New Stuff

Just wanted to let you know about a few things going on. Firstly, the Linden Postcard show at the Linden Gallery in St Kilda opened on the weekend and we have 6 pieces in the exhibition (3 by me, 3 by Kim). We haven't actually checked it out yet so we're not sure whereabouts in the gallery they're hanging or even if they're hanging all together so we'll have to pop in sometime in the next few weeks. This is one of Kim's pieces, which features a curly tree and a gorgeous new character we're calling 'P'.



Here's one of mine, 'Gnarly Tree'. I'm working on some realistic-looking trees and this one is rather dark and eerie but I like it:


Oh, and all the pieces at the Linden gallery are for sale too :-)

Also, here is a picture of our curly tree displayed in that shop for button-lovers (in the Nicholson Bldg on Swanston Street), Buttonmania:


And lastly, we have added some new work to our Etsy shop with more to come over the next few days...

Convent on Sundays

Today we visited the Abbotsford Convent where they have lots of cool stuff going on all the time. There are several cafes there, they have a schedule of different themed markets on weekends, and it's just next door to the Collingwood Children's Farm. It's a bit of an inner-city hidden treasure.

Today we popped into the Sunday Arts at the Convent held on the first Sunday of the month and had a look at the gorgeous array of arty things on offer.

We were blown away by the talent of Elise Hurst. She had some amazing prints that I'm dying to own. Oh, and she was just lovely to talk to as well! Here is one of her illustrations:

We love books

Now that we have a baby we have a new appreciation of picture books. Here are some old and new favourites:

Pictured (clockwise from right): The Red Tree by Shaun Tan, The Monster at the End of this Book, written by Jon Stone & illustrated by Mike Smollin (A Little Golden Book), The Eleventh Hour by Graeme Base, The Butter Battle Book by Dr Seuss, Diary of a Wombat, written by Jackie French & illustrated by Bruce Whatley, The Lucky Yak, written by Annetta Lawson & illustrated by Allen Say and Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.

Some are our own childhood treasures like the perennial Where the Wild Things Are, popularised recently by the film, and some are new ones we've discovered in recent years like the eerily beautiful The Red Tree by Shaun Tan. He is such an impressive and talented illustrator. If you want to see something extraordinary get a hold of his book The Arrival. It's an amazingly moving fictional documentation of a migrant's journey and it doesn't contain a single word.

Recently we tracked down a really cute Little Golden Book that was a favourite of Kim's when he was a kid. The Monster at the End of this Book stars Grover from Sesame Street and has the reader in agonizing suspense waiting for the monster lurking on the last page. Through the whole book Grover begs you not to go any further but you do. Of course you do. How could you not? Then at the end it turns out, to Grover's embarrassment, the monster was him all along. Such a fun book.

Anyway, occasionally I like to write stuff and this month I have an article in Melbourne's Child Magazine (also Sydney's & Brisbane's Child). It's a personal reflection on the importance of books in my own life growing up, and how I want to pass on a love of books and reading to Little Miss P. You can find the magazine free at any local library, Maternal Health Centre, some cafes, and other places frequented by parents and children. Or if you click on the picture below, and squint, you might be able to read it ;-)

Melbourne's Child Magazine, February, 2010

Appendix no more

Kim is sans appendix, as of Friday, after a hospital saga that involved a 7-hour wait in casualty and being 'bumped' repeatedly (I thought that only happened to airline passengers).

But the surgery went smoothly - when it eventually happened - and Kim's recovering well. Think he might even pick up a paint brush tomorrow.

Just wanted to let you know that we won't be at the Rose Street market this Saturday as previously advertised but will definitely be there at our other dates on February 27 and March 6.

Found this cartoon while I was looking for a picture of an appendix (don't ask...I like to research, ok?); thought Kim would appreciate the golf reference.

We heart these Etsy artists

We've recently redecorated the study (or maybe I just mean 'tidied'?) and have framed and hung some really cool prints we've acquired through Etsy: this one from The Black Apple, one very similar to this by Printspace and the one below, entitled 'Come on in' by Ashley G. It's printed on archival matte poly/cotton canvas so it's finished with that canvas texture and it looks and feels gorgeous.

It's so nice to have lovely things hanging on the wall.

On Buttons

It's no secret that Art by Wiley is all about buttons. Well, at the moment anyway. We have lots of non-button ideas in the works, but at the moment, we're really enjoying creating artworks out of these everyday, prosaic, otherwise unremarkable little objects whose intended purpose is for something else entirely. Here are some cool buttons from a canvas curly tree we've just completed.

Fabric-covered buttons are a treat, because they're often rarer to come by, and they just seem to tell a story: of an era, or a garment or a particular design style.

Work in Progress

Canvases ready to go. This is our 'studio' aka the kitchen table. Only rarely used for its proper purpose these days.