tenmoregirls present Glory Box

I can't believe that the last time I posted was in November. Did you miss me?  The year seems to be going so quickly, and already the tenmoregirls exhibition has come around again.

This year the exhibition is called Glory Box, each member of the group has reflected on the tradition of dowries or hope chests, and explored their personal responses in the form of contemporary jewellery and objects.  I'm overjoyed with the show this year.  I think we've created an amazing collection of work and the exhibition opens in a little over two weeks.

My work started out a little bit bleak and teary, but I managed to find some positives through it all.  My connection with glory boxes came from items from the dowries of my mum and my nonna: beautiful, hand made linens, embroidered with care.  For me, they came to represent mothers and daughters together, preparing their glory boxes and preparing for different stages of life.  The glory box holds the knowledge passed from mother to daughter, the maternal guidance for maturity, marriage and motherhood.

My nonna, Emma, holding my mother, Maria

Sadly, both of the amazing women who raised me have passed away, and their absence is constantly felt.  During my design process I wallowed in this for a while, feeling terribly small and alone in the world.  I probably should have realised sooner that I am all the better for having known them at all, with knowledge and strength from when they were with me. 

My work became about holding, carrying and giving.  I've made a series of vessels based on la conca, a traditional water carrier from the Italian region of Abruzzo.  The area where my mother grew up didn't have running water, and the women used to fetch water from a spring or the well, carrying it home in the conca, balanced on their heads.  The series of work is a celebration of wonderful Abruzzese women who are forever a part of my life.

La conca, Abruzzese water carrier

Tenmoregirls present Glory Box, opening Monday 27th August, 6.30 - 8.30pm.  Hope you can come along and see the show!

reasons to be cheerful - home comforts

I'm not usually one to invite the internet into my bedroom, but I've been spending some time on Etsy recently, and I'd like to show you one of my finds.

I saw a cushion by Utilitarian Franchise in a magazine, and decided I had to have one.  I love the collage images silk screened on their handmade covers, the only problem I had was choosing which image (I couldn't, and got two...)

Utilitarian Franchise is based in San Fransisco, and you can buy their work here.

Left: Growing Human Heart and Lungs, teal on unbleached canvas.  Right: Growing Human Heart, red on light blue, both by Utilitarian Franchise 

anxiety #437 - how soon is too soon?

I'm all about Christmas cheer.  I love the idea of a festive meal shared with family.  I work out gift wrap themes well in advance (including contrasting paper colour and ribbon ideas).  One of my favourite compilation CDs is Christmas Cocktails, from the Ultralounge series.  Last year, I even bought Christmas decorations, but they were for someone else's tree, but I found people don't really like it when you try to decorate their tree...

Anyway, this is the first year that I get to decorate my own tree.  Stan & I went out and chopped one down...not really, why would anyone want a dead tree dropping pine needles all over their beautifully furnished apartment?  We got a fake one and it's pretty nice for a fake tree; it's taller than I am and while it'll never look that real, it's real-looking enough.

Is it too soon to put it up?  I never thought about it before, but apparently there isn't a set time to decorate your Christmas tree.  I don't remember when we used to put it up when I was little.  I've read that in America it's okay to put up the tree the day after Thanksgiving, but that doesn't really help.  Even though decorations have been out in shops for a while,  any time in November seems too early.  To be honest I wanted to put it up the day we got it, but I don't want people to think I'm one of THOSE Christmas People.  We all know one.  They're a little too full of Christmas cheer, spending far too much on decorations, usually own some Christmas themed, sparkly jewellery and maybe a funny t-shirt or two?  

It's getting closer, and I'm placating my urge to yule by buying decorations.  Our box of Christmas is constantly being swapped with a bigger box, my biggest extravagance so far being some vintage West German mercury glass drops, in a lovely aqua blue.  I feel like I have to wait until it's well into December, or I'm a "Santa stop here" nightie away from living the dream. 

bauble collection

worst. blogger. ever.

I know, I'm sorry, it's been ages, and worse than that, I left my last post about the tenmoregirls exhibition promising closure to the nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat "what's bernadette going to make" question.

The thing is, back then I had a great idea of what I was going to make, but then I changed my mind.  And then I got discouraged.  Sometimes over-ambition can be my enemy, because I think I'm on to a winner, but the ideas become over-blown and convoluted.  

