giveaway - name this print

I've called this new giclee print 'the shuffle'. If you can think of a more interesting name (and one that I like) I'll send you one for free on lovely ivory white 220 gsm acid free textured Prisma paper (without the copyright watermark on it). Go on - let your imagination run wild! I'll announce the new print name and winner on Friday 7th November. To see the print better just click on the image.

more thyme please

More garden talk.... my excuse is that everything is growing madly from the warm weather despite the lack of rain. We're back to using the bucket in the shower to water the garden. If you're unfamiliar with this little routine (most Australians know it well), one stands in the shower with a bucket between one's legs to catch the run off water. Then it is hauled from the bathroom to whichever part of the garden is looking the most dry. This is all fine if your lower back to doesn't get niggly from time to time like mine does. We just need some rain. Please.

Most of us need more time/thyme. Our herb patch is doing well. Note the thyme and oregano in the pic above. These herbs don't mind the dry weather so much. Tomato seedlings have just gone in too in keeping with the Melbourne vegie garden tradition of planting them around Cup Day now that the soil is nice and warm.

You'd be forgiven for thinking this is a garden blog. It's not. I just think gardening is good for the soul and compliments doodling around in a sketch book.

pink

A teeny tiny flower from a succulent plant in the garden. Well, ok yes, I did tweak this one which is why it's so fluro-like. Is it just too weird? I must confess to liking this kind of hot pink colour in a flower. (by the way, the natural colour is a softer pink).

slow days

Some days I feel like these snails: slow, slow, slow. But that's a good thing in my book because sometimes the pace of life is just too speedy for my liking. Slow walks down at the creek, sipping cups of tea slowly in the sun, slow afternoons of reading books and having naps, and best of all, slow food.

Unfortunately it's not really possible to print slowly. Well, not with the moku hanga method anyway. Too slow means inks and wood that dry up and does not bode well for the end result. The Japanese say that it's best to print on a humid, rainy day to keep the process moist. Our desert-like climate in Melbourne means that rainy days are scarce and the air is dry, dry, dry. So I had to print these new wee cards with a speed bordering on mania this morning.

Some favourite things from around my house:

• a wedding box from Vietnam
• sake cups from Japan
• op shop vase with succulent flower
• old Japanese multi-stack lacquer box with ikebana teapot on top
• blue vase from Japan
• chiyogami paper box from Japan

I've just realised how many of these things are from my travels and life lived outside of Australia. They also reveal my love of Asia.

I recently discovered the beautiful ceramics of Queenslander Shannon Garson. She's a finalist for the Home Beautiful Product of the Year Award and has some stunning ceramics made from porcelain with botanical designs.

seed pods

Seed pods collected from Edinburgh Gardens. See more here. Inspired by Yellow Monday's gorgeous seaside collection.

printmaking in japan

I was having an 'I miss Japan' day today and so thought I'd check out what my Kyoto-based printmaking friend Richard Steiner has been up to lately. Even though the print above is from 2004 (titled: Harvest View) I hadn't seen it before so I was really excited to stumble across it via Richard's website.

And Richard also has info about KIWA (Kyoto International Woodprint Association) that's worth checking out. KIWA exhibitions happen every 4 years and the next one is scheduled for 2011. The rules for print entires are listed here. Who knows, with this kind of lead time even I might be able to enter a print if I get cracking.

textile printing that inspires

Have you seen the new range of Marimekko textile designs for 08-09? If not see more of these luscious prints here. How gorgeous! I think I even prefer them to the range that Marimekko are more famous for with the big floral designs. And if you want to see some amazing photos of what a reasonably large scale textile design set up looks like have a look here. Call me a nerd but I think this kind of thing is fascinating. (Actually I'm quite comfortable with the nerd label in most contexts). Equally as interesting are the mechanics of a smaller scale textile printing set up like the newly formed Melbourne based Ink and Spindle. Those girls are hugely inspiring!

sun kissed

We're been having some sublime spring sunshine lately. It makes for good long walks. I was down at St Kilda a few days ago and couldn't stop looking at the weathered texture in the old wood on the pier. It's a lovely spot too to look over the bay. I only get over to that side of Melbourne about once a year if that even though it's not that far away. Funny how we all tend to stick to our own neighbourhoods and 'tribes'.

I'm a bit addicted to shades of orange at the moment so you'll probably see that popping up more and more in my prints. This one is a new woodblock print greeting card in a firey red-orange and I've called it 'sun kissed'.

camilla engman

Camilla Engman's new 2009 calendar.
I couldn't stop myself, I've order one. Her work is brilliant-beyond-words-beautiful.

making doo

A few other bloggers have just jolted my memory cells that the new Lamington Drive Gallery in George St, Fitzroy (can you believe I used to live on this very street and now it's gone all funky and popular?) has some amazing work by Niels oeltJen aka Nails being exhibited at the moment (until 11th October). Niels is the creator of this beautiful piece above which is in the exhibition called Making Doo. Lamington Drive is the new gallery space of the Jacky Winter Group. Must go see!