miss mardi nowak

Music clip inspiration: Arcade Fire

2012-01-30T21:54:00.001+11:00

I'm in love with this song and music clip by Arcade Fire. The song is called Sprawl II (Mountains beyond Mountains). As a bit of a shopping theory geek, the lines:

'Cause on the surface the city lights shine
They're calling at me, come and find your kind
Sometimes I wonder if the world's so small
That we can never get away from the sprawl
Living in the sprawl
Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains
And there's no end in sight
I need the darkness, someone please cut the lights

These lyrics remind me of feeling lost and completely overwhelmed in large shopping malls in the USA. I would love to go there alone and just wander around, like a flaneur, absorbing all the information, lights and bigness that they had to offer.

It also reminds me of visiting weird and small towns in the USA and seeing deserted shops and fast food chain stores. Their decaying aesthetics had a quiet beauty to them. They were kind of spooky as they were so isolated but I loved looking at the faded signs, just a shadow of their former glory.

Flashback: Tapestry style

2012-01-26T12:44:00.000+11:00

Tapestry by Mardi Nowak, Twins shopping for Runway Bargains.

I thought I'd share another slightly older tapestry with you all. The tapestry above is one of the works when I first started to experiment with shaped works. The idea of the shaped tapestry does appeal to me as it keeps the feel of the collage, making the wall the paper that the collage is applied to.

This work is woven on a heaver gauge, with about 10 threads to the weft. I now weave with 7 threads. Although I do like the chunkiness of the thicker woven tapestry, I find that my works are stiffer when I weave on a smaller gauge, therefore work better as shaped works.

detail of tapestry.

One of my favourite parts of this tapestry is the combination of font styles in the work. They range from a fluid, graffiti style to newsprint, to large bold text. I played with this combination because to me, it gives that graphic design feel of a magazine layout. It relays the overload of information that we get from these pages.

original collage by Mardi Nowak.

I have submitted this work to be considered for an upcoming group show. I hope that it is well received as I haven't really exhibited this work, I think it's only been shown once before. I enjoy seeing my work in group exhibitions and how it relates to others works. It's like the work is meeting new people and having new conversations with them. Fingers crossed it gets to meet some new people!

Dress Inspiration

2012-01-05T08:22:00.004+11:00

As I am trying to bust my fabric stash this year (seriously, there is soooo much!), I am attempting to put together some key pieces to make up that I think will get worn over and over.

The new range from McCalls was quite exciting for me. They have some cute, simple pieces and this collar-less shirt dress with pockets (pattern M6520) had my name all over it! I have quite a few meters of a lightweight wool flannel (see top right corner), which doesn't appear to crush which I think will be perfect for this pattern. I also think that this will make a great travel dress for our New York City trip, teamed with warm tights, boots and knitted accessories.

Don't worry, I will post a photo once all completed. Though with Melbourne in a major heat wave at the moment, I will be waiting until it cools off before I start sewing this up!

To keep me inspired in getting back into my sewing the following blogs are ones that I follow at the moment!

Grainline Studio
Tesutti
Clever Girl
Jamie Christina Designs

You should check them out too, they are full of great inspiration and tips!

2011 Round Up: My Fashion Loves!

2012-01-03T12:36:00.002+11:00

2011 was about polka dots and stripes.

I'd like to think that I don't really follow fashion trends, well, I don't fully follow them! I thought I would share some of my favourite fashion finds, loves and trends that 2011 gave me.

crazy colour tights

2011 was definitely about colour for me. However in saying that I did have a huge Marimekko shopping frenzy in Boston where I managed to buy only black and white clothing - weird huh?! I did love mixing this with super bright coloured stockings though which got alot of comments and played on the colour blocking trend.

Marimekko goodness.

I was very naughty and did not sew nearly as much as I would of liked, I think I was so busy with my artwork creation that all spare time was put towards this. I did however pick up lots of Marimekko dresses and new stripey tops which have been getting quite the work out! So, 2011 was really about the Marimekko dress for me! I can see that 2012 will have me making up some of my own with the collection of Marimekko fabrics that I have.

Ugglebo Love!

I discovered Ugglebo Clogs! Oh my, how did I live without these in my life? They are so comfortable and cute and they custom make them for you! I have been living in my clogs and sharing the Ugglebo love where ever I can. I'm just trying to decide what colour I am going to embrace for 2012.

handknitted yellow cowl.

In 2011 I gave up scarves and embraced a handknitted cowl! I went a little crazy knitting these beauties on circular needles. I love that I didn't have to sew anything up and they knitted up quicklly. Also the beauty of the cowl is that it can't blow off in the wind and you can pull it up over your ears to stay warm. My prediction is that the cowl is here to stay for me!

What about 2012? Well, I have decided to get back into my sewing as much as I can. I have a stack of fabric in my stash that really needs to be made into a variety of dresses and skirts. I want to try and de-stash some of my clothing and send it to charity or try and sell it. I would also love to knit up a great cardigan or jacket for Winter too but I guess, let's not go too crazy huh?!

2011 Round Up: all things art and tapestry!

2012-01-02T11:39:00.000+11:00

Tapestries getting ready to go to Lithuania.

2011 was a year that I made a very conscious decision to really rev up what I was doing in terms of my art. I moved back into an artist studio, away from my house. I find that when I work in an external studio, I seem to get heaps more work completed. It's like going to your job. You clock on, work your butt off and then clock off. Having a studio means that I have a space that is just really about creating tapestry and that has been great for me in 2011.

My new studio... a little bit of organised chaos.

So the numbers! I had works in 6 exhibitions in 2011, which is the most in close to 10 years! I also had a partnered solo show (with Adrian Conti) in my hometown Melbourne which was the first one in about 3 years! I also had a small series of work show in Vilnius, Lithuania, first time I've shown there. I'm so proud of the exhibitions that I've been involved in. All of them have been very different and the response to the works has been fantastic.

I spoke about my work in 5 different presentations in 2011. I toured with the About Time: Studio Tapestry 1975 - 2005 exhibition to present these talks. I visited Horsham, Maryborough and Swan Hill and spoke to a huge variety of people. It was the presentation to students that I love doing the best and I hope that I've inspired some of those students to keep going with their artworks.

Some of the small tapestries completed in 2011

So how many works did I make in 2011? I can't count the number of collages and works on paper that I made as there were too many! I feel that these works found a strong direction with their use of stickers and envelopes and the aesthetic aspects have changed, meaning that this will flow into the tapestries as well. In terms of tapestries, I was on a roll!!! I completed and exhibited 5 smaller tapestries works and completed my large work 'Stop and Listen' which was also sold at the Piecework show. Throughout 2011 I've been working on a much larger tapestry while doing these other works. I would of loved to have completed it in 2011 but it looks like it will be in 2012 now!

Some details of collages made in 2011.

I also bought a new loom, making the commitment to continue weaving and also to have the ability to weave on multiple tapestries at once.

So what does 2012 hold for me and my artwork? Well, About Time: Studio Tapestry 1975 - 2005 will be touring to a venue in Melbourne which I'm quite excited about. I'm also planning to show some new works in another solo exhibition, hopefully in a venue that I haven't exhibited at before in Melbourne as well as being part of group shows. Well, that's the plan and I've been on such a roll that I can see 2012 being productive too!

Flashback Friday... arty style!

2011-12-30T15:10:00.000+11:00

Marcus and myself at Mallee Cats exhibition in Swan Hill, I had just finished year 12.

When I was visiting my mum's house over Christmas, she gave me a bunch of clippings that she had kept from when I was a kid. It was funny to see how much I was into the arts when I was a student, going to exhibition openings, visiting the theatre and poster girl for school art shows!

It's pretty funny really and I thought I would share these blasts from the past!

Installing some student works during high school.

Celebrating International Women's Day at the gallery, me on the left with my wonderful mentor, Director Linda Lucas.

My mum and myself about to head out to the theatre.

Does anyone else have some great 'blast from the past' newspaper clippings? Please share!!!!

Flashback Friday: Tapestry...

2011-12-23T07:28:00.000+11:00

Tapestry by Mardi Nowak, 'Laugh at You Stupid'.

I've been attempting to organize my sewing room in our house. It's been quite a task and I've been going through boxes that look like they haven't been opened for about 5 years and sending stuff to the charity store as well. It's a great feeling to de-clutter and create a work space that is much more focused and hopefully easy to use.

While going through everything and trying to organize all of my bits and pieces, I came across this little tapestry that I made in about 1999. It's called 'Laugh at You Stupid' and is much finer than the tapestries that I make now. I do love this little work as it still stems from a collage starting point and was about the start of me using text in my work as well. Also, the word 'stupid' looks great woven! I now have this work hanging above one of my work desks as a little reminder of how my work is progressing.

Round up: Vanish/Survive Exhibition

2011-12-15T20:32:00.000+11:00

The Vanish/Survive catalogue.

It's been a while since the exhibition Vanish/Survive was on show at ARKA gallery in Vilnius, Lithuania but I thought I'd do a bit of a round up seeing my works arrived home the other day.

I had three works in the exhibition and my take on the theme of Vanish/Survive was about shadows and silhouettes. In terms of tapestry, I'm always very interested in shadows and silhouettes and how they translate into the woven form. For me, a shadow alone is something that is fragile and almost deathlike. It isn't alive at all. But there is something that survives to create the shadow or silhouette, it is alive.

Some installation shots of the exhibition, courtesy of the gallery.

The gallery sent me some photos of the installation and as you can see it was a diverse, yet quite beautiful show. I love the look of the gallery with it's airy ceilings lined with beams and beautiful wooden floors. I would of loved to have gone to see the exhibition and I have to say when I do go and visit Lithuania, I will definitely be going to check out ARKA gallery!

If you look carefully, my series of works are on the back wall to the left!

I was very happy to get my tapestries home from the show. It's always like sending your babies to boarding school. You sometimes forget what they look like and then they come home and you think, "wow, they look better than I remember!" The works came back with a copy of the catalogue. I loved flicking through and seeing all the other works in the show. It's great when a catalogue has images of all the works that were in the exhibition.

My entry in the catalogue in English and Lithuanian.

I also love seeing the translations of my titles into another language. I remember having my work translated into German and now into Lithuanian,,, I love the look of it!
A big thank you to the curators of the exhibition and ARKA gallery, they were such a great team to work with!

A Bit of Arty Silliness...

2011-12-07T15:18:00.001+11:00

I enjoy playing with these 'Let us create an absurd artist statement, title for a show etc' programs that you can find on the internet. I love it when they produce something that actually sounds like something that you would use or have seen before. As a curator I enjoy that I can still poke fun at what I do and the art world that I work in. It's not all like this but every now and again when I need a laugh, I do visit one of these sites!

You can visit www.artybollocks.com to make your own artist statement too. Here is one that I got that made me giggle.

"My work explores the relationship between Critical theory and romance tourism.

With influences as diverse as Nietzsche and Andy Warhol, new insights are manufactured from both explicit and implicit dialogues.

Ever since I was a student I have been fascinated by the traditional understanding of the moment. What starts out as triumph soon becomes corroded into a tragedy of futility, leaving only a sense of nihilism and the dawn of a new synthesis.

As temporal replicas become frozen through studious and academic practice, the viewer is left with a summary of the corners of our existence."

Thanks Arty Bollocks for making my day!

Mad Square exhibition...

2011-12-05T08:34:00.001+11:00

A Lissitsky work promoting the exhibition.

Last weekend we popped along to the National Gallery of Victoria to check out the Mad Square: Modernity in German Art 1910-37 exhibition. The exhibition covered some of my favourite periods of art; German Expressionism, Dada, Constructivism and Bauhaus.

Cover of the catalogue for the exhibition.

I would say that this is probably not going to be the 'blockbuster exhibition' like some of the Winter Masterpieces exhibitions at the NGV but it is one that appealed to me. The works on show never get old to me, they still express a raw innovation, an excitement of the new. I was pretty excited to view a series of Hannah Hoch collages in the flesh. Her work was such an inspiration and influence on my own practice in terms of what could be achieved with collage.

Some of the beautiful Hannah Hoch collages.

It's funny because I feel like I've gone to quite a few exhibitions that covered these works recently (well in the last 12 to 18 months). We visited a huge Bauhaus exhibition at MOMA in NYC when we were there last and I stocked up on lots of books about the movement and various artists. It was pretty funny that some of our favourite works in the Mad Square exhibition were by El Lissitzky. When I came home, I had realized that I had purchased a great little book on his work in New York. It's weird how these artists and works keep popping up in my consciousness. I am sure that they are filtering into my work but in a very uncontrolled manner.

My gorgeous Lissitsky book from NYC.

I guess the things that I loved about the exhibition were that:

these works are still so exciting, fresh and innovative even after all this time. To me, this was one hell of a time in the arts!
I loved the ethos of the Bauhaus movement and seeing the camaraderie amongst artists and designers, creating works that were practical and that crossed mediums as well.
Women artists during this time were having such an impact on the scene! They were making works that were challenging, political and equal to the men.
As a tapestry weaver, I loved seeing woven works being created and designed by artists to bring these ideas into the home as well.

If you get a chance, go check out Mad Square at the NGV. I think that it is on until early March 2012. I can see that I will probably go back for a second look too.

Flip book Miss Nina...

2011-12-04T07:53:00.001+11:00

You may need to click on image to view the flip book on your mobile device!

OMG, yep it's a crazy cat lady post!!!! It's always so difficult to get a snap of Nina so I always end up taking heaps and heaps to try and capture her actually looking at me. I am facing the fact that I will never be a professional pet photographer!

Enjoy this little flip book of my pretty little lady...

Fashion in the Mail...

