the red thread

Inspiration: Art Sydney

24 October 2008

Last night I went to the opening of Art Sydney, which is a yearly event. It's on at the Royal Hall of Industries (next to Fox Studios) this weekend. The exhibition is huge and shows a diverse selection of both established and up and coming artists.

Unfortunately I don't have the scoop on the fabulous artists whose work I saw because I had a tired 4 year old in tow who was trying to carry a glass of lemonade (I know, bad mother, but they didn't have any water and she was 'really, really thirsty mum!!!') while walking on a concrete floor and being bumped into by hundreds of champagne drinking art lovers. I did love the paintings by an artist is known as 'dirtfish' - there was no other name on his business card or website. His work appeals to me because it's textural, layered and graphic.

Image Source: dirtfish

I did manage to get the cards of a few other artists whose work I admired, but when I tried to visit their websites this morning to show you some examples the sites weren't active. Bummer.

The following images are Roxy's photos of the event:

I love this photo (below) which I took of the girls enjoying a giant octopus-like inflatable sculpture.

Get along to Art Sydney this weekend if you can - it's huge and inspirational, some of the art is quite affordable and it's very much worth the effort. Info about the event can be found here.

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I Heart Fridays: because it's fruit and vegie co-op day

I belong to a fruit and vegie co-op with 9 other local families. Every second week for just $35 we receive 2 to 3 big boxes of all sorts of luscious fresh goodies direct from the markets. Three times a year I take my turn to do the shopping with another member of the co-op (which is really fun) and the rest of the time all I have to do is collect it from someone's house.

Last week's shop included herbs, rocket, baby spinach leaves, cucumber, avocado, carrots, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, zucchini, capsicum, pineapple, apples, mangoes, oranges, bananas, watermelon... and more... and lots of each thing. In fact so much, that most of the time the three of us don't even get to eat it all and I end up giving some away to friends.

The co-op is a great idea and apart from getting so much good food it saves time, money and petrol. And it's a lovely way to feel connected to your local community. There is a co-op bank account into which everyone deposits the money for the whole school term's shopping at the beginning of the term. A roster of who will do the shopping is drawn up and after each trip to the markets everything is divided up by the shoppers and sorted for collection.

The only thing that would be better is if it was all organic. There are plenty of organic markets around Sydney, but I don't know of any where we could do a bulk shop. When we do our co-op shop we end up with 3 supermarket trollies piled high with boxes of goodness. Does anyone know where we could do this sort of shopping for organic produce? That would make for a really happy Friday.

Hope you have a happy Friday!

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The Aussie Dollar takes a tumble

23 October 2008

Image Source: Sad Guys on Trading Floors Blog

I found this blog (the photos have very funny captions) via one of my regular blog reads: A Cup of Jo.

[Shameless self promotion follows...]

Good news for you if you're from anywhere but here. Great news if you're thinking about buying some Red Thread art. Very bad news for my etsy and Amazon buying habits!

Back in July our dollar was worth around US$0.98, and now it's only buying US$0.66.

All prices on my website are in AUS$, so here's a quick (rough) conversion example for you:
My limited edition, signed SushiBird Tiles are AUS$150 each, that equals just US$99, or 78 Euro, or 60 pounds sterling.

There'll never be a better time to buy, so get in now and get some Christmas shopping done. Click here to go to the Red Thread website.

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Inspiration: Poh Ling Yeow

22 October 2008

On Saturday we went to see an exhibition of new work by one of my favourite Australian artists, Poh Ling Yeow. I was going to save this for my 'I *heart* Fridays' post, but I couldn't wait that long to share it with you. I LOVE her work.

I have been following the evolution of Poh's work for a few years now - I love her technique and style, colours and subjects. The paintings are done with acrylics and a very dry brush and as a result there are no hard edges - everything has a soft almost out of focus feel.

Image Source: Poh Ling Yeow

Here is some info from her website: Poh Ling Yeow was born in Malaysia in 1973, spending the first nine years of her life in Kuala Lumpur. Her family then migrated to South Australia where she now lives and works. After completing a Bachelor of Design specialising in illustration at the University of South Australia, Yeow freelanced as a graphic designer and illustrator. She has been painting full-time since the beginning of 2002.
Yeow's works emphatically explore notions of belonging and origin. As a fifth-generation Chinese Malaysian Yeow's paintings are an attempt at reconciling this heritage with her Western identity. Her traditionally-influenced scenic pieces and sometimes whimsical use of Chinese iconography acknowledges the fragmentation of her Chinese cultural experience.

Image Source: Libby Edwards Galleries

The exhibition is on until November 2nd at Libby Edwards Galleries in Sydney. You might see me there as I'll have to go back at least a couple more times! You can get more info on the gallery here and see more of Poh Ling Yeow's paintings from the exhibition here. Click here for Poh's website where there are images of previous work.

Japanese linens and embroidery

21 October 2008

Simple.
Contemporary.
Stunning.
Japanese embroidery.

Simplicity of
line
colour
styling.

There is a lovely Japanese website called Linnet that sells gorgeous linens, ribbons and notions. Their photos are so simply styled and very representative of that contemporary Japanese look: