Calendar Girl

If I am lost for a day; try and find me 

But if I don't come back, then I won't look behind me 

All of the things that I thought were so easy 

just got harder and harder each day 

Calendar girl whos in love with the world, Stay alive 

The pages keep turning, I'll mark off each day with a cross 

And I'll laugh about all that we've lost 

Calendar Girl who is lost to the world 

Stay Alive 

Calendar Girl who is lost to the world Stay Alive 

January,February,March,April,May I'm alive 

June,July,August,September,October I'm alive 

November,December, I'm alive 

I'm alive 

Calendar girl who's in love with the world, Stay alive

I have made up my mind, my decision is in, I am moving to Brisbane on the 1st of January, in pursuit of my dream of having a fruitful life full of art galleries, live music, craft markets, vintage shops and creative friends,  but most of all working towards a career in the arts.  The plan is to spend the 31st of December with my best friend Ashton reflecting on what will be the end of an era, and maybe making a scrapbook of the year that has been.  We will stay up all night, with the help of copious amounts of coffee and wine and then I will fly out the next morning to start my new life in a new city.  I will stay with my nana, while catch the train into the city everyday checking out share houses and looking for jobs.  On the 4th of January I will attend 'Stars' concert at The Zoo; after missing out on seeing Stars perform live on 2 occasions I believe I owe it to myself to see them this time- no matter what.  On the 15th of January (possibly sooner) I will find out if I have been successful in bagging a position at Griffith or QUT and will start a degree in Feb of 2009.  

The pages keep turning, I'll mark off each day with a cross

And I'll laugh about all that we've lost

So that is the plan thus far, the rest is a beautiful mystery.  I look forward to getting my new Frankie calender and Kikki.K 2009 diary and filling it with wonderful dates, concerts and art deadlines.  If I had a goal for my life it would be that every year be more fruitful and busy than the last.  I don't want to look back on my life 5 years from now and think that I should have worked harder or lived more, but be able to congratulate myself for creating the life I wanted by myself for myself from scratch. The year is not over yet, so I will cherish what is left, before I take on the challenge of my life, won't you join me? xx

What is art REALLY?

If anything and everything is art in some way, does art really exist?  or is something only art when the maker creates it for the purpose of being fine art? or when the art world puts it on a pedestal or a blank piece of gallery wall and deems it art? Does art contain any intrinsic value or is the value in what we as consumers decide it is worth?

Feels like home

My favourite part of a magazine is looking at the homebody pages, where creative people show off their home and the possessions they love within it.  I'm hoping one day I can have a home with pretty things that I love just as much as the ones in the pages of magazines such as Frankie and Russh.  Despite my low budget I do manage to make the lovely four bedroom home I currently occupy look less like a blank canvas and with a few nice op-shop finds, arty posters and childhood treasures.  I will remember my time in Sandy's house very fondly, as it is when I lived alone for the first time, entertained guests and found some independence. 

Open Night

^ Imagine on the walls of the Cairns Regional Gallery

Last night was the opening of the Cairns Regional Gallery Open Exhibition put on by the Cairns Art Society.  The night was alive with the excited hum of the crowd, the bubbling of free champagne and the opinion sharing about the diverse artworks.  With Ashton as my sidekick we took on the night fashionably five minutes late due to a ridiculous lack of parking. We arrived just in time for the exciting part of the night, the announcement of the winning artworks. I was up for Category 4- The Cairns Post award for an abstract artwork of any medium.  I did not win the $2000 prize, however I was highly commended by the Judge Mr Ron McBurnie, the highly regarded artist of FNQ, University lecturer for JCU, avid Vinyl collector and lover of Blonde bimbos.  After the awards were presented I had a chance to have a chat with Ron and he offered me some valuable advice for where he believes I should go with my art.  Ron suggested, pushing the textile stuff even further and more chaotic, sticking with themes and narratives that are important to me and working in larger canvas sizes. 

Overall I was very happy to be recognized amongst artists who are far older and more established and experienced than I am.  I have been feeling a bit embarrassed about my age in the last few months and avoid drawing attention to it, but after doing all this I can see that my age is an asset.  I am starting young and therefore have plenty of years to experiment, find my signature style and build a name for myself, which I feel very grateful for.  So anyway, here's to many more exhibitions in the not so distant future I hope xx.  