2011-11-26T19:31:00.000+11:00

My new Ugglebo Clogs and Marimekko dress.

Wow! Friday was such a great mail day! I love getting lots of parcels in the mail, especially when some of them are unexpected. I was not expecting my new Ugglebo clogs to arrive. Aren't they just the best dark purple colour, they really go with all of my Marimekko dresses. If clogs are your thing, then check our Ugglebo as they do custom orders and they are all made by hand.

The gorgeous stamps on the Ugglebo packaging.

My gorgeous clogs arrived directly from Sweden packaged up with the cutest stamps. I managed to peel some of them off the packaging to keep for collages. It's a lovely way to remember where they have come from and seeing my work involves a lot of fashion images, it seems very appropriate to add how these great fashion items arrived to me.

Ugglebo Rocks!

Also, I am in love with the Ugglebo owl. He (or she?) is quite adorable with his feathered ears. They are definitely one of my favourite shoe companies. I was also pretty stoked that my new shoes match my new Marimekko dress perfectly!


Omena Dress by Marimekko. Pieni Hedelmakor by Mika Piirainen for Winter 2011. Print by Annika Rimala.

This is one of my new Marimekko dresses. I love the random coloured parts of the print, like a weird little surprise. I'm also a huge fan of this style with it's large pockets on the side. I may look like a child wearing it but it is so comfortable. I usually get my Marimekko stuff from Kiitos Marimekko in New York City. They are an independent store but they give the best service and ship to Australia too. There is a bit of a push in the USA to shop small, local and independent stores. I think that this is a great thing to do where ever you live. I do feel a little bad buying this from New York but the Kiitos store does feel like my local as they know who I am whenever I am in New York. In a way, I feel like a local!

I hope that you are enjoy the crazy clash of patterns here and all this beautiful Scandinavian design!

Marimekko catwalk show in Tokyo

2011-11-23T19:57:00.000+11:00

I am in love with all of this!!! I especially love some of the long dresses which is inspiring me to try and make a great maxi dress for Summer. Beautiful show!! Thank you Marimekko, so inspiring, so beautiful, so simple.

Kate Derum Award for Small Tapestries...

2011-11-07T11:52:00.000+11:00

Blue Envelope: Library Betty Composition, 2011
woven tapestry, wool, cotton and linen, 29cm x 27 cm

My work above (pictured still on the loom!) was shortlisted for the Kate Derum Award for Small Tapestries. You can check out this exhibition until 18 November at The Australian Tapestry Workshop, Melbourne.

The Kate Derum Award for Small Tapestries is open to all professional and international tapestry artists and features a non-acquisitive award of $5,000 for the winner and a non-acquisitive award of $1,000 for an emerging artist who has been practicing for less than five years. The Workshop received 63 submissions with 43 finalists selected.

The Award celebrates Kate as an accomplished artist, respected teacher, avid supporter of the Workshop and ambassador for Australian tapestry. She was a wonderful role model and leader, and she influenced the lives of so many young artists. Susan Morgan, a long-time friend of Kate, was inspired to fund the Award after learning about Kate’s deep commitment to the Workshop and the art of tapestry. This Award is one of the ways that the Workshop and Kate’s friends can remember her and her legacy.

The judges for this year’s Award are Professor Kay Lawrence, AM, University of South Australia and a member of the Australian Tapestry Workshop’s Board, and Jason Smith, Director of the Heide Museum of Modern Art.

Generously supported by Susan Morgan and the Tapestry Foundation of Australia, the Kate Derum Award was created in honour of the former Deputy Director of the Australian Tapestry Workshop who passed away in 2008.

FINALISTS
Margrethe Agger (Denmark), Mog Bremner (Australia), Dorothy Clews (Australia), Chris Cochius (Australia), Amy Cornall (Australia), Jilly Edwards (UK), Alex Friedman (USA), Renee Friend (Australia), Saffron Lily Gordon (Australia), Hilary Green (Australia), Tim Gresham (Australia), Birgitta Hallberg (Sweden), Sally Harvey (Australia), Beate von Harten (Austria), Joyce Hayes (USA), Susanne Henriques (Sweden), Inyul Heo (Korea), Maureen Hodge (UK), Fiona Hutchinson (UK), Anne Jackson (UK), Feliksas Jakubauskas (Lithuania), Valerie Kirk (Australia), Elina Lusis-Grinberga (Latvia), Jo McDonald (UK), Lindsey Marshall (UK), Susan Mowatt (UK), Mardi Nowak (Australia), Julie Paul (Australia), Judit Pázmány (Hungary), Michael F.Rohde (USA), Deann Rubin (USA), Christine Sawyer (UK), Freya Sewell (UK), Ann Shuttleworth (Australia), Joy Smith (Australia), Christina Sobrino (Spain), Joanne Soroka (UK), Emma Sulzer (Australia), Verona Szabó (Hungary), Jaroslava Têšínská (Czech), Cheryl Thornton (Australia), Anton Veenstra (Australia), Méabh Warburton (France)

My tapestry is off to it's new home!

2011-10-26T12:02:00.000+11:00

Artist, Mardi Nowak and art lover Anne, with Stop and Listen.

My tapestry, Stop and Listen, 2011 (pictured above) has gone off to it's new home here in Melbourne. It's always such a great feeling when your work ends up in the homes and collections of people who will adore it.

I am sure that Anne will get much enjoyment out of it!

Last Days of Piecework...

2011-10-12T18:09:00.000+11:00

Article in Progress Leader: 10 October, 2011.

Oh no! You only have a few more days to go and check out Piecework, my exhibition with Adrian Conti! If you want to go and see a bunch of tapestries, cool paintings and collages then head to Tacit Contemporary Art before 5pm this Sunday 16 October.

Adrian and I will be at the gallery on Sunday 16 October from 3pm to 5pm to chat with folk, answer questions and naturally have some wine. The wine isn't just for us, it's for you too!

We hope to see you there!

Totally spoilt... Cartier Cats!

2011-10-09T10:15:00.000+11:00

(top) My clutch purse! (bottom left) all wrapped up - (bottom right) seal of approval!

My husband totally spoils me! I received an early anniversary present from him, a stunning Cartier Panther Gold clutch purse, which I totally am in love with!!! It is simple, stylish and sleek, obviously everything that the panther embodies!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a crazy luxury brand person but I do have a very special spot for the Cartier panther range as it's all about cats, it has a beautiful art deco edge to it and it's simple.

My clutch matches my engagement ring!

"Louis Cartier's creative partner was nicknamed ""The panther"". The feline motif is a tribute to devastating seduction, mysterious beauty and untamed character." (from the Cartier website)

I love this line about the panther series, I definitely feel mysterious and untamed when I wear my panthers!

Feeling the Ugglebo Clog Love!

2011-10-07T09:33:00.000+11:00

Me in my cute metallic Ugglebo Clogs.

As you all know, I have a HUGE love of all things Scandanivian. There is something so slick and beautiful about their design as well as being practical! Last year the lovely Sofia from Nord Living put me onto Ugglebo Clogs and well, I haven't looked back! The guys there were awesome and happily made me up two pairs of cute clogs to my specifications.

It seems that fashion has followed along and everyone is sporting gorgeous wooden heeled clogs! Yep, finally we've all decided that comfort (as well as good looks) are the way to go. Having a dad that was a boot maker by trade, I know the importance of a stylish shoe that is also good for your feet too so my love affair with Ugglebo Clogs has meant that our fling is now a serious relationship!

Some of the clogs on offer for the new season at Ugglebo.

I've been drooling over the latest range from Ugglebo Clogs for their Fall/Winter Collection 2011. I especially have my eye on the gorgeous teal coloured clogs with studs (featured at the bottom right in above photo). I have a few dresses that these will look amazing with!

The Shearling boots from Ugglebo.

Though the boots that make me go "OMG!" are the high shearling boots!!! I described these to a friend of mine as 'tough ugg boots'. The gorgeous shearling fleece will keep your legs warm, while the Ugglebo wooden foot bed will keep your feet in good health. Win, win situation isn't it! Even though we are going into Spring here in Australia, I think that I will get a pair of the boots now for Winter anyway. I mean, with the crazy Melbourne weather we have been having, I could probably wear them now anyway!

The factory process at Ugglebo.

The best part of my love of Ugglebo Clogs is that the awesome guys there have given me a 15% voucher to use on my next order (watch out teal coloured clogs!) The even better part is I can share it with my fellow fashionistas!

So head to www.uggleboclogs.com and use mardi15 at the checkout for 15% off your order, my fellow clog lovers! I'd love to see your photos if you grab a pair too! Hit me up clogsters!!!

Piecework is all open!

2011-10-02T10:32:00.000+11:00

Adrian Conti (left), fellow artist Samara Adamson-Pinczewski.

My exhibition with the amazing Mr. Adrian Conti opened at Tacit Contemporary Art on Wednesday evening. It was a crazy night with Melbourne having some of the worst weather ever! It was thundering and pouring with rain but fellow art lovers still made it to the gallery to help us celebrate the launch of Piecework.

John Hendriks and moi!

Piecework is the first exhibition of my work in Melbourne for about 3 years, so I was pretty excited to show off all the tapestries and collages that I have been working on lately.

My two favourite Maltese folk! My husband Mark and the lovely Bel!

The exhibition includes woven tapestries, a small series of original collages (the working collages that have inspired many tapestries!) and some beautiful paintings by Adrian.

Delicious cheese from Cornelius.

A big shout out to Matt from Cornelius in Canterbury for helping me select some great cheese and pickles for the opening night. The Dutch hard cheese pictured above was absolutely amazing (it was also about the size of my head!) and the Belarus style pickles went quickly too. If cheese is your thing, check out his store!

Beautiful paintings by Adrian Conti

It was a great evening and we were very happy to have a couple of sales too! Piecework is at Tacit Contemporary Art until Sunday 16 October. As the opening night weather was absolutely crazy (and it was a little difficult to get there!) we are also having a closing afternoon party! Join us on Sunday 16 October from 3pm to 5pm for some wine, cheese and arty chats!

Piecework exhibition opens next Wednesday!!

2011-09-24T17:44:00.000+10:00

YOU'RE INVITED!!! My exhibition with Adrian Conti, Piecework opens next Wednesday evening at Tacit Contemporary Art. This is the first time I have showed works in Melbourne for about 3 years so it is quite exciting! Please visit my upcoming exhibitions page for dates, times and all of that.

Here is some information about the show:

Piecework is an exhibition of paintings, woven tapestries and works on paper by Adrian Conti and Mardi Nowak. Although both artists work in very different mediums, they share a common language of saturated colour and fragmented shapes.

Mardi Nowak (MFA Research) works primarily in woven tapestry and finds her inspiration in fashion magazines, torn advertising billboards, street graffiti and the everyday. Works are created by collaging together images and photographs from magazines with old drawings and photocopies to reproduce the many layers found on billboards, similar to wallpaper plastered over old wallpaper. These collages become the cartoon for final tapestries.

Notions of time play a factor in her work. There is a disjunction between the disposable and fast flow of images in contemporary mass media against the deliberation and slowness of a woven construction. A fashionable dress produced in a tapestry may be out of fashion by the time a tapestry is completed.

“My recent series of works have utilised a constant flow of collaged elements; that of the envelope and the ‘Hello My Name Is’ stickers. Both of these products give me a large aesthetic scope within the collages but also have a variety of meanings. The envelope speaks of things hidden, messages and a holder for fragments. The ‘Hello My Name Is’ stickers play with the language of street graffiti. To me they are also a symbol of identity; something which is constantly challenged within fashion media.” (Mardi Nowak 2011)
Adrian Conti's recent works have emerged out of regular drives to Fulham Correctional Centre in East Gippsland. Stagnant inside an interior for the two-hour plus drive, the external landscape shifts and changes. Conti's work seeks to describe this landscape but with no fixed point of reference. Painting from memory, his vista is the constancy of the horizon line through my driving window and the amalgamation of shapes throughout the journey.
"I live predominantly immersed in an urban environment with little connection to the rural land. This journey interspersed with ever changing brackets of industry and nature has engendered a response to the juxtaposition of our planned and sometimes regimented environments with what it is to have and enjoy natural space.

My re-interpretation of the physical landscape is via the lens of a ‘city boy’, the abstract nature of the image both references the ‘actual’ and internal landscapes. It is here that I’m caught, investigating the dichotomy of the ‘real’ and imaginary, the inside and outside, urban and rural." (Adrian Conti 2011)

The use of contemporary materials, the abstract and graphic depiction still acknowledges the concept of ‘real space’ and the traditional use of the ‘horizon’ within landscapes.

The use of industrial materials like spray paint enables the simplification of form, clean lines and the absence of marks, all this serves to heighten the sterility of the experience and of his destination.

Both Nowak and Conti place emphasis on the interplay of positive and negative space; each part sharing equal importance. Their works allow the viewer to be submerged into a variety of surfaces and fragments, with the viewer discovering new elements with every look.

Vanish/Survive exhibition in Vilnius Lithuania

2011-09-16T08:55:00.000+10:00

The Seventh International Biennial of Textile Miniatures
VANISH/SURVIVE
September 21 – October 8, 2011

The seventh International Biennial of Textile Miniatures Vanish/Survive is dedicated to the problem of existence of contemporary human. Even 125 artists from 31 countries – from the Baltic countries to the most distant parts of the world (Australia, Japan, China, Latin America) in their works reflect on the different aspects of human existence and the role of individual in the modern world.

Opposition between survival and vanishing is analyzed by the participants of the exhibition through the interaction of life and death or just being and the beyond world. They tackle the problems of ecology and human responsibility in the world full of social, political and religious contradictions. They are interested in the future of textile, the problems of its survival and transformations in the contemporary art, as well as the fate of national and spiritual values under the conditions of globalization.

