Stretchy potato and tattoos

Here is my biggest culinary tip for visiting Paris - order Aligot. Pronounced "ah-lee-go" it is a specialty from the Auvergne region of France and is in fact stretchy cheesy potato. We had it at L'Ambassade d'Auvergne where the waiter brings it to the table, still in its copper saucepan, and beats it and stretches it quite flamboyantly. I believe this is to prove that they have in fact used the "right" cheese because we all know any cheesy potato we make at home wouldn't stretch like that.
Our visit to L'Ambassade d'Auvergne was a triumph on another level too. I had phoned to make the reservation quickly asking "parlez vous anglais" only to be told "non"! I proceeded to speak however, eternally grateful that the French for reservation is, well, reservation. I booked for 2 people on a specific day, date and time, I managed to spell my name in French and when we arrived on the arranged day and time, they were expecting us!

Back to my real life here in Coffs Harbour now. Yes, I've been committed to painting every day and yes, I've not been doing too well on that these last few days. I said I'd be honest. I do, however, have a good excuse but do good excuses cut it with these type of commitments? What I have been doing is writing an application for a residency. Doing this has been a big step forward in my commitment to my work actually and it certainly has been a huge learning curve. It was a lot of work and a lot of hard thinking. Translating that thinking into a cohesive project description was practically painful! But it is done and I am very proud of myself for having done it and submitted it on time. I'm not unrealistic enough to think that I stand much of a chance of being accepted, but I do know that my chances are better now that I've actually applied!

So today I will return to they physical act of painting every day and I am looking forward to it. I'm really enjoying the works on paper I've been making. This one is titled "Body of Work" and is a bit bigger than the other ones I've shown you here before (200mm x 200mm). It references my long interest in tattoos in my painting. I like the combination of the old travel guide plan collaged with the henna pattern inspired pencil and think they work really well together.

She's available in my Etsy shop now.

1 week down, 51 to go

Meet Rose Henna or should I have called her Henna Rose? She is one of my new mixed media paintings and I've just listed her in my Etsy shop.
I've had a great week, drawing, painting, sketching. Over the weekend I did let myself off the hook a little and just sketched or did nothing, but it was an unusually busy weekend. Still, I'm not going to beat myself up just because of a day off. That isn't the purpose of my commitment to painting everyday. Quite the opposite really. I am allowing myself to paint everyday and that's a positive thing.

When I was in Paris I picked up a new (to me) sketching pen - Pentel Pocket Brush Pen. As you can see it's quite a bold black and very calligraphic. This is the first drawing I did with it. It really is quite fun to use once you get over the shock of how bold every little touch of it is. I discovered going for bold was the best approach. I used this pen over the weekend to sketch Roly. I haven't scanned it yet but it's pretty weird. He never stands still for me, or if he does it is with his bum end pointed at me!
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I did this drawing on our first visit to the Lourve. On this particular day we only visited the outside. There is so much to see without even going in!

Meet Maddo and Mairuru

Remember the DUST Christmas In July promotion? Sam (Maddo) won my giveaway in one of the many competitions. I sent her off a little parcel of goodies including a hand printed journal notebook and a pouch to keep it in.
Since then I've found out she has opened her own Etsy shop. Its full of gorgeous jewellery pieces and paper goodies. Check it out. She will be so thrilled to have you visit!
I have Mairuru to thank for the inspiration behind the pouch. It is hand pieced patchwork, hand quilted, even the buttonhole is hand sewn. I've rediscovered my love of hand stitching. Mairuru has a fabulous Etsy shop too and a wonderful blog. I got the pattern for the pouch from her blog. I changed it a bit but I hope it still has Mairuru's spirit in it!

Saturday Shopping List - Sketchbooks

As a follow up to my post about Danny Gregory I thought I'd encourage you to start that sketchbook if you haven't already. If you are at all like me, you will be spending the time you could be drawing looking for the 'perfect' sketchbook. I thought I'd make it easy for you. Here are some beauties found by a quick search 'sketchbook' on Etsy.

