what are you working on?

For me it's been this new giclee print in the last few days. And I'm happy to say I've been practicing a bit of letting go in honour of those words in that last post. I had an earlier version of this that I was almost happy with. But not quite. So I got tough on myself and culled it. Not easy to do but I do think it has to be done from time to time.

What are you working on? Experiencing any bumpy bits?

what's on the shelf?

A little while ago I got all nostalgic for the small shelves of bowls and cups I had in my wee kitchen in Japan. They were tiny and sat just above my sink but had a window behind them so the light came through the back of all that lovely pottery. It was very pretty to look at in the morning. Nostalgia is a funny thing.

So out of a natsukashi moment came this illustration-come-giclee print. It's available in green and blue, my two favourite colours at the moment. Almost any shade of green or blue is likely to come from my fingertips these days.

I have a good kiwi friend who lived in Japan when I did. She emailed this morning talking of the sorrow they are going through post Christchurch quake. My heart goes out to you NZ.

tea-ness

A new giclee print I've called steam - sumi ink and artline pen illustration.

Small tea cosy in burnt orange. Photo from The shop of on Argyle St

Speaking of things tea check out these contemporary tea cosies at the shop on argyle st. I'm waiting on this bright little one to arrive in my kitchen having recently been won over to the power of a good tea cosy. I had no idea they could work so well. I think I've never been able to go there in my head because I'm not overly fond of the knitted/crocheted nanna styled ones. But this one is right up my alley.

something fresh, something green

A new colourway, a re-work of an old favourite, something fresh: three pots of tea, fresh, that is!

My dentist inquired as to whether I drink a lot of green tea. What's a lot? I asked. Apparently I have a slight green tinge to my teeth which they can remove when I get my teeth cleaned there. I like to think green tea is worth the green tinged grin. Do I have any supporters?

Have you saved the 18th December to head on down to Harvest Xmas Market? Hope so. Should be full of goodness + craftiness.

iro iro

I finished printing and sewing up the tea towels. Succulent blossom in black on natural linen/cotton blend.

The opening of Mr Kitly last Thursday was fun! Such a sweet space filled with beautiful Japanese inspired zakka. If you're in Melbourne do go see. It's on Sydney Rd in Brunswick.

All my new summer reading has just arrived via post from the Book Depository. Happiness!!! One of them is Jonathon Franzen's Freedom. Has anyone read it yet?

shedding

This lovely eucalyptus tree bark was spotted in Sydney over the weekend. I just love the way their skin sheds this lovely dusky pink and then underneath the new bark is so light and different.

And such wonderful news for the world that Barack Obama won the American presidential election! This is the best news since Rudd was elected as PM in Australia last November. Yay for world leaders who put humanity, the environment, civil liberties and social justice high on their political agendas.

Thanks for the print name suggestions including the ones sent to me via flickr. So the giclee print in my previous post will go to Jesse for the title 'but I want that one....'. Fitting I think for the greedy cat with too many birdie options. Send me you postal details Jesse.

the fine differences between puff and short crust

I've decided there's a good reason why I'm a printmaker and not, say, a pastry chef. And there's also probably a lot of sense in why I usually stick to cooking one pot curries and soups and don't deviate into the complications and drama of the pastry world. But last night I did, and oooooh how bad it was! I was aiming for Moroccan pasties using a Delicious Mag recipe in the effort to, you know, branch out, build up the cooking repertoire a little. Crazy, I know, but hey it's winter here and we have a need to expand on the indoor activity list. And in my head playing with pastry didn't seem that far off from from printmaking. Both involve hands and flat-ish surfaces. It does help, of course, if you read the pastry pack to see that you're using short crust pie pastry and not, as I was supposed to be, good ol' puff pastry. Misery and tantrums poured forth. M saved the day by ordering me out of the kitchen with a glass of wine while she fixed the mess. She slowly scraped all the lovely organic lamb cooked in spices out of the short crust and into neatly wrapped (how does she do that?) puff pastry parcels. And they were damn good! But I swear I'm not going into pastry land again. Ever.

And the wee print above? Tis a new giclee print from me. You'll be happy to know I'm sticking to paper from now on...

illustration art

The very funky Bamakko in North Melbourne (just near Victoria Market) is now stocking a small selection from my range of giclee art prints. These prints were snapped up by Design Market folk last Sunday and so I'm very happy to say they're out and about around Melbourne and not just in my online shop. Giclee is a word (pronounced "zhee-clay") derived from the French language invented to describe the process of making fine art prints from a digital source using ink-jet printing. Mizu Designs giclee prints are based on original designs and printed with archival quality pigment inks on acid free, archival, fine art paper. They will last a life time and are packaged flat with sturdy foam core backing and protected by a sleeve of clear wrapping.

Now that I've gotten that bit of shameless self-promotion out of the way let me share some brilliant illustration prowess I found online last night. Nick Dewar is Scottish born but is currently based in Southern Carolina and says on his website that he "no longer has to bathe in his kitchen". I can relate to that statement more than he could ever know! I find the digital print of his above just captivating because of the escapism aspect. Haven't many of us had moments like these at some point?