Monday, May 24, 2010

Relativity

I went to high school in the CBD and often had the opportunity to pop into the Art Gallery. Nowadays, the visits are few and far between - unfortunately. Pre-kids, my husband and I always made a point of visiting when ever there was an exhibition that interested us and we always visited when the Year 12 Perspectives exhibition was on.

This weekend, we made the trip in to see Patricia Piccinini's - Relativity.

It was so wonderful...both the sculptures and the experience of casually browsing around and looking at all the amazing and inspiring works of art.

Here is the blurb about the exhibition from the art gallery:

Created using a combination of materials such as silicone, fibreglass and human hair, Piccinini’s sculptures are familiar yet fantastical in their depiction of possible future species and their interaction with human beings. Often confronting yet endearingly vulnerable, her sculptures give form to her fascination with the relationship between the ‘natural’ and the ‘artificial’ while asserting the power of social relationships, love and communication.

The Long Awaited (below) was my favourite piece. I love the serenity in the little boys face and the obvious acceptance he has for the creature. It reminds me how accepting children are and how unpredjudiced that they are. It is a shame that this innocence is lost as they face the reality's of our world.

The Foundling was another I was drawn to. There was a guide giving a commentary on this piece when I was there and she said that the artist was asking us whether we would accept this creature if we found it on our doorstep. The guide thought that 'The Foundling' had a depthof sadness in its eyes and that it understood it wasn't accepted. I tend to disagree. I think the eyes show its innocence and a desperation to be loved. I think this piece speaks to me as a mother and the need to protect my children.


If you are in Perth, I highly recommend having a look. If you enjoy and appreciate art, I am sure you won't be disappointed.

Birthday plans...



There is something about celebrating a birthday that is just so special.

I was very lucky. My Mum had birthday parties every year for my sister and I when we were little. I now like to follow suit and have a special celebration of the day that my child was brought into our lives.I think the day is deserving of effort and the devotion of my love and attention... I relish in planning and decorating for birthday parties. I also take lots of pleasure in gift giving and start thinking ahead of time what little gift will be perfect. I like to buy something for birthdays that will not just be a passing toy, but something that will get lots of use and hopefully be around for a few years at least.

For Joshua's first birthday we bought him a trike. My husband and I also seperately bought him our favourite childhood novel. He is obviously still too young to read novels now, but 'The Magic Faraway Tree' and 'Tales of a 4th grade nothing' are sitting on his bookshelf waiting to be read one day.

Juliet turns 1 in just over three months, and I decided that I would love to get her a nice wooden dolls pram. One that she could use as a walker as she learned to take her first steps and then one that she would tuck her dolls into as she grew...

I found one online that I loved but was a bit shocked at the $350 price tag... I am very happy to say, that I found this same one on sale locally for $199 on Saturday. So I hurriedly grabbed itm rushed to the counter and secured this little pram for my beautiful girl...

I really hope she likes it as much I do...

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Fabric Love....


I got a package in the mail this week of some gorgeous fabric by Patty Young. It is a Fat Quarter of each fabric from the Mezzanine line.

I was inspired by this quilt which is made using the entire Mezzanine range.
I plan to make a big square quilt that will be our Family Picnic rug.

I can't decide which design to make though. While i love the circles on the above quilt, the design calls for raw-edge applique, and I wonder whether that may not stand the test of time as well as a regualr pieced style quilt.

I was then thinking of going something simple like a charm quilt which would mimic the above design but use squares instead of circles. I also found this quilt on flickr which I think could work as a picnic rug too..

What do you think??

And I was very excited when I read Anna Maria Horner's blog this morning to find out I have won a copy of her new book Handmade Beginnings. I haven't won anything before in blogland (mainly because I only enter giveaway if I really really want the prize).

I think this prize may lead to a few more fabric purchases and a very long 'To Do' list. I would particularly love to use some of Anna Maria's new line 'Good Folks' to make some clothes for litlte Miss Juliet... I'll wait until the book arrives before making any decisions though.