I learnt to draw when I was really little by copying my older brother who was a very serious air cadet. He spent a hell of a lot of time shining his shoes, folding hospital corners on his bed, making model F-14s, F-18s, B-52s and drawing military aircraft from pictures in magazines. I did all the same things, only my drawings were always immeasurably worse than his.

I stumbled upon the work of Lou Drendel, professional illustrator and pilot who has been painting planes since the 60′s, I had pretty much forgotten that this is how I got started drawing, now it’s all come flooding back. It also reminded me of an incredible painting that I once saw by Andrew Browne (unforutnately I can’t find any record of it) of an F-111 flying over Libia.

If anybody is wondering what to get me for Christmas, look no further.

Imbued with a beautiful sense of simple poetry the sculpture of Dalton Ghetti is almost a process of meditative concentration. Created with the humble tools of a razor blade & sewing needle, the sculptures emerge from the found pencil leads over weeks or months in defiance of the pace of the modern world.

Noise & Capitalism

September 2 – October 2

Anna Schwartz Gallery

185 Flinders Ln, Melbourne

Jockum Nordstrom is a Swedish artist, best known for his vivid collages, but also for his drawings, paintings and work as an illustrator.

Roni Horn‘s pigment, varnish, on paper works.

For me, surfing got super boring through the nineties. There was nothing counter about that culture and just looked like straight lines, stark white and big business to me. The revolt in the last to that cleanliness has been refreshing and innovation, experimentation and fun seems to have returned.

This video from long time innovator, Derek Hynd, excited me:

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As have the guys from Zed, formerly Sea Surfboards. They are doing great things for Australian (and worldwide) surfing.

This collaborative project with photographer Ari Marcolpoulos is great.
If you feel like geeking out on some process videos (they are really great) click here.

Images from a recent studio visit with Katherine Hattam. Katherine will be exhibiting at Utopian Slumps as part of the end of year Painting Group exhibition with Rob McHaffie, Madeline Kidd, Jess Lucas, William Mackinnon, Mark Rodda, Jake Walker and Kristina Tsoulis-Reay.

Installation views of Thomas Jeppe/Th. Baldischwyler The People’s Poet at Galerie Conradi, Hamburg, August 2010.

The finissage saw the stage, custom made for the show, opened up to the people as a space for poetry recital.  The three speakers, with their divergent styles of address, represented all aspects of humanity.

“Traveling the world, Japanese photographer Izima Kaoru tracked the path of the sun from sunrise to sunset on a single day in a given location. Using a fisheye lens and long exposure, he left his shutter open from dawn to dusk, capturing 360 degree views of the sun’s progress as it made its way across the sky.”

BLICKFANG is an amazing reference collection of 1000 book covers and dust jackets that were published in in Berlin, Germany between 1919-1933. It features work by Expressionist & Dadaist artists including Hans Bellmer, Hannah Hoch & George Grosz.

Install shots from Amber Wallis’ current exhibition at Chalk Horse, finishing today.

On September 2nd, 2007, the Asia Pacific Economic Council was held in Sydney.  As is customary at APEC Summits, all delegates are presented with the host nation’s traditional garment or costume.  After extended deliberation, it was decided that Australia’s representative garment would be the Driza-Bone jacket.  In this choice, the hard-wearing stockman’s riding coat becomes a symbol of the dreamy mythology of Australian identity: egalitarian, anti-elitist, with a foundation in simple values and strong work ethic, and an indefatigable connection to the land.  In order to add ceremony to the occasion, Driza-Bone produced a special edition of the jacket with coloured lining that was visible on the lapel.  The delegates had their choice of four colours: slate blue, for the coastline; mustard yellow, for the sun and the sand; red ochre, for the outback; and eucalyptus green, for the bush.  This is Australia.

The t-shirt below has been produced for exhibition on September 2nd 2010, exactly three years since the Sydney APEC Summit.

I have loved this work for a while, but the little essays on the Magnum site are most enlightening.

HERE

Joseph Harrington is a sculptor working predominantly in cast glass.

“The main principle within my work is to create a sense of time and movement within a permanent object. I have a fascination with turning one thing into another, the reaction of materials and energies acting upon each other. Using a direct approach with the modeling material, provides an energetic spontaneous working method and creative mindset. This energy lives on within the work, giving a sense of progression and evolution within a solid permanent form.”

Kain Picken and Rob McKenzie recent exhibition- A History of Manners  at Uplands Gallery, Prahran.

“Like a black hole, in which the exterior boundary is proportional to the amount of information contained within, Will Duty‘s drawings describe a vast cosmos on the flat surface of the picture plane.“

Photographs from a recent studio visit with Kristina Tsoulis-Reay. Kristina is in the Painting Group and will also be exhibiting in the final year exhibition at Utopian Slumps.

Pics from a recent studio visit with Rob McHaffie at the Abbotsford Convent. Rob is preparing for an exhibition at Brett McDowell Gallery, New Zealand, in October this year and will take part in the end of year Painting Group show at Utopian Slumps.

Finally stumbled upon Alex Vivian’s blog Stench In Numbers. PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW! Documents all of Alex’s exhibited work since July 2009 including shows at TCB, Utopian Slumps, y3k and Gambia Castle (NZ); google image gallerys; cryptic narrative lists; comic trips + many CCs of sleeze!

Images from the studio(s) and during installation of The People’s Poet, with Thomas Baldischwyler, at Galerie Conradi.

Rendevous in Wrongtown was a one day event curated by Theresa Harrison, Tai Snaith and Vexta that took place on Saturday 7 August in a house that will shortly be demolished. Artists included The Agents, Tom Civil, Hotham Street Ladies, Andy Hutson, Ash Keating, Bonnie Lane, Jonathan Leahy and Vexta, Matt Morrow, Simon Pericich, Kiron Robinson, Robbie Rowlands, Neale Stratford, Hiroyasu ‘Twoone’ Tsuri, Urban Village Melbourne, Danae Valenza, Theresa Harrison and Tai Snaith. A fitting antidote to all the Melbourne Art Fair hullabaloo.

The exhibition opens on Saturday 14th of August and runs until the 14th of November. Make sure to book a seat on the free bus from Darlinghurst for the Stephen Powers talk and exhibition opening.