This is one of the mosaic sculptures at The Giant’s House in Akaroa. Artist Josie Martin has transformed her garden with sculptures and mosaics to create an exceptional and magical place. I took lots and lots of photos (as you can imagine) when we visited a few years ago, but this one is my favourite: a larger-than-life Marcel Marceau leaning on thin air.
This is New Zealand artist Len Lye’s Water Whirler in motion. The kinetic sculpture was built posthumously on its own pier in Wellington, 2006.
A recent post by seattleinspired reminded me of a barcode I designed for a student project this time last year. The brief was to design a logo and six labels (previously posted here — underneath the Chef labels) for a boutique bar and brewery. I imagined the bar, The Old Mill Brewers, as an old, converted textile mill and decided to make women my target market (and why not?). I looked at a lot of William Morris textiles before drawing the finches and ingredient illustrations which became the logos and menu pattern. For example, those are hops that the little birds are sitting on.
A business card for a local potter. The main image is based on a photograph of one of Della’s teapots which I’ve reinterpreted and layered over a hand-painted background. The Della’s Pots logo has been created using the client’s own handwriting.
The background is acrylic paint applied to artboard with a palette knife. The plan was to make a texture reminiscent of the turquoise glaze Della uses on her pots.
I’ve started writing letters again. Not emails. Not texts. Real letters.
Earlier this month, a girlfriend and I were fondly remembering our letter-writing days and wondering if it really had become a lost art when we hit upon a plan to start writing letters to each other again — something we probably hadn’t done for a decade or more (okay, definitely more). Oh there have been birthday cards and holiday postcards… but no letters. A sorry state of affairs.
The rules: no cards, no postcards, only letters in envelopes posted the old-fashioned way. With a stamp. A sketch (anything from a 10-second doodle to a one-hour masterpiece — at the writer’s discretion) would also have to be included in the letter.
We have now written, sent and received two letters each.
It’s early days but so far, so good…
Question: what to do when you want to make something a bit special for an arty friend who has seen practically everything you’ve made over the last three years?
Answer: something else.
The background photo and the toy museum dolls (in the window) were taken in Nelson, December 2011. The vintage circus girl, shell and chrysalis are found images. Acrylic paint, a black copic marker and felt pens (probably also vintage) were used to complete the design.
I wouldn’t mind making a few more like this.
Anna Cull ~ Art & Music 