Shakespeare Journal Ophelia by Immortal Longings

Giant Oak Leather Blank Book by Jovencio de la Paz

Weepy Wabbit by Cheeky Weeky

Mini Marbled Sketchbook by Persistent Green

Grass Journal by robayre

Or you could even browse my shop for some hand printed Moleskine notebooks. As I don't have many of my rebound journals (my 'perfect' journals!) in stock I suggest you start now with a less than perfect journal and grab one of mine for your next book, when they are back in stock. Ah, I'm full of great suggestions!

Don't forget you can check out other Saturday Shopping Lists by clicking the links at Fancy Picnic.

Wishing you a very merry Christmas (in July!)

Do these words conjure up an Australian Christmas for you??

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos
(Torme & Wells, 1946)

No, not usually. Unless, of course, they refer to the Etsy Down Under Street Team (DUST) "Aussie Christmas in July" promotional weekend.


Etsy DUST members from all around Australia are coming together for one whole weekend - this coming weekend, 12.01AM Saturday 25th July through to 11.59PM Sunday 26th July (AEST), to showcase their talents & stunningly handmade creations.

All stores participating will be offering a promotion to their customers - free worldwide shipping or % off sales; a selection of items at reduced prices or reverse auctions.

With so much variety, including jewellery, children's clothing & accessories, art, supplies, vintage items, stationery & bags, you are sure to find something to suit each & every taste.

The DUST team will also be running giveaways for the entirety of the weekend, giving you the opportunity to win some fabulous prizes from Australian sellers. Poke your nose into the Etsy Forums during the promotion for your chance to win.

I encourage you to visit the participating stores, as well as our team website - http://www.dustteam.com/ - and support the handmade revolution sweeping Australia.

Stay tuned for more details as the weekend draws nearer... I'm joining in too of course! Check out the deals in my shop here. Or head over to the DUST website to enter the giveaways and you might win something special from me!

On the weekend I...

...went to Taree.
I work in a school. Sometimes the journal writing there inspires me to write. Looks like it didn't work very well this week.

What was inspiring though was the (can I say absolutely fabulous again?) Absolutely Fabulous Neil Cuthbert exhibition on at the Manning Regional Art Gallery.
I hadn't heard of Cuthbert before but wow! I now know. I love his paintings and it is a huge exhibition. It really is a 'must see'.
I'm often a bit of a sucker for a good narrative painting anyway, but these are really remarkable. And yes, I am inspired. I am thinking figurative narrative thoughts...
The Taree Regional Art Gallery was also the venue for the latest Building Blox forum I spoke at. Once again I was thrilled with the day. I met so many interesting people and I was able to spread the word about how Etsy is a great way for artists and crafts people to sell online. And about how DUST is a wonderful support network for Australian Etsy sellers. Doing something similar in Port Macquarie in the next few weeks. I hope you will come along if you can.

Saturday Shopping List - Away

Yes, I've been away from my blog. I don't really have a reason. I've just been happy to catch up on some real life stuff that has needed doing for ages. I cleaned out my laundry cupboards, saw friends, spoke on the phone to distant loved ones, visited my mum and my mum-in-law, played a board game with my man, did some more organising in my studio (why does my studio need far more organising than any other room???) and figured out what little handmade goodie I will make all my friends for Christmas this year. (I can't tell you what it is because very occasionally some of them have a little look here. I didn't tell you last year either. I probably can now as they all got them for Christmas. I knitted a washcloth, bought custom made guest soaps from Inner Earth Soaps and popped one of each into a handmade box with some Chinese Lucky Stars I made out of the scraps from making the box for extra good luck. I can reveal that this years present isn't knitted and isn't crocheted either. I'd planned to crochet something but just wasn't happy with any of the patterns I found.)

Anyway, in honour of my being away I am doing my Saturday Shopping List post from items found by searching 'away' over at Etsy.

Rocket pin by FeltFarm

Fly Away Moleskine notebook by shoofly

To Fade Away by Vincenzo Rizzo

They Floated Away with the Wind a ceramic wall sculpture by Meagan Chaney Studios

Failure is Always an Option by Linocut boy

Due to a little typo in the listings title, this little gem showed up in my 'away' search. I'm happy about that because it's good to be reminded of this at times, especially if perfectionism is raising it's ugly head. (I think this could be why I am not showing you any of my own work at the moment!)

