Artist: Robin Clare

If you are in London for the Olympics, you must check out Art in the Dancehall: An exhibition of Jamaican music design and illustration from 1980 to the present at the Puma Yard (official home of Jamaican Olympic team sponsors). The talented artist (and my lovely friend) Robin Clare is part of the show.

Robin also recently exhibited her Dancing Words and Jamaican Project series in Sydney. I love the rich hand painted text in her work (check out Liquorish and Milkyway on the Jamaican Project page of her website) especially in Dancing Words where the text is interwoven with the repeated imagery of people dancing. Check out more of her work here!

Modern Enamel

In an earlier post, I wrote that I took an Introduction to Silver Jewellery class at Gaffa. At Gaffa, I was introduced to Alida Cappelletta’s work. Alida is an artist, runs the Gaffa studio, and teaches classes (specialising in silver/metal and enameling). My friend bought a piece of her enamel jewelry and I instantly fell in love with her work – the color and the shapes in particular. I bought an enamel necklace and contacted her to see if she would make a matching pair of stud earrings. Lucky for me, she is so sweet and agreed! Not only did she provide a design to match my necklace, she also created a few of other styles (in other colors as well). I couldn’t resist and bought several pairs – they make great gifts! I am a huge fan and can’t wait to see more of her work. Here is a link to her bio.

10 Minute Bling

My friend was throwing a Eurotrash party and at the last minute I made these diamond cardboard earrings. I had seen cardboard bling at several stores in Melbourne and thought they were hilariously awesome. (Here is an example of ‘real’ cardboard diamonds, from Studio 2017 by Anna Davern.)

Skittle Bracelet Holder

I bought a $4 ‘skittle’ at a re-use shop and thought it would work perfect as a bracelet holder. The wooden peg on the left is also from a skittle set (made in France from the 1920s). I just like the shape and colors of this piece. Skittles is apparently a European lawn game.

Swimming in Deco

For my birthday, my friend gave me a 7-week Introduction to Silver Jewellery class at Gaffa. We completed two projects. The pendant above was my second piece.

For this assignment, we were given a small flat piece of silver and were allowed to design anything. Wanting to use simple shapes and experiment with texture, I designed my piece with art deco style in mind. I finished the necklace by stringing the pendant on size 16 silk cord. (Australian Jewellers Supplies is a great shop to find jewelry findings and tools.)

We Are Not Saved

I checked out Chrissie Abbott’s show Casual Cosmology at the China Heights Gallery. A friend was going so I decided to tag along. I had never seen her work before, very psychedelic. This poster was on the more tame side, but I love the composition and font lettering.

Woven Bag Experiment

Craft project from October 2011. This was a very spontaneous project. I knew I wanted to ‘weave a bag’ but didn’t have any preconceived idea of form. I cut strips of fabric and experimented with weaving in different directions. The craft and construction are not particularly neat, but I was happy with the final form. And I used every inch of linen fabric I had. The color pieces at the top of the bag are scraps from Guatemala.

 

Trash Art

Found this card on the ground in an alley by my house. Love the fluoro colors and texture. Looked like someone had painted nail polish on the card. I should have taken it home with me, but at least I have this beautiful image.

Monsters by the Sea

Saw these ‘cute’ monsters at the Sculptures by the Sea exhibit November 2011. Bondi.

Wintertime Fun: Weekend in WA

Perth. Freo. Maritime Museum. Shipwreck Galleries. Kings Park. Little Creatures Brewery. Rockingham. Bunbury. Yallingup. Fish and Chips. Margaret River. Woodlands. Vasse Felix. Winos. Leeuwin Estate. Rosewood B&B.

Here are some pics of my weekend.