Christmas Showcase

Images submitted by Yuji Kono.

See Upcoming exhibitions for more images of works.

Thanks for all the submissions to our Christmas showcase!

Mel and I have been busy looking through all the wonderful submissions of georgous work! We were initially worried that we may not have many…and then, in the last 48 hours, phew…..well let’s say, it’s interesting to see how people timetable their lives. Me, I’m not a last minute girl- it’d stress me out too much – I need to know I have some breathing space in case it all turns pear shaped. Other people thrive on the last minute dash. Mel, well she tends to give herself a lot more thinking time, and then gets it all done with minutes to spare….Anyway, as the submission date came to a close, we had a few hard decisions to make, as there was only so much work we could squeeze into our intimate space! A big thank you to everyone who took the time to submit an application. Mel and I are sure there will be other opportunities for exhibitions at the space in the future. We’ve accepted a total of 17 artists (from Sydney, Japan and Melbourne) and when I have a bit more time, I’ll put up some more info and some images.

The next big event for our little studio, is the Danks St Festival. We’re busy working out how we’re going to make the best opportunity from the estimated 25,000 people that are supposed to come through the complex on Sunday 25th October. It sounds like a great (if possibly exhausting) day!

gems from the JAA trade fair

and not the gems we expected to find. Mel and I spent Monday cruising the exhibition halls at Darling harbour, overwhelmed by glitz and, and……searching for something different, a new exciting tool, some great display options….something…..and here’s what we discovered……a handy hint passed on to us by an exhibitor, told to him by an ancient jeweller….if ever you need a tiny stainless steel spring (for those days when you just HAVE to make a parrot clasp – eesh)…then use part of the ‘E’ string from a guitar. Not sure what the ‘E’ string is, or whether an ‘A’ string would work as well but sounded like a potentially useful bit of info….We were also shown a really neat contemporary ring band – beautifully made (German?) with a tiny dimple in it that you press with a pen to open a hidden hinge – allowing the ring to open fully….for people with arthritis….and lastly, we found a supplier (Euromount) for sterling silver pin ends (those little bullet things)….there was a moment of weakness at Ajit, where we came away with a string of sparkly  gems to play with….and then it was all over.

thoughts from the Studio…….

Mel has been working hard since she came back from her trip. She has a some beautiful new designs in the studio and we are getting more people through the space…it’s funny….sometimes it’s just so quiet and we wonder where everyone has gone and whether we will ever hear footsteps coming down the hall again (all you can hear is the sound of emery paper and rhythmic sawing)….the great thing about the space, is that during the quiet times we can make, make, make…..and chat, chat, chat……AND THEN we’ll have a day where someone will just walk in and purchase a few pieces all at once, or a complete series of work, or a wall piece…and it all seems a bit surreal….so up and down…. There just doesn’t seem to be any pattern to it….the weather doesn’t seem to make a difference that we can see, and occasionally we’ve put our little kiddy chalkboard out at the end of the corridor (kindly leant to us by one of the other gallery owners) and maybe that makes a difference, it’s hard to tell…….while travelling to work each day,  there is that little sense of anticipation and excitement of what might unfold during the coming day at the studio….