Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Creative New Year

This year I decided to make my 2012 Christmas cards using recycled plastic bags, bits of card and ribbon collected from previous projects.

After last year where I sent most of my Christmas cards after Christmas (whoops! Its the thought that counts)  I promised myself that this year they would all be in the post before Christmas. Most of them were posted a week or two before the big day, although I must admit some of them were posted Christmas eve - just slipping in before my self imposed deadline :)

I was inspired by Attic24's crochet snowflake pattern, and the fun thing is the snowflake on the card also can be re-used as a Christmas tree ornament. If you are interested in making things from recycled plastic, a great tutorial on how to make plastic yarn can be found here.

Thank you for all your wonderful comments and support in 2012.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Creative New Year!

Kx

Summer Shifts

In an effort to reduce my material possessions (literally) I have decided that instead of purchasing clothes, I will make them, using some of my screen printed fabrics.

On this road of creative fun and adventure, I chose a couple of simple dress patterns, which are perfect for our hot summer days, and have simple elegant lines which allow the fabric prints to speak for themselves.

Of course, they always look so much better on the model so I have worked a little photoshop magic to show you my first 'party' dress of the season. The dress pattern is an original from 1963 and is combined with a fabulous screen print by Indigenous artist and friend Ceretha Skinner. (I couldnt resist buying some of her fabric from her recent exhibition at Megalo Print Studio and Gallery).

A few more dresses using my screen printed fabrics are currently under construction, stay tuned to see the results.

x

Come To Your Senses exhibition at GRAG

Come to Your Senses is a group exhibition of works that entice the senses, and can be touched, tasted, smelt and heard.

Gathering Landscape, 2012, recycled clay with shino glaze

 “The horizon was a wide circle of blue hills with Lake George as a jewel in the centre. The drought was emptying the lake and reviving anecdotes of early days when it had not existed at all”.

Cockatoos, A Story of Youth and ExodistsMiles Franklin

The Goulburn region is surrounded by spectacular scenery. This region is the setting for a number of Miles Franklins novels, written in the late 19^th century about life in rural Australia.

Within the context of Franklin's writing, my work explores majestic and sublime landscapes through the medium of clay form, glaze and decorating techniques.

Gathering Landscapes depict the landscape in drought. Inspired by prehistoric pot making methods of pressing soft clay into reed baskets to reveal the highly textured, negative space left by the weave.

Water Hole alludes to more temperate times and the deeply carved surface of the inside and outside of the vessel, when held against the light create a weave pattern reminiscent of the nets used to catch fish in waterholes and streams.

Screenprinting fun at Megalo

Ive just finished teaching a 6 week block of screen printing on fabric at Megalo. I always enjoy the experience and never ceased to be amazed by the creativity and diversity of images by my students.

Here are some images of them in action and some of the fantastic prints they created.

Gen experimenting with mixing two colours 

Gen's Fantastic Mr Fox image combining paper cut stencil and a photo emulsed screen.

Lisa printing her first photo emulsed screen.

Liz printing her first screen.

Liz's amazing repeat print

Neil creating a back ground colour for his Matisse style prints

Sara experimenting with a three colour watermelon print combining paper cut stencils and photoemulsed stencil.

Sara's watermelon print. Love the colours!

An action shot of Sharon drying her bearded men print combining blocks of colour and linear hand drawings. 

Jacqui's happy accident where she printed the screen in one colour (blue/green) then blocked out areas and reprinted over the top in pink. 

Jacqui's repeat cloud print on a tshirt

As seen in The Journal of Australian Ceramics

How  very exciting. The latest copy of The Journal of Australian Ceramics has hit the shelves and my inbox.  To my delight my Vignette series is featured, along with my potters mark.

Thank you to the editor, Vicki Grima and all at the Journal of Australian Ceramics

The Journal of Australian Ceramics : The Journal of Australian Ceramics 513 Nov 2012, Page 10

Polish Rose Petal Jam

If you are lucky enough to have rose bushes in your garden that flowers abundantly I have found the most marvellous and easy way to preserve the petals.

Its the Polish way of making rose petal jam which involves no cooking and is really quick.

Gather and wash your petals, put in the blender with sugar and mix until the sugar is the colour of the petals. You can mix until the petals are completely blended and smooth, or leave it chunky so that there is the occasional petal in the mix.

The batch I made is still crystallised (rather than syrupy) and perfect to sprinkle on top of fruit salad and home made yogurt. Yum!

Undercurrent markets at the National Portrait Gallery

If you love original design, then come and visit me at the Undercurrent market and find one-off ceramic pots 100% hand made.

Porcelain press pots $55

Porcelain press pots $55

 I will have all my popular styles available as well as lots of new designs too.

Carve pots $45

Carve pots $45

I am super excited to be back at the Undercurrent market this weekend  - get in quick because my work is limited edition - and there will be special market prices. Also available will be hand printed and hand painted linen tea towels. 

