last day of june . . .

...the city draws it's breath in

i can almost hear it thinking
there are people within my walls
see their wild disorder
driving their machines
swarming like a million bees
i hope there might be one of us
who calls the tune
last day of june
who speaks the truth
last day of june
who breaks the news
last day of june

- neil finn

( from the album finn 1995 )

ink . . . and weekends . . .

last year i received an email from jackie and jay
a lovely couple who kindly asked if they could
have a couple of my poems tattooed on each other
for their anniversary . . .

they said the poems would be tattooed 'as they are printed'
and said they would be the
"perfect finish to the tattooed pictorials
of the loves in our lives, ie: each other and our children"
how could i say no !
well, i met jackie on the weekend at finders keepers
it was like meeting an old friend really . . .
she's such a special soul . . .

above is jackie's arms with

in my hand i had a kingdom

{ and }

in my hand i had yours

and then some of my floating leaves

i have to say,
that these two were moved enough by my words
to have them tattooed,
and for the reason of celebrating their marriage,
has bought me to tears, and astonishment . . .

thank you doesn't seem the right words, i don't know what is really?

jay had the following put on his arm:

dust
art
and
love
all in your back pocket

( both poems are from count me the stars )

and finders keepers
was fabulous
such a wonderfilled weekend,
great skies,
great crowds,
and kind and happy customers,
( who make all the hard work worthwhile )

and more than anything,
the inspiring sarah, brooke, and alischa,
who's hard work make for a seamless and magical event
thank you is exactly the words to say to them !

you girls rock ! ! !

for some fab shots of the weekend click HERE

w o n d e r . . .

r o o m
b o o k
e v e r y w h e r e
( . . . t o d a y )

finders keepers brisbane

next weekend the 26th and 27th june
i will be having a stall at the winter finders keepers markets
here in brisbane

i love being apart of these markets,
and have made sure i've got some new bits and pieces
to share with visitors
(as well as some 'ole favourites)

i have been working on some new bird brooches
with my vintage button patterns
as well as extending the cloud dish range . . .
and re-introducing my flying 3 birds . . .

finders keepers has a great mix of stallholders,
with some interstate designers i've been a fan of
for years having stalls here this time round. . .
as well as a great line up of local designers.

i don't do many markets these days, as my work
has gone in so many directions in the past few years . . .
so to have a chance to be apart of finders keepers
is an opportunity and honour that isn't lost on me
and i cherish it greatly

for all the details on where and when click
HERE

work in progress

there is much going on at paper boat press HQ at the moment

we are well and truly into christmas ornament making
for the year,
which makes the year seem like it is going
even faster than it does already . . .

i am making packs of 5 little magnets ( above )
with my vintage button patterns
that will come in sets of flowers, hearts, and a moon and stars,
for finders keepers
which is less than two weeks away now
( they will be available online soon also )

this years christmas bird is nearly ready to
be revealed . . .

quote tag orders are overflowing and being sent
to lovely stores all over the country

. . . and this year my retail outlets will
have the chance to sell my spotty stars . . .
i have given them a rest for the last two years
in my wholesale range
but after selling out online (at christmas)
and at the couple of markets
i did last year around christmas,
i thought it was time to put them back in the mix . . .

my work on a whole is pared back,
and in a lot of ways relies on a neutral palette, subtle colour accents,
and these, although complementary to the other work
sometimes seemed a little too bold . . .

but the people have spoken,
and when i opened the kiln this morning
they jumped out at me all bright and cheerful

and lets face it, with 6 months from christmas-tree-time
and the slightly freaky workload that awaits,
if they made me feel cheerful this morning
there must be something merry about them . . .

so anyway . . .

i am supposed to be cleaning my house
but, you know . . .
i've been looking through photo's from my recent trip instead . . .

before i left, my dear friend sarah gave me a little
note and a great book as a bon voyage gift

the note (click on image to see wording clearer)
had a word for each day . . .

even though the plan was to be home in time
for the last two days for the
we will see you at and, wilco

it wasn't meant to be . . .

so anyway . . . below (and above) are 30 photos for 30 days of april . . .

i have added a picture of wilco as the last picture
it is the only one of the photos below that i didn't take . . .
i hope you like my happy snaps

berwick church easter saturday

the grounds of charleston

monks house, viriginia woolf's writing room in the back yard

text installation by douglas gordon at the tate
(amazing, and right up my alley)

we caught a show

rodin's garden

i love house in any lanuage

brancusi's studio at the pompidou

le petit atelier de paris

paying homage

laudree (exquisite)

another moon

anthropologie on the kings road, london

my sister's birthday with her london pals

ryantown window


fabulous east end store called handmade interiors
will be back with update of link

oh yeah . . . and wilco

the v & a

when in london i visited the V&A museum
(3 times) and it took my breath away . . .
and it was, more than anything,
the fifth floor that did this : their ceramics collection.

the museum shows such reverence for ceramics
their collection is inspired and educational,
respectful and interactive.

there are collections that span
everything from the ancient history of ceramics
to architectural, to factory, to contemporary ceramics.

what pottery looks like if it is found in ship wrecks,
what pottery looks like when slumped
together when a kiln overheats

needless to say
if you ever get a chance,
and have even a small love of ceramics
this is a place to visit again, and again.

while there, in the contemporary section,
i was thrilled to see (above) a small collection of some of the birds from
clare twomey's installation TROPHY a few years back at the V&A.
i remember reading about the installation in
ceramic journals at the time
and being inspired and impressed
with her ideas about 'collections'
if you are interested you can
see a video HERE and see photos HERE

i have long been a fan of clare's work,
especially the conciousness/conscience installation
where, when walking on to the surface of
7000 hollow cast bone china tiles... they break
(images and info HERE)

as Mark Currah wrote in 2003 of that work:

It is possible to remain outside of the discreet space in which the floor-piece is laid, but immediately you walk into it and the ceramic breaks under your feet, your status is changed and you become a participant, activating the work, and the decisions you make start to affect the physical make-up and appearance of the piece. Twomey's role as maker has undergone a subtle shift. She is now more akin to the position of the composer who sets the parameters of a musical composition down as a score, but gives the business of interpretation over to the players.

The breaking of China is usually a moment for regret, and in the case of a much-used and well-loved domestic item one of great sadness. Twomey though, is excited by the ephemeral nature of her material and takes pleasure in its fragility, giving the breaking of it the same exhilarating possibilities encountered on walking over virgin snow.

i know i am saddened if a piece of my much loved,
and much used,
ceramic collection breaks.

but i do know it is all part of life,
and i treasure that i, and those who i love,
have enjoyed using it, eating off it,
drinking from it . . .

and wouldn't not use it,
for fear of it being lost !

it is just nice to know,
that people think about ceramics on so many levels
and that makers still make it,
collectors still collect it,
when we eat we still use it,
and museums still celebrate it

i still have a few other bits from their collection to share
but that's enough ranting for one day... i'm off to have a cup of tea
in my favourite teacup (this weeks favourite anyway)