LAST POST OF THE WEEK

Christmas Free Zone

You'll all be relieved to know that Beck is winging her way back from Japan as I type this and you will get a relief from my constantly banging on about Christmas. I spend a few hours last night catching up on some craft and design blog reading and I stumbled onto the work of New York artist Mark Barrow

I

 thought this woven work was so beautiful when I first saw it. Like Amish quilts, Klee paintings, modernist architecture - three of my favourite things

But on further investigation I discovered that the textiles are woven by his wife Sarah Parke and then he paints acrylic patterns over the top. For some reason this kind of irked me. The crafter in me felt that this was cheating. I've spent the last 24 hours processing my thoughts. I guess because he's putting it in a fine art context he can 'get away' with it. And they are still beautiful objects- in photos anyway

I came to the conclusion that I would have been happier if they'd listed the two 'makers' together - an equal collaboration - painter and weaver, husband and wife, artist and crafter.

So what do you think of the work of Mark Barrow and Sarah Parke?

RAMONA

CRAP CRAFTS OF THE WEEK

ho ho hum

Well what was I to do? The library had put out a special table just for me -who was I to refuse? I was particularly pleased with the mid 80's publication Crafts to Make at Christmas...

who could resist the charm of this Kris Kringle disguise? Or perhaps the snowman centrepiece is more your style?

All I know is that the buttoned bedazzled sweater is for me...

Or maybe for Beck. Maybe a matching pair?
RAMONA

Santa's Workshop part #1

beady eyed

One of the mistakes I consistently make when hand making my presents is leaving the most important ones until last. Often the people I love the most end up with a book and a jar of lemon curd. Which would be ok if they hadn't watch me hand paint tablecloths, embroider pillow slips, bias bind hand towels, stuff lavender bags and mosaic plant pots for all and sundry in my 12 week Christmas countdown craziness. In fact I don't even think Beck and I exchanged presents last year and my dearly beloved's gift was bought in a dept store at 4:45pm on Christmas Eve!

This year I am a little more organised and at least have some little things planned for the Christmas stockings. The Intern is now 16 (can you believe it people! - when we started writing this blog she was 11!) and is quite the fashionista. She'd broken a beaded necklace some months ago and so I rescued it, added a whole new set of beads as well as a big bead to accent the piece. Took me all of $5 and 15 minutes. 

It's long and colourful and tres chic! I love it. Not quite as much as  I love the recipient tho...

RAMONA

HOT TICKET OF THE WEEK

Ok let me get this straight. A super cool group of contemporary Melbourne Jewellers are having a one night only event in Hosier Lane. The idea for Steal This, I think, is for us all to turn up at 6pm and just go berserk looking for treasure. Like pirates, like thieves, like crazy lovers of pretty things. It's tonight. And yes I will be there with a parrot on my shoulder. Learn a bit more about all this craziness here.

SHOWS OF THE WEEK

north and south

It takes alot for us to go to Nellie Castan's gallery. South Yarra just seems so far away. Its the whole crossing the river thing I guess. But we would walk 1000 miles to see new work by Kate Just, and walk we must as this is the last week of her show Inward Gathering

It helps that Paul Wood's creepy and beautiful ceramic work is also there in his crazy new show Antechamber. If I could buy the below piece for Beck I would! We both have a bit of a fetish for those cheapo figurines.

Closer to home I'm going to make a pit stop at Pan Gallery to see what the artists in residence are up to there.

And of course Friday evening Monash University opens the door of all its creative departments for a blockbuster opening night. Thankfully the show then runs from Nov 22 to Dec 3 so there is plenty of time to walk the halls. Will I make the drive south? Only time will tell folks. RAMONA