into the light of tinsel town

Artwork from Sculpture by the Sea, 2014 (Bondi to Tamarama, Sydney)

Changes. They're mostly good, no? Let's hope so as I've made some rather large ones lately. For starters I've left my beloved Melbourne to live in sparkly, glitzy, shiny Sydney. After a decade of living in Melbourne (this time) I'm back to Sydney where I last lived 16 years ago. But so much has changed in this town since I last left. Whole areas that had very few people living in them are now massive residential areas with many, many medium-density apartment blocks (Alexandria, Zetland and parts of Waterloo). And there are more people generally and the city feels busier. But it still has many of the lovely things that I remember well from living here before.

So I'm exploring new and old places. I'm discovering that yoga classes now cost $30 (eep!) and that people are obsessed with living 'clean' here (read lots of time spent in wholefood cafes). I'm having fun finding my way around as I ride my bike up and down the steep hills that surround my new home.

I'll be looking for an open access print studio in the inner city/inner west areas soon. If anyone has a recommendation please let me know.

The funniest thing about the move so far has been the number of Sydney people who have asked (incredulously) 'why on earth did you move from Melbourne to Sydney?'. Like I've committed a crime against culture or something. Too funny. This two-city rivalry thing never stops, does it?

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.

lino creative

Ooooooh goodie, look who I found through Blanket Magazine: the incredibly talented, Sydney based lino cut artist, Sandra Krumins, aka Lino Creative. Look at the gorgeous collection she has in the Art section of her website! I love the way she works with the texture of lino cut prints and then manipulates them in photoshop to get her final look. She's inspired me to play with my lino cut dragonfly tomorrow. I've been meaning to try it out on some fabric I bought a few weeks ago.