The new Davernator. See davernator.blogspot for the archive
I went to the flicks in Northcote last night and afterwards we came out into the beautiful balmy Melbourne evening and followed the sound of jazzy trumpets to find this…
Musical Instrument as jewellery?
And is that a Tuba?
The Northcity4 team had our final meeting for the year at our new local, The Sporting Club Hotel in Brunswick. Great pub, great food, great location, great atmosphere, great service and, lo and behold, a great beer garden decorated with the number 4! It’s a sign.
So. A few years ago I was approached by Glenys Mann to teach a workshop at the Fibres Forum in Ballarat. But I don’t work with Fibre was my reply. Doesn’t matter she said I love your work and others do too. Write a course proposal and we’ll see how it goes.
Thus began my indoctrination into the Church of Craft.
I’ve since taught 2 workshops and attended 3 as a student and I cannot tell you enough how much fun it is to spend a week in Ballarat, staying in the boarders quarters of Ballarat Grammar, being fed 3 meals a day, hanging out with like-minded Crafty folk and just MAKING STUFF for FIVE DAYS STRAIGHT!!!
There’s also a bit of partaying…
Ballarat 2008
Anyways… Glenys had an idea to run a week of workshops that were just about jewellery, what a great idea I says! Can I put forward my Northcity4 colleagues as potential teachers?
Sure thing, she replies, and can you suggest a couple of overseas artists as well?
After lots of thinking, googling and negotiating, the result is… ART JEWELLERY @ THE WINTER SCHOOL, 30th June – 5th July 2012
2012 Winter School
It is going to be ACE! You enrol with one tutor for the week but everyone gets together for meals and socialising. It’s very relaxed and lots of fun as well as being inspiring and a creative kick up the bum.
Check out the links to the artists from the Fibre Arts page and get your enrolment form in.
If I wasn’t teaching, I’d be doing the Arthur Hash workshop.
David Neale posted this and I had to share it
This is for my friend who is not as near to me as I would like.
Christmas.
You’d all bloody better be buying jewellery.
But if you’re not, get yerselves over here to my mate Lucy James’s not-to-be-missed, Christmas sale spectacular
I got this one….
and this one….
ostensibly for presents but possibly won’t make it that far.
A few years ago I was approached by Norman Cherry to be in an exhibition of contemporary jewellery from the UK and Australia titled “Transplantation”. The basic premise was to look at migration, transportation and transplantation from and to these two nations.
Right up my alley I thought. So I said yes. Nearly four years and many funding rounds later, it is happening.
These three guys have undertaken a forced migration to the UK but they will be returning as it is a travelling exhibition and it’s due to tour here in 2013.
The Duke of Devonshire 2011. Reworked biscuit tin, sublimate printed steel, garnet beads, silk thread, copper. 120x60x5mm
The Treasurer of His Majesty's Household 2011. Reworked biscuit tin, sublimate printed steel, garnet beads, silk thread, copper. 145x90x5mm.
A Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath 2011. Reworked biscuit tin, sublimate printed steel, garnet beads, silk thread, copper. 145x70x5mm
The secret is out. The boganator has blurted. So I can reveal what I’ve been up to over the last 12 months.
Introducing (drumroll please…..)
logo by the extremely talented Andrew Phillips
So, I’ve got together with 3 of the rockin’est jewellery chicks in Melbourne and 1 outstanding (and also rockin’) glass artist, to bring you what we think is the best thing since emery sticks.
There will be studio space. There will be workshops. There will be impassioned debates. There will be resources. There will be mentorships. There will be opportunities for all. (and hopefully parties too)
And guess what? We want to share it with you.
So. Who are we? Well… there’s yours truly, there’s Katherine Bowman, there’s Ali Limb, there’s Caz Guiney (something wrong with that link. get your act together boss) and there’s Romani Benjamin.
Like I said… Rockin’
We’ve got a great empty factory in Brunswick (photos in previous posts) which we’re slowly fitting out to accomodate all that we want to offer.
The dry stuff goes like this:
| NORTHCITY 4 is a not-for-profit organisation encompassing a shared jewellery and object studio a healthy and professional workspace and learning environment.NORTHCITY 4 is committed to promoting and supporting the integration of sustainability into all aspects of jewellery and object based practice. We aim to work closely with local and international jewellers, artists and educators to expand the exploration of skills and techniques (both traditional and contemporary) and encourage the dissemination of that knowledge through mentorships, seminars, access studios and workshops. |
The good stuff is that we will have lots of things to offer you, the jewellery community. After all, our community is amazing when you think about it. It’s small but it’s creative, supportive, enthusiastic, driven, resourceful, diverse, respectful and respected.
There will be more to come and you’ll find a bit more information over on Katherine Bowman’s blog, including some fun images of the number 4 which we’ve been collecting. I’ve been slack about getting my image to her so I’ll post it here instead.
I swear I only had to move one little stick to make this.
.
My mate Lucy James (read herblog. it’s Ace) works at Stockroom in Kyneton. Kyneton is so hot right now.
So, Lucy talks to the owners at Stockroom about my work and they invite me to send them some of my non-jewellery artwork.
So I’ve made a few things which will be heading there in the post on Monday. They are a mix of things cut from biscuit tins and stuff that I’ve printed, tabbed on to some off cuts of plywood and masonite that I found in a bin in Tasmania. They’re odd shapes but generally 15cm square with fittings and gallery wire on the back to hang on the wall.
carefully selected
Pea
Adelaide
Henry VI
Heads will Roll
Distinctive Character
His Majesty's Cock
Tree of knowledge
And then there’s this guy…
Gerald
He’s more of a diorama (3D using spaced rivets) in an old cake tin.
So, last Saturday we moved. And what a hellish weekend it was. You may recall that last Saturday was as wet and miserable as it was yesterday. Nerves were frayed, backs were strained, neck muscles wrenched, stress levels raised and gritted teeth conversations were had. After being promised a big truck and 3 experienced removalists, we got a small truck and 3 green Irish backpackers who’d been in the country less than a month and had a combined age of less than half of ours!
Two trips later (including taking my plan drawers down eight flights of stairs!) and financially ripped off, we are in!
my bench set up
We’re only temporarily located here until we work out where everything will go so we decided to put our benches all together and I really like it. Nicky was always over the other side of the room and it’s great to now be able to have conversations while we work.
Another angle
And look at how much space we have!
It's a long walk to answer the door
At the moment there are only 3 of us in here but stay tuned for exciting developments that could involve you!!!
