after 3pm and would love to show me around.

In the main space, which you see in the photo, there was an exhibition of paintings by Peter Thol, I really liked the paintings and I would like to tell you more about him but the catalogue Christian gave me is in German... So I can't.

Around the corner there is a window gallery where they permanently show jewellery - they also have jewellery exhibitions in the main space.

At the moment there is an exhibition by Tabea Reulecke who I have posted about before. (interestingly, that first link is to the Pieces of Eight website but it was the best link to her work that I could find!)

I love that the works are figurative and they incorporate movement. The horse hinges at the back legs and I imagine that, as it is worn, it appears to clop along with the wearer.

This piece is called housekeeper. And Christian liked the idea of wearing it while posing in front of the gallery. Him being the housekeeper of the gallery and all! Thank you Christian for being so generous with your time and showing me the jewellery from the stock room.

The window gallery looks out onto this beautiful garden...

I like that.

I'm sorry about my photos. They appear to me to be underexposed and my dodgy neck means my right arm is a bit shaky so they're not the best
.

When in Germany...

2010-08-01T16:46:00.000+10:00

...Buy German!

2 pairs for 50 Euro (where do I find the symbol for Euro like $ for dollar? anyone?)

That's about $70
.

Munich

2010-07-31T17:15:00.000+10:00

So I'm here in Munich and after (over)dosing myself up on voltaren (funny how their website's called 'my body pain') and something called Norgesic (orphenadrine and paracetamol) for the 10 hour flight with jeweller's neck I now feel like this...

But, YAY, my neck is much better, the sun is shining, I slept well, I'm staying in a small friendly hotel near the city centre and the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) and I've got a day of gallery hopping ahead of me. I'm also going to try and find pork and beer! Speaking of beer... my little bro has caught the blogging bug so if you're interested in the nomadic rock and roll lifestyle, check it out!

And here's two images of hotel room views. Firstly Bangkok...

And Munich...

And if you want to have a look at posts from my last visit to Munich in 2007, you can check them out here

.

Being John Malkovich in Bangkok

2010-07-30T12:53:00.000+10:00

jeweller's neck

2010-07-30T12:37:00.000+10:00

F!*#king jeweller's neck!!!!

Sleeping on the plane and carrying laptop in my shoulder bag has left me feeling like this...

from: http://www.alteredstatesfx.co.uk/hunchback_1.htm

And I've gotta get on the plane for another 12 hours. grrrrrrr

.

Playing Fields

2010-07-29T12:21:00.000+10:00

So, here's a bit of shameless self-promotion, coming at you from a rather fancy hotel in Bangkok!

Playing Fields

Curated by Joe Pascoe, CEO and Artistic Director, Craft Victoria

Event Dates: Friday 6th August - Saturday 4th September
Venue: Craft Victoria, Galleries 1 and 2, 31 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Opening: Thursday 5th August, 6pm

The exhibition features the work of Jennifer Bartholomew, Anika Cook, Anna Davern, Michael Doolan, Bern Emmerichs, Tim Fleming, Gracia Haby & Louise Jennison, Greer Honeywill, Ben Pearce and David Ray.

The exhibition coincides with the annual Craft Cubed festival. The theme of the festival is 'childhood' and my response has been to look at the darker side of childhood fantasy. I initially played with this idea for e.g.etal's exhibition Figment and was inspired to further explore the more frightening aspects of the Australian landscape.

I have made four dioramas from old biscuit tins that require a physical engagement by the viewer to reveal the fantastical hybrid creatures that inhabit these alternative colonial dimensions.

Aragog. collage diorama: reworked biscuit tin, sublimate printed steel,

constructed swinging mechanism. photo: Terence Bogue

check

2010-07-28T16:02:00.000+10:00

application to the National Contemporary Jewellery Award submitted? check.

application to the TAFTA Fibres Design Book submitted? check.

work delivered to Hand Held Gallery? check.

work delivered to Craft Victoria? check.

Bag of coil rings delivered to e.g.etal? check.

brooch posted to RMIT gold and silversmithing graduate fundraising auction? check.

brooch posted to Enmore graduate fundraising auction? check.

repair posted to the Gallery Store at the QLD Gallery of Art? check.

packed? not yet.

time? T minus 7 hours and 30 minutes

Snip, Slice, Saw

2010-07-26T20:41:00.000+10:00

Nag - brooch: sublimate printed steel, garnet beads, copper.

