planet jumping...

I'm just back from holidays and getting my head around catching up with everyone and working on studio times. It seems like a blur...sis and I tripped over to malaysia then vietnam and stayed in Hanoi and Hoian for a ten day jaunt for my birthday, being a biggy B'day a big trip was called for…

The locations were stunning and  awe inspiring! the morning after my b'day celebrations we went mountain climbing in Halong bay and the scenery was just a bit reminiscent of fantasy island :P z plane z plane!!

And then back to Hanoi for more street scooter crazyness, a surprise great coffee cafe and chats with local uni students. Then hopping onto another plane to Hoian where we met possibly our favourite guide, so much fun and quite possibly a bit of a 'shite stirrer' and I say that in the nicest possible way it was like having my brother around!!

We shopped and walked and walked some more ....got the smellies on at the fresh food market and biked around the back paddocks and went gardening with the veggie farmers...all good fun then back to malaysia to catch up with bro in law and a stinky plane ride home overnight....aren't they just the worst! Counting down the hours and just wanting to be home! anyhoo made it back and a breeze through customs even the beagle was sleeping! they checked my shoes and everything else I declared but made pretty well sure I didn't bring home any nasties.

So sunday was the gallery opening for hills edge clay a great lil exhibition of local clay artists. It was a super turn out with lots of catchups and meeting new peeps too. The show is on for a while and if you cant make it I grabbed a few photos on sunday they are in my facebook albums.. well more sleeps to catch up on.....zzz for now

another day, another studio mo...

Yes it has been a wee while since i've posted a video and really don't expect too much it's just a mad moment in the studio!

I started trimming a couple of pots from mondays photo shoot session in the studio w mr D from which I will hopefully have a few pics soon... todays effort was mostly disastrous but the jug survived and maybe it will still be there in the morning if I didn't get it too wet!! HA!!




Anyhoo I've been madly making here for markets etc and just trying to get stocked up and get some work out to shops, gallery's etc... I keep promising but keep getting behind in production and then I try again!

Awww distraction moment Vincent is on DR WHO on tellie....

Right then... I have some wee slump impressed bowls that i'm working on at the mo and have made some firing rings in hope that they don't fire flat :P

and so many square plates in the kiln and loads of colour combos with loose brush work and stamping and finally using some stamps from birdies to numbers that all come out back to front because I thought they were stamps but they're actually bingo numbers....heheheh my bad!

Last Sunday our final printmaking day was great and to have completed the 7 weeks was a great benchmark but I wonder where to now?  Find another program, keep carving away by myself or find somewhere to continue this practise.

The exhibition of our chosen works will be up during the 'fringe' next year at the council library with framed and signed prints... sundays session was all very serious but lovely to be focussed on professional practise. I have enjoyed immensely the company and the process, totally amazed at the outcome. I know, I shouldn't be...  there was quite the mix of artists and peeps who haven't done any art since high school. And yes I think the gallery 1855 program is really hitting the right marks! yey!!!

On another note the 'mighty mud' my monster cat who definitely has '9 lives' even confirmed by the vet this week, is on the mend... he had a 'dodgy claw' that blew up and after a vets visit and another jab of antibiotics he's bounced back again! the claw fell off...gross man!! and is now growing a new one... I did take the bit that fell off to the vets, bagged it and stuck it in the fridge just in case they were curious... It turned out to be a weird growth and fell off!! another yey!!

my second carving test in clay w copper brushwork

new carving tools

a practise print run

signing our works

Robbys final print run

Niki getting some pics on!

setting up the press

Margaret Sanders our Tutor very tall and very cool!

Head on over to the MUDCOLONY and see what else is brewing this week :)

carving away...

Gallery saturdays have been so much fun, learning a new skill and chatting with new friends it's just endless the images that peeps are developing and the best part the first print off the block.

Maragaret Sanders has been our tutor, she truly has a gift of engaging with every individual, is very patient and even better very encouraging to get you moving in your own direction. The end goal is a group exhibition during the fringe, Margaret will be printing the final edition, we keep one print and one gets framed for the show.

birthday time!

My small blocks of lino have of course taken a journey into clay and the first mini plates came out of the kiln on Saturday just in time for market...

So in between all this and life kaos I've been working towards filling and earthenware gas kiln, it hasn't got much further than this :P

Oh and this happened at the club, major communication breakdown and the kiln fired on a 12 hour cycle for 4 days, when I dropped in the kiln temp was registering 1300degC at 12pm so who knows what it actually had been getting to for those previous days... the fallout is brick shrinkage and repairs to the kiln ricks just melted away, there's some repairs to the wiring box to be done yet but hopefully we'll still be able to do low firings in K2

Spring exh opening at Gallery 1855

Studio production time last week I was so relieved to have studio time on Friday and got cranking over the wkd too, so from the previous friday to this saturday I actually managed to fill the bisque and get fired with a slight stall in between, my circuit breaker kept tripping so I unloaded the kiln, took it all to the club decided we didn't have enough to fill 'Black Betty' kiln who won't fire anyway because the wiring fix that the council did actually by passed the timer and now it doesn't work at all .... so home again, load again on Wednesday, fire, unpack thursday, glaze and repack for next firing friday, cool saturday and unload for market sunday!! And have a great day at the Market on Sunday! woohoo the sun was out and spring was pumping in Stirling...it was a great day out, my thanks to all the peeps who dropped by and especially the lovely ones who bought work and made this all worthwhile over the last week. Then just in time to drop into Milan Rouge at days end and deliver some new works ready for the Chrissy Shopping that it sounds to have already begun!!

So expect more silence as I go into full production mode over the next month before I leave for my Birthday trip to Vietnam this October. Should be fun and a total new journey into new places and meet some new peeps! Market season has truly begun here, there's the Port Festival next month, then the Blues Festival in the Barossa another 2 day event, the Wheaty Chrissy Sale, my Open Studio Sale and Stirling Markets in between all these... I'd better get cranking!!! : )

anyhoo happy Autumn, fall on the other side of the seas and Happy Spring on our side...