I think I am getting over my perfectionist stage. After all I am letting myself do my Saturday Shopping List post on Sunday! Remember to check out the other Saturday Shopping List posts by clicking on the links at fancypicnic.

Um, what have you been doing?

I was 'busy.'

OK, prove it. What have you been 'busy' doing?

Um. Well. Lots of things really.

This is all very fascinating but do you think you could spice it up a bit for the readers?

I'd really like to talk about someone else, if you don't mind. Yesterday I met lots of lovely local artists and crafts people. I was lucky enough to be asked to speak at a Marketing and Networking Forum at Bellingen. We all had a great day. I'd like to talk about the people I met there!

Like who?

Well, Ashley Johnston was one of the other speakers. He is a local and international street artist and has now opened his own studio gallery. He was fascinating! You can see his work on Big City Freaks website. He uses Snarl as his street name (I don't know if he wants me to say 'tag' so I won't. There seems to be a lot of rules.)
Like what?

Apparently if one was just starting out doing a bit of graffiti here and tagging there, one would NEVER spray over the work of a better or more experienced artist (better, more experienced = respect). Apparently if one did there would be 'consequences.' The nature of these consequences were not disclosed.

Damn. I really wanted to know!

Yeah, me too. Maybe you could ask him when you visit his gallery. Head off to corner of Vernon and Duke Streets Coffs Harbour on a Wednesday or Saturday and Ashley will entertain you with delightful paintings of birds (Willy Wagtails are my favourite birds too) and other works on canvas with a graffiti flavour. And you can see his graffiti on the outside of the building too, or in 'Snarl Lane' nearby. Tell him I sent you.

Sounds like a really interesting day. Who else did you meet?

I met Jane Wilson, another local artist with more usual art practise than Ashley's, but no less an impressive one! The thing I particularly love about Jane's work is the range of her subject matter, from mandarines to the nude and from self portraits to landscapes. If you are near Bellingen you can see her work currently on exhibition in the Federal Hotel.
And the others?
There were lots! My friend Annie Matheson travelled out with me and supported me in that little rush of nerves just before I started speaking by giving me a couple of squirts under my tongue with a herbal remedy that really helped! She is such an inspiration in so many ways. I must have been able to inspire her for once because she rushed home afterwards and started adding more artwork to her Etsy shop. Now that is the kind of reaction I was after!

What were you speaking about at the forum?

I was showing off Etsy and DUST (the Down Under Street Team of Etsy). I showed how the Etsy site works, how easy it is to use and that it doesn't require a large outlay of money to get started. I also really wanted to show them the DUST team because it has been such a help to me personally over the last year or so and such a wonderful group to be involved in. I'm hoping that soon we will have a strong North Coast contingent in the NSW section of the forum. That's my goal!

What did they think about Etsy etc?

I'm pretty sure they enjoyed my talk, I know I got lots of questions which was great! I could really only give them a taste of it in the time I had, but I'll be sending them a list of links I've done up to help them get started. I'd say most of the people there hadn't heard of Etsy before yesterday. While the website it growing hugely I think it shows the potential of it's future growth. If we can all tell another 20 or so people who haven't heard of Etsy, well, that will be a great boost for makers from all over the world, because really, who can resist buying stuff off Etsy!?

I know I can't!

No, me neither!

One last question, when did you decide to take talking to yourself to the next level and start interviewing yourself?

It wasn't a conscious decision. It is something that just evolved. I quite like it though. I think I might ask you some questions next time, when I get the links to the other lovely artists I met. OK?

OK.

A different kind of printing.