About 15cm tall (photo: Terence Bogue)

If you didn't get to see these guys at C3 for the Australia Project, they're having a second outing at Hand Held Gallery's next exhibition Snip, Slice, Saw.

Nagaina - brooch reworked biscuit tin, sublimate printed steel, garnet beads, copper.

About 15cm square (photo: Terence Bogue).

If you haven't been, Hand Held is a great gallery. I've seen some surprising and really lovely shows there. Surprising because I didn't know there there are so many artists making beautiful small scale works in Melbourne. And surprising also because it's in a really strange location. It's upstairs in a modern but almost deserted shopping centre on the outskirts of Chinatown.

Hand Held Gallery opened in August 2008. Hand Held is an object and artist book gallery with a collection of books, zines, posters, postcards, paper arts and eclectic objects. Hand Held is also an exhibition/installation space available to artists for solo or small group shows and installations. (from the gallery's blog)

Krait - sublimate printed steel, copper. About 25cm long (photo: Terence Bogue).

'snip, slice, saw'

Opening on the 29th of July 6-8pm
A group exhibition exploring
cutting in paper and metal.

artist include
Deborah Klien, Jennifer Bolhofner, Melissa Cameron
Deb McArdle, Lizzie Sampson, Christine Oakley,
Kathy Fahey, Jake Burrell, Karah Sinden, Emma Grace
Tamara Dixon, Sarah Heyward, Anna Davern and Penny Peckham.

Hand Held Gallery
Suite 18, upstairs
Paramount Arcade
108 Bourke Street
Melbourne, 3000

Entry via Bourke or little Bourke street. Go straight up escalator to top level.

Other stuff

2010-07-25T22:15:00.000+10:00

I've also been making some new collages which will be in Playing Fields. They're small "wall works" made from the bases of the old tins that I cut up. They feature images from the old tins as well as images that I have printed myself.

I have so much fun making these.

They range in size from about 30mm to 300mm.

And they all have folded edges so they sit about 5mm out from the wall and have a wire strung across the back.

This is just a taste (there are about 40 in all) as I don't want to show too many and spoil the surprise

Did I say I was a jeweller? There's no jewellery in this exhibition!

.

mega mechanism

2010-07-25T21:56:00.002+10:00

This last diorama (the one that I'm still making!) has been the most complicated but it's been so great to try and work my head around getting everything to work the way I want it. I've had to remake this one a few times and all in all, it's been pretty much all I've worked on for the last 10 days. It started looking like this...

then this...

etc...

Then I made this...

which worked but also didn't work because it wasn't weighted properly and was way too clunky...

So I changed it to look like this...

much better...

don't you think? It's weighted so that whatever spins around (you'll have to wait to find out) always stays upright. Check out all that solder!

So this is how it will be put together in the end (the blue tak is to check that it works) The white and black gear mechanism, I think, is called a "worm drive". It changes the direction of turning so that a handle cranked parallel to the side of the diorama will turn the circular motion to parallel to the front of the diorama. I'm sure there's a clearer and more accurate way to describe this but Hey! I'm a jeweller, not an engineer. And thank goodness for Jaycar. I love Jaycar.

Perty. Ain't she?

And these two guys mean that the worm drive will work at double the speed of the crank handle. Just wait to you see what the worm drive drives!! And, of course, all this is hidden inside a biscuit tin. It's a bit sad really, to put all that work into something that won't even been seen when looking at the finished work

.

more inner workings

2010-07-25T21:27:00.001+10:00

Here are some more mechanisms of the new dioramas.

Little rivet spacers

A swinging mechanism

A Mountain Lake

Looks like something might come out from behind the mountain.....

.

aaarrrrgggghhhhhh!!!

2010-07-24T23:01:00.002+10:00

I leave the country in 4 days and half an hour! Organised? No. Stressed? Yes.

I also have to deliver work to Craft Victoria for the Playing Fields exhibition... yesterday.

~~I've made~~ I'm making 4 dioramas from biscuit tins that will be similar to the more 3 dimensional works I had in Buena Vista at Craft Vic in 2008, except they all incorporate interactive movement like the Fantastic Mr Fox (which swings back and forth).

Three of the pieces are currently in the possession of Terence Bogue and the 4th is very close to being finished.

I thought I'd share some images of works in progress as it's been a real challenge working out the engineering side of incorporating movement in the dioramas.

