Wednesday 2
So I managed to skip a whole month of blog posting. Not that I'm very good at posting regularly, and I'm sure no one actually reads the blog section anyway. Anyway, now I'm mostly settled in my first, new, short term, live in boyfriend, house away from the family, backyarded, and all kinds of other wonderful things, house. I'm waiting on my nice big drawing table to surface from the dark depths of storage, and then I will (hopefully) get into full swing and start producing some pretty serious works, instead of just farting around on the internet all the time.
I'm pleased to tell you that, even through all the move, and crazy birthday times, I've still been obsessively doodling in my little squared off moleskine that I mentioned in april. All that I've done has been uploaded, but there is still a lot of book to go and I just discovered some pretty interesting new effects I want to try out.
In more, theoretical news, I've been chatting to my friend, proper artist, not just vile internet recluse, Robbie Karmel a lot lately. Actually, we chat a lot all the time, but tonight we had a pretty interesting conversation about Australia and it's desperate need to forge itself some kind of cultural identity. "Hundreds of paintings of gum trees does not a culture make" Says Robbie
And I agree, a whole lot.
There isn't a lot we have going for us as far as cultural imagery is concerned. We can either roll with the big Australian icons like cars, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, our adorably strange but pitifully beige native animals or endless landscapes of our flat, void natural history. I think our problem is the fact that we're a bit of a baby nation, and everything that happened to us that could be considered part of the start of our great Western Cultural Identity happened around about the same time the world started to get its shit together and start socialising and exchanging ideas. We didn't have time to discover ourselves before all of a sudden all the worlds information, technologies, and ideas were easy to share, mass produce and get involved in.
We're a community of people who basically thrive off being in contact with other people and now we have nothing but a washed out collection of cultural ideas and heritage.
I had this argument with a teacher at the art school. She scolded me for never having examples of Australian art in my collections of inspirational images. She told me I needed to study more Australian art because when I finished school it would be where I was trying to break out and become an artist, and they would be my peers. But I don't think that's true. When you're in the position that I am in, and don't really want to be in galleries so much as handled and mauled, it's much easier to break out via the internet. Then the people who become my peers are people who have an active presence online. The collection of art and illustration blogs, journals, collectives and projects that are available on the internet is mind numbing. Already this year I've worked with over 100 other artists to be part of the Scribble Project Big Team Scribble colouring in book, and signed up to be part of The Sketchbook Project (which you should all do, by the way). Sure, I'm one in hundreds, but at least I'm involved in a community of people that think, talk and create the same things that I do.
Friday 11
I'm messing around on spoonflower.com. which is exciting. It's going to take a while to get everything uploaded and working and get all the swatches and test fabrics sent out. I'm going to make the test swatches into little buttons and bags, waste not right?
I'm feeling very, very pleased with this decision, I've been wanting to make patterns for a long time and this feels a little like growing up.
Of course, it's only really worth it if people buy my fabric, but, you know.
My fingers are cold and i need a shower before work.
xx