Emerald Arts

A new zine

2010-11-08T19:47:00.000-08:00

I've started a whole new book worth of book art, in a Reader's Digest type of compendium book, full of wicked short stories and photo essays, it's a classic in itself. Been changing the pages around and adding things to make it more exciting. Besides being tremendous fun, it counts as Tafe work too, our brief being to use a text as a launching point to create an artwork. Here are the first lot of completed pages, just scanned in flat (no cropping or photoshopping yet).

When I am done with them, I'm going to start the next issue of Book Art (3)

A terminator inspired page. I start by circling words in pencil to make a poem, then add colour (this time with chinagraph pencils which have a wax like consitency mmmm). Then I rifle through my box of papers and magazine bits and find images that fit.

Poem about the apocalypse + Terminator skull = this

A creature from the movie "9"

Same little guy from "9" looking into an abstract line landscape

Snakedog? Dogsnake?

You can find Book Art volume 1 here:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/21423406/book-art-zine

And volume 2 here:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/21423402/book-art-volume-2

Yes... I am still obsessed with watercolours

2010-09-06T21:03:00.000-07:00

and your anatomy. This is what you look like, about four weeks in, like some kind of creepy yet loveable squidgy monster thing. Soon to be made into a series of paintings.... when I have the space to paint in...

My paint box, blind gestural drawing done in class with Fi, then coloured in with the actual colours.

A heart done at the anatomy lab... yes, I went again and it was amazing.

Gestural life drawing drawn with me left hand. I think the boobs are best, very much how they are weighted in life. The face is bloody awful though, a total mess.

Created these two during workshop week, apologies for the terribly dark photo, I'm still learning how to use my camera. They were chosen to hang in the Tafe gallery and I nearly died of the happy.

-Emmeline

Lately....

2010-08-11T02:24:00.000-07:00

So, new resolution in order to get life back on track... well, one of many, is to write in this blog more regularly because I think it is kind of a cool record of things to have and occasionally I take photos that I don't really have a place for. So here they are, bits of life...

We've been going on afternoon excursions in drawing class with our excellent and quite hilarious teacher Mandy. Last week was Stockton, a suburb across the water from Newcastle connected by a giant bridge that looks like a dinosaur (the drive to get there takes twenty minutes) and a ferry (which takes two). It was windy and cold, but the sun was out, and I managed to find a spot sheltered by the wind next to the ferry terminal where I could watch the ships come in.

This is my little setup for painting. Beautiful sister Cas's watercolours that I use every day just about, colours mixed up for the sky, the water, the rocks and the grass. I painted an abstract. Will have to scan it in :)

Since Emerald Arts has closed I have been teaching Fi my watercolour student at various cafes and restaurants around town. This is the view from the back of Customs House one afternoon.

Emerald Arts all cleaned out with nothing left inside.

As I now live pretty much in just a bedroom, I have no room for... well anything much really. I stored what I could at Dad's old warehouse and left everything else out the front for people to take with a little note.

In photography class I have become fascinated with the effect that light can have through the lens of a camera, even one as average as that attached to my phone. Next step is to get a proper camera, but till then I will borrow Dad's and make do with this.

The picture below is a blurry hot mess, but still wierdly I kind of like it. I wasn't sure how my new striped top looked, so I took a shot of it in my flatmates mirror. Kind of liked the way it turned out, although I look a bit too skinny (lost weight due to illness unfortunately, working on getting it back) and my hair has changed now.

Things are ok lately. I like being by myself, when I get to be. I have been slowly adjusting to living with a flatmate (she's a lovely girl, I'm just missing having space and privacy and it is hard to manage a kitchen with a normal wheat eater). Tafe is going well, health is getting back on track and happiness is a daily occurrence not something vaguely remembered. Sometimes I miss having someone to hug and it sucks not having someone that I can confide in, but all in all, I am myself again.

Just started a job working for my father two days a week at Newcastle Yachting, I help with their admin and try to learn enough about the boats so i can help sell them. I'm going to be volunteering for a gallery/museum in town called The Lock Up. This, Tafe and teaching a class means that I will have half a day off a week generally, but I function better when I have a routine and I am excited about life again. It's a really good feeling.

Anyways, I have a bit of a sore throat and a big day tomorrow so I had better go to bed.

Love, Emmeline.

Curious Colony: the best exhibition the NRAG has had EVER!

2010-07-27T01:46:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I went to see the latest exhibition at the Newcastle Region Art Gallery, Curious Colony. The name alone had me snared when I read it in the exhibition guide at the start of the year... you could say I've been waiting a while for this one, and I was not disappointed.

First thing I saw on walking up the stairs was a glittery tackorama by Kate Rhode called "Live Forever No. 3". I couldn't decide whether I loved or hated it. It's like a terrarium, but filled with stuffed birds and a bedazzled sugarglider. I think the irridescent pastel fish around the outside of it swung me over into love. It's hideous, but it has a point... if you can move past the glitter and hot glue to get to it.

The centrepiece of the exhibition was the specially commissioned chest. An ode to the Maquarie chest, a treasure trove of dead creatures and awesome wildlife paintings that we were not allowed to have back because it is too fragile. I could try to explain this, but honestly, it is so cool I think you need to go there yourself to see it. Suffice to say, it is excellent and well worth the hype.

An artwork/sculpture that I really didn't like, sadly I suppose, was "The Native's Chest" by Danie Mellor. It was supposed to be an interpretation of our coat of arms. But it seemed to me a bit slapped together and derivative, a dead kangaroo and emu with a coffin and a few Damien Hurst skulls for good measure. Oh, and some branches spray painted gold. Not a fan. Even it's description seemed a bit cut and paste, which is strange because they are usually excellent at NRAG.

In a back corner of the gallery is a little table with books on it. Was particularly besotted with "Rare and Curious" by Elizabeth Ellis. It catalogues the Maquarie Chest, its beetles and butterflies, birds and corals.... so beautifully presented. I want it. I need it. I really need to get a part time job.

There was also a good selection of paintings by the covict artist Joseph Lycett. He came to Sydney for forgery, forged again and was sent to Newcastle where he somehow made friends with Macquarie and became an artist. His paintings are luminous, so different in real life than in a textbook. He seemed particularly fond of painting tiny little hunters in his work, must find out why.

Such a fascinating exhibition. Many things to look at, please don't let the cultural cringe put you off... if you are that way inclined.

So that's what I think of Curious Colony. It is AWESOME. Twenty eight gold stars. Go see it.

Taronga Zoo

2010-04-22T21:07:00.000-07:00

My sister lives in a suburb of Sydney called Cremorne, which is but a short bus ride away from the ridiculously scenic Taronga Zoo. Had a fantastic day there sketching a couple of weeks ago, thought I would share ;)

It's called a pidgeon, but it's actually the size of a small dog and has a very lacy arrangement of feathers on its.... crown.

Half-bear half cat, a very cuddly looking creature called the Binturong

Gorillas, a Cassowary, Emu, and some sheep called Barbary

A shoddy Wallaby, a turkey, two spotted pigs and an enigmatic Fishing Cat that had lost one of it's leg in an unspecified accident. It gave hella death glares while I was sketching it, but it's eyes were so fierce I couldn't help but draw them.

A fish design my student Fi and I adapted from one of my singlet tops

A goldfish drawn from a photo. Found a very cool new gold pen at the newsagents.

I loved this little guy. He was sitting on a rock right near the glass which made it easy to do a proper study. Most of the sketches were quick because there were so many people around and nowhere to sit, but this had a ledge and no one else around. Happy days :)

Balmoral... also not far from my sister's house. Cool beach.

-Emmeline

Treading water

2010-04-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

I've been doing some healing and soul searching lately (sounds a bit hippie doesn't it). Trying to figure out who I am when I am alone (a lot happier) what I am going to do with my business... etc.

The roof still leaks at Emerald Arts. I have been unable to occupy it since early Feb as it grew a black mould that made me very sick, respiratory illnesses are not cool ya'll.

Everything has been packed up and stored out the back for safety, floor to ceiling, which also means that while safe, I am unable to do any stocktake or find anything.... its all in boxes, so that's really frustrating.

Manon (friend of EA) and my flatmate Em helping me to pull up the damp carpet. We figured, even if I can't be back in the place until the roof is fixed, we can at least take out the main culprit for the horrible damp smell.

A pile of my paintings which are unable to be sold.

Carpet up, next stage is to get a really good dust mask and start painting.

I've relocated my students to the local cafe All Bar One for classes at the moment since I can't hold them instore (I ain't making no kids sick man). It's quite nice actually. The weather has been amazing lately so we're out under the awnings with the breeze, drinking coffee and painting.... pretty darn good feeling right there.

Still doing the markets once a month at the Olive Tree, but I'm wondering if it is tenable. The rent has risen and business has been slow (my own malaise? Less customers? who knows?) so it's getting tough. Going to put in a full effort for the next one, make a whole buttload of stuff and hope I do well enough.

Because the wood around the window was mouldy and the shop looked strange half empty and torn up, a lovely green cover is now holding place until things change (oh cross your fingers for me, I am so dying to have my beautiful studio open again).

Took some time out with my sister Cas down at Balmoral beach last weekend. So beautiful down there, did a lot of sketching.

and speaking of relaxation...
This is my to read pile :P

Ciao.

-Emmeline

Hello there stranger

2010-01-17T19:21:00.001-08:00

Well.... it's been quite a while since I've posted here, so many things have happened, kind of hard to update all at once, but now that things are slightly getting back to normal, here is a list of stuff that happened last year....

-Broke up with Ten (partner of four and a half years, live in for three) and moved in with parents.

- left parent's house due to personal differences

- Finished a year of Tafe passing everything (goodness knows how)

- was homeless for six weeks (or almost, lived in Nige's garage on a futon)

- discovered the joys (snerk) of a diet consisting of mostly rice and whatever I could get my friends to feed me, not so easy when you're a coeliac... and thereby lost a fair bit of weight

- Finally managed to get onto Austudy in late Nov and thereby be able to have somewhere to live again

- Moved in with Em

- finally began paying back debts

Oh I feel I could have such a massive whinge about it all, and it was massively hard and heartbreaking, some friends have been amazing, helpful and understanding... others, not so much.

I feel very much like I have been in a pattern of two steps forward three steps back. For example, I finally came to terms with being by myself again. Had managed to find a place to live, had Emerald Arts looking just as I wanted it.... then last wednesday the damn place floods and I lost most of last year's Tafe work and a whole lot of books. Luckily everything damaged was mine. I have not been taking on much consignment stock because I cannot bear the thought of it being ruined by rain (although I do have contents so that will be covered, that section of the shop is always fine though)... pathetically, what hurt most of all was that I could not run to Ten to cry about it. Oh well.

EA is currently not in a very good state. The back section where I keep all my paintings in progress, drawings and sketchbooks was flooded, still trying to get the carpet dry and it's almost been a week. Have to wear mozzie repellant in the shop because they are breeding in the ceiling and the place smells due to the damp. Have developed a cough... better look into effects of mould on health I think. People walk up to the door, sniff the dampness then walk off, so it's rather hard to make sales.

Trying very hard to be positive, think that things will get better, but it's quite hard when you're truly on your own.

So yeah, Emmeline is still here, if somewhat battered and bruised by a rather rough year last year. Here's to 2010 being far easier and less eventful. I'd be delighted with boring :P

Some pages from my sketchbooks

2009-11-11T02:13:00.000-08:00

In Painting class we are working from what we see around us, in particular flowers and figures. As an adjunct to this I've become fascinated with Botannical illustration. I love the detail. This is my first try... but I will do many more I think.

A terrace house in Carrington, around the corner from my teacher Dallas's studio. Still needs some work I think, shading particularly to give it depth. Might go back there in the holidays and finish it orf i think.

Check out the work of Dallas Bray, painting teacher extroadinaire:

http://www.damienmintongallery.com.au/artists/dallas-bray/

Our second Sculpture project was to make a mobile or stabile inspired by the artist Alexander Calder. I really like his stuff, it's quite whimsical, has a really good sense of fun.

http://www.calder.org/

Last friday they gave us a big block of styrofoam and told us to design something then have at it. Sketched out a few ideas, ended up going with the avocado even though it was probably the most challenging. Took quite a bit of work cutting the seed out from the avocado... could probably have done it separately but I like a challenge. Covered it in plaster, then next week we'll put some kind of finish on it.

Egon Schiele is one of my life drawing teacher's favourite artists, and judging from his work, it's very easy to see why. These warm up sketches were not really an attempt to get into his style, they were actually from the week before, but I like to write my notes around drawings these days.... thinking of making a zine out of pages from my sketchbook.

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/S/schiele.html

http://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~svb/Schiele/

This is the mega talented Cherie's work:

http://www.cherielidbury.com/

Seriously, my teacher's are just insanely talented. I can't tell you how much bigger it makes my brain feel to be studying at Tafe, so many new ideas flowing in. I'm only a little bit sad that I can't spend more time there, but hopefully after I finish this course I can take something up full time.

-Emmeline

Fat as Butter 2009

2009-10-29T16:11:00.000-07:00

You know something blogger? I think it's time for a bit of time out, given recent dramas.... so here are a few photos from a massive concert I went to last week end called Fat As Butter. My awesome buddy Methody got me a ticket VIP BABY and we had the most amazing day......

Standing by the side of my favourite stage for the day. Excellent photo, thanks to Methody's knowledge of camera angles ;)

As you can see, the weather was rather damp. This bright spark decided before leaving (when it was muggy) that I probably wouldn't need a jacket... so I got completely soaked. As did everyone else though really :P

This is Methody. Witness the glee with which she greets the rain.

The Cassette Kids

Eventually, after I had apparently turned blue, a kind gentleman with very big muscly arms gave me his poncho. Saved my day.

Peace :)

Some guys from some very awesome acts.... I'll have to ask Methody their names though and then come back and name them for you. Pretty sure the guy on the right is called The Tongue though.... no, I don't know why

The sun will come out... tomorrow....

2009-10-18T19:43:00.000-07:00

Beautiful weather today. Technically it's my day orf, but in my usual fashion I'm doing paperwork and getting the washing done. I've been sick the last few days, took a couple of days off work towards the end of the week because I couldn't see straight enough to drive. Allergies turned to bronchitus and grossness. Vacuumed the hell out of the garageyroom and dusted down as many of the boxes as possible, going to ask the boys if I can move the dryer somewhere though, perhaps to the other end of the room. It's pretty dusty in there and the dryer just kind of stirs it around.

Spent Saturday and Sunday at Emerald Arts, hoping for lots of sales but both were very slow days. Had a lot of interesting chats with tourists (we had a giant cruise liner come into the harbour) though so that was pretty neat ;)

Enough of that though, lets talk Renew Newcastle. I said in my last post that I was at the end of my rope, and I was, but I've come to realise that I love Emerald Arts (and Newcastle) and I will cling to that baby like a limpet to a rock... if I can.
Lately, a few of the other Renewers have had their leases terminated due to commercial interest. Which means basically that they have a month to move out from their current space and Renew will try to replace them somewhere else... but we are out of spaces so I'm not sure how that is going to happen.

I'm hoping that the leaky windows, paint spattered carpet and murals on the walls will save Emerald Arts from extinction... but given that I am behind on my rent and that my studio is in an excellent spot... right across from David Jones... I am very very worried.

So what would losing Emerald Arts mean to me? Besides losing a space to teach my students in, somewhere to paint, somewhere to communicate? It would mean the loss of excellent storage (which is important since I am currently kind of homeless). It would mean that I would lose access to the general public, something I have come to value greatly for advice while creating artworks. It would mean that some goals had been achieved... the city centre has been revitalised to a point where shop holders are willing to come back, that the city is seen as a viable place for commerce... my little bit of it would be gone.

Is Renew Newcastle a sucess though... for me personally? I don't know. I'm having a whole lot of trouble making a living... but that could be because I am trying to go to Tafe as well as run a studio/shop. Factors such as lack of stock (choice for customers) and no advertising may also contribute. I was making serious inroads while living at Mum and Dad's... because i was saving money that could therefore be used on stock creation and advertising... but being kicked out has put me back on that front a very long way.

