Tuesday 28 February 2012

Freshen Up & Pay it Forward



Was starting to think the blog was looking
a little gloomy, so freshened up the colours for
your viewing pleasure (>u<).

PAY IT FORWARD 2012

Was over visiting
Jo Murray's Art Blog 

and decided to take her up on her offer
  of being one of three to receive a small hand made gift
in her quest to Pay It Forward.

There are a couple of requirements attached
and
in order for me to also Pay it Forward
I would like your help.

To keep the good will going,.
Please leave a comment here or
drop me a line at 
with your details
and I will send the
first three people a 
small handmade gift.
I will post links to
those first three bloggers
and then they
will put a post up about 
Pay It Forward 
(with a link back to my blog)
then they too
will send on three small 
handmade gifts via snail mail.
If you are interested in participating
but are not one of the first three to comment,
come back after I have put links to my three
recipients and go to their blogs to be one
of their recipients. 

eg:  
I comment on Jo's blog, 
so Jo will send me a gift.
I post about the project on my blog 
wait for three comments.
When I get them 
I put links to their blogs on my blog
and send them 3 gifts via snail mail.
Those people will put a post about it on their blogs 
and send 3 gifts etc,
ad infinitum.

Please bear in mind, these are small handmade items
being posted in the mail, so nothing extravagant, just
a nice little shared token of creativity.

Look forward to seeing who responds.

Monday 27 February 2012

"Ex Libris Olim" - End of Show



My exhibition
"Ex Libris Olim"
finishes at the Redland Museum this Wednesday.

I very  sincerely  thank all of the lovely
people who have been so generous in their support 
and praise for this little endeavour of mine.

Some of the books will be winging their way to the
Foyer at Sheldon College for a little while now.

As you will probably have noticed by my blog posts
I have had a bit of a hiatus from altered books over
the last month or so.

I think the intensity of getting this exhibition
plumped out with books was a little draining.

I am expecting my mojo to return very soon,
as I have some great ideas I want to pursue
(and lots of lost books lined up on top of my
bookshelf with which to pursue said ideas!)

Sunday 26 February 2012

The Meal - Photo submission



 Herewith my photo submission for the


The outline was that, where ever on the
globe you live,  you had to take a 6x4 format
photo of whatever meal/snack you were
partaking of at 12pm EST Friday 24th Feb.
The photo had to include the food being consumed
 and also a full/part portrait of the consumer.

The aim of the project is to highlight world hunger.
I shall post a copy of my little photo via
snail mail over the weekend to the
Brooklyn Art Library.


Saturday 25 February 2012

Sketchbook Project in Progress




Have been working away on my sketchbook project
which I first posted on here in December
The title "How to Spell and Other Things to Learn"
has led me along a rather tongue in cheek path
with a mix of old book pages and obscure words.
I have used fragments of  illustrations from  old
book page pieces as departure points for
inserts of text and collage.
I have imbued the pages with a less crisp appearance
by running them through a press with inked 
and rubbed  mylar sheets as we did at  
a couple of weeks ago.
I have used old letter stencils for the text
which I have then filled in with gouache
and red pigment 
(which I found in an art shop in Kyoto - 
really wish I'd bought many more colours).

I plan on doing an index at the back of the book
to explain  the chosen words to make it more 
like a  children's lesson book from times past.
Like the solutions at the back of a puzzle book.

Monday 20 February 2012

Love Seat


Wasn't looking for new furniture, but this was
such a bargain I couldn't leave it behind.
I absolutely love it - nice and quirky.
The guy in the delivery dock couldn't believe 
anyone would choose to live with something this hideous!
Lucky he's not a salesman!!!

It's little feet protectors are still on as it won't have a
proper place to sit until we have finished our renovations,
which have only just begun!
So for now it will sit in front of my overstuffed bookshelves,
in my already overflowing work area
where I can enjoy it's company.

Sunday 19 February 2012

Daruma Dolls




The top two photos above are of Daruma dolls, which we bought from
a little shop on the steeply winding dori (streets) leading up
from the Gion neighbourhood to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple overlooking Kyoto.

The idea of the Daruma doll is that when you have a goal/
desire/wish you draw a black pupil in one eye and then once
your goal/desire/wish has come to fruition you fill in the other eye.

We were told the Daruma doll is symbolic of Bodhidharma
who supposedly sat still for so long that he lost the use of his
arms and legs.  The hair on his face also represents longevity
(the eyebrows representing cranes and the moustaches 
representing turtles), thus reminding one that patience and diligence is
required in order to attain goals.

The dolls are made of papier mache and are weighted in the bottom
so that they will always right themselves if knocked over ( - more symbolism).

The bottom photo is of two cute little figures representing 
a ninja and a geisha/maiko, bought for us by our lovely young
friend Haruka whilst we were visiting Toeii Kyoto Studio Park.
They are only 5cm tall and made of wood and paper.
Kawaii!

Feeling a bit despondent this morning
as Jetstar have two for one offers on flights to Japan from the Gold Coast 
at the moment, but I know I won't be on any of those flights!
Maybe I should fill in one of those Daruma's eyes!!!

Wednesday 15 February 2012

Lace Leaf Prints



These are very rudimentary,
but I have spent the morning,
along with my friends Jack & Corinne,
mucking around with printing inks, rollers & presses.
I had no direction to follow and ended up
playing around with little lace leaves
which offered themselves up to me.
Somehow, I keep coming back to leaves.

Saturday 11 February 2012

Riusuke Fukahori




   
Riusuke Fukahori is an extremely talented Japanese artist
doing wonderful, amazing things with paint and resin,
take a look at some of his work 
 in a recent post on the also fabulous Colossal art & design blog
I dare you not to be amazed!