The artists as if seemingly ask – what is awaiting us tomorrow, what did we find and what shall we leave after ourselves, whether we imprint the footsteps in our time? The works exhibited in biennial are different with respect to style and technique combining both traditional and innovative methods, reflecting individualities of the authors’ and dominating textile tendencies.

Text by Dr. Lijana Šatavičiūtė

I really wish that I could of made the opening of this exhibition! I had started planning to go but then work committments, other exhibitions and life in general took over. I can't wait to receive the catalogue and to see the other works in the exhibition.

Vanish/Survive is at Arka Gallerie in Vilnius, Lithuania. If you're in the area, drop in!

Bit of model posing for The Carisbrook Mercury!

2011-09-09T20:16:00.000+10:00

Me and my supermodel pose!

I was in Maryborough last weekend to present a floor talk and to officially launch the last installment of About Time: Australian Studio Tapestry 1975 to 2005. It was great to be at the Central Goldfields Art Gallery under the watchful eye of the director there, Kay. (Kay was awesome!)

On the next day, I also presented to a group of year 11 and 12 students about my arts practice and curating. Presenting to students is something that I always enjoy as I remember what I was like at that age and how inspiring it was to meet other artists. I was very chuffed that one of the students wrote in the visitor's book, "You're work is really cool and I like your dress too." That totally made my day!

Marimekko dress and a detail of Sara Lindsay's tapestry.

I had to put together this detail of my Marimekko dress alongside the detail of Sara Lindsay's tapestry, we totally were matching! Many of the visitors to the gallery found it quite amusing that my dress matched the works! (Also, this dress got quite a lot of compliments! I love Marimekko!)

My work on the right at Central Goldfields Art Gallery.

This is the last stop on the tour of this exhibition. It's been great seeing the show at the different venues and the responses. I think I will miss heading out rural way to chat to the crowds! Thanks to Anthony Camm for curating this great show.!

Some new collages...

2011-09-05T17:26:00.000+10:00

Some quick new collages to add to the envelope series...

Under the Radar, 2011

The Broken Act, 2011

Questionable Youth, 2011


True to Heart, Hola!, 2011

Marimekko Scribbles...

2011-09-03T07:30:00.000+10:00

I love this Marimekko tee as the marks are reminscent of knitting, or chain mail. I guess if you get too tired of knitting for real, you can always just pick up a pen and draw the knitting onto your t-shirt!

Yep, I guess it works for me! I hope that everyone in Melbourne is getting out and about in t-shirts in this amazing Spring weather that we have going on! (Though just between you and me, I've still been turning the heating on in the morning for our kitty!)

It's Nearly Spring...

2011-08-28T10:20:00.000+10:00

top of dress.

bottom of dress and my crazy blue stockings!

It's so close to Spring here in Melbourne and I have been sporting my Marimekko tree dress quite a bit in this lovely weather. I love the bold graphics on this dress and it always seems to put me in a great mood! The last time I shopped in store at Marimekko I went on a crazy buy up of black and white, which really isn't me when I'm at Marimekko. But there is something special about the boldness of shape when it's in black and white and I have to say that I think it is filtering into my work!

I hope that everyone who is in Melbourne are enjoying the sunshine that we have had recently!

About Time: Australian Studio Tapestry exhibitions last stop!

2011-08-17T12:23:00.000+10:00

The exhibition About Time: Australian Studio Tapestry 1975 to 2005 is about to go to it's last venue in September! If you would like to come by to the Central Goldfields Art Gallery in Maryborough, the exhibition will be officially launched by yours truly on Sunday 4 September at 2pm. I will also be giving a floor talk prior to the opening, so it is a fantastic opportunity to ask me all those burning questions that you've been wanting to ask!

I hope to see you there!

A Loom of Excitement!

2011-08-06T16:13:00.000+10:00

My current Scaffold loom which has been with me for about 15 years!

Yep, I'm pretty darn excited! I've been contemplating purchasing another scaffold loom seeing I'm back in a decent studio space. I wanted another loom, slightly smaller than the one that I currently work on, to weave smaller pieces while I'm working on large works. I have a tiny loom which I hate working on. I never seem to get a good tension going on it and it's so little yet clunky... blah!

So, I did some internet research and found a lovely company called Australian Scaffold who didn't think that I was a crazy person when I rang up and ordered a very small amount of scaffolding to create my new loom!

What I loved about them was they could customize my loom to my requirements and they were super lovely and friendly on the phone. They even have 'scaffolding experts'!!! Who doesn't want one of those?! Also, they deliver it all to me within a couple of days!

I can't wait to get my new shiny scaffold loom and warp it up for something smaller while I'm still working on the yellow monster currently. Is it weird to be so excited by a loom? Possibly!

Talking Tapestry in Swan Hill...

2011-08-03T08:38:00.000+10:00

The touring exhibition About Time: Australian Studio Tapestry 1975 to 2005 is currently on show at the Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery until 14 August. I made the trip up there last Saturday to present a talk about studio tapestry and my own practice as an artist and a curator.

This was my second talk in the series that I am giving as part of the touring exhibition. It took a slightly different approach from the Horsham talks as my audience was much broader. It gave me the opportunity to talk a little bit more about what tapestry is, how studio tapestry is different to workshop tapestry and also to highlight some recent works which I have completed too.

I always enjoy taking some tapestries with me for the talk as it gives the audience the opportunity to get up close and personal with the works. The rules of 'don't touch' in the gallery can be thrown out and people can see how the works are finished, what they look like from the back and also see the individual threads that make up the weft. It was lovely for me to see some recent works all laid out together too, I can't wait to see them up on a wall together for an exhibition soon!

The audience at Swan Hill were awesome. My parents came along to hear the talk and there were some artists and art teachers that asked some great questions too. I think people left with a greater understanding of tapestry and also my working methodology and how everything I do, whether it be curating, making art or just life in general; feeds into each other.

About Time: Australian Studio Tapestry 1975 to 2005 heads to Maryborough next and will be at the Central Goldfields Art Gallery from 4 September until 9 October. I will be presenting two talks at this location too but will let you all know details a bit closer to the date!

Help Knitted Bliss Style...

2011-07-19T18:44:00.000+10:00

www.knittedbliss.com

Wow! The world of twitter and the internet... it amazes me at times! I have been knitting for some time but every now and again you need some help. I often go to Ravelry or other places online to see how other people are approaching their knitting problems.

Thanks to the wonders of twitter, I tweeted at the amazing Grainline (check out her gorgeous website!) with a question about knitting sweaters in the round. Jen from Grainline then tweeted my question to the lovely Julie from Knitted Bliss who I emailed and my questions solved!

Wow! These gals are in Canada and are solving my little old knitting problems here in Melbourne Australia! Isn't the internet and social media amazing sometimes?

If you're into knitting and all things fuzzy, stylish and beautiful I totally recommend checking out their websites:

www.grainlinestudio.com

www.knittedbliss.com

Enjoy and be inspired!

Weaving Kitties... tapestry update...

2011-07-02T11:00:00.000+10:00

Mirror Images...

I always take photos of the large works in progress, it allows me to see how they look the right way up as I'm usually weaving the image on the side. I've been loving playing around with the Iphone diptic application so I can take slices of works from the last time I worked on them to now. I can see how much I've done in a few hours.

Before and After.

I can also flip the images and create neat little mirror images and patterns... It's like collaging on my phone! Who would of thought you could do that?!

In Progress...

Here's a shot of how it is looking as a whole. Even though there are lots of flat areas to weave, I have to say that it's been quite challenging to get those diagonal lines straight and also to keep inspired weaving such plain areas. Because of the way this tapestry is laid out, there are definite areas that need to be woven before any other weaving can be completed.

Cat bottom...

And really, who doesn't love weaving a cat's bottom?!

Making a New York Cape

2011-07-01T08:30:00.000+10:00

Wool fabric and New York Cape Pattern.

I've always loved a cape and a poncho! I'm not sure why but there is something about the swish of the fabric and the way you can hide your arms underneath. I do own a few capes but when I spied this button up version with a hood from the Tessuti folk, I knew that I would have to give it a go! You can visit their website for all kinds of fabric goodness. Be warned it's very tempting!

Their cute packaging ribbon and postcards.

You can check out the Tessuti blog post about the New York Cape pattern and some beautiful images of some made up! As you can see from the top image, I've decided to go with a pretty graphic orange and black large hounds tooth print which is quite playful. Don't worry you won't miss me in a crowd. Unfortunately the New York Cape pattern was sooooo popular that they sold out online! If you keep an eye on their online store, I'm sure that they will recreate it for you cape lovers out there.

A note of encouragement from Colette at Tessuti.

I still need to get some stuff for my cape, buttons and binding as it isn't lined. Oh and set some time aside to make this cute hooded baby! The way I've been so busy of late, I'll probably be wearing it in New York in their Winter!

Check out the lovely folk at Tessuti and definitely visit their store in Melbourne, the girls are lovely and very knowledgeable! We heart Tessuti!

I Heart Amy Ahlstrom

2011-06-18T13:12:00.000+10:00

Work by Amy Ahlstrom
NYC (2008) - 21" x 48" - Dupioni silk and cotton
(Courtesy of Amy's website at http://www.amyahlstrom.com/ )

I stumbled upon Amy Ahlstrom's work and website the other day and WOW is her work absolutely amazing! It is awesome to see an artist who is working with a very traditional art/craft form, such as quilts and giving it such a contemporary twist. Her works have an amazing impact due to the use of colour and bold shapes and iconography.

In her artist statement she says:

"My quilts are influenced by pop-art painters such as Mark Ryden and artists who have referenced a comic-strip drawing style such as Margaret Killgallen, in that I appreciate bold and graphic takes on images that are inspired by urban life.

Though it is textile art rather than drawing or painting, my work is most comparable to that of pop, lowbrow and graffiti artists. My quilts are modern art pieces that happen to be rendered in fabric. I take quilts out of a rural context and bring them into present-day urban environments.

My ReMix series of quilts are thematically and visually dense, full of sampled layers of meaning. They reflect the experience of city life, as seen through the graffiti, signs, and buildings present in every city. They serve as an anthropological record of an urban neighborhood, in that the images that I capture are constantly in a state of flux."

You should definitely check out Amy's website but if you are in the San Francisco area, you can check out her work as it is currently on show at a.muse gallery. Visit http://www.yourmusegallery.com/ for more information.

Tiny Tapestries...

2011-06-14T18:28:00.000+10:00

Well these are tiny for me! They are about 20cm square and have been great fun to weave as they are so quick! I did talk about my approach for these works here in this post but I thought that I would give you an update on how they are all looking! I should point out that they haven't been 'finished' as yet, they still need to have the warp plaited back and everything needs to be made, ready to hang.

A sample of the tapestries and my studio.

I was on a size restriction with these works, they could be no bigger than 20cm by 20 cm. In terms of a 'theme' I was investigating the use of shadow and silhouettes and how this plays out within the woven surface. A shadow can look very flat when woven, how does the viewer translate this?

'Onto the Shadow', woven tapestry: wool, cotton and linen, 2011.

These works are also a little crudely woven. Each of them were woven in one sitting each, which I believe was a must to keep the spontaneity of each piece. The original images were crops taken from old collages that I had made. Because of their age, I was able to work on these images without the initial attachment. There was also many decisions being made on the loom, with new colours introduced, elements removed and in the 'Onto the Shadow' work, deciding to make it into a shaped tapestry.

'Stuck in the Silhouette', woven tapestry: wool, cotton and linen, 2011.

The idea of shadow and silhouette is a play on ideas of vanishing and emerging. What is hidden and what will come out of the shadow. What is shadow and what is part of the figure? Distortion is created through shadow, hiding parts to create a new identity.

'Vanish into Blue Shadow', woven tapestry: wool, cotton and linen, 2011.

Working on such a small scale has been both refreshing and daunting! The ability to work quickly and make intuitive decisions has been a delight! However, working on a small scale, also makes it difficult to see how the final piece is looking and if everything is getting woven in it's right place. With small works, I can weave in a way that isn't too precious and I think that the outcomes have been great. I'm looking forward to pumping out some more small works when I need a break away from the large monster of a tapestry on the loom!

These small works are proposed for an exhibition, stay tuned for more information on this.

A Sweet Gift from my Mentee...

2011-06-13T08:08:00.000+10:00

The other week I received a small parcel couriered to my work. When I collected it, I looked at the small box and wondered what was in it! It looked far too small for any of the gallery delivery items that we get (printed goods, vinyl lettering, magazines or bubble wrap!) You can imagine my surprise and delight that when I opened it, it was a noodle box full of delicious mixed sweets from my former mentee, Lou!

It came with a very touching card thanking me for my assistance over the last year. I met Lou when she came on board at Town Hall Gallery to be my mentee and to curate an exhibition Weapons of Mass Consumption. The exhibition was a fantastic success, very much to Louisa's credit and she was an absolute delight to work with and mentor over that time. I was so pleased to see on the thank you note that she had been appointed to a new role! It's so great seeing her go on to do amazing things.

One of the best things about my current job is the opportunity to work with emerging artists and curators and to share my experience and knowledge with them. Most of the time these mentorships lead to long lasting friendships and I get such a kick out of seeing them succeed in their careers. I think that I've been inspired to mentor others thanks to my own initial learning backgrounds when I was a teenager and how it affected what I wanted to do and really where I am now. It's not a one way street by any means! I definitely receive inspiration and ideas of new ways of working from all of my artists and curators.

Sounds gushy huh? It really is a fantastic experience, sharing knowledge is a very rewarding thing to do!

Blog Love...