^ Ashton and I infront of my artwork

^ You had me at free champagne

^ Cindy Lane (local artist & friend), Ron McBurnie (Judge, Artist and JCU Lecturer) and myself (hopeful artist)

^ Artworks from the Abstract Category

^ Elevator love! Art Gallery Elevator scared face photo #2

"Hands in the air for supergirl"

You're doing it your own way

Walking with your own sway

Smiling into a cloudy day

And I want you to know

How you helped me to grow

I just wanted to say

You're okay

- Kate Miller Heidke

xx I really mean it

Semi-Permanent 2009

The next thing on my artistic agenda is to enter Semi-Permanent, an Australian art initiative that publishes a book every year celebrating young contemporary art and design.  I am hoping to contribute some images that represent my latest move towards, slightly more grown up, slightly sexual, slightly sinister designs utilizing watercolour, paint and textile mediums.  The next works will feature rabbit hats, mink coats and of coarse the female form in all its glory.  Look forward to sharing them with you xx.

Artists of the North

On Friday Night I attended the Artists of the North exhibition displayed at The Tanks, where two of my artworks are on display.  I have to say the standard of artwork from artists in North Queensland is very high.  I noticed the subject matter is very much inspired by the environment and wildlife around the Cairns area.  My own work, I feel is a bit removed from the 'Tropical North Queensland' style, however I do feel very inspired by the intensity of colour within the area.  I am really starting to find peace in the concept of becoming an artist as my career path. I was always worried that there wouldn't be a future in art for me but the more I immerse myself in the art world, the more I find that the art world in Australia is alive and thriving, and profitable even!

Right about now

So party people, it is all happening for me right now, applying for uni, finding a place to live in Brisvegas, having my artwork in the Cairns Regional Gallery, lovely people in my actually existing social life and a new home with a pool. What more could I ask for?  Its scary knowing that my biggest life decisions are before me right now, but with a little help from my friends and my ever growing independence I should get through it all. Cheers to the future xx.

Regina

So good news folks.  "Imagine" has been selected for the exhibition by the Cairns Art Society being displayed at the Cairns Regional Gallery.  This means I will lose my artwork being displayed in an art gallery virginity.  Exhibition opens on Friday night the 31st of October and finishes 7th of December 2008.  What a lovely way to end the year hey!  Hope to see you there xx.

Just my imagination

So I have been working non stop on the artwork you see above, it is my submission for the open Cairns Regional Gallery exhibition, which I shall submit tomorrow.  I'm not really sure where it came from, I haven't really done anything like it before, but in hindsight it makes a lot of sense, it is a way for me to mix my love of crochet with portraiture painting/drawing.  The concept was inspired by the 'drunken monkey' as Buddhists use as a metaphor for the mind.  Hundreds of thoughts enter my mind within a minute I feel sometimes, and it probably isn't that good for me.  Having said that, as I often think about, often the thought of something is the most exciting part, anticipating a great event.  This is where this girl is at, it is her aura if you like.  Wish me luck in getting this piece picked xx. 

Things that make me happy

• Looking at photos of my childhood
• Receiving lovely letters/text messages in my mail box
• Looking at pictures that remind me of a time and a place
• Redecorating my room
• Pretty red things
• A lovely new dress
• Concerts at the Tanks
• Lunch at the Lilipad Cafe
• Sweet dates
• A warm cup of vanilla tea
• A long chat with Ash and the funny things that she says like "Chay" & "true dat!" in context of coarse
• The sun
• A friendly black cat
• Socks on my feet (don't ask)
• Listening to music with sentiment
• Pretty vintage finds
• My envelope necklace from Melbourne
• Late night cuddles
• Campfires with marshmellows

Hot Wax

I just thought I would share my latest artwork from my painting class.  It is executed in encaustic style (pigments with hot wax), which is a medium I have never worked with before.  At first it looked very silly with the skin looking more like a mud mask, and so I scraped off my first layer of wax and created a motley mess of coloured wax. From here I carved lines into it of my original composition - a portrait of Selma Blair (she'd be horrified!) and finally rubbed some oil colours onto the then dry wax to make the composition more obvious.  Its funny because I swore I would never try this medium again and that I hated it, but I recieved so many compliments about it that my opinion is starting to sway about it. Maybe with more control over my colour choices and more interesting composition this medium could really work for me! Hey its just a thought xx.

