mardi 28 août 2012

On the Road again - Amazing Outback - Uluru - Kata Tjuta




View of Kata Tjuta at Sunset



View of Uluru at Sunset

Just came back from an amazing trip in Australian Outback, definitively a must, a unique experience that will last for ever in my memory!
If you are planning to go...I will suggest you take a walk in the "Valley of the Winds - Kata Tjuta - the 7km complete circuit, takes you down between the domes, through creek beds and away from everyone and everything, you will experience Eden on earth!

xoxo

Lesley




jeudi 16 août 2012

My Favourite's - Sydney Biennale 2012

Philip Beesley, Hylozoic Series, 2011 (detail)


Juan Manuel Echavarria, La O, 2010



El Anatsui, Anonymous Creature, 2009

dimanche 5 août 2012

Inside Australia's largest & most exciting international festival of contemporary art

 
I am going to spend the next two weeks visiting the Sydney Biennale, the most exciting art festival of Australia.
 The popular Cockatoo Island is used as a site for the 3rdevent running, as is Pier 2/3, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), and a new addition: Carriageworks.  
Tomorrow will start my discovery, but today I did my first virtual tour on the net and fell in love with this two artists, so I decided to share some details with you:




  Tiffany Sing - Knock On The Sky Listen To The Sound, 2011

Tiffany Singh’s philosophies and practice encompass influences as varied as modernism, eastern and western spiritual beliefs, Jungian psychology and ancient cultures. With Maori, Indian and Pacific Island decent, her cultural diversity enables her to draw from the many pools of knowledge, philosophy and mythology.


Cecilia Vicuña, Born 1948 in Santiago, Chile, Quipu austral 2012

Lives and works in New York, USA 
In the Andes, people did not write, they wove meaning into textiles and knotted cords. Five thousand years ago they created the quipu or knot, a poem in space, a way to remember, involving the body and the cosmos at once, a tactile, spatial metaphor for the union of all. The quipu, and its virtual counterpart, the ceque – a system of sightlines connecting all communities in the Andes – were banished after the Conquest. Quipus were burnt, but the vision of interconnectivity endures underground. Cecilia Vicuña began making quipus in the 1960s as an act of poetic resistance. She created a ‘quipu that remembers nothing’, an empty cord to hear the earth listening to us.

Amazing wright? Have you visited the Biennale yet? Any Tips?
By the way  the Biennale is FREE and is on from till 16 Sept.
For more details click here 


xoxo
Lesley

mardi 31 juillet 2012

Paddington - the fashionable side of Sydney


Australia is mostly known for its amazing beaches and legendary landscapes! Which is all good in summer, but in winter that is just not enough, but fortunately enough Sydney has much more to offer than that!
Sydney vibrant suburbs have so so much to offer! And I ve decided to take you on tour inside my favourite suburbs...
My favourite is certainly Paddington or "Paddo" by locals with his amazing boutiques, its Victorian terraces and interesting museums such as the Australian Centre for Photography for example!

Among all this gorgeous shops my 3 favourites are
  • Nelder Jones bridal shop: because the owner/designer is so lovely and the dresses are jus amazing!
  • The corner shop: because their pieces are so unique! Enjoy their collection of hand-picked fashion from around the world!
  • Ampersand Cafe & Bookstore: a charming second hand bookstore + great latte




But as you should know by now I am HUGE fan of markets, so my suggestion would be, that you visit Paddington on a Saturday when its markets it's own and I assure you you will not be disapointed; browse over 200 stands and find hunt for treasures....




Enjoy

xoxo

Lesley


jeudi 5 juillet 2012

New In my shop: Cute Small Artworks - Original Painting on Canvas



I do not know why but I ve always been quite obsessed with small things: as a child my favourite toys where matchbox dolls, when I went to sky instead of the normal sky I always wanted the mini ones, then when I decided to do some needle work I opted for crochet instead of knitting. And now It seems to have cached me up even in my artworks...
I ve recently been working more and more on small sizes the result are this amazing one of a kind little works of art.






The painting (13 x 13cm)  is made with true emotions and lots of passion, a a palette knife and a few brushes. The main color is gold (gold liefe) and it has an amazing texture!
The gold liefe also gives the painting a posh and sophisticated allure.

It will make one of a kind gift and also would be a  great conversation piece. Because it is co cute!