Sketch pots $65

Undercurrent market 23 and 24 November 2012 at the National Portrait Gallery.

Friday 23 November 5 - 8 pm

Saturday 24 November 10 - 4 pm

Day dreaming?

Or

gathering inspiration for my next project?

Either way, I have been spending a lot of time looking at skies and admiring the cloud formations in our wide open skies.

Reminiscing: Story of Stratford art project

I was reminded the other day of one of my projects I implemented whilst in London working at Westfield Shoppingtowns Ltd as their inaugural Public Art Coordinator.

Story of Stratford
image courtesy of http://uk.westfield.com

The project was called The Story of Stratford a two year art project to document the progress of the Stratford City development (the site adjacent to the 2012 Olympics). British artist who lives in the East End Helen Marshall, creatively lead the project working with participants from local schools. It was managed by A New Direction, an independent not for profit organisation which advocates for and facilitates creative learning, by connecting young people and schools with creative practitioners and organisations.

It documents the progress of the Stratford City development, from a building site in 2009 to an operational retail centre upon its opening in 2011 and the project explored how the history and regeneration of Stratford will change the lives of the students and their families.

Importantly the project enabled the children to engage with the site, develop their creativity and encourage learning in a fun and creative environment.

The project finished last year in 2011 and it is exciting to see how it has developed.

Finalist for Goulburn Regional Art Gallery Award

Nest, 2012, Constructed textiles. 16 x 13 x 7.5 cm
Photography by Art Atelier

Ive been selected as a finalist for the 2012 Goulburn Regional Art Awards.
Squee!
Winners will be announced at the opening on Thursday 22 November.
Fingers crossed
x

Art Maps: Capital of Culture & QBN Art Trail

In amongst the exhibitions, working, teaching, studying and designing tea towels for the Canberra legacy of good design award I have been designing maps for Art Trails.

You may have seen them floating around Canberra promoting the local arts organisations. If you would like to down load a copy, visit the Craft ACT: Craft and Design website. Maps are also available from the Canberra Visitors Centre.

Hot off the press is the Queanbeyan Art Trail map - to promote this year's art trail which you can either do yourself, or participate in a chauffered bus tour on  Sunday 25 November 2013.

I participated in the bus tour for the Queanbeyan Art Trail last year and had a fabulous time. We discovered studios, saw artists at work, and visited galleries that I had been meaning to do so, but hadnt quite got there. Not to mention we were very well fed with morning tea at Benedict House, a lovely lunch under Wisteria vines, and wine at the Artist Shed studios. 

To download a copy of the map or to make a booking visit the Queanbeyan City Council. Maps are also available from the Queanbeyan Visitors Centre.

Happy 'Arting'!

My week in images

Monday: Scenic views

Tuesday: At work

Wednesday: glaze testing

Thursday: designing 

Friday: trying out new recipes

Saturday: champagne, coffee, cake and knitting with friends

Sunday: coffee in the sunshine

Fields of gold

Ive been zig zagging across the country and have seen some amazing views.

This is one of them. Spectacular, isnt it.

A field of golden canola, such a vibrant contrast to the muted tones of the Australian bush.

x

Flashes of my past in the future exhibition

My work for the Flashes of my past in the future exhibition at M16 is a continuation of exploring images sketched of my cottage.

The sketches of domestic scenes have been translated into delicate embroidered objects. Sometimes the thread is almost invisible until illuminated by strong light – like a memory which almost forgotten, flashing back in a moment of clarity.

Cake Plate
Photography by Art Atelier

Milk Jug (bathroom)
Photography by Art Atelier

Nest 1 (kitchen)
Photography by Art Atelier

Sugar Bowl (inherited treasures)
Photography by Art Atelier

Tea Pot (conservatory)
Photography by Art Atelier

Daily Rituals (loungeroom)
Photography by Art Atelier

Jocelyn Rosen's photographic work is taken from her life over the last six months. It features portraits of friends and family as well as moments from travel to Japan, and the Gold Coast. The images are dark, complex and explore fleeting moments and observations of the unusual. Jocelyn likes pairing images and playing with contrasts in sets and

sequences. The portraits in this exhibition are paired with textures or landscapes or details. They speak to each other on an emotive level, providing context and mood.

Orange by Jocelyn Rosen

Rain by Jocelyn Rosen

Sisters by Jocelyn Rosen

White Waves by Jocelyn Rosen

We have planned a joint exhibition together over years. With notebooks at hand and over cups of tea or wine, ideas have been shared, discussed and forgotten, laughed away, or simply put on the back-burner. It is exciting for us to finally share some of their ideas at this point and exhibit our work in a gallery together.

Although using different mediums, the work is similar due to its personal nature, its fascination with form and texture, its considered nature and the fact that it features scenes from the interior life and domestic landscapes. We hope this is the first of many future collaborations as artists and friends.

x