One Two Three Four

... tell me that you love me more xx. 

Challenges of the Unknown

So what happens next? I have to start again, and truthfully I probably should have months ago now.  I have gotten too comfortable and I haven't been progressing in my work.  Just as some wonderful things have been happening for me- the markets and new persons in my life,  I have a setback.  Well isn't this familiar?  To be honest it is both liberating and scary, but hey it is just a page in my story.  Almost ready to turn a new chapter, and maybe even start a whole new book in the not so distant future xx.

Carnival on Collins

Down to the Market

So today with my partner in crime (Miss Ashton Rigg) at the "top of the morning" otherwise known as 5:30am we packed the car full of colourful handmade goodness made by yours truely, including beanies, cards, wrist cuffs, cuppie-cakes and some of our preloved jewellery, clothing and CD's for the punters, who were lovely enough to show up.  Overall the day was pretty miserable due to unwelcomed rain and impressive competition, but honestly I loved it, and should be marketing much more.  I sold lots of cards, clothes, shoes, jewellery and two artworks, which makes me one very happy girly.  Gotta love those tanks xx. 

Amateur

Learning to photograph things quickly, slowly and cleverly xx. 

Liquid Salvation

Yes indeed myself and my partner in crime and all things good Ash attended timeout.  My highlights would have to be Faker's 'This Heart Attack' where we jumped up and down with a crowd of thousands in perfect unison, best feeling ever! I loved Blue King Brown, some talented folk, especially for the funky beats of 'water'.  Finally, the band I have liked the longest out of those who performed, Kisschasy who I had listened to whilst road tripping down the east coast to Byron Bay performed the ubber fun 'Do-oh's and wo-oh's'.  But mostly we indulged in a healthy amount of people watching- the clothes, the hair, the body language and the uninhibited dancing. 

Umbrella-ella-eh

I liked the studio lights in my Photography class so much that I decided to include them in my compositions xx. 

Oil Glazing

I am pleased to announce that I am learning a new techinique of painting, which I very much like: Oil glazing.  This is the photographic evidence of me at uni learning skills, courtesy of Cindy xx.

New Semester

Yes that is right folks I have started university again for the semester, and am doing far more interesting subjects.  I am studying effective photography, painting techniques and art/pop culture and history.  Here is some happy snaps from my first week. As I learn new things you will have the pleasure of learning them with me along this journey of a new semester, all in hope of getting into a Bachelor of Design at Griffith for 2009.  Cross your fingers and toes kids xx. 

Unfolding Florence

Very soon my dears, I will have some loverly genuine Florence Broadhurst wallpaper to decorate my walls with.  The pieces may only be small but it is the meaning that is important and the inspiration that it will provide.  

We Dared to Believe

"I Guess I was wondering what you... were doing on the weekend, I've got tickets to the show..."

Since you asked, I was attending the concert of one of Australia's best musical acts.  Clare Bowditch is pure class and undeniable talent.  What stood out to me most about her performance however, is her humility.  She was not up there doing her darnedest to shine in the limelight of her fame, but rather to celebrate music, and give as much praise to the musicians she kindly shared the stage with, including the witty 2 out 5 of the Hot Little Hands.  Listening to her now makes me want to cry with joy, it feels so good for the soul.  Oh and myself and Ash got the opportunity to share the stage with her. It felt amazing, to be up there in front of all those people, and simply to share a well known tune with her.  I am proud of myself for getting up there, I could have wished forever that I had but I won't because I did! 

I got two messages from that night:

"From little things big things grow"

This could easily become my mantra for life.  Especially being so young, there is so much growing still to do.  It is like from small beginnings, life will flourish.  

"We are all that we hoped we'd be because this time, we dared to believe"

Without belief in yourself, and conviction backing your choices there is no way you could reach your full potential.  

 

my song is love.

