Magic Jelly

We Have a Winner!

Thank you to everyone who participated in my Favourite Shoes print giveaway - what a response! I had so much fun reading everyone's shoe stories.

Stories of love & loss...hope & regret...disappointment & serendipity...

How come shoes evoke such bittersweetness? We hang so much significance on our shoes don't we? They come to represent phases of our lives & carry such strong memories.

Anyway, enough rambling... Drum roll please...

The winner of the Favourite Shoes giveaway is Johanna of Good Girls Studio whose dire tale of disintegrated Dr. Scholl's combined the perfect blend of tragedy & comedy. I totally identified!

I gave away a second Favourite Shoes print to one of my Mailing List subscribers in a random draw. The name I pulled from the Purple Velvet Fedora was Natalie of Naked Tile.

Congratulations girls - I hope you like your prints!

Thanks again to everyone for your wonderful, poignant shoe stories! This was such a fun contest, I'll make sure to have another one soon!

Print Giveaway - Tell Me About Your Shoes!

I was so happy with the Favourite Shoes print that I made another edition in my favourite colour combo du jour - red & pale blue - & it's now for sale in my Etsy shop.

It's difficult to decide which edition I like best, but I'm really in love with the card stock I used this time, it's a lovely eggshell colour with little red & blue flecks, & looks just like a speckly bird's egg. It suits the print so well!

Anyway, I thought I'd have a little contest & give away a print. All you have to do is post a comment here in my blog giving an anecdote, or description, or even a link to a photo or artwork about your favourite shoes.

I don't really feel a burning need to win one of my own prints, but I thought I'd get the ball rolling with my own shoe story...

My sister Josella thinks I have some kind of super-turbo memory, but really (really) I can't even remember my own phone number. I do have some little snippets from the past that I vividly recall though, & one involves my favourite shoes.

I remember walking down King William Street (main street through the centre of Adelaide) with my mum when I was about three or four years old. I know it was near my birthday (in October) because it was mild, late-spring weather. It was a balmy & rainy late afternoon that grew so dark the street lights came on & they reflected in the wet roads & pavements, which reminded me of a poem I had a particular love for at the time (see below).

I was wearing my favourite outfit - a purple & magenta paisley silk smock dress with swirly brass buttons (I'm talking 1971...my mum always dressed Jo & I in these ultra-short dresses, this one was no exception), little white ankle socks, & shiny black patent mary-janes. I loved those shoes. They had buttons instead of buckles - just like my Favourite Shoes print (which is based on a pair of shoes I own now, with extra fancy embellishments)

I remember walking along the shimmery, rainy street (the acoustics change when it rains like that - the traffic was all echoey) holding my mum's hand, & in the other, clutching a brand new colouring book & box of crayons she'd just bought me. Penny Lane by The Beatles wafted from a shop doorway.

It was just one of those perfect happy moments. I loved my shoes, I loved the day & my new colouring book, & I loved my mum. :)

And have a look - I still own the book with the poem about rainy streets in it that the day evoked in my four-year-old mind...

There are other shoe anecdotes of note that I could have shared...such as the time I set fire to a total stranger's brand new trainers with a flaming marshmallow at a party...but that one's not nearly as picturesque, & anyway, it isn't about my shoes.

So, if you'd like the chance to win a Favourite Shoes print, feel free to share your shoe story. I'll pick my fave in a week's time & announce the winner. Make sure your comment links back to you so I can contact you if you win & get your address!

New Gocco Work

EDIT: Last Wednesday was my 1 year bloggiversary! Yay me!

Here's the new work I've just finished for the Gocco Exhibition at the Here Gallery in October. It's all been bundled up & shipped off now. I made the Favourite Shoes print in an edition of 50 & it will be available in a boxed portfolio with prints from all of the other participating artists too. I get a set myself - can't wait! I think I might make a second edition of this design in different colours - I'm quite happy with how it turned out!

And here's the girl from a few posts ago that started as a sketch in my Moleskine. I've made two mixed media pieces on 6x12x1.5" canvas. I thought I'd show you the canvas sides too because I think they worked out rather nicely. I printed up a few extras on various types of paper to incorporate into some future pieces I'll be selling in my Etsy shop.

In other news, I was featured on Design Sponge last week as part of their Regional Roundup series on Australian designers. Hooray!

