...

Yesterdays there was an earthquake and I drew lots (puppy, Boy George, chameleon, birds, other) and the man at the post office is nice and helpful. Postage rates don't fluctuate here depending on the person as much as in Australia or Canada. Um...

Pretty much everything is really great now I just hope that it gets a bit more summery soon.

Melbourne/Art

So many Christmas shows. I wish there was one in Wellington so I could go to it. I'd even bring my own egg nog (for Tim, not me. Egg nog is gross).

If you haven't been to it yet, I have two pretty drawings in the "Brunswick Bound Re-Bounds/Off The Wall" art show at Brunswick Bound. It's their first show for ages after closing as a gallery for a while. There are some great artists in the show, like Dylan Martorell and Marc Martin ...and Texta who runs the place. All the art for sale is $100 or less so everything is affordable too!

Another show which opens this weekend in Melbourne is the Extended Play Pop-Up Shop, opening in the 12th of December. Features work from lots of great artists, including personal favourites Amy Borrell and Caitlin Shearer. The show/shoppie shop is running from opening night and then every Saturday until the 23rd of January.

Toronto/Art

If you live in Toronto and are interested in coming to this, I have a few new drawings and prints in this show at Project 165 (165 Augusta Ave). Last year the inaugural pop up art shop was really great there, although I didn't go to the opening night, instead opted for drinking large bottles of Canadian red wine with the people we sublet our place from. Tim and I discovered our love for combining pennies with snow that night. Don't tell the guy who mows the grass in the park next to OCAD.

Here's the flyer for it...

Yes yes yes!

Mel Stringer has created a whole lot of great new t-shirt designs. Yay. I assume you already know about my enthrallment with her work.

More t-shirts HERE.

Have you...

Have you had a look at Print Society yet? Good Idea. Tim showed me last week.

Oooo calendar...

Hey did you know that Frankie magazine has just made a 2010 calendar? Did you know that one of my drawings is in it? Did you know that they sent me two so I could give one copy to my mummy? Now you do.

If you would like one too, you can get it HERE.

Ruby!

Sometimes I make portraits of all of the animal friend, not just their faces. This is Ruby.

Sydney things...

Ferry, ice creams, and beach paddling with Dawn and Amy in Manly...
...work I made for the "Once Upon" show (the reason why I was in Sydney in the first place)...
The opening was great fun, I met soooooo many bloggers and artists. Including Caitlin Shearer who I had been rather excited about meeting in real life for the first time. She is glamourous.

Other highlights included eating dragon beard candy in China Town (I hadn't consumed high fructose corn syrup since I was in the States, so that was fun), meeting people who incomprehensibly didn't like cats (not judging you, just don't understand it at all), being poor since I lost my bankcard in Adelaide (have it back now, yay) and dragging myself through the city in the hottest weather since The Badlands.

p.s. yes also ALL of the pieces I made for the art show were sold! This means I can get Tim more christmas presents. Ok maybe I will get some nice things for Mummy too. Ok and Dad.

Cute Girls are Running the World

A nice girl got a tattoo of one of my girls! I think they did the hair really well too.

I'm thinking of making "tattoo sheets" as they are maybe called, of lots of drawings that people can purchase to use if they want them for tattoos. I think that's a thing.

Anyway, prettiness.

Sydney really got to me. I'm about to start painting pink koalas. Maybe crazy, maybe genius, probably crazy.

Pictures and Facts

So... I was over in Adelaide a few weeks ago to visit Imogen (the one with the red panda above) and also to have a little zine launch with her and her boyfriend Nick (see zine pilings below).

It's a zine with many drawings of animals and facts about them.

If you would like one, then maybe email Nick about it. His email address is: niicchoolaas@hotmail.com

Nice Things for Presents, part 2: Wall Presents

This time I have put together a selection of nice artworks and prints. For people who need presents for their walls.

Man With Two Golden Animals (original artwork) by Julianna Swaney. $350
Spring Trees Letterpress Print by YeeHaw. $20
San Francisco Letterpress print by Lab Partners. $35
Shy print by Caroline Gaedechens. $15
Giant Ghost Crossing a Lake (original drawing) by Justin Durand. $84
Wildflower Notecard by Claire Nereim. $6.50
Boys Will be Boys print by Sean Morris. $12
Robin and Bluebird print (1936) from Holcroft. $5
Flowers print by Lizzy Stewart. $15
Of Mountains and all things Magical print by Dawn Tan. $4

Texas letterpress print by Dutch Door Press. $15

Nice Things for Presents, part 1

So I'm not really all that into buying/getting Christmas presents, but there are so many nice handmade things and artworks and around right now that I thought I would make a few different lists of possible Christmas present you could get for your friends and family, or ask them to get for you.

