Material Matters: Wood and Resin

Whilst walking through the bush I found a stick with a beautiful lichen growing on it. The colour of the lichen was such a delicate green and it was so lace-like I wanted to experiment with and preserve its exquisite qualities.

So I covered it in clear resin.

And then cut it up so that you could see the growth rings of the wood as well as the lichen.

 I threaded the slices of resin and wood onto an oxidised sterling silver rod with spacers to turn it into a necklace. Its currently attached to black cotton, but I think Ill attach it to some oxidised silver chain instead of the black thread to make it look 'finished'.

I was also curious to see what would happen if I cut a circle through the resin and turn it into a ring. The rectangular shape is surprisingly comfortable to wear and I was walking around the studio not even realising that I was wearing it.

The results were a lot of fun and I would like to continue to explore this idea. I particularly like that the pieces speak of capturing the essence of time.

I did find working with the resin was problematic because of the fumes. Ive been told that there is an EcoResin available that I must find out more about. Ethically I also find that working with resin also goes against my principles of using natural materials whenever possible.

For tips on working with resin refer to my previous post about resin and machine embroidery.

Time to get organised

I dont know about you,  but I seem to have lots of unfinished projects floating around in the craft courner in the lounge room. As I look around I can see many things in a half finished state: recycled plastic bags crocheted into baskets, knitted twine objects for ceramic experiments (another post will be dedicated to this) two lots of wool waiting to be unravelled and knitted into another project.

Baskets made from recycled plastic bags

All these half finished projects are lying around as a visual reminder to finish them. Im getting sick of the clutter so I have decided that rather than work on them all at once, I will finish one and then move onto the next with the hope of cleaning up the craft corner.... or at least getting it under control!

Knitted twine objects

So Im currently working on a pink brown wool that has been knitted about four times because I havent found the right pattern for the wool. Its gorgeous but because its varigated, knits up with ugly 'tiger stripes'. I have finally found the perfect pattern, which I am kinda making up as I go along (with the aid of some of Mum's fabulous 1980's knitting patterns as reference). 

Its garter stitch and I have introduced a dark brown solid colour which lessens the varigated stripe effect. Knitted on the round the yoke shows of the variation of the colour without being too much.

Unravelling 

Theres also an ever growing pile of books to read, and magazines for inspiration which contains things like Vogue Living, Craft International (fabulous mag from the UK), ceramic books – mostly about glazes at the moment, and for art theory I've been meaning to read the complete works of Oscar Wilde and Le Morte D'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory and Dante's Devine Comedy...

Thank goodness for these long dark winter evenings – they're perfect for sitting in front of the gas fire and reading or knitting, under the pretext of getting organised x

Still Life captured by Instgram

Well I have succumbed to the Instagram craze....

I couldnt resist!

So this morning I thought I would capture some things that make me happy at home

Kochira sun baking

Ceramic made by moi, with cockatoo feather

I love this lamp, collected in my travels through Turkey

Mantlepiece

Spinning wheel given to me by my Aunt.
Its almost the perfect weather to start practicing...
all I need is an open fire

Splashes of colour
Green plastic bags with pink wool =
two different projects

Love love love this mirror
and the old kitchen sink
with mis-matching taps
and a gurgling drain

cute cute cute!
I love this chair so much.
It has a twin
and they feature in my prints and ceramics
I love my pink anodised teapot
and its special cosy by Jenny

How much fun! Different boarders, unfocused edges, and hues within the images.

For those who already know Instagram, Im loving the 1977 setting, but I already have so many real photos like that (yes, I feature in a few) Im not sure Im ready to go there so soon :)

Kx

Im dreaming of a green Christmas

Christmas for me is a chance to spend time with family and loved ones. Not a commercial event where so many unwanted gifts end up gathering dust or in the trash. So last year I decided that all my Christmas pressies had to be thoughtful and environmentally friendly! 

I set myself some rules: I wanted to give gifts that would be enjoyed, but would have little impact on the environment. So I decided that hampers were the way to go. Recycled baskets from the local opshop were filled with home made jams and chutneys (using recycled glass jars collected throughout the year).  

 

Handmade cards, decorated with beaded snowflakes (which could be reused as Christmas ornaments) labeled each basket, and exotic fruit added a touch of colour. Each basket included a hand printed linen tea towel (by yours truly). Although I didnt make the wine (thats another project on my growing list of things to do!) at least it was in recyclable glass bottles.

Ginger dipped in dark chocolate, and other delicacies  were wrapped in grease proof paper and tied with string.

Happily all the contents of my Christmas baskets were biodegradable.

