Sunday 26 February 2012

Thursday 23 February 2012

An early birthday present to myself








I could not resist these 1939 Lepage-Medvey chromolithographs when I saw them in David Chamberlain's shop on Etsy.  I started off limiting myself to four...then five....then six...then finally I justfied these eight because they are all so beautiful.  Not least the two splendiferous men!

Sunday 19 February 2012

1940s industrial knitting machine







Fidelity Machine Company production catalogue from the 1940s.  A little treasure found at the John Brown Sock Factory in Kyneton by the sleuthing Westographer.  Many thanks as usual, W.

Thursday 16 February 2012

Show how you feel

I am really enjoying using early 80s Dolly magazines as a reference.  Show how you feel is based on an advertisement for a monogrammed chain bracelet: a trend left over from the 70s.  Working from certain photos does however challenge my painting skills -- and this one will have to be substantially reworked.  I had another one too which I can't even show at this point.  (Working in acrylic on wood is good however as you can layer the colours and get rid of unsightly bits.)

Monday 13 February 2012

Getting work together

I am getting some work together for a mini window exhibition next month, which I will mention again closer to time.  I am quite liking the photos my i-phone takes, I think they're not bad, all things considered.  Lucky us to have such technology!

Thursday 9 February 2012

Sketch for Alice

My dear friends asked me AGES AGO if I would paint portraits of their daughters.  I have avoided the task for many reasons.  Ostensibly I was too busy but in fact I was sure that I would botch it up: portraits are a weighty proposition.
Now that Alice is down on paper I feel relieved and happy.  Getting the sketch right is so important: it's where all the thinking goes.  Well, that's how it is for me.  Alice is a great animal lover: she has pictures of all sorts of wild animals next to her bed and is greeted by a huge poster of a gorilla every morning.  This composition was her wish, though the gorilla here has since become a baby version, and may well change again before we move on to the final work.  Her little sister Evie is next!  I'm sure that she will provide me with a challenge....

Tuesday 7 February 2012

My second Etsy shop


I have been wanting to open a little vintage shop on Etsy for a while now -- and here it is finally!  At the moment there is just a small selection of textile items, but hopefully I will have all sorts of things in there soon.  I forgot how much work is involved in setting up an Etsy shop: masthead design, shipping details, photography, verbal descriptions, profile, etc.  If anyone out there is thinking of opening one, I highly recommend having a look at a successful existing shop that sells similar wares to yours, and using that as a template.

Saturday 4 February 2012

A super-inspiring home













Westographer very kindly allowed me to photograph and share a tiny sampling of objects from his astonishing home recently.  Thanks so much W!  I could have photographed for hours, but I chose these items as I find them particularly inspiring.  Besides, the memory card in my camera kept filling up.

I am a HUGE fan of Westographer's photos, updated almost daily on his Flickr site.  A perfect balance of poignant and charming, they are a must-see, particularly if you live in Melbourne.

Lucky me: the best part of having a blog is the amazing people you can meet!  There's quite a few fine ladies out there who know I am talking about them too.

Hooray for blogs!

Friday 3 February 2012

No Boyfriend?

Dolly magazine, 1980.

Wednesday 1 February 2012