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indie art & design blog
pin up on now
Phillip Srhoj, Hans, 2008, Sterling Silver
pin UP is the graduate exhibition by students of Jewellery and Object Design at the Design Centre Enmore (renouned for attracting talented students from across Australia & abroad).
On display is an amazing selection of jewellery and flatware, sculptural objects, lighting and hollowware. I really love the silver piece pictured above, "Hans" by Phillip Srhoj - I imagine it would look incredible as light & shadows move across the silver spines. I'm am looking forward to seeing a diverse range of works at the pin UP exhibition at Depot Gallery this weekend.
Oliver Fity, Pumpkin..., 2008, Australian Jarrah
pin UP opened on Tuesday 25th November & continues until this Saturday 6th December at:
Depot Gallery I+II
2 Danks Street, Waterloo, NSW, 2017.
Opening hours are 11am - 6pm
Meet the Makers: Saturday 6 December 2008 3-5pm
Exhibiting students discuss + answer questions about their works.
I might see you there this Saturday...
georgie love giveaway winner
A big CONGRATULATIONS to Denya, the winner of our Georgie Love $50 gift voucher giveaway! Thank you so much to all the indies who entered & wrote some very sweet and entertaining comments. We love all your suggestions. Julie Knoblock's Birdy Bags were super-popular, which explains why there's none left in stock at the moment. We'll have to keep an eye out for new stock on www.georgielove.com! To celebrate Denya's win, we've pictured some of her favourite things - by Made by White, Betty Jo, Allira Tee.
A special mention must go to Ruby who wove the very lovely Julie Ramsden knitted softie creations into the song we all remember from "The Sound of Music". Two of her cuties are, of course, pictured above. You can read all the comments including Ruby's right here.
feature interview: mainichi
Shinzo Necklace Felt and Leather by Mainichi (Sold)
I've admired Dearne Herrenberg's jewellery designs for a long time - she has a real flair for mixing colours & textures to create truly individual pieces. Dearne has recently launched her Etsy store at www.mainichi.etsy.com and I thought it was time to delve a little deeper...
I 1. I know you began your career as an interior designer. What initially drew you to interior design?
M Design was a means to providing me with a much needed creative outlet that would also give me a "qualification" at the end of years of study. It was just a matter of choosing what design path to take that would eventually also allow me to work for myself in a home based business.
Digit Recycled Leather Necklace by Mainichi (US $39.00)
I 2. When did you start creating your jewellery pieces? Was it a hobby for long before you launched Mainichi Design?
M I used to make jewellery as a teenager from all sorts of scraps that my Dad had lying around in his workshop – coloured electrical cable was a favourite, as well as the eighties staples like paperclips and zippers. I also used to make earrings by cutting up the plastic from Coca Cola bottles when they had the black bases! Mainichi was launched in 2004 after I purchased some interesting materials to use in my creative pursuits during a holiday in Japan.
Konomi Necklace by Mainichi (Sold)
I 3. What elements of your interior design experience to you see coming to the fore in your jewellery designs? One aspect of your work that I personally LOVE is the use of colour – I imagine you've always had a way with colour?...
M The colours used in my jewellery pieces are often inspired by my interiors work and work of other interior designers and architects. I've always been intuitive with colour and loved to play around with it in my creative work.
Mushi Brooches by Mainichi (US $24.00 each)
I 4. What are some of your inspirations?
M Architecture, Fashion, Nature, Travel, Pop Culture and life in general.
Shinzo Felt Necklace Extra Long by Mainichi (US $64.00)
I 5. What motivated you to start transforming everyday materials into wearable art?
MI was interested in exploring the idea of turning something discarded or not considered particularly "precious" into something appealing and special like a piece of jewellery to adorn the body.
Recycled Leather Earrings by Mainichi (US $18.00)
I 6. How do you find & choose your materials?
M I am always on the look out for new and interesting materials. In Brisbane I like to visit Reverse Garbage and fossick around. Op shops and markets are also a good source of materials. Or just art and craft outlets…anything that looks appealing I will grab even though I may not have an immediate use for it. and I am a hoarder.
Kawa leather and bead cluster necklace by Mainichi (US $39.00)
I 7. Your designs have such a tactile quality – how do you go about layering the different textures?
M Like the use of colour for me design is an intuitive thing and the layering is usually an organic process that begins with one idea and develops from there.
Kawa leather and bead cluster necklace by Mainichi (US $39.00)
I 8. Who do you imagine you’re designing pieces for?
M I don't have an "end user" in mind. I would like to think the kind of people who are attracted to my work are not able to be "labeled" or "categorized" into a particular type.
Mushi Leather Keyrings by Mainichi (US $7.50)
I 9. You also organise what sounds like a wonderful meeting place for like-minded women – The Creative Womens' Circle. How did this come about?
M The Creative Women's Circle has unfortunately just come to a close. It has been 4 years of gathering together like minded women involved in creative industries and small business and I think it has finally run its course. It has been a fun thing to do and it’s been great to meet lots of talented and creative women.
Shinzo Felt Necklace Small by Mainichi (US $34.00)
I 10. With a young family in tow, you must be busy. How do you manage your time & what do you have planned for the future?
