Drawing Frenzy!

My colouring-in project at Crab Fest turned into a drawing free for all!

It was great - here are quite a lot of photos -

Some exciting stuff..

My new job is really my dream job - I work for an organisation called Community First, who run an amazing programme called Ability Arts, for people with disabilities in the local area. 

They can take part in photography and film workshops, create incredible drama productions and produce stunning ceramic and art pieces.

Our annual exhibition opened this morning at Falcon Library - if you're in the Mandurah area you really have to pop down and have a look at the wonderful things they've produced this year.

Oh, and I designed the invitations!

And on this Friday and next Friday I'm running a free felting workshop at the library - should be fun!

I'm also getting very excited about the Smart Street Parties! 

A series of Twilight Markets in Smart Street in Mandurah - craft and vintage stalls, live music, food... We're away for the first one which I'm really sad about, but I'm having a suitcase stall at the next ones selling some new cards and prints - have a look on their Facebook page for all the details and dates.



Smart Street Markets are a From Little Things initiative - oh, and I designed their logo!

Grown Up Day

I finally got round to visiting the current exhibition at The Art Gallery of WA - Van Gogh, Dali and Beyond - a visiting exhibition from MOMA.

It was really worth a visit - lots of familiar paintings, and a few new ones. Here are a couple of my favourites:

I loved this painting - 'Schwenk' by Fairfield Porter. I had to wait for about ten minutes until a man with an audio guide moved out of the way... I don't know what his guide was telling him but it took a while!

And Picasso's goat skull sculpture - which just made me laugh really - I love his eyes.

Then I went for a wander around the permanent galleries and these were my favourites down there -

Arlatyite Dreaming by Emily Kam Kngwarreye

Kirrwirri and Kulyakartu by Daniel Walbidi

And my very favourite for their very Perthness - Flatland Fig A, Fig B, Fig C and Fig D by Joanna Lamb

The Tanks

Also whilst in London we popped into Tate Modern to escape a sudden downpour and discovered The Tanks, their new exhibition space.
The oil tanks of the former power station have been developed into a very atmospheric underground network of concrete rooms - very dark and strange down there!

The boys loved drawing on acetate and projecting their pictures onto the concrete walls - such a cool idea!

On the wall

I love this mural - it's a numbat - painted in Fremantle, Western Australia by Roa, a Belgian street artist. I can't believe it but it only took him a day to finish... quick work!


And some less famous artwork in Weston Super Mare ;)...

Starry Night

After school today, while surveying the mural progress (slow...) - we were talking about pictures we remember from school, and this is the one I remember  - Van Gogh's Starry Night.  There was a print of it in our hall at middle school and I spent many assemblies (OK every assembly) daydreaming about it. 
I wonder if it's still there? 

Busy...

My boss's daughter made these and stuck them on top of my work computer - I like them!
I've been pretty busy this week - starting work on a big freelance project, and beginning to paint a mural at my boys' school - I spent this morning very high up on some wobbly scaffolding... 
It was fun being in a school environment and watching small children scurrying around underneath me on little errands.
More house viewings this weekend - better tidy up the lego.
Again... 

Happy Father's Day

We bought Mark this print from Bear Graphics - it pretty much sums up his philosophy in life :)

However, today he can't surf - he's fixing the boiler - there's no job he can't do!

(Or won't attempt..)

Amazing willow

These intricate willow sculptures by Laura Ellen Bacon are amazing - she's the artist in residence at Compton Verney gallery in Warwickshire this summer - you can drop in and lend a hand!

Birmingham 2011

I had a grown up day in Birmingham on Saturday - I met up with a friend from uni and we had a good time reminiscing about our student days...

I have to say Birmingham is a lot glossier than it was in our day - we decided we quite missed the grime and concrete that the new Bull Ring has replaced! (We also started to feel a bit old...)

We had a mooch in Muji and I bought one of these for Tom, then we wandered round the Ikon gallery and quite enjoyed this exhibition- especially the kinetic sculptures which were very hypnotic!

Creative Campden

Bill and I picked up our friend Karen and went to Chipping Campden for the afternoon to have a look at 'Creative Campden'

We especially enjoyed the cooking demonstration at Robert Welch (except maybe the bit where he pulled the guts out of the partridge..), and these gorgeous paintings by Paul Wright at Campden Gallery.

(loving the Orla Kiely duvet cover in the last one!)