My very own media release

Made this up before I went to the Renew Newcastle media launch this afternoon. Just talked to my grandma who said that I was on NBN news looking like a film star (isn't she gorgeous?) but I missed it, those guys work quick. Hopefully it will be posted on their website sometime soon and I can check it out.

Media Release December 2008

A new art space with the Renew Newcastle project
Emerald Arts
By Emma Stronach
A gallery, shop and interactive art space.


Opening Dec 08- Jan 09

Media preview Wednesday 10.12.08


Situated in the Hunter Street Mall, Newcastle.



The Emerald Arts will house original artworks, handmade creations by Newcastle artisans and crafters and will host art classes for young and old.

Emma Stronach is a fourth generation Novocastrian and is beyond excited to be a part of an initiative designed to breathe life back into her beloved city. The Renew Newcastle project aims to revitalize the CBD by opening up its vacant properties to creative types.

Emerald Arts will encourage community involvement in the project by running a series of holiday and after school art classes for kids, as well as zine making workshops and an Anti-Scrapbooking society for adults.

Artworks created in the shop will also be collaborative, with customers able to watch the artist as their sculptures and artworks are created and provide input as to how they will turn out.

A section of the Emerald Arts shop will be devoted to a revolving display of works by local artists and crafters. For a week long period at a time a shelf will be given over to display (and sell) arts and creations by our city’s diverse talent.

Thanks go to the Renew Newcastle project and our first property partner, the GPT group. This is an amazing opportunity for the city of Newcastle. Hope to see you at Emerald Arts soon.

All official and stuff...

This is the official media release from GPT, Renew Newcastle's first project partner:

Revitalising Newcastle
The GPT Group announces its support of the Renew Newcastle project today in line with its commitment to revitalise the Newcastle CBD.
At 3pm today, GPT will handover the keys to the first of a series of buildings it owns, to be managed by the not-for-profit company Renew Newcastle, which has been established to find short and medium term creative, artistic and community uses for vacant buildings.
Renew Newcastle will today move in to the former chapel on Morgan Street, which it will use as a base as it continues to match artists and small businesses with vacant buildings within the CBD.
The GPT Group’s Newcastle CBD Development Manager David Sleet said Renew Newcastle provided an excellent medium for contributing to the revitalisation of the CBD while it goes through a transitional phase. We also see a similar range of activities continuing as an element of the re-developed centre.
“GPT owns a range of properties within the Newcastle CBD and it is important to us that these properties are utilised to the best of their ability as we continue with our plans for GPT’s Newcastle CBD retail project. We are also undertaking other activities to improve the ambience of the area, such as installing the Christmas decorations in the Mall and Market Square.

A series of vacant shops on the Hunter Street Mall are set to become galleries, exhibitions and retailers. GPT has also identified space in Market Square that could be used as studio space.
“We are currently working with Renew Newcastle to fill any vacant shops we own that are clean and meet necessary safety codes.
“Our hope is that artists can begin moving in before Christmas,” said Sleet.

http://www.renewnewcastle.org/

Yaaaay Book Art 2

Book Art Volume 2 is now up on Etsy, both in full size and miniature.

Full: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18470581
Mini: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18471729

Am off to prettify myself for the Renew Newcastle media launch. No idea what to wear. My wardrobe is currently on my desk because of all household chores I hate folding washing the most, which is wierd because I love hanging it out in the sunshine. I'm thinking a summer dress with a sparkly bolero jacket, shiny heels (here's hoping I don't fall down at all, or at least not in front of the media hah, notorious for doing that, am rather tall so I don't usually wear heels but these are soooo shiny). Now I just have to find my foundation... which is god knows where. I hardly ever wear makeup either but my skin is still blotchy on my cheeks and arms from drinking too much orange juice last friday (such a delicate flower), so I'm going to foundation them, totally works ;)

Shop stuff

Full steam ahead for the Renew Newcastle project. Official media launch is tomorrow afternoon. Been wandering around Etsy looking for Christmas present ideas and came across the world's cutest robot necklaces, have ordered some from the lovely Kittyrobot for the Emerald Arts shop/gallery thing.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13848370

So can't wait till I can tell the world properly about Emerald Arts. At the moment we've been keeping it on the downlow. One of the NEIS girls whose boyfriend applied for a space was miffed when she heard that people had already been to the sites, inspectorating. Was sad that her boyf had missed out. Wasn't me that told btw. Anyway, I told her not to fret, as far as I am aware nobody has missed out yet, it's just that there were a lot of applications and only one person (basically) assessing them all. Marcus is a very busy boy. Basically we're just the first round, the ones that were the most ready to go. Plenty of time and opportunities for everyone else. There are about a billion vacant spaces in Newcastle after all ;)

Ooooh Wow! 2ooth post!

Well, I started this post to tell you that there is a lovely jewellry maker with a giveaway on her blog, then realised that this is my 200th post.

Check it out here ya'll http://jogirlsjourney.blogspot.com/2008/12/drum-roll-please.html


What am I going to do to celebrate? Besides drink the champers that is currently chilling in my freezer? I think I might just have my own giveaway. So here it is, comment on this post and if you win I will send you a copy of the second volume of "Book Art" and a christmas creature called Festive Phillip. I will use the good old fashioned name from hat technique to pick the winner.