For more details click here


Hope you like it

mardi 3 juillet 2012

Yuppy - I ve made it to Etsy First Page - Sydney's Hidden Treasures

Since I ve opened my Etsy shop I ve been dreaming to manage to be featured on Etsy first page, and finally that dream has come true!
I do not know If It will bring me more customers but certainly It proves that I am doing the right thing! That all my efforts where not vain!


I am so happy!
The painting that has been featured is one of my favourite artworks: a Hot Air Baloom Painting inspired by a fairytale my mum used to tell me as a child .






It has been feauterd with other local items from Sydney Australia in an amazing treasury called Sydney's Hidden Treasury.

click here to discover the other Sydney 's Hidden Treasures




click here for more details about this original artwork 


And now let me give you a few tips, on what I think it takes to make it to the 1st page:
  • Good Products
  • Greate Pics
  • Interesting Description
  • Pertinent Tags
  • A bit of luck


A big thank you to Topaz who picked my item!

Thank you
xoxo

Lesley

 

lundi 2 juillet 2012

Inside Fairina Cheng's Etsy Shop


Tell me about you and your Etsy shop.


People that make things with their hands amaze me. But I never thought that I’d be one of them. My fascination with jewellery design started unexpectedly. First with a thought, then a short course, and a growing sense of realization. A week later, I was looking at jewellery design as a career.


I opened my Etsy shop, Fairina Cheng [Contemporary Jewellery], in April this year and am working hard to fill it with beautiful things. My jewellery combines the conceptual,design-oriented approach gained from my Diploma in Jewellery and Object Design with the practical hand skills obtained from an ongoing course in Jewellery Manufacture. The result is contemporary, high quality jewellery with a distinctly unique aesthetic.


What does “handmade” mean for you?


Being part of a “handmade” community like Etsy means having that special connection with your work, as well as the people who own it. It’s not often that you go into a shop and buy something directly from the person who made it. Even less so the person who packaged,
photographed, promoted, designed, developed and created it.


A lot of time and dedication goes into bringing each piece to life. My jewellery is made in small runs, one-off or made-to-order and I think of each item as having its own special character – ‘that’s the one that’s travelling to Jess in New York’ or ‘that’s the one I’m making for Michael’s secret proposal’ (names changed of course)! This just isn’t something that can be matched with mass produced pieces.


What is your most recent project?


This year, I was selected for a three-month graduate residency program at SquarePeg Studios in Newtown, Sydney. This has given me a fantastic opportunity to develop a new,unique collection that explores stainless steel mesh as a material in jewellery. My work during this period will explore colour, texture and the fabric-like qualities of stainless steel mesh, with a new collection to be launched in September 2012.


In addition to the residency, I have plenty of new designs that are just waiting to be brought into reality. There are also some upcoming retail and exhibition opportunities that I am very
excited about! My Facebook page for all things jewellery is the go-to place for the latest news.


2012 has been busy, but it’s feeling like it’ll be a good year!


Find out more

Keep up with the latest updates and offers on Facebook &
Shop now on Etsy
Thank you Fairina!

dimanche 1 juillet 2012

Yummy Monday - Australia's Icon: Vegemite

This week is going to be our last week dedicated entirly to Australia: from food to art,...but do not worry we will still have some sporodical ozy related posts is a dark brown Australian food paste made from yeast extract.
It is a spread for sandwiches, toast , cracker , ...
Despite the horrible color it does taste good especially on crakers with a bit of butter umh It is really yummy!
I know It has nothing to do with it but it reminds me a lot of anchovies paste (one of my favourite comfort food ever) I guess It is because of the saltiness!
Yesterday night on a famous australian cooking show they showed some really cool recepies with it such as french macarons with chocolate, raspberries and vegemite! Fancy that! How bizarre but apprently really yummy! One day I will certainly try to make them, but before I have to learn to make good macarons...
Hope to have inspired you!
xoxo
Lesley

samedi 30 juin 2012

Gosford Art Residency

A week ago just before catching my bad flue (that is finally gone) I went to buy some groceries with my fiancé’ at Gosford’s (that is where I currently live) shopping  Centre. If you are familiar with the area you can imagine my immense surprise when passing by one of the shop I discovered that an art residency was going on! OMG That was so cool! Plus we were lucky enough to be able to talk with two of the artists in residency : Kylie Rose McLean, Janet Mean who are absolutely fantastic people and great artists.





