throwbacks, things that fit, and chair porn

I asked my parents to send over some old photos to help settle my nostalgic brain. Lately i have been trying to recollect my early life and consider my early influences.

 This is the design that by far had most influence in my earliest years. It's our old house my Dad built around 1980. It is a 2100sq.ft, passive solar home built on a rock with thirty acres around. Pretty sweet place to start life. I think I grew up to love building and making stuff because I knew pops had built this immense object. It enabled me to start thinking ' I can make things' from pretty much the beginning.
thanks for that, dad.

 These are some things I made the other day. A little run of spectrum paperweights.

recent commission of bowls.

I got to work in the gallery at the JamFactory for a couple weeks while they packed up a massive exhibition called 'WOOD' which is off touring the country.  The furniture department designed and made all the crates which transport the show and this is the contents of 1 crate holding of four separate plinths, pedestals and boxes which all fit together perfectly in just one arrangement.. it doesn't look like much but this was 1 impressive piece of engineering. And there were over a dozen of them.

I also helped set up the next show which was the JamFactory 40th anniversary exhibition.

I got unpack this piece and i just about fell over it was so exquisite. 

for all of those with a furniture fetish, this is proper chair porn.. the sexiest chair I have ever seen.

Takeshi Iue....... go find out...... its like origami made of wood.

Just another world class craftsperson working in my community in adelaide...Whatever.

Old works rearranged + 1 sweet refinished antique table = a decent photo I reckon. These are currently on exhibit at the Adelaide Convention centre.

Topping up on Canadia

I went to Canada over the holidays. It was revitalising.

My parents place is spotted with glassworks ranging from my very first blobs to these more recent sculptural blobs which were shipped back for an exhibition a couple years ago.

I visited with some of my best buds that are still there in Calgary and even made it Fernie for new years and all the way over to Saskatoon, for a few days. This drawing was from about 2nd year at Art school and somehow my friend Kent acquired it and framed it and still exhibits on his condo wall to this day. I  didn't care much representational drawing in school so this one is a rarity.  

In Adelaide, backyard BBQ's are common but its a pain to keep any amount of ice from melting on a hot summer night. Conversley, in Calgary ice is easy to achieve yet BBQ'z in -20,...not so much.

By far the most Canadian thing I did was go ice fishing with my dad on spray lakes in Kananaskis.

 It was positively beautiful in every way.

The view looking west from ma n pa's house just before flying home. 

in good company

In early 2012 I held an exhibition with my mate Dani. We make marbles together and put up a pretty rockin show of about 300 marbles at a hip gallery called Paper String Plastic. This is a small portion of the show which remained up during adelaide fringe 2012.

check out marble merchants blog to see more marbles.

Dani also makes some pretty neat items.

She made this rainbow diamond the other day. It'll get surfaced with flat facets to resemble a jumbo diamond.  They're real sharp- go find out..Danielle Rickaby

Another Artist I work with constantly is Mandi King.

These are some 'bubbleblocks' and a bunch of cylindrical stripy vases called 'Magna'

Shes got a unique approach, I'm a fan..

 Its good to be in cahoots with other makers and to be involved in their work as well as my own.

Even when I haven't got much to say about my own stuff,  theres still lots of interesting objects to admire and share around..

drunking in style

'Dolces' silver tumblers

Blingin' cups for an excellent get drunk experience.

I like me some wines or ciders in the round cup and a tall G n T in the other. 

points for colour

Just propped this up today at Gallery on Waymouth in Adelaide. 'Potions' 

                                              Same anlge, good crop, I snapped.
                                            gem tones muted against clear distortion.
                  If you are a mad scientist with crazy secret potions and need containers for said potions,.
                                                              ....these are them.

new colour shipment arrived the other day. 

its fun and inspiring to look at.

Free styled within 4mm,....these are Machine Made By Hand.

archives

 Here's some portfolio shots from the last few years.

Tangent bottle (detail) 2010 

'Comet' 2012

                                                                         'Rare Fruit' 2006

                                      

'Shady Characters' 2008

And a few studio snaps too!

making marbles for Canadream commission.

working on murrine techniques at Canberra Glassworks

doin demos of weird stuff for students at uniSA

Nature wins for best design

white edition Feel Good Bowls.

 all colours welcome on the lip.

feelin pretty good.

my favourite designer, nature, with a bangin rendition of 'tree'

.......sick.

new ARt acquisition. 

Dale Roberts being featured on our polka dot table.