A man of flowers

Finished!  (And if nothing else, this post is an improvement on the i-phone shot below.)  I might try and make my special little man into a card, and if he looks fine I will put him in the shop.

Work in progress: flowers

A very bad i-phone shot of a picture that I started working on today.  I didn't get as much done as I thought I would, though I did have a very pleasant lunch with some lovely women at the studio.  It is Sunday, after all.

Losing Power?

I made a snail today, a bit of a departure from these previous ones (click here and here).  I am pretty happy with it overall.  It seemed appropriate for a snail to be carrying an old mechanic's shack on its back with a sign like "Losing Power?" on it.  (Left of the door and barely visible.)
Thank you Warren Kirk for allowing me to use your photograph of a shack taken in Gippsland as the heavy inspiration for the one above.
The snail is in the shop.

A new clock in the shop

This clock might look familiar as I started making it a while ago.  It is finally finished and in the shop.  It's made of an extra thick plywood and the design is based on nineteenth century French tattoos.  "Etoile du malheur" translates as "star of misfortune".  Unfortunately the book that I found these in was returned to the library many moons ago so this post will remain relatively uninformative until I come across it again.
Happy weekend!

A cow and a computer for Melbourne's Child

I am pretty happy with this drinking cow above that I painted for Melbourne's Child (Sydney's Child etc.) to illustrate learning about volume for an article on distance education in country Australia.

Admittedly there were some trials and tribulations with this pair, which involved simplifying a concept which had included an akubra hat and mother wearing an apron (but I love aprons!!!).   

Illustration can be a fraught business.

A Little Deity

I am taking part in the Little Deities illustration exhibition, for which participants were given a doll that was to be turned into a god.  I decided to stick to the belief system I know best and channelled my Catholic grandmother, though interestingly it ended up a bit Mexican too.  I haven't been to the exhibition yet and I am looking forward to seeing -- and learning much from -- the other participants' solutions!  On until March 18.

I'm in a small space

Hooray!  I am having a little exhibition of both my work and inspiration at a small space on Smith Street.  a small space is a little window owned by Anthony of La Niche Cafe and curated by my artist friend Peter Summers.  (There he is on the right, above.) Thanks so much for helping me Peter, i.e. doing most of the work while I was running back to the studio to get more clippings for the wall and buying drawing pins up at Dean's.
My studio is bereft now and looks strangely minimalist.  I am trying to decide whether to wait for these little pictures to come back or whether I should redecorate with new ones.  Even though this is just a tiny exhibition of my things I feel like I have had a limb removed!  Please be kind to my limb.

All of the painted work on wood is for sale, just contact me via the email link if you are interested.

a small space
La Niche Cafe
67 Smith Street
Collingwood
03 9416 3439

Patchwork painting

I thought it might be fun to paint a big version of a tiny detail from a book I have on nineteenth century American quilts.  I find it really enjoyable to paint textiles -- both fabrics and knitting -- and I am always happy with the results.  Maybe it's the start of a new career....

Il Giornalino di Gian Burrasca

When I bought this beautiful children's classic in Bologna five years ago, the grand plan was to read it.  As my Italian dwindles instead, I am happy to admire the cover and the gorgeous little pictures that surround the text.
(I also like to remember the delicious yoghurt granita that I had right after I bought it.)
Il Giornalino di Gian Burrasca, written and illustrated by Vamba (Luigi Bertelli).  First published in 1919.  I own the 1990 edition.