Local finds....

I was in our neighbourhood Cafe a few weeks back when local Artist Elizabeth Langreiter came in to replace her art that hangs on the wall.

Her most recent works are, by her own admission, naive and abstract - but I really love their depiction of Sydney beach life, which is such a motivating force for many of us living in this great city.

These three pieces are currently on display at the Castle Cove Cafe.

Using mixed media to a colourful and uplifting effect, Elizabeth is a self taught artist who exhibits regularly, including at The Other Art Fairs in Sydney and Melbourne.

Prices start from AUD$2300

Now that Winter has well and truly arrived, these pieces have even more appeal.

S x

You Beaut / Before Pop

Such a lovely morning in the big city.

Went to see the Andy Warhol and John Olsen Exhibitions at the Art Gallery of NSW:

Loved this commissioned Christmas Card Andy made for Tiffany & Co in the 1950s:

As a Gemini, I had to take a sneaky snap of this. Hits the mark quite closely...

 

....and was reminded of the big world that exists when I venture out of the 'hood.

While the daily goings tickled my fancy, I couldn't help but reminisce...

Remembering the days working at Chifley Tower while the Sydney Olympics were on,  watching and celebrating in the Domain. Such fun times.

Was just a tad crunchy under foot in places...

Ventured out wearing a new purchase from Emily Green. On leather twine are these polymer clay beads in all my favourite shades. And with sparkles! 9 x bead necklaces are Emily's signature design although she creates pieces with up to 18 beads as well as earrings, art works and even has a sock range!

Don't these works celebrating our wonderful country put a spring in your step on a sunny day? 

  

John Olsen certainly captures the essence of Oz.  He is still painting and going strong at 89! 

Inspirational.

S x

Gifts at The Gallery

I love a good Museum shop.  Embarrassingly, it can often be my highlight when visiting a museum / art gallery.

Yesterday, prior to seeing the Collette Dinnigan Exhibition at The Powerhouse Museum, I found myself in the newly-renovated MAAS Store mentally ticking off many gifts from my scarily extensive Christmas Shopping List.

Check out some of these hand-made discoveries:

The interlocking wine rack you can configure to suit your needs / space.  Made by Power to Make, these plywood sets come in different colours and you can add sets as your wine collection grows. The best bit is they come flat packed for building, so easy to post & carry. Starting at AUD$55 for the 6 bottle set,  this would go down well in any home at Christmas.

I was totally crushing on these flower frames by Sydney company Rainy Sunday. They come in all sorts of delicious shades. I imagine gifting one of these with some fresh blooms, as they provide a beautiful keepsake long after the flowers have gone. Single black one will set you back AUD$52. 

Having laid Tasmanian Oak Floors in an attempt at a slightly Scandi interior, Oak is still very much on my radar. These oak homewares by Normann Copenhagen caught my eye in the Museum Shop. 

Great gifts, good prices and so smooth and tactile to boot.  A house can NEVER have enough hooks and here are a couple of stunning oak versions, and a luxe timber trivet to protect your bench tops. Truly Scandinavian, all items online are sent from Denmark, so prices are in USD. 

Curve hook - USD$28, Trivet - USD$33 & Stick Hooks - USD$25

I could account for at least a third of my Xmas Shopping List at The Museum Shop - I recommend it highly for some novel pressie ideas, some amazing books and they even had some yummy fodder on hand for the hungry visitor.

If you have the chance to see the Collette Dinnigan Exhibition - on until Aug 2016 - you won't be disappointed. Tickets are $15 and she has a book out too. That's the perfect Xmas gift combo right there!

Spoiler alert.....some visuals of her most AMAZING mood boards at the exhibition below....

Something for everyone at The Powerhouse right now!
Sx

kid art

Just so much kid craft about the place.

This is hand-made art in the most purest, non commercial form. Below are some "trees" that were part of a project at our local school:

I spotted these simple tree collages on a quick visit to the school library:

And more library craft goodness. A whole wall covered in what can only be described as pages torn from novels (is this deemed acceptable in a library??):

And not to be outdone, a nearby Mod-Asian Eating House - Kho Plak has wallpapered their walls in the same vane, using photocopies of postcards, photos, magazine articles etc. 

This endeavour is not for the faint hearted. Can you imagine the hours it took copying, cutting, placing, pasting....?

Inspired by Joan Miro the Spanish Painter, here is my son and the artworks his class painted for a local Cultural Expo.

The local junior talent knows no bounds. Seriously impressive stuff. These are all the works of school students:

And who could resist a naive little felt picture? 

Not me.

No need to spend big bucks on art work from the pros. 

Enlist the flair of the little people. 

Sx