Originally I decided that I wanted to try to cook recipes I hadn't tried before, and make a piece that reflected each dish.  To finally conclude the last post...it was a lamb roast.  I had never made one before.  I think because it's the sort of meal reserved for Sundays and Easter I assumed it would be difficult.  Imagine my delight when I found you just stick in some garlic and rosemary, put the whole thing in the oven, and that's it.  

In retrospect, my awe does seem a little misplaced.  (But it was pretty delicious.)

The piece turned out like this...

Nested: comfort #1 & #3. 925 silver, silk, 2011

It's a vessel and a pin, and meant to be like a little nest, warm and cosy, like that feeling you get at home.

I continued cooking, and tried to design interpretations of dishes, but I wasn't happy with the outcomes, nothing worked together as a cohesive body of work.  It just looked messy.  I was cooking things like tagines, hot pots, soups; slowly it dawned on me that I was drawn to making comfort foods.  They all had that warm, cosy feeling.  It was one of those lightbulb moments, my work became focussed on the idea of the home, the warmth of the hearth.  So I've been making a series of silver nests, holding silk, cast glass and pate de verre glass, representing comfort, stability and protection.

works in progress

They're nearly finished, which is lucky, as we're installing the exhibition in 2 days time.  

The other reason I haven't been posting is that I've been pretty busy on the home front.  Stanwell, my resident mixologist, and I have packed up the tikis and moved.  We are Marrickvillains no more (the best I can come up with now is Dulwich Hillbillies?)  Anyway, all the pottering and tinkering around the new place does seem to take up a lot of time, but it's looking pretty spectacular.  I'll post some pictures soon, I promise.

In the meantime, I hope to see you at the exhibition opening, 

10 girls. 10 colours. 18th October, 6pm-8pm, 

Salerno Gallery, 70 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe.

Nest Eggs

The sets of nesting eggs on display

Blurry much? I didn't want to be annoying with flash photography...

The show looks amazing! Congratulations Christina, you did a fantastic job, and congratulations to all the artists. The eggs look spectacular.

If you didn't get a chance to come to the opening, the eggs will be up for a couple more weeks, and the food and drinks at Petty Cash are great, so drop in and check it out!

My set, The Feathered Nest, inspired by 1950s decorative arts, atomic ranch houses, and everything inside them.

Petty Cash Cafe

68 Victoria Road,

Marrickville

Exhibition Opening - Nest Eggs

Christina Adamson is curating another exhibition at Petty Cash Cafe. Artists have received a set of 5 nesting eggs to decorate.

Nest Eggs is opening this Tuesday night, from 6 - 8pm.

Hope to see you there!

Petty Cash Cafe

68 Victoria Rd,

Marrickville

I won't spoil the surprise, but this is the direction I went in, finishing just in time...

10 girls 10 colours: orange

So it's all systems go for another tenmoregirls exhibition, 10 girls 10 colours. This year we each drew one of 10 colours, looking at our personal response to our colour. What does it represent? How does it make people feel? My colour is orange.

Orange runs a close second to red, as a favourite colour in our house. My first thoughts ran to the kitchen, home to 1970s orange handled utensils, vintage Pyrex and linen. Then they turned to cooking.

A warm colour, orange stimulates the appetite. I thought of spice markets, towering pyramids of ground spices, with heady, exotic fragrances. My searches returned images of spices, but in amongst them, pictures of food. There were thick curry sauces, tagines, spicy soups; I found myself not so much inspired to make jewellery, as inspired to start cooking.

I've always been a defeatist in the kitchen, daunted by recipes with too many ingredients, or what I thought to be tricky cooking methods. I could talk myself out of trying new things pretty easily. Recently though, I've been breaking down my self imposed barriers, finding that just following a recipe can bring surprisingly delicious results, and a little confidence can inspire creativity.

And so for 10 girls 10 colours, I'm going to spend some time in the kitchen. I'm planning a series of wearable pieces, inspired by the things I'm learning to cook. Stay tuned, first thing on the menu is a family favourite.

reasons to be cheerful - unexpected blooms

One day, on my walk home from work I saw a large growth, like an artichoke, on a tall, skinny cactus. I was intrigued. I had never seen anything like it. Was it a fruit? A flower?

Over the next few days it grew longer and my curiosity grew with it.