2011-06-09T16:22:00.000+10:00

My bestest, bestest girl friend and partner in all crimes of fashion has finally started a blog! I'm super excited to have her on board the great blogger bus and to hopefully give her some tips and hints along the way. Not that I'm a blog expert but my blog readers and I have been together for a few years now - thanks guys!

You should check out her posts at http://www.shannonoshea.blogspot.com/ - she's awfully arty, funny and always has her finger on the pulse for all things cool and fashiony!

Check it! (as you can see, she digs Matryoshkas too!)

Yellow Obsession...

2011-06-04T08:55:00.000+10:00

I remember as a child that my parents had bought me this bright yellow plastic raincoat. I think it came from an army disposals and at the time I really hated it. It was thick and chunky, definitely kept the rain off but I didn't think it was all that attractive and the other kids thought it was pretty hilarious and made fun of me.

Thinking about it now, maybe it was the start of my weird yellow obsession. There is something about the colour which is so bright and cheery and if you have black hair like me, it definitely suits you without your skin going some weird colour. I'd probably kill for that yellow raincoat now!

Yellow Marimekko bag.

Yellow tapestry yarn in my studio.

The yellow thing has been seeping into my tapestries over the last couple of years. I love the acidity of the yarn when it is yellow. Something very desirable about it! I almost can't describe how much I want to eat it! He,he! And when it comes to desirable, I HAD to have the giant schlep bag that was released for Marimekko this spring. It is huge! It holds so much and adds such a huge block of colour to any outfit. I love it!

The Yellow Peril cowl that I recently made.

I had actually bought the yarn to make this cowl while we were in San Francisco, the Marimekko bag came after, so the 'yellow thoughts' were already there. I jokingly called it the Yellow Peril here, a reference to the derogatory name of the Vault sculpture here in Melbourne... funny how when people don't understand art that they make fun of it. I actually quite dig the sculpture with it's minimalist ways and triangular shapes. It's quite desirable to me!

I wonder how much more yellow is to come into my life? Are there any colour therapy people out there that knows what all this yellow means?

There's a top 48 Tapestry Blogs?...

2011-05-25T12:31:00.000+10:00

Wow, who would of thought that there was a list of Tapestry Blogs? Definitely not me. I received this link from someone else and thought I'd check it out as it is a pretty good resource.

I didn't expect to see my little old blog on this list. Yep, I'm number 36!

I thought my description was pretty funny and the fact that my blog fell into the 'Blogs that Fall into Their Own Category'. I guess it's because I talk about a million and one things on this blog, just not tapestry.

Check it out if you're into tapestry, there are some interesting and informative links. Though I could think of some other tapestry blogs that aren't listed, that probably would of got them to 50 blogs! Oh well...

Tapestry Preperation...

2011-05-20T12:13:00.000+10:00

Overview of what's going on in my studio! Cartoon, collages and yarn!

Even though I have been sick for the last week (I have bronchitis - yuck!), I've been slowly getting preperations ready for a new BIG tapestry. I always love working big and I love having a big work on the loom to come back to you for awhile. The loom has been warped up in the studio and I had been playing around with some new collages, trying to figure out what to weave next.

I think I freaked out the girl serving me when I got these super bright yarns all together.

All of the new collages were still forming part of my Envelope Series and utilizing the 'Hello My Name Is' stickers. It has made me collage a little differently by adding these elements into the works but I think that they also give them a strong base too. The last lot of collages also were using much stronger geometric shapes, probably an influence of seeing the Sonia Delaunay exhibition at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum recently. (Loved it!)

Miss Nina inspects the cartoon, I love that the kitty is almost the same size as Nina.

The image that made it through to the 'weaving round' is definitely much brighter than my usual palette and I would say that this influence has come from some of the new Marimekko ranges, especially their last spring range. There is something very appealing about these bright colours when they are converted into a textile medium. It's like lollies and you just want to eat them up! It was funny as I had posted some of the collages on to insta.grm and it was interesting that a bunch of people picked this one! Even people I didn't know. Not that I used a voting poll to select what to weave next, it was interesting to get some instant feedback. Gotta love social media for that!

The collage, title still to come.

So the cartoon has been printed out, I do have a little bit of work to do on it as they had trouble fitting it all on to one sheet. The scale is approximately 1.5 metres in height and about 1 metre in width, yep, it's BIG! I can't wait to make a start on it this weekend! Stay tuned for weaving update posts.

Baby it's Cold Outside...

2011-05-14T08:23:00.000+10:00

I love Winter! That is probably why I always seem to travel overseas when their weather is cooler to escape the warm weather in Australia, weird? Yes. When we arrived back from the USA recently, I had managed to stock up on some lovely warm goodies thanks to the sales and the very strong Australian dollar! However, travelling also allowed me to get some knitting in and I finished this very toasty cowl recently. With Melbourne weather at a high of 13 degrees Celsius today (and I would say it feels lower due to wind chill!), this cowl has definitely come in handy!

If you happen to be on Ravelry, then you can check out the details of this Moss Stitch Cowl online here at this link. The pattern is free, very easy and addictive! I am currently making another cowl with a slightly modified version of the pattern. It is something to keep me warm and toasty in the studio!

A Very Marimekko Winter...

2011-05-07T09:09:00.000+10:00

I am totally drooling over all the lovely winter items from Marimekko in this runway show. They talk about that their key looks were layering of patterns together, chunky boots and clogs and using everyday street style as their inspiration. I'm loving it all!

Mini collages for mini tapestries...

2011-05-01T09:41:00.000+10:00

I have been reworking some collages into the dimensions of 20 cm by 20 cm to weave a series of small tapestries. It has been refreshing to go back and crop loads of collages into this square format as it gives them a whole new feel and vibe. Some of the collages that originally I didn't think worked, now appear new and have a fresh vigour.

Some of the collages are from the Envelope Series that I have been working on, others are much older. I guess I never really throw an image away.

My main aim when weaving this images up is to work quickly and not to fuss over the details. I want to approach the weaving almost like the collages, intuitively and spontaneously. I will be working on an 18 gauge warp, so they aren't too delicate and the level of detail will be blurred in some parts.

The series of collages are for a show in Lithuania and I'm playing with the ideas of shadows and silhouettes as an idea of light and darkness, life and death, then and now. I will talk more about this in another post!

All of the tapestries are intended to be made in one session. I wove the first one this weekend and managed to complete it in three hours! It is such a change from the normal long term, large weaving that I normally do!

And here is the completed first tapestry in the series!! I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I do need to think about how they will be displayed, will they be framed, or sewn onto little covered boards to give them some body and flatten them out a bit. So one down, approximately four more to go!

Happy Easter...

2011-04-25T07:38:00.000+10:00

Bunnies, Miss Mardi and John!

Easter has been a little bit strange for us this year as we hopped on a plane from San Francisco on the Thursday and flew back to Australia throughout Good Friday, to find ourselves back home on Easter Saturday. So because of this, you will have to deal with a slightly belated Easter blog post!

I was really starting to get into the Easter spirit this year seeing we were in New York and San Francisco. All the delicious chocolate stores were full of gorgeous cacao treats and windows were bright and fun. I had a special request from my sista to bring back some Reese's Peanut Butter Easter eggs - her favourite apparently. I found them in a drug store but while I was on the Easter Egg hunt, I discovered the product above, Fluffy Stuff Cotton Tails! I am a sucker for cotton candy and had to have this, but I was a bit disappointed that it came out in a big multicoloured candy blob rather than the cute puffs as displayed on the packet!

Our lovely friend David had left a big supply of Easter Eggs for us to munch on (which I did so in bed!). Included in the bundle was a bunch of my favourite eggs, Red Tulip caramel eggs! Yum!!

We did smuggle some Easter treats back from New York too, including some pretty amazing chocolate eggs from Vosges Chocolate in Soho. Their store was absolutely beautiful with cut outs of their signature bunny (shown above) and decadent displays of chocolate. Definitely check out their website.

So Happy Easter everyone, I hope that you have enjoyed the holiday with lots of treats!

Baseball in Boston...

2011-04-13T07:02:00.000+10:00

While in Boston, we were super lucky to go to our first ever baseball game and what a game it was! It was the opening game of the season of the Red Sox against the New York Yankees! A huge thank you to our Boston hosts, Bud and Anita who gave us these tickets... it certainly was an experience!

Our seats were so close to the action! The Red Sox hadn't been doing so well lately, we were hoping that we were going to be a bit of a good luck charm for them. We also had decided that seeing it was our first ever baseball game that we were automatically Red Sox fans.

It was pretty chilly in Boston watching the game. We did the traditional thing of having the Legal Seafoods Clam Chowder delivered to our seats by the dudes in the yellow shirts. It's amazing that you can pretty much get anything in your seat! We also had a 'Fenway Frank' - a hotdog too! Definitely a cultural experience.

And we appear to have been a good luck charm to the Red Sox when they won!!! Our first match and it was so exciting and naturally with the best outcome we could imagine! I even fist bumped a Red Sox fan outside afterwards too!

Maybe it was the 'Green Monster Mittens' that I was wearing that brought all the good luck?

Sleeping in San Francisco...

2011-04-09T22:15:00.000+10:00

While staying in San Francisco, we stayed at this really awesome hotel - The Hotel Triton. We loved it as it was pet friendly, great staff and everything was bright, vibrant and groovy!

As you can see, the foyer had these amazing murals and we loved the fact that the elevator was pumping with music we love, like the Clash! Like most hotels in San Francisco, they had a beer/wine afternoon from 5pm to 6pm where you can hang out in the foyer, meet others and have a drink on the house.

I loved our zebra print bed head on our bed, there was even a matching zebra print dressing gown to parade around in during your stay.

From our window, we could see the famous Hotel Triton sign. It is very visible when you are walking up Grant Ave towards China Town.

However in the night time, it did make our room glow red and I would have the song Roxanne play in my head.

Hotel Triton, we loved staying with you!

San Francisco Vans love...

2011-04-05T13:40:00.000+10:00

What do you do when you just get off a 14 hour flight in San Francisco? Well, you and your husband in a jet lag state go to the Vans store and try on absolutely everything in the store and walk out $350 lighter and with 4 pairs of trainers, a bunch of t-shirts and a poncho! Yes, a poncho!

I love the San Francisco Vans store, staff are super friendly and really, it's all an absolute bargain. Yep, I didn't even pack any vans shoes with me because I knew that I would totally buy new ones... and pimp them with leopard print laces... oh yeah!

I heart Lucy Peacock

2011-03-22T07:32:00.000+11:00

Keeping with a lovely geometric theme, I am totally digging Lucy Peacock's jewelry. I love how they are constructed, almost in a collage fashion with little gold plates holding it together. Lucy Peacock is based in the U.K. I'm not sure if it is available in Australia but there are some great online stores that you can check it out. What is it about geometric shapes in solid colours that I find so appealing?! Weird...

You can see Lucy's work on her blog here.
You can also buy her beautiful stuff here.

Roman Polanski films...

2011-03-20T09:24:00.000+11:00

The Astor Theatre in Melbourne has been having a mini Roman Polanski film festival on Sunday evenings. Last Sunday they had Knife in the Water and The Tenant. Knife in the Water was a very early Polish language film of Polanski's that I had never seen before. The Tenant is one of my favourite Polanski films, I love the story line and also the beautiful French urban scenery.

I've added some screen shots of both films below, they are absolutely beautiful!

One of the final scenes from Knife in the Water.

Some interesting things about Knife in the Water: apparently Polanski wanted to play the role of the young hitchhiker but was refused by the Polish Film authority (if that is what they are called?!) as they wanted someone better looking!

I loved the above shots in Knife in the Water.

The guy who ended up playing the character had a very deep voice and in the end it was dubbed over by Polanski anyway.

Knife in the Water.

Knife in the Water was also the first Polish film to be nominate for the Best Foreign Film Oscar.

I believe that they were playing strip pick up sticks? Or was that lost in Polish translation?

Made in 1962, it is said that Knife in the Water forms part of a loose trilogy of films based around a psychological ménage-à-trois with Cul-de-sac (1966) and Death and the Maiden (1994). All three films feature a couple whose lives are turned upside down by an outside character.

The beautiful Isabelle Adanji in The Tenant.

I love the movie The Tenant, especially with Isabelle Adanji who is gorgeous in this film! It also had Roman Polanski as the main character too (he acts quite well!) It was made in 1976.

Isabelle and Roman Polanski in the Tenant.

It is said that The Tenant along with Rosemary's Baby and Repulsion (all Polanski films) form another trilogy of works that explore the horrors of apartment and city living. It's obviously a theme that Polanski digs and one that many viewers can relate to.


Polanski in The Tenant.

If you have the chance to check out these films, do so!!! There is still another 2 weeks of Polanski goodness at the Astor too!

I heart Sandra Fettingis

2011-03-17T15:44:00.000+11:00

Work by Sandra Fettingis from her Flickr site.

I stumbled across Sandra's work and I love her use of geometric shampes in this series and also the amazing vibrant colours! I was looking at her blog which has a line of I heart acrylic, which most of this is made from. Sandra, I heart acrylic too!

You should check out Sandra's website here.
Flickr photos here.
She also has an awesome Etsy store which I think I will need to buy stuff from!

Sandra's use of flat colour and bold shape is something that I am very attracted to within creating tapestry, so I am finding this series super inspiring! Check out Sandra Fettingis!

It's off the loom!

2011-03-15T20:31:00.000+11:00

It was a long weekend here in Melbourne and I was determined to get my tapestry finished and off the loom! On both Saturday and Sunday, I got up early and still in my pj's, I set to work at my scaffold loom. I was even up so early that I spied these hot air balloons drifting across the sky. (I think it was about 7am!)