This year my Christmas presents will be handmade again, and I am working within another theme. Its so much fun, but I cant give away any more.... shhhh its a secret until Christmas day x

Nets Exhibition at Barometer Gallery

I was lucky enough to have my work Necklace (below) selected to be part of a group textile exhibition which has been shown as part of the VI International Biennial Contemporary Textile Art in Oaxaca in Mexico earlier this year.

Necklace is knitted from recycled plastic bags and then heat is applied to make the fabric rigid. More details can be found in an earlier post on my blog. Click here to go to the post.

The exhibition has travelled back to Australia and was on show at the Barometer Gallery in Sydney in early August 2011. Artists involved in the show are: Catherine Dabron, Wendy Dodd, Gabriella Hegyes, Paula Hilyard, Barbara Jackson, Liz Jeneid, Lynne Johnson, Valerie Kirk, Jenny Manning, Maryanne Mussared, Marli Popple, Nancy Tingey, Monique Van Nieuwland and Katherine White.

Images of the Barometer exhibition are courtesy of Valerie Kirk.

Green Walnut Liquor & Winter Sunshine

At the beginning of this year I decided to make some green walnut liquor. I had been inspired by an Italian interior designer I met whilst I was working in London who told me the process involved in making it. It involved picking the green fruit on a certain day of the year (St Johns Day June 24, the equivalent to our December 24), the fermentation process which required moving the fruit steeped in liquor so that it sat on a window sill that got the morning light, and then moved to another window sill to absorb the afternoon light. This was to be done for 40 nights and 40 days - before adding a sugar syrup and setting it to rest for 6 months.

I could just envisage a jar of the green walnut liquor sitting on a window sill in Tuscany and was romanced by the idea. Plus the liquor is so fragrant and exotic, I simply had to try making some. Mum just happens to have a walnut tree in her back yard which provides the most beautiful dappled shade in summer.

Picking the green walnuts using one of my recycled plastic bag crochet baskets to gather the fruit.

The green walnuts soaking in vodka with cinnamon and lemon.

After 40 days and 40 nights the walnuts turn black.

The finished liquor.

Making the most of the sunshine in my kitchen (and a partially restored cabinet - rescued from the side of the road).

My kitchen gets the most glorious sunshine on winter days, so I decided to make the most of its warmth yesterday by finishing the green walnut liquor which had been languishing, neglected on the top of my fridge for a number of months. It tastes pretty good already, Im looking forward to sharing it with friends and family.

Well, thats one project Ive finished which I can cross of my list. You'll be pleased to know that Ive almost finished the thrice knitted jumper - it just needs to be sewn together.

If you would like the recipe for green walnut liquor click here for an article which was published earlier this year in the Canberra Times Food and Wine section. It also has a recipe for Cherry Plum jam which is also incredibly delicious.

Enjoy! x

Environment Inspired Art - Article

Ive just managed to get a copy of this article which was published a couple of weeks ago in the Canberra Northside Chronicle - it discusses my inspiration for my work 'Modern Tree (Hope)' which was created for the Footprints Exhibition.

Click on the image to see a larger version of the article.

Enjoy!

Modern Tree (Hope)

How delightful!

The Canberra Weekly Magazine has published an image of my Modern Tree (Hope) as part of an article on the Footprints Exhibition I am currently in at the Belconnen Arts Centre.

The show opened last Friday evening and it is definitely worth a visit.

The exhibition is on until 19 June 2011.

Footprints Exhibition

I was selected to participate in the Footprints exhibition by a selection panel which consisted of representatives from the ANU School of Art and the Belconnen Arts Centre.

The exhibition explores the impact of cultural, spiritual, environmental and economic footprints which we as a society and as individuals are leaving on our environment. The selected artists explore how the impact of environmental and social changes have affected and altered their artistic visions and practices.

Artists were asked to consider and respond to the theme of the impact of cultural, spiritual, environmental and economic footprints being left on our environment.

My submission was inspired by my experiences living in London. Often, in council estates were high density housing, (the term concrete jungle is apt!), there would be planted a token tree. Despite all odds, the tree would be flourishing and continuing to grow - even though water to its roots was hampered by the concrete paving, and it was surrounded on all sides by closely built dwellings. It shows that trees, and plants, are resilient and can grow despite all odds - offering hope and life to those around us.

Another memory I have from the same area is an image of a tree in the middle of winter. Its limbs were bare, yet caught in the branches were plastic bags, fluttering like jewels on the breeze against a clear blue sky (most unusual for London winters!) I captured this image on my iphone, but unfortunately it was lost in my relocation back to Australia.

