Lino Cuts and Waffle Poisoning.

A big BIG thanks to everyone for their lovely, helpful and supportive comments on my previous whinge post. I appreciated them so much and they absolutely helped me move forward. I now have a sculpture that doesn't look unlike me (the goal) and if you are brave enough scroll down to see it's latest progress. I'm only just brave enough to put it up. I actually think it looks more like Special Agent Dana Scully from the TV show The X-Files (but then  I'd always considered there was a bit of a resemblance there. If you are reading this now Gillian Anderson (and why wouldn't you be?) you have the permission to play me in the Hollywood movie version of my life.....).

I also confronted my fears of lino and just committed to doing the best with what I had available (ie focus, health, time, skill). That's all you can do and having a long weekend here was definitely in my favour. Thinking also I might ask for an extension on this brief  -an artists book titled Intimate/Obscure which uses lino print self portraiture to hint at aspects of yourself!- and that should help ease the pressure too.

Lastly just a couple of photos from my mothers birthday brunch last week. Mum has been unwell lately so dad took control of the festivities and produced an impressive effort of a birthday cake. My little boy had also put in requests for his favourite foods - waffles and fresh donuts with sugar and cinnamon. My overriding image from the day is him sitting up at the bar eating waffle after waffle after waffle long after everyone else had finished. Then springing up on the news there would be no school the next day for 20 victory laps of the table. Mum and I agreed he showed all the early signs of acute waffle poisoning...and I think the photo somehow captures that...

Whinge Alert: Medium Level Complaints.

This is not a happy post.

At least it wasn't on Monday morning when I begun it. However a visit to my acupuncturist, a gorgeous Chinese woman named Mei, who with her deft fingers and magic pins, shifted the previously unshifting virus so that what seemed hopeless on Monday morning is no longer quite so. I had all but given up hopes of study. But now realise I'm still hanging in. Week four and not beaten. Which is good - this is a dream to be studying visual art. And yet....there are problems. And seeings this is a dedicated whinge post why waste it? Here it goes then...I am struggling badly with a life size clay sculpture of  myself (the head part that is). Week four and I'm still getting nowhere. I have photos of it but have too much pride to post them. I hinted to the teacher that I have an odd and particularly difficult face that didn't lend itself to clay replica in the hope she would say "Yes,  I see what you are saying, just do the best with what you have, bravo you!" but she wasn't buying it. All I got was some gentle suggestions and experienced direction. The cheek! Printmaking is also a struggle. The pace is fast and I feel like the only one in the class without any lino cutting experience and without the time and energy to gain it. It's frustrating. I know in the face of circumstances I can't change that what I most need is an attitude change but for the moment pride is getting in the way....

Maybe I just need a cup of tea.

Image and brooch by Amy Borrell.

Blog Love: The Moldy Doily.

     One of the first blogs I ever began to follow (many years ago now) was The Moldy Doily - the blog of artist and fashion illustrator Kime Buzelli. To begin with I'm a big fan of her illustrative style - the narrative she placed within her work, the beautiful styling and the gorgeous colours she used. Not only that her girls (she paints mostly girls) are not reed thin like so much of fashion illustration but seem to contain the depth of real people. After a while though I was just as excited to see what Buzelli was doing to her apartment - her creativity was just endlessly inspiring. Obviously I was not the only one to think so and in the past couple of years she has worked as fashion stylist on the new 90210. I have to admit I haven't watched this show and even though she has now moved from her apartment in Echo Park LA, I still love to hunt through the archives of The Moldy Doily for it's endless treasures of fashion, interiors and artistic inspiration. These pics (all Buzelli's work) are some of my favourites:

Hi There.

Hi there. No posts from me for a while now - I guess you could say I've lost my blogging mojo a bit. A combination of illness and the beginning of a new year of study which I fear may involve too much struggle (such an optimist!). Nothing helps more though than some inspiring eye candy and I'm hoping this lot does the trick. 

Anders Shonnemann.

Abundance.

Fern Living.

Debi treloar.

Via Fashion Gone Rogue.