SHOW/S OF THE WEEK

Having seen the work in person, the ladies of hml can say that you should promise to all get along to see Anna Davern's show Nukk at Seventh Gallery. The combination of sculptural objects and jewllery pieces is really generous and interesting. The above work actually appears in a shadow box - like a secret community huddle. Congrats Ms Davern!
Also open this week is new work by Sophie Knezic. A Pocket Full of Stones is on at the Area Contemporary Art Space Inc (rear level 1/230 brunswick street enter via St David Street). This is Knezic's MFA work and after her amazing Washi exhibition at Craft Victoria a few years ago we are intrigued to see what direction her work has taken. Plus we've never been to this space and you know how we love an obscure art venue!
Those of you in the Brunswick area might see us loitering at the group show Trace featuring printmaking, textile design, drawing and mixed media by four qld artists (Anne Smith, Haya Cohen,Virginia Miller, and Sonia G Peters). We love seeing work of interstaters and Counihan Gallery is one of the best city council galleries in Australia.

Doesnt it feel like the year has finally begun?

progress of the week

kindling
Interesting week dear readers. Ramona received confirmation that she is having an exhibition in July at Imp Gallery (above Greville St Bookstore). Meanwhile back at the hml ranch there had been much discussion about wood. Then this magical pile of offcuts appeared in the dreamy light-industrial outskirts of Prestonia. Wicker basket always at the ready (such a dork) Ramona went a little nutso...Who knows where all this might lead...

VEHICLE OF THE WEEK

carving up the road

You know we love our vehicles here at HML, and given the woody way we're working this week we had to let you all know about american arteeest Lee Stoetzel. After all he is one of the ladies favourites... and a lot more fun than Ricky Swallow. This particular homage to the summer of love was part of an exhibition at the Mixed Greens Gallery in our spiritual home - New York City last year. The show included a giant wooden book, old Mac computers rendered in cypress, and, as seen here, VW Bus and the all american chopper. Now if only he'd make the ladies a boogie van we'd be happy.

craft find of the week

JUICY FRUITS
Speaking of curvaceously carved wooden forms...
Beck has accumulated quite a bit of antique teak in her day, but these are the 'pick of the bunch' (groan). Actually if you eliminate the mini apple and pear salt/pepper shakers, you could almost use this as a HML portrait... made even more hilarious because Ramona, as you all probably know, hates fruit.

SHOW OF THE WEEK

Pink Floyd

The new show by Emily Floyd is called Temple of the Female Eunuch. We aren't sure if this is because Wood is Good was too simple a title for Anna Schwartz or because (as the accompanying text would suggest) Floyd has taken inspiration from Germaine Greer. We suspect it's the latter.
We love the oversized wood block 1970's play time aesthetic. The show warms up this usually sterile space. You'll have to brave the formidable front of house staff but it is well worth it.
The crossover between art and craft is always being blathered about so we won't go on about it here. Suffice to say we think dear readers you'll love this show. A good one to see after the Steiner/Beuys installation at the NGV:I...

show runs until march 1.

I MADE IT MYSELF

product development

The ladies of hml don't just spend the time swanning around town looking at craft. We too, just like all of you dear readers have to earn a crust! Beck as many of you know is the head honcho down at Counter (Craft Victorias very beautiful and much loved retail space) and a very talented artiste. While I make cards and write things - hence the name of my business - Words and Pictures. As we were talking about paper this week I thought I'd show you what I'd been up to.
Twice a year I send out a new catalogue so twice a year I have to come up with new things. This is hard for someone who is at heart a couch potato. It's just as well I have Beck around to cattle prod me into action. So now I have gift tag packs and easter bunnies. Of course I'm thinking who buys gift tags in March and does anyone care about Easter apart from the Pope? And yes I start planning for Christmas right about now. I'm sure many of you are in product development land at the moment. I sympathise with those questions 'Will people like this, buy this, use this?'

The HML theory is just make stuff... then go to the movies. And not neccesarily in that order.

SORRY

info of the week

it wont happen overnight but it will happen...

New Jersey based Pantone have been colour forecasting and matching for the past 40 years. Their PMS (pantone matching system) is now really the only colour catagorisation tool used today. So when Karl Lagerfeld is picking out Twilight Blue (pantone 19 -193938) for the new $150,00 party frocks, SAAB is contemplating using Aurora Red (pantone 18 -1550) for the interior of the new Vector. But is this of any use to us? We think so. Even if you are just a little lacking in inspiration. Perhaps next time when you go to you work benches, sewing machines, computers, wheels, easels etc - these may spark something in you. Far be it from us to tell you to follow trends. Walk to your own beat - but maybe consider Shady Glade (pantone18-5624) at the same time. Pantone have released their colours for the second half of 08. We thought all you textile designers, jewelers, painters, potters, architects, decorators, - in fact every hml reader - would like a sneak peek.

our favourite is Shitake (pantone 18 -1015) What's yours?

SHOW OF THE WEEK

sticky music

Happy new year to all of you. Let's face it, january is nearly always a creative write off - the ladies of HML recieved very good advice from a highly successful creative Genius that it's best to start with Chinese new year and just let Jan go. so we have. And Feb is looking absolutely fantastic (no really!) We are in for some great weather, great exhibitions, great movies and general feelings of well being. Excellent. Perfect time to head down into the Degraves subway to see the Sticky hosted Festival of the Photocopier which runs all this month. We'll be on the look out for work by Hammer and Daisy and the next issue of Mix Tape (crafty kids one and all!) Ramona scored a new photocopier this week so the ladies may get busy with some collage craziness themselves! Pass the glue stick!

craft find of the week

ALOHA!As you all know we are giving ourselves over to kitsch this week in tribute to our exhibition of the week artisan and supreme garage sailor Anna Davern. Regular readers probably also know that this is a thinly veiled opportunity for us to show you even more dodgy craft from hml HQ. We love souvenier craft... especially Beck who covets her shell art collection even above her wood grain ceramic collection. This shell lamp was a christmas gift from her brother 'lord funky pants' (his name not ours) and is now the centrepiece of the collection. It's easy to see why.

craft find of the week

twang!
Somehow the Historian found himself in possibly the dodgiest cheapest imports gift store in Preston....and that is saying something. Poor man is a long way from home and left his geeetar in storage (the things we do for lerv). Desperate to noodle around with bad rock songs from the mid seventies he shelled out a grand total of $60 for this brand spankin new Korean Axe
it was the palm tree that seduced him in the end. He's on the look out for a Kingswood station wagon circa 73 to go with it...

doll face

SHOW OF THE WEEK

Both the ladies of HML have always loved the work of Melbourne based/world traveller jeweller Anna Davern and independently bought her work before we met her or each other! We wish we were cashed up enough to fly up to Sydneytown Tuesday night for drinks with Ms Davern at her opening at Pablo Fanque (can anyone tell us how to pronounce that? everyone here just calls it 'that pablo whosits place').
A recent residency at the Estonian Academy for the Arts in Tallinn inspired Davern to reinterpret, de/reconstruct that all familiar folk object - the Matryoshka Doll. Handmadelife will spend the week celebrating by showcasing our own favorite folk art kitch (and boy do we have some doozies)...