Closes Sunday 14th dec, midnight (Australia time).

"Managing Through Turbulent Times" a seminar.

Today the Hunter Business Centre had a free seminar on called "as per blog title" :P It was fascinating. A guy from the Commbank descriped how the current global financial crisis has come about and how the panic in Australia is a result of how we are influenced (emotionally) by the US, even though we are actually powering ahead, with the second best economy in the world.

Did a bit of networking, listened to the speakers, but as you can see by the sketches below I got a bit distracted when they started talking numbers. These are preliminary sketches for one of Dad's developments. He's taking the old Merewether Surf House and knocking it's concrete rotted shell down, then building a gorgeous club/function room/restaurant thing. Wandered down there after the seminar and asked the hot surflife savers what colour their swimmers were. It's research, honest. They giggled.

Circling My Head: Regarding Daisy

Circling My Head: Regarding Daisy

obviously your lucky day since you are going to hear about her

Bah hahahaha awesome ;)

It's wierd, to me any more than three kids in the family sounds like a hell of a lot. Even though my grandpa was one of fourteen or so. I saw a picture of my Great Grandma once and she was absolutely tiny, surroounded by huge almostadultkids.

I nearly had two swims today... but I couldn't be bothered LOL

Just came across this photo while changing my profile pic on facebook, but I'm not going to use it in case a family member sees it and I get into trouble. So I'm putting it on my far more private blog, which is technically less secure, but as there are about five of my dearest reading it, I think I'm safe :P This is my friend Em and I for her birthday a couple of years ago. I borrowed my flatmate Candy's bellydancing costume and went as a genie. I think you can tell what Em was.

So hot today. It's ridiculously late now and I really should be sleeping. Have the markets tomorrow and was sick last night after drinking waaaay too much orange juice at graduation. How ridiculous. If they had just had champagne I would have been fine, but the salcylates are so much higher in OJ and my poor little body puffed up so much by night I couldn't wear my watch. Yeah my body is wierd :P Back to normal now though, after a day lying about in heat too intense to do ANYTHING in. The only time my brain managed even half a thought all day was when I got Ten to drive me to the baths for a swim. In the water, my body temperature lowers to that of a normal person and I feel like a mermaid. If only I could live there.

So happy and excited and on tenterhooks at the moment. Still waiting to hear back from Renew Newcastle about particulars. Such an amazing project and I am kind of champing at the bit to get into it, can't wait to start pumping some artsy blood back into the veins of my Newcastle.

Ok, so stuff sleep, I'm going to watch the delectable Mr Christian Slater in Pump Up the Volume for a while.

MWAH

-Emmeline.

The title doesn't look as light once printed and I kind of like the way that it recedes into the page.


Now I know a lot of zine people aren't into poetry, but sometimes you've just got to love it, especially when it's about the sea.

A quote from a movie or book (could be Only Cowgirls Get the Blues)



A Wip that I liked so much unfinished that I kept it that way.

After learning that tomorrow I have to take tax stuff to Elizabeth at my Dad's office I decided that I would spend part of today making the second volume of Book Art even though I have a million other things I should be doing. I rationalised that I am opening a gallery/artspace soon and I need things to fill the shop section.

These are some of the scans, inc. the front cover. Should have it up on Etsy tomorrow after I figure out how to get the file sizes smaller so that the website will accept them.

Please buy it, it's lovely I promise, and a much better read than the last one.... you know you want to ;)

Creatures & Dreams 2

This is the second issue of my colouring in book (or kidzine) "Creatures and Dreams". Featured inside, with stories, are Widget the Brave and Voodoo Susan. The book is filled with original illustrations and activities to entertain during the Christmas Holidays.

The cover is printed on card stock and the origami cranes are removeable, so that colouring is not impeded. Each crane is folded from recycled art magazines. I scan each cover separately, so the cranes you see in the first picture are the cranes you will be getting.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18068507


Taken me a lot longer to do this zine than the first one did, I drew/wrote whole pages in my sketchbook so that all I had to do was scan them into the computer then clean them up a bit. Pretty painstaking process, but the end result looks so much more polished.

The next door neighbours have a new puppy that has barked all day today and yesterday. I love dogs, but I am considering kidnapping it and leaving it at my parent's house with Eddie. The barking is driving me nuts, but I came up with a solution. I'm painting with Pendulum turned up on full on my ipod. Nothing like a bit of drum and bass to drown out the barking.

So much stuff I want to be doing at the moment. Everything is so urgent.

To Do list:
- lay out patterns for christmas creatures
- make up Voodoo Susan kits, Paper dolls, paint your own canvases
- scan in some images from the drop dead gorgeous book Renee sent me so I can show it's pretty on my blog
- go in to shop on Darby st to see how my things look there
- organise art supplies for the move into shop in town
- do some washing (woo exciting!)
- oh god that's so much stuff, too depressing, really got to get off blogger and get to it

ciao for now amores, back to work Emmeline.