So, first list will be...

Part 1: Nice Things for Presents, under $10

If you are a kid (or maybe artist?) you might not have much money for gifts, so here are some ideas for nice presents to give that can be bought by people of modest income.

Porcelain Keys from Rare Device. $8 each
12 Colour Pencils from MUJI. $5.75
Tapir Tea Time notecard from APAK. $5

Little Bear Clip set from Little Teeth Shop. $2.25!!!

Unlovable #4 by Esther Pearl Watson from Little Paper Planes.

Green Mini Cupcake Cups from Cute Cups. $1.25

Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson. $9.95
Dots Bag from Jodii. $6

Tales from Greenfuzz #2 by Wil Sweeney from Alakazam. $7

National Waste #7 by Lief Goldberg at Ooga Booga. $8

Accordion socks from Happy Socks. $10

Right now being an adult.

Oh, so this is totally what I wanted to be doing forever.

Wind is blowing through trees and it is so green and cloudy and cold but the air is clean and I am looking over hills scattered with streetlights and nature. 

Serious life now I don't have to wait anymore.

Sydney I kind of forgive you...

So I'm really enjoying Sydney. Like way more than I thought I would. Ridiculous. For some reason I always thought it was a bad place, maybe because I was born in Sydney and then moved to New Zealand when I was 6 weeks old and if I had only been able to stay inside a little longer I would be a for real New Zealander. Sydney you robbed me of possible identity. But I kind of forgive you since I'm having a great time here. I only have 5 minutes internet credit left so I won't go into details right now but I just wanted to let you know about my unanticipated  birth city enjoyment.

Just before I run out of time...

PLEASE COME TO THE ART SHOW TOMORROW NIGHT!!!! I'll give you a little hug if you do come and you want a little hug.

from Sarah

(as the image suggests, Sydney has also lit (re-lit even?) a flame in my heart for Ken Done's artwork)

Porcelain!!!

Chris AKA Corky has almost got the porcelain jewelry ready that I did some illustrations for! The samples have come back and they look rather lovely.

Blog Post

Imogen is taking care of me and we get to eat lots of nice food and visit her friends who are smart and fun. It is way too hot here though (38-40ºc!!!) so we must stay covered and drink water a lot.

Adelaide!!!

The launch at Format in Adelaide is tonight! Come come come!

I'm staying with Imogen and she is really nice.

Once again, please come to the show there will be drinks and we can be friends!

Pictures & Facts About Foxes, Finches and Many Other Animals

I'm going to Adelaide next week! Mostly to visit Imogen, but also because we a having a zine launch (Imogen, Me, and Imogen's most special friend Nick Moran) Nick paints and makes animals from paper. Here is one of his excellent finches:

The zine is of lots of drawings and pictures of different animals that we like and Imogen is a scientist so she has the facts.

The launch is on Thursday the 12th of November at Format zine store (23 Peel St, Adelaide) from 6pm - 9pm. Come and drink and buy zines and be happy!

If you want to say that you are coming or find out more information we have a facebook event page too... HERE.

So.

So I was going to show you pictures of the new print I made (Cat kindly let me borrow her gocco printer). It seems like you have probably seen this already if you follow me on twitter or flickr or facebook or whatever, but my blog is kind of my own personal record of things as well, very useful sometimes when I'm trying to figure out what I've been doing the last year or two and my mind goes completely blank.

They are in a limited edition of 150 prints, hand printed and hand signed (in tiny pencil lettering across his tail). 15cm x 10.5cm.

If you would like one, you can get it by buying from me here:

Or alternatively I am selling them in my shop or you could just email me. If you have trades I may also be interested...

(...just to see what it will looks like framed...)

Check back tomorrow, ok?

I have things I want to show you but it's 3am so it's dark so I can't take photos.

Girl!

Found this photo in my archives and it reminded me that I have to be a girl. What happened to my curls?

"Sigh"

Kitty

When I was in Montreal sometimes I would get quite sad and lonely, I guess it was such a different environment than I had been in before, having to survive on my own and trying to earn enough money to go on the roadtrip that was to follow was really stressful. 

When I felt a bit down I would go for walks to the Atwater market to smother my sorrows with punnetfuls of juicy Canadian raspberries, strawberries and blueberries. Along the way there was a little antique store which had in it's window display the most beautiful creamer jug in the world. Every time I shuffled past, peering in the window, I'd imagine if it could be at all possible to fit the little cat jug in my bindle, to have it for when the time came that I finally had a real home where I could fill it with milk to have with my porridge and fruit in the morning. Of course it would be ridiculous to bring such a delicate item in a bag that was going to be slung into passing cars, hiked up mountains and hung 10 feet in the trees, but it was nice to imagine.

