Guerrilla knitting Melbourne style

Guerrilla knitting Melbourne style. I loved these knitting and crochet covered trees in the heart of Melbourne.  Guerrilla knitting is one of my favourite public art forms. It enhances the natural elements of the urban environment, its colourful and creative. It an be recycled. And it is not destructive.

Love it.

Sydney Harbour, the MCA Zine Fair

I spent a long creative day with friends in Sydney yesterday. Here are some pics from my day. Hard to believe it is so close to the start of Winter. Many people turned out for a stunning day.

Marcelo and Rachael Baez. Marcelo is a great illustrator and Rachael a wonderful Polaroid photographer.

 Stallholders' view of the crowds.

Rachael selling her zine and postcards.

It was great to be surrounded by creativity and beauty.

Last week I promised I'd share how I am re-grouping and re-energising: I haven't delivered yet. I am still working on it and will soon :)

A few days away: big city, beach and country studio trails

I am stuck in a loud, busy airport on my way home from almost a week away.
I have retreated into my laptop and courtesy of free wi-fi I am sharing this post.

Last Wednesday I travelled to Surfers Paradise for a work conference. Then a couple of days later headed into the country to stay with family. Today I am on my way home. Tomorrow its back to work.

As I did with last weekend's adventures, I'd like to share a few quick snap shots to describe the week I've had.

For the conference I stayed in the heart of Surfers Paradise. I grew up here but moved away about 15 years ago. It was fun to be a tourist for a little while in my home town. The conference was really full on but I managed to go to an evening market ...

and walk along the beach early in the morning.

 My family have all moved away, as I did. My parents live in a beautiful country town with an active artistic community. This weekend the Butter Factory studios were open.

So there ends my little story.  Home to animals galore, my garden, kitchen and own humble studio.

What did you do this weekend?

A few quick vignettes from my weekend

We are just home from a weekend away.  I thought I'd share a few small moments with you. On Saturday we went to a friend's wedding at Collaroy, on Sydney's Northern Beaches, overlooking the ocean. It was a beautiful wedding and a beautiful venue.

Family and friends weren't the only witnesses.

We stayed the night at Newport. This is the view we were greeted with this morning.

Into Sydney, and spied a delightful installation down a narrow laneway.

Tiles at an old pub in Sydney's Rocks, the oldest and quaintest part of Sydney.

Our dear friends Marcelo and Rachael at the MCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) Zine Fair. Click on Rach and Marcelo's names to link to their blogs. Marcelo is an illustrator and comic book creator and Rach a keen and talented polaroid photographer.

It was a lovely break in routine. It was energising to spend time with friends, be inspired by beautiful scenery and great creations at the zine fair.

Hope you had a good weekend too.

5 things Wednesday - keeping a visual journal

I keep a written journal and a visual journal. I was however horrified to discover today that I had not made an entry in my visual journal all year. I did not expect that at all.  I packed a basket full of collage materials, glue, scissors and crayons and went out into the sunshine.

 I covered a piece of black cardboard with season inspired images and motivational words. As this particular visual board is about keeping me working on my dreams, I added an envelope in which to tuck notes outlining my actions and successes.  I used photos from magazines as well as silk flowers, leaves and stickers from cheap shops and craft suppliers.

This will go on the wall in my studio.

5 ideas for keeping a visual journal or dream board

 1. The other pages from my journal are varied according to my mood. They include inspiring magazine pictures.

2.  Or materials from craft shops like these coloured leaves glued onto a simple painted background.

3. Believe in my dreams - silk flowers and transfer flowers.

 4. Paper cutouts work well. The word journey here is cut out from a colour copy of a street directory map.

5. The visual journal gives you the chance to experiment and explore. No creative talent is needed. This is a free space to play and feel free. Cheap paints work just fine in a sketch book.

Just be yourself.

I have never shared this pages before. How do you stay inspired? Do you let your inner child out to play?  Please share your story.

Interview with an artist: Fiona Kahler

Fiona Kahler is a mixed media artist living on the NSW South Coast. Thank you Fiona for taking time out to share your creative experiences with us.

