I thought it was funny that tuna and tortillas were stacked together at the supermarket.

The other day I took some portraits of myself because the only ones I had featured me with blonde hair! This one isn’t very usable, because I’m not looking at the camera but I like it. It feels more… me.

The back of my new blog business cards. Blogness cards? I can’t wait until they come back from the printer!

Our house is full of doilies that I’ve bought in op shops. They’re handy and make our cavern of an apartment feel more intimate and homely.

I’ve designed another poster for Charlie Mayfair. We’re keeping with the same visual language of the first poster and EP, but in future months we’ll be building on that language with new imagery. We decided to tell a story through pictures and design to reward the band’s fans, but also to find new listeners and lure them over to the Charlie Mayfair way!

Friday nights aren’t about neon lights and loud music in the Perkins household. They’re about sunsets, drawing and watching the masterclass on Masterchef!

Anyway, Sheridan just sent me some photos of the opening night at Vintage Garage so I’ll pop a few in here! The other artists in the show were: Kat Weir, Ali J, Eirryn Porter, Linda Fährlin and Andrea Innocent.

I did a bit of sprucing up on my blog this evening. I’d been meaning to for a while but time had gotten away from me! As always, I got way too into it and started playing in Illustrator with lettering I’d copied from sketches.

My soundtrack all day has been Sia’s new album, We Are Born and I love it. It’s been on repeat!

Click one of the images if you’d like to pop over and take a closer look at the new header.
:)

[Several people have been interested in buying my notebook when I've completed it... I'm not sure what I think of that. I guess everything's for sale, at a price!]

I’m hoping to do a bunch of these little drawings and put them up for sale.

I got a little Moleskine sketchbook so I can doodle and experiment. I promise, it won’t be pretty at all. I have a feeling this tiny sketchbook might be experimental and journal-like.

This was inspired by an article about French women who’d rather continue smoking than give it up and possibly gain weight. You know fat hatred and fear is not about health when people would rather smoke than get fat. In English the phrase means “better dead than fat”.

Do check out my store! Some framed pieces that are currently interstate are coming back to me soon, so they will be up in time too.

By all accounts the Disband opening went well, and was well-received! Horah to Renee-Anne and Angela for organising another smashing show!

In addition to designing the logo and poster, I exhibited three pieces and now that the show has officially opened I can grant you a looksee too.

There are rooms in this house that I don’t visit anymore. [Purchase]

Thanks for ignoring me. [Purchase]

I hope I made you cry. [Purchase]

I can’t wait to see photos of my work hung! If you’d like to buy a Disband art work you can go shopping at Leeloo.

Each piece is markedly different, however the paisley motif is carried throughout. Knowing that the vibe for Disband would be intimate and homely, I wanted to step away from working on paper and create pieces that are a little less, erm, galleryish. So, I decided to apply my portable motif – the paisley – with different media on different supports.

Here’s a work in progress shot of the paper cut piece. The fishnet pattern is emerging as another motif in my work; it’s pretty, curvy and references women who wear fishnet stockings. I like half finished paper cut pieces, they remind me of marble sculptures emerging from a chunk of stone. The text is actually a lyric (an incorrect lyric in all honesty, but it’s the way I actually remember it!) from a Ben Folds Five song called Mess which my ex-boyfriend put on a mix cd as a way to make up for completely obliterating my heart.

I’ve done a few pieces on wood, and I really enjoy how crisp ink looks against the warmth of wood grain. The text on this piece is an homage to the histrionic temper tantrums I had when I had my heart broken. Thanks for ignoring me. Unashamedly passive aggressive, that’s the stuff of break ups!

I am most fond of this piece. I stole my husband’s handkerchief and embroidered a letter to all the people who’ve hurt me. I hope I made you cry: because I need to know that my jabs at you through a veil of tears actually connected!

These pieces reference a hugely formative period in my life. It wasn’t pretty at the time, and it’s been really hard revisiting it. I thought I could scoop the most casual of recollections off the top without getting into the murky stuff underneath but it wasn’t possible. It’s not often that I get super personal on this blog, but I wanted you to know that this work is pretty raw and has a huge dramatic story behind it. Maybe one day I’ll tell you about it, but until then these artifacts exist to speak for me.

I have been completely remiss in letting you know about the new Leeloo exhibition, Disband! Considering that I am a part of it, and I drew the poster illustration, I ought to smack my own wrist.

Here’s a bit of info on the show – if you’re in Sydney you must go check it out!

Do you like sneak peeks? If you don’t, you’re S-O-L folks, this is one of the pieces I am probably going to show in Disband. Probably… because I have quite a few ideas and I’m still working it all out!

Big thank you to Renee and Angela, they are wonderful, creative and generous people and I’m so proud to be part of this show!

Here’s a facebook event page, go and RSVP right now :D

Yesterday I went to the opening of the Departure exhibit at Redland Art Gallery. My friend Kate O’Brien was one of the exhibiting photographers so I had to go check it out and provide moral support!

See more photos after the cut…


Opening speeches with the curator. Kate and Thomas Spence, whose survey of drawing work is also being shown at the gallery, are sitting right up the front there.

Lots of people! We were standing in the entrance.

Kate’s work.

One of my favourites of Kate’s. I wish I’d been able to take a straight on photograph but there were people standing next to me and I didn’t want to be rude and push them out of the way!

The lovely Anekie.

More of Kate’s elaborately staged art portraiture.

Anekie was roaming around in the Rydenesque costuming from this photograph.

And looking closely at Thomas Spence’s work.

Work by Priscilla Bracks

Work by Imogen MacDonald

I will leave you with a cheeky shot that reflects many people’s attitude towards Amanda Palmer these days. (Kate shot her at the end of 2008, I think, and I was there assisting with make up.)

How exciting, issue 5 of Peppermint is out! I may have an early copy though (thanks Kelley), I’m not sure when it comes out at the newsagent. You can see the adorable Renee-Anne on the cover in a blouse I am seriously coveting right now. Oh yeh, and my letters :P