It was late at night when I saw the flower had eventually opened, luminous under the streetlights. I woke up early to photograph it, before anyone could pick it.

new year updates

My goodness, what a long time it's been! Happy New Year!

The end of the year is such a busy time, I barely have time to think, let alone post anything. Here's a quick pictorial review of some things I've seen and done since I was last here...

The amazing Christina Adamson put on another wildly successful show at Petty Cash Cafe, these are a few of my favourite things, each artist getting 3 small square canvases to decorate as they chose.

my canvases, L to R, Atomic, Outrigger, Organic.

925 silver, stainless steel, acrylic paint on canvas

Then came Christmas and New Year's, spent mostly lying in a hammock overlooking lush bushland, with my superb family and a refreshing drink.

After a quick stop home to unpack and repack our suitcases, my lovely mixologist and I headed south, mobile bar in tow. We stopped at various towns and old wares stores along the way, until we got to the Robin Boyd designed motel, the Black Dolphin, in Merimbula. We then headed inland, reaching Canberra at the same time as summernats (worst timing ever), and then back to Sydney.

These are some of the things we saw:

wollongong antiques centre: if I had roof racks that dining set would be mine.

mmm, pavlova...

treasures of the deep, shell museum, 142 Beach Rd, Bateman's Bay

I was overjoyed to find it hasn't changed in 20 years.

The sun rising on the way to the beach, Merimbula

This would be my dream house, if only it wasn't in Cooma...

A wall of death, Mittagong Antiques

Two weeks break went by in a flash, quite like 2010, and I'm now back at work.

2011 is shaping up as a pretty interesting year, but in the meantime, if you missed the National Contemporary Jewellery Award in Griffith, it'll be showing at Sturt Gallery, from the 6th of February to the 13th of March. The gallery is on the corner of Range Road and Waverley Parade, Mittagong, open seven days, 10am-5pm.

And meanwhile...

My El Dia de los Muertos: Mourning Wreath neckpiece was selected as a finalist for the National Contemporary Jewellery Award. Amazing!

Unfortunately the exhibition opening, at the Griffith Regional Art Gallery, was the same night as the Girls Around the World opening so I couldn't make it to that one, but you can see some pictures here, courtesy of Metalab.

Congratulations to Simon Cottrell, who won the award for 2010.

girls around the world exhibition opening

Girls Around the World
Gaffa Gallery
281 Clarence Street, Sydney CBD
9. 9. 2010 - 20. 9. 2010

Gallery open Monday to Friday 10am-6pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm



We packed our bags, ready for opening night.
It went from organised chaos on set up day, to a tenmoregirls spectacular!

Tenmoregirls celebrate. Great job, ladies!

above: The Bricks of Waikiki and below: Bougainvillea, made from stainless steel, polypropylene and halogen fittings.

Photographed by Ian Koker (thanks for the great pictures, you're a star!)

Exhibition Artist Statement:

In desperate need of a holiday, we packed our bags and escaped to the sunny shores of Hawai’i.

On the big island of Hawai’i, I loved the landscapes. There are vast expanses of lava rock, barren but for the vibrant, tenacious Bougainvillea and an ever-smoking volcanic crater surrounded by lush forests. In stark contrast, but no less breathtaking, was Waikiki, on the island of Oahu. The streets are lined with the retro architecture from the tourism boom of the sixties and seventies, and constantly crawling with sightseers.

The holiday ended far too quickly, but then, holidays usually do.

Missed the opening? Don't miss our Artist Talks, Saturday 18th September, starting at 2pm. Bring your friends, ask questions, meet the makers! (no heckling, please...)

Thanks to A mi, for the opening night photos.

the fifties fair

Today, we made the journey out to Wahroonga, to the beautiful Rose Seidler House (Harry was such a good son), for the Historic Houses Trust's Fifties Fair. It was a lovely sunny day, everyone was dressed in their fifties best.

I went ready to shop, but found little to buy. There were, as always, lots of clothes and collectables, but we came away with no more than some ridiculously cheap tiki & hula girl mugs and a silk scarf.

But while I'm on the topic of buying great collectables, I just got this beautiful ceramic pot. It came from Etsy, it's Kenwood, it's oven proof and I love it. I still haven't had a lobster, but I guess collecting them is the next best thing...

please fasten your seat belts...