I realise I haven't talked about what's new in my shop for ages which may have lead you to thinking there is nothing new and that's not true! I have finally worked out a way to create glicee prints (reproductions) of my paintings - a way I'm happy with that is. I have added some fantastic quality Arches watercolour inkjet paper to my stores in the studio and been looking into the ink quality that my printer can use as well as the quality of the prints and I AM happy! The prints look great and they will last 80 years plus! What's not to be happy with?
It means I can offer my art at a more affordable price AND it also means I can offer reproductions of paintings that are sold and therefore, up until now, were no longer available. Win win. I made up this little mosaic of my paintings to show what is available but please note that the prints themselves are not square as shown above (that's just how Flickr Mosaics does it). Click on the links below to view the full image.
From Top Left...
Waiting For Someone Special (blue)
Helping Hand
Wish You Were Here (blue)
Middle row...
He's a Suitor!
Waiting for Someone Special (orange spots)
The White Glove
Bottom row..
Blue Vessels (will be in my shop soon!)
Wish You Were Here (orange spots)
Cups and Bowl I and II

Saturday shopping list - It's raining It's pouring

Flooding rains for the third time this year. Eh hem. We have had enough.
But looking for the bright side check out these great goodies on my Saturday Shopping List this week!

Rain Again by difart

Rain Cloud by sewsewcrafty

Glimpse by Dminor7

After the Rain by curlygirlglass

Check out the list of Saturday Shopping Lists over at fancypicnic. gretchenmist's list always inspires me!

Give... Give... Giveaway! and a bit of partnership building and network development

My friend Cath is having a giveaway! Lovely vintage fabric and crafty goodies could be coming your way. All you have to do is comment on her blog to enter. If you want to enter twice you can get that second entry just by following her blog (which I do already because she is such a lovely lady and interesting to boot!)

Cath only lives half an hour away from me but so far we haven't managed to meet. I'm hoping to meet her this weekend at the BELLO ART STIMULUS – Partnership & Network Development Forum being held at the Bellingen Memorial Hall next Saturday May 23rd from 10.00am till 4.00pm. Artists and craftspeople who are within cooee of Bellingen are invited to come along at a cost of $15 which INCLUDES lunch and morning and afternoon teas. Besides being a great networking event, the forum will engage artists and craftspeople with information about developing opportunities for online marketing and networking, local and other partnerships, gallery spaces and there will be a “speed dating” session with a gallery director to get advice about where to go next with your art or craft project.

The Bello Art Stimulus Forum will have presentations delivered by artists, gallery industry and marketing specialists. I'm not sure where I fit in, but I will be doing a session on Etsy and DUST.

For further information and bookings for the Bello Art Stimulus Forum on Saturday May 23rd contact Julia Morrell – BuildingBlox Project Coordinator on 0418 226 361 or (02) 6564 8947. Bookings are essential and close 12 noon Friday 22nd May. If you would like to be one of the 'speed daters' you need to mention this when you book and bring your portfolio on the day.

I hope to see you and meet you on the day!

The BuildingBlox: Developing the Mid North Coast Visual Arts & Crafts Industry Project is a project developed and implemented by Arts Mid North Coast Inc, funded through a partnership between the NSW Department of State and Regional Development and the Arts NSW’s Visual Arts and Crafts program.

Saturday shopping list - bowls

I like the Saturday shopping list posts on some blogs I visit, especially gretchinmist and decided to join in. A lovely visitor is coming to stay tonight and it made me think of making the place extra homely and cosy to welcome her. Bowls, ah, is there such a thing as too many?
Felt bowl from shanineal

Porcelain bowl from DishfulsOfDoodles

Trio of metal bowls from twobeans

Wooden bowl from Seasonal Vignettes

There's some good news and there's some bad news

Last week I asked if there were any good words starting with 'F' because I wanted to change the name of my Friday posts from 'Flaunt It Friday' to something more appropriate. Well, the overwhelming silence on your part has meant I've had to go and get down my own Dictionary and check it out myself. Thank you for that! There are lots of good words starting with 'F' as it turns out. So from now on my Friday posts will be tagged with the label 'Friday' and each one will have its own excellent 'F' word as a descriptive, starting today with:

Frontier Friday

Do you know Simon? Simon first attracted my attention with his blog title Paper Curious ~ I love it! I makes me giggle every time. He blogs about bookbinding and paper making and if you are curious, he makes some really interesting stuff, including little bank note books and shredded bank not paper. So clever! I know how clever he is because he generously sent me a little book and some paper. That's the good news.