I had managed to get a reasonable amount done on the Saturday and started with what I like to call 'simple weaving' which was mostly background/plain weaving on Sunday morning. You think that would be easy but there is something so daunting about that last little part at the end.

And yes, finally it is done!! It is so exciting to have it completed and off the loom. It feels lovely and stiff (just the way I like my tapestry) and I did enjoy doing another large tapestry which the face was a very big part of it. When I am weaving the face, close up it really is a blur, very abstracted shapes and shades that amazingly all seem to come together. This one was a bit of a challenge as the original photograph was so blasted with harsh light that it was difficult to see any real definition and detail in the facial features, yes, I did take some artistic license on this one!

So now, on to the next tapestry!

Will this Weaving ever end?

2011-03-09T12:22:00.002+11:00

So, I have been a wee bit slack in getting this tapestry off the loom. Well, I went travelling, starting helping out for a fashion label, working and getting married. You know how it goes. However I have put a deadline on this tapestry and am madly trying to get it finished and out of the house!

I always take photos of my work in progress mostly due to the fact that I weave many things on the side so in a digital age, it allows me to see the work the correct way up! (not that I have done that for these photos!)

It also allows me to realistically see how much work I am getting done and also how far I have to go. I have also found that many people like to see the work in progress as it allows them to see how a tapestry is made - it is demystified!

Even though I'm still working like a crazy person on this work, I can see the end in the near future. Especially now that I have managed to get some of the face in there, it's starting to look like something!

I can't wait to start something new and see this baby completed! I am very happy with how it is looking, I love the stop sign and the strong contrast between the coloured section and the torn billboard effect of the black and white. Completed photos soon - hopefully!

About Time exhibition at Horsham Regional Art Gallery

2011-02-27T21:38:00.000+11:00

Entry to the exhibition that is now on it's tour program in Horsham Australia.

I was super pleased to be invited to travel to Horsham to speak about my work and career as a tapestry artist and curator at the Horsham Regional Art Gallery recently. The exhibition About Time: Australian Studio Tapestry 1975-2005 has been curated by Anthony Camm, director of Ararat Regional Art Gallery and will be doing a tour program of regional Victoria which will include Swan Hill and Maryborough after the Horsham dates.

People chatting about the exhibition.

It was great to go and check the show out in Horsham as I have been a long time friend and colleague of their Director Adam Harding, so it was definitely lovely to go and check out his new temporary space (like me they are in the process of redeveloping their gallery). Also, Adam had lovely things to say about me when introducing me on both days!

Me hamming it up for the camera as usual, trying to be the girl in my tapestry.

The exhibition is a great show. I have been very proud to be part of it as there hasn't been too many exhibitions that celebrate the idea of 'studio tapestry' (tapestry made by artists in a solo environment, as opposed to tapestry made by a team of weavers - who aren't the original artists of the work, in a workshop environment). I've never worked in a tapestry workshop, I do know lots of people who do as their day job and love it but it never has been for me. I'm also pretty stoked to be the youngest artist represented and represent the last part of the exhibition- 2005. I'd like to think the future of tapestry weaving!

Me standing in front of my great mentor, Kate Derum's tapestry. Part of the Ararat Regional Art Gallery Collection.

I was 'commissioned' to give two talks while in Horsham and it was lovely to produce public programs that are about my own interests and work rather than what I do at my gallery, Town Hall Gallery in Hawthorn. There is also a little bit more pressure when you are talking about yourself too! I especially enjoyed giving the presentation to a group of VCE students from around the area. My presentation was about my own practice, how social media and blogging effects and assists my work and how curating influences what I do and vice versa. Hopefully that were inspired by it all and got some tips in terms of work methodology too!


Great article from the local paper in Horsham about the tapestry exhibition and my talks! (click on image to make bigger)

A huge thank you to Adam at Horsham for being such an awesome host, the lovely folk at Horsham House (the gorgeous Bed and Breakfast that we stayed at!) and also Anthony Camm from Ararat for arranging my tour program!

Ah, the future of tapestry...

Lovely post from Ararat Regional Art Gallery... if you dig tapestry!

2011-02-24T13:46:00.000+11:00

Director of Ararat Regional Art Gallery Anthony Camm, myself and Director of Horsham Regional Art Gallery, Adam Harding.

I visited Horsham Regional Art Gallery over the weekend to present some talks about tapestry , my practice and my role as a curator. It was loads of fun and really lovely to have the opportunity to finally see the exhibition About Time: Australian Studio Tapestry 1975-2005.

Check out this post from the organizing/curatorial gallery, Ararat Regional Art Gallery about the exhibition in Horsham. There really is a bunch of rocking tapestries to check out!

Who needs a curator?

2011-02-13T21:14:00.000+11:00

A friend of mine sent me this link for this website which is a Random Exhibition Title Generator. Apparently is it aimed at the lazy curator but I have to say that it is a little bit fun to play around with. I occasionally get these titles and think "Yeah, I totally would curate a show like that!" Hilarious.

Yay! New business cards!

2011-02-10T16:35:00.000+11:00

I'm very excited as my new 'art' business cards arrived this week from the awesome Moo cards people. (If you are on flickr then you will know who they are!) I was hoping that they would arrive before my presentations in Horsham about the tapestry exhibition which is on the 20th and 21st February. You can check out information about it here.

One of the things that I love most about the Moo cards is that you can get different images on each of the cards. It's a great way to showcase different works. I also like to show works in progress too.

Heading to Horsham to talk Tapestry...

2011-01-28T13:05:00.000+11:00

Playing the Game, woven tapestry by Mardi Nowak. Part of the exhibition About Time: Australian Studio Tapestry 1975-2005.

My work is currently on display in this exhibition at the Horsham Regional Art Gallery. I am heading over there in the next couple of weeks to also give some presentations about tapestry. Should be loads of fun!

Below is taken from the HRAG website. To find out more about the public programs, go here!

About Time: Australian studio tapestry 1975 - 2005
HRAG JUBILEE HALL 21 ROBERTS AVENUE
22 January – 6 March 2011

The exhibition is rare in its focus on the emergence and development of the Australian studio tapestry movement. The term ‘studio tapestry’ refers to tapestries designed and created by artist-weavers working outside of a collaborative environment, such as where production weavers interpret the designs by non-weaving artists.

‘About Time’ presents tapestries over a thirty year period by leading independant artist-weavers, beginning with several important early works which capture the optimism of the craft boom of the 1970s. The exhibition also explores how the independent studio tapestry scene was profoundly influenced, and indeed propelled, by the establishment of the Victorian Tapestry Workshop in 1976.

The featured tapestries reflect the aesthetics and ideas prevalent in each decade: bold and colourful abstract works of the 1970s, whimsical and expressive figurative works from the 1980s and more recent tapestries that examine the inherent formal aspects of the time consuming and technically demanding weaving process itself.

Most of the featured tapestries are from the Ararat Regional Art Gallery's permanent collection, but selected loans have been sourced from public and private collections to highlight the key influences and formal and conceptual concerns that have shaped the character of studio tapestry during this formative period. The exhibition includes tapestries by Roma Center, Belinda Ramson, Marie Cook, Liz Nettleton, Merrill Dumbrell, Alan Holland, Cheryl Thornton, Tess Crawford, Gerda van Hamond, Kay Lawrence AM, Tass Mavrogordato, Valerie Kirk, Kate Derum, Cresside Collette, Tim Gresham, Sara Lindsay, Robyn Daw and Mardi Nowak.

The exhibition highlights Ararat Regional Art Gallery’s richly diverse sub-collection of studio tapestry and is part of its commitment to interpreting and presenting its permanent collection in new and interesting ways. The potential and importance of the sustained expansion of this distinctive sub-collection as a repository for Australian studio tapestry is also explored in the exhibition.

Touring details:
Horsham Regional Art Gallery - 22 January to 6 March 2011
Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery - 1 July to 14 August 2011
Central Goldfields Art Gallery, Maryborough - 4 Sept to 9 Oct 2011

I Heart Richie Benaud...

2011-01-23T11:08:00.000+11:00

Yes, I may have a strange love for cricketing legend Richie Benaud but I believe it's because he is one of the great style icons of the game. As a child growing up, I probably remembered him best for his television career post cricket playing, when he would don the beige suit. No one else could wear the light coloured garb as well as he. When you thought cricket, you thought of Richie and naturally the light coloured suit. It really does takes a style icon of a man to pull this look off!

However, when I grew up and looked a little bit more into the style history of Mr. Benaud, I discovered that he really had been the style icon of cricket for many, many years. When he was playing and captaining Australia his uniform style was casual, effortless and a little bit sexy! He could be seen on the field in a loose white shirt, often with the sleeves rolled up and unbuttoned quite low with maybe only 5 to 6 inches of it tucked into his tailored trousers. The style was confident. It was a style that could take you from the game to having a cocktail in the south of France. Current Australian players could learn a thing or two about style from this photograph alone!

I was very excited to get to meet the man himself recently. Gone are the days of the beige suit Benuad as he moves into his later years of navy suits and pale pink shirts. Dignified yet still playing within the game of fashionista with his hints of pink. Richie Benaud is a man who always looks the part at any function and always in his effortless ways.

Richie Benaud, you are my cricket style icon!

Getting beardy....

2011-01-16T21:35:00.000+11:00

I maybe more obsessed with beards than the average girl. That is one of the reasons why I curated the exhibition Beardo which was at Town Hall Gallery at the end of last year. As part of the exhibition the amazing folk from Barking Spider Visual Theatre created a work titled Beardo - a Tableaux Vivant. The performers mingled through the crowds at the opening and caused quite the stir! The youtube clip above shows some highlights of the performers in action. I'm a firm believer in mixing up the mediums in an exhibition and having performance based art at an opening really gives the patrons a new way to appreciate the works on the wall as well.

While I was watching the clip from the Barking Spider Visual Theatre folk, I stumbled across this great promo clip for the documentary film Beardo. This film covers the recent World Championship of Beard and Moustaches and was held in the USA, usually it is held in Europe. I have a great interest in the film as the lovely Dave Mead whose amazing photographic portraits featured in the Beardo exhibition documented some of the characters who participated in this competition. I can't wait for it to be released here in Australia! Check it out, I love the scene of the bearded man in the pool, swinging his wet beard in all it's glory! I'm also very fortunate to have purchased the six portraits by Dave Mead from the Beardo exhibition... yep my house is full of Beards!

So, what did we do in 2010...?

2011-01-03T11:23:00.000+11:00

January

Anita's groovy Rocco shoes!

The MaMas came back from overseas into a whirlwind of work, wedding arrangements, birthdays and parties! January is always a bit of a crazy month and we were glad to see our friends Bud and Anita visit during this time from their home in Boston. We had a blast taking them to some of our favourite shops and restaurants and I was pleased to introduce Anita to Rocco shoes. She did send some awesome photos of her Italian inspired shoes on the court too! Amazing!

February

Our veggie patch that grew and grew and grew....

February saw our veggie patch getting back in to order after time away. My man worked so hard on making it bigger and better than ever and we definitely received great crops of broad beans, spinach and silverbeet. It was great to see the little plants grow up from their tiny seeds!

March

The married MaMas.

We got married, it was a big party with Mark having a four day hangover. I loved my dress that my mum made and Mark's suit was very rocking too. It was awesome to spend the day with some of our closest and oldest friends, lots of love in the house!

April

The first rule of Knit Club...

Let the knit fest begin! We were all getting knitty with it and the thoughts of 'knit club' were beginning. I really had brought back so much yarn from the USA that I had to start to use some of it! Lots of my friends embraced the love of the knit and crochet and my lovely friend David really made 2010 the year of the man crochet, he just couldn't be stopped! He was 'hooked' so to say!

May

The MaMas and the Shoopers all fancy!

Our posse got all posh and went to the MCC Annual Fine Food and Wine event, thanks to David. We all got dressed up and enjoyed loads of wine and foodie treats at the MCG. Shannon did laugh later on as it was probably the only time they have seen a girl flashing her tattoos at such an event! Shannon you rebel!

June

Artist, Adam Cruickshank with curator Ms Louisa Marks.

In the depths of our Winter, I was seeing us in the final preperation stages for Weapons of Mass Consumption exhibition with my mentee Louisa. It was such a fantastic exhibition, great responses from our gallery audience and Lou worked so hard to present something that people will really remember. I'm happy to have been a part of it!

July

My first sock!

I knitted my first ever sock! How excited was I?! I was also helping out my friend Shannon with sewing samples for her fashion label. Really July was the month of craft and all things hand made in our household, there was pom poms, thread everywhere and a dedication to making things, oh, there was vodka being drunk at the same time too!

August

Ah, San Francisco (as seen from the top of SFMOMA), I heart you!

In August I curated one of my favourite exhibitions, Re-invent, Re-interpret, Re-make and then left it to it's own devices to travel overseas by myself to check out some exhibitions. It was the first time that I had visited Washington DC and it was great to head back to NYC to catch up with friends, who are practically like family.

September

Sista's playing up!

Wow, August and September were just crazy! I did so many things and hung out with friends alot! I think we spent most of our weekends creating little dinner parties. We had a blast with all of these dinner parties with the posse of the Coopers, David and the MaMas.

October

Let the great gingerbread baking begin...

I went on a bit of a crazy gingerbread making frenzy, making all kinds of gingerbread animals and Halloween shapes. I also managed to con some of my friends into taking part in a photo shoot for my upcoming 2011 t-shirt exhibition. They are so good like that, though the thought of dressing up in weird hats and wigs always seems to inspire us!

November

Madonnas!!!!