Sigh, I don't know. I'm going to try not to stress about it, que sera sera. Emerald Arts is my heart, there is so much of me in the place... but I guess it's only a shop and I knew full well when I entered into the contract that losing the place sooner rather than later was a distinct possibility.

Gah.

Sorry for being such a mopey moose blogger.

Think I'll go for a walk, that always cheers me up.

-Emmeline

Minding Your Mouth in a Public Forum: or why Em is an idiot

2009-10-14T23:04:00.000-07:00

The saga continues, I've moved again from living with my parents back in my old bedroom to staying on a futon in the garage of my best friend forever Nifty Nige. Things had been going ok there and I was hoping to stay and save some money until moving in with my friend Emma in November, but that was not to be.

Long story shorter, a cousin of Mum's who had friended me on facebook read a status update on there that I had made in jest and immediately called my parents to find out what was going on.

Mum had a bee in her bonnet about some pillowcases I had borrowed and not returned, I got sick of explaining that she would get them back when I managed to get all my stuff back and had time to go through the hundred or so boxes. Right here I'll admit that I am pretty terrible at looking after things and the move was messy, it's entirely possible that they are lost forever.

Mum and Dad were not particularly fond of Ten, my partner, and seemed to expect me to get over the breakup more or less straightaway. It's only been a couple of months and I am still pretty shattered. I find it extremely painful to talk about him, Mum kept talking about him and his faults. So I pretended that it was because she had been bitten by a spider and was feeling so awful that she didn't understand how painful a breakup can be and kept rubbing salt in the wound by constantly bringing him up.

It frustrated me and I vented on facebook, honestly thinking nothing of it. My comments were never meant to be hurtful, but they resulted in Mum and Dad kicking me out at a time in my life when I very greatly need their help. I got home late at night to a quite horrid confrontation and was told that I was no longer welcome to stay with them. Oh I know, I'm a grownup and I should be looking after myself, but sometimes in life (particularly when you have a chronic illness) you need looking after.

I guess it's a lesson in how carefully words need to be guarded in a public forum.
What was for me a vent, was for my Mum extremely hurtful. What was no doubt genuine concern on the part of a relative, lead to homelessness and separation from my family. Sure, my parents may have overreacted but I can definitely understand where they are coming from.

So for now, I'm living day to day. Most of my money is going on petrol because Nige's house is a fair way out from town, gawd knows what I will do if my car fails. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping like hell that my centrelink application for Austudy is succesful, otherwise I don't know what I'm going to do. Either Tafe or EA will have to go, given how much I have lost already it's a pretty horrifying prospect.

I'll keep updating this blog as I can, hopefully in a month I will have somewhere steady to live and a computer/scanner to use.

Is Emerald Arts worth it? Sure the place looks great, but it's a continuous uphill struggle and with no support and next to no customers (they've been digging up the street outside for the last three weeks, the construction noise and roping off cuts me off from them). How do I know if I am a good enough artist to justify all this other crap that my obsession with the place has caused.

I'm at the end of my rope.

New video

2009-10-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

The ABC show "Stateline" recently ran a feature on Renew Newcastle, serves as a bit of an update on what has been happening and the effect that the project has had on the city centre.

If you look carefully, you'll see a very brief flash of your's truly and Emerald arts ;) WOOHOO!

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=172855673242&ref=mf

Feedback is tops.

2009-10-07T03:02:00.001-07:00

There is a new poll on Facebook from the Renew Newcastle founder Marcus Westbury:

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=50532040184&topic=12730

Thought this might be an interesting discussion starter. Now that we have nearly 40 projects that Renew Newcastle has done so far, what do you think has worked best and why? I'd love to hear people's thoughts and feedback. We're curious about how what we've done is being perceived and what people have most enjoyed.If you want to look at a list of projects thus far, check out our project page: http://www.renewnewcastle.org/projectsDifferent opinions are good, but be nice to everyone!

So.... not to be a pest, but if you, Dear Reader, have had a fun/awesome/rockin good time at Emerald Arts and want the world to know about it, take a look and post a comment.

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=50532040184&topic=12730

Eternally in your debt,

Emmeline.

You like to party? How about an Art Party?

2009-09-28T00:08:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends of Emerald Arts.... DO YOU LIKE TO PARTY?

How about an Art Party? This Friday evening Renew Newcastle will launch its series of twilight events in the City – First Friday. On the First Friday of the month in October, November and December the Renew Newcastle art and creative projects will host a collection of special events in the early evening 5 – 8pm. At Emerald Arts we're having an Art Party... details below... love to see you there.

Date: 2.10.09
Time: 5pm-8pm
Project: Emerald Arts
Location: Shop 2, 196 Hunter Street, Newcastle

Event: The Art Party
Description: Come celebrate the awesomeness of art and play some party games, including pin the badge on the Widget and Pass the Parcel. There will be drawing competitions and delicious snacks.

Emmeline.

Dusty McDust Dust

2009-09-24T05:31:00.000-07:00

Crazy amounts of dust over my part of the world lately.

Makes me:

a) sneeze a lot

b) laugh at climate change sceptics

c) laugh again because climate change sceptics are not generally Skeptics.

Found an article which counts Renew Newcastle as among one of the reasons why Newcastle is starting to undergo a mini-development boom (you can count my Dad as another).

http://www.theherald.com.au/news/local/news/general/newcastles-east-end-gets-set-for-development-boom/1627550.aspx?page=3

Couldn't help from putting in my own two cents worth, even though they don't make two centses any more and no one had commented for days....

Hello :) I'm Emmeline from Emerald Arts, one of the Renew Newcastle projects.

My studio was one of the first spaces to open, and in the eight or so months since I have heard every argument in the sun for and against the rail line.

Sick of hearing about it to be honest.

News of new apartment blocks on the other hand is very interesting. From a retail perspective, they and the mall being open to traffic are very positive signs. More people living in our city means that those people might want some food to eat, somewhere to chill after work, some art to hang on their walls. I think that this article is projecting a little.

Renew Newcastle has been working darn hard to bring life to the city, however, we're not quite there yet. After all.... there is only so much that a bunch of artists and a mastermind like Marcus Westbury can achieve without help from developers like GPT and a suddenly much more helpful council (thanks for the free parking on Saturdays guys, you rock ;)

We're aiming high, to bring a pretty shabby city centre back to awesome again, but I definitely think we're getting there, but there's still a lot of hard work to go

Shifty behaviour

2009-09-20T22:48:00.000-07:00

Man, it has been one crazy week.

No photos this post.... because someone came in, complimented me on my artworks, then stole my phone right off my desk. Can't afford to get a new one for a while, so it might just be writing and links to stuff I like for a while.

Such a shame because I had a mega spring clean and decoration binge and Emerald Arts is looking AWESOME!

I'm just going to have to learn to pack my things away better I guess, or keep phone in pocket if waiting for a call.

Adjusting to life post-Ten ok. It's hard in some ways because I lost our mutual friends at the same time (they haven't contacted me since it happened and I haven't had the guts to contact them and be barred). Hurts to hear that they're having parties that I'm not invited to, but I guess I'm not surprised.

Have to say though, it's forced me to do things I wouldn't usually do (attend art openings alone, make speeches in front of lots of people). I'm reconnecting with people I rarely got to see while we were dating and making new friends. Last saturday night Joe and I went to club G (local gay club... so much fun) and danced on the stage. The music is excellent there, so nice to be able to dance without getting my bum pinched too. One boy was even nice enough to tell me I look like Katy Perry. Sure he was pretty drunk, but I'll take that, thanks ;)

Also, I kind of really like having a whole double bed to myself. STARFISH!

In other news, my brother Lachy tore a ligament in his knee by crashing the quad bike he was driving into a mate. He's on crutches at the moment, having the day off school. Mum's blind furious with his soccer coach for organising a day where 17yr olds are allowed on such dangerous machines. I'm just miffed that I didn't get a go :P

Speaking of Mum, she got bitten by a white tail spider... horrid and dangerous little buggers. I won't link you to pictures, but the results can be very VERY nasty. Luckily for once she listened when I told her that she should REALLY go see a doctor, so she's going to be blotchy and sick for a couple more weeks, but she'll be ok after that.

Hmmms... what time is it? Think I'll go work on my Figure in Landscape project. I'd show you photos.... but yeah LOL

-Emmeline

Spring cleaning and playing shops still

2009-09-07T04:22:00.000-07:00

Tree mural with some more leaves on it

Oh how I wish I still had photoshop to play around with, I do miss it so.

Much as I love the red silk sheet I have been using as a tablecloth since the studio opened, I thought it was about time I tried something new, so I bought some el cheapo ones from SoLo Prices and cut them to size ;)

They also had a whole lot of pretend flowers, so I have been weaving them into my displays too

and making some large watercolours to give a bit of colour and life to le Emerald Arts

Mannequin hug?

Einstein is going to write witty things on my chalkboard

Someone scratched nice things into my tree mural already... which cheered me up after another someone stole my ipod. Well.... whadaryagunnodo?

-Emmeline

First week of September

2009-09-06T18:25:00.000-07:00

In the midst of spring cleaning Emerald Arts, giving it a makeover.

Throwing myself into art seems to be (so far) an excellent way of coping with the fact that within the space of a few months I lost my home, my dog and my boyfriend.

That said though, it's really lovely living back home with my family. I tried to keep things civil with Ten, kept the lines of communication open... but then I got sick of hearing a lot of self justifications for mean behavior... rather than maybe an apology or some kind of sign that he's sad we broke up... so I'm trying to take a break from talking to or hearing anything about Ten. People still tell me that he's out partying all weekend, friends and sister, but I've taken his number from my phone so I don't text him pathetically and have minimised his updates on facebook.

I'm getting back to happy and realising that sometimes people don't live up to the ideal we have built up of them. Sometimes boys do not act like gentlemen. Sometimes dreamers wake up and make a change for the better.

I got jealous of all the nifty Sandwish boards that the other shops had and made my own version on the back of a For Lease sign.
So cute, this little customer bought the English Bunny Jane at the Olive Tree Markets on Saturday and tied her to the front of her scooter.

I've been drawing a tree mural on my front window for spring..... because I can.

This is Ross and Kate's new baby Ella. She's adorable, perfect little puppy. Makes me dream of having my own little labrador that could hang out at Emerald Arts and keep me company. Mum says no. But I still want one.

Puppy Plinth

Cas said that she couldn't help thinking of Eddie while holiding Ella. Neither could I.

-Emmeline

Look Hear: Architecture and Design talks

2009-08-31T02:57:00.000-07:00

This wednesday I'm giving a talk bout Emerald Arts and the design principles behind it....

So far I have gone through all my photos.... thousands and thousands, and pulled out all relevant then sorted into folders, next to put them into a powerpoint demonstration, then write the speech.... better stop procrastinating then....

Is it wrong that I'm kind of chuffed the used my new haircut vanity shot for the website?

http://www.lookheartalk.org/speakers.html

Back again....

2009-08-30T00:53:00.000-07:00

Well, once again it's been awhile, but sometimes real life gets in the way of blogging, so please excuse my absence dear reader. I think I mentioned before that I have moved back in with Mum and Dad, which is just wonderful (both of them and for me). Broke up with Ten for good after finding out a few things and having a good hard think. Now I have my own bedroom back, my studio and Tafe are just down the road and people are happy to see me when I get home so everything is win.

I'm submersed in a world of Art, living, sleeping and breathing it. Here's a few shots to catch you up....

Mum came home with poppies one day so I painted them for her

My tribute to Monet, painted last weekend. Was going be for sale but when I hung it on the wall I realised that the damn thing was wonky, one side longer than the other. That will learn me for being lazy and buying a cheap Chinese one instead of making my own.

Found a Cherry Blossom tree when I was on a sketching things walk. Tore myself off a branch for the studio then spent the day playing around at drawing and painting them. Had my students do the same.

Been making wrapping paper by splodging watercolour paint onto A2 sized cartridge. V. fun.

Some of my stolen blossoms on display in the Emerald Arts shop window. Wasn't until I took this photo that I realised that the silver spinning thing next to it has cherry blossoms on it too.

Sketch made in life drawing. This lady is my favourite model. She's so gorgeous and always looks very tranquil. A dream to draw too, curves are way easier than angles. For once I listened to Cherie and drew really lightly, amazed by how much it helped. Still not finished, but quite like it.

In Sculpture class we are building Toas, which were markers used by certain Aborigional tribes. I'll let Wikipedia illuminate you further: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toas

I'm making mine to look like a bird, even though that's not quite in the spirit. They're supposed to be simplistic, but I want mine to be fancy. Will probably lose me marks, but for once I don't care because I can just picture how it will look and it makes me giggle.

Here are my anatomy drawings up on the wall in the upstairs gallery at Art School. I'm that proud of myself I can't tell you. First real exhibition *dances*

Le Windpipe

Oil paint crayons on black paper. Not so fond of this one, was really hard to make it distinct because they are not exactly a precise tool....

Braiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnssss

Am orf to (finally) write the speech I'll be giving on Wednesday night. It's about the design principles behind Emerald Arts....

Ciao ;)

-Emmeline

Anatomy Day

2009-08-13T02:00:00.000-07:00

Today I had the very great privledge of visiting the Anatomy Laboratory at the Uni as part of our School's workshop week. We were shown around the room, then set to work on watercolour paintings of the museum specimens and human subjects. Before I go on, these are photos not scans because I don't have a scanner at the moment, so they don't quite do their subjects justice.... but hopefully they'll give you some idea of how intricate and amazing the experience was.

Hat's off to all who donate their bodies to science. The medical profession and artists worldwide salute you.

This is the Circle of Willis. Someone had painstakingly removed all of the blood vessels that supply the brain and suspended them for study. They're incredibly delicate. Everyone thought that they looked like a rather lovely tree. Cherie brought along black paper (along with magnificent watercolour paper and paints) for us to play with. There was a gorgeous white ink there, which turned out to be rather shiny. It's not my most complicated drawing, but it's my favourite from the day.

This is the piece that I worked the most on, spent about four hours probably. Lots and lots of washes.

I'm starting to really love watercolour. Thinking it might just be my thing..... or one of them anyway. I love the way you can layer them.

This subject died of a brain embolism. You can see it as the black that surrounds (compresses) his brain, scary to look at, but also very beautiful.

A heart, or section thereof. This photo is close to the actual colours, but then I changed the settings....

and it became like this.... I really need to get a scanner.... haha i already said that didn't I :P

A lung. Don't smoke kids..... *cough*

So that was Anatomy Day. I loved it so much that I'm going again tomorrow instead of to the Sydney Gallery crawl. I have the itinerary anyways, so I'll just go later with Cas and Mum, spread it out over a weekend instead of a day.... all civilised like,

Better get to bed, it's hella late and I have a big day tomorrow.... and tomorrow night is the opening of the Margaret Olley exhibition at the NRAG OMGYAY!

-Emmeline

Hairdressers are better than counsellors

2009-08-02T23:25:00.000-07:00

Just got back from having my haircut. It's gone from long and straggly almost to my waist, to just below my shoulders. I look less like a twelve year old and more like a lady :P

This photo was sent to me by a lovely visitor to Emerald Arts called Eliza. She's trying for a baby and this is her physical manifestation of that hope. The pose that the mannequin is so beautiful, says everything that needs to be said really. Best of luck to you Eliza ;)

My Adult watercolour class students, Lindsay and Rachael. Had a lovely afternoon, pottering around with paints. They painted some translucent bluey green leaves on my tree mural.

In painting class on Friday we had a live model from whom we had to do a face study. This is my partially finished version.

This is my teacher Dallas' demonstration. Watching him paint was like going to a magic show. Yet another reason why I am beside myself to be studing at Newcastle Art School. You can see more of his work here:

http://www.damienmintongallery.com.au/artists/dallas-bray/

My stall at the Olive Tree Markets last saturday. They're held in the grounds of a local primary school, full of beautiful arts and crafts. Only on once a month, but Saturday is usually a pretty quiet day in the mall and I do so well there that it is well worth relocating the shop for the day. The only creatures left at the end were the dark blue velveteen (Bob the Accountant), Josephine and Christopher the Cuddle Creature. I needs to get sewing.