The bad news is that my parcel was opened by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service and three of the pieces of paper Simon sent were 'ordered into quarantine' (ie confiscated) for having plant material in them. When my parcel arrived it contained a letter from the AQIS, some forms and a brochure. It seems I have 3 possible courses of action a) pay $42.50 to have the papers irradiated (there is a warning that this may cause damage), b) pay $42.50 to have the pages returned to Simon and c) pay nothing and they will be destroyed after 30 days.


All this has brought our uniquely Australian 'problem' into my mind again, so I thought I'd remind you too. We need to think about this more now that our community is ever more global every day and the handmade revolution has us buying and sending goodies all over the place.


What can't be mailed to Australia? is the title of the brochure they sent and inside it has a long list including: meat and meat products, dairy, eggs and egg products, fruit and vegetables, plants and soil, seeds and nuts, plant material, live animals and animal products and laboratory material. It is the plant material section that got my paper 'removed'. It states you can't send these things to Australia: tea containing seeds, fruit skin and fruit pieces, remedies and medicines containing herbs, seeds, bark, fungi and dried plant material, dried flower arrangements and potpourri, dried herbs or leaves, handicrafts -including wreaths and Christmas decorations- containing seeds, raw nuts, corn, pine cones, grapevines, bark, moss, straw or other plant material, wooden items with bark or signs of insects present. I've looked longingly at many items on Etsy that would have been confiscated on arrival if I had bought them. It is something we need to think of before we buy.

But we also need to be careful when we buy things that do comply with the AQIS because how they are packed can also lead to problems. The brochure advises people mailing items to Australia to:

• Fill out the declaration label clearly and correctly. Make sure you itemise everything inside the package, including any packaging materials you've used.
• Do not pack items in egg cartons, wooden boxes or cardboard boxes that have been used to hold fruit, vegetables or meat/smallgoods
• Do not pack with straw or dried plant material. Use newspaper or foam to wrap fragile goods.

There is even a section on "cultural and seasonal events and quarantine." Don't send:

• New Year - ornaments made with straw, seeds and conifer sprigs
• Valentines Day - fresh and dried flowers
• St Patricks Day - shamrock plants and seeds
• Easter - hardboiled eggs, painted eggshells and straw or hay
• Chinese Moon festival - mooncakes containing egg yolks or meat
• Spring - seeds and bulbs (northern and southern hemisphere)
• Sukkot - etrog, branches of palm, myrtle or willow
• Halloween - pumpkins, corn husk dolls
• Christmas - decorations containing pine cones, vine wreaths, spruce; hampers containing prohibited foods

And let's not forget to mention the fines of over $60,000 for a breach. There is more information here.

Simon has taken the fate of his handmade paper well. I explained to him that because Australia is an island nation there are many pests and diseases common elsewhere that haven't reached our shores and we are determined (obviously) to keep it that way. His response was gold!

That's a shame. Something I'll have to bear in mind in the future. Don't worry, they're certainly not worth 43 bucks. Let them destroy them. Quite funny in a way, me producing items that could potentially bring down a whole continent!!!!

And if that wasn't enough the whole issue brings me to worry about the Community Sketchbook book I made Something of Value which I only just finished and blogged about last week. I'm kicking myself now because I did something I don't usually do and included some handmade paper in it that does contain plant matter. I know it is not a problem as I can send that to the US which is its next stop, but it probably means the book can not return to Australia (because how can they tell that it originated here?) and what if it comes up against the quarantine laws of other similar countries on its journey? I think I have only one option and that is to pull it apart, remove the offending paper and rebind it again. Now that is a shame too.

250th post and half a dozen ACEOs

Isn't it funny how you just get used to things. Making my 250th post has made me think again about blogging. I've really enjoyed my blog so far. It has been a much more rewarding activity than I could ever have imagined. I am passionate about the pros of it when others as me 'why?' with that aghast face. And yet somehow I managed to get used to it at the same time, and dare I say, take you, dear readers, for granted.
Well, looking at my blog with fresh eyes I've decided to make some changes! And they will be all for the better! First thing to do is to finish moving all my links (how did I get so many!??) onto my links page to clean up the visual experience here. It's a small change but worthwhile.
I might experiment with a couple of template changes too, so if you visit and it looks weird bear with me!
I'm also going to start a regular post Flaunt It Friday. On Flaunt It Fridays I will post about more than just my art. I will be including tutorials from time to time (yes, for my rebound books too!) as well as a peek into my collection of old books which is a lot more interesting than it sounds. I will feature the work of others, have interviews and more. I'm excited!
Oh, dear. I just realised - tomorrow is Friday! I wonder if I can whip up a post in time!? Here's hoping!
And back to my art... this is my latest series of ACEOs. In these tiny artworks I have explored my treasured memories of my favourite childhood games - cut-out dolls, hide and seek, hopscotch (I was good at the hopping but hopeless at the throwing) and all the other usuals. Ah, skipping stones! How good was that!?
Some of these are still available in my shop. Some sold before they hit the shop! Now that's a good feeling!