These are little rivets that I pre-solder with spacers so they're easier to attach

I attach them to one "layer" first and then attach them to the base...

like so!

more later..... it's late!

Kodama

2010-07-08T22:53:00.000+10:00

I am very much looking forward to seeing this exhibition...

I have admired Yuko's work since I saw it in Fresh a few years ago. And when I got this invite I assumed the donut shape was about 70mm across, but Boy was I Wrong!

Now I'm really excited!

(image nicked from Katherine Bowman's blog)

See you at e.g. next Thursday night

.

Meme

2010-07-05T20:49:00.000+10:00

Bogan. I love you.

But I've already done it. Over here

I made it myself

2010-07-05T20:35:00.000+10:00

Remember this?

I wrote about it a while ago over here

Well it's been Beuysed.

I heard about it at the Art Jewelry Forum and I think it's a ripper.

iHirst by iArtist.

Beaut!
.

Have you missed me?

2010-07-01T22:18:00.000+10:00

Probably not. But I've missed you.

Really...

You especially.

Not much to report but at the same time, Oh So Much.

The biggest news is that I'm going to Austria!

Salzburg in fact!

I found out that Manuel Vilhena will be teaching at the Salzburg Summer Academy.

Manuel Vilhena! (post about his conference talk from my trip to Idar-Oberstein)

I'm so there. He is ace! His work is Ace! So I applied.

And I've been accepted.

Whoop whoop!!

departing 28th July.

Oi Oi Oi

2010-04-24T14:07:00.000+10:00

You're invited...

...to The Australia Project. This is a really cool project organised by three designers, Chris Edser, Yianni Hill and Scott Heinrich and is being presented in Melbourne to coincide with the AGIdeas conference.

And guess what?

Yes, I was accepted to take part!

The exhibition opens on Wednesday night at c3 gallery at the Abbotsford convent. Please come along. Here's a preview of my brooches. They are named after the characters in Rikki Tikki Tavi by Rudyard Kipling.

Nag - sublimate printed steel, garnet beads, copper. About 15cm tall

Nagaina - reworked biscuit tin, sublimate printed steel, garnet beads, copper. About 15cm square.

Krait - sublimate printed steel, copper. About 25cm long.

Yes. They're big. And Yes. My photography is getting better!

.

friday night

2010-03-26T23:57:00.000+11:00

lookin' at blogs... watching the box... (enjoyed Whitechapel) feeling like I need to post again... Here's a few examples of what I sent to my exhibition at CAJ in Kyoto...

sorry for the bad photos, I've improved my technique since I took these...

all brooches

.

Figment II

2010-03-20T14:15:00.005+11:00

So the opening went orrrf!

I couldn't stay long as my folks were in town and we had a dinner booked at 7.

There are some photos of the opening over at Katherine Wheeler's blog. And here are the brooches that I have in the exhibition...

Jude - printed steel, copper, garnet beads

Edgar - printed steel, copper

Drago - printed steel, copper, garnet beads

Feargal - printed steel, copper

Kit - reworked biscuit tin, printed steel, copper, garnet beads

Shylock - printed steel, copper

.

inspiration

2010-03-15T09:02:00.000+11:00

Does anyone else remember this...?

I have such strong memories of this book. Particularly the story of the little thumbsucker.

Maybe it's because I sucked my thumb when I was little. Anyway, I drew on this book and the nightmares it inspired for the work I've produced for figment. Below is the little bit of writing I did for the floorsheet in the exhibition.

The Great Tall Tailor always comes,

To little boys that suck their thumbs.

He comes equipped, yes I'm afraid,

With scissors sharp as razor blades.

He'll cut your thumbs clean off and then,

You know, they never grow again.

Heinrich Hoffman

Of all the tales in Hoffmann’s Struwwelpeter, it is The Story of Little Suck-a-Thumb that permeated the nightmares of a young Anna Davern. In the story, The Great Tall Tailor does come. And the boy’s thumbs are snipped off with his razor sharp scissors. The illustrations in Davern’s childhood copy of the book were graphic and explicit, the young boy’s hands spurt blood from where his thumbs once were. It is this gruesome memory that has inspired the creation of Davern’s range of brooches for Figment. The brooches evoke the unease of the closet door left ajar after lights out, the expanse of darkness underneath the bed and the unexplained footfalls outside the room.

