Sneak Peek...

FIGMENT - an upcoming group show at Eg.Etal that i am a part of is fast approaching. Here is a sneak peek at one of the pieces i've been working on. For more details on the show, click here...

Where Sea Meets Land - coming soon to GAFFA - Sydney

Here's a couple of pics of some of the pieces i sent up to GAFFA in Sydney today. I call this mini range "Where Sea Meets Land" which comprises mostly of oxidised sterling silver, with some added elements such as stone chips, a few pieces of turquoise, coral, shell, blood jasper, a bit of paint, some epoxy putty, and a little Australian Sapphire thrown in for a dash of sparkle. How's that for a motley concoction!

Ex Post Facto.

Christmas has been and gone, but i was so busy leading up to it that i forgot to post images of work that i was producing at the time. Here are a few pieces that i sent to Eg.Etal, which i think have all sold, but, i might make more in the same vein.

The ring was a private commission, the stone is an orange sapphire that i'm absolutely in love with, it's such a rich golden treacle/amber, colour, so hypnotising.

2010 so far...

Well i've hit the ground running in 2010 with new stock going out to GAFFA in Sydney this week, fresh drop offs in the works for my Melbourne stockists and plenty of exciting projects in the pipe line.

Figment is an upcoming show at Eg.Etal running in conjunction with L'Oreal Fashion week in March. A small group of hand picked emerging and established jewellers has been asked to respond to a brief exploring mythology, imagined stories. More info to come, stay tuned, it promises to be a very exciting project.

Karla and I have been offered a spot in the Craft Victoria exhibition calendar later this year, as well as having been invited to produce exclusive work for the new upcoming Pieces of Eight gallery opening in the CBD.

I was also lucky to be awarded an Australian Arts Council ArtStart Grant late last year. Aimed at recent creative arts graduates, this new grant initiative assists successful applicants in developing their arts practice into a professional practice.

I will also be participating again this year in Penthouse Mouse, also in conjunction with Fashion week. More news to come.

So, busy busy busy!

OFFERING - Feast Exhibition, Sydney.

Here was my 'Offering' for FEAST, a group exhibition held by Studio 20/12 at the Depot Gallery, Sydney, curated by Zoe Brand. The show was held between the 20th and 24th of December and celebrated '...the predetermined as well as the gloriously spontaneous moments that happen around the Christmas feasting table.'

OFFERING is a neckpiece constructed from Baramundi fish scales collected from Queen Victoria Fishmongers "Seafood and Oyster Spot" (thanks guys!)

Here is an artist statement that is rather lengthy but kind of important in understanding where i was coming from in the making of this piece.

Coming from a Polish catholic background, the Christmas feast for me is highly a ritualistic and sacred celebration that takes place on Christmas Eve. Not being a practicing catholic myself, the rituals I observe over Christmas are there to uphold a sense of tradition, cultural identity and family unity. As an immigrant from Poland to Australia, many of the traditions I observe have been modified however due to my cultural and climatic displacement. It is no longer feasible to wait for the first star to appear before we sit down to eat as day light savings leaves us hungry well before the night sky appears. No longer in the depths of winter, but more often than not, in the middle of a heat wave, our food tends to be lighter, with more dishes served cold rather than hot. However, the sense of reverence, heightened spirituality and sense of unity is retained regardless.

Our Christmas feast always begins with the sharing of ‘Oplatek’ a thin wafer “holy bread” which is broken amongst each other and shared alongside words of warmth, wishes, and love.

Traditionally we then sit down to a multi course feast that carries on for hours into the night. It is expected that even if you don’t particularly like a certain dish, or are completely stuffed, all dishes must be sampled.

Hay is placed under the table cloth of each person’s plate, and at some point in the evening, usually between courses, each guest blindly takes hold of a piece of hay from under their plate and pulls it out. The person with the longest piece is considered ‘luckiest’.

A spare place at the table is always set for an unexpected, unannounced guest or stranger.

Food preparation begins days in advance, with many of the dishes being fish based, such as whole baked fish, various forms of herring, fish in aspic and other varieties of warm and cold fish dishes.

Carp is traditionally eaten over Christmas (though we don’t tend to eat it much in my family). It is often bought live and kept in the family bathtub to be tended to and fattened up for Christmas. There are many stories told where the Christmas carp never meets it’s fate as the family grows too attached to their temporary house pet and can’t find the heart to kill it. For those carp that do make it to the table, a few of its scales are retained as lucky talismans and placed in one’s wallet for good fortune.