I was also approached by the fabulous ezine Design This Design That to take part in their Illustration issue, but I was so busy I forgot to send back the interview answers! I'm really disappointed that I missed out, because it really is a great issue, but I'm still featured in the Etsy Treasures section, which is nice. Go take a flick through- it's loaded with amazingly talented illustrators.

Gocco Exhibition

Some of my work is going to be featured in this fabulous exhibition of Gocco artists, Even Dwarves Started Small, being held at the Here Gallery in the UK (& look, one of my pics is on the flyer!). It's shaping up to be a great show (I wish I could attend!) - here's the list of artists...

Arctic Circles | Jill Bliss | Simon Dovar | Rob Flowers | Imakethings | Yellena James |Xtina Lamb | Magic Jelly (that's me!) | Mark Pawson | Nigel Peake | Peskimo | Aaron Sewards | Lucie Sheridan | Julie West | Jazmin Velasco

From the press release:

For over 25 years, the Print Gocco screen-printing system has been used in Japan. The small plastic device is a self contained screen printing set-up, consisting of an exposure unit, pre-coated screens and inks. Originally marketed for making greeting cards and sold in toy stores, appreciation for the Gocco system has grown amongst artists who cannot afford, or don’t have the space for a traditional screen-printing equipment.

We feel that the accessibility of Print Gocco reflects our own DIY ethos in running a gallery, and so have chosen to celebrate our Fifth anniversary with a group show of Gocco based artwork. To accompany the exhibition, we will be releasing a portfolio of Gocco prints, produced in a signed and numbered edition of 50, collected in a custom made presentation box.

We’ve selected artists who look beyond the limitations of the device, to show that it can also be used to produce fine art works. Those involved are from a range of disciplines; textile design, fine art, illustration, graphic design, and animation.

I Haven't Been Swindling Your Paper - Honest!

Can you believe it?  It was in July that I started the Paper Chase! Some of you may have been wondering if I was ever going to make & send the promised collages, or that maybe I'd skipped town with all that paper. Well, fear not, I'm still here & I'm busily collaging.

I've received 36 packages of paper so far, & although I'm still more than happy to accept people's parcels, I just want to let you all know that it might take me a while before I can post back the collages - I've had a much bigger response than I expected.

Thanks to everyone who's participated so far - I hope you can be patient with me! I've uploaded all the packages I've received to the gallery, but have yet to write the descriptions to the most recently received ones & link to the lovely people who sent them. Hopefully I'll finish updating everything this afternoon.

Here are the first six collages (and the finished stamp that I put on the back of each collage) - I hope the recipients like them! I'll be popping them in the post on Thursday!

I made Collage No.1 for artist Rosa Murillo. You can take a look at the selection of paper she sent me right here. I love Rosa's work & I hope she likes my little collage! The square of paper with the masked woman stamped on it is from a legal document from the 1880s that Rosa sent. The paper has a beautiful crinkly texture that I didn't want to lose by gluing it down, so I cut a little window in the backing card. When you hold it up to the light, that section is kind of luminous - it reminds me of a watermark on a dollar bill.

 

Collage No.2 was made for Smoobage who sent a big pile of amazing vintage 7" record sleeves. I really love the muted, drab colours.

 

Caroline of Peaseblossom Studio sent me some beautifully aged pages from a French dictionary. Collage No.3 reminds me of an 18th century entomological expedition to an exotic island somewhere.

 

Collage No.4 was made for High Desert Diva who sent me a lovely collection of vintage stamps & labels & things that you can take a look at here. I made a green & purple collage for her!

Moving on to Collage No. 5...Mandy sent me a really nice letter with her parcel of paper. She thinks the lining of envelopes are really beautiful (I agree with her!) & sent a little collection to me - I wanted to make her a collage that somehow incorporated their intricate patterns. I think this collage has something to do with the migratory habits of a big brown moth - he flies to Dublin each summer to stay with relatives apparently.

Lastly, one that I just finished this morning - Collage No.6 that now belongs to Joanne, aka Shaving Kit, who sent me a really colourful collection of paper. I wanted to give her collage a storybook feel...

So that's it for now! I may not be able to get started on the next batch of collages for a week or so, since I'm finishing up on some gocco prints that I need to post off to the UK for an exhibition, but I'll keep you posted on any further Paper Chase developments!