And here's a tiny little sneak peak...

figment

2010-03-15T08:43:00.000+11:00

I am in this exhibition.

Please come.
It's this Thursday night.
It doesn't list the artists on the invite but they are: Katherine Bowman, Michaela Bruton, me, Natalia Milosz-Piekarska, Jessica Morrison, Karla Way, and Katherine Wheeler.

.

ostraya

2010-03-10T20:48:00.001+11:00

The Jam Factory recently commissioned Adelaide designer Khai Liew to refurbish their retail area. The results look pretty amazing. I nicked these images from their facebook site. I reckon that's probably ok as they're in the public domain.

As I said, Amazing.

And the reason for posting this?

They asked me to send them some work for the shop!

This is what I sent.

They're all made from one tin tray. I tried to use as much of the tray as possible so they actually have a 'tin' back as well.

So the whole thing is 'cold constructed'. You can see the tiny tabs and the fitting is made from the 'tin' itself. They're based on the work I did for 'White Christmas' at Craft Victoria which I'll post about another time

.

update

2010-03-09T20:14:00.001+11:00

so much for keeping my blog updated. Let's just say I've been busy. Here's an example of what I've been up to...

It looks odd on my screen but it might work when I publish it. Here's the original page where I found it. I'm pretty sure the image was taken by Phoebe Porter at e.g.etal. It's a brooch made from printed tin, copper and garnet beads. It's about 90mm tall

Still Life

2010-02-17T22:54:00.001+11:00

Hi.

This is some new "production" work that I sent to Craft Victoria last week.

They're kind of still lifes (or should that be still lives)

My studio mate Cass (I think there's more to come soon with this website) suggested that I make a range of 'objects' as production work. I've been experimenting with trying to make production jewellery with the sublimation technique and I've been struggling a bit with some technical aspects of this which I'll try and address in another post.

The top image is a "wall work", ie, it has some gallery wire across the back and can be hung.... on the wall! The one above is an object.

They're cut from the off cuts and sections of biscuit tins and tin trays that I have no use for.

Another wall work, this one is rivetted but the rest are cut and bent from one piece of tin.

You can see the empty shapes below which are cut then folded up so they sit out from the base at varying heights.

They range in price from $130 - $175.

I really enjoyed making them. I like that they're kind of production but that every one is different.

I'm still happy to receive photography and blogging tips. (I actually haven't received any at all yet)

.

blog update

2010-02-09T09:19:00.000+11:00

I've changed the layout and updated the editor so that I can more easily post images like this...

and this...

Just in time for valentine's day!! These are some of the images I took yesterday with my new photo booth. Any advice as to how to get better pictures with this equipment would be much appreciated.

And this new editing malarky is just as difficult as the last one. I used to use html links to my flickr site to upload photos but it just took too much time (I'm not even a novice when it comes to html, I just used to cut and paste the given link at flickr). I'm thinking that this blogger thing is aimed at windows users and mac users just have to suck it up.

new equipment

2010-02-08T22:22:00.004+11:00

Look what I got today...

Now I just have to work out how to use it properly. I'm not sure if it's my camera settings or just my general technique but all the images are underexposed and kind of green. I have a beautiful Panasonic Lumix which I bought last year but the instruction manual is a TOME! And I'm yet to wade my way through it. I just set it to 'intelligent-auto' and hope for the best.

What a messy studio - none of this gorgeous 'creative space' blogging for me, No! This is the reality blog. Can you see the tiny tripod - so cute! It came with the set up but the one I've had for a while works better.

I have so much on at the moment. This year I've already sent work to Germany and Japan for group shows. I'm working towards a solo show in Japan, I'm sending new work to a new gallery in Adelaide, I've been invited to take part in an exciting regional project, I'm in 2 curated shows in Melbourne, I've been invited to take part in an exciting design project, I'm doing a collaborative range with a fashion designer, I've got (finger's crossed) a new teaching gig, I've re-committed to regularly updating the blog, plus the usual commissions and orders and all of this before the end of March! I'll post about it all soon enough but for now, I'll leave you with this...

life's tough!

.

Felicity Peters

2010-01-28T20:45:00.001+11:00

Felicity Peters
Kopernik Daisy Neckpieces
Acrylic
image reproduced with permission from Klimt02

Felicity Peters got a creative development grant from the WA Department of Culture and the Arts last year. It was a hefty sum and it enabled her to do an incredible amount of work and travel and study and lecture. As a result she's exhibiting some amazing looking things at Lesley Craze gallery in London (the first solo show at this gallery by an Australian artist, apparently!)