Q How would you describe your art?

A My art is acrylic & mixed media, full of texture, usually created in many layers, over a long period of time, with attention to detail. I love to experiment with many techniques & products. I often use mediums & products that interplay with light & change the whole look of the piece when viewed from different angles & in various lighting.

Q You said you recently stayed up all night in your studio? Do you often work in the flow like that?

A I have always been a bit of a night owl & find my creativity flows better at night. I can shut myself away in my studio with some good music, no disturbances & just create!

Q How do you make time and energy for your art amidst your day job, home, family, life?

A I am working 3 days per week, so this gives me a bit of extra time to juggle. My partner is good with the housework too & having my own studio at home means I can go back & forth between my art & the things I have to do.  I often add a layer or a few details to a piece whilst doing laundry or preparing dinner.  My 8 year-old daughter also shares my love of art, so she spends time in my studio on her own projects, while I work on mine.

Q What do you love most about your studio?

A After years of ‘rented carpet’  where I’d been unable to spread out or make too much mess, I had visions of my own studio where I could create with abandon & have a sink nearby to clean up afterwards.  We bought our first house on the NSW south coast 4 years ago - I was sold when I saw the granny flat! Before settlement, I’d already chosen my aqua, lime & purple colour scheme; repainted some old bookcases & furniture to match. The carpet was pulled up & I painted & clear-coated the chipboard flooring.

I LOVE that I can splash paint around (it adds character to the floor). I love having lots of storage, both built-in & freestanding & even though I have collected lots of ‘stuff’ over the years, everything has a place, and is easy to find. I love that it’s my dedicated creative space & I can leave out everything I am using for my current project/s. It has everything I want, including the kitchen sink!

Q What do you do with the art you create?

A I’ve made art for throughout the house, gifted some & sold some. Now I’m concentrating on getting a good body of work together to do my first solo exhibition in the new year.

Q Have you always created art? 

A I have always been into all things creative. I spent many hours drawing & doodling as a child, then completed a 2 year Fine Arts certificate after finishing school.  I worked as a cartoonist for Rodney Rude on a cartoon book & album cover & also as an illustrator/paste-up artist for David Graphics (in the days when it was all done by hand). Over the years I also dabbled in making/selling polymer clay jewelry & freelanced in sign writing & logos, illustrating & graphic design. More recently, I did quite well in the scrap booking industry, with a lot of work published, design team work for magazines & stores, & some competition prizes.

I see everything I did as a lead-up to what I REALLY wanted to do, which is larger-scale canvasses & mixed-media & making lots of mess!


Q How do you deal with artists block if you ever have it?

A Definitely have my fair share of creative blockages! More often, it’s actually procrastination.

I work slowly & tend to be a bit of a perfectionist, so the fear of ‘ruining’ a  painting, wasting time, products etc is often there. Sometimes I just have to make myself get in there & start doing something, even if it’s choosing my paints & materials, sketching up some ideas, or preparing a canvas with gesso - the creativity will often flow from there. I also remind myself that the world won’t run out of canvas & art materials, I can always buy more!

I also find that I get ‘blocked’ if I am creating to a specific plan for others, rather than just going with what I would like to do. For example, I painted a series of ocean/wave canvasses. These were very popular, & no problem to sell, but after I had done a handful, I wanted to move on to other projects. I would rather put my heart & soul into a piece that I feel like doing & it’s just the icing on the cake if someone else appreciates it too!

Q What inspires you to keep creating?

A Art books, magazines, blogs etc are a great source of inspiration for me. My starting point is often a colour scheme or technique that I see & would like to try & I will build up an idea for a piece from there. Sometimes a basic idea can take months to formulate from a basic idea to finished art.  I think creativity is also in the blood. Though the mediums might change over the years, I can’t imagine ever not doing something creative.

One of the best things I have done for my creativity is joining a local art association (Red Point Artists Association) It’s been great meeting up with other artists & participating in events & exhibitions. Every time I return home from a visit to RPAA, I am full of inspiration & head straight to my studio to create!

