my works for 10 girls. 10 colours.

untitled, neckpieces, paper, thread, 2011


untitled, brooches, reticulated silver, paper, 2011


autumn, installation, blackened 925 silver, bronze, wool, silk thread, dyed cotton thread, leaves & branches, 2011

10 girls. 10 colours. opening night

i would say it was quite successful opening!
thanks for coming, jewellery crews from TAFE & other designers from different field.
thanx my friends, anna, jinny & michelle. xoxo

setting up day

went to Salerno gallery with Nathan to display my works for tomorrow, opening night.
i was a bit worried because of my bub but thankfully he slept and behaved quite good.
I could display my pieces quickly during his nap...

our exhibition looked amazing! :D

what on earth was i thinking?

well, my original idea for one of the neckpieces was putting lots of felt which was cut in leave shape and having blackened 925 silver & bronze...so pretty much really big & chunky exhibition neckpiece...realistically not wearable...

All of sudden, it didn't work at all. when i realised it 3 days ago before the exhibition (i know, crazy...) i had to make quick decision whether i would take this work out completely! or...change the way making & display...and now it became an installation work showing 'autumn' by wilted & old leaves & branches...with same sorts of materials...i am quite happy with the (prompt) result. if you wonder? come and see the exhibition, 10 girls. 10 colours. opening tomorrow @ 6pm. :D

10girls. 10colours.

tennmoregirls exhibition 2011, ’10 girls. 10 colours’ starts on the 18th of Oct and finishes on the 5th of Nov @ Salerno Gallery, 70 Glebe Point Road, Glebe

Gallery opens tue – fri, 10 – 5:30 pm, sat 10 – 3 pm, sun & mon by appointment

meet the makers : saturdays 22nd, 29th of Oct & 5th of Nov.

visit www.ternmoregirls.com or www.tenmoregirls.blogspot.com for our stories & pieces.

i will be at the gallery on the opening night and sat 22nd 10-12pm, 29th 1-3pm.
See you there. :D

stitching stitching

a sneaky bit of my piece for 10girls. 10colours. exhibition,
endless folding papers & stitching stitching....what was i thinking????

i really don't have much time to make stuff because of my bub. i have to do after nathan sleeps, say around 10pm? and sadly i can't stay late cause i'm deadly TIRED!!

anyway, my second piece is in progress!

colouring

although i was busy for taking care of my bub, i did dying some of cotton thread for my work. i did a bit of experiments with black tea & coffee. Different time & water level, i achieved various results, which loved it.

fun fun fun

being lazy

it has been so long i wouldn't able to even LOG ON my blog since June because of my baby, Nathan. oh...dear, but at least im enjoying parenting and falling in love with him...

the venue & date for 10girls. 10colours are set up and that is at Salerno Gallery in Glebe from the 18th of Oct till the 6th of Nov.

also our grant application has been successful which means that our life makes so much easier to create the new works without financial problem.

exiciting but worried at the same time!

making process 8 : suffering and completion

a bit of cut & bleeding are common as a jeweller.
i had a little bleeding from two fingers from left, one from right. i say to myself, 'welcome back to workshop.'
oh, and a dirty dirty fingers & nails... no nails...
i completed three brooches for tenmoregirls' first photoshoot and hopefully it turns out good. i am planning to make two more neck pieces... i wish i can manage well with my baby.

making process 7 : experiments

experiments with burned papers & silk thread.
i haven't decided what to make out of these but hopefully i find the way soon cause i quite like this fluppy looking with paper...

making process 6 : successfully burned papers!

well, i think it was successful...
i have two balconies in my house, one has nice timber deck on the floor & the other one is tile floor. of course i've chosen the one with tiles on the floor and made everything around me tidy & clean.
i only used one incense and i've burned enough materials to start with...i guess.
now it is just the matter of how to attach them together in simple/nice looking manner for brooch...

i think i have an idea! well, not today though...

making process 5 : burning papers with incense sticks

i have researched how to burn the paper SAFELY... there are a few options and i like using the incense sticks among them...which i feel this is the most safest way...
i bought some different colours and types of papers today from Eckersley's and i am quite ready to burn my papers after finding good spot in my house. hopefully i don't burn the house. :(

concept development about the colour BROWN

When i first heard that my colour is brown, my first instinct was 'wood'. simply thought,'let's use WOOD as a main material'.
i goggled the colour 'brown' and it is the colour of a mixture of red, orange, rose or yellow with black or grey. Common connotations are soil, Africa, coffee, chocolate, maple leaf, skin, earth, thanksgiving, stone, caramel, wood, hair or eye...etc.