Felicity Peters
Kopernik Daisy Bangles
Acrylic and powdercoated aluminium
image reproduced with permission from Klimt02

The exhibition runs from the 5th to the 27th February at:

Lesley Craze Gallery
33 - 35a Clerkenwell Green
EC1R 0DU - London

I hope that we get to see this work on the east coast of Australia some time soon.

As a part of the grant, the Department of Culture and the Arts set up a blog for Felicity to document her year. It makes for very interesting reading.

This information was garnered from the Klimt02 newsletter

.

e.g.etal blog

2010-01-27T21:28:00.003+11:00

(nicked from here)

As you may know, I have been represented by e.g.etal in Melbourne since the gallery opened in 1999. For those of you that don't know, e.g.etal is a contemporary jewellery gallery/retail space in Flinders Lane in Melbourne. Over the past 10 years, e.g. (as it's affectionately known amongst the jewellery community - well, at least in my studio) has supported and promoted Australia's contemporary jewellery artists and I would like to credit them with contributing to the wide appreciation of contemporary jewellery that exists in Melbourne.

e.g.etal interior (nicked from here)

E.g.etal has recently set up a new blog. And as a part of their ten year celebrations, Emma Goodsir (owner of e.g.) wanted to acknowledge the artists who had shown with the gallery from the beginning and it turns out that I'm one of them! And I'm in good company with Camilla Gough, Nicky Hepburn and Amy Renshaw. There's a bit on the blog about all four of us here. And they've employed Lucy Feagins from The Design Files to interview and write about each of us individually. The first interview was with Camilla and today, they published the interview with me!

.

...Return

2010-01-24T22:51:00.006+11:00

Melissa Cameron is curating an exhibition called ...Return to coincide with this years JMGA conference in Perth. The exhibition will feature the work of ex-WA jewellers: Melissa Cameron, Michelle Kelly, Regina Middleton, Belinda Newick and Robin Wells. I found out about it from Melissa's blog and I wanted to share with you some work by Michelle Kelly because I really liked it!

Michelle Kelly, Basidiomycota 2007

Michelle Kelly, Basidiomycota 2007 (detail)

Lovely.

I won't be going to the conference cos I've got something else on. Bummer

.

ha ha

2010-01-23T20:41:00.002+11:00

check this out!!!

I'm not sure whether to be really flattered or really scared

.

two new guys

2010-01-21T20:53:00.003+11:00

These two are going to Munich

Calliope - biscuit tin, 18ct yellow gold and copper

Trevor - biscuit tin, 18ct yellow gold, sterling silver, copper and pearls

They're going to be in an exhibition of Australian jewellery called Treasure Room which will be on as a part of Schmuck in March. (That's a German site but there's some info over at Klimt02) The exhibition has been curated by Robert Baines and he requested some older work of mine which I pulled out of the archives this week.

Romance I

Romance II

Romance III

I made these three brooches when I was doing my honours year at RMIT. They're really quite large - 200mm wide - and they're made from flocked copper.

This guy's also going....

Winkin'

Sorry I've been so slack about posting, it's a new year's resolution to get back into it. Part of my reluctance has been not having a good way to document things as they come of my bench. But I've decided that you can all put up with brooches photographed on pink tissue paper if that's what it has to be

.

rocks

2009-08-18T21:41:00.004+10:00

This has been in the window of Studio Ingot for a while but it's taken me an even longer while to post about it.

The 'Rocks' work is now available in Melbourne, exclusively from Studio Ingot

It was difficult to photograph due to reflection but here's what the poster looks like...

and another example modeled by Cate Blanchett...

if you didn't already spot the deceit, here it is...

more window photos...

Viva la Revolución

2009-06-23T17:51:00.003+10:00

It seems there's an underground movement to sabotage the destruction of Carlow House. The resistance heard about my previous post and have alerted me to some beautiful old images of the building...

photo: Lyle Fowler, Carlow House
ca. 1940
nicked from state library of victoria

photo: Lyle Fowler
shopfront, Croft's Grocery Store, Carlow House
ca. 1940
nicked from state library of victoria

What a beautiful old lady she was. And still is. But we're running out of time to save her.

Flinders Lane Views

2009-06-22T16:24:00.002+10:00

The view out the window: Winter afternoon looking north along Elizabeth st. My studio has windows all along the north and west sides.

