A heartfelt Valentine's for Orb Hair and Beauty, New Farm

This window installation of hundreds of little origami hearts and stunning, light-reflecting crystals is one of my most detailed works. Each of the little paper hearts and crystals are separated with tiny jewellery clamps to give some separation and rotational space for each element. I was thrilled to create and install it for Deb and her team at Orb Hair and Beauty, New Farm.

Before I install it, I need to measure out the strands on the floor to ensure the right drop height to create the overall heart shape. It is a very precise process.

The work is simply very pretty and delicate and I love the way the crystals catch and play with the light in the window.

Love is in the air! :)

A little mathematics at Christmas!

Earlier in the year I had a lot of fun getting lost in the masses of books for sale at the UQ Alumni Book Fair. I filled several boxes ... (they were only $5 for a full box of books!) ... some were to read and others, to 'play' with!  I was delighted to find several old geometry textbooks (an area close to my heart) and put them away to later use, creatively.

I transformed the mathematical texts into ten or so sepia/neutral toned wreaths.  They are stunning in their angles, aged-colours, patterns, content and overall shape. They'll make a beautiful window installation. A few though are for a couple of maths enthusiasts in my life ... a very appropriate Christmas present!  

I even transformed the cover of one of the books into a simple origami heart which I used to decorate a recycled kraft card. How I love getting lost in mathematical beauty of any sort!

It's catching ...

The joy and peace associated with folding origami is 'catching' here at home again and many more matte magazine wreaths (not mine!) are springing up all around our home creating a beautiful festive feel!

My children's matte magazine wreaths atop our piano - a perfect, calming school holiday activity!

Origami wreaths ...

I've also been getting festive in fashioning these beautiful wreaths with the Year 4s and 5s at my daughters' school.

I really enjoyed the process of talking about the art and maths of origami and of course, the relevant fold and then constructing the wreaths with the children using beautiful up-cycled matte magazine papers.

The children found the activity captivating and meditative.  

I then glued the wreaths and tied rustic garden twine around them so the children could take them home to hang or give as a gift to someone special. 

The completed year 4 and 5 wreaths ... ready for distributing!

‘Tis that wonderful time of the year!

We have a family tradition of baking lots of gingerbread at this time of year. The kitchen always smells so good and we all get such a thrill out of selecting appropriate sweets and putting the houses together! It is an even greater feeling of satisfaction and joy in wrapping up the little houses and giving them, with big smiles, to friends and family! Here are a few photos from our past week of scrumptious gingerbread baking ...

A wee little village ...

Lots of Christmas colours in this neighbouring village!

Pattern play ...

Larger houses in the making!

Writing Christmas messages ...

Elegant Christmas Windows of Silver and Black

On Wednesday I was thrilled to complete my latest installation work for Orb Hair and Beauty, New Farm. I filled 5 big windows of the salon with festive and stunningly elegant silver and black themed origami baubles which also feature some sculptural heart elements.  

The resulting 2 street-frontage creation surpassed even my own expectations! Thank you once again for the opportunity, Deb and a huge thank you to you and all your team for looking after me so well throughout what was a big day physically and mentally for me!

Silvery satiny brilliance in the making ...

The process of piecing together an installation of this magnitude is quite detailed and extensive.  Here are a few key steps in the creation of the origami orb baubles.

I begin the installation by sketching each window of the salon and include the spatial dimensions.  I then cut out butcher's paper templates for each bauble: 90cm/60cm/45cm/30cm diameter sizes. I arrange the completed origami and sculptural heart pieces on each bauble and then calculate the 'drop' of each element and cut adequate fishing line to hang each piece.

Here is a close up of an origami star orb (origami stars have a pentagonal base) created by threading the completed stars onto sculptural wire and then affixing cord to hold the join. I then attach the fishing line to the top of each orb using a small jewellery clamp and pliers.

This image shows each orb element numbered and taped in situ. I then use a piece of string and a sharpie to mark the spacings of each piece. I then know I'll be able to hang the baubles on site relatively effortlessly as the spacings, drop and order of each element have all been organised!

A close-up of the numbering and spacing ... this bauble is now ready. I moved it to a flat board - ready to transport and then commenced on another!

Silver & Black

I’ve been immersed in a beautiful sea of metallic silver origami paper and stunning, elegant silver and black ribbons recently putting the finishing touches to a 5 window Christmas installation for Orb Hair and Beauty, New Farm ... not long to go now before all will be revealed!

... Very elegant 'silver and black' themed handmade pieces for a 5 window Christmas installation at Orb Hair and Beauty, New Farm.

I love the texture of these sculptural heart features I made using wire and predominantly black with a touch of silver ribbon (a balanced reversal of the striking silver origami orbs which incorporate a single black satin ribbon). These hearts evoke memories of 'Swan Lake' for me and in particular, of the 'black swan' ... although within the work, symbolise love and the spirit of giving at Christmas.