Adventures in Solitude

The New Pornographers

Sleep the Clock Around

Belle & Sebastian

You and I are a Gang of Losers

The Dears

On Belford and Grand

The Besnard Lakes

Lips Like Oranges

Clare Bowditch and the Feeding Set

Marching Bands of Manhattan

Death Cab for Cutie

Melt Your Heart

Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins

Heartbeats

Jose' Gonzalez

Sunflower

Low

Fix You

Coldplay

Space They Cannot Touch

Kate Miller-Heidke

Million Tears

Kasey Chambers

Heal Over

KT Tunstall

I Dreamed We Fell Apart

Memphis

Chicago

Sufjan Stevens

I'll Be Your Mirror

The Velvet Underground

This Old Love

Lior

Such Great Heights

Iron & Wine

Scarborough Fair

Simon & Garfunkel

One More Night

Stars

Dancing in the Dark

Tegan & Sara

Spotlight

The Waifs

The Chain

Fleetwood Mac

Swing Your Heartache

Young Galaxy

They Weren't There

Missy Higgins

Full Force Gale

Van Morrison

Right back at you

She cannot see what she has made

Her love has shaped

And soul has moulded

Her hands have guided

And heart has felt

And yet she cannot see

That her greatest masterpiece

Is what she gives to me.

It's her.

She paints my smile

And draws my strength

Reworks my fears

And outlines my dreams

Our friendship is a work of art

It's thyme for you to step 

outside your frame

Into the real world 

I can paint a pretty picture for her

Giving back some of the colour

That she brings to me.

Hands & Feet

I may not be good for much but, whipping out some acrylic paint and coating my little brothers hands and feet in it and attempting to neatly transfer the paint onto cartridge paper is something I can do xx. 

New artwork

I'm not sure I'm happy with this one, but alas it has been along time since I have shared what is going on behind the curtains artistically.  This is a sneak peak of what is to come xx.

Photos of Photos

"Thou wilt show me the path of life:

in thy presence in fullness of joy;

at thy right hand there are 

pleasures forevermore."

- Psalm 16:11

These adventures in solitude never done

For some reason everything in my world, feels a little different, like something profound has changed; the way I view things, the way others view me, my relationships and everything that orbits my life I suppose.  I feel like a new road is approaching, which it is, and its a big unchartered one, which I will drive in solitude.  

Until I see you around 

Until we clear the accounts 

Leave it there 

Leave it to us 

We are the challengers of 

The unknown

What does it all mean, I constantly find myself asking myself.  Is all this leading up to something, should I not have let that go? or was that purely a learning experience?  Some things, I just cannot for the life of me work out whether I should give up on them yet or not.  How can you know?  I want the answers and I want them now.  Damnit I want you exactly as you were those months ago xx.  

Lovely Day

Today many lovely things happened to me, I don't know whether it was karma, lady-luck or just plain dumb luck but whatever it was, it was in plentiful supply.  

• Found a notebook by THE Florence Broadhurst for free with Bazaar Magazine! The notebooks printed by Signiture Prints are in excess of $40 so this was a real score in my books :)
• Had a lovely vegetarian lunch from Snoogies
• Found awesomely cool red paper that fades to white for my resume' which I handed to Shiva Moon (P.S. Just between you and me I may have a job there very soon)
• Found a new shop in Cairns that stocks Elke Kramer and Zou Mou jewellery, and wait for it... Holga Lomography Cameras! There are only about 10 suppliers in Australia so this is not only big news for me but big news for Cairns!
• Found the caramel brown shoes that I have been wanting for 7 months now and haven't been able to locate anywhere.  They were only $30 too!
• Suprisingly I found 'the classic The Graduate' film at the video store, which I will now be able to watch
• Wore my new fragrence; Escada Moon Sparkle for the first time

Kudoos for good news, it may not be your good news, or yours either but I'm sure that if you smell the roses that little bit more often you will come across some dandy things along the way too xx. 

Dear Diary

Indeed it has been a mighty long time, but you see I am at the contemplative stage of my life. I am past grieving over all the things that have exhausted my emotions and am at the point of preparing for the next stage of my life. Of which I hope to expand my circle of friends, build some everlasting memories living the city life, contemplate the world on the train and build a creative and beautiful home to share and furthermore work towards the ultimate goal of 'making it' in the creative world. So at the moment I am content with my humble existence, plus there are plenty of exciting things to look forward to quite regularly.   I think I am getting closer to being comfortable in my own skin and more used to the complications of life, i feel this every so often but this feeling is becoming more frequent, which is a good sign right? xx. 

End of Semester!