News: 2 New Exhibitions and an Outlet

Yesterday I had a lovely drive to Bellingen and Dorrigo with my dear friend Annie Matheson. We had a lovely day drawing inspiration from the rainforest, mountains and rivers as well as the many artists work we viewed in the galleries, boutiques and information centres we stopped at along the way. Annie is not only a wonderful artist and friend but she also has a flair for marketing and is helping me approach my hurdles in that area. I really baulk at anything marketing related but with Annie at my side yesterday, I am very pleased today to be able to make a couple of announcements. I’ll do it in chronological order!

Notebooks and Cards
Originally uploaded by Jan and Roly

Our first stop was at The Old Butter Factory just as you arrive in Bellingen. The old factory has been converted into a cluster of shops around some beautiful gardens under huge old shady trees. We had a good coffee at the café first and then visited the Butter Factory Woodcraft Gallery which is always great for a browse. Even more so from now on I am happy to say, because it is now an outlet for my handprinted cards and Moleskine notebooks. It’s open 7 days a week from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm so please call in when you are in the area.

After a drive up the mountain we had a delicious lunch at Ruby’s in Dorrigo. Refuelled and feeling great after such a wonderful and successful morning, Annie introduced me to Annie Purser of Pinnata Gallery. Found in the main street, this delightful little gallery is packed with superb work by many regional artists. I showed Annie my paintings and I’m thrilled to say she loved them. She told me she would have them on display later that afternoon! I will be keeping her stocked with my work from now on, so if you are in the area, please call into the gallery for a look. It’s open Tuesday to Sunday 9:30am to 4:30pm.

Waiting for Someone Special Acrylic, ink, liquid graphite and collage on canvas

Wish You Were Here Acrylic, ink, liquid graphite, embroidery and collage on canvas

We drove back down the mountain feeling very happy, stopping a couple of times to see the Rainforest Centre and more good shops and came home feeling very pleased with my day and with a small gift of Australian pepper in a grinder for my dear pepper-lover.

The second exhibition I can tell you about is the Focus Postcard Show opening tonight at 6pm at the Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery in which I have 3 works on exhibition. The show will run until May 9 so you will have plenty of time to see my paintings and artist book if you can’t join me there tonight. It will be a great night too as there is actually 4 exhibitions opening! Print and Process works from the NERAM Collection, Meander II Helen Geier’s printed and pierced works on paper scrolls and screens and an exhibition of Stephen Leek’s strong and bold figurative paintings. I am honoured to be in such amazing company. It really is an unmissable exhibition! The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday between 10am and 4pm, and on Sunday afternoons when there are Sunday Salons on.

Waiting for Someone Special Acrylic, ink, liquid graphite, embroidery and collage on canvas

Wish You Were Here Acrylic, ink, liquid graphite and collage on canvas

Hello! (from me AND the front page!)

How can I explain away my long absence? Let me count the ways!
But I'm back.
Or I will be, when I get my laptop back from the back room of the local Walk-In Mac Repairer.
Then I WILL be able to explain, and with pictures!
There will be my latest works (accompanied by excuses for being away from the blog for so long).
There will be stories of all kinds of exciting things (accompanied by excuses for being away for so long).
And there will be promises of great things to come (also accompanied by... well, you get the picture).
But while I've been quiet and away, others haven't. Esta sketch has featured one of my prints How to make a paper doll's flatlette in a Treasury on Etsy and it is on the Etsy front page right now (be quick - if you miss it, just look down here).
Really, it's good so one has been doing something on here!