Q Any advice for other creatives?

A Do what works for you! Some creatives thrive on deadlines, or having someone else choose a theme or starting point for them. Other people fare better if they go entirely with creating from their own visions & instincts. Don’t compare yourself to others. Everybody has their own style, methods & techniques & what may not appeal so much to one person, someone else will absolutely love! Do what makes YOU happy!

Get your supplies organised & labeled – don’t spend your creative time hunting for items that you know you have ‘somewhere’. When you have totally finished a project, put away the supplies you used on it. Obtain colour charts with your paint purchases & make sample swatches of other mediums. It’s so much easier to choose colours, or know what your finished effect will look like, rather than guessing by looking at the jar or bottle.

Take some photos & collect images, colour schemes, techniques, clippings etc. from magazines or the internet which inspire you. Use these as a jumping off point to build an idea around. I have printed & laminated (to protect against damage) many images to use as references whilst painting.

If you paint, always use Artist Quality rather than Student or Craft paints. They are more expensive initially, but it evens out, as the pigment load is far greater & they don’t use fillers. This means that you can dilute your paints with mediums & water & they will go a lot further without the colour being weakened. The colours of artist quality paints are far more rich & vibrant than craft paints too.

Most people lead busy lives, but if creativity is a passion, make time for your art! I like a few late nights, balanced by some 1hr nana naps!



Above all else – ENJOY!

You can find out more about Fiona's art on Facebook.


Link here to read my interview with illustrator Marcelo Baez

Interview with a professional artist: Marcelo Baez

I have a special new post today. An interview with a friend of mine who is a successful professional artist. I hope interviews will become a regular feature on my blog as I find inspiration and motivation from people who are living their dreams.

Marcelo Baez, photo by Rachael Baez. See more of Rachael's polaroid's on http://www.polanoid.net/(username rachaelb) 

Marcelo, how would you describe your job?

Awesome!! Seriously I would describe myself as an illustrative designer/creative problem solver! Which I guess encompasses graphic design and illustration for a variety of applications.

Have you always worked freelance?

No, I worked full-time for a major metropolitan newspaper/magazine for about 13 years, mainly as a graphic designer and occasional illustrator.

I started on the advertising side working with creative services which helped sales teams sell to advertisers around Australia. A few years later I "jumped the fence" to editorial and became a magazine designer.

Did you create comic books when you commuted to Sydney for work?

Yes...In my 13 years, I spent a good part of my 3 hr commute sitting on the train sketching and writing...It became a great practice too, like free life drawing classes! It made the train commute very enjoyable...sometimes...

How did you find the time and have the energy to work on your own projects?

Well, I had the 3hrs a day sitting on my butt looking out the window (which is nice..) so the time was there, and on a moving train there is very little distractions. It actually became very easy for me to concentrate (once I got over people looking at me working on my sketch book) ...headphones with my music... I was actually very productive...

How many hours a day do you work? 

Now I work 7 to 10 hrs a day depending on workflow...but I think commuting to Sydney I used to work 12 to 14hrs days.

Have the techniques you use to juggle commissions and your comic books changed since you work from home?

I've started teaching myself to sketch in Photoshop which has really sped up my production for comics and across the board, I've also been learning 3D model building. Using these new tools have not only been fun but have helped my speed in a BIG way! 

Any advice for other people trying to fit their creative passions in around their day jobs?

This may sound corny but, minimum one solid hour a day, everyday, will make a big difference. Turn it into a habit and you will grow. If you are passionate about what you do, you will make the time and enjoy it too! 

Here is a little quote that I keep above my drawing desk:

"What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?"

Since talking to Marcelo I am being more disciplined about doing a little every day. It makes me feel good because I am taking active steps towards my goals.

Link here to Marcelo's blog, Marcelo Draws to see his art work and find out more about his comics and zine fairs.  You can also check for regular updates through my blog roll on the right of this page.

Thanks Marcelo