stART

Lots and lots of AstroTurf!!!

Gokko-Neko and Gokko-Inu enjoyed ART SYDNEY 2010. They have gone back into their kennels for a rest. They'll be making their next appearance for Christmas at Kerrie Lowe Gallery in Newtown.

Scribble Cat & Dog drawn with ceramic pencil.

New Work for the Everleigh Artisan Markets

Here's a little sneak peek at some of the work that I'll be selling at the Awesome Clay @ Everleigh event this Sunday 7th November. The sculpture's range from 15cm - 30cm and are priced between $50-$100. It's panning out to be a great day with heaps of hands on demonstrations and an eclectic variety of artists and work!. I'm thinking it might be a good opportunity for some Xmas gift shopping. come down and say hi if you're in the area!.

Awesome Clay at Eveleigh!

Eveleigh Artisan Market will be showcasing some of the finest in ceramic art on Sunday, 7 November 2010 as part of the Awesome Clay at Eveleigh! event. Market goers will be able to purchase unique pieces by some of the most talented ceramic artists in Australia and will be treated to demonstrations including wheel throwing, hand-building and decorating. Vicki Grima from The Australian Ceramics Association is excited about the event saying, “There will be 24 talented ceramic artists showcasing their work at the Artisan Market. This is a fantastic opportunity for Sydneysiders to be able to view and purchase some beautiful handmade ceramic art.” Arian Aljinovic, Eveleigh Market Manager, added: “Along with the usual Artisans stalls showcasing the best in independent art and design, this event will show off some of the fabulous works being produced in ceramics; there will also be ceramic workshops for people, both young and old, to learn more about the craft. It should be lots of fun!” One of the ceramists showcasing their work is John Tuckwell who works mostly with porcelain, using up to four different clays depending on the piece. Another artist is Petra Svoboda who creates pieces using ceramic materials and mixed media. Her work is inspired by pop surrealism, animation and street art. The Artisans’ Market is held on the first Sunday of the Month (except January) and showcases the very best in independent art, design and crafts including painting, sculpture, furniture, photography, glass, homewares, designer clothing, and jewellery. The market runs from 10am-3pm at the heritage listed Blacksmith’s Workshop at 248 Wilson St, Darlington. The Eveleigh Artisans’ Market is proudly supported by Australian Technology Park. Come by and see Mr Poophead and Pigs CAN fly!

Sculpture in the Vineyards

Concurrent to the chaos of preparing for Art Sydney 2010 I'm also exhibiting in Sculpture in the Vineyards. It's held along the Wollombi Valley Wine Trail and with all this rain we've been having lately it's awfully pretty up there at the moment. Wollombi is also a historic village and home to Dr Jurd's Jungle Juice. So get away for the day or the weekend and enjoy the creative combination of art and wine!. You can check out my installation at Wollombi Wines. It's on for ages so there's no excuse! 3 October 2010 - 2 January 2011.

ART SYDNEY 2010

While waiting an hour and a half for my Friday night pizza I have decided to start updating my blog. It's hard to concentrate though will a rumbling tummy!. Every spare moment of my time is being spent in the studio at the moment. I'll be launching my limited edition sculptures Gokko-Neko and Gokko-Inu at Art Sydney 2010. A hundred sculptures will be made in total and they will make an appearance in sexy metallic black, bronze, dark silver, gunmetal, and bumblebee. I'm part of an exciting new initiative called stART that gives self-represented emerging artists an opportunity to run their own exhibitions and sell direct to the public. Opening night is on Thursday 11th November from 5pm - 9pm. It then runs from Friday - Sunday.