The beautiful watercolour cards that Cas made for me. I sold the one on the top. She was very excited.

Wondered all day why no one was buying the wrapping paper.... did I price it too high? Was it not pretty enough? Turns out I just accidentally hid the price sign, which may have had something to do with it ;)

I heart flowers.

Found this amazing glass sculpture in David Jones. It's by Georg Jenson, who I had only ever heard of making watches. If I only had $950. It is THAT cool.

Cas's birthday presents all wrapped and ready to post. It was her birthday on Saturday, but I was at the markets and then had an earache so I thought I had better not drive to Sydney. Still, hopefully the novelty of getting mail and presents will put me back in the good books ;)

This is Buddy, who is waiting in his transitional vase to be moved in with my brother's fish. I've had him since I first moved out of home about five years ago. He is so awesome. Really expressive.

Yes, I know, he is just a fish. But he is SO MUCH more than that. Buddy rocks. His best friend, a little black moor called Emo, died last week.

Feeling more like myself being in my old room, surrounded by family. Things had been difficult living where I was. Now I feel like I can breathe and get my head right.

-Emmeline

Just a quick one

2009-07-28T01:27:00.001-07:00

To let everyone know that I haven't fallen off the edge of the earth but I have been away from the interwebs lately. The weekend before last crumbs somehow got from the bottom of my glass into my cereal and I was glutened again, had to use my epipen. It's a long story that I'll elaborate on later, but Ten is going to stay here while I go live with my parents for a while and try to get the business to a stage where I can pay my half of the rent and we can get a place of my own.

Money troubles have been a giant strain on Ten and I so this is sort of a trial separation. We're hoping that a bit of a break will enable us to see that we really do care about each other and want to live together again. But for now I can't live in a place where I'm not safe. Him having to pay for everything was creating resentment and stress, me not being able to pull my own weight was making me feel worthless and being in a place that was not our own was definitely not helping matters.

So away I go, to work hard and move back in with the parents. Great way to start my 30th year :P

-Emmeline

Em's Day of Cranky

2009-07-16T23:54:00.000-07:00

Today started quite beautifully, snapped this rainbow on the drive into work.

Made some wrapping paper by splattering A2 paper with watercolour paint. So much fun to make, hopefully I price it right and people buy it so I have an excuse to make more.

Went to put the new decorations that I had made for the Winter display in the window and discovered that it had leaked again, guess the plumber didn't fix the leak after all. That or the neverending awning revamp at the Newcastle Permanent has disturbed my building somehow.

Aurgh. Poor bonsai tree, I don't think it's going to survive it's third soaking. Tried to dry it but the paper started to ball up, so I just left it to dry by itself. Really hope it's ok, but prob. not.

I have no idea why this picture has just turned itself sideways, but I'll try to sort it out.

This is my friend Nick's little patch of Renew Newcastle, "Upcycling". These are some of his repurposed Skateboards. If you look along the bottom of the windows in the moss he's growing there you'll see two little action figures fighting. Win!

Nick's Mum is an artist, these are some of her handmade cards. Violets. Gorgeous.
Back at Emerald Arts... My new winter sculpture thing. Made using a parasol found at the Asian Grocery and gift wrap from the lovely Kim.

Playing paint splatters with student Maryanne. We painted masking fluid onto canvas then splattered over the top of it and waited for it to dry.

Had a momentary heart attack, thinking that Maryanne had cut herself, but it turned out she had just splattered her hand with red paint. Phew.

Maryanne's flower painting. Turned out really well and was such a fun exercise. Modified the lesson from a class I took at Hamilton Island. Can't wait to try it out at the grownups watercolour class next Wenesday and see how they take to it.

A customer kindly let me take a photo of her very awesome pipecleaner rings. Not a bad idea for the students actually....

Right, orf to get drunk and forget about the poor sodden shopfront....

-Emmeline

A new student and a Bonsai

2009-07-16T01:08:00.000-07:00

Had such a great day at the studio today. It was miserable and blustery outside, so I cranked up my little heater and turned all the lights on, the place must have looked cosy cos I had a lot more visitors than normal...

This is Monique, my new student, making splashy watercolour paintings which is SO MUCH FUN seriously. Here's hoping Rosie doesn't have too much trouble adjusting to having someone else in her tuesday class... she seems to like that it has been just her and I so far, said she didn't want any other students... but I'm sure she'll come around.

My lunch. Ten bought me a new salt, chicken flavoured, to add to soups. The lid fell off and half the salt plus the lid went right in. Needless to say I had noodles instead.

I heart holidays. Finally got the time (and resources) to make a custom bonsai for Angelic. I've had the cranes folded, she's been waiting for ages, but it's a pretty lengthy process making the things. Going to have to remember to take a deposit on orders from now on so I can buy supplies to make stuff.

Twisting the wires onto a pencil for shape.

The (almost) finished tree. Now I just need some moss to make it look a bit more natural and a small figurine to put in the base like the original.... which has a Jesus that Lachy found. Such a good feeling to have made it. Been bugging me not to have finished it.

About four this afternoon a couple of girls from my brother's school dropped by (different year though), we got to talking about their art projects and how it can be hard sometimes to just "make art" without it feeling forced. So I showed them how I've been making watercolours lately, by spritzing the page with water then watching the colours spread into the grain of the paper. They had a play while I worked on the bonsai, was lovely to have people to chat to at that time of the afternoon. I like the thought that they felt comfortable enough at Emerald Arts to hang out too, because that's kind of how I see the place, somewhere to chill, create, stuff like that.

Off to trivia at the Pub with Tenski, Steeeve and Matty. Here's hoping my brain will get out of holiday mode enough to be of use hehe.

-Emmeline

Epic Picture Post... catch up

2009-07-15T03:34:00.000-07:00

Creating the Winter Window.So far I have ripped up a pillow and shoved the innards down the side of the window. I'm making a lake and some trees as well as some silver cranes. I'm not sure what else yet :P

My Landscape assesment is finally MINE ALL MINE!!!!

Red painting test for Mum. I added some inteference today, which refracts the light and alters the paint it is put over. This one has an orange tinge.

The Guest Wall.Repaired the purple painting that was damaged going to and/or from the Markets. Put my prints from Digital class up on the wall too, starting to look rather well stocked.

another angle of the Guest Wall. Thanks for the gorgeous prints Flossy-P. I heart you.

The small table I yoinked from Mum and Dad with stuff on it including roses that Ten's grandma made, Joe's metal sculpture and stuff, more stuff.

A few of the new prints. I heart Photoshop now. Just so ya'll know.

Watercolour tests, was preparing for the adult class today.

The new Artist Trading Card table.There's blank cards, textas, glue, pens, stamps, all sorts of crazy. 50 cents lets you make one and swap it with one someone else has made.

The back wall is coming along. Need to make some red curtains to go behind the puppets... more cushions for the Toy Bed too I think.

The Bookshelf. Where I keep all my trinkets and art supplies.

Cas made me some new cards to sell. They're the very colourful ones. I heart them.

Right than, orf to drum up business for the holiday classes.... somehow.

-Emmeline

Meet Pig and Wuru

2009-07-06T02:56:00.000-07:00

I cannot tell you how beside myself I was to finally see a dugong in real life... I have been obsessed with them since I was very little. These two are called Pig and Wuru, they live at the Sydney Aquarium and they are the most beautiful creatures in existence.

Commentary provided by yours truly and a pair of American tourists.

-Emmeline

A bit late, but RIP Michael Jackson

2009-07-05T22:35:00.000-07:00

Like millions of kids the world over I spent most of my childhood studying Michael Jackson's dance moves and making up routines of my own to his songs with Cas.

I love him and his music, the world has lost a beautiful person and performer. Hopefully now people will stop talking about how he bleached his skin to be white (not true, he had Vitiglio), that he was a paedophile (yeah right) and a wacko. He was not.

Whatever people might say or feel about Michael Jackson, the beauty and joy of his music will be what endures, not the rest of the rubbish.

Rest in Peace Michael, I hope they let your family bury you in Neverland.

-Emmeline

Ps. I apologise that since we heard the news my family can't stop saying "Poor little Prince Michael the second aka. Blanket" because we find it as amusing as Heavenly Hirani Tiger Lily. We laugh so we don't cry. Honest.

You wanna be on tv?

2009-07-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

Very exciting news, Renew Newcastle was just featured (yesterday) on the ABC program Sunday Arts... yours truly and Emerald Arts included.

For all my nervousness in front of a camera I didn't come off too badly at all, even if my voice is a lot lower than I thought it was.... saucy.

You can read about our episode here:

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/sundayarts/txt/s2615102.htm

and watch it by going to the iTunes podcast section and searching for the most recent episode of Sunday Arts.

Can't stay and chat, off to drum up business for the holiday Art Classes I'll be running.

-Emmeline

It's Holidays... but I can't stop myself from painting :P

2009-06-30T00:59:00.000-07:00

Blew up the picture that Mumoir wanted me to paint from so I could see it a bit better, tested the new paint colours underneath so I could get a look at them. Bit hard to tell from this, but the gold we bought is just AMAZING! So shiny, couldn't wait to try it out. Completely in love with the Vermilion too, v. pretty.

Prepared a canvas board that I found at a cheap shop down the road for $2.50.... bargain! With a tube of Red found at same shop. Mixed a little bit of orange in to give it depth, then left that to dry while I set to work with the gold on a purple base I prepared earlier...

Started by squidging out a line of gold then smoothed it in and scraped it off with a broken old ruler I had been saving because I knew I would totally need it one day (not because I am a compulsive hoarder).

Created quite an interesting effect. The gold in the newspaper photo is heavily applied, quite possibly used as the base, but I like things a bit more contrasty, so for these tests I wanted to start with the colour first before laying on a few coats of gold. Going to do three or four of these layers and see what sort of depth I can get out of that. Will keep you posted.

Then I took a self-portrait, MySpace style, feeling like a complete dork whilst doing so, but I wanted to show off my new haircut. It's all part of my new marketing plan. Look polished, have hair and nails done, wear paint splattered apron and somehow look like a Bohemian yet put together artiste.

We'll see how long that lasts :p

Then we have Rosie, who is my sole student at the moment. She has been with me all term and she is an absolute sweetheart (when she wants to be... as most kids are really). Rather than spending all my dosh on advertising and trying to get a whole lot of students all at once, I've focused on learning how to be a good teacher to one student. You wouldn't believe how much she has taught me! I've learnt that kids will not always want to do the activities that we have so carefully planned out for them. Kids will have trouble using scissors. They will get glue and paint everywhere and should always wear an apron. They will have chirpy days where they want to do a thousand things at once, and they will have quiet days when they just want to draw stuff and that is all.

Rosie is hysterically funny, very good at picking colours and quite the little artist. I hope she is my student for a very long time.

Sculpture and shopping with Mumoir

2009-06-29T00:29:00.000-07:00

Sculpture assesment was on last Friday, these are my submissions, featuring "Rex" the wooden fish with kissing lips, a rather featureless head that was made the day Eddie died thus never finished and a skull that from this angle looks rather happy... good for him ;)

On Saturday I was rather hungover whilst in at Emerald Arts, so I wandered up to GoLo to see what gluten free sugary delights they had for me there. I found this apple flavoured killer python for $1.49 and was absolutely beside myself. Excitement dimmed somewhat upon eating, there wasn't much flavour there, but it was still pretty great.

Mum and I had a lovely art afternoon today, bought supplies from Eckersley's and had coffee and tiny cakes at Lime.

I'm going to paint a couple of pieces for mum, as well as a Life Drawing for Richard at the office. So I'm going to use the oil sticks for that. Mum liked the paintings that appear behind the guy in the news article, so will get Dallas to help me figure out how to create the same effect.

Ooohhh *shivers* I love trying out new techniques. So glad it is holiday (from Tafe) time so I can work on Emerald Arts and creating the commissions I suddenly have Oh Hurrah!

Am Orf to have baked dinner at West's and watch Top Gear at Benny's.

*MWAH*

-Emmeline

In my family we don't smack for accidents

2009-06-25T04:05:00.000-07:00

Took the big yellow canvas outside so that a coat of varnish could dry... wasn't counting on the wind that a painting that big can pick up behind it on a suddenly blustery winter's day

It fell down onto a chair and ripped twice

so I sewed it up with embroidery thread, and now I kind of like it even more

Today in Life Drawing we each picked our six favourite drawings from the semester then pinned them on the wall. Then we had a chat and said what we liked about each other's work. V. positive and lovely.

My six favourites, clockwise from top left.

A cross-hatch study

tonal study of plaster casts

sepia ink wet on wet technique

ripped paper 3 tone portrait of Scott

painted ink lady

Oil stick study of marble bust

I think I need to work on the neck and the cheek a little, but pretty good for a first try

Two very colourful giraffes being installed in the front lobby. I can't tell you how much I love them. They are so beautiful. I was a bit late to class because I couldn't leave them this morning.

He wants to live in my backyard and be my friend.

Always late but worth the wait, Joe putting up his drawings ;)

New Arrivals from Flossy-P at Emerald Arts

2009-06-22T00:36:00.000-07:00

Last week saw the arrival of an envelope full of wonders from Flossy... Three firm favourites (as chosen by helpful customers) in the front window

Prints and gift tags along the Guest wall

Gift cards on the new wooden table yoinked from Mum and Dad's garage.... they didn't mind, honest ;)

Beautiful tribal lady bids you adieu as I stop procrastinating and finish my digital assignment.... no really ;)

Handing in the Paintings Day

2009-06-19T03:09:00.000-07:00

Today I handed in all of my paintings and accompanying sketchbooks for marking, then Joe and I went to EA where I was interviewed by the lovely Fenella Kernebone from Sunday Arts. That show (and most excellent podcast) is featuring Renew Newcastle, so Fenella and crew were shooting footage of the spaces and chatting with their occupants.

Have to admit that I was completely terrified of the prospect that being in front of a camera afforded. I failed Drama in year 11 for goodnesssakes, I'm a ghost at parties, disappearing as soon as one emerges. It's not that I fear it will capture a part of my soul or anything, more that I will have to maintain the one pose for more than a millisecond, that just feels wierd. Everybody knows I suck at standing still.

Never fear however, I didn't pass out or freak out or do anything silly. Fenella kept me at ease with excellent conversation and Joe was there too. Things went well (I think).

It seemed it only took a minute to do the whole interview... and wierdly the words coming out of my mouth were not gibberish but how I feel about Renew, Emerald Arts and my beloved Newcastle.

It's so exciting to be a part of something like this, I really hope I convey that enough. Newcastle is My City. I grew up here, my family built a great deal of it and I have longed for something like the Renew Newcastle project to work is magic on our struggling city centre for a very long time. I didn't dream that I would be a part of it.

I'm very lucky.

New Abstract in Yellow

2009-06-10T01:05:00.000-07:00

Since Dallas refused to let me do anything else to my red abstract (or rather strongly suggested that I leave it) we decided that I may as well make a MASSIF one. So on Saturday, which also happened to be the day before my crazy awesome birthday, I found a patch of sun and started on the undercoat.

Looks kind of hideous right? Not to worry, that's only the underneath layer, so that when I paint over and scrape back some contrasting colours come through.

Today's effort. The Mall was absolutely freezing and devoid of customers, so I cranked the music and had a dance around to warm up, then got to work with the yellow.
Looking pretty spiffy so far. Now all I have to do is get my hands on some more paint... totally ran out.

Abstract piece for art school

2009-06-04T23:14:00.000-07:00

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desire,

I hold with those who favour fire.

- Robert Frost

Edina Bear Rug Stronach

2009-05-30T01:40:00.001-07:00

Rest in Peace Eddie.

You were the most beautiful friend and family member. We will miss you dearly.

Love Em, Cas, Lachy, Mum and Dad.

Eddie at Emerald Arts

Investigationing at King Edward Park with Em and Ten.

