tuesday's art quote

'What I expect from any work of art is that it surprises me, that it violates my customary valuations of things and offers me other, unexpected ones.' Jean Dubuffet


Loving the texture and vibrancy of MISATO SUZUKI work this week...

weekend wonder

This weekend was wet and cozy - a wonderful opportunity to tackle the set-aside jobs. The continuum of productivity was peppered with a sweet delight taken in observing the children weave creativity into their moments...

:: special delivery of logs in preparation for a weave+wonder party this coming weekend - sometimes I think I am the only strange one who gets excited over wood!

:: the left over eggs will be put to good use all year round in our household I think...we 'branched' out into painting driftwood as well - I love when our table is taken over with this kind of grand+messy creating!

:: wouldn't be a weekend without daddy's 'weekend pancakes'!

:: gardening was somewhat a weekend 'afterthought', inspired by an audio of 'the secret garden', my tribe developed sudden interest in 'taming a patch of earth and seeing it come alive!'

:: and after hours of work, sorting countless supplies and left-overs and rubbish and cleaning...the art studio is only just showing signs of being 'tame' again! (possibly only to me though...!)

chasing circles


A little overdue but worth a lovely recap, our Easter holiday classes were a delightful success!
I thoroughly enjoyed working with such a creative, beautiful, well-mannered bunch of children! The work they produced was sensational and the banter around the creating table had me laughing along with them! There was such freedom and comradery as hands were busy, tongues were loosened! The usual barrier's to connection of finding something in common to talk about were decidedly broken down through the creativity shared.


Our first week of classes, themed around Easter saw beautifully executed eggs painted in rich layers.



The nest weaving was completed with level's of precision and skill I hadn't expected!


The second week of classes saw a new gush of talented children inspired by 'circles in nature' and working on a 'Kandinsky-esk' painting using colours inspired by the peacock!
The results were sensational and there were many smiling faces, proud of their beautiful creations!
In our final class, the children worked on a mixed media piece called 'pebbles' where they combined painting, fabric collage and hand embroidery to complete their abstract works of art!
The following showcases some of the fun we had!....(forgive the lengthy stream of photos but my favourite collage go-to has dissolved and left a collage-tool-void in its wake - I miss you Picnik! on the hunt for a new one - any suggestions welcome!)














weekday weave

[introducing the new weave+wonder product range!]

A hive of business is going on behind the scenes at weave+wonder, spearheaded by an upcoming market stall & growing interest in a beautifully tactile range of handmade products.

Creativity is a spontaneous process for me, usually a response to visual inspiration, nature or texture. Most recently my making has taken on a practical edge & complements the story we are trying to tell through our weave+wonder aesthetic.

We have designed a range of beautifully tactile felted bowls and industrial felt storage boxes, iPad sleeves and wine bottle covers.
Today I visited a very talented photographer friend of mine and asked if she would photograph the small, but growing collection of products. We had a wonderful morning and the photography is sensational - moody + minimal - I can't wait to showcase here!
Here's just a small sneek-peek...more photo's and order details to come!







Many thanks to Jen +Emma for their gift and the beauty of a creative morning spent with them!

[If you are interested in Jen + Emma's photography work, please contact me and I will put you in touch with them - amazing aren't they!]

kisses from the coast


Apologies for another absence without leave - we had an opportunity at short notice to spend some serious huddled family time on the beautiful coast of northern nsw. Lightly packed and little agenda beyond some dedicated relaxation & family connection, we savored extended beach time and whiled away hours on long family bike rides! The weave of our days resembled complete bliss....
I can still feel the sand between my toes, hear the powerful roar of the ocean....grounding me in the things that are really important as we tumble back into the complex tapestry that is our everyday!

:: the sky provided endless theatre!

:: plenty of tactile inspiration for the felted bowl work mounting around here!






sweet shades


It was a sweet ending to an anxious week!
We waited each day last week in vain for the little red delivery van to deliver 100 beautiful wooden eggs.
When I spoke to the very helpful Australia Post lady on Friday, she sadly advised that our eggs, travelling all the way from New York, were still in transit from Sydney to Brisbane and wouldn't arrive for our Monday morning classes...


We dissapointedly located alternative eggs - lots of them! - over the weekend and arrived at the Gallery Cafe this morning ready to create!


When unpacking, I realised I had forgotten a vital tub of paint and thankfully a lovely friend offered to collect it from my studio. Paint tub in hand and returning to the cafe, who should pull up outside my home but the illusive little red van - 100 wooden eggs inside!!


She smartly transported these back to the cafe and we were able to use one of each from our now-abuntant selection of eggs!!
There should be a moral to this story....something like, don't count your eggs before they hatch...I don't know....but it is a pretty extra-ordinary tale to tell about some lovely craft materials that had been on a loooong journey!!
Once in the hands of those wonderfully creative children this morning - well, the evidence above speaks for itself - they created small masterpieces of line and colour (eggs aren't an easy canvas you know!!)

weaving double time!


Everything goes into overdrive when preparing to host + create with dozens of children in the coming Easter holiday's! The studio is piled high with egg + nest + clay + general painting goodness!
We have been inspired by these stunning bird Eggs of Australia..


And this adorable all-Australian-Mem-Fox tale...


And have played with paint palette's and techniques aplenty...




Woven countless wire nests at every opportunity...Soccer training, swimming carnivals, school pick up, family gatherings...


To pack happily into sweet paper bags ready for our creating to begin tomorrow!
Sigh, we are ready to let the holiday fun begin again x