And if you look to the right you see this...

which is a garden atop the NAB which was designed by Jamie Durie. It's not to my taste - lots of faux lawn and flax like plants, and we think the big tube covered in faux lawn might be for wedding ceremonies - but if I worked there I would go out there at every opportunity. We NEVER see anyone out there. It's a ghost garden

.

Look what they've done to my song, Ma

2009-06-18T12:23:00.004+10:00

This was the beautiful entrance foyer to the gorgeous old deco building which houses my studio.

lovely terrazzo floor, old metal framed cabinets for display, deco highlights in the ceiling, terrazzo tiles on the walls. A suitable entrance for a building full of artists, designers and architects.

Look at it now

A little piece of me dies every time I have to walk through it.

The building was sold a year or so ago and since then the new owners (tellingly from Sydney) have proceeded to "renovate" it. Turning the foyer into a urinal is just the start apparently.

Rents have doubled and many of my old neighbours have moved on. We, fortunately, have a lease until the end of 2011 after which I foresee that we too will be leaving.

Vale Carlow House

Vale Melbourne CBD. Hereafter referred to as Seveneleventown.

.

Beside my bench...

2009-06-17T10:34:00.001+10:00

The Humph

with occasional visits from the happiest girl in the world

.

some old new stuff

2009-06-15T18:56:00.002+10:00

Here are some things that are kind of new - I haven't posted them here but I made them a few months ago.

silver reef brooch with turquoise beads

silver reef brooch with pearls and biscuit tin

silver reef pendant with pearls

silver reef pendant with pearls.

New stuff over at garage sailor too

.

2008-12-28T15:37:00.003+11:00

Facebook?...

so passe.

Check out the online network of contemporary jewellers

Set up by Kit and Caboodle blogger, Cathy Salter

And here's something from the archives...

not jewellery. It's just a thing
.

new blogger on the block

2008-12-21T21:45:00.002+11:00

check it out!

Katherine Bowman has a blog!

She's bloody Ace!

scaley friends

2008-12-18T14:36:00.004+11:00

These guys came off my bench recently and are available at e.g.etal

two bad photos taken by me and here's a good one taken by Phoebe Porter courtesy of e.g.etal

They're brooches.
They're made from an old biscuit tin and faceted garnet beads
.

sore neck

2008-12-09T10:12:00.003+11:00

I have very stiff joints in my neck and I've had them for years. They get better after quite a few trips to the physio but they always get worse again. And that's because I'm a jeweller. The way I sit, the way I work and the way I'm always too involved in what I'm doing to stop and S-T-R-E-T-C-H! I know I'm not the only jeweller to suffer from this. But I just wanted to complain because it hurts to roll my rolling mills at the moment because my stiff neck has upset my rotator cuff and my shoulders don't work properly.

And here's some new work

empty reef earrings

peridot reef brooch - the photo does not give a good indication of the luscious green of the peridots. You'll have to physically go to e.g.etal for a better look. And the anemone is from a biscuit tin with old reef illustrations.

.

Buena Vista II

2008-11-20T17:03:00.006+11:00

Here are some close-ups

Collins St Crusader

Fantastic Mr Fox - yes, he swings

Coo-Eee. Look who's peeking over the tree tops (sold)

Terra Nullius (sold)

And don't take a bite of it orright (sold)

Touring the Realm (sold)

Tally Ho

Where's the Doctor?

Absent IV (picket fence) (sold)

Securing the Harvest

Boundary Rider

Spook

and look who's hiding in the tree

the Spook!

.

Buena Vista

2008-11-20T16:50:00.003+11:00

I had an exhibition recently at Craft Victoria

called Buena Vista

You can read a bit more about it here, here, here and here

.

Katherine Bowman

2008-05-09T09:07:00.004+10:00

This is where I'll be next Friday night!

Congratulations!

2008-03-07T22:13:00.002+11:00

Oh dear, how did I miss this!

Congratulations to Mari Funaki for winning the Australia Council Visual Arts Emeritus Award on February 29.

(photo nicked from the Craft Australia website)

Well deserved, I reckon.

Jennifer Wehlacz

2008-03-07T09:41:00.002+11:00

Check it out!

