Dolls with Hearts & Soul

They have arrived!!!!
I created and sent off 2 dollies for an installation @ the Fractures Galleries, Federation Square, Melbourne.
A few months ago I came across an EOI looking for artists to contribute a hand made doll for an exhibition in Melbourne, as part of the Fringe Festival. It was right down my lane, as I already exhibited small felted dollies in my last group show in Melbourne, Brunswick Street Galleries.
'Totem - Dolls with Soul' is an exhibition curated by the lovely Sayraphim Lothian (the most beautiful name!), and is held @ Federation Square between the 25th September and the 12th
October. Totem is an honest and heartfelt expression of self identity, in doll form. These dolls are more than just simple children's toys, they are powerful symbols of who we think we are.
Well, I think of myself as a loving mum (soft & fluffy, a bit rough around the edges, but all natural!) with a big heart and partly covered in Silk(e), and of my daughter as the smaller version, the mini-me!
So, our voodoo - doubles are being hung up underneath the fractured glass roof of Fed Square as I am writing this. No wonder I have been feeling slightly elevated today.......

www.omnificassembly.com

http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/

http://www.silkesavran.com/

bla bla bla.......

A very concerned member of my family pointed out to me that the use of my blog title 'bla bla bla....' would actually undermine my (highly!) intellectual standard!!!

It's too low key, low tech, low brow, be - low me, I have been told.

I could start some comparative linguistic research into this matter, but I am sure it will all end up in 'bla bla bla...' anyway.

There is a track by Italian DJ Gigi D'Agostino, called Bla Bla Bla, on youtube where he describes this song as '... a piece I wrote thinking of all the people who talk & talk without saying anything.'

That's closer to my linguistic explanation of my blog title!

www.youtube.com

No Persuasion needed!

We made it!

I feel very privileged to be part of the exhibition Gentle Persuasion at the Percolator Gallery, Paddington, Brisbane, which has just opened last Saturday!

Sue - Ching Lascelles, a young & upcoming Brisbane artist, did a fantastic job curating this show for us eight women artists. The themes are femininity and domesticity.....with subversive twists, rather than pretty pinks and laces!

The show is still on until the 23rd of August.

http://www.percolatorgallery.com.au/

http://www.silkesavran.com/

Under- Waterworld!

Well, talk about daydreamin'....

A little boy I was teaching recently made me very happy with this drawing of a set of underwater traffic lights! What an imagination!

He was obviously in that 'space' where reality (busy Brisbane traffic!) and dreams merge....during (my) class!

I am glad that I am not the only day dreamer around here.

Obituary

Sadly, after suffering briefly from a mysterious disease, our 2-year-old budgie 'Mickey' passed away suddenly last Sunday morning. (He just dropped dead off my desk, while I was working on my computer!) He left behind his grieving carers, and his best mate 'Mad Max', who hardly uttered a 'peep' since. The funeral service took place in the afternoon (see photo of grave site!) accompanied by a heartfelt speech, prayers and the unveiling of a memorial sculpture (see photo!).

Mickey, we miss you and your aerial artistry! You brought lots of laughter and fun into our home!....And you seemed to outsmart us daily!

Hope you have a great time in 'Budgie Heaven'!

Think Pink Party

Today was the big day for Alyssa from Lyssy May, Morningside. She managed to transform her beautiful, cosy little shop into a cafe, auction house, gallery/showroom & a place to network and chat with a (few!) glasses of (pink) bubblies. Yes, it was a snug fit...but a huge success, especially as a fundraising event for the Wesley Hospital Kim Walters Choices Program! Thank you, Alyssa for this great opportunity for me to meet other artists/designers and to catch up with friends!

These are some pics of my little accessories @ Lyssy May! Further details are on my website www.silkesavran.com

Art & Nature!

Here is an example of art and nature co - habiting peacefully while beautifying a normally cold and grey, concreted Viriginia Train Station, Brisbane.

It's still a work in progress for the artists and Mother Nature!

playing with butterflies at the shed

The 50 butterflies from Milpera High School flew all the way to 'The Shed', a small QLD Rail metal warehouse at a secret location where all the great artists meet to touch up the children's work to get it ready for the public eye!

Our brief was to 'play with the butterflies!', so here are some of the results.....

butterflies at Milpera

I just started working as a contract artist for Queensland Rail's Community Arts Program, called 'Positve Partnerships'. I am part of a small team of artists working with Brisbane schools and community groups to 'beautify' the local train stations and subways with colourful ans fun works of art. The students get to draw and paint on 2D cut-out shapes which then get finished off and touched up by us, the professional artists, before being installed onto the pre-painted walls of the stations and subways.

Our latest project took us to Milpera High School in Chelmer, Brisbane. This is a very special school. Only one of its kind exists in Australia! Refugee children of high school age, and coming from all kinds of countries and horrific experiences, get taught the basics in English, maths science, etc, by caring teachers and volunteers until they are ready to enter the Australian school system and culture! Art plays an important part at Milperra High School, so it we ended up with some fantastic designs for our 50 butterflies!

Family Affairs

I've just been scanning and documenting a few very old family snaps my mum sent me a while ago. They are photos of her family, dating back to 1921!
Due to the two World Wars only a few documents and pictures have survived for me to get an idea about my ancestors. So I feel very honoured to now be the keeper of these invaluable family treasures.

The names of my great -great grandparents, grandmother ( the one on the left in the white dress) and great uncle and auntie ( the two sailor kids) are very German indeed: Gustav, Erna, Charlotte, Fritz and Elfriede! They are all in heaven now...and they actually told me to put up their photos on the internet, so they can show them to their friends up there!

And as hilarious as the names is the fashion! Note the crochet dress ( no wonder I am into it!), fairy crown and sailor suits! Not to mention the little black pooch on the table!

It's actually a bit of a sad photo...the man behind the doggy, Gustav, was later executed in front of his family by the Nazi's, apparently for being a traitor of some kind.

Well, so much for my family history for now....maybe more later!

Water Cooler Bag

The things you have to do as a parent......last term my daughter came home with the project brief of designing and constructing a 'water cooler bag' as part of their curriculum work on the 'Australian Goldrush'. I don't know anything about that part of the Australian history (and many others, I'm afraid!), let alone, how to construct this thing without any engineering, physics or science experience.
Well, thank God, for our artistic ingenuity, flair and a stack of materials in my studio...
Voila! A couple of weeks later we came up with this fashionable backpack - slash - water bottle cooler!
So, imagine you are stuck in the desert, digging for that famous metal, with no esky (with that famous golden liquid!) in sight....you'll be the 'bee's knee's' with this trendy and practical design!
Orders are taken! Just contact us via email or comment!!!!

Melbourne

It's been three weeks now since I arrived in Melbourne for the first time, after living in Australia for about ten years now!

I curated a group exhibition with two other artist friends of mine. The show was called '....in that order!', and was held @ the Brunswick Street Gallery in Fitzroy. We had one gallery room to install our colourful and quirky works of art. Positive comments from visitors like 'fairyland' and 'children's party' made us laugh, since we are all three artists & mums!

The other important experience I had in Melbourne was this feeling of belonging, or maybe homesickness? The architecture, weather, fashion , the food..... and the trams reminded me much of my homelands England and Germany. Well, I don' t know where I am going to end up eventually...

Another visit to Melbourne is in the planning for sure!