...and place your tray tables in their upright position.

more floral troubles

It seems 2010 is my year of cutting out flowers, except this time from polypropylene, instead of aluminium. I'm working on pieces for Girls Around the World, the tenmoregirls exhibition opening on the 9th September, at Gaffa Gallery in the Sydney CBD (more information about that very soon).

I'm not making jewellery this time, but with any luck, wall mounted, steel pieces. It's quite a step out of my comfort zone, so much bigger than what I usually make. A big thank you, once again, to the amazing Madeleine, for the donation of the pink polypropylene.


It's been a while since I posted last, and yet I've so little to say. I'll simply leave you with this as a treat. Great building, I do so love a decorative wall, and even the cross is stylish. It's a church I found in St Mary's on my way to pick up work from the laser cutter. Enjoy.

reasons to be cheerful - a morning spent baking

My good friend Snaily celebrated a birthday recently, and what better way to make merry than with some sweet treats!

I came across the recipe for biscuits, by Sarah Hobbs, it can be found here. The snail cutter came from Ikea, in the Drömmar pastry cutter set. When I first bought them, I can't describe how excited I was at the prospect of making moose-shaped biscuits...

emerging sydney jewellers showcase, jamfactory atrium space

After months of thinking about it, I finally got my act together, and finished my neckpiece for the Emerging Sydney jewellers showcase at the JamFactory, in Adelaide.

There ended up being about 170 anodised aluminium flowers in the three strand neckpiece, dotted with silver skulls. 3 offrenda dishes complete the Dia de los Muertos series. Thanks to Madeleine for the donation of the aluminium, and to Christina for her help saw piercing flowers.

It was great to be able to get down to Adelaide for the opening, the JamFactory is an amazing place. I'll try to post some pictures of fun times in Adelaide soon.


Opening at the JamFactory, 21st May,
Gallery One - Liz Williamson,
Gallery Two - Brendan Scott French,
Atrium - Emerging Sydney jewellers showcase

The pieces on display, l-r: El Dia de los Muertos Offrenda dishes, Mourning Wreath

nesting place

I recently finished a project for an exhibition called Nesting Place. Oneredline and SMC3 asked 20 local artists to decorate a set of 3 Matryoshka Dolls, for an exhibition at Petty Cash Cafe. The showing artists come from a range of backgrounds, from graffiti and tattoo artists to those who make jewellery and fine arts.

Nesting Place is on for a few more weeks and Petty Cash has delicious food and fantastic coffee. Get along and check it out!

Petty Cash Cafe

68 Victoria Road, Marrickville, 2204

(opposite Enmore Park)

Opening Night at Petty Cash Cafe

My offering:

Tiki Adventures from the Rapa Nui Room,

Timber nesting dolls, Acrylic paint, Estapol, South Sea Mother of Pearl

anxiety #201 - umbrella upset

Recently, I bought an umbrella, but I usually like to take my chances in the rain.

I have an enduring memory of walking down Kent St, in the Sydney CBD, on a blustery day. It was raining lightly, and I had borrowed a bright orange, transparent umbrella. All of a sudden, a gust of wind caught me off guard and the umbrella was inside-out. We struggled against the wind, this umbrella and I, to and fro, and every time I managed to set it right, it was blown inside out again. Eventually, one of the umbrella's arms snapped and I abandoned it in a rage.

Of course, to deal with a willful umbrella is one thing, but it's another matter when surrounded by people making their morning commute. They avoid you like they avoid the guy talking to himself on the train. They have to skirt around you, lest they lose an eye. They pity you.

I bought my new umbrella out of desperation, in an unexpected downpour. I can only bring myself use it occasionally, when the wind seems calm. I still get that nauseating rush of nervous energy, when I feel the wind tugging at the umbrella. I usually prefer to leave it hanging safely in the hallway, and take my chances alone, against the elements.

shopping for oldwares

Two 4 Retro is a lovely oldwares store on Botany Rd, Redfern. It is great for furniture and we've gotten some beautiful ceramics there, including an amazing Polish coffee set and some Martin Boyd pieces.

I coveted this fantastic room divider/lamp there for so long, I had to have it...

Lame picture, but hard to photograph. It's down the length of the corridor, until we find ourselves in more expansive surrounds...

Drop in and say hi to Frank:

2/4 Botany Road, Redfern

Wednesday to Sunday, 11am - 5pm

(Saturday opening - 10am)