Fish is central to my cultural and culinary identity, especially at Christmas time. The neckpiece I have created in response to the idea of the Christmas FEAST is created from fish scales sourced from a local fishmonger. Washed and dried, they have then been carefully stitched onto cloth, one by one, a ritual unto itself.

The piece is a celebration of my traditions and rituals observed on Christmas Eve. It is also an offering to others, a sharing in the potency and significance of the celebratory feast, the gathering of loved ones and the unique rituals observed across all cultures.

No Vacancy Art/Design Christmas Market

Succulent Treasures.

Ring-a-Ding

Some new sterling silver rings ready to hit the 'No Vacancy Christmas Market' coming up this Friday 4th of December at the QV, Melbourne.

Each ring is hand made and a one off, so make tracks if you want to snap up one of these babies...

Feast - Depot Gallery, Sydney.

Another show i'm in, which will be opening on Sunday 20th Dec, is FEAST, a show exploring the themes surrounding the Christmas feasting table. I'm still putting the finishing touches on my piece, so no images of it yet, and it's quite a departure from my usual workings, so it'll be interesting to see how it turns out.

Precious Pendants - Object Gallery, Sydney.

Having opened last Friday, this post is a little delayed, but, here is an exciting show i am very happy to be a part of. Precious Pendants is an Object Gallery curated show featuring a group of unique pendants submitted by a hand picked selection of Australian established and emerging jewellers. Click on the image for an enlarged press release.

Working, working, working...

Working, working, working.

Busily making new work for my stockists, as well as for the

No Vacancy Christmas artist market that

myself and Karla will be a part of.

For more info on that visit:

http://www.no-vacancy.com.au/christmas_market.html

More details to come soon.

Work in progress...

Damn! I was so rushed to get some new work ready and off to eg.etal that i forgot to photograph the finished pieces. The pieces had to be in last Monday to be sent for professional photography for their newsletter, so hopefully i'll get some lovely images of them a little later. So here's a couple of pieces in progress. To see the final products, head into eg.etal.

New stockist, new work.

I was recently invited to stock my work at Kick Arts Contemporary Arts retail space, Cairns, QLD. Word is my parcel of goodies has safely arrived and will be out on display by next week. Here's a taster of what Kick Arts has received.

New work at Eg.Etal...

Here's a taster of my new work trickling into Eg.Etal from now up until Christmas.

This range is loosely titled the 'Warrior' series, and is predominantly silver (some oxidised), with glass and acrylic beads.

Tasty Tid Bits

Spring is in the air and it's hard for me not to get a little light headed and giddy with the smells of jasmine, roses, warm earth and the sudden return of sunglasses and sandals....then again, this is melbourne, lets not get too hasty too soon.

Either way, i've been hard at work getting new pieces up and ready to send to Craft Victoria, Eg.Etal and Alice Euphemia. Here's a sneaky peek preview of what's getting delivered in the next day or so. Earrings are off to Craft Vic, rings to Alice, and Eg will be getting a few new pieces which are still hush hush, so stay tuned...

Now stocking at Alice Euphemia

Come check out my work now available at Melbourne's Alice Euphemia Shop 6 Catherdral Archade, crn Flinders lane & 37 Swanston street, Melbourne.

http://www.aliceeuphemia.com/content.htm

Open Studio '09

So open studio has been and gone and what a whirlwind it was. Thanks to everyone who came up to see us, our studio and work. There was a fantastic response and some lovely conversations (despite me losing my voice and sounding quite tragic). 

Open Studio '09

Georgia Havekotte

Emerging textile and fashion designer Georgia Havekotte recently had a gorgeous photo shoot taken of some of her latest designs. Here my Double Trouble necklace is featured. 

Necklace: Natalia M.P 

Photography: Emmy Etie 
Make up: Donna Bartolo 
Hair: Michelle Alejandra 
Stylist: Eva Lubulwa 

Nicholas Open Studios

Come join myself and Karla Way (my studio buddy) at the Nicholas Building Open Studio evenings. This Thursday and Friday from 4pm to 9pm, many artists and creative businesses will open their doors to the public to showcase and sell their work. Swing by, have a drink or two, travel up and down the 9 floors of the Nicholas building and maybe find a little something special. 

NOTE: Karla and I have moved studios!!! As of tomorrow we will be located in studio 9 on the 5th floor. We've just given the walls a fresh lick of paint and hung up the pot plants, so open studios will double up as a studio warming for us. Swing by and say hi. x