Christmas with Cas, Mum and Lachy.

She found the blow-up Santa Suit fascinating

So beautiful.

Creature Feature

2009-05-24T21:33:00.000-07:00

Emmeline is back and feeling you have no IDEA how much better.... probably because I've figured a few things out lately. Sort of.

Taking on Tafe and Emerald Arts in the same year was a big task. I had scheduled myself Mondays off, thinking that one day of chilling would be enough to see me through for a while. Then I forgot to chill and got worn out. I didn't factor in catching germs, moving house and... well, life in general really. So I got sick, a lot, and missed Tafe classes and had to close EA a couple of days last term. That made me worried, which probably made me more sick, and I fell down in a bit of a heap.... and it seems that when I fall down like that, Ten falls down too and he withdraws into Ten world where I can't get to him.

We had a big talk, discussed the stresses we have been under and I told him how I need to know that even if we are freaking out like people do sometimes, we have to know that we can count on each other. Not having our own home may suck, but where we're staying is lovely and we are so lucky that Scott and Julie are looking after us. How many bosses would let their employees do that eh?

Anyway, I explained how much it shook me when he stayed out. How technically after epipen I should be checking myself into Emergency or at least be under supervision. He said that he was stressed and we've been fighting lately and that he just needed time out. I said he had really bad timing. He said he loves me, of course he loves me, but it's just hard when I'm sick all the time. So we're drawing a line under it as a really bad aberration, and starting again.

I did a stock take at Emerald Arts last week. I tallied up what was in the store against what I have on my spreadsheet and everything except one rabbit was accounted for. Guess I did learn something at business school ;) Looking over everything made me realise just how much I have achieved in the past year. I might not be rolling in it, but I am starting to be able to pay my own way... slmost... and here is a list of the things I have designed this business year to sell:

- Fold Your Own: Origami Crane Strand Kit
- Voodoo Susan kit (sewing)
- Widget the Brave kit (sewing)
- Creatures & Dreams Vol 1 & 2 (colouring books)
- Book Art Vol 1 & 2 (colour art zines)
- The Sketchbook Adventures of Emmeline Stronach (mini-zine)
- 35 origami crane strands
- Fourty paintings
- 95 Creatures (hand Sewn toys)

There's stacks of other stuff but I'm bored of lists now so whatever :P

So yeah, I have been like really REALLY busy, and in being busy totally forgot to take time out. Oops. Just thanking my lucky stars that until we find a house I don't have to freak out about lack of $ for a while so I can concentrate on rocking my tafe assignments, kicking butt (artisticly speaking) in the Hunter St Mall and making time for Oh NO They Didn't and hanging out with my friends.

My new resolution is that I'm not going to stress about anything. Worrying is such a waste of time, far more useful to think "it will all work out" and "I totally rock" than omigodeverythingstoohard

Right then, here are some pictures of my new creatures... I'm off to read Famous magazine in the sunshine out the back, day off biatches ;)

The more comic book style bunny. Does not have a name yet.

If you're wondering why there is blue smudging near the mouth, that is fabric marker. I draw the smiles on first to get them right.

The back of the bunny, which is called Jane btw.

My mother always told me that everything looks better after a good night's sleep

2009-05-21T21:18:00.001-07:00

add to that a bit of dancing around to my favourite music videos and the realisation that I need to make my own happy, not rely on others for it, and your Emmeline is feeling recharged and ready to kill it in the Art world once again.

ladies and headdesking myself for being an emotional idiot

2009-05-19T21:40:00.000-07:00

Created this lady in Digital class this morning. It's not for anything, and definitely not for sale, was more of a learning exercise... trying to figure out on the computer how artists like Audrey Kawasaki, Catherine Campbell, and various art deco luminaries made these enigmatic creatures.

So there is mine. Hope you like it.

Feeling a bit low today, then feeling a bit mad at myself for being a loser and letting my emotions get the better of me. I left a message on my Dad's phone early last week, crying in exhaustion that I couldn't go to Melbourne because I have assignments due the week after and had just had a bit of an argument with Mum. Apparently he tried to call me several times but because Ten had my "home" mobile phone as his broke, I never got it. I meant to call him on the weekend, but then everything fell apart with wheat and Ten and I never got around to it. So now, no going to Melbourne to the Flower Drum, no visiting the special Hand Held Gallery that stocks Book Art. No Fitsroy and alleyway awesomeness. All my own stupid fault for being a drama queen I guess.

I guess it and the wheat were sort of a lesson, I have to learn to make sure I'm ok so that everything else doesn't go to shit. I have to get as much sleep as possible and stay healthy as I can. I have to make sure that my plates and knives and scourers are mine only and not contaminated. Will have to become a label nazi. No one else can make Emerald Arts or Tafe work. If I give up on the idea of something (like going to Melbourne) because I think I don't deserve it, then of course no one else will want to go.

Sometimes though, oh man I just wish I could hand the reigns over for just a week or so. Let someone else to the marketing, the media releases... actually maybe I could just swap bodies with someone... then they could do all that stuff and I will take their body to a beach somewhere and spend the whole time drinking beer and eating stuff like hamburgers and corn fritters and ice cream cones :P

Yeah, that would be awesome.

WIP: Digital assignment 2

2009-05-17T21:36:00.001-07:00

Almost back to normal after a very unawesome saturday night. Was making nachos and trying to get Ten to cheer up (he's been a bit of a grumble bum lately) so we could go out to a party, when I started feeling wierd. Heart racing, power of speech almost lost, was very disorientated, felt like I was impartially watching wierd things happen to my body. Went to the bedroom to have a lie down then somehow my messed up brain realised something was really wrong so I made Ten get my epipen, just in case. I'm not sure if I was in denial or it's just been so long, but for some reason I was sure it couldn't be wheat, even though wheat eating people use the kitchen here everyday and there are a million ways contamination could have happened.

All in all it took about 20 mins for me to realise what was going on then use the epi. Ten seemed very shaken, our friends arrived ready to take us to the party, I figured I had all this energy anyway so I might as well go (adrenalin, believe it or not, keeps you awake for aaaages). Stupid me, but I didn't want to be left home alone and I didn't want to have to beg Ten to stay with me, cos I feel like he misses out on enough things because of my illness anyway. Should really have just stayed home though, because I'd left it so long to take the epi and I was so far from being ok. Ten left the party we were at to go and hang out with the boys, I hung out for about half an hour then went home.

Couldn't sleep, as is always the case, lay on the bed thinking of a thousand different ways that wheat could kill me and figuring out a plan of attack so this NEVER has to happen again (impossible but a girl can try). Still no word from Ten, messaged him to ask where he was but nothing back. He didn't arrive home till eleven the next morning, I told him that I was scared and didn't understand why he would leave me on that night of all nights. We argued, I started to pack my bags, he cried and told me he was sorry and that he knows he's been treating me like shit lately, we patched things up but I still feel like I can't trust him to look after me.

Having a girlfriend with a chronic illness can't be fun, I know, and financially he has supported us both for the last year while I try to get Emerald Arts up and running. But I can't help feeling like I'm pretty far down his priority list, somewhere after hanging out with friends and going out drinking. It seems like every time I get really sick or need his support he falls down... whereas I can be sick, working on an assignment, making stock... and I'll still make him dinner and make sure we have enough clean clothes. I need to find a way to get him to understand how important it is that I know he will be there if I need him, but I'm sick of nagging him to care.

Sorry, that's all rather depressing, but I have a right leg that feels like lead and am not feeling my usual chirpy self today. So I'm making pretty pictures on photoshop instead. Let's just look at those and forget about problems for a while...

We're doing abstract paintings next in class, so I've been making small watercolour studies that I will then (hopefully) blow up large scale and paint in acrylics.

Spiky tropical fishy.... not sure if I like this one.

Ugh, butterflies. I wish I could love them.... I tried.... but I think Mariah Carey has ruined them for me.

A jelly blubber in amongst the seaweed. Which brings me to last week's amazing art shop find. I went in to get a couple of different sorts of paper so I could experiment with watercolours and was talken into buying a pack of little A7 books. For a whole $12 I got ten different books, watercolour paper, acrylinc painting pad (which this was created on), oil painting paper, tracing... such an all sort.

I think the jelly blubber works better in the first one, but I like the seaweed surround better in this one.

So that's me for now. Pretty wiped out at the moment so I'm going to have a nap before trying to do any more work today. Annoying because I missed Tafe last week due to illness, have to try to stay away from people as much as possible so I don't get sick again, can't miss any more class. I love it too much. Anyway, don't fret, your Emmeline is going to be ok, just taking it easy for a bit.

Influences and family photos

2009-05-12T02:27:00.000-07:00

Spent Mother's day helping make lunch and taking photo studies for my Still Life painting assignment. Also took some shots of our family photos and the paintings that I grew up with. This is Dad when he was a little tucker. So cute.

Landscape: Rod Bathgate. So amazing. He paints a lot of different waterscapes, but his rock pools.....

Landscape: in the entrance at Barker Street. I love how warm it is, it's almost pulsing

Cassandra and Emmeline

Own life drawing, hangs in Mum's room, made about eight years ago

You would not believe the struggle it took to get Cas to wear this dress on the day, she absolutely hated it because it was brown and the collar was scratchy. Eventually Dad had to leave the photographer's studio to get her lollies to calm her down enough to pose for this.

Great Grandma Lawn (on Mum's side) with her father, Cas with Dad.

Mumoir and I

This is the view that we saw from the house where I grew up. It's in a suburb called Dudley, which is about 20mins drive from Newcastle (which is the town you can see on the hill). It's probably my most favourite landscape ever, because it was my view, my beloved view.

Enigmatic painting, reminds me of F. McCubbin's "Lost".

Mum's favourite, she hearts Still Lives... which is good because now I have to paint one ;) Speaking of which, I'd better stop procrastinating and get some work done.

-Emmeline Out.

A Guided Tour of Emerald Arts: For Renee

2009-05-12T02:05:00.000-07:00

This is totally daggy, butif you can excuse my horrid hair and the awkward camera angle, overuse of the word "beautiful" you can watch a tour of my studio that I made for the lovely Renee:

Now go read Renee's Beauyful Blog ;)

http://circlingmyhead.blogspot.com/

I heart Life Drawing

2009-05-07T00:05:00.000-07:00

Me at the sticker making day in the Front Room Gallery at school. The girl off camera had just asked me if I was ready to stick mine on the wall.

Needless to say I took it home instead :P

Mucking around with sepia ink in class. Cherie showed us how to paint/draw wet on wet (which sounds way dirty but it's not). Basically you lay down a really light wash, vauguely in the shape of the model's body, then you fill in details using ink on a paintbrush, or fountain pen, or bamboo stick... whatevs really

Was massively fun, hypnotising self watching ink spread on paper... going to try it out with my metallics and see how it goes.

Wow you really can't see the details on this one, but I kind of like that. Not particularly fond of the boobs, but I like the legs.

Sketches for the third volume of Creatures and Dreams (my colouring in book). Need to work on the left side of the tail on the bottom bird. The bird in the square is a cover idea. The rabbit... couldn't figure out how to do the legs then I accidentally wrote over that part... might try digitally finishing it.

Right then, off to scramble my sculpture sketchbook into some kind of order for assesment tomorrow. OMG sculpture tomorrow means pouring plaster into my clay skull mould! I'm going to mix sparkly things in with the plaster.... hopefully my gruff but awesome teacher Peter doesn't mind gold ink :P

Tuesday happenings at Emerald Arts

2009-05-05T00:44:00.000-07:00

As always, I had the greatest of intentions... yesterday was meant to be interwebs catchup day. I have at least 200 pictures from Lismore and the school holidays art classes that I haven't uploaded yet and so many emails to reply to, blog RSSes to read and celebrity gossip...

but then the computer bluescreen of DEATH kept whirring at me every time I tried to do something, so I gave up and read the bits of the Sunday paper I like instead (those which I was too hungover to read on Sunday, hehe oh celebrations).

You see, my best friend Mazzie has moved up from Canberra and we've been celebrating pretty much every day since Saturday. I think we may be taking tonight off, but there's still some champers left so possibly not :P Anyway, here's a picture post of what I have been up to today, redecorating and painting things at Emerald Arts:

The tree mural is coming along nicely. Only the upper branches left to paint (they're currently drawn on with charcoal) and then I can stick on all of the...

...incredibly awesome leaves that my students have made me :)

Celebration and HOORAY people, the plumbers have finally fixed the hole in the roof... therefore the front windows don't have water pouring through the light fittings and I can put stuff on display again. So, I created what I hope is a tasteful Mother's Day display, without mentioning the day itself. Still in two minds about that...

Pinned Candy's beautiful felt pins and hairpieces to a display board I upcycled a while ago. They are so understated and lovely, makes one feel fancy without going over the top. Trying to locate my blazer so I can wear one on the lapel.

Barbara's beautiful pottery on display with a feather painting of mine that promptly fell down as soon as I had taken the picture and then refused to stay up no matter how hard I tried to make it stick. Not quite sure what to do there.

This wall is still in a state of flux, thinking about making it a "stuff in progress" spot, because I took all my sketches down from the back wall to make the tree, now I have no where to put them.

Built myself a couple more canvases so that I can experiment some more with painting water and layering irridescence and shiny inks and things. It's nice to have a play every few hours once a layer has dried. Gives me a chance to step away and think about stuff.... ok, I've definitely had too many coffees and am now withering and talking crap :P Might just go read Oh No They Didn't a bit then.....

New Favourite Artist: Caroline Mudge

2009-04-28T23:27:00.000-07:00

Procrastinating again this afternoon... it's too cold my brain can't focus... anyway, found the most amazing artist website, belongs to a girl called Caroline Mudge, which sounds rather fairytale. It's so beautifully laid out, has all her work from exhibitions and sketchbooks, beautifully presented, something to aspire towards when I eventually... make my own ;)

Check it out:

http://www.carolinemudge.com/index.php

I'm the Queen of Procrastina..... oh I can't be bothered

2009-04-28T04:41:00.000-07:00

I really hope that my digital teacher doesn't read my blog, but here is one of the assignments due tomorrow that I knocked up somewhere in between a meeting at The Brewery for Renew Newcastle, baked dinner at the club and three or four vodka lime and sodas.....

I work better tipsy.. honest :P

- Emmeline

(who is off to find out who won So You Think You Can Prance before the interweb spoils me)

Limbo is Lovely

2009-04-26T00:40:00.000-07:00

Ten and I are between houses at the moment, staying in a v. large bedroom at the back of his boss's office. Scott and Julie are so far beyond awesome for letting us stay here while we find somewhere more permanent, and the spa out the back is excellent for untangling knotted moving muscles.

I have so many stories and photos to show, a trip to Lismore and daily art classes, a tree mural at the back of Emerald Arts, the Brett Whiteley exhibition... but I can't find the cable the goes from the phone to the computer so that will have to wait.

As will everything else, am off to Benny's to play guitar hero, wish me luck ;)

-Emmeline

Easter classes at Emerald Arts

2009-04-09T04:48:00.000-07:00

Easter Lesson Media Release

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Brochures & Catalogs art classes for kids

Easter 09 Classes

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Brochures & Catalogs easter art classes k

Crazy busy at the moment, packing to leave for Lismore (Ten's grandma's 80th) early tomorrow morning, so not much of a post, many many stories to tell and photos to show, but nachos are ready and I'm just going to go watch a movie instead k?

Mwah!

Rain rain go away, you're making everything soggy

2009-04-01T00:34:00.000-07:00

I knew that there was a gallery at Tafe called the Front Room, but I had no idea that upstairs there was another less formal one that changes works once a fortnight.... until I stumbled upon it when I got lost.

I went back to take another look at the water the other day, from the cliff where I got my idea for the Landscape painting and found another painter had already set up there, pestered him for a bit to discover that he was not from Tafe, but was painting a landscape all the same. It was in oils and it was lovely.

Collected rocks from the cliffs at the park to grind up and use as pigment for the bottom third of the painting.

