birds eye

Model of Melbourne in the 50’s – Melbourne Museum

When I was growing up in Hobart, we used to drive past Tudor Court.  An entire village made of matchsticks.  Why would you bother? I remember asking myself.  How bored would you be, to find recreating something on such a small scale fascinating.

It was beautifully done, I remember, and one has to be gobsmacked by the level of care and attention to detail required.

Model of Melbourne in the 50’s – Melbourne Museum

These days, I understand it more.  How the repetition can be soothing, the satisfaction at the completion of each stage the creator must feel.  And I find a growing fascination at the reaction one feels – at an adult level looking into miniature worlds.  A momentary sense of discombobulation.

See here for some amazing examples. I am particularly drawn to the ‘Bay Model’ and the ‘downtown San-Francisco‘ toothpick model against the black backdrop.  I felt a swoon at that one.

And this beautiful film – which is not actually stop motion – rather still photographs of live action pieced together.  Really lovely to watch, and in some way a fascinating reminder of the preciousness of each one of those figures and the moments that are captured.

I am drawn to the miniature in some way that is yet to be defined.  I’m not sure if it is the faded colours, the simplified shapes, the fact that is requires closer inspection, or the peculiar sensation that one feels as an adult looking into a tiny world.  I suspect it will inform some paintings, but I’m not sure how yet.  Mysterious.

Me likey.

Read Full Post »

where the mild things arn’t.

My new moleskine is filling fast.  My head is full and spinning.  I can’t sleep for the thought of new projects and possibilities, and I worry about juggling it all and being overambitious.

I am going back into the workforce.

To a job that could have been custom-made (pardon the pun) for me.

Lincraft has been around for a long, long time, inspiring and providing makers and crafters with the tools to create magic.  In the days when I worked in the city, their massive Australia on Collins Store was a regular oasis that I escaped to, returning to my desk armed with supplies and ideas for some crafty meditation of some kind or other.  Sewing morphed into Needlecraft, into knitting, into beading, or papercraft – into an endless rotation of experiments and varying degrees of success.

I learned a lot along the way.  Mostly – that simple is the most satisfying option in most cases – letting pure design shine through and that adding your own twists can be enormously rewarding and often provide the most stylish result.  It shouldn’t be scary.

For me – crafting is not mild.  It is a chance to make your mark on things that you use, touch or keep around.  A way to show people you love that you care.  A way to press love into an object that hopefully radiates to the recipient, and a way to make unique items that you won’t find anywhere else.  Nothing mild about any of that.  Craft, can be incredibly subversive, or incredibly conservative, and either of those outcomes can result from the same project or pattern.

Which is why I’m so excited to be joining their team and providing inspiration in the forum of patterns, publications and projects (most free) across their range of products.  Can’t wait to get my hands busy.

It’s going to be wild.   Stay tuned… 🙂

Read Full Post »