Bird Week Winners

At last here is the announcement you have all been waiting for. The winnners of the Bird Week competition are .......
Diana Fayt for her beautiful blackbird bowls and platters.


Florence Forrest for her strange and wonderful Moon Birds.





Special mention must go to Patrick who sent the beautiful Arthur Rackham illustration at the head of this entry.
Thanks for playing everyone. Winners e-mail your adresses and your prizes will be on their way.

Bird Saturday

I am a bird girl now
I've got my heart
Here in my hands now
I've been searching
For my wings some time
I'm gonna be born
Into soon the sky
'Cause I'm a bird girl
And the bird girls go to heaven
I'm a bird girl
And the bird girls can fly
Bird girls can fly

Bird Saturday, these are the lyrics from Antony and the Johnsons beautiful song "Bird Gerhl" Even boys have a bird girl inside them. All you bird girls and boys out there remember "bird girls can fly".



Bird Paintings by Faryn Davies

Bird Friday

I am so excited about Diana Fayt's pottery. She has entered the "Bird Week" competition and the heat is on for the other competitors!

Rebecca Ward (jeweller) alerted me to the work of New Zealand jeweller David Mcleod. His bird necklaces capture the mysyery of owls.

Owls are one of my favourite type of birds. My bird nerd friends recently returned from India where they told me that there are diurnal owls- this means that you will see them during the day.

Bird Thursday

Gay Bilson, Australian chef, author, philosopher collects nests.
"The outer surface is dull grey-green of lichen. Did the bird use saliva to stick the materials to the two twigs? It is a mystery of apparent impermanence. As in an overcoat, the lining is different to the moss-like exterior, being dry, fine grass. Although I say it is the size of a tiny slipper, because it hangs and is oval rather than round, it is in fact more like a minature cradle or boat, but the plants parts which coat the outside have the texture and look of crotcheting. It trembles even when I touch it delicately."(pp.195, "Digressions on Food"Penguin Books Limited, 2004)


Australian artist Patsy Hely loves nests, twigs and birds.

Bird Wednesday

I made two teapots last week and they were sitting in the studio just ready to be decorated when a chicken got in and smashed them as I was chasing it out. I was as "mad as a wet hen" - as the saying goes.

Check out little birds blog. She has a beautiful header and I love her photos.

Wednesday's bird is a saucy little item from British ceramicist Virginia Graham. It has colourful plumage and a paticular cheeky tilt to its tail. Habitat- this bird feels at home in all the most fabulous places.

Bird Tuesday

I've been getting some great entries for the "Bird Week" competition. Keep them coming!

Shaun Tan is an Australian artist and book illustrator and has a fantastic website covered in drawings. His book "The Rabbits" explores racism through metaphor and intricate illustration.

The illustrations from this book inspired me to create the "Paddock "series of work based on the paddock around my home.


The Featured birds for Bird Tuesday are Michael Simon's bird pots. It is hard to find images from this American potter on the web. Michael Simon's birds are elusive and display strong graphic tendencies, making their nests to fill whatever space they find. Initially plain without exotic plumage, I've grown to love these birds for their simple strength.

P.S

P.S
Sometimes when I pick up my little Fizzy D in the morning she's as warm as a freshly laid egg.

There is also a bird week competition. Send me jpegs of your best bird related, images, objects ,costumes or creations and the best three will win bird related prizes ranging from 1/2 a dozen fresh eggs from our chickens to porcelain nest bowls.

bird week

Inspired by the recent "Colour Week" on numeroous blogs throughout the web. I've decided to have my own theme week so welcome to "Bird Week". Every day this week "Strange Fragments" will feature a bird related blog. Why? Because I think "Bird Week" has a funny sound and I really like birds!

The first birds I'd like to mention are Ann Wood's raggedy toy birds. These are the scrappy kind of birds that you might find hiding in those elusive "safe places" where you put things you don't want to lose. Very shy, oddly beautiful, they are distinguished by their lacy plumage and when camoflaged can be mistaken for wisps of long forgotten balls or faded birthday parties.

pots, plates and blogs

I have added two new links to people sharing their creative lives with us on their blogs. "Dear Ada" is blog from America, about food, landscape, craft and flowers. "Red Felt Flower" is a Australian site exploring the details of life through fabric, trims, ribbons, friends, recipes and afternoon tea. I am so jealous of Red Felt Flower's afternoon teas, she frequently includes photos of deliscious treats from the time of the day when you need a little pick-me-up.

Lena Corwin from New york designs funky, limited edition melamine plates. I love this one.




British potter Sarah Dunstan is inspired by architectural detail and industrial wreckage to create these funky, delicate pieces.



Joanna Howells is one of my favourite potters. Her porcelain pieces combine form and function. I used one of her jugs last year in England and the long, pale blue body reminded me of flower stalks.

perfect cakes

An article was recently printed in the Sydney Morning Herald. It discusses the Art/Craft debate through the Art pavilion at the Royal Sydney Easter Show. The reviewer wonders why the terrible paintings are called art when the fabulous cakes are relegated to "mere" craft. (the whole article is on my website www.shannongarson.com)

I too have a soft spot for cakes (and craft) and find Jocelyn's Provisions- a bakery in James St , Fortitude Valley a great place for inspiration and sustenance. Last time I went in there there were chocolate cupcakes with rich, velvety dark brown icing and a deep red rose petal looking like it had just fallen in the garden on top of each one. There were also loaf shaped butter cakes pink iced with variegated red and white camellia petals, Beef Rendang pies with the butteriest pastry imaginable, and my favourite ricotta cakes with a layer of poached fruit through the middle.

drawings

I love finding drawings on the web. Drawings on the web are a strange juxtaposition of handmade /techno culture clash. In the world of fonts, buttons plastic and technology I love coming across a message from the hand of an actual artist.
Check out www.tantetini.com and...
this crazy Japanese website

plastic freaks!

For all you plastic freaks out there. Last night on "the Movie Show" Meagan Spencer was wearing a necklace made out of a monkey from that old game "Barrel of Monkeys"- Very Cute.