Anyway, I just happened to find out today that the company which made the creamer jug is called Lefton, and the particular design is "Miss Priss". I don't know if I will ever buy one, I'm still traveling at the moment (have to pick up my 18-20kgs next week again as I pack up from my parents place and head on my way, I hope my legs are still able to deal) and the story is more about the particular place and time, but it's good to know. The kitty face makes me happy.

Images from Zen Crafter on flickr, and other miscellaneous internet find.

p.s. inside the nice antique store there was also the softest real cat I have ever patted.

Once Upon...

Hello. If you live in Sydney on the 19th of November, please come to this show. So many nice girls (including me!!!) are exhibiting work in it. I'm flying up for three days so I can be there for the opening so please say hello if you are there too.

I am excited.

Please don't ever forget...

...that avocado on thick toast with lots of lemon, sea salt, cracked black pepper and a little olive oil is the most delicious thing ever to be invented.

If you want to see...

If you are not in Portland, Oregon but you would like to see everybody's work from "The Mountains and Hills will Burst into Song", you can now look at everything on the Together Gallery Website, HERE.

(Below are some of them)

"A Worthy Mountain" by Anja Verdugo

"Ranunculus Spirit Call" by Rebecca Artemisa Urias

"Mysterious Light" by Juliana Swaney
...and here's a little peek at one of my drawings. I love donkeys.

Clog

So, a few little bits and pieces. 

Today I was featured on Craft Victoria's blog, "CLOG", as it is called.

Interview HERE... (I was having a little bit of a glum sort of day so some of my answers are a bit truthful. Just to let you know. I'm not always like that. I think.)

Other things...

The show at Together Gallery has just started (apparently it's still Thursday night in the real world). I was really happy with how my drawings worked out for that show, they were sincere and precious, and the kind of drawings that I feel like I did my best on.

And...

I just finished the 50 hours of driving that I had to do before I'm allowed to do my driving license test. So that means that I'll be doing my test in the next few days and if I don't crash or do anything silly then I will be able to drive when I get to New Zealand. Which means that I WILL BE ABLE TO VISIT WATERFALLS AND THE SEA AND BIRDS AND SMALL ISLANDS WHENEVER I WANT!!!!!! (if I can find a car that is)

postcards

Two days past, I received a box from a man on a motorbike (postman). Inside that box, were some postcards which I had ordered some weeks ago.

Below are the two different types of cards I got delivered. They are available in my shop or from here if you care for not having to go to Etsy. 

"Lace Collars in the Clouds" postcard. 21.5cm x 14cm on 215 gsm glossy card stock. ($4 plus $2 postage)

"Porcupine Quills" postcard. 10.5cm x 14cm on 215 gsm glossy card stock. $2 (plus $2 postage)

yay

Hibbleton gallery made a little documentary about what they do and featuring "Maybe Forever",

 the show that Sean and I worked on for them. Todays the last day that the exhibition's up if you are in the area and want to still see it also. Go see it. Or at least watch the video...

The Mountains and Hills Will Burst into Song

I have some new serious art drawings in a show with some of my most favourite artists at Together Gallery in Portland. Opens on the 29th of this month, and you are invited!

(flyer image is by Rebecca Artemisa, and below is one of the drawings I have in the show.)

Hobart art art

So I've mostly been in hiding the last few months while living in Hobart. It's been fun, I never really got to be a fun happy kid at home, going straight from awkward angry confused teenager to awkward confused uni student to awkward and kind of slightly less confused self employed crafter/artist. Not that I'm really being a kid now, if anything if closer to "being a woman" than ever, but having a fairly extensive amount of time to get to know my parents without "you don't understand" or "it's MY life not yours" ever coming up in conversation has been excellent.

So I had my first non-family related activity in Tasmania this year (unless you count going to see Tapeman, in that case it's the second) yesterday, which was meeting up with Hobart based (but soon to be Melbourne based) artist and crafter Cat Rabbit...

Obligatory delicious fruity tea and cookies, followed by movies (finally saw Handmade Nation!) and drawing (see above). I love collaborating on art things with people, for some reason it always feels like what culminates is more like art or somethings. I think we have to hang out again.

...and we did a mini trade of brooches. Above is the one that Cat gave me (titled "Remarkable Kittens") for one of my knitted rabbits. I love it and I'm wearing it right now. 

Ah nuts, I have to work a lot this weekend, bye bye.

p.s. more of Cat's work HERE

p.p.s she sell's things HERE if you would like a similarly nice brooch or one of the other nice things Cat makes.