This is Demaris. Her Dad Ian sails with my Dad. He bought her volume two of Creatures and Dreams and she brought it into Emerald Arts to show me what she had done with it. I ♥ seeing how kids transform my creatures :)

My first student Rosie yesterday afternoon with a Fashion student who wandered into the studio with her latest creation on. Sorry for the blurriness so that you really can't see, but it was an amazing Victorian type skirt with beautiful ruffles.

The lesson table set up in the middle of the shop. Teaching kids classes is so much fun. First we did a quick drawnig of the Minty Green Cuddle monster so that Rosie could get an idea of the basic shape of a creature, then I taught her how to make a toy pattern and we selected the material that her Monkey would be made from (yellow felt). Then I taught her how to thread a needle and sew along a line. After that we mixed a sky blue and grass green with acrylic paint and painted a background onto a small canvas. Next week we will add a Widget.

Many leaks have sprung up at Emerald Arts thanks to the very heavy rain that Newcastle is currently "enjoying". Lost a fair bit of stock and the origami bonsai tree that was there is pretty badly damaged, but worse things have happened. The plumbers were trying to fix it today. Fingers crossed.

Ten took the morning off work and we checked out some properties as moving date is coming up fast. We saw a shoebox (seriously, our couch even wouldn't fit in the "large" living room), a house near a housing estate that had no locks on the windows (I swear I am not being a snob, I just don't like robbers), and a house that is about fifteen minutes out from town but has a dishwasher and three bedrooms that are big enough to actually fit beds in them! Zoot alors!

We'll apply for that one and keep looking I think. But no more of that, tomorrow is tafe and drawing YAY!

-Emmeline

Sleep? Who needs it :P

2009-03-29T23:36:00.000-07:00

I'm steadily getting through the list of things I made for myself to do today, even though I was so hyped up and excited about the week to come that I hardly slept last night. I lay next to Ten thinking and dreaming until I couldn't lie still anymore, so spent the rest of the night sketching in my books and listening to podcasts on the couch.

I had no idea that Ten had taken this photo of me until I came across it just then on Facebook. We climbed out past the barrier gate so that I could show him the spot that is my landscape, then place that I see in my head that says "Newcastle" wherever I am. It's at the top of King Edward Park, about four minutes walk from my parents house. There is a little dip in the top of the cliff, where I lie in the winter sun, soaking it up, watching gulls and gliders dance above me, smelling salt, loving this place.

I was collecting rocks to grind up to (hopefully) use as pigment for the bottom part of my landscape. Can't wait to show Dallas (painting teacher) and figure out how it can be done, cos I'm sure it can, I just don't know how and don't want to wreck the painting :P

Painting is fun but the flu sucks

2009-03-26T21:52:00.000-07:00

Feeling pretty crap today, but a hell of a lot better than I have been the past two days. I knew that taking on so much this year was going to be a very full on effort, but I didn't think I would crash so badly so soon. Caught the flu off one person and a vomiting bug off another, so spent wednesday night and most of thursday throwing up and cursing the gods rather pathetically. Had a spac at Ten because he was out at Benny's playing playstation one night and at trivia till about eleven last night. He probably thinks I'm being demanding, and he may be right, but I just wanted someone to open my juice bottle for me and maybe pat my hair for a bit. Now he's in withdrawn cranky mood and I'm pretty much at my wits end there.

It all sounds a bit negative doesn't it, but rest assured, I bounce back quicker than Ali. All the exercise and healthy eating is starting to pay off. So don't fret.

Anyway, got a steroid injection in my butt so that bronchitus/flu doesn't turn into pneumonia (which I have had a couple of times before). Woke up today feeling like a human again, if still woozy, but I was so desperate to paint again that I dragged myself into town. Moved my easel outside in the sunshine so that I could paint freely and not pass my germs onto others. I wish that other people would show the same consideration.

Let me just rant for a second... why is it that people expect a pat on the back when they turn up to work sick? I wonder how many people realise that by toughing out their flu or virus (or by failing to vaccinate their children) they are putting other members of the populace in danger. People like me. There are more people out there with a compromised immune systems than you might think. People with various forms of cancer, autoimmune diseases, even people who are stressed can have lowered immune responses.

The problem is, most people can still carry on their lives when they're sick, but then there are the sickos like me for whom a cold or flu can turn into something drastic very quickly. Usually when I get sick I'm taken out of action for a few days. On an average month I'll probably have this happen once, but now that I am out in the public more often those days are increasing. Thinking I might start wearing a dust mask to Tafe and work.

So what's the point of this little rant? I don't know really, just don't be a carrier monkey. If you can stay home from work or school, then please do so. Rest up, watch a couple of movies, then come back when your germs are gone. Or at least give me a heads up so I can run away :P

New badges that arrived at Emerald Arts yesterday. I can't tell you what it's called because I forgot to bring my consignment book home, but it's $2 and is pinned to a paint swatch.

My poor old Sculpture sketchbook after the bum got to it. So sad.

Today I decided to start painting the sand on my landscape work. It was going to be the first of several tests, but having glazed over the water part 12 times so far, I'm starting to like it so I think I will hand this one in. I'm going to paint about 10 layers of sandy colour on, then add bits of shale and sand (I think) so that the roughness contrasts with the smoothness of the water.

I think (hope) that the sandy colour goes with the water. Used the same yellow that is worked through the water part, so that it matches tonally...

Sooo shiny. Man I love this gloss varnish stuff. Thinking of doing about 30 coats all up, working irridescence and metallic inks through it, so that it has more depth.

Ugh, tired, time for a power nap I think.

<3 Emmeline

Digital painting is way cool man

2009-03-24T22:43:00.000-07:00

It dawned on me the other day that if I learn to use Photoshop properly I could use it to create both digital versions of bookart Aaannd as a way to test out painting ideas quickly thereby saving the environment and my wallet and DAYAM art is awesome.

Before and after shot from class today. Digital. w3rd.

The leaves are not the right colour, but I spent so long making brushes that I just wanted to get the idea down before the end of class.

Em Stronach 's really glad she scanned her sketchbooks yesterday because today a bum stole my sculpture one, ripped it up at the bus station then sat on it. Seriously.

8:52pm

L.D. Semmler at 8:53pm March 24

Like WTF?

Jen Etherington at 8:57pm March 24 via Facebook Mobile

Gee. Not having much luck are you?

Joe Lynch at 9:08pm March 24

Jesus. Was it one dread?

Tegan Hunter at 9:13pm March 24

That's a punchable offence in my book.

Adam Mal Dalton at 9:23pm March 24

that is terrible. Sorry to hear it.

Em Stronach at 10:04pm March 24

Hey don't be sorry, I got it back, the grandpa of my student went all action man on it. The written on pages were yanked out. Was just a crazy old bum who apparently doesn't like fish diagrams :P

Zane Dean at 10:22pm March 24

G nobody ever steals my sketchbooks :

Em Stronach at 8:19am March 25

hehe I don't think that's a bad thing Z

Simone Sheridan at 9:45am March 25

omg.

Cameron Brown at 10:19am March 25

Holy shit. Again? You've got to keep a closer eye on your sketch books!

Em Stronach at 4:46pm March 25

Yeah I think I do C, yet another thing having a shop is teaching me quick smart. They're dicey buggers in the Mall.

New Stock at Emerald Arts: Mixtape Zine

2009-03-22T23:24:00.000-07:00

I was introduced to Mixtape by my zinester friend Susy Pow at last years TINA zine fair, so was beyond excited to find a couple of issues under the door at Emerald Arts a few weeks ago.

It turned out Justine from Mixtape had seen my callout on We Make Zines for stock and was wondering if I would like to stock Mixtape.... WOULD I!???!! And why?

It is a very rare thing indeed to find a magazine (or zine) that is craft orientated that doesn't once (I think) mention scrapbooking or decopage or filling things with perfumed woodchips (that's what pot pourri is isn't it?).

Mixtape is contemporary, it's about making time for the small things, getting into the DIY spirit... as they say on their site "Mixtape is a collision of craft, eco-cool and pop culture kitsch". It is also an excellent read, far more entertaining that Who or New Weekly. Read your celebrity gossip online and buy mixtape instead ;)

I have back copies of all issues, but not for long. Mixtape themselves will not be printing back issues in the future, rather offering them online (which is itself a lovely and green business idea)... so get it while it's hot at Emerald Arts ;)

-Emmeline

My Sketchbooks

2009-03-22T18:47:00.000-07:00

I was scanning in some watercolour tests for my painting class that I thought I might modify/collage digitally for another class... when I thought, maybe I should start scanning in pages from my sketchbooks, incase the unthinkable happens and I lose another... so here you go, some stuff from my sketchbooks (all done while at Tafe or studying at Emerald Arts)

For drawing class we had an excursion to Centennial Park, which is right behind St John's Anglican church where I was christened when I was 13... because I wanted to be confirmed at the Cathedral... and now after almost thirty years of being a total book nerd and doing a lot of research on the subject... I can't believe I wanted to be inducted into religion so badly. Just so Meh about the whole thing. Anyway, the drawing above was made with three different widths of artline markers, the one below of willow charcoal

Yeah, you know how I mentioned that I am a massive book nerd? I'm pretty sure that Tafe is turning me into a huge art nerd as well. Just as well I look hot in glasses :P

I found the Bauhaus syllabus in the library. First fell in love with the Bauhaus principles when I was at Uni studying graphic design. Just makes so much sense.

A painting test done in my General Drawing sketchbook (note to self: draw a cartoon general for the title page). But still... it's drawing with the wrong end of a paintbrush...

Different images that I think are good examples of line. Still needs something in the bottom left corner. Mushrooms are mine. Slowly growing to bear eating them in foods beside sssStroganoff and Risotto. Dayam... that's definitely what I should cook tonight. Tasty.

Landscape ideas for the painting class. Here's hoping lots of people buy things at Emerald Arts so I can afford the canvas to trial all my ideas ;)

Watercolour test for painting class... these are actually in each subject books, so I could work on a page while all the others dried. Hopefully the teachers don't mind if I sometimes put stuff from other subjects into their sketchbook. They're going to be pretty swamped with stuff anyway, given that I compulsively do stuff in them day in and day out. Probably used to it come to think of it.

Sculpture sketchbook. The wooden fish (named Rex after Rex Hunt) is coming along swimmingly.... har har...

This is my favourite of the watercolour tests. I washed the page with a really light pink first then loaded up the brush from the stronger pigment red and just touched the tip of it to the page. Definitely going to try this again, with different shapes. Really starting to like watercolour now.

Right then, off to have an afternoon hanging out washing and doing interwebs research for class. Here's hoping the free wireless is on in town soon (how much does Renew Newcastle rock!) so that I can use the internet on days besides Monday... which is supposedly me day orf :P

The Mall is allliiivvveee, to the sound of muuusic

2009-03-21T18:04:00.000-07:00

Two strange ballet creatures turned up in the Mall yesterday afternoon...

The red one snuck into the picture when I was taking a photo of a girl called Emerald.She was convinced by her friends to have her photo taken next to the sign. I heart this photo so much.

Livesites provided much excellent entertainment. There was a juggler who had an amazing glass orb that he moved with his hand like it was water. Then there was a magician called Andrew who spoke with an Indian accent even though he was born in Nelsons Bay.

I set up my canvas outside and started work on my first Landscape trial.

This is my landscape test for the exhibition. Since canvas is almost the same cost as paper these days and learning how to make my own frames then stretch them... I'm doing my tests Grande size because it is (I think) the only way to learn how to paint BIG ;)

These beautiful prints are by Simone Sheridan. She is the current Guest Artist on the wall at Emerald Arts.

This is not actually the way it's supposed to be put, it's 90 degrees right when displayed properly, but I wanted to show you her face. Lovely.

So far I have only painted the water part. I mixed the colours that I see when I'm swimming laps at the Ocean Baths. Next step is to gloss it to the McWoah with shiny something or other...

Maybe put sandy cliffs on there... and maybe some shards of light

Photoshop is interesting

2009-03-18T23:48:00.000-07:00

This is an image I am working on for my Digital class at Tafe. I took the photo while doing landscape studies for painting... cos three hours was sooo not enough time to paint every view I wanted to... so I cheated a bit

Anyway, this is only the start of my idea for this. But I thought I would post it here anyway, because it is so different to anything I have made before and I'm kind of proud of it.

Good news too, I have my first actual student for Emerald Arts. We start classes on Tuesday. I am so excited and have so many lesson plans and projects and YAY!

So much stuff to do, but I'm thinking I might take it kind of easy tonight since Tafe totally fried my brain. Just going to read a book for a bit then go to sleep so I am good for painting and sculpture tomorrow.

Oh Em Gee

2009-03-15T23:45:00.001-07:00

Having just discovered the awesomeness that is WikiHow, I give you my favourite parts from their entry on "How to Act Like a Tortured Artist":

It helps if you have a piano in your house so you can play sad-sounding music. This will add to your mystery.

Listen to a lot of funeral organ music, especially while driving in your car. Your car must be black, and you shouldn't drive any flashy sports cars.

IF ever you are out in public, complain about society.

It helps if you are thin and pale; adding to the image of frailty.

Read Poe, Plath, Rimbaud, the play Hamlet, and any other dreary literature you come across.

http://www.wikihow.com/Act-Like-a-Tortured-Artist

Post-Weekend ramble

2009-03-15T20:26:00.000-07:00

Well it's Monday again, which means it's my weekend day so it must be time for another ramble about stuff I've been doing and stuff that is coming up ;)

I received lots of amazing things in the mail for Emerald Arts, which deserves (and shall have) a post all of it's very own, but it includes Mixtape zine and bird cages, goldfish necklaces and stories about music and owls.

I went to King Edward park to learn how to paint landscapes (another post again) and attended my Grandpa's 80th birthday at the Newcastle Club at which I made a speech that wasn't too bad at all. Dinner was canapes and champagne, because my family dines in style, but I am a little wheat freak, which means that Mum organised for me to have a meal in one of the little private dining rooms which Ten and Lachy crashed. There is no better food on earth than there, to be completely honest. I had salmon with prawns on top and Ten had Oysters Kilpatrick. Lachy had an enourmous steak that he finished before I was done removing prawns from skewer. That kid inhales food, but he is 6 ft 5 sooo...

Saturday was Ten's school reunion, technically 12 years since he finished, but no one organised that one. The picture above is us at that. I probably look so happy because I spent most of the night carefully dismantling the table decorations.

Don't look at me like that, I had to. They were made up of a bunch of balloons secured to the table by a complicated knotting system surrounding two black books. Upon closer inspection the books had been hand covered in black paper so that the table title (eg "English" or "Science") could be written on the spine. Then the book nerd inside had to know which books we had on our table, so I carefully slid the smaller book on top out, to find it was a novel by Ailsa of Home and Away fame(an Australian soap opera for those of you playing at home).

Of course, once I had managed to find out which books were hiding in plain sight on our table, I had to find out what the others were, so I waited until everyone else was good and drunk, dancing to late nineties classics on the dancefloor, then I went from table to table, stealing the smaller books on top, and brought them back to ours... mostly to the delight of my fellow "Science" table-ers... but they didn't like the Danielle Steele one. Particular favourites were "Ice Station" by Mathew Riley (I may have spelt that incorrectly) and "Queen of the Damned" by Anne Rice, which was such a massively awesome find, very exciting.

Best part was, one of the organisers had been watching my antics. She told me I could take Queen home since they were just old books that no one wanted anyway. Their trash, my trashy literary treasure I guess. YAY!

Sunday (yesterday) was my first Sunday off in a long long time. Between setting up Emerald Arts and going to the markets, Sundays with Ten are a very rare things. So we did some washing and the grocery shopping, then watched Kitchen Nightmares and had delicious snacks. Oh and we made tacos for dinner. It was great. Probably doesn't sound very exciting, but things have been so hectic lately so it was lovely and very destressing to party then have a chill out day together :)

Anyway, off to catch up on my RSS feeds and search the interwebs for pictures of seaweed.