Oh thank all the goodness in the world that the university semester is finally over!  I did enjoy aspects of it, including meeting new people that have become good friends, experiencing what going to uni is all about and not having to be there every day :)  I wish that I had done more reading, as when I was cramming for exams I realized that they are actually quite interesting.  I do believe that I did really badly in my exams but thankfully I got top grades in my essays so hopefully that will make up for them.  It is all just experience anyway so I have nothing to complain about! Especially since I will have the time of my life making up for lost time that I could have used to have lots of fun with my favorite people xx. 

Mary Quant

"Fashion is not frivolous.  It is a part of being alive today."

So you know how I discover something and then obsess about it incessantly, annoying everyone within earshot about how amazing it is an how much I love it? My past (and current) obsessions include Florence Broadhurst, the colour red, crocheting, Belle and Sebastian, indie music in general, the swinging 60s, Across the Universe the movie and soundtrack, plastic vintage beads, Andy Warhol, Bill Henson, magazines (I swear I have OCD for newsagents, whenever I go remotely close to one I HAVE to go in even if I know that my magazines arn't out at that point.  If I don't it will annoy me for the rest of the day, not that I resist the urge, well ever!) and Avril Lavigne (oh the shame!).  So anyway, I thought I would warn you in advance about the latest love of my life Mary Quant, a designer from the 60s onwards who has created great consumables such as clothing, make-up, 'Daisy' dolls that are soooo much better than Barbie, perfume and radcore stockings.  Obsessive compulsive is the best disorder ever xx. 

"She was as red as eternal sunsets."

I woke up one morning

And discovered the colour red.

It set the skies on fire

Lit the darkness

And flowed through me

Pulling all the pieces together.

The rainbow smiled

As he found his missing piece

And I smiled back 

Because I too found mine. 

She was as red as eternal sunsets. 

The synergy of poetry, art and colour made possible by the poetry of Ashton Rigg, the artwork of yours truely and the colour red. P.S, if Miss Rigg will not 'let her light shine' I will do it for her :)

The World Wide Web

I can't seem to help myself it seems but constantly update my many profiles on the net pretty much on a daily basis.  I love html-ing like a pig loves rolling around in its own poo.  It makes me happy to be able to make my virtual spaces look pretty, especially if at times I can't make my real life places look clean, neat, creative and classy.  I have a myspace, facebook, red bubble, lomo home, noise art profile, big cartel, photobucket and of coarse a blogspot.  I could turn it into a song if I felt the musical inclination "I've got a myspace, ..., la la la,  and and more virtual friends than you could ever know, and they comment me every day".  

Somedays I wish I could have a letterbox full of heartfelt snail mail, but in the wise words of Bob Dylan 'the times, they are a changin', and alas I greatly enjoy many aspects of these changes.  I can see things that I could never have exposure to without the world wide web from the comfort of my home and even if it is a false sense of oneness.  I take comfort in the fact I can see profiles of people around the world who aren't that different from me and know that even if most of the people closer to home 'don't get me' there are others out there with the same interests, hopes and dreams xx. 

SOHCoTWL

Spits out her cup of tea with laughter!

Smiling again thanks to a special homo xx. 

LOW

See your reflection in your mind

You keep your revelations wide eyed

They knew just where to draw the line

You let them get you every time

For years now the music of Low has touched my heart in ways that most music can't reach. There's something highly hypnotic about it, it takes me to another place, where I am calm and feel a heightened sense of emotion and truth. It is like therapy for my soul and once I have poured out my feelings through listening to one of their albums I feel refreshed and ready to get on with the day. The complimentary harmonies of a husband and wife not hiding their darkness, or denying it's existence, but crafting the lows into heartwarming songs that we can all relate to. Songs like 'Sunflower', 'When I go deaf' and 'Two-Step' just rip right through me, while songs like 'Canada' and 'Walk into the Sea' make me feel like I could move mountains. If they were around in 1967 you would know who they are two, and probably own their greatest hits collection, which is where they rightfully belong xx.

...

Your a Bloody Mother F**king Asshole

That pretty much covers it xx. 

'Toot Toot'

I am finally learning to drive, for real this time! So happy. One day I will be amongst you all driving like a normal human being.  Oh I can't wait to be on the road with my stereo blaring "baby you can drive my car..."xx. 

Sixties

Just sharing the love with some 'groovy' sixties picture finds.  There will be new original artworks by yours truly to follow I promise xx.