Marshmallow bunny Easter treats!

It's an Easter tradition here to get creative in the kitchen and make delectable marshmallow bunnies to share with friends and family!

What was otherwise a very unpleasant last day of term 1 for my children (due to the aftermath of Cyclone Debbie passing through Brisbane) was brightened by the sharing of homemade passionfruit marshmallow at school.  We made these little wobbly critters using passionfruit pulp and scrumptious, fluffy, whipped vanilla marshmallow!

They were a big hit and even more importantly, there were leftovers to share at home too! More Easter cooking, creativity and celebrations await us this week ... watch this space!

These are the different stages in the creative culinary process ... boiling the sugar and water solution; straining the passionfruit pulp and mixing it with dissolved gelatine leaves; whipping the pulp/gelatine mixture together with the sugar solution until you have goey, fluffy marshmallow! Ultimately, the marshmallow is poured into lightly greased rabbit moulds and left to set.

Once the marshmallow has set, we tip the 'bunnies' out of the moulds and dust them in a 50/50 mixture of icing sugar and cornflour and then box them up in colourful boxes tied up with matching string to give them away and bring a huge smile and a happily sated tummy to a friend! 

'Barnaby Bull'

I am working on some illustrations of a rather beautiful beast, at present - 'Barnaby Bull'.

This is a very special commission, from a very special someone, for illustrations to accompany a charming series of children's stories!

I am so thrilled and honoured to be involved and hope to have the watercolour and acrylic ink illustrations finished soon!

Watch this space!

'Summer Road Trip' with 'Musica Viva'!

I was very excited to receive the proofs (as gift wrap) of my 2 latest surface design patterns, earlier this week.

'Summer road trip' is in honour of our annual beach holiday!  I hand-painted the design using watercolour and acrylic ink.

'Musica viva' captures the spiritual uplift we feel when exposed to beautiful, powerful music, rhythm and lyrics.  This was hand-drawn using nib pen in indian ink.

Both are available for sale as gift wrap, fabric and wallpaper through my Spoonflower shop.  See the 'surface pattern design' link in the menu of this website.

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Eggs Eggs Eggs!

The James St window at Orb Hair and Beauty, New Farm has been filled with 'eggs' in anticipation of Easter ... just around the corner!

I created this installation using 'eggs' I sculpted from different pastel wools, glue and an assortment of similarly coloured ribbons and buttons.  I stitched the eggs through long pieces of fishing line before hanging them in an offset pattern in the window!

Each egg is a work of art in its own right: so delicate and colourful.

Thanks so much to Deb and her team at Orb for having me!  My favourite part of completing my works is witnessing all your excited reactions when I unveil the new, themed elements!  I loved every minute of this installation and always have so much fun in the salon with you all!

The installation is a reminder of how quickly Easter is approaching!  Here's to a happy and safe holiday.

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A beautiful heart ...

My huge heart was pounding with excitement this morning as I hung my beautiful Valentine's Day creation in a stunning light-filled window for everyone at Orb Hair and Beauty, New Farm.

I measured and hung each line of delicately folded origami hearts and crystal beads to form a larger heart shape. The holographic papers and crystals played with the light and the resulting piece looked striking and very elegant (much like the styles Deb and her wonderful team create in the salon!).

Here are some photos I took of the final work.

May we all find a way to celebrate love this Valentine's Day!

"The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched.  They are felt with the heart."

(Antoine de St Exupéry: The Little Prince ... one of my favourite books (and authors) of all time!)

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Origami heart installation for Orb Hair and Beauty, New Farm for Valentine's Day!

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Origami and crystal bead detail.

Everyday art

One of my favourite annual rituals is covering my children's books in beautiful papers: both my designs and those of other artists and photographers.  It is my way of bringing a little bit of beauty and art to the children's everyday!

After a marathon session of paper and contact-cutting yesterday, my four little ones were on their way today with these beauties ... ready for lots of action this year no doubt!

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Another little piece of my heart ...

My Valentine's installation is now ready to hang!

The little red, pink and white holographic paper origami hearts are threaded onto fishing line together with circular crystal beads and create a larger more striking heart form (approximately 120cms x 120cms). Each origami and crystal piece is crimped in place using tiny silver jewellery crimps.  The lines are weighted down with small fishing sinkers at the base. 

The shiny paper hearts resemble Valentine's chocolates and the crystals look like diamonds! There's an analogy with the fishing line and sinkers too ... to 'fish in the sea' perhaps!

I work on a white cloth to enable me to get a clear sense of the shapes, space and detail I'm working with.  Each line is 'numbered' and secured ready to position in situ in a light-filled window at Orb Hair and Beauty, New Farm.