New Work

My new work Gokko-Inu has been a long time in the making but he's finally arrived. Must say, he's been the quietest pet and very well behaved!. I'm finally returning to my studio in Mascot after 2 wonderfully indulgent years at SCA. I've still to put some finishing touches on my Masters paper but I'm hoping to graduate by the end of the year!. In the meantime I need to focus on setting up my studio again so I can start producing work for Art Sydney 2010. I've decided to bite the bullet and take a leap of faith by exhibiting in the stART (emerging artists) area of the fair. No guts, no glory right? So between casual teaching, attending a website design course, and working for David Edmonds Ceramics, I'm not sure how I'm going to be creative, but one thing I do know is that I won't be seeing much of my friends on the weekends anymore! Bah Humbug!!!

Bad, Bad, Blogger am I.

Mr Poophead with Exploding Flower and Gokko-Neko (Make Believe Cat), Ceramic, Turf, MDF, 2010.

BLUE: Banished to the Blu Land, Ceramic and Video Projection, 2010.

GREEN: The Woods Have Eyes. Ceramic, LED Lights, Plastic, MDF, Food Dye. 200 x 200. 2010.

(Detail)

Pulling at the Heart Strings, Ceramic, 2010.

RED: The Lure of the Huldra, A Norwegian Nightmare. Ceramic, LED Lights, Plastic, MDF, Food Dye. 200 x 200. 2010.

Blogging has taken a back seat lately. I am a moody blogger and still struggle to publicly air my thoughts freely on the net. Although I do hope to ease into the role a little better this year and discipline myself to do so. The images above are from my Postgraduate Examination which was held at the end of March, 2010 at Sydney College of the Arts. A new piece titled Pulling at the Heart Strings was made for the installation and I modified the colouring of the background walls. I also created a new portal for Mr Poophead and Gokko Neko, as seen in the first image.

Sydney College of the Arts Postgraduate Degree Show 2009

My installation titled Gokko Rando (Make Believe Land) Part I, exhibited in the SCA Postgraduate Degree Show 2009. I technically finish my MVA in March (due to an extension) but luckily got to test run the install and set up at the end of year show. It was a great experience and I received a lot of feedback. Thanks to everyone that came to see it, and many thanks to Mark Scott Johnson for taking the time to help me with the lights and photography.

Gokko Neko (Make Believe Cat), Ceramic, 2009.

RED: The Lure of the Huldra: A Norwegian Nightmare, Ceramic, Mixed Media, LED lights, 2009.

Once upon a time there lived an alluringly amorous young wood nymph. She lived on a small island off the coast of Japan and drank red wine with adzuki beans every day. She also had an appetite for inquisitive young men. So much so that the adventurous sailors that dared to visit her island to view her beauty were often eaten up after their encounter with the Huldra and their body parts lay strewn across the island as evidence of her passionate hunger.

One day a Spacecat from an other universe landed on her island and found himself strangely attracted to the Huldra. The Huldra knew that she could not mate with this hybrid creature from outer space. Her salacious nature got the better of her and their relationship was consummated resulting in the birth of the Spacecat Spirit.

This tablaeu titled BLUE: Forbidden Love - Banished to the Blu Land, references the Norwegian myth of the Blu Man. In my scene the mutant cats that have evolved from the space cat and Huldra's encounter, have been banished to the harsh cold Blu Land of frost and ice. Frozen to the core, they no longer pose a threat to the wood land creatures.

Entrance view to Gokko Rando (Make Believe Land) Part I






Mr Poop with Exploding Flower, Ceramic, 2009.

RED: The Lure of the Huldra - A Norwegian Nightmare

GREEN: The Woods Have Eyes

The Tree Spirits witness this travesty and banish the Spacecat Spirits to an icy cold island situated at the top of the world.

BLUE: Forbidden Love - Banished to the Blu Land

This is a little vid of the installation. The project titled Gokko Rando (Make Believe Land) Part I is a living sculpture that morphs and grows throughout the exhibition period. Porous ceramic elements are installed in wet diorama habitats. The ceramic pieces slowly absorb the coloured dye that they sit in, slowly moving up the body of the piece. The dye not only colours the pieces but also reacts with the ceramic material to form coloured crystals that sit on the surface.