Vroom Vroom

I guess you are looking at this going 'he's thrown us a curve ball this evening!' Well... despite my focus on fashion and flora I'd like to draw your attention to the sleek lines of the Carmen Ghia. I have a barely suppressed Pavlovian response every time one of these classic autos purrs past me. My father had a red MG when he was a young man and I'm afraid I've never possessed the typical 'sports car'. We did have neighbours in Albert Park who drove a vintage gold Mercedes with their stuffed pet cat in tow. I never quite understood the cat in the car bit but I assume it looked better than a hat in the rear window.

In a nutshell the Carmen Ghia (sounds like rollers my mother used!) was designed in the mid 1950's. Also called the Karmann Ghia they were originally produced by Volkswagen in Germany and later Brazil. They were out of production by 1974 but their distinctive silver brand is easy to spot. They were a transition towards luxury cars after the recovery from World War 2. To me they represent a time where optimism in the future was strong and the domestic architecture of the period was free of the strictures of rationing. In my humble opinion it sure beats a Commodore with fluffy dice !  

Cool Beauty

Next to my home is this wonderful old Japanese maple. It signals the changing of the seasons like clockwork and showers me in autumn with a red blanket of discarded foliage. In spring filtered light bathes the room with a soft green hue as leaves emerge. The sense of continuity and comfort is the key to it's significance. After twenty years plus in the one home you see a pattern in the neighbourhood which is repeated every season. You also know when to feed the  magpies on your footpath so they don't swoop the dogs (or yourself!). 

This image was taken this morning after another night of minus five degrees. The garden was cloaked with a dusting of white crystals which vanished as soon as the sun's rays hit them. My Japanese maple stood like a quiet sentinel outside my home and I shot this frame as I looked up at a cool blue sky. It almost appeared that the branches were mapping out the formation of crystals themselves. If you look closely at the image you can see the first buds forming. It looks like I'll have a completely different photo opportunity shortly. 

Flow Chart

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Zipper8Design

Inspiration is a fickle mistress. One moment you are basking in the warmth of a splendid design revelation...the next in a morass of impracticality. Today's post is a 'how to' guide from my somewhat fragmented approach to building a collection. The set of three images have no bearing in terms of chronology or location, but they clearly have a singular theme. One comes today from Etsy.com from New York while the second image is the cover of Vogue Italia from April 1991 (Steven Meisel). Our final shot is a spiny lizard who illustrates to us that the forms we incorporate into fashion and design can have a very primal origin. I don't know how many crocodiles or ostriches would fancy ending up as a Hermes handbag!

Sorry about the poor quality scan. 

My point is that how we interpret what we see is such a personal thing. How our recollections and exposure to images stimulate associations could explain how we reference designs subconciously. What I do know is that I'm a voracious consumer of magazines and a keen viewer of  The Simpsons. That may be more of an indicator of a mid-life crisis however than an indicator of any great artistic bent.

The Final Verdict

After showing you the original model for this vessel I thought it would be good to see the final product. This small 'flock' of  fågel pitchers was shot today in the Canberra studio. It's hard to imagine the finished piece when you see a line drawing and a mess of changes scribbled across a page . When we actually reach that point it's a great feeling (accompanied by a good dose of nerves) as we open the test kiln. Sometimes the colours and shapes we trial are anything but desirable, but they are a stepping stone. With some forms I simply start with a word, 'fertile' for example, and watch how this evolves to become a series of organic vases. 

Our greatest problem (if you could call it that) is that a flood of concepts often follow after a successful shape comes to fruition. I'm thankful every day that the longer I'm in this business the more fulfillment it provides me. After all... how many people do you know who get to play in clay and colour for a living?

Photo: Brian Tunks

Introducing the Fågel Pitcher

When we make pieces in our studio we draw on the heritage of thousands of years of collective knowledge and practical experience. I have shards of Mesopotamian, Hellenistic and Ottoman pottery, which all would have influenced the work we produce today. From the pressing of our logo in the foot of every piece, to the application of the sprig mold on various forms, the talent of my staff is supported by techniques past down and modernised over numerous millennia. We employ three forms of production to manufacture our range. Hand-thrown vessels are crafted on the wheel, a hydraulic press makes plates, and we slip cast to produce forms that are not in the round. The above Fågel Pitcher is made using the latter process. 

Fågel is actually Swedish for 'bird.' If you look at the angle of the spout and the form of the beak you can clearly see its genesis. The pitcher is a new form we have just finished testing and the photo shows the shape at the model stage before we start making molds to pour from. Each piece is removed and cleaned by hand and then we manipulate the 'beak' to create a lovely angle for the spout. Up to sixteen pairs of hands touch every piece on its path from raw clay to finished item. With this level of complexity maybe I would have been better off designing cushions! 

Vale: Margaret Olley

Sad news today with the death of the revered Australian artist Margaret Olley. Her still-life works often captured the warmth and light of her home in Paddington, and she was still painting  in her 88th year. I had seen her numerous times at social events or openings in Sydney. You always wish in retrospect you'd gone up and introduced yourself and discussed the motivation for her choice of colours. Maybe she would have been cantankerous or intensely private, but I guess now I'll never know. One undeniable fact is the impact her body of work will have on future generations of aspiring artists... or those who'll simply find quiet solace in her brushstrokes. 

I admire her courage during a stiflingly conservative period. Travelling to East Sydney Tech (from Lismore via Brisbane) to study, she eventually became the subject for William Dobell's winning entry in the Archibald Prize of 1948 . This was followed up by Ben Quilty's entry in 2011. There's a wonderful resonance with her life. It starts with her exploration of painting in Sydney and her close friendships with some of Australia's brightest artistic luminaries. She became one of our great benefactors to the arts. Her donations to The Art Gallery of NSW and The MCA built upon her own legacy as much as they reflect the talents of many other notable artists. Rest well. 

Prints Charming

I was watching 'The Renovators' this evening and agreed when Robyn Holt said to one of the contestants that her room needed artwork on the walls. In order to breathe life in to a neutral space you require 'colour and movement' on large surface areas. If you haven't got a spare $40000.00 for a Minnie Pearl painting then perhaps collectible vintage posters are worth a look. I swear that if  I glimpse another feature wall with heavily patterned wallpaper I'll escape to the hills! Back to posters... have you ever purchased them online, or does the worry of buying fakes scare you off? 

I have obtained them from sellers all around the world (even in markets in Havana) and have yet to be disappointed. Regardless of subject I tend to find the best format is approximately 90cm x 128cm . This seems to be the standard for a number of prints from the 1950's and they frame up beautifully. As you saw with my earlier post on Asterix and Obelix they can change the mood of a room simply by the use of context. Vintage product or brand posters tend to be very simple in their message and often used bold colour and font. In modern homes (where warmth tends to be seen as public enemy number one!) they enliven a space and make a great conversation piece. Considering they can range from several hundred dollars upwards, posters make a viable option to start a collection.

The two last images come from Galerie Montmartre in Melbourne. www.galeriemontmartre.com. They have an amazing collection for sale and possess the rare ability to discuss the provenance and style of the works.