My work created for this exhibition utilises a found piece of bark, embroidered with recycled plastic bags from Sainsbury's supermarket. From a distance, the orange plastic bag seems to merge with the bark - reminding me a little of lichen.

Footprints opens Friday 2 June at 6pm at the Belconnen Arts Centre.

La Nina in The Edge

Last week I completed La Nina - a dress made entirely from knitted and crochet recycled plastic bags - which was selected to be in the sculpture show 'The Edge' at the Belconnen Arts Centre.

The sculpture is life size and approximately 1m high and 50cm diameter. She gently twirls and dances as she catches the breeze as you walk past ...... La Nina was created using over 100 recycled plastic shopping bags, mainly from Woolworths. I enjoy using discarded objects to create something of beauty and to change perceptions of the materials used.

La Nina also creates beautiful shadows and I captured some in the afternoon light - it's going to be an interesting study to watch the shadows as they dance over the gallery walls from early to late afternoon.

The Edge is an interesting exhibition. Although it is a sculpture show, many of the pieces in it are created using textile techniques - fascinating and well worth a visit to the Belconnen Arts Centre.

There is a Meet the Artist talk at 2pm, Sunday 22 May. The exhibition runs until Sunday 29 May 2011.

La Nina

Yes, another knitting project using recycled plastic bags......

This time its a life size dress for The Edge, an exhibition at the Belconnen Arts Centre of sculptural works by the Canberra region's top emerging and established sculptures.

The brief was to respond to living on the edge, questioning how does place influence us? How does space affect our responses, our actions our dreams? How do we interject ourselves into the universe? How do we live on the edge?

My response was La Nina.

Peruvian fishermen named the extreme weather condition la nina (the girl, the gift giver) because the cold water brought to the South America's coast a flux of marine life which increased the fisherman's catch. Meanwhile on the other side of the world, countries like Australia have experienced severe flooding. Thought to be an effect of global warming, Earth is on the edge of climate change. The garment refers to Peruvian traditional dress, and the net-like knitting alludes to the nets the Peruvian fishermen use to catch the fish.

I have lost count of how many plastic bags I have recycled for this project, but its definitely well into the hundreds....

The exhibition opens on Friday 13 May at 6pm and continues until Sunday 29 May 2011, at the Belconnen Arts Centre.

Come along to see how the twelve selected artists have responded to the topic.

Recycled Lace Lampshades

This week I knitted the final stitches, cast off, ironed and created two recycled lace lampshades using recycled plastic bags.

About thirty bags were recycled and you can see the different hues of greens and greys in the image above. The heat process seems to intensify the colours in the plastic. In keeping with the recycled ethos the lamp bases were found in second hand stores around town.

The shades were commissioned by an avid collector of objects made from recycled bits'n'pieces and when I delivered them I was shown her extraordinary collection: bags made from woven recycled paper, old chip wrappers and the pull tops from aluminium cans.

Its amazing the clever and beautiful things people can make from rubbish!

Fantastic Plastic

How cool is this - Im featured in the Canberra Times Times2 lift out from Monday.

Click on the image below to read the article.

How to make wallets from recycled plastic bags

I also promised that I would share with you the pattern for how to make your own wallet from recycled plastic bags.... so here it is. The pattern is from the Why dont you [re]design Christmas publication. Click on the image below for a larger version which can be printed.

Let me know if you would prefer a pdf version and I can email it to you.

Here are some examples of what they look like in colour......

Happy creating x

Christmas at CraftACT

I dropped into CraftACT yesterday to celebrate their Christmas event with them. Lee has done a fantastic job of displaying the wares available - it looks like she had a lot of fun playing with colour, texture and shape :)

I was impressed at how vibrant the colours looked against a black background. It really enhances my Marks & Spencer green Re-find handbag and knitted wallets knitted from recycled plastic bags.

Redesigning the Regular

Today I was featured on the Canberra Weekly magazine! Im tickled pink by the review :)

Read it all here by double clicking on the image below

Dual Jewels and Re-find Wallets at CraftACT

CraftACT are holding their annual Christmas event this Saturday 27 November 2010 from 2pm-5pm.

In anticipation I have created Dual Jewels which are designed to be worn and are also a decoration for the Christmas Tree. They are available exclusively at CraftACT and are the perfect gift for Secret Santa.



Also featured in the CraftACT shop will be my Refind wallets - which are made from recycled plastic bags. The wallets also feature in the book 'Why dont you [re]design Christmas'. For your chance to win a copy of this book, simply subscribe to my newsletter. The winning entry will be announced on Friday 17 December 2010.