PARK(ing) Day

Brisbane PARK(ing) Day is on this Friday, 18th of September. I was sent a Newsletter from Bliss Ecowear today, a great local store in Paddington, full of eco-friendly clothing and accessories, from fair trade sources and local designers....like the talented thea and sami ...hi Thea!

A group of local stores is getting together on friday to claim some parking spaces on the street and have comfy seating, coffee, food, magazines, free massages and free bicycle safety checks available from 7.30 am onwards. I wonder where i'll be friday morning for an hour or so! This event is taking place all over the city and locations are marked on maps, plus  all the details you will need available on the website...just click on the magic words at the beginning of this text!

best weekend finds...

I know I led you to believe that I was going on a coastal getaway if you read my previous post and that I showed images of spectacular coastline as if I would be jumping on a board and catching the waves for 3 days. Well...swim I did, and a (bit of a) game of tennis was had, even some time in a spa!  There were walks along river and beach...but they were squeezed in with visits to galleries, markets and the two best bookshops one could imagine. Instead of the usual snaps of water views I bring you some pics of these 2 magical bookstores I discovered that in themselves were worth the trip north.

On Saturday  I headed to the famous Eumundi markets where one is spoilt for choice re breakfast and treats of every kind. Buckwheat crepes with banana and a little caramel sauce were definitely designed to please! Of course I started with a dutiful fresh vegetable juice. After a trawl of market stalls I headed in the direction of BerkelouW Books... having forgotten a beloved Sydney Book Store ( an old fav of mine) had opened up here a while back. New titles out front of store and a large section of the best secondhand books and rare. I found some to marvel at, but when it was time to leave settled happily on a great 1987 title - "An Art of our Own: The Spiritual in Twentieth Century Art" by Roger Lipsey, a highly readable, academic survey that was quite a find!

Sunday morning started with an early morning dash to the Noosa Farmers Market  as it was already like a hot summers day even though still technically we have just come to the end of winter here! I was there only long enough to purchase some very fresh home grown produce for dinner. Stopping nearby for coffee I was delighted to discover the surprising and definitely wonderful new Bookstore and Fine Art Gallery  Embiggen books with its subtitle- Where science meets art. This place was cool, just dark and intimate enough to provide comfort after the heat outside...and very, very stylish in a so understated way! A great website can put you in the picture far more adequately than I can here...various events are frequently held here...the place no doubt operates as a very special hub of activity and the meeting of minds.

 I was soon immersed in the titles and adding to my wish list by the minute. In the end I sauntered off dreaming of all the books to come back for another time...utterly impressed at the fresh and exciting range of titles in stock. Definitely a store to come back to!

 This strenuous start to the day(!) sent me to the pool with my new book which I did read in between naps and swims! Time for a proper sleep now...a bit jaded after such a good time away!

Noosa farmers market

go to their website here.

tormentate i sensi

Quoted text: Alana Kennedy's installation, 'tormentate i sensi', muses on immortality, mythology & epicurean delicacies to 'tantalise the senses' and to richly combine this mystery with painting.

Welcome to Alana Kennedy's Marcilio Ficino Temporary Dining Room...where to dine is not merely to eat...envisaged for the purpose of serving Hesperidean deliciacies...the artist will make the temporary Dining Room available (by special appointment) to all who wish to dine and host a private dinner or soiree.

This Dining Room is named after Marcilio Ficino, a 15th century philosopher who ignited the cultural revolution that elevated dining to an art form, and together with his transalations of classical antiquity, fed and elevated the mind and status of a 'painter' into the realm of an artist.

In 2009, the artist continues her improvisations on art and epicure.  

Please note: this  text was taken from the website of this Gallery as a means of seducing you into reading more here. I happened to buy and read today's  'Epicure' from the Age , Melbourne's  daily Newspaper. At the bottom left of page 8 I read the intriguing advertisement for the artist, a temporary dining room, and art supply outlet, and handmade furniture...all happening in one place! I HAD TO INVESTIGATE!  I quote straight from the web text for the purpose of informing accurately what this is all about.

Sunday afternoons feature entertainment:

an earlier work by Alana Kennedy:

Painted gardens of a Honey Empress  2007,  Oil encausic on linen

I'm thoroughly impressed with the brilliance of this idea. When an artist dedicates so much time to working away on their own why not  gather people for more than that quick drop of wine and a 30 minute chat crowded in front of walls where barely a glimpse can be had of what's hanging there. I like that this idea just does more than promise something illusive...one can see a wonderful experience awaiting those who participate.

meet me at mikes, thursday, july 16th, 2009

Go directly to this blog, do not pass Go! This is the leading image on meet me at mikes today...Im not saying any more except the amazing Pip behind this has got it all happening! She even has the most wonderful tips for bloggers getting going or wanting to finesse their blogs. She has a book... a shop...amazing! Crafters will particularly adore it...but brilliant inspiration comes in many other forms as well...and the tutorials on blogging...have a look! DO! ...snap...she also just put something on her blog about Ebony from Hello Sandwich.

Alice Rawsthorn on Good Design

Click on the School of Life blog link on my blogs list  (theschooloflife.typepad.com) and you can read Alice Rawsthorn's Call to Arms for young designers where she states that there are 6.5 billion people on the planet, 90% of them cant afford basic products and services. Half, nearly 3 billion, dont have regular access to food, shelter or clean water. Yet whenever we read, or talk, about design its invariably about something that's intended to be sold to one of the privileged minorty- the richest 10%.

And so she writes ...and provokes us to think. She celebrates that so many young designers are addressing that need rather than automatically continuing to design products that will probably end up in landfill before long. I read somewhere the other ay that London's landfill would be all used up in 3 or 4 years time. No wonder aware young designers are thinking hard!

lisa congdon art and illustration

Go to lisacongdon.com for more images and info. Lisa started painting 8 years ago, aged 33...and has a distinctive style, largely 'unschooled', and yet it's strong work and she has been featured in all kinds of publications and developed a very good profile for her various strands of work.

Lisa pictured here. She is also partner in  Rare Device , a storefront in San Francisco to promote designers, artists, and artisans. Exhibitions are conducted in one section of the store separated off for the purpose...so the product section is not in competition with the exhibition currently showing. This is perhaps a growing trend as an alternative to the conventional commercial gallery....suited more possibly to people setting out to establish themselves. Rare Device comes across as a very well facillitated venture, with some major benefits for artists showing in this venue....like the commission on work not as steep for artists, and the strong client base the store has cultivated and knows how to draw on. Its fairly safe to say this is not always the case for a percentage of galleries who for whatever reason fall down on fostering a healthy audience for their artists.  Such ventures as these are a huge asset to both the creative participants and the broader community who may be that much more open to coming into this kind of space to see a show..... always exciting to hear about such vibrant projects.
Lisa's blog is here.

www.raredevice.net

The Regional Assembly of Text ....I'd love a store like this in my region!

Anyone in, or travelling to, Vancouver can look for this store...if you go to the blog on my favourites list for the lowercase reading room you can see what else these amazing people are doing in addition to the store pictured here.

Rebecca Dolan and Brandy Fedoruk opened The Regional Assembly of Text in 2005 after collaborating on book shows whilst studying Art and Design. The focus is on text as a theme and they even run a Letter Writing Club on the first Thursday of each month at 7pm for anyone to come along.

Do look up their blog which I have mentioned or go to the website:  www.assemblyoftext.com

which is delightful! I hope this project is one that will last many,many years!