-Emmeline

PS. read this article by Marcus Westbury (our fearless Renew Newcastle leader), it discusses how artists are likely to weather all this stressy financial crisis stuff.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/creative-buds-can-bloom-in-a-recession/2009/03/15/1237054645131.html

Things I have made this week

2009-03-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if it's because Ten found my feather necklace the other day or that feathers are really cool... I just can't stop painting them.

I use acrylic paints and poscas for this one. It's now up for sale at Emerald Arts and much credit goes to tafe for getting me to paint something that didn't end up having paper cranes glued to it. Brancin' out, yeeaah.

I also made a little bird cage necklace out of some lovely bird egg blue leather and a red cage.

And also, a goldfish, also on the necklace wall at EA.

Then on Wednesday night I made my bff Tenski smoked salmon sushi. So tasty when it's fresh mmm.

My first attempt at making an Artist's Trading Card (ATC) was a gnome with a red hat.

The second was a mushroom. Can't wait to get back into the studio (sat-tomorrow) to finish them. Today I clambered all over King Edward Park taking photos and making sketches for my landscape. Will do some practice watercolours then too.

Spent most of this afternoon mailing the lesson Program for the kids classes to all and sundry. Have decided that stressing never got anybody anywhere and that the only way to make these classes a success is to put my marketing hat on and get the word out there.

Wish me luck ;)

-Emmeline

Interesting info from the Copyright Agency Limited (Aust.)

2009-03-12T19:20:00.000-07:00

Just got this email in my inbox, it's about artist's receiving royaltys on works sold on (or sold again you might say) which is very groundbreaking and exciting and possibly very hard to enact... but here you go:

Over 2,500 artists and arts professionals signed the CARR petition urging Minister for the Arts, Peter Garrett, to introduce a fairer resale royalty scheme for Australian artists.

Thanks to your support, a Parliamentary Committee tasked with considering the Resale Royalty Bill tabled in parliament last year has urged Minister for the Arts, Peter Garrett, to obtain further legal advice on expanding the scheme to pay royalties on all resales after the legislation comes into effect on 1 July 2009.

The scheme would entitle artists to a 5% share of the resale value of their artworks when they are resold on the commercial market. However as it stands, the Minister’s proposed scheme would only pay royalties on works that are purchased and then resold after the legislation is introduced – meaning that artists of existing works could wait decades for the royalties, due to the long periods between resales.

The Government has accepted the Committee’s recommendation and is now working with the arts community to review the model. CARR is hoping necessary amendments will be put in place to ensure that when the scheme comes into effect in July it works for all artists.

We’ll update you when the Government reaches their final decision.

To find out more about the proposed resale royalty scheme, visit the Government fact sheet on www.arts.gov.au/artists/resale_royalty

Regards,

Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) on behalf of the Coalition for an Australian Resale Royalty (CARR)

Kid's classes at Emerald Arts

2009-03-10T03:29:00.001-07:00

Ten and I have spent the last few days getting the Lesson Program written up, proofed, arranged, printed... now I'm strategising ways to get it out there with my friends Nay and Suse via The Facebook. I'm crossing my fingers that it will be ok to get things started mid-term, that parents won't just get the flyer and file it away till the start of the next term... because if that does happen, there will not be an Emerald Arts to have lessons in, it's seriously do or die time. I haven't mentioned it on here yet, but Ten and I found out a couple of weeks ago that we have to move house. We got a notice from the real estate that the lease is terminated for "non disclosed" reasons. Which basically means they don't give us a reason and we have no recourse if we want to argue it, sucks being a renter. I'm behind on rent, because there just is not the through traffic in the mall and not enough no people at Emerald Arts. Switched from having my own stall to sharing at the markets, which also means less funds because people stand in front of the stall all day waiting for coffee not reading the giant signs which say "keep this clear for strollers and wheelchairs". geez.

So yeah, we're trying to find somewhere new to live, I'm working the markets and the shop and not having any time off, we're both ragged and it's make or break time with the business. I'm on the crest of a wave, the opening was amazing, I just need to pull it together (or keep it together rather) and make the classes happen. If only that could be done with positive thinking.

Bleurgh. Sorry, that was a bit of a rant, made me feel better though. I'm not stressy, I promise, just strategising and laying it all out there so I get moving.

Here's the lesson Program. Let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions Dear Reader I would love to hear them.

Lesson Program

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Education Brochures & Catalogs emerald arts classes

To Market to Market...

2009-03-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

Recycled bags for sale at the Markets yesterday. They're made from boxing straps (I think that's what ther're called). They're gorgeous and massively cheap. I bought a giant one for my mum for christmas... which Cas subsequently stole, which means it must be stylin.

My lovely fairy friend. Very soon we're going to have facepainting at Emerald Arts on Saturdays, will keep the kids entertained... and me probably :P

The Fairy's colour palette, so keeping this image to use in my Digital subject at TAFE.

Don't you just love flowers?

Oh orchids, how I heart thee...

More flowers, but these ones are felt. Made by Jade of "Cowboys and Cupcakes". You can find more of her work at the ebay shop:

http://stores.ebay.com.au/cowboysandcupcakes

Bears made from Llama fur.

Who says Gluten Free cakes aren't tasty eh? A new stall has just opened up and I can tell you from gluttenous experience, they are so tasty.

My corner of the stall I share with my friends. This photo was taken at about noon, the journal walked soon after. The little one in the bottom right of the photo. When I was packing up I couldn't find it anywhere, searched high and low, but unfortunately somebody has definitely nicked it.

I'm hoping that it was just a little kid who liked the pictures and that their parents will make them send it back to me (I'm pretty sure my contact details were in the front cover). If not, if it was stolen on purpose, I don't really understand why. It's just notes and quotes and ideas mostly, of much sentimental value to me, but not much use to anybody else.

I want it back. Sad face.

-Emmeline

ACTION EM!

2009-03-05T22:06:00.000-08:00

I had to post this photo because it was just too funny. Self-portrait with dust mask and safety goggles. Definitely going to have to get a pair that don't send my glasses askew :P Friday is always a very full on day because painting and sculpture are (when I do them anyway) so physical. I always end up covered in dust and very tired/happy.

My Fish, who I today christened "Rex Hunt" after a popular Australian fishing personality, is coming along quite nicely. I brought it home to show Ten because, while it might not look like much, I am SO damn proud of it.

Made my first frame for a canvas painting today. Sooo awesome. We're going to King Edward Park (my Dog's second home) next friday to do sketches and preliminary paintings, then making our entries for the Landscape Competition OMG YAY!

I've got so many ideas for what I want to do but NO idea how to execute them, so will be mining the interwebs for instructional videos.

At lunch in the FrontRoom Gallery some of the Diploma students held a sticker making meet. The stickers were then stuck along the wall. I was very naughty and took one of mine home because I loved it so much. The exhibition is called "Juxtapose This" and is all about media mashups and making stuff, so the sticker gathering was an excellent way of getting the message across.

I haven't explained that very well at all, must find the official write up and put that here.... :P

So now I'm home, all squeaky clean after washing off all the very fine dust that the belt sander (they let me use POWER TOOLS!) put on me. Finally stopped coughing after my friends made me double over with laughter while working thus inhaling timber dust... but that's my fault for being a dork not theirs.

Totally loving Tafe and the shop and being so ridiculously busy. I feel like I function so much better when I have a whole lot of things on the go at once, and I finally have my health steady enough to cope with such a crazy timetable. So long as I don't accidentally have wheat or catch some freaky flu (touch wood) I'm grinning ;)

Going to see Birds of Tokyo tonight with the boys (Ten, Benny, Rich etc). I only listened to the album for the first time on Wednesday, but I think they're excellent and I can't WAIT to have a drink.

MWAH!

-Emmeline

nekkid people day :)

2009-03-04T23:41:00.000-08:00

I found these nude drawings across the road from school when I ran out at lunch to buy the paper (had to find out what was happening with the cricket players). They're not perfect, but the colour really stopped me in my tracks. I'm so accustomed to seeing nudes in neutral or flesh tones.

Good grief, it feels like forever since I have written on this thing. It's kind of hectic running Emerald Arts and going to Tafe and having a market stall, but I'm managing it all at the moment. Last Monday was my first day off in about a fortnight. Slept in till midday, bought a silly magazine (Famous) to read about the Oscars (as if Jen or Angelina gave a crap about each other, I'm sure all that was just a media beat up), had an afternoon nap then caught up on my RSS feeds.

Right now, I'm listening to the Watchmen Soundtrack... jeff Buckley so beats Leonard Cohen on Hallelujah.... and waiting for Tenski to get home so we can go late night shopping (if he's not too tired) cos I need to get wood to build my very first canvas tomorrow OHMYGODYAY!@

We focused on drawing hands in today's class. This was my first sketch. It's funny, I've always avoided them because I just found them far too tricky, but having had the construction explained to me properly I loved it. Still quite hard to do, but not impossible. Going to pester my friends to be hand models every chance I get. Fair warning ;)

This afternoon we went to Centennial Park for Extended Gestural Drawing with our teacher Pete. I had a ball sketching this copse of trees in charcoal then fine pens... will spray them with fixative then scan them tomorrow for ya'll, as soon as I figure out what to put over the scanner glass to protect it.

If no one else will do it for you...

2009-02-25T19:20:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine just finished a massive amount of work for a gallery exhibition that she's a part of and her boyfriend said "Great, now you can start making roast dinners again".

She laughed. He said "I'm not joking".

I said "Get a new boyfriend, train the current one better or just be your own cheersquad".

Then I put this gif at the bottom of the email.

Emerald Arts Launch Party

2009-02-23T22:21:00.000-08:00

I'm sick as a dog today having caught a horrid snotty cold off someone somewhere so I'll keep this short. The opening was a smashing success, as were my ridiculously mis-shaped cupcakes. Ten made a last ditch drive to Sydney to pick up DJ Smem as his car failed epically. Will write a better post on it when I'm not feeling so sorry for myself I promise... hopefully someone out there has taken pictures of the launch besides those above for me to show you, cos I was too busy drinking champers and being a total party princess.

Marcus Westbury, our fearless leader, addressing the crowd outside Emerald Arts, the last stop on the Tour de Renew Newcastle

The paintmark behind the Renew Newcastle sign, courtesy of Marcus, he didn't seem so keen on the finished work... apparently it was meant to be one continuous swipe, but I like it and I'm keeping it so ner.

Grateful as I am to the builders for coverering in the awning outside my space so that the pidgeons don't poo, I do wish they hadn't trapped said pidgeons inside, since they now live in my ceiling and the store room, making me sneeze.

They are cute though.

Off to bed and to annoy Ten by demanding one million hugs

-Emmeline

Art and fishies and really dodgy cakes

2009-02-19T22:15:00.000-08:00

This is my beautiful goldfish Buddy. He's about four years old now... maybe five and has survived three house moves and about seven flatmates.

We're been working on a style of drawing they call "Gestural" in the afternoons with our teacher Pete. The idea is to capture the essential movement of an object, the direction of the lines, the energy... oh dear god, sounds so much less like a hippie when he says it...

The purple dress thing draped over the back of the chair was my subject

Ten and I found the world's ugliest birthday cake made from Donuts while we were late night shopping at Garden City. Filth.

My painting teacher Dallas' workstation. Today we learnt how to mix colours which is something I have been desperately wanting to learn since forever.

My paint box... otherwise known as a magenta beauty case. My Mum gave them to Cas and I when we were little but we scoffed at their girlyness and refused to use them. Now I love the thing to bits, especially since it has two long pockets and four elasticy things that are meant to hold bottles but work equally as well with paintbrushes.

I used a warm red and cool blue (with a bit of yellow) to mix up a grey to use in my fan painting

My fan painting as it was at the end of class this week. I painted over last week's grey (mixed from black and white) effort. Really like how the blue comes through the grey as it dries, adds depth... or something.

Now THIS is what I am most excited about... besides the Emerald Arts launch party of course. In Sculpture we're carving fish out of a lovely wood called Camphor Laurel. I went with a big round puffer fish shape because it seemed like the easiest way to go and if I stuff up something I can whittle it down and pretend that I meant to make a skinny fish the whole time.

The fish after our teacher Peter cut the contours on the bandsaw for me. Apparently we're not qualified to use it yet, but considering that I have made ANYTHING with wood before and tend to cackle like a madman around power tools.... that's probably a very good idea.

Using a mallet and chisel to refine the shape of the fish. Apparently I got an evil glint in my eye when handed these. What can I say, I heart making stuff. Anyway, Dad's a carpenter by trade, maybe I learned some of it by osmosis?

The fishy's face. What looks like the eye is actually a wet (ew) spot in the wood, but I drew around it and am going to make this the eye somehow.

Procrastinating at the moment, have to do the dishes, handwash my good clothes so I have something to wear tomorrow, dye my hair, do my frankly disgraceful nails, clean Emerald Arts... actually I think I will leave the cleaning till tomorrow and spend the night prettifying myself and drinking vodka instead. I had vowed to not start drinking till I had at least done my hair, but Ten's facebook status said that he had started drinking at work and I got jealous :P

Wikkid Wednesday

2009-02-17T22:53:00.000-08:00

Started today with a Photoshop lesson which was kind of slow, but understandably so because most of us had never used it before so the teacher had to take us through step by step. I ran out halfway through the lesson and nabbed myself a "Photoshop for Dummies" and am going to teach myself to use it at home so that I can just work independently in class, as I know the current pace will drive me nuts quick smart.

Yesterday I spent a full day in the shop, which was lovely. The new shop sign, as with everything else at Emerald Arts, was done on a shoestring budget.... or more specifically, with a posca ;)

I wrote out the letters on my drawing paper and then taped that to the other side of the glass so I could trace it with the big green posca I found at Eckersleys. Thank goodness there is an awning over the shop cos those things sure aint waterproof.

Ah yes, the sign without it's backing. I'm actually quite pleased with the way it turned out. I thought it was going to be a bit dodge, but yeah... pretty good.

Thought that I had better take the Valentine hearts down and create a new display... this is a placeholder until I have time to design my new one, which is going to be a sort of half-underwater billabong type thing... you'll see soon...

The pink zine you can see sitting on the easel is the newest addition to Emerald Arts. It's called "Fairytales in the Supermarket" and is an A-Z of working in retail. Well written easygoing storytelling that I (with nine years retail experience myself) could easily empathise with. Can't tell you how many of the tales had me nodding my head.. "yep, that happened", "oooh I HATED those customers". I loaned my copy to my friend from All Bar One (restaurant) but there are five more in store.

Experimenting with paints, mixing different colours, sooo much fun, seriously, as much if not MORE fun than fingerpainting.

Check out my new awning... how good are GPT! Before it was open and pidgeons were roosting on the rafters, kind of have a feeling the builders left the nest in there which is very disturbing...

A few of us from the Renew Newcastle had our pictures taken for the Newcastle Herald today, so keep your eyes out on Saturday (H2 section). I'm heading back in tonight to have a shot taken of me with my easel out in the mall. Vogue baby.

Saturday is the progressive launch for everybody, then that night starting at 7pm is the Emerald Arts official launch... Dj Smem will be playing and Mum is making horses doovers... VERY excited :)

-Emmeline

Dust to Dust

2009-02-15T23:24:00.000-08:00

I've been trying (and failing) to come up with words to describe the horror of the Victorian bushfires but it's just.... horrible. I've lived through two natural disasters in my own city, earthquake then flood, but floods can be cleaned up after, for the most part, whereas fires are just so brutal...

I'm sure you've read a thousand blogs by now that tell you how to help, so I won't tell you that, instead I'm just going to say that I'm heartbroken for Victoria and I hope that the staggering donations that have poured in from all over the world have helped those effected begin rebuilding their lives.

-Emmeline

Friday at Art School

2009-02-14T01:10:00.000-08:00

Friday is Painting and Sculpture day and this is the view from our studio in the morning. You can see ships.... w3rd! ;)

Our teacher Dallas introduced us to the basics of painting hardware (brushes, tins, paints, palettes) then took us a tour of the place where we will build our own frames and stretch the canvases over them. I heart staple guns so I'm very excited about that part.