i was quite interested in coffee & chocolate and maybe their fragrance...maybe i can make some little containers which have lots of holes so that smell comes out???? or simply coffee/chocolate shaped wearable pieces out of wax carving???then STUCK. ok...what about hair or eye?...maybe cultural backgrounds' differences? then STUCK...
i came back to WOOD and their annual ring (time ring). i wanted to apply this fact to human. Individual character can be the wrinkles, the line of palm, finger prints or scar... then i kinda of realised that i already designed/made once before with the similar concept...

i felt a bit boring so i seriously needed a break to empty my brain for a while thinking colour brown...i changed the way of thinking colour 'brown' and started to think what/how or when the colour change to brown...i also had to consider my current condition, pregnancy, for this exhibition using simple techiniques with home friendly tools and equipments...

we often think or say that brown is the colour of autumn...
when leaves get old, they get really dry, brown, fragile & old looking...
when flowers are wilted, they also become dry, fragile & brownish...
then it continues to the other factors...
when paper gets burned, colour changes to brown...
when bright colour fabric or any other materials get dirty, it becomes yellowish brown dirty looking... etc etc etc....
endless elements were stuck into my idea...and i liked it.

First experiment was the reticulations which is well associated with the fact, burning paper - melting metal. i could achieve the satified pieces when i was still at work in Mar fortunately. i initially wanted to use the reticulated sterling silver as a part of pendant for the neckpiece but i might make it as a brooch...never know until the end... then casting for the shapes of leaves & flowers are still on process...they will be two or three neckpieces...i was playing around with the string the other day for the neck part...and i hope i find the way soon....soonish...

our first photoshot is scheduled on the 5th of May... my baby due date is the 27th in same month. i don't want to be freak out yet... if anyone has a idea for beautiful sting work or twining (not weaving though), please let me know.

my making story to be continued...

sudden beauty

the shadow through white blind in sunny day at my place...

making process 4 : tricky string

my idea for neckpieces are simply winding thread...i played around with different types/colours of thread today for a bit of experiments... still haven't figure out which one to use and how to attach...

making process 3 : bronze casting

i went to palloys todoay to pick up my casting stuff. i was kinda surprised by the unsuccessful result of fake leaves. they said it was too thin. Only part they could make was the branch part...looks like bird's foot.

anyway, i am quite happy with other stuff and i might collect more actual old leaves, flowers or twigs...for casting... and i really look like a crazy person keep looking down anxiously when walking...(with big belly!)

making process 2 : casting

i wonder how it will turn up after casting these real natural elements.

To express the wilted leaves based on my colour BROWN concept, i am thinking to cast these things as bronze and make neckpieces.

these are from the small range of plants at my balcony and the fake leaves are from ALDI, decorated rose chocolate.

making process 1 : reticulation

There are many ways to make patterns on metal like etching, rolling mill texturing, patinating, engraving or stamping etc.

Among these techniques, i've done a bit of experiments with reticulation on 925 silver as i thought this is well corresponded with colour BROWN; burned effect.

One of decorative effects on metal, surface movement when it's heated after seven times of annealing. it's sensational...

Here is some pieces that i am going to use for neckpiece.

inspirations for brown - wilted leaves or flowers

fragile element & brownish colour changes when leaves/flower/plant get wilted...

inspirations for brown - burned paper

was thinking when paper is burned, edge becomes brown...

i'll use this fact onto my wearable pieces...

researching

researching to get some ideas....

very enjoy!

tengirls tencolours

this year, the theme of tenmoregirls' 4th exhibition is 'colour'.
tencolours are red, pink, yellow, orange, blue, green, purple, brown, white and black. And my colour is BROWN.

there is a bit of story behind this though....
Due to my personal circumstance...pregnancy, i decided to drop out from this exhibition and it was really hard decision. then i felt alright for a while but sad very soon. so i asked girls if i could be back again and gladly i became one of tenmoregirls again. :)

i am enjoying thinking about my colour, BROWN, nowadays and feeling excited this year's exhibition already.

the spinning top by shirley cho

some time last year,..

shirley, one of my classmates, asked me & hub to draw our dreaming spinning top on the postcards and return to her in Japan.

yes, this exhibition was what happens when you ask your family/friends to draw their dream spinning top and she got many postcards returned by her family & friends to create their spinning tops & show her works in Sydney.

this exhibition is such a great exhibition which you must visit and i loved my red&white onion spinning top and my hubby's black&white cone spinning (that i drew.,,actually, haha).

shirley, so proud of you. :)

10_02_2011 @ gaffa