GUCCI in Auckland.

Walking up the main street of Auckland this summer I was not expecting to see each side of the road wall to wall with international luxury fashion brands. It's not that Auckland isn't fashionable — to the contrary the country is full of it's own authentic, edgy fashion and creativity (a friend puts this down to the cool temperatures and the crappy television) — it's just that this kind of distinctly European traditional luxury seemed a strange fit. Then a local explained that when the cruise liners dock in the harbour the first thing the tourists see coming off the ship are the bright glossy brands beckoning. Maybe some can afford the $3000 price tags for these dresses?

Regardless I love Michel Alessandro and there was no keeping me out of GUCCI, getting to see his work live and in captivity. Clearly I was not their most hoped for customer but the Gucci staff were laid back and fun and allowed me to take these photos as well as giving me a catalogue — sealed in envelopes and tucked into a Gucci bag tied with grosgrain ribbon (with the production values of a small bespoke magazine).  Prada on the other hand — not quite so glad to see me :)

Lorde - Green Light.

Lorde's new single Green Light.

The 'Statement Sleeve' with Saint Laurent.

Now is a great time in fashion history to be a sleeve. The only question being, what took us so long? The possibilities seem endless as Saint Laurent took full advantage of black to highlight some super sleeve silhouettes for the recent Paris collection. More of the SL Fall 2017 collection here.

Gill Button Fashion Illustrations.

Rich in depth and lush in colour, these Fashion Illustrations by Gill Button, have been executed with oils. Among other clients Button has illustrated for Prada, Dior, Westwood and is a major client of Gucci and Dries Van Noten. More works, including ink, on her website. 

Florence Foster Jenkins — Hugh Grant Dance Scene.

I know not everyone loves Hugh Grant. Maybe his foppishly romantic roles from the 90s and their tendency to grate? Still, he completely won me over as Will Freeman in About a Boy, the 2002 film adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel. I actually don't see how anyone can dislike that movie. Toni Collette's agonisingly comic portrayal of Fiona - the suicidally depressed vegan — is a modern classic and if you only get that much out of the film it is worth your time.
I digress though — here Hugh Grant is in Florence Foster Jenkins and one of the best movie dance sequences I've seen in a while. I have no idea what this kind of dance is called apart from Swing,  or what goes on about 60 seconds in, but it looks awesome. Gorgeous jazz age set design too.

Edda Gimnes.

Edda Gimnes — a Norwegian designer whose fashion drawings literally become the garment in a nice subversion of process. She scans the drawing, blows it up and prints onto canvas. In particular I am loving the shoes.

Work Space in Fifties Palette.

Feeling so smug about putting up my box shelf and finally making my work space workable that I'm putting up the evidence. Wish I had taken before photos. The last photo is how the rest of the room still looks.

Vintage Knitting Nancy.

I visited a friend recently who had fished out some old treasures to display in a pink jewellery display case. Among them was her old Knitting Nancy — something I had loved as a child. This made me jealous I had not hoarded my own Knitting Nancy away once I had moved on to the next 70s craft fad (macrame). This meant I had to get on ebay and find one for myself which was relatively easy to do. It's not as great as having my own original childhood one but she's still pretty cool.

Pin Six Exhibition — ANCA.

It's been a couple of months now, but here's some photos from the Pin Six exhibition I was a part of at Australian National Capital Artists (ANCA).

Vinny Dolls.

Vinny Dolls are the best rag dolls I've seen. Not only the craftwork, but Vinny has an unusual selection of muses. While there's the ubiquitous Frida Kahlo, there is also Travis Bickle — the Robert De Niro character from Taxi Driver — and fashion luminaries, Iris Apfel, Karl Lagerfeld and Coco Chanel. Here's Vinny's website.

Travis Bickle

                             Iris Apfel                                                                        Karl Lagerfeld

                                    

Coco Chanel.

Facebook Artists' Page.

You know I've been on Pinterest for a while, right? On top of social media in all kinds of ways, 45 followers on instagram....Then just last week, if that wasn't saying 'overexposed' loudly enough, I went and got myself a Facebook artists' page. I know, I'm like all over this platform thing. The final nudge came when I was scrolling down my standard Facebook page in my regular brain dead, time wasting stupor, and out jumped a post for the Luxembourg Art Prize. I have no idea what made me think entering the Luxembourg Art Prize would be a good use of my time but before I knew it  I was thinking Yes! I want to be exhibiting to an international audience at the Galerie Herve Lancelin and then before you could say ‘Herve who?’ I was paypal-ing them my family's last 76 Euros instead of paying the orthodontists bill.

Anyway somewhere along the exhaustive, multi step, online entry form they asked for my Facebook Artist's page. I better get one of those, I think, that won't take long. Or be confronting. Or make me feel like I'm putting myself...out...there.

No worries. It will all be worth it when I travel to Luxembourg and win the prize. I cannot wait to meet Herve Lancelin himself as he shakes my hand and hands over the the 25,000 euros needed to begin my new body of work!

You can check out and 'like' my new Facebook Artist' page here.

Caren's Letterpress Studio.

My friend Caren has a letterpress studio she kindly braved winter temperatures for,  just so I could make use of the large guillotine to cut up large sheets of the screen prints I did last semester at Megalo and finally turn into concertina books (thank you Megalo and ACT gov arts!).  

I've been wanting to see this studio for such a long time. Caren teaches book arts and letterpress at the ANU school of arts and is currently undertaking a Phd in Material Poetics and the Creative Book. I got that bit of info off her website Ampersand Duck but suffice it to say Caren and her type (pun intended - and I include myself here) have spent their lives judging books by their covers. The art of books. Book as art. Book arts. Artists' books. If this concept raises your heart beat even just a little check out this small selection gallery of Caren's work and swoon.

Out of everything in Caren's studio it was this 19th century press that beguiled me most.  How could it not? Even the 'feet' were lion's paws. It's a work of art itself.

Finally, the guillotined screen prints cut to size ready to be folded into concertina books.