My pal John held a Madonna themed party for his birthday. How much fun did we have?! It was also a little bit stressful to get our costumes all together but it was definitely worth it in the end.
I also took a little girly vacation with my bestie to the Gold Coast and hung out with her family on the beach. This was all before the most awesome madness of BEARDO...

December

Wowed by Whiskers for Beardo!

Saw the end of Beardo, an exhibition that I curated for Town Hall Gallery. This really was my baby so to speak and I'm so proud of how it turned out and the artists that I worked with. We all worked so hard on it and I think that we were rewarded with great numbers coming through and such excellent feedback!

So what will 2011 hold? I see in the future some more trips, more fabulous dinner parties and probably more hand made stuff....

Feeling a bit like aqua...

2010-12-16T21:16:00.000+11:00

Love me some Fender green, always one of my favourite guitar colours!

Uber cute aqua Swedish clogs...

This kitchen aid mixer is Martha Stewart aqua I think, she says that you can't have a kitchen without one.

A super cute scooter to go with those Swedish clogs...

and the gorgeous selection of Bison ceramic tea cups on a Marimekko tea towel in our house.

Yep, loving me some aqua goodness!

Scooting around...

2010-12-15T10:14:00.003+11:00

I came across this super cute scooter via the Martha Stewart website (yes, I am obsessed with her!) but I have to say that the website that is selling the scooter also has LOADS of other uber cute things too! You definitely should check out Reform School Rules for lots of sweet products too.

I probably am addicted to old school bikes and really need to purchase myself something that is boring and practical to ride around. However I can totally see myself in a cute Marimekko dress and clogs, scooting around with all sorts of delicious goodies in my basket. Well actually, I'm not sure if you could scoot in clogs, maybe you'd have to wear ones that have a back strap but you're getting the image right?!

So, if anyone feels inspired to get me this, feel free!

New Black and White dress creation...

2010-12-14T14:05:00.000+11:00

If you are a longtime reader of this blog you will know that I love me some bold prints! I also love Marimekko fabric and its cheaper cousin Ikea fabrics. I needed a 'statement' dress for a function at the MCC so I whipped up this baby. Well actually some parts were already made, such as the pin tucked front panel that had been sitting there for a little while but I got inspired and made some alterations.

I added a bell/wide type sleeve which is quite dramatic. Also I think the best accessories for this are black patent leather, so I added a black patent leather cinch belt, wedge shoes and patent leather clutch! I love the graphic nature of the pattern and really, you can't go wrong with black and white!
You can check out the dress on Burdastyle if you're on there too!

Crazy for Clogs...

2010-12-12T09:45:00.000+11:00

I think that my clogs suit our retro kitchen tiles!

Clogs seem to have returned as a fashion hit item of late. Yes, I have jumped on the bandwagon too but they are super comfortable and when it comes to shoes I'm really all about comfort. The lovely Sofia at Nord Living started to stock Ugglebo Clogs, which come in a great range of styles and colours.

I ordered these super cute ones in pewter, metallic leather and I can't stress how comfortable they are! The only problem is that I want more! So if you hear a wooden clomping sound, you know that it is me!

More Matryoshkas...

2010-12-05T15:35:00.003+11:00

My lovely friend/sista Shannon got me these awesome matryoshka wall details. They are like vinyl stickers that stick to the wall and are pretty easy to install and remove too. I think that they came from Typo? Anyway, if you're a long time reader of this blog, you will know my love of all things matryoshka so I was quite pleased to receive this little gift!

At first I wasn't sure where to pop them but they have ended up in on our toilet wall! Weird? Maybe but definitely cute!

And here is me trying to insert myself into the matryoshka frame! My pal Silje does some super cute matryoshka drawings too. Check out her blog for more info!

Apparently I am wowed by whiskers...

2010-12-04T12:51:00.000+11:00

click on the image to make bigger to read!

Over my many years of being a curator, I have had to pose for newspapers and magazines with artwork. I've become quite used to what I like to call the 'curator pose', it involves either the stroking of the chin in deep thought, pointing out an important part in a work or holding something in white gloves!

It's quite funny really and I would like to think that my posing style is somewhere between a kmart catalogue and Antiques Roadshow. I guess that it's a look I've perfected over the years. Yes, it's my Zoolander. By the way if you haven't seen the exhibition Beardo, it's on until the 18th December!

Tapestry story...

2010-11-27T15:35:00.000+11:00

Me: weaving away on a tapestry...

Just in case you didn't know, I studied tapestry as part of a Fine Art degree (undergraduate and Honours) at Monash University quite a few years ago. I also completed by Masters by research majoring in tapestry there too! Throughout all that time I had a wonderful mentor Kate Derum who sadly passed away a little while ago. She was a funny, intelligent and graceful lady and really influenced me in pushing the boundaries of tapestry and ensuring that it is seen within a contemporary art context. I try to do this by curating contemporary tapestry into exhibitions as well as my own artistic practice.

I was super pleased to see that there is a website that covers all of Kate's work and writing and is an excellent resource on her artistic practice. It is also incredibly inspiring to read about her work, even if you're not a tapestry weaver! I feel very honoured to be mentioned in the links part of her website as well!

So check it out, the works are amazing! She sure was an amazing woman and an excellent teacher.

Just a little thing I'm curating... Beardo!

2010-11-17T21:04:00.000+11:00

I've been working on our final exhibition for the year, Beardo for quite some time and now my baby is almost ready for the rest of the world! I spoke with the lovely Lin Tan from Beat Magazine and below is the awesome article that she wrote about my show. Make sure you pop in and check it out! It's one of those exhibitions that keeps me excited to be a curator.

Beardo's For The Weirdo's

Welcome to the curious and ever-fascinating world of beards and the people who grow them. Some, like Hans Langseth who died in 1927, decided to grow his beard to a world-record length of 17 and a half feet. Others, like Steven Raspa, decided to trademark his magnificent chin mane – a dreadlock-esque, over-shoulder beard beautified with a single flower at its tip.

Beardo - so rightly named - is Town Hall Gallery’s latest exhibition on all things related to the beard. The showcase blends work from the gallery’s permanent art collection as well as work from contemporary artists and includes painting, textiles, photography and installations.
“I noticed that we have a lot of historical paintings and photographs of these men sporting really fantastic beards and great facial hair,” says Mardi Nowak, curator of Beardo. “They’re the kind of things that rarely get shown other than in historical contexts, and I sort of thought it would be really great as a way of getting them out there.”

Maybe it’s the fact that her husband sports a beard – maybe not – but over the last two years, Nowak began noticing the ubiquitous presence of facial hair not just on the streets, but in the work of many contemporary artists. “Personally I think there’s a bit of a backlash in terms of the whole metrosexual man,” says Nowak of the recent resurgence of beardage acceptance. “But I also think women have kind of gotten a bit over it as well and enjoying having their men look like men.”

Whilst there’s undoubtedly a certain playfulness to the exhibition, Beardo is also an engaging look into the symbolism behind the beard. With a juxtaposition of historical and contemporary works, we see facial hair in the light of folklore and tradition, as well as a conceptual exploration of beards as a symbol of sexuality and manliness. Furthermore, the act of growing a beard and styling it also suggests a sense of vanity, masked under the macho veil of masculinity.

American photographer, Dave Mead will be exhibiting six photographs he took while documenting the 2009 World Championship Beard and Moustache Competition. ““I wanted Dave’s photos because these were real people who are really passionate about the way that they look, and the kind of way they express themselves is through their beards,” says Nowak. “It’s a part of who you want the world to think you are and see you, and represent yourself.”

Aside from Mead, other local artists have created interesting, outside-the-box new works themed on beards. Fashion designing duo, Shannon O’Shea and Beni Dawe of Best Fiend bring a playful, popular culture twist to the theme in the form of ‘pants beard’, which, to put it tersely, are knickers with beards on them.

More specifically, “They have actually produced a series of underwear that highlights iconic social-thinking people who had facial hair onto the underwear,” says Nowak. Included in their installation are the bearded images of the likes of Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx titled Pink Freud and Marx and Spencer, respectively. The beard, often a symbol of wisdom and intellect, is interpreted in an entertaining and refreshing way. “They’ve actually collaborated with some great photographers and created these fashion shoots, but they are a kind of play where these girls have these really weird underwear with men’s faces with beards on them.” Best Fiend’s installation will include photographs as well as the actual pants beards.

Interestingly, female artists have also expressed an interest in contributing to the exhibition, bringing to Beardo what they’ve coined as ‘the lady beard’, “which are comments about the pubic and nether region ‘lady beards’, and how in different societies, women are on that kind of crazy Brazillian waxing. So, comments on the opposite of how men are growing these beards and how women are ‘hairing’ themselves.”

Bridging the feminine and masculine divide of facial hair is tapestry artist, Dan Edwards whose work has often centred on beards. “They’re beautiful tapestries that have this real ‘70s edge to them that involves really beautiful pattern making,” explains Noward. “It’s that kind of cross between really masculine and feminine in terms of the material.”

With a wealth of different interpretations of beards, Beardo is sure to spark some interesting conversations between the works presented. “One of the other groups of artists talks about the beard being very disposable. She says that it is utterly defining but in a minute or two, it can be shaved off and reveals the person underneath as well,” says Nowak. “They are very defining for people, and we definitely have a generation of younger men that are embracing the beard.”

Beardo features the work of Dave Mead, Dan Edwards, BESTFIEND, Josh Rufford, Rebecca Van Der Werff, Christie Torrington, Lura Smith & Zoe Steers and Katie Jacobs and Brittany Veitch. The exhibition opens on Wednesday November 24 until Saturday December 18. You can also take part in two special public programs – In Conversation with the curator and Beardo artists on Saturday November 27 at 2pm and a beard-making workshop on Sunday December 5 from 10.30am-3pm. They’re both free.

By LIN TAN

The things we do for art...

2010-10-31T10:36:00.000+11:00

posing for our tee shirt promo shots

I was needing some promotional shots that I could use for the upcoming exhibition I Wear My Heart On My Tee which I curate every two years. Naturally my band of ragamuffin friends were more than happy to spend a Saturday afternoon getting crazy with wigs and hats, all in the name of art! A huge thank you to the most excellent Benj for playing photographer, while we just played up!

My scary cat mask!

I think that we grew to love wearing our costumes out that we did get a few odd looks, especially when we went to the bottle shop later on for supplies.


Mark with a drunk parrot

I especially loved Mark's Urban Pirate look, I really think this is something he could pull off everyday!

Shannon aka Fuchsia fuchsia

Naturally Shannon was totally in love with her pink wig. I think this is a look that we may see more often, especially seeing she found the viking helmet so comfy that she nearly walked out of the store without paying for it!

kitty, pirate and viking!

Keep an eye out for promotion with us looking crazy for tees. If you want to take part in our always awesome tee-shirt exhibition, click here to download the brief to take part!

Kitty girl says meow for now! xxx

My new summer look...

2010-10-24T19:12:00.000+11:00

Yesterday I found this fantastic leopard print Pith Helmut! I totally love it! It's light, airy and has a good sun-sensible brim on it. It's pretty funny as I had been thinking of pith helmuts recently and then I spyed this under the counter at the hat store. I'm sure the salesman wasn't expecting someone to go "oh my god, is that a leopard print pith helmut? I want it!"

I feel like I can take on any safari experience wearing this baby! Maybe I need to add some type of mosquito netting just in case for all those creepy crawlies?

I may be obsessed with socks...

2010-10-21T15:54:00.000+11:00

Yes, I maybe obsessed with knitting socks at the moment. The socks above are the first ever sock that I knitted. I realized that they were going to be WAY too small for my 'man size' feet so they went to my sista Shannon and fit delightfully well. Plus they are super cute too.

These babies above are the start of some more 'man size' socks for my husband Mark. I'm loving this yarn and the way that it knits up into great patterns. I'm hoping that they fit! If anyone has any tips for sock patterns and altering them, let me know! Knit on!

What do your books say about you?

2010-10-13T10:08:00.000+11:00

With the Aussie dollar being so strong at the moment, I thought I would take the opportunity to buy some books from Amazon that I have had my eye on for a little while.

I've had my eye on Boutique Knits by Laura Irwin for the gorgeous knitted hat patterns. It has some lovely almost art deco style accessories which I can't wait to knit.

The Make Mine Vodka book by Susan Waggoner has a whole heap of vodka based cocktails. I was definitely drawn to this book as they claim to have 250 classic and cutting edge vodka cocktails - my perfect mix!

And Vivienne Westwood! What can I say? I've always been a huge fan of Vivienne Westwood's sensibilities and this beautiful book should be super inspiring.

So what do these books say about me? They definitely cover most of my interests! Am I a punk rock, vodka drinking knitter? Well actually I am! He he!

Gingerbread animals...

2010-10-11T08:01:00.000+11:00

gingerbread moose

I made some delicious gingerbreads over the weekend using the super cute cookie cutters that I recently bought from Ikea. It has been ages since I've made gingerbread but I have to say that it was a lot of fun, especially making the icing and adding eyes and decorations on the little creatures! If you would like the recipe for the gingerbread, head over to my food blog here for more information and photos!

Hearts for my sweetheart

I also made some hearts with M's on them for my husband Mark and me! I have had this heart shaped cookie cutter since I was a small child and I remember my dad making me fairy bread and cutting it out with the heart shaped cutter and how special I thought it was. I'm sure he will be glad that it is still being used today!

Rufus Wainwright on Martha Stewart Show

2010-10-02T08:50:00.000+10:00

I have a little confession to make, I love watching the Martha Stewart show! She always has the most interesting guests and guests that you would not expect to be on the show!

This episode was shown yesterday in Australia, though it is a little old but I thought that it was hilarious. Rufus Wainwright and family getting into the holiday spirit with Martha and coming out with some classic one liners! Also their 'holiday sweaters' are fantastic! Enjoy!

