Toy to the World 2017

This year for the biannual Toy to the World Project exhibition, I set myself the challenge of customising two Popobe, vinyl bears, and rendered one almost unrecognisable.

A monochromatic, spray toned Equality bear climbs up towards the hermaphrodite, zebra snails in
Journeys of a Bento Box* REDUX.

 Journeys of a Bento Box* REDUX, detail

For the first time, Terry Pratchett's, Discworld character,
the Grim Squeaker is rendered authentically using carefully articulated, real bones**.
A lovingly, crafted miniature scythe was whittled from
found eucalypt twigs and reclaimed, machined aluminium off cuts.
A reclaimed glass dome is revived with a custom made, reclaimed oak base and handle with leather washer and brass finial.

The Grim Squeaker

Toy to the World

October 11-14, 2017

Opening Night: 11 October at 6:00pm –9:30pm

ArtBoy Gallery

99 Greville St

Prahran, Victoria, Australia 3181

Enquiries:(03) 9939 8993

Open hours: 10:00am - 6:00pm

Online Auction will open on 

11th October at 6pm (AEST / UTC+10) 

and run until 

9:30pm 25 October 2017 (AEST / UTC+10)
Click HERE to bid.

'Over 120 Vinyl Toys have been customised by artists around the country and overseas, they'll all be on display for 4 days only at ArtBoy Gallery in Prahran, starting with the Opening Night event from 6pm on Wednesday 11th October 2017. Including beats from DJ Kitty Kat and a very artist-friendly-priced cash bar stocked with beer from Moon Dog Craft Brewery and wines by Pizzini Wines, so bring your loose change and grab an uber not your car keys for this one.

All the artist's creations will be for sale via an online auction that lasts 14 days from the opening, this Auction will be available directly and exclusivly on the Toy to the World Project Facebook page from 6pm on the 11th.

All net profits from the project are donated to the Victorian AIDS Council for their amazing work designing public health and education campaigns to combat STI and HIV rates, research, and providing support services to people with HIV.'

*Previously exhibited, sans bear as Journeys of a Bento Box as part of Greyscale at Red Gallery.
**Roadkill, partial rabbit skull and cat killed rat.

Binary at Lord Coconut : A Jewellery Exhibition Celebrating the Digital Age

Stitch and Fusion were created for Binary at Lord Coconut, opening next week.

Binary

Exhibition Opening:
5:30pm - 7:30pm 20 May 2014

Exhibition:
21 May 2014 - 7 June 2014

Lord Coconut

Suite 3, Level 4
Carlow House
289 Flinders Lane
Melbourne 3000
Tuesday to Friday – 11am to 6pm
Saturday – 12pm to 4pm
Other times by appointment

Enquiries:

0450 015 263

info[at]lordcoconut.com 

My little robot brooches will also be in the show.

Open - a customised vinyl bear.

Open

15 x 9 x 9

vinyl bear figure, glitter embedded polymer clay, plastic half pearls, tissue paper, acrylic paint, shimmer powder, enamel paint

Exhibited as part of Toy to the World 2014.

Until February 4th you can bid for it here. Shipping not included in sale price. See link for details.

Small Worlds Recycled Art Competition and Exhibition

From the City of Maribyrnong website:

'This inaugural recycled art competition celebrates the reuse and recycling of small-scale materials in the City of Maribyrnong. People are invited to submit artworks smaller than 30 x 30 x 30cm that communicate sustainability and ingenuity. The competition ends with an exhibition of the best entries launched by a gala awards night amongst sumptuous food!

Why ‘small worlds’? Too often waste and environmental destruction is seen as something ‘out there’ that we have little control over. By seeking creative responses to waste on a small scale, the competition invites people to consider the environmental impact of the human scale items in their lives.'

A good friend and fellow artist put me onto this. It's right up my alley: recycled/reclaimed materials; small in scale but not necessarily in message. I have two pieces in this show.

Top left and lower right, details of 'Recycle'

Top right and lower left, details of 'Wish'

Small Worlds

Recycled Art Competition and Exhibition

27 November – 19 December

Small Worlds Exhibition, Footscray Library

Mon-Fri: 10am-8pm

Sat: 10am-5pm

Sun: 2pm-5pm

Opening Gala Event

Wednesday 27 November,

6-7.30pm

Footscray Library

56 Paisley St Footscray

RSVP via link if attending opening.

Thursday 19 December, 6-7.30pm

Closing and film screening, Footscray Library. Collection of works from library by artists.

Wish

Wish

15 x 15 x 6

corn starch packing pellets, chicken bone on mount board

Exhibited in Small Worlds, as part of the Big West Festival. Runner up in the Environmental award category.

How tiny is a tiny bat from a Bat Pod sculpture?

It was suggested recently, by an admirer of Patricia's work, that mere dimensions do not convey the miniature scale of her artworks - that photographs with something as a basis for comparison would help. 

In response to that here are some images of Series IV, Pod II with Patricia's hands. 

This piece was recently delivered for sale at Lord Coconut.

The Dark Knight

 

The Dark Knight

31mm x 48mm  x 4.5mm

ink, wax on beef bone

Inspired by the classic Batman symbol inside an ellipse, and movie title, 

this piece realistically depicts a grey-headed fruit bat. 

To loosely paraphrase a well known quote from the Batman film: 

it's the animal that isn't wanted by some vocal townsfolk and farmers but 

it is the animal needed to pollinate our native flora, regenerating the forest.

