How to Use the Web for Artists OR a Lifeline for the Technologically Reluctant

I am doing a blog workshop this Wednesday at the Maleny Artworks Gallery. This post is also part of a panel I am taking part in at the Australian Ceramics Triennale in July this year.

Blogging can give people greater insight into the artistic process, most particularly how entwined the process of inspiration and making is in everyday life. I encourage all artists to find their own little corner of the internet, reading blogs, posting comments on others blogs and posting images to established blogs are all powerful ways of connecting with other artists and the wider community.

I heard an amazing statistic the other day...98% of web content is written by 2% of web users. Many people feel that blogging is something they just can't get into because they haven't got time. I maintain that artists can use the internet better, to meet their peers, learn technical information, gain inspiration and promote their own work. With this in mind I've compiled a list of links (or as I like to call it a lifeline for the technologically reluctant) This will enable you to dip your toe into the sea of blogs and wade out as far as you feel comfortable- who knows some of you may become addicted and venture off beyond the breakers!

Art and design
These blogs are good for inspiration browsing and researching names of galleries/markets etc that might be worth approaching personally.
Moda Muse- Australian Contemporary Craft and Design
Handmadelife- an artists blog featuring work from Ramona Barry and Rebecca Jobson and exhibitions around Melbourne, Australia.
Dear Ada- amazing art and design blog based in America but featuring international artists.
Design Sponge- design and interiors based in America, if you can get your work on this blog you will definitely recieve approaches from galleries- it is very widely read.
Udessi- Brisbane based artist and business woman Kim Wallace's blog connected to her online store, beautiful art and design.

Illustration Art- drawing and illustration blog.
High up in the trees- Gracia Haby, illustrator, zine writter and bookmaker extraordinare.

Fashion
Kris's Colour Stripes- fashion designer photography and colour swatches. Isolates the colours from his photos, excellent resource.

The Sartorialist- pure inspiration from fashion photographer Scott Schuman. Street shots from European capitals and New York.



Food
101 Cookbooks- cookbook author and photographer San Francisco based Heidi Swanson's cooking blog.
Not Quite Nigella- cupcake queen and food blogger from Sydney, Australia.

Recipe on Not Quite Nigella Blog


Photography
Simply Photo- Jennifer Causey excellent photography blog featuring international photographers.
Simply Breakfast- Jennifer Causey (professional photographer) beautiful photo blog of her breakfasts.

Jen Causey's latest breakfast.

Textiles
Kirin Notebook- Lara Cameron, Melbourne artist and textile designer gives insight into her studio and inspiration.

A shot from Lara Cameron's studio
Mantua Maker- Ruth Singer UK based textile artist and fashion designer.


Ceramics
Six Hundred Degrees- Sophie Milne, Australian ceramicist
Musing About Mud- Carole Epp's wide ranging ceramics blog. A good place to start.
Sawdust and Dirt- Michael Kline, a wood-firin' , country livin', dad from Carolina, beautiful pots and insights into the potting life.
Euan Craig- Australian born potter living in Japan and working with a top Tokoyo chef to create tableware and food that combine as one.



Australian Ceramics Triennale- Information about the Australian Ceramics Triennale and a comprehensive overview of the many exhibitors, speakers and ceramics. An excellent resource for those who can't attend in person.

Just out of the kiln......

Pied Beauty
GLORY be to God for dappled things—
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;
And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
Praise him.
Gerard Manly Hopkins

Eucalyptus vessels heading fro Sydney in July...
Title:
on the table too
When:
09.07.2009 - 22.07.2009
Where:
Planet - Surry Hills, Sydney

Reserve Champion

Here is a photo of the Reserve Champion cheesemaker at the Maleny Show!

He is my husband and jazz musician Trevor Hart although he refused to wear the sash Charity queen style as we wandered around the Maleny show we had a great time.

The Maleny Show is a small agricultural show abounding with examples of what is now known as "rural crafts" These crafts are not only useful in country, as I'm sure all lovers of a decent homemade Anzac biscuit can attest. The cakes and jams are all on display bizarrely behind a screen of chicken wire! (I guess some patrons found the goods were just too tempting)

We had a great day....isn't this


enough to lift anyone's heart?

Renee Blackwell- jewellery

My glamorous, fabulous friend Renee Blackwell, bead queen and designer, has started a blog.

Renee travels all over the world to collect her amazing stones and beads and her blog "Adornments of the Soul" is a spicy melange of travel, fashion, Renee's beautiful bush sanctuary and interesting scientific facts about Australian gemstones amongst other things!



I have one of Renee's rings like the green one in the first photo. It is HUGE, glittery and I wasn't sure if the daggy/country/mum/potter lifestyle I lead could support such a glamorous object, but Renne said "OH! Just wear it shopping!" (in her lovely American accent) and I have. So now you may glimpse absolute glamour on one finger of a harried looking person with a basket full of carrots and a pair of blundstones if you are ever shopping at my local supermarket.

Dancing about pots

I have been doing hip-hop lessons. No-one will ever see the results of this, I'm absolutely terrible. (Unless I get really drunk at the national conference and think it would be a good idea.... But actually I'm so BAD despite my lessons that I'll probably be doing daggy 80's school disco style like everyone else my age. And that's tragic enough, best to avoid alcohol and musical situations altogether!)

Despite teaching me very little about dancing, hip-hop lessons have taught me a thing or two about making pots. In dancing class the teacher shows you a few steps and you practice a couple of times then do it to music, after that it goes on to the next steps and it all moves along pretty fast relying on your memory. Eventually the teacher sits down to watch the class and almost always sees me in the back going left when everyone else is going right. It is a great memory exercise though. What I've learned about potting comes in when I'm throwing.

Usually I put a pointer up and throw to the pointer to get all the teabowls the same size, after dancing class I realized that relying on the pointer meant I was doubting my physical memory just as relying on the mirrors and watching the teacher in dance class prevents you from actually learning the steps. When I forgot about the pointer the throwing was smoother, more rhythmic and the bowls all came out within a millimeter of each other. Letting go of your safety net.....
You find you didn't need it after all.


Fizzy D dancing like flying, dancing like throwing.

the old with the new

Pottery that has been handled and traveled has a certain something about it. Is it a physical quality or is it a psychological resonance that we pick up on through socialization?

Old plates found in op-shops were my first pottery purchases, back then they cost about 50 cents. I still love mixing the old with the new.