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

My Favourite's - Sydney Biennale 2012

Philip Beesley, Hylozoic Series, 2011 (detail)

Juan Manuel Echavarria, La O, 2010

El Anatsui, Anonymous Creature, 2009

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 3^rdevent 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

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

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

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

 

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!