We stapled the paper that they use for cutting out patterns onto drawing boards then drew on our subject with pastels. Actually, I drew mine on with charcoal because I wanted to do a tonal study rather than a colour one, but that was ok, I didn't get in trouble. In fact, the charcoal blended with the paint beautifully, giving definition... still, might go around the contours in artline marker.

I started by mixing a very dark grey (in one of those big spoons you get from the Chinese takeaway cos we had it the night before and I forgot a palette), then worked from the outside in from the blades and started building up some of the other features.

How the work looked at the end of class. Luckily for me we get to work on it next week.

Found this picture up the back of the classroom, going to find out who painted it because I really like their work. If they are not famous yet I would love to have this or something like this on the wall at Emerald Arts.

Sculpture class was on in the afternoon. We're going to learn how to carve fish shapes out of wood. Camphor Laurel I think it was called. I'm going to pick a simple(ish) shape then simplify it, both because I think it will be easier to make (never carved before... nor painted from life for that matter) and because the teacher showed us some amazing simplified forms by a Sculptor called Brancusi. I nabbed a book on him from the library before I went home and loved his work... even though the pictures are pretty rough, it's an old book. The interwebs helped with that though.

An ear... forgot to turn this photo around oops. Kind of like it this way, but it definitely works better the other way around :P

In the shop today I took out all my drawings from Thursday and sprayed them with fixative. Comparatively, I can see that the lower nose and eye are more realistic than the ones at the top. The remove that viewing a photo gives also makes me realise just how effective shading with compressed charcoal can be for effecting depth.

The boots you can see on my feet are called "24 Hour Boots". They're supposed to be so comfortable that you can wear them all day and all night, to bed if you want to. I can tell you right now that they really are that comfortable. I'm going to wear them every day I think because we do a lot of standing and we're required to wear enclosed footwear at all times on campus.

I can't even begin to tell you just how much I love being at Art School. It feels like I have finally found where I am supposed to be. I've only been there a week and already I feel like I've learned a thousand things and I haven't stopped drawing and reading and painting and learning learning learning.

So great.

-Emmeline

Drawing day

2009-02-11T23:18:00.000-08:00

Thursday is drawing day at Newcastle Art School, for my class anyway. Since I am totally addicted to both taking photos of my camera phone and blogging at the moment, I thought I would share my first proper day with you. This is the view from outside our drawing studio. It's not very often that people get to see the tops of the buildings along Hunter St, but there are some amazing facades up there.

In the mornings we do Life Drawing, which was from plaster cast rather than from "life" today because we're baby drawers, still learning our techniques.

These were the first two sketches that I did, which the teacher wasn't really too fond of, but I wasn't either so that's fine ;) My drawings tend to be very styilsed, I draw an interpretation of what i see rather than drawing what is really there, so I really loved experimenting with charcoal, line weights... still a bit dodgy though, so I'll spare those for now.

The nose that I drew.

The afternoon class is General Drawing.

This is a contour study of the marble bust on the table. I'll quote what I wrote down as the teacher explained it:

Contour drawing is a delicate study of the detail of the object, a linear description. There is no shading or form, only lines that describe a change of plane or direction or detail.

Draw as slowly as you possibly can, know everything about the object. Give each line your full concentrated effort so that you don't have to revisit it.

We tried this without looking at the paper at all (this guy) for a ten min sketch, then we sketched again for longer, looking at the paper for about 25% of the time. Then we sketched with our left hands (me not looking at the paper because I'm ambidexturous).

A book recommendation from our teacher Pete, apparently the BEST drawing book EVER... and having had a brief read through it over the break, I have to say it looks pretty awesome. Going to borrow it from the library first chance I get.... which leads me to my next news of awesomeness, the library there? Amazing. ALL art books *drroooll*

So yeah, that was my first proper day. Very exciting. Drama when I arrived home too, this was the view from my verandah. A house that was being demolished caught fire, no one was in there luckily, so I guess it just made things happen sooner.... very exciting for everyone in our street though, such a massive crowd of gawkers checking out the action. Sooo tired, off to get chinese food and chillax at Bennys. Guitar hero anyone?

-Emmeline

My Desk at Emerald Arts

2009-02-10T01:57:00.000-08:00

Voodoo Susan hanging out in the receipt box. I'm writing this additional post because I forgot to mention before just how very awesome my friend Kim is. Today she posted me a copy of my newspaper article from the Herald laminated as well as another double size. I heart her.

New at Emerald Arts- FLOSSY-P!!! dances

2009-02-10T01:10:00.000-08:00

Now this, my friends, is how you wrap a package, can't beat the old brown paper. This is the consignment package from the artist Flossy-P, of Emerald Beach... so it has to be fate that her artworks now adorn Emerald Arts. Today's arrival consisted of gift tags, greeting cards and bookmarks and they are indeed works of art, just gorgeous.

Strung some Japanese cord up between picture hooks to hang the gift tags on, using tiny wooden clothes pins to hang them. Sorry for the picture quality, need to get a better camera I think.

A bigger view of the "washing line". Put one example of each gift tag on so that customers can see them, the rest are in the bowl.

The gold bowl, looks a lot better in person, very shiny.

The bookmarks on another line in another section of the shop. Sold one of your self portraits today Flossy, YAY!

The cards in the front window... again, not the most awesome picture, but I think you get the general idea.

Thankyou Flossy-P for sending me such wonderful things to sell in Emerald Arts. I love them.

-Emmeline

Josephine Rocks Out

2009-02-08T20:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, at the markets, Jen gave me some of her amazing hand dyed wool to play with, so I sewed it to prototype Josephine's head. I cut the wool into lengths, then sewed each strand on to the head three times for optimum hold, because she is a bit of a rock chick.

-Emmeline

Why I can't wait for Wednesday...

2009-02-08T17:46:00.000-08:00

So that I can write a lesson timetable for Emerald Arts, I'm researching on the interwebs to see if I can find out when I'll be at TAFE. This is what I have found so far, it definitely stirs the butterflies:

The Newcastle Art School specialises in studio-based fine arts training for professional artists. Based at Hunter St Campus, it has fully accredited courses, facilities and staff.

The Newcastle Art School is located in a series of historically significant buildings and it has been Newcastle’s central art school since the late 19th century.

Courses are also offered at our Singleton Campus and at Ourimbah on the Central Coast

Our fine art courses are studio-focused and involve significant face-to-face teaching with student teacher ratios of around 15-1. The facilities are well-equipped with the latest technology as well as the traditional tools and equipment of the artist.

Students are offered a range of studio electives including Painting, Sculpture, Photography and Printmaking alongside core studies in Drawing, Art History and Theory, Professional Practice and Digital Imaging.

Staff of the Newcastle Art School are highly qualified and professionally recognised artists with strong reputations as artists and teachers.

Facitlities:

Drawing studios each of which can support over 15 students for research, experimental drawing and life drawing. The studios are backed by an extensive store of idiosyncratic objects, plaster casts and zoological specimens

Painting studios with full ventilation and painting racks

Printmaking facilities for screen printing, etching, relief printing, lithography.

Our printmaking area includes full extraction and dedicated rooms for acids, screen cleaning, screen exposure, graining and other facilities alongside the studios
Design room

Photography Lab including Analogue (wet) darkroom, alternative process areas and Digital Photography lab equipped with G5 Macs and large format printer and scanners
Sculpture facility includes general purpose space, metal fabrication area for welding and casting, woodworking space and external area

Dedicated Arts Library

The Front Room Gallery is a purpose built public art gallery and flexible delivery centre for exhibition practice and professional practice

And this is the course that I will be doing:

The Certificate IV is offered part time. It is effectively the equivalent of the first year of the Diploma of Fine Arts. Students who complete the Certificate IV are eligible to apply to the Diploma at Advanced Entry and complete the Diploma either full time or part time. We encourage students to attempt to complete the courses at half pace, completing the Certificate IV in 2 years and the Diploma in 2 years more.

Approx 12-15 hrs per week. Subjects include Drawing, Art History and Theory, Design Principles, Portfolio Presentation, Digital Imaging, Exhibition practice, Painting, Sculpture, Printmaking and Photography.

Entry and applications: HSC or Certificate III or equivalent or over 20 years of age

You must complete and application form and submit it by the 31st October. Late applications will be accepted but priority will be given to on time applications. Applicants must also submit a portfolio, complete a drawing test and attend an interview at a specified time.

On how much I heart Gabriel Wingate-Pierce and Jonathon Carroll

2009-02-08T01:59:00.000-08:00

"Who are they?" you ask... they're the reporter and photographer from the Herald that swung by Emerald Arts for a chat and a Zoolander session.

I'm such a lucky creature, couldn't have asked for a better write up or cooler picture. Thanks guys :)

PONY&ZUCKER

2009-02-07T21:36:00.000-08:00

PONY&ZUCKER

Hello :)

I love your zine, how do I get a copy?

emerald_arts@hotmail.com

-Emmeline

P.S Ich liebe das zine, es ist Aweomse !

Quizzer

2009-02-05T17:37:00.000-08:00

Have copied and pasted this quiz that everyone has been doing on FaceBook over here because sharing is caring ;)

And thus:

I thought I would take a stab at this quiz that everyone has been doing, but I'm not numbering it or spellchecking it because quite frankly it's too hot and I can't be bothered thinking so I'm going to post this then swim some laps. I'm sure everyone has probably been tagged by now, so won't pester ya'll with those things.... ONWARD HO Facebookians!

25 Things...

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I think you'll enjoy the whole process and won't think I'm spamming you. And I think you'll have interesting answers yourself.

(To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

In no order of importance:

Facts

I’m not that girly a girl, but I do have a habit of fainting at inopportune times. Once, at a school building opening, I passed out after standing swaying in the sun for an hour. My friends caught me, but it was pretty damn embarrasing. It was only about a year since I had tripped on the steps leading up to the stage to get an award... whenever the mercury rises above fourty celcius, watch me as I swoon like a Victorian lady. I really should have been born in Russia. Also, I look good in fur hats.

I have never been a fussy eater and sometimes ordering meals at restaurants makes me feel like a freak so I love it when Ten or my Mum order for me.

An old man customer at Domayne once looked intently at my eyes and said “Remarkable, I’ve never seen swamp green eyes before”. I took it as a compliment because everyone else told me that they were hazel... and I like swamps.

My Kindergarten teacher refused to believe that I could read, even though I had been for about a year by then, so the next day I told her to get a book from the library and I would read it to her. It turned out to be Boy by Roald Dahl, which was one of my favourites (but I didn’t tell her that ;P). She stopped arguing with me after that.

My best friend for ever and always is Nifty Nige. We met at playgroup and have gotten along like a house on fire ever since. He knows exactly how I think and vice versa. It’s awesome to have that constant, non-needy kind of friendship. Plenty of people have said “Oh, we can spend months without speaking and then meet up again and it’s the same as always”. With Nifty that’s actually true. Also, he is hilarious and Ewan MgGregor looks a bit like him.

Hate having a mobile phone. The idea that people can contact me at will, at any hour, is horrid. I have a tendency to put it on silent for days at a time, have lost several and had that many again stolen.

I don’t have a favourite colour, I like them all. Except puce.

When I was four and starting ballet, Dad was in charge of buying my equipment bag. We came home with a Red yellow and blue toolbox. I still use it, but now it’s full of sculpture stuff and actual tools.

Monopoly is the greatest board game ever.

Habits

Terminally messy. My house is always clean, but messy. I make all these resolutions and try to be more organised, but then I can’t find things because I can’t remember where they are now and it affects my time in the house.

I collect visual influences from every corner of the interweb and save them in month folders. Then once a week I go through and use them as a launching pad for sketchbook ideas.

I have to swim at least every four days, in the ocean baths, or I get restless. I taught myself to swim by watching Dad swim laps in our pool at Dudley. Water is the one place where I can streamline my thousand thoughts into one... how good the water feels.

I’ve always mingled periods of socialising with hermitude and silence. Mum used to leave me with a friend who had a daughter my age when I was 4. She went back to nurse for a while. When she would come to get me in the afternoons she would either find me sitting by the door reading and waiting, or locked in Rhett’s bedroom having taken the mechanism that links both sides of the door out so that it could not be opened.

I love Dancerciseing to music video clips. Teaching myself new dance mooves.

Goals

I attended the Fine Art interviews today thinking (thanks Mum) that they were an invitation day, took an interview anyway and emailed PDF Portfolio when I got home. I hope they accept me, I’m hungry to learn, it’s been so long since I’ve engaged the academic part of my brain. The four core subjects are Printmaking, Photography, illustration and sculpture).

So yeah, it's a few days after I wrote that and saved it in drafts, posted today because there is no way I am ever going to finish 25... whatever :P

Work it.

2009-02-05T14:44:00.000-08:00

Since today is supposed to be even hotter and the shop doesn't have air con and I don't have a phone, I have transferred funds from Paypal and Business account into savings so I can go to Garden City later, buy a business SIM then will spend the rest of the day catching up on phone calls and revelling in the awesomeness that is the air conditioning at Buddy. Also, I tripped over Ten's laptop bag last night, which was rather painful (yet still hilarious) so I'm probably best off not walking anywhere today if I can help it. I could go into the shop, spend all day sweating and wishing I was at the baths, or I can stay home in the air con, write up the lesson brochures for Emerald Arts and finally catch up on my emails.

Yesterday was the first day of trading (sort of) for Emerald Arts. I spent the morning painting a mural on one of the columns, then occupied the afternoon by posing for photos for the Herald. Usually, I hate having my photo taken, but after working blue steel and posing in the middle of my origami sculpture, I loosened up and rather felt like Serena from Gossip Girl. My photographer was awesome, totally encouraging and fun to work with. I highly recommend the experience ;)

Another Renew Newcastle project on it's way, this space is to be a photography gallery. It has the most amazing timber columns in the back (soon to be backdrops in a studio).

Wednesday night Ten and I attended the opening of "Art Works" at the Front Room Gallery. The exhibitors being all staff members of the Newcastle Art School. I was completely besotted with this piece, a study of the Doggie Park in near Nobby's Beach. But my favourite by far was at the other end of the room. I didn't get a good photo of it, but it was amazing... trust me. Throbbed with the richest reds and purples that pulsed through a glossy black. I really hope I have that artist as one of my teachers.

Um... yeah, that was my other good news, I got accepted there to study this year. Wed, Thur, Fri will be taken up with learning. Yes.

The wall of ideas at Emerald Arts. These are works by other artists that I have collected over the years. The central poster was from Yen, it's just sublime.

The large sculpture (posed in yesterday) with the Dalek print from which many of it's cranes were folded. So much love.

Zephyrama's creations on display. The button brooches and necklaces are most awesome, but the knitting needles are the best part... such a simple idea but so effective, and they feel beautiful to wear. I had kind of expected the pointy end to snag on things, but it really doesn't. Such a crafty girl. You should see her on her spinning wheel, maybe I can convince her to come in and give a demo one night at the Anti-Scrapbooking Society *grins*

Robots robots ROBOTS of LURVE.... :)

My work station.

Sweet baby Jeebus this is an epically long entry already, but I have to share what I just came across on FaceBook because it proves how made of win my boyfriend is.

Here's the premise: Renew Newcastle, which Emerald Arts is a proud and shiny part, has an event on FB created for it's Launch Party (21st Feb). Someone made the following comment:

why are you promoting artists to be pawns of the propertied elite? Baffling but desperate...they've got us just where they need us eh? Process space is the key...put a holding charge on land and those vacancies will hit the market, forcing rents back down. INstead YOU are promoting an artist run cultural revamp of central newcastle ...making those landlords even wealthier when the wanna bees move in cum 18 months later when your rents go up. You must have vagued out during the opening plenary of TINA 2007 when i discussed this. sorry to be harsh but really.....