M I'm not the best at time management and now I have even less of it with a toddler to take care of! I make a lot of lists and try to cross things off them!
In the near future I'm planning to focus more time on my jewellery making and building my Etsy online shop.
Further down the track I would like to spend some time exploring more sculptural pieces of jewellery and work towards an exhibition at some stage, but that will be some time away yet.
I Thanks so much, Dearne, for giving us an insight into your label & process. All the best for your fast growing Etsy store, and I'll be looking forward to seeing some of your future sculptural jewellery! More of Dearne's work can be found on her web site www.mainichidesign.com and her blog www.mainichidesign.blogspot.com.
object joins indie!
Object web site screenshot
We're very excited to welcome Laura from Object to the indie art & design team! She'll be keeping you up-to-date with all that's happening at Object - exhibitions, events and of course, the incredible range of Australian contemporary craft & design for sale at Collect!
We're really thrilled to have Laura on board, and she brings with her a wealth of experience - having worked with some of Australia's finest craftspeople and designers. We have a brand new page dedicated to posts about Object, so if you follow the indie art & design feed, make sure to subscribe to the new Object page feed too! A selection of Laura's posts will appear on our home page, but she'll be regularly posting about all sorts of intriguing pieces & people - posts you won't want to miss... You'll also be able to keep up with the headlines that appear under the Object logo (top right).
So I'll pass over to Laura now, to fill you in about Object. A warm welcome from us all! (Cheers resound through the indie art & design studio...)
handmade markets
Ravishing Vintage Neckpiece by Anna Vedelago, exhibitor at Perth Upmarket
Christmas is fast approaching and over the next few weeks, there are a multitude of handmade markets to provide pressie potential, including:
- Sat 22.11.2008 Canberra: Handmade Market
- Sat 22.11.2008 Melbourne: Market3031
- Thu 4.12.2008 Perth: Unwrapped: Subiaco
- Fri-Sat 5-6.12.2008 Sydney: The Finders Keepers
- Sun 14.12.2008 Perth: Perth Upmarket
I've included a little information on each of these events below, starting with the soonest - the first two are being held TOMORROW!
THIS WEEKEND sees the launch of Canberra's Handmade Market. If the web site design pictured above looks a familiar, that's because the founder of the Handmade Market, Julie Nichols worked with Justine Barsley during the launch of Perth's Upmarket earlier this year. She was inspired to bring a similar event to Canberra, and introduce locals to the amazing wealth of talent within their own city - so the Handmade Market is 'Canberra's Upmarket'... The Handmade Market will be held this Saturday from 10am - 6pm at Canberra's Albert Hall. There has been a great response from local designers - you can see profiles on the stallholders here, and already, a second event has been planned for February 2009! All the best for the launch Julie - and to our indies from Canberra - make sure to get along & show your support!
Left, jewellery by Sinead Buckney, and right, ceramic piece by Joanne Searle & Lia Tajcnar. (Exhibitors at Canberra's Handmade Market.)
ALSO THIS WEEKEND... the Melbourne suburbs of Flemington and Kensington will host Market3031. 3031 is, of course, the suburbs' postcode, but the event is sure to draw in handmade fans from much further afield... The first Market3031 was held in November 2007 as an artists' market designed to profile and showcase local people's work. There are lots of lovely pictures on their Flickr site - do have a look!
Handmade by Lauren Williams - exhibitor at Market3031.
Unwrapped: the marketplace was the first of the designer markets to appear on the Perth indie scene. Conceived in 2006 and launched in March 2007, the third Unwrapped event is about to take place. Unwrapped: Subiaco will be held as part of the Subiaco Street Festival on Thursday, 4th December. Rather than being a regular market with the same stall holders each time, Unwrapped: the marketplace aims to provide emerging designers with a platform to gain brand awareness and secure retail stockists... The designer lineup changes with each event so there is always something new to look out for!
Flyer for The Finders Keepers designer markets at the CarriageWorks in Sydney in December. Recognise the dreamy artwork?! Of course, it's by indie fave, Kareena Zerefos!
Fans of Sydney's Hope Street Markets will be delighted to discover The Finders Keepers - a new identity for the vibrant event. The new name is based on the simple joy of discovery, and reflects the move to working in association with the CarriageWorks. Under this banner, the team also plan to expand the markets into other areas of Australia. The first Finders Keepers markets will be held over two days, from Friday 5th to Saturday 6th December. (I'm personally rather pleased The Finders Keepers is now within easy walking distance of my house!)
December also sees the return of Perth Upmarket. Building upon the success of September's debut, founder Justine Barsley has expanded the event to include over 65 stalls. The market is located at the historical Perth Town Hall which is apparently Australia's only medieval style town hall (built during the Victorian Gothic revival movement in the nineteenth century). For those of you who are curious, you can check out the pics here. Perth indies are in for a treat, with Perth Upmarket now a quarterly event - this as well as the Made on the Left markets (which were held last weekend) and Unwrapped (described above).
Silver Princess Pods by Eucalypt Homewares, exhibitor at Perth Upmarket
So, if you live in Canberra, Melbourne, Perth or Sydney, mark these dates in your calendars! If you live in other areas and know of a handmade market coming up before Christmas - please leave a comment & let us all know. Happy handmade shopping everyone!