Meri – ARCADIAN ARTISTS

Carole-Anne Lunn-Glass Casting in Kiln for Sculpture

Meri — Sun, 24 Sep 2017 10:27:01 +0000

Carole-Anne Lunn- Glass Casting in Kiln for Sculpture

Although for the past several years Carole- Anne has worked mainly with glass, she still loves l love working with clay. Producing her figurative sculptures means she now has the pleasure of working with both clay and glass.

1^ST STEP…..Clay model is formed.

2nd STEP…..The silica/plaster mixture poured over the clay model to make a mould.

3^rd STEP…….The chunks of glass ready to place in mould.

4^th STEP……The mould filled with glass in kiln ready to be fired.

After around three days in the kiln:-Finished sculpture:- “WAVE”

MEET OUR GLASS ARTISTS AND READ ABOUT THEIR INSPIRATIONS AND MOTIVATIONS.

Penel Bigg

Penel Bigg The first time anyone sees Penel Bigg’s beautiful and sculptural glass works they fall in love with them – they literally look good enough to eat. Read more

Jennifer McIver

Slumping, fusing and molding glass at her specially equipped studio , Jennifer says “I love it.” Read more

Rhondda Retallack

Rhondda has been involved with art and craft for most of her life. She was introduced to ceramics, pottery and sculpture through her Mum back in the 60s, and it has been an ongoing learning experience every since. Read more

Carole-Anne Lunn

Carole-Anne Lunn works with clay and glass producing beautiful and unique sculptural pieces as well as jewellery items. Read more

Felted vessels by Rae Woolnough

Meri — Sat, 05 Nov 2016 08:55:32 +0000

Rae uses various processes to create her felted artworks, vessels and sculptures and she will be demonstrating some of her techniques in our art trail on the Saturday at 1-2pm and on the Sunday at 10-11am in our art trail. Rae is exhibiting at Dural Mosaic Studio, 34 Muraban Rd, Dural so drop in and see Rae and learn about her felt making process while admiring her exquisite creations.

In preparation for Arcadian Artists, Rae Woolnough has taken her unique felting methods in a new direction.

This year for the first time, Rae has create large felted vessels that can be used for large simple floral arrangements or stand alone as a interesting 3D artwork.

The inner glass vessel is as much a part of the artwork as the felt and silk artwork encompassing it. In some cases you can look through the external art into a different design within. Rae’s work can be found at the Dural Mosaic Studio, 34 Muraban Rd, Dural.

MEET OUR FELT ARTISTS AND READ ABOUT THEIR INSPIRATIONS AND MOTIVATIONS.

Diana Booth

Diana Booth is a felt artist born in London to an English mother and Russian father. As she grew up she was exposed to the influences of many cultures. Read more

Katey Ghersini

Katey’s work process is laborious. She knits or crochets the basic shape of the intended piece she is going to create – but these shapes are oversized. Read more

Rae Woolnough

Rae’s experiments in felt making explore different techniques and textural directions. Read more

MEET OUR TEXTILE ARTISTS AND READ ABOUT THEIR INSPIRATIONS AND MOTIVATIONS.

Helen MacRitchie

Helen MacRitchie is a textile artist living and working on the North Shore of Sydney. Read more

Barbara Schey

Textiles are a very tactile experience for Barbara, consequently the many ways one can manipulate the cloth in shibori techniques to achieve new and exciting outcomes are sheer joy. Read more

Meredith Woolnough

Meredith Woolnough’s elegant embroidered traceries capture the beauty and fragility of nature in knotted embroidery threads. Read more

Lisa Shepherd

Lisa Shepherd is a textile designer and visual artist currently using photographic cyanotypes to create delicate, joyful artwork. Read more

Trish Fraunfelter

Living in the beautiful, natural environment of Berrilee, Trish Fraunfelter’s illustrations are a reflection of all that surrounds her. Read more

Ulric’s Bush Turkey

Meri — Sat, 05 Nov 2016 08:15:50 +0000

Ulric Steiner grew up in Switzerland, a multicultural tapestry of art, agriculture and industry. His majestic mountains were exchanged for equally awe-inspiring oceans, which eventually brought him to live in the raw beauty of Australia more than 30 years ago. He has had exhibitions at Soho Gallery Wooloomooloo, Wentworth Galleries Sydney, Manyung Galleries, Melbourne, Sydney’s Alliance Francaise as well as regularly exhibiting in the Arcadian Artists’ Open Studios in November and the Swiss-Oz Art Exhibition. His art is shown internationally in Switzerland, France, England, Japan and the USA.

The influence of his artisanal Swiss background and Asian art, particularly from Japan is apparent in his delicate, often whimsical contemporary and figurative sculptures. Pragmatic, imaginative and highly skilled, Ulric works mostly in Stainless Steel to create sculptures both public and domestic. He synthesises a variety of physical phenomena, including the exquisite natural environment surrounding his outer Sydney studio together with international architectural references.

Guess who’s coming?

Ulric just loves the cheekiness of the marauding bush turkeys making themselves at home in any garden they choose! They became a subject as they boldly marched down his driveway almost into the studio. Ulric spent a lot of time working out how to burnish the stainless steel both with heat and various acids to obtain a particular colour effect before using slumped glass and paint for the turkeys’ majestic headdress.

Having only Ulric’s bush turkeys in your garden is the ideal for any avid gardener!

MEET OUR SCULPTOR AND READ ABOUT HIS INSPIRATIONS AND MOTIVATIONS.

Ulric Steiner

Swiss – Australian sculptor blessed with links to many magnificent ancient cultures. Read more

MEET OUR METAL ARTISTS AND READ ABOUT THEIR INSPIRATIONS AND MOTIVATIONS.

Gavin Stewart

Gavin has a life-long connection with metal, working in various forms from industrial applications through to the creative arts. Read more

Wayne Wagstaff

A qualified Blacksmith by trade, Wayne forges each piece by hand and then and assembles it for that personal touch. Read more

Wired for Living – Lee Adams & Barry McLoughlan

Growing up and living in rural Victoria, Barry McLoughlan, from a farming background and Lee Adams, a garden and interior designer have been working together as Wired for Living for over 15 years. Read more

Merilyn Chappel- The Phaelanopsis Orchid painting

Meri — Sat, 05 Nov 2016 04:50:15 +0000

In this demonstration Merilyn shows the intense colour one can achieve with watercolour and the use of clear water to achieve a loose, vibrant painting. By sometimes applying paint directly from the tube onto the paper and then using water to make it run beautiful free paintings can be achieved. In this case I used Quinacridone pink for the petals into which I later dropped some Aureolin yellow and then a shadow mixed from the three primary colours. The leaves were similarly painted using strong colour from the palette in bold strokes and then water to make it flow into the desired areas. With strong pigment, clear water and a few quick, bold strokes you can make your watercolours sing!

Phaelanopsis in progress

Phaelaopsis – A vibrant watercolour

The simplicity of using dramatic colour on a textured white gesso background is effective. Minimal strokes are used with shadows dropped into the wet washes of the petals and leaves. Darks are added around the leaves afterwards to emphasise the shadows between them. The bowl