And Ten replied the following:

Karl - WTF, seriously. The 'landlords' that this project will make 'even wealthier' have donated UNUSED spaces (ie. spaces they can't get tenants for) for ZERO cost (as far as I'm aware - in many cases they've had to part with money to make the shops meet fire safety and similar standards) to give artists a place to pimp their wares - or even just show it off.Also, most - again, if not all - of the spaces are going to be torn down when the entire mall area is redeveloped in a year or two.But hey, if you want to believe that, go ahead. But what's your alternate suggestion? Let the starving artists remain starving by not giving them ANY realistic contact with consumers? Artistic integrity is one thing, but what's the point of taking the moral high ground if you can't afford to eat and put a roof over your head? And what's the point of having a creative outlet if no-one can ever see it?

Oooh I love that boy. Rationality and reason are so hot right now.

The Lovebirds in the window at Emerald Arts for Valentine's Day

Right, off to do some work...

MWAH!

-Emmeline

Awwwwwyeeeaahhhh

2009-02-02T18:35:00.001-08:00

Guess what arrived in the mail today?

10 tiny robot necklaces made of AWESOMENESS that's what! Am off to make a display twig out of branches and a teacup.... or a faux cherry blossom branch... haven't decided yet...

You'll see ;)

In the meantime, check out the work of Dan May, I've never seen creatures quite like these before...

http://dan-may.com/

Listening to: "Public Warning" by Lady Sovereign

Sweet relief

2009-02-01T20:58:00.000-08:00

This week is already shaping up so much better than the week before. Had the loveliest day at the markets with Zephyrama. It's so much more entertaining to share a stall with a friend and while away the hours sharing gossip, swooning over the Mighty Boosh and eating the most delcious cakes and profiterroles (gf of course ;).

Ten found out on Friday that he's getting a pay rise. His boss also raised the possiblity of him getting a work car, which would mean his beautiful Nissan 180 could come off the road for some much needed TLC. That's in the future though, because these decisions take time. Spent friday night celebrating out at Benny's with Kim and Nifty Nige. We heart vodka and Skins.

Today I accompanied Mum to what she thought was an information day at the Newcastle School of Art. One glance around the room decided her on Not going, while an interview with the teaching staff cemented me on the prospect of a Certificate four in Fine Arts. Emailed my portfolio when I got home, am on the waiting list. Fingers crossed ya'll.

I've been working hard to get Emerald Arts up and running, the shop is pretty much sorted, going to spend today and tomorrow making more stock and a Valentine's display. Tomorrow the electrical mains should be sorted too. Then opening Wednesday.

Am off to read and elevate my legs above my head for a bit. Been a bit harsh on my poor injured foot for days now, time to give it a break while absorbing the awesomeness that is Famous magazine.

-Emmeline

Progression at Emerald Arts Newcastle.

2009-01-31T03:50:00.000-08:00

The start of a mural which will feature one of my girls and a full moon.

Sorry this photo is a bit dark, but I have the markets tomorrow and much as it pains me not to fix it, I'm off to Bedfordshire after this post. So, this photo is the Valentine display.

This is the "current project" wall. At the moment I'm painting a canvas sign for Emerald Arts.

The photography section. This contains portraits of the creatures in various locations around Newcastle. Taken by the v. talented Ten.

Dangly glass constructions by Kim. So lovely. The butterfly one on the left is my favourite so far ;)

The zine table so far. There will also be a "swap box" where you can swap things out. If you have a zine that you are done with, it goes in the box and you take a different one out.

A slightly wider view showing the Toy Bed that lives underneath and will serve as a daybed for parents etc. to sit on reading while classes are on. Or they can go shopping or do coffee ;)

This is the rear wall of Emerald Arts so far. Black and white photography (mine) mixed with favourite images by fashion photographers, more to come.

blergh

2009-01-28T05:07:00.001-08:00

So I am not to be a homeless person after all... my lovely friend Andrew is lending me money so I can get my business officially registered then get the bank account and blah blah ohdeargod I am so relieved.

I wrote a massively long post but blogger ate it :( So I'll give you a link to my facebook album instead so you can see the scrubbed up and repainted shop.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=206361&id=656225390

Will try it again tomorrow, but for now I am off to Bedfordshire.

-Emmeline

Arrrgghhh

2009-01-27T21:15:00.001-08:00

The problem with not having enough money, working for yourself as an artist and business owner, is that collecting a safety net is impossible. After a year of hard work, slogging it out, I'm now a week away from an eviction notice. We're behind in rent and it's my fault. I have managed to get myself an artspace, I've spent forever making stock and planning and longing for a place to call my own. I achieved all that but now I'm about to be out in my arse because I'm unable to pay the $140 dollars to register my business so I can get a bank business account and use overdraft to pay my rent.

I'm feeling like the worst person at the moment. I can't bear to think of losing my beautiful house because I broke my foot and couldn't go to the markets to earn money. My beautiful Ten doesn't deserve this. I guess I can do right now is spend every waking (and when I should be sleeping second) on getting that place going. I have to hope that I can make enough money in sales on the weekend to keep the wolves at bay. So scared.

Blooming lovely

2009-01-26T20:03:00.000-08:00

I am a
Snapdragon

What Flower
Are You?

Introducing Cas.

2009-01-26T19:09:00.001-08:00

Whilst lurking on Facebook waiting for the day to cool down so I can go work in the shop, I came across these photos of my sister in someone's Christmas party photos.

Cas is Cassandra Jane Stronach, she's four years younger than me, but people often mistake us for each other because we're both tall and brunette, even though we're built differently and have quite different faces. Cas is about two inches taller than I am and slender, I'm almost six foot so I'm hardly tiny, but I'm more of an hourglass, very curvy. Also, Cas has blue eyes with flecks of gold, whereas my eyes are swamp green (long story... how the name came about I mean, not infidelity or being swapped at the hospital :P).

So this is Cas at her work Christmas party on Sydney harbour. Feb last year she started work with a company called Nettleton Tribe on the North Shore. She's an (incredibly talented) architect.

Keeping up the family tradition of being total junkies when it comes to Champagne. I remember when I was going through the gamut of testing to figure out what turned out to be coeliacs, the doctor read out a list of what I could and couldn't drink. My Mum asked in a tiny sad little voice "Does that mean she can't have Champagne?"

The doctor laughed and said "It's ok Mrs Stronach. Champagne is gluten free."

Big Sigh of relief.

Anyway, back to the Cas One. What else can I tell you about her? We sound alike on the phone and often confuse Mum. We both count "Zoolander" and "Fogetting Sarah Marshall" as cinematic classics. She sets me off on such laughing fits sometimes that I double over and no noise comes out. She's never been a great reader of books, but she's getting back into them which makes me really happy cos books rock. She bosses me around FAR more than I boss her, but it's like water off a ducks back with me anyway haha. Also, we can fight like cats and dogs about the stupidest things, but five minutes later we're over it.

Whenever we go on family holidays, Cas and I go into sleepover mode and annoy our brother by talking all night, but then Lachy and I fight over who gets to share a room with her because she can snore if she has hayfever, Lachy snores too though, so he loses :P Plus I'm the eldest, so I just keep repeating that as the answer to every argument he puts forward.

Cas is the most excellent sister.

2009-01-24T05:38:00.000-08:00

Dropped by the space tonight on the way to Scotty's poncho party. I forgot to wear one cos I am a n00b without a filofax on me. Need a PA or something :P

Sculpture from the Waste as Art exhibition holding place for things to come. Had to put something shiny in the window cos I am just so damn proud to have the place... even if it has been too Dayam hot to clean it hehe

Hmmm, hard to take photos with a camera phone through dirty windows. Note to self, next time remember the windex

So yeah, probably should be playing guitar hero with the boys last night, we came home early from the party cos Ten is still a bit sick and Harvs (Benny) has almost no voice because the Big Day Out was THAT good ;)

Instead I am displaying to you dear reader the "Holding" window display at my new shop Emerald Arts. I could not be more giddy with excitement. like seriously ;)

-Emmeline xoxoxo

Feel the lurrrve baby

2009-01-22T20:10:00.001-08:00

Even though I have a boyfriend, I still feel that Valentines is kind of lame and generally forget it's even on till Ten comes home and sqidges me and tells me that it is. Then I usually kiss him and tell him that our presence is presents enough to each other and we get something tasty like Thai takeaway from The Grange and watch silly movies.

This year though, I've been making hearts because I liked making them at Christmas time for the tree and thought "Oh why the hell not". That and I had a whole lot of magenta coloured faux fur and a shop to fill :P

So this is my version of a Valentine present, the "I Heart Valentine":

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20080668

Ferris Bueller, you're my hero!

2009-01-22T19:28:00.000-08:00

The day started off a little shaky this morning. Had Dad look over the paperwork for me yesterday but I was still chasing up a lawyer to explain a clause and sign the document. One place I called quoted $400 (for what turned out to be a 20 min job) but as I am an almost starving artist, (but for the grace of Ten) that wasn't going to happen. So I swallowed my pride and started calling around, explaining the community driven nature of the project and general poverty of artists to various lawyers that I found in the white pages, strangely enough... no one wanted to work for free. Put a shout out on facebook, called several family friends (everyone is still away on school holidays), nothing was happening and Emmeline was getting very stressed. It got to eleven am, I got teary, told the mormons who came to my door that I didn't need Jesus in my life I needed a lawyer... they made their excuses and left...

But then...

*BIG sigh of relief* a family friend of Ten's responded to his phone message and said that he would be more than happy to look over things for me and sign. I washed my face and put on some lipgloss then was picked up by Ten and taken into town to the place you see below:

This is the Newcastle office of Sparke Helmore, which is (quite hysterically now that I think of it) another quality Stronach construction, overlooking the harbour. Pretty rough view eh? I don't know how they get any work done with a view like that, the picture doesn't quite do it justice, but they are seven stories up and have 180 degree views... just gorgeous.

So, Paul Jayne, my knight in shining business attire, looked over the contract for me and signed the lawyery bit. Complete legend, saved my bacon. Without it I would have had to wait until Tuesday to (possibly) get it signed by someone at the Community legal centre, but no guarantees there, and then wait until RN was able to see me again. But it's done and I am so relieved still that I feel a little shaky. So glad.

After seeing Paul the Lovely Lawyer, we headed into town to pick up lunch at All Bar One where I told my favourite waiter ever that I'll soon be a neighbour. The little budda on the stack of coins here is their tip jar. He got bored and made him a little change plinth to meditate on. Then we headed up to see Marni from RN (who has a bike with a basket and a colour co-ordinated drink bottle btw, love it), got the keys and checked out the shop with the GPT site manager.

Will be heading back into the shop tonight when it's cooler to put a "Coming Soon" sign and a couple of shiny things to generate interest. This is one of the windows... not the best photo, but just wanted to give myself an idea of the space so I can start planning displays.

Someone left me a can of air freshener. How thoughtful :)

A display table thing that was left in the shop. Needs welding so I'll get Benny on to that. Thinking of filling it with sand so I can a) have a sand pit for the little kids to create in like I used to do in Kindy, or b) fill it with shells and coral for a jewelry display. Also, HOW GOOD ARE THE PURPLE WALLS??? Oh how you will soon be muraled my lovely lilac friends.

An old cash register stand that I found in the store room out the back. Going to clean it up, then hopefully find an old school register with the handle you pull down because they are awesome and made of win and I need it.

The store room is absolutely massive and full of shelves. Just huge. Going to take all the boxes and stuff out of the front bedroom at Buddy and store them in the shop so we can have a summer bedroom because I am SO over being woken by the sun at 6am. I do not like mornings.

So there you have it. The keys to Emerald Arts are in my pocket and I am so far beyond excited it's ridiculous. Going to wear old clothes and give it a damn good clean tomorrow (Sat), then Sunday is the markets, Monday is a public holiday and Tenski is off work, so we're going to drink all day and possibly go swimming in a place called the Bogey Hole which sounds gross but is actually the most amazing grotto swimming pool right beside the ocean, cut into the side of a cliff. Beautiful.

<3 and much excitement

-Emmeline

Since it's rainy and horrid here today...

2009-01-21T17:01:00.000-08:00

Tim Burton's "Vincent" for your viewing enjoyment

Seriously lacking in motivation today, so I've decided to go to Dad's office and print out lots of copies of my zines and the Anti-Scrapbooking Society's Manifesto, then I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon watching Grey's Anatomy and putting them together. Give the brain a break for a bit.

;)

Dusty McDust Dust

2009-01-20T21:43:00.000-08:00

This is me being a dork at Ten's birthday shenanigans last weekend. I was showing my friend Dawes that I had cunningly matched my eyeshadow (thankyou Napoleon) with $1 chemist nailpolish. My hair looks so crazy because it was a bit windy on the waterfront, but I kind of like it.

Cleaning out my house, organising all the stuff that needs to go to the shop over the weekend... tried tying a scarf around my head to keep the dust out but my glasses kept fogging up. Took it off, but only when someone rang the doorbell... the lawn mower man from next door wanted to know if I wanted the two nature stips mown (for $30 when we have our own mower? I don't think so). He looked at me funny, I remembered I was still wearing my bright red silk scarf over face... whipped it off quick smart. Maybe next time I go on a mad cleaning binge I need to get a proper dust mask from the Man Shop (aka. Hardware Store).

Covered in dust, but getting there, just waiting for Ten to come home so we can go have a swim.

The gang hanging out at Inbetweendays (photo nicked off facebook). I'm the one in red, then on my left you have Tegan (girlfriend of Dawes but my friend for longer :P), Chris, the guy with the very interesting hairdo is Zane, then Tenski is on my left.

Tenski is home SWIM TIME YAY!

Two Josephines up in the Etsy shop

2009-01-20T18:00:00.000-08:00

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20003069

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20002539

Emerald Arts

A new zine

Yes... I am still obsessed with watercolours

Lately....

Curious Colony: the best exhibition the NRAG has had EVER!

Taronga Zoo

Treading water

Hello there stranger

Some pages from my sketchbooks

Fat as Butter 2009

The sun will come out... tomorrow....

Minding Your Mouth in a Public Forum: or why Em is an idiot

New video

Feedback is tops.

You like to party? How about an Art Party?

Dusty McDust Dust

Shifty behaviour

Spring cleaning and playing shops still

First week of September

Look Hear: Architecture and Design talks

Back again....

Anatomy Day

Hairdressers are better than counsellors

Just a quick one

Em's Day of Cranky

A new student and a Bonsai

Epic Picture Post... catch up

Meet Pig and Wuru

A bit late, but RIP Michael Jackson

You wanna be on tv?

It's Holidays... but I can't stop myself from painting :P

Sculpture and shopping with Mumoir

In my family we don't smack for accidents

New Arrivals from Flossy-P at Emerald Arts

Handing in the Paintings Day

New Abstract in Yellow

Abstract piece for art school

Edina Bear Rug Stronach

Creature Feature

My mother always told me that everything looks better after a good night's sleep

ladies and headdesking myself for being an emotional idiot

WIP: Digital assignment 2

Influences and family photos

A Guided Tour of Emerald Arts: For Renee

I heart Life Drawing

Tuesday happenings at Emerald Arts

New Favourite Artist: Caroline Mudge

I'm the Queen of Procrastina..... oh I can't be bothered

Limbo is Lovely

Easter classes at Emerald Arts

Rain rain go away, you're making everything soggy

Sleep? Who needs it :P

Painting is fun but the flu sucks

Digital painting is way cool man

New Stock at Emerald Arts: Mixtape Zine

My Sketchbooks

The Mall is allliiivvveee, to the sound of muuusic

Photoshop is interesting

Oh Em Gee

Post-Weekend ramble

Things I have made this week

Interesting info from the Copyright Agency Limited (Aust.)

Kid's classes at Emerald Arts

To Market to Market...

ACTION EM!

nekkid people day :)

If no one else will do it for you...

Emerald Arts Launch Party

Art and fishies and really dodgy cakes

Wikkid Wednesday

Dust to Dust

Friday at Art School

Drawing day

My Desk at Emerald Arts

New at Emerald Arts- FLOSSY-P!!! *dances*

Josephine Rocks Out

Why I can't wait for Wednesday...

On how much I heart Gabriel Wingate-Pierce and Jonathon Carroll

PONY&ZUCKER

Quizzer

New at Emerald Arts- FLOSSY-P!!! dances