Inspiration from the Baltic states

My father came to Australia from latvia when he was 8 on the boat called the castel bianco with his mother and sister as refugees from the war. Latvia has always fascinated and inspired me… I have some special thing always around me that inspire and remind me of my heritage.
Jug and mugs from my grandmother, special doll in traditional dress, a extra special necklace that Shane had made for me with a Latvian coin, Latvian traditional jewlery, wooden carving with woven band which sat above a mirror next to my grandmothers dinin room table for me to see at every family occasion…

Brekky in ballarat

Hanging at the rat (ballarat) with my mum for a few days and the best things is that I get to go out for a quiet coffee or brekky, things I did almost everyday before kids that now is such a treat I have to write about it…

Shane and I had a beautiful breakfast at lespresso on the main street in ballarat.
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I’m sitting having a great decaf plat white with a lemon curd muffin reading the paper ‘alone’……. Bliss

If there where another 24hrs in the day id do these courses

After a super crazy 2011 with 3 exhibitions, buying our first house, working full time, and having another baby i was hoping for a nice quiet 2012 but alas the gods have said no and we have had our car written off with hail damage, our ceiling fall in in the laundry, our new oven broke before i even got to use it and my favorite pie maker stopped working… phew what more could happen(im touching wood crazilly as i type just in case).  it is a crazy busy time being a mum of a toddler and a new bub so i have little time but am very happy to be blogging again and this year i promice to keep it up, i know i know ihave said it before but this year i really will….

so far in my creative endervours i have an exhibition booked for June at Limerence a beautiful little shop/gallery in Belgrave which supports local artist.

there are also some great courses i would love to do if i could only find the time… maybe next year…

Multiple Plate Photopolymer Printmaking 2 day workshop with Dianne Longley at teh beautiful Baldessin Press. Her work is an insperation to me and id love to pick her brain on technique…

Trapese Line Top with Nicole Mallalieu, I have always wanted to make my own clothes and this top would be fantastic, and  what fun to pick some beautiful fabric from teh wonderful Kimono House

BIFB 2011 “An Alphabet of Found & Fallen”

my 1 goal for this year was to show new work as part of the Ballarat international Foto Bienalle…. and i actually managed to do it….. YAY… this year has turned out to be a super crazy too with us buying our first home and also with me being preggers again… but even with all the craziness I worked really hard to get some new work together for the BIFB…  I ahd been talking to Jo from the Elephant Patch about showing again ( I showed there during the last bienalle) and she was super excited to work with me again…   I had been continuing to collect insects and with a move to the hills i was so inspired by my surroundings i wanted to incorporate them into the works too, this is where “an alphabet of found and fallen” came from.  the work has been getting alot of very positive comments and i have even managed to sell one … YAY… with another 3 weeks to go we will see what people think…

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2011 exhibitions

I have been very lucky to have been involved in 3 exhibitions this year….

 Wendy Currie organised for our group (the catalogue c exhibition from Obscura gallery  “Re-imaging the Classic Print – From Digital to Handmade” to travel to Canberra to the wonderful Photo access gallery   (you can download the catalogue here)

I have also shown the starts to my new works at the beautiful Kallista Tearooms thanks to the wonderful Sandra for opening her walls to local artists… It was a great opportunity to start my new series and get some feedback from my wonderful friends who came to have a look…

Feeling the summer love

i have to say with the warmer weather i have been really inspired to get out in my backyard and have a slow wander and take photos…. im pretty lucky as i live in the hills (Belgrave, the home of Puffing Billy) and it is so beautiful and green with tree ferns and so many native birds….

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5 New uses for old cameras

1. Jewellery

http://www.oyemodern.com/bracelets/

http://www.canonmugs.com/

3. Helping disadvantaged youth

http://camerarecycleproject.org.au/

4. plant pots

5. handmade cardboard cameras…( not really reusing old cameras but recycling all the same)
http://www.kieljohnson.com/kieljohnson.com/cameras.html

“Markit” Market full of insperation

On Sunday i was up early and off to the “Markit” Market at Federation Square. It was rainy and cold but in the Atrium it was a hive of activity with stall holders busily getting ready to show off there latest wares

MARKit, Melbourne’s newest design market located in Federation Square’s Atrium, has been created to nurture and support Australian designers creating illustrative and decorative based products.

Australia’s best creative minds, independent designers, artisans and craftspeople will be selling original works including art, fashion, jewellery, stationery, homewares, collectables and giftware, made by passionate and highly skilled people whose products are limited edition or one of a kind.

I could have spend so much money but controlled myself and instead just came home with a HUGE amount of inspiration.


Ink & Spindle design the most beautiful fabric

In-Sync Design making beautiful scribbles into fantastic jewellery..


Lightly recycling saucers to show them off as new works of art

Nikita making use of the stubby bits of pencils….

Okt-ober-dee stunning bags with wooden panels..

Printspace super cute kids prints

Smug Design I would re-pierce my ears for there beautiful cicada like earrings

The Gently Unfurling Sneak quirky brooches with allot to say

Awesome things to see….

I have been to see a few fantastic creative things lately (and a little while ago, sorry for being so slack)….

I went to the the nicholas building open studios and saw some fantastic jewellery and art.

I was very inspired by clare whitney, a fantastic printmaker and by

the beautiful jeweller Deeana Michela
I have also been to some fantastic exhibitions of work by friends and people who realllly inspire me…..
Jenny Hall and Nick Pledge have had shows that i managed to get to and was thrilled and proud to see there work…

Shane organised for a night out to go tot he opening of the Audrey Kawasaki Exhibition at Outre and it was stunning, i got a little star struck and couldnt actually go and talk to her…. i have always wanted a piece of her work but it has been a little out or reach but i do have one of her beautiful brooches…

big babies, small ladies and brief history of photography

what more do you want from a day than sun family and fantastic art…. yesterday the sun was shining brilliantly and shane had the day off so we want to the NGV to see the Ron Mueck exhibition…. I had been meaning to go for some time but with the little tacker it always takes a lot longer to do anything… The works where fantastic with such minute detail but so strange to see so out of proportion in overall size…. its funny how different people react to art, the first piece you see is an old man but very small just layed out  titled “dead Dad” i thought it was beautiful but an older lady didn’t like it and thought it was horrid, people loved the two old ladies who looked like they had been disturbed in the middle of a good gossip… but the one that moved me almost to tears was the old lady in hospital…. it was a very small elderly lady in hospital blankets looking very small and frail and reminded me so much of my grandmother when she was ill… i loved the fat lady carrying sticks which showed the strength of her body and reminded me of old master’s paintings where large women was a sign of power….  also showing in the NGVS photography gallery was a fantastic collection of works like a small history of photography called re-view with stunning pieces…  Also there was a great collection of chairs in another gallery room that i drooled over….