I love playing with light and colour in my work and the surface of these papers and the crystals catch and reflect the light beautifully.

May everyone's heart sparkle this Valentine's day ... just like my stunning Orb installation!  

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The series of lines of little origami hearts and crystals on the white cloth I use to plan my work.

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A close-up of my little origami hearts and crystal beads crimped in place on the lines.

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The overall large heart shape ready to hang!  Fear not ... 'tis not a broken heart ... the space in the middle is simply to enable me to negotiate the wall bracket when I hang the work!  (Or you could look at it like a Japanese philosopher or Leonard Cohen and see it as simply a way for the 'light to get in'!) 😉

All you need is ...

Love ... love and hope.

Valentine's Day has long been a celebration of romantic love: such an all-consuming and oh so complex and powerful emotion.

On the back of my sparkling, Christmas origami installation, I am very excited and inspired to be in the throes of piecing together a symbol of romantic love, to mark this special day, once again for Deb and everyone at Orb Hair and Beauty.

Here is a sneak peek of my work in progress ... watch this space! 

Boxing Day II

I visited Orb Hair and Beauty at New Farm again this week to carefully take down my beautiful 5 window Christmas origami installation.

The shiny, intricate, hand-folded foil and holographic components (which comprised, in the end, approximately 3000 sheets of origami paper) were wrapped in tissue and boxed, ready to be re-invented in other designs in festive seasons to come! 

I am so glad my creations heightened the festive spirits of all at Orb and in New Farm, generally and thank Deb and her wonderful team, again for the opportunity to share some 'silver sparkle' and for their ongoing enthusiastic support!

The gift of light ...

"There is no darkness so dense, so menacing, or so difficult that it cannot be overcome by light." Stanfill

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness.  Only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate.  Only love can do that." Martin Luther King Jr.

Amidst the craziness of Christmas festivities, I have found solace and purpose in my thoughts and through creating much.  I am balancing several projects in various states of completion.

This morning, I finished one I have been focused on for a few weeks now - a very special Christmas present for my children: a bamboo lantern installation.  

I have sculpted 6 star lanterns from bamboo and sumi-e paper; completing them with bright hand-stitched nylon thread (silver, red, green, neon green and neon yellow).  I hope to create our own 'sky full of stars'.

I have affixed white LEDs inside the lanterns and will illuminate them this Christmas and New Year for my children.  I want them to see and experience the lanterns and little lights as symbols of hope, peace, wonder and inspiration for the coming year and to know that no matter the darkness; there is always light and often it is the deepest 'cracks' that allow the most light to shine both into and from our hearts.  I want to remind them of the importance of their own light (we cannot give light to others if we haven't found it within ourselves) and then of sharing that light with others (such is the true spirit of Christmas).

Here are photographs of my work in progress.  I will publish photographs of the completed installation in the new year.

May everyone find and share their light this Christmas and here's to a peaceful 2017.

geometric magic in the beautiful beginnings ... the bamboo star structures pre-addition of the sumi-e paper.

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affixing the sumi-e ... reminiscent of Japanese interior architecture ...

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Star lanterns taking shape with colourful stitching ...

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condensed and pointed stars ... beautiful geometry

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Stitching detail ... the sumi-e paper became like a taught, stretched canvas.

Completed SciArt Collaborative Installation

I was in creative overdrive this week also completing the collaborative SciArt installation I have been working on with the Year 4 children from Wilston SS. 

I took all of the children's symbolic (see earlier posts) origami stars and hearts (made using upcycled matte magazine and other coloured papers) we had made together in class and unified them by painting them silver. (Silver was appropriate for the 'magic' we can create by sending out 'ripples of kindness' and also fits with the festive season (in colour and philosophy))!

I then worked my magic with my drill and 1mm bit to punch holes along 2 horizontal pieces of silver-painted dowel and threaded the children's origami along pieces of fishing line to create a transverse wave form (a lovely periodic function for those into trigonometry ... 4 complete wavelengths!).

Our lounge-room floor has never looked better!

I then installed the work, for all the children to appreciate, in the school's science lab where it has pride of place high above the central doors.
Thanks to Wilston SS for their enthusiasm and support with this creative, educational and inspirational endeavour!

A work in progress!  The installation looked beautiful first thing in the morning - the silver catching and reflecting the sunlight.

A beautiful periodic function!

Gingerbread architecture ...

As you may have gathered I have a soft and sentimental spot for sculpting gingerbread (it's a family tradition) and love attempting houses and other architectural icons!

I have made many many houses this week - it's that time of year - and it simply wouldn't be this time of year here without the smell of gingerbread baking and me wearing bits of royal icing! 

A few sweets 'escaped' decoration ... but much fun was had creating 'Pez' roof tiles, 'Skittles' studs and 'Mentos' lights!