Bring on 2012

I hope you find these images by Andrew Bannecker beautiful.

Wow, Andrew Bennecker seems like one classy professional. Check out more of his stuff here.

Below are some life drawings from the Cheeky Drawing class in Clifton Hill.

This is Melika - the Cheeky Drawing mascot. She occasionally likes to sit on your drawings. This is fine with me, but there are some who use charcoal who aren't so impressed. Smudge.

If you are interested in drawing at all, I absolutely recommend going to life drawing classes. I find it super relaxing and always meet lovely people. On Monday evenings, I recommend Cheeky Drawing, and on Sunday mornings the Princes Hill Community Centre has a great session.

For the past few weeks I have felt so much inside myself and as though I don't have much to give. (Everyone knows that feeling.) I started to think it would be nice if humans could decide to hibernate for a while, but I guess that's just not socially acceptable!

Despite this feeling, I have been having the most beautiful swims this summer at the Queen's Park Pool. I went this morning before work and the water was the perfect temperature, the sky covered in these tissuey kind of clouds and there were flocks of birds wheeling around. It was such a nice start to the day. After the laps I sat on the lawn by the toddler pool and watched a duck that had made its way over from the lake over the fence. One of those black ones with a red beak.

Things aren't all bad then. I have these to look forward to: BBQ tomorrow at Sarah and Dan's, musical excursion with Shezzie and Matt on Friday, Sandy Point with the Levickis clan next weekend and countless band rehearsals, dinners, walks, conversations and all the people I haven't met yet. All the artwork yet to create, the stories to write, the songs, the meals, the books I haven't yet read.

And last week, this conversation was had between Penny and Isabel -

I: I don't like monkeys
P: Why don't you like them?
I: Because they look at me.

(And they do indeed.)

ciao

Back to blogging

I have had a little hiatus from the blogging world, but I have in fact been doing things - creative things as well. To ease myself back in, here are some pics.

After the first round of calendars was printed, I updated the December design and am happy with how it turned out.

I also decided to include a set of stickers in the calendar package and here they are below. It's a bit of fun...
(If you have already bought one of the calendars, please let me know via email and I'll post some stickers out.)

In my sketchbook, have been preoccupied with circles, as is evident from the mixed media works below.

That is enough to ease me in...

ciao

a new season!

Looking out my window it seems Spring has arrived. There are all these purple seaside daisies in my front garden, and over the last few days they have all peered around to face exactly the same direction - a happy little congregation of sun worshippers.

After a rather frantic preparation period leading up to Magnolia Square, the studio has been rather quiet, but for some reason I can't quite work out, my life drawings seem to be improving. I am hoping to post some soon.

Here are some images from my 2012 Desk Calendar featuring twelve new designs. I thought I would get in early with the calendar - perfect for putting away for Christmas presents, light and easy to post. The calendar will be available in a few stores, but also in my Etsy shop here.

At the market, a little boy was pointing out all the animals featured in the calendar and when he got to the one above he said 'A cow- pat.'

In other news, I started an Etching course at the Australian Print Workshop last week. I am very exciting about learning an entirely new process and hopefully producing some beautiful prints. Like most creative types, I find myself doing jobs I am not entirely interested in. Although things are pretty nice on the work front at the moment, I have at times found myself having to learn the complex ins-and-outs of particular databases or project plans or statistics spreadsheets. It has occurred to me that, since there is only so much space for new information in the mind, this information may be taking up room which could be filled with really useful, inspiring information. Anyway, I'm really just trying to say that I felt a surge of happiness in the knowledge that I was learning a new skill - and it turns out I still have the room! (Hopefully I turfed out some database or other from my past.)

This weekend, there will be drinks at the Chi bar, Demetri Martin at the Princess Theatre, Saturday morning breakfast, Arts Project, band practice and dinner at Tandoori Nights. Oh, and a sleep-in hopefully on Sunday morning. I'm pretty happy with that line-up as my first weekend of Spring.

ciao
(away from this screen and out into the sunshine)

Magnolia Square this weekend in Ivanhoe

I've had a busy week preparing for Magnolia Square this weekend. I have 2012 desk calendars for sale featuring all new designs as well as archival prints and some originals for sale as well.

Please come down and have a look!

Recently in the studio...

Hummingbird card

(think I will do more hummingbirds - they are gorgeous)

Duck Series

(Commission for a nursery)

These are pencil, watercolour and gouache with collage editions from a set of vintage kid's encyclopaedias.

ciao

Indoor days. poppies. and mysterious shoes

These poppies my Mum bought me are brighter and more beautiful by the day! I love how all that brilliant colour is scrunched up inside each bud just waiting to burst out.

Whose shoes are these? Why were they placed so neatly on the footpath in North Melbourne?

this early in the morning last week

loving that retro camera app

Dear Photograph and some new works

I had an email from my sister this morning sending me a link to a great blog called Dear Photograph. ('Take a picture of a picture from the past in the present') I could try and explain it but it's probably better to just have a look.

I am already trying to think up some good photos to use. It seems to me that along with the captions people write to go along with their pics, it has the potential to be hilarious or profound and everything in between - like Postsecret. (If you don't know of it, do have a look.)

I've had my pens and watercolours set up on the kitchen table for the past few weeks (it's warmer there than in my studio). Below are some of the pictures I've been creating.

Charlie

to be lost in a safe place

finally tipped

I'm not feeling very talkative tonight. I feel quite inside of myself.

ciao