Beautiful Bison goodness...

2010-09-26T08:50:00.000+10:00

I have become quite addicted with Bison ceramics. My friend David introduced me to the product and started buying me some of the small products as gifts. When Mark and I got married we were lucky enough to be given quite a few different bowls to make our stash even larger. I recently bought these super cute 'tea bowls' (pictured above) which we use for our morning coffee. Even though they don't have handles, they are thick enough that you don't burn your hand.

One of the most lovely things about Bison is that they come in the most desirable colours! Each season they have something like 20 different colours and tints that I just want one in everything! I don't mind having different coloured plates and bowls and that they don't match, I think that is part of the fun of Bison.

My latest loves of theirs are the egg cups and tiny milk jugs. They are so small that they almost look doll like. I also am loving their pastel colours, quite a change from the bold reds that I currently have. Definitely go and check them out. I'm sure that you will want a few Bison products in your home too!

Gorgeous Swedish Clogs!

2010-09-24T07:34:00.000+10:00

Cute Swedish Clogs from Ugglebo... this sandal design is Vienna.


The Milan Swedish clog.

I am sooo excited that I have ordered 2 pairs of super super cute Swedish style clogs from the lovely folk at Ugglebo. They have been absolutely lovely, answering my questions about sizing and if you are unsure of your size, you can even send them a trace of your foot and they will sort it all out for you!

I've ordered two pairs, the first pair is the Vienna Sandal. I ordered it in a plain black leather with a dark wooden sole. I can see it with stylish summer dresses and pants for summer. The second pair is the Milan clog, this one has a bit of a mary jane style about it and I ordered it in a metallic leather in a lovely pewter colour with the natural wooden sole. Again, I think this will be great for summer but will also look lovely with tights in the cooler months too.

The folk at Ugglebo have so many designs and colours that the choices are endless! It does make it very difficult to make up your mind on what colour you want! I see in the future, many other orders! The company has a fascinating history which you can read about here.

I can't wait for them to turn up via the post. Stay tuned for a fashion showcase when they turn up! You can order online from the Ugglebo website direct and they currently have a discount if you order 2 pairs! So get your Swedish clog on!

Big Cat; little cat...

2010-09-20T08:04:00.004+10:00

Big cat pretending that he is little cat.

A flash of little cat, probably running to get some dinner.

I am medium cat in this family.

Vintage Shot Glasses

2010-09-18T08:34:00.006+10:00

Yes, I am a total sucker for buying all sorts of Scandanavian goodies at one of my favourite stores Nord Living in Hawthorn. I spyed these adorable vintage shot glasses the other day and just had to have them! I believe that they are Swedish and I got a set of 6! They feel great in your hand and are perfect for sipping delicious vodkas!

I love their little bobbly bits on the outside too. It's so great that I found them as I was thinking the other day how we needed some new flash shot glasses. All of ours currently don't match and they are more for measuring too.

I can't wait to try these babies out! I probably should wear a lovely Scandinavian frock while drinking... maybe one of my cute Marimekko's.... hmmmm....

New Couch!

2010-09-15T16:40:00.005+10:00

I am soooo excited! I have ordered us a new couch! I know that it seems like such a small and very domesticated thing but our old couch is starting to fall apart. The leather is torn, it's flaking little bits of red leather all over the carpet and it's not quite as springy as it used to be.

Investing in a new couch is such a chore! We had decided that we had to have leather again with our lovely Miss Nina as indoor kitties love to scratch fabric furniture. Also we are only replacing our 2.5 seater as the other one is still in good condition.

After much research we have ordered the couch above from Plush Furniture, except ours will be in a great bright red leather. It also has two recliner sections!!! So we can put our feet up while watching movies! How luxurious! A big thanks to my pal (and other husband) John for helping me test couches out in the store! He has a good eye! Now we just have to wait for it to be made and delivered.

What goes on during a Saturday evening...

2010-09-12T10:23:00.005+10:00

What happens at Casa Mama on a Saturday evening? Lots of delicious snacks and putting a packet of pirate temporary tattoos on! Yes, here we are with some super cute skulls on our cheeks.

Here I am showing off the latest skull tattoos on my cheeks! We were laughing so much as all of us have real tattoos and then we had these crazy faux tattoos on... which ones were real?!! We made the boys put theirs on their necks! Hopefully they come off before we go to work!

A Saturday night isn't complete at our house without lots of music, bad dancing (that's usually from my sister and myself) and drinking our version of Russian Cocaine (belvedere vodka shots, lemon dipped in sugar and then drinking a espresso!) Yep, it all makes up for a funny evening.

I spyed that someone decided to fill in our menu list on the fridge too during the evening!

This was most likely the culprit! I love this quick snap of Shannon, she was completely unaware of the photo being taken and all her sequins are shining away! It was again, a totally fun night!

In search of the perfect swimsuit...

2010-09-11T12:49:00.005+10:00

I rarely go to the beach or to the pool, so when I even contemplate having to buy a new swimsuit I think that I start to sweat! Yep, the idea of flashing my white skin and all it's lumps and bumps isn't too exciting but I was forced to go into 'swimwear buying' mode recently as I'm heading to Queensland with friends for a short beach holiday!

I started to look around on the internet at swimwear options and it wasn't too exciting... I wanted something that would cover my bottom easily but was cute and stylish too.

I even started to look at making my own swimwear! Crazy huh?! The images above are from Kwiksew and although they don't look too bad, I don't think that I would be confident in making a bathing suit!

I spyed this beauty at ModCloth. A cute retro looking number and look! the girl is pale with dark hair and totally rocking this look! Yes, I want a cute polka dot bikini but who buys swimwear from the internet without trying it on? Certainly not me!

But then success! A cute retro inspired bathing suit from Target! It was cheap, it fits, it's cute and doesn't look completely weird with my ink! Who would of thought that target could come up with the goods? (and yes, I do feel a little weird posting a pic of myself in a bikini top! But I suppose that you parade around in them at the beach for all to see!)

Polka dots for the win!

The lovely Kapten Hanna's blog!

2010-09-06T10:58:00.000+10:00

My lovely Deco Lady (above) which was created by Kapten Hanna, recently featured on her blog! There are lots of other great tattoos which she has done quite recently too so you should definitely check out her blog here! She's also on twitter too for us fellow twitter geeks.

We love Hanna loads!

Ogre the top blue...

2010-09-05T11:06:00.002+10:00

When I was on holiday recently I became slightly obsessed with the bright new colours from the O.P.I nail polish company. I've been using their nail polish for ages and usually stock up on new colours while I'm in the USA. However while I was away, I came across this great series of colours that were inspired by the animated film Shrek! This lovely aqua colour is called 'Ogre the top blue' and I'm just loving it!

I also love that this blue is nearly the same blue as the Belvedere labelling (yep, my favourite vodka). I couldn't help but take this matching blue snap! I did stock up on lots of crazy bright colours so stay tuned for 'nail updates'!

What? A black Marimekko dress?

2010-09-05T10:31:00.002+10:00

Yes, readers, you all know of my love of Marimekko stuff so when I was in New York City recently I did do a bit of a buy up at their store! Above is one of the dresses that I purchased and I have to say that I love it! I know, a black marimekko dress? No wild and bold patterns? Ah but you see this little number allows you to wear crazy coloured stockings and bold jewelry and it is super comfortable.

I was drawn to the asymmetrical sleeve work, with one drapey sleeve and one tight fitting sleeve. The solid colour accentuates the bold garment design. Oh Marimekko, how I love you!

About Time: Australian Studio Tapestry 1975-2005

2010-08-16T10:43:00.003+10:00

I'm in this exhibition which is at the Ararat Regional Art Gallery. This was posted by Tapestry 2008 blog.

About Time: Australian Studio Tapestry 1975-2005

About Time Australian studio tapestry 1975-2005 will be presented at Ararat Regional Art Gallery from 12 August to 26 September 2010. The exhibition presents tapestries by leading artist-weavers from Ararat Regional Art Gallery's permanent collection, alongside selected loans from public and private collections to highlight the key influences and formal and conceptual concerns that have shaped the character of studio tapestry during this formative period.

In the context of the exhibition, the term ‘studio tapestry’ refers to tapestries designed and created by independent artist-weavers outside of a collaborative environment, such as where production weavers interpret the designs by non-weaving artists.

‘About Time’ boasts some very significant tapestries by leading artist-weavers that reflect the aesthetics and concerns of each decade: bold and colourful abstract works of the 1970s, whimsical and expressive figurative works from the 1980s and more recent tapestries that examine the formal aspects of the time consuming and technically demanding weaving process itself.

The exhibition includes tapestries by Roma Center, Marie Cook, Liz Nettleton, Merrill Dumbrell, Alan Holland, Cheryl Thornton, Tess Crawford, Belinda Ramson, Gerda van Hamond, Kay Lawrence AM, Tass Mavrogordato, Valerie Kirk, Kate Derum, Cresside Collette, Tim Gresham, Sara Lindsay, Robyn Daw and Mardi Nowak.

Ararat Regional Art Gallery Director, Anthony Camm said, “ ‘About Time’ highlights the Gallery’s richly diverse sub-collection of studio tapestry and forms part of our ongoing commitment to presenting our permanent collection in new and interesting ways”.

“The exhibition reveals the potential for the sustained expansion of this unique sub-collection as a nationally significant repository for Australian studio tapestry into the future”, he said.

‘About Time’ is accompanied by a catalogue funded through the Gordon Darling Foundation. The catalogue features an essay by the exhibition curator Anthony Camm and short essays by established artists Kay Lawrence AM and Sara Lindsay and emerging artist Hilary Green, which explore the current ‘state of play’ with reference to their own practices and experiences.

An associated exhibition, ‘Some Small Way: small and miniature tapestries’, mostly from Ararat’s permanent collection, is presented until 17 October 2010 to augment the presentation of ‘About Time: Australian Studio Tapestry 1975-2005’.

‘About Time’ will tour Victoria with the support of the Regional Exhibitions Touring Initiative (RETI) and will be presented at Horsham Regional Art Gallery and Central Goldfields Art Gallery, Maryborough in 2011

Ah, rocking the holiday fashions...

2010-08-16T08:22:00.006+10:00

I'm not much of a 'hot weather' person so coming from the Australian winter into some pretty darn hot weather in Washington DC and New York was quite challenging for me in the fashion stakes! So here's what I've been rocking during my trip away to stay cool.

Loving these mustard shorts from the Gap, they were super cheap and a great colour, very comfy too!

For me, Summer is always about great nautical stripes which I have been wearing ALOT of! I love stripes in black and white, navy and white... it's always fresh with denim and flip flops or a little skirt.

And I love stripes that are thick too! Before I left on my trip away I made a cute little grey and black stripey dress that is super comfortable and quick to make too!

You can check it out on burdastyle here.
It's a little strange to be back into the Melbourne weather after such heat but don't worry, I'll be bringing these cute stripes again soon!

Good Morning Washington!

2010-08-15T07:32:00.002+10:00

(view from my window this morning)

It's a bit of a whirl wind tour of Washington DC! I decided to come to town as I really wanted to see the Yves Klein exhibition at the Hirshhorn. But more about that later!

I ended up leaving San Francisco yesterday which was a little sad but I also had five days there so I felt like I had accomplished alot! One of the things that I adore about San Francisco is the ease of getting from the city to the airport, the train is simple and quick and best of all, quite cheap! I wish that we had something similar in Melbourne...

So I managed to get to the airport in great time, the folk at Virgin America were awesome as usual with sorting out my luggage and during my waiting time, I utilised the free wi-fi at the airport. (Oh, San Francisco airport, you really are up there!) Unfortunately, my plane got delayed by about an hour due to the low fog in the morning, so there was more waiting and more Facebooking!

The delay meant that instead of arriving in Washington DC at 8pm, it was more like 9pm. I was thankful that my luggage was the very first off the baggage carousel (yep, that NEVER happens) and that I had booked my ticket on the super shuttle to get me to my hotel. The international airport is quite a hike out of town and I arrived at about 10pm to check in. I actually hadn't eaten since breakfast so I headed to the bar to grab a burger and a couple of beers to take up to my room. The Sierra Nevada brews and the angus burger tasted sooooo good. Like I hadn't eaten in weeks. There is something so satisfying about that first beer and food after many hours of nothing. Caught up in the excitement, I forced myself to bed to get a good sleep before waking early to get my 'museum on'. So many museums... so little time.... ARGHHHH!!!

Getting arty in San Francisco...

2010-08-13T09:10:00.006+10:00

I spent my last full day in San Francisco looking at two of my favourite galleries, SFMOMA and the Contemporary Jewish Museum.

SFMOMA had an excellent display for their 75th anniversary. Some of my favourite elements of this exhition was the way they focussed on the different directors, their collecting period and the things they came up against! I loved seeing some of the letters from patrons who were outraged with 'controversial' acquisitions and the curator's responses to them. It is something that still happens today so it was comforting to see that some things never change.

The display on how the museum kept running (although on a much smaller scale) during WWII and how they felt it was their duty to show art for the people even in such tough times. The display was very well put together and showed great focus on how their collection was put together.

The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco is always on my 'must see' list. They always have the most fascinating exhibitions and their installs are also pretty amazing. I would like to say that whoever designs their exhibitions has very similar curatorial sensibilities to myself! As it wasn't that long since I had been in San Francisco, there were two exhibitions that I had already seen at the museum, but there were also two new ones that were very thought provoking and beautiful.

