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.