I found her through carrotbox and I reckon she makes some cool stuff

.

scenes from the doll house #2

2008-02-28T10:51:00.002+11:00

The opening was a success. Thanks to the extraordinary co-ordination and room-working talents of the knitter's sister quite a few sales were made.

sing-it-again, bite-your-bum-off and the knitter's sister.

And if anyone requires the services of an Exhibitions Business Manager I cannot recommend anyone more highly than Hannah Cameron (the knitter's sister). Get in touch with me if you'd like her contact details.

More scenes from the night...

jewellers Belinda Newick and Amy Renshaw

more jewellers Nicky Hepburn, Vikki Kassioras and Katherine Bowman (get websites, Ladies!)

Even more jewellers Vicki Mason and Claudia Betancourt

At last, a non-jeweller Sarah Purcell (but jewellery appreciator extraordinaire) and jeweller Caz Guiney (currently exhibiting at Craft Victoria

Nicky Hepburn again and another jeweller Jessica Morrison

non jewellers Brigette Cameron (the knitter) and ceramist Robyn Phelan

.

scenes from the doll house #1

2008-02-28T10:00:00.002+11:00

Waiting

So I get the keys to the gallery on Sunday but I have to wait for the work to arrive from Sydney on Monday, so I go home and try to relax! On Monday I'm there bright and early as FV from Pablo Fanque had organised for an AM delivery. I lay out my installation tools, I sweep, I paint over some marks on the walls, I sweep again, I try and read the paper and at 12 o'clock I phone the courier. At 12.20 the work arrives. phew.

Installation was relatively easy until the vinyl lettering arrived.

the knitter and the guy from Ballarat helping out (and trying not to laugh)

How big is that font! How big is my ego!

This is one of the lessons to be learnt from exhibiting at an artist run space. I've been very fortunate that exhibitions I've been involved in up until now have had curators or exhibition co-ordinators to help with installation, signage and promotion. I'm also very lucky to have some good friends to help me out with all of this. But what I didn't do, was consult with someone about how big the signage should be! whoops. It was going to go on the white wall at the back of the gallery but we had to move it to the edge of the grey bench seat where it wasn't so obvious.

You can just see it here...

underneath where I'm sitting repairing one of the neckpieces with 'setting fluid' (glue!)

.

come one, come all

2008-02-20T10:58:00.002+11:00

'Reef' earrings #3

2008-02-17T20:59:00.002+11:00

And finally... some images of the display of 'reef' work (earrings and pendant) at e.g.etal before Christmas.

earrings: silver, turquoise, 18ct yellow gold

earrings: silver, antique glass beads, 18ct yellow gold

pendant: silver, coral

earrings: silver, garnet

'Reef' earrings #2

2008-02-17T20:49:00.003+11:00

here's another pair from the 'reef' series.

These were made for a friend and are made from silver and turquoise. I prefer to blacken the silver because I find that silver earrings turn black from skin acid very quickly and to clean these properly requires re-beading them which is costly.

And some PR in The Age garnered by e.g.etal (thankyou)

this pair were the first I made and I incorporated a straight hook. It seems that customers prefer an articulated hook (see previous post) I'd be interested in your thoughts

.

'Reef' earrings #1

2008-02-17T20:02:00.005+11:00

OK, so here's some new work.

And a question.

How the bl.... h.... do you photograph earrings?

silver and dyed howlite earrings

I'm just not totally convinced that this is the best way.

silver and dyed agate earrings

I'm not happy with the way the earring hooks fall.

silver, onyx and pearl earrings

And I'm a bit concerned about how pink the background is but these are just the thumbnails.

silver and dyed and bleached sea bamboo earrings

If anyone can point me in the right direction for some good examples of earring photography, I would very much appreciate it.

I'd also like to point out what a dodgy jeweller I am, take a look at the hooks in the last photo - one has a bend and the other is straight!

new stuff

2008-02-01T21:37:00.000+11:00

Here are a couple of brooches that I sent to Pablo Fanque before Christmas...

Prudence: tin tray, copper, pearls (brooch)

Sad Scallywag: tin tray, copper, tourmaline, 18ct yellow gold (booch)

Blue: biscuit tin, copper, green agate. (neckpiece)

sorry for photos, I'm heading to Sydney on Sunday for the opening of the exhibition on Tuesday night so I'll try and take some better ones. I have lots of posting ideas in my head: the conference in Adelaide, new work, new contacts, new opportunities, things I still want to share from my epic trip last year, etc. Some day I'll get around to it.