Exhibited as part of Enhancement at Lord Coconut

The Art of the Cuff @ Lord Coconut

Coming in September to Lord Coconut:

Reef of the Turretfish

dimensions variable

lace coral, barnacles, polyester thread, marker, nylon, tracing paper, acrylic, closed cell polystyrene, tea stained French cuff (cotton/polycotton). 

Reef of the Turretfish, detail

The Art of the Cuff

A Fringe Festival exhibition

28th September - 13th October, 2012

Lord Coconut

Suite 3, Level 4

Carlow House

289 Flinders Lane

Melbourne 3000

Enquiries: 0450 015 263

Bat Pod Sculpture: Series IV, Pod II

Series IV, Pod II

11 x 13 x 8

seed pod, paper, nylon filament, acrylic paint, enamel paint, closed cell polystyrene foam, cedar, shellac

Series IV, Pod II, detail

To give a stronger sense of scale, here is the same grey headed flying fox as in the above detail with Patricia's fingers:

Series IV, Pod II, detail

This sculpture is currently available at Lord Coconut.

Bat Pods Sculpture: Series IV, Pod III, Little Reds

 Series IV, Pod III, Little Reds

seed pod, paper, nylon filament, acrylic paint, enamel paint, 

closed cell polystyrene foam, cedar, shellac

12 x 8 x 10.5

Series IV, Pod III, Little Reds, detail

Bat Pod Sculpture: Series III, Pod II, Little Reds

 Series III, Pod II, Little Reds

seed pod, paper, nylon filament,

acrylic paint, enamel paint,

closed cell polystyrene foam, cedar, shellac

9.5 x 8.5 x 8.5

Series III, Pod II, Little Reds, detail

Slide Rules Have No Place in My Party

Here's my section from the group show last month, Slide Rules Have No Place in My Party. The most popular/talked about pieces in it were the steam punk chess set Growth versus Progress (under acrylic box) and the soya sauce fish styled whales from A Quick Snack* (in black frame).

*Yes, I will eventually put images of this up!

Nesting Instinct

Nesting instinct

mixed media sculpture incorporating collage

33 x 43 x 15

Back

Detail of water reservoir collage on back.

Back detail showing globe and collage

Detail of Uncorked Room

Detail of Fertility Room

Detail of Thought Room

Detail of Skull Room

Detail of Drink Me, Thought and Contemplation Rooms.

Detail of Sponge Room

Details of Hive Room (above, below)
 

Finalist exhibited in ...home...

...home...

I have a mixed media sculpture in this show. It took me almost 30 hours to make so there's more to it than could be captured in one image. What you see here is not visible as the sculpture has been displayed (it's got a wall directly behind it). This is just the back! You will have to visit the show to see the front.

Nesting instinct, back

mixed media sculpture incorporating collage

33 x 43 x 15

Nesting instinct, detail of water reservoir collage

Nesting instinct, detail showing globe and collage

* * * * * *

'The competition, for both 2d and 3d artwork, is advertised nationally, with the finalists (approximately 40 – 50 short listed entries) being exhibited at BHCAC from the 18 – 30 August

The theme this year has been designed to attract attention and stimulate discussion of what '…home…' means to the diverse community of Australia in an ever changing cultural, economic and political climate.

The judging panel consisted of 5 judges from the art industry, where approximately 50 works will be selected to be included in the exhibition. The Judging Criteria is based on three areas:

1. Response to the theme of '…home…'

2. Creativity of expression

3. Application of technique'

* * * * * *

There's also a People Choice award so please make your visit count and help me out :)

...home...
18th to 30th August 2009
Box Hill Community Arts Centre
470 Station Street, Box Hill
Gallery Hours:
Tuesday - Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 3pm
Phone: 98958888
Email: bhcac@whitehorse.vic.gov.au
Melway Reference: 47 D11
Walking distance from Box Hill train Station (Zone 2)

Little red people

work in progress, detail

foam, acrylic paint

Small Works 09 at BSG

I have 3 pieces in the upcoming Small Works 09 show at the Brunswick Street Gallery a.k.a bsg. This is an open entry show - similar to the annual Linden Gallery Postcard Show - for all media within a 30cm x 30cm x 30cm size.

Left to right, details from:
Roost (mixed media sculpture),
Anatomy of a Loss (mixed media collage), &
All Thing Dark and Beady Eyed (mixed media sculpture).

Small Works 09
19 June to 2 July
Brunswick Street Gallery
Opening Night: 26 June, 6pm onwards
322 Brunswick St, Fitzroy 3065

Creature Comfort

Creature Comfort

unrefined beeswax, closed cell polystyrene foam, 
acrylic paint, feather, found glass bottles, galvanised wire

8.5 x 2.5 x 2.5

6 x 2 x 2

Exhibited as part of Paper Butterflies.

Roost Redux

Roost Redux*

recycled wood, driftwood, paper, nylon, closed cell polystyrene sheet, acrylic paint, enamel paint, shellac, beeswax and turpentine preservative

17 x 16 x 13

Roost Redux, detail

Roost Redux, detail

*Formerly Roost. This sculpture was damaged while on display requiring the complete replacement of all the bats. All new, slightly bigger (from approximately 10mm wingspan to 15mm), and more detailed bats were sculpted. In addition to this, the surface of the driftwood was resurfaced and treated with a beeswax turpentine preservative to improve long term stability. A fresh, more dynamic - focal point was created for the work through the revised placement of the bats, from the side of the piece to the corner.

Exhibited as part of Paper Butterflies and Slide Rules Have No Place At My Party.