The Maira Kalman display was fun, quirky and had an excellent direction in story telling. In terms of the installation, I loved the mixture of objects, textiles and small drawings and watercolours. I also loved how they butted all of the little frames up together, something which isn't normally done but it added to the beautiful chaos of the show. I was quite unfamilar with her work, but definitely will do some more research!

The Re-inventing Ritual: contemporary art and design for Jewish life display was simply amazing. It was a very brave display showcasing some incredibly inovative artists and designers who are playing with the traditional motifs and objects of jewish ritual. For me some of the most interesting work was the work that investigated and contradicted the ideas of gender specification in many of the rituals. For some women artists, they wanted to see what the rituals for Jewish men were all about, to demystify the rituals. It was simply a beautiful exhibition, I think that it may travel internationally so if you have the chance - go see it!!!

Getting around the bay area...

2010-08-10T15:01:00.004+10:00

Wow, first real day in San Francisco and it seemed really busy. I got my phone all sorted out so I'm back on a USA sim card and I love having my unlimited data (thanks t-mobile boys).

For some reason, I always feel the jet lag while I'm on the west coast. It's probably because the time difference isn't so much, but enough for it to be a pain in the butt. After going to bed early, I forced myself to get up at 7.30am and do some normal stuff... like get coffee and chat to my NYC friend Evan on the phone.

I also caught up with my friend Hanna, so good to see her! She is working at Idle Hand in the Haight now and I'm sure that she is loving all the great dog shops and dog parks nearby. I'm catching up with her tomorrow for a little bit of work... very exciting. She always seems to know exactly what I'm into which is why I love her work.

I did alot of window shopping today, made a few small purchases and wandered around taking in the sights. I'm glad to come back to a city and discover the things that I still like are still where they were and occassionally some new things have popped up as well. Crate and Barrel have loads of cute stuff, above is a shot from one of their windows featuring lots of Marimekko. I wish we had Crate and Barrel in Australia!

A trip in San Francisco isn't complete without a cupcake or two from Cako! I got the carrot and walnut - delicious and the red velvet. Their cream cheese icing is a bit light and fluffy for my liking but the cakes are super delicious! I can't believe that I'm missing out on Sugadeaux's new flavour tasting back in Melbourne... the things you miss while you are an international traveller!

I went to one of my favourite knitting stores in San Francisco - Imagiknit up on 18th street and amazingly came out with no yarn! I did get a great new knitting magazine with loads of insipirational things. I ended the day at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art, always a favourite! The current exhibition by Clare Rojas is simply amazing. It takes over the whole space and most of it was specifically installed and created for this show. It utilizes huge walls with Roja's painted beauties on them. The film piece which reminded me of a modern day dadaist triumph was also a highlight. This is such a great little museum, they do really edgy shows and the staff are great too.

Tomorrow I'm spending the day with Hanna, so stay tuned!

I just keep travelling...

2010-08-09T16:58:00.005+10:00

(My view at Melbourne airport)

After a busy few days at work, I finally got myself on a plane and headed to San Francisco. The flight that I took was a little different to usual. I flew MELB - LAX, LAX -SF. Note to self, do NOT do this flight again!!! LAX was crazy busy, even at 7.30am on a Sunday. The only good part was that I actually got to walk outside in the Los Angeles air when I had to briskly walk/run from international arrivals to domestic departures, allowing me to catch a good glimpse of the airport. Unfortunately after all this rushing to make the 9.20am boarding time, the lovely folk at American Airlines made us sit on a cramped plane on the tarmac for about 2 hours!! Note to American Airlines: I know you feel relaxed with the plane door open but I can still see your staff, sitting around drinking coffee. You know, when passengers are sitting on a plane for 2 hours, it wouldn't kill ya to offer us some beverages! Yeah, even just water!!!

Ergh... well I did make it in one piece and in all honesty, when I got to San Francisco airport, it was all smooth sailing getting on a train and heading to my awesome hotel! I decided to stay somewhere different in San Francisco and so far I'm pretty happy with my choice. It's walking distance to the Burger Bar, rooms are pretty spacious, has a walk-in robe, full size bath (with rubber duck and bath bubbles! squeal!) and is decorated in a lovely 1920s dark wood and green decor. The chairs I just want to try and pop in my bag to take home!

(cute hotel in San Francisco)

After a quick shower and discovering that my hair conditioner had been squished in my bag and leaked in the plastic bag - ewww but luckily not over my clothes, I headed down to the Burger Bar. One of the great things about travelling alone is that I can walk straight ahead of the huge cue at the Burger Bar and get seated immediately! I sat at the bar and downed a pint of peroni beer off tap and a serve of burger sliders... yep, all tasted sooooo good! After a little bit of window shopping, my poor exhausted self has just chilled out in my gorgeous room.

Tomorrow? I have a few chores but I think it's time to hit some galleries! Yeah, it's lovely to be back in familiar San Francisco.

Re-invent exhibition

2010-07-21T15:49:00.000+10:00

Wow, I've had/have two really awesome shows at the gallery in a row. Currently we have Weapons of Mass Consumption on, which was the result of a young curator mentorship with myself (as the mentor) and Louisa Marks as my mentee. It has been a fantastic exhibition, really dynamic and the audience has responded well to it.

Next up for the month of August is an exhibition that I am curating called Re-invent, Re-interpret, Re-make. So far this has been a fun show to do as I'm working with a wide range of artists, including getting some amazing tapestry works from Erin Riley, who is based in the USA. I've been eyeing off her tapestries for a little while and I'm excited to be able to show them here in Australia. If you're in Melbourne, come check out the exhibition, otherwise, please visit the gallery online here!

There are also some other equally fantastic artists working in all sorts of media. The image on the flyer above is by Madeleine Preston. It's been all crazy here with exhibitions, talks and preparing to head overseas again, phew! I will need a holiday!

My first sock completed!

2010-07-18T14:00:00.002+10:00

I actually had completed this during the week but have been a little too busy to get around blogging about it! So here is sock one, completed in all of it's pinky coloured glory. I used the Noro sock yarn for this sock and 2.5mm needles (double pointed needles).

Everyone was saying how difficult the heel section was but after watching some great clips on youtube from the Lion Brand Yarn folk, it was quite easy to go through. I decided to post the videos that I found really useful for any other newbies to sock making too!

This clip is for the heel section, creating the sturdy fabric part for the heel.

This clip looks at actually 'turning the heel'. When you watch these clips, it does make it much easier to understand what you are doing in your own pattern and how it is meant to look like.
I really should get to and knit the partner to it now... I'm hoping that it will go much quicker than the first sock!

Bugs...

2010-07-10T15:35:00.002+10:00

I am a bit of a brooch addict. I have loads of them now and nothing beats a great signature brooch on a simple dress, not that I have many simple dresses. Most of them are crazy patterned ones but I still have brooches for that too!

Today I'm wearing my bug brooch that I got from Deco Jewels in NYC. I love him, he's sparkly and has red eyes.

I visited an exhibition last year of Madeleine Albright's collection of brooches. I was really inspired by her idea of having a statement piece that also becomes a statement. Apparently she wore these brooches as a way of sending political messages. So your clothes and accessories really do make a statement!

Today...

2010-07-07T17:02:00.000+10:00

Today I am wearing my cute black and white penguin like shoes handmade by Rocco. They always get comments, in a good way comments!

Today I'm wearing this great skull necklace. I love the crystals in it and the fact that the jaw moves! It keeps me entertained when I'm a little bored at work.

Today I got a guide to Washington DC which I'm reading up on for my trip to see the Textile Museum and the Yves Klein exhibition. I've never been to Washington so there's a little research needed!

Today I bought this cute babushka nesting glasses! Awesome! They are by the same company as the measuring cups and when I spyed them I just had to have them.

Today, what are you up to?

Pink, pink and more pink!

2010-07-04T19:52:00.001+10:00

I'm not sure how it all started but I've been a little obsessed with pink stuff recently. It may of begun when I started knitting the hot pink cowl pictured above in Portland Maine. When I saw the chunky yarn, it reminded me of fairy floss, delicious and so pretty and pink I could almost eat it!

There was a tiny bit of the yarn left over that my friend David, who has recently just learned how to crochet, made this super cute bow headband! It actually keeps my head warm too! Can you believe that David has only been crocheting for about 2 months?!!

Speaking of just learning... I have decided to attempt knitting socks! I have been knitting on and off for about 25 years but never tried socks. I saw the gorgeous pink and grey Noro yarn and decided to give it a whirl. The lady at the yarn store was great and gave me a lovely simple pattern and it seems to make sense to me.

Though I really can't believe the size of the needles that I'm knitting on either! They are 2.5mm which are tiny in my large hands. I keep wondering if I'm going to snap them?

I've had this for ages but this is one of my favorite bottle openers and yep, it's pink! I bought it from ikea and it's very ergonomic in your hand. The great thing is because it's so bright, it is easy to find in the draw.

What's your feelings on pink? Is it too girly? Does it remind you of your childhood?

Breakfast...

2010-07-04T09:04:00.002+10:00

I've been going through a weird boiled eggs for breakfast phase. I do love egg cups though, I think that they are really cute and I am a little addicted to buying them!

Also check out this super cute hand printed table runner I got! It's by a Swedish label that is very small and independant but apparently their prints are very collectable. I love the curvy lines! I got it from one of my favourite shops in Hawthorn Nord living. You should go and see their cute stuff and say hi to the lovely Sofia who owns the shop.

Oh Hi!... well Hello!

2010-07-03T08:24:00.003+10:00

You may of noticed that there hasn't been a lot of blogging going on here! June has been a pretty frantic month and I guess with the lack of spare time, I've been taking time out away from my laptop!

So what's been going on in the last month? Work has been super busy with lots of reports and end of financial year, boring stuff. We have a fantastic exhibition on currently which is the result of our Young Curators Project. I've been mentoring a 'young curator', Miss Louisa Marks and she has curated this exhibition, Weapons of Mass Consumption. If you happen to be in Melbourne, you should come check it out. The mentoring process has been heaps of fun and it's great to see Louisa finish the project and all that she has achieved. There is loads of information about the show on the gallery blog here!

I've been spending a fair bit of non-work time helping out with my friend's fashion label. They have been in the process of putting together next winter's collection and I've been sewing the toilles (the test samples) and making pattern alterations. It's been a fun process working with my pal and seeing her dreams come to reality too! Gee, I have been doing quite a bit of that huh?!!

Our house has been the happy craft commune with us sewing, knitting and crocheting away with friends on the weekend! We then usually pump up the BBQ and cook some yummy treats and have a bottle of wine, it's been lovely! My pal, David has become quite the crochet whiz and has been pumping out the creations. He made this super cute crochet hat for me, can you believe he has only been crocheting for a couple of months?!

I should point out that I've been knitting away slowly too, trying to get Mark's sweater completed so hopefully he can wear it this winter! It is going slowly but looking great!

So that's a round up! Promise not to leave it so long between posts! Promise!

Taking a leap for Yves...

2010-06-09T15:08:00.005+10:00

I got very excited about the thought of seeing the Yves Klein exhibition in Washington DC that I just went and got some leave approved and booked some flights to go! Yeah, wacky and crazy huh but what the heck!

Apparently it is the first time in approximately 30 years that such a large retrospective has been done on his work. It is on currently at the Hirshhorn Musuem. I am also excited that they have an iphone application for the exhibition too! Yay for geeks!

Whilst in Washington I also want to check out this exhibition at the Textile Museum. I totally forgot that this place existed so I'm pretty excited to be able to go... finally! Art by the Yard exhibition should be quite inspirational seeing I have been assisting a friend with their fashion label and they are producing gorgeous yardage.

There's lots of great exhibitions on during the time which I'm pretty excited about and it will be strange travelling in the USA during Summer but I do like an adventure. I'm sure it will be inspiring!

I love it when someone else does the curating!

2010-05-27T20:13:00.005+10:00

(My tapestry, Shopping Girl, woven tapestry, wool, cotton and linen.)

Purely by chance, and also because I had forgotten that I had kind of committed myself to a couple of things, this last week has seen the following:

Looks like my tapestry Shopping Girl will be going off on a touring exhibition run with a bunch of other fab tapestries made by 'studio weavers' who work outside of a workshop situation. The exhibition called A Matter of Time, is being curated by Anthony Camm from Ararat Regional Art Gallery and features works from their collection.
I will also be presenting a lecture for the Embroiderers Guild in Malvern on August 2 about my art work and also my life as a curator. It is in the evening, so feel free to pop along and learn more about tapestry!

I do love it when a whole bunch of arty/tapestry things happen all at once! I had vaguely organized and made touch with people about these things before I went on leave, but you know... I went away, went shopping, got tattooed and married! Things happen! And I love it when someone else does the curating!

The first rule of knit club...

2010-05-23T11:30:00.002+10:00

We held our second session of knitting and martinis at Baranows Lounge yesterday, or as it has jokingly called now, "Knit Club". We had some new faces during the session and there were many martinis drank! I started on an easy project (I didn't bring Mark's sweater in) so I could drink and not worry about dropping any stitches.

Even though there are many laughs, you can tell that we are taking it very seriously and concentrating alot! A big yay to Shannon who insisted she couldn't knit but has picked it up very easily... she's a natural!

I'm working with this great Vero yarn that is super soft, not too expensive and knits up really quickly. Both Shan and I are working on this cute garter stitch hat that looks a little bit 20s when it's completed. Don't worry I will post photos when it's completed.

Thanks to David who brought in his collection of vintage knitting patterns, we all got very excited and had a few laughs at the old magazines and their photography. They were inspiring though.

The first rule of Knit Club is not to talk about Knit Club, the second rule of Knit Club is one row, one sip of a martini. If you're inspired we hold Knit Club at Baranows Lounge on every second Saturday from 2pm. Get your knit on!