The residency just finished (I ve just realised that...time does pass too quick), Kylie was recolting pieces of fabric and recording theyr history from people passing by, she will then transform the donated fabric into an installation of textile panels that encapsulate the personal stories, histories and memories of local residents.
And Janet was ironing and folding she will be encouraging people to bring in shirts and sheets that need ironing. They will watch her as she irons their clothes and engage in conversation about the service she is providing. How cool is that?
If you want to read more about Janet and Kylie or discover the other two artist in residence projects click here
If you are from the area and you missed out I invite you to go and see the final result whic  will be exhibited at the Gosford Regional Gallery from 21st July to 16th September, 2012.
I will certanily go!
If not you can follow part of Kylie  project virtually  
here.
Have a lovely sunday
xoxo
lesley

vendredi 29 juin 2012

Keep it SMART


Hey,
Today I am going to use some of my academic knowledge (yep you may not know that but I have a Master Degree in Economics and Marketing from one of the most prestigious Universities of the World: The Sorbonne) sorry about bragging about It but my EGO wanted some attention :O)


So If you like me are not having much chance with your online business It is maybe time to reconsider things, keep tuned on every Sunday on this Blog and things will be better!
Together we are going to manage to bust our Etsy Shops! Yes we can!!!!

So first rule is BE SMART!

Yes yes I know you are what I mean Is the S.M.A.R.T business Goals,

S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym :

S = specific

M= measurable

A= achievable

R= relevant

T = time-based goals.

SPECIFIC

You goals should be sharp and clear.

“Bring 1000 visitors per week” on your Etsy shop is a much clearer goal than “get more business for my Etsy shop”.

When you focus on something SPECIFIC you became more stronger. If you focus on a specific aim your goal will be a sort of magnet that will draw all your energy toward it.

MESURABLE
Numbers are an essential part of any business. Whitout them you will most likely fail. It would be like following a recepy without mesurements, the result? A catastrophe! Trust me I ve been there!


ACHIEVABLE

Remember just like Rome was not built in a day and you will not be Etsy Featured Seller overnight!
By the way anyone knows how that happens?

RELEVANT

Be realistic consider your competitors: If you find hundreds of other shop sellers that sell the same product of yours but with better pictures ans lower prices Umh It is going to be pretty hard for you to make it in that field!


TIME BASED GOALS

Business goals just don’t get done without it. Whether your business goal is to increase or make it to Etsy First page, it is important you establish a time-frame to realize your goal.


On my side my goal is to manage to sell two paintings per months on Etsy from November 2012.

From now on I am going to re-think my business do you want to join me in this adventure? I would love it!

xoxo

Lesley










What is Postmodernism?

It is a cliché to say that we live in a Postmodern world, yet only few people know what it really means. Untill a few days ago I was one of them. But now days I belive there is no excuse to be ignorant: we have access to information so easlly! Just lazyness can stop us!
So I ve decided that once a week I will make a post about an interesting art aspect that can help us be more cultivated! Last week it was Xu Bing today is going to be about Postmodernism.

The most important figure of Postmodernism is Jean Francois Lyotard.
If we had to describe postmodernism as a philosophical movement we should describe as a form of scepticism. Scepticism about authorities, received wisdom, cultural and political norms,…
In other words Postmodernism is the rejection of most of the western values, were revaluation becames very important.
Postmoderism has of course influenced the work of many artists from the music world to the art world, among all the so called postmodernist artists my favourite would certainly be Anselm Kiefer.
                 Karfunkelfee (2009) by Anselm Kiefer
In his work Kiefer refelcts about the violences, atrocities and paradoxes of human history.
I hope that you enjoyed this article and awakened your curiosity and thristh of knowledge and made you want learn more about the subject.
Remeber what Dante Alighieri wrote:
"you were not made to live as brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge"

xoxo

Lesley


 





Papercuts - DIY- Imaginary landscapes


It is wonderful what you can do with only a few sheets of colorded papers and a pair of sissors and some glue, isn't it?
Today I ve had fun creating some immaginary landscapes It brought me back to my childhood made me feel so free and happy.
I do strongly recomend this as a cure to a boring rainy day with a flue.
Try it out and let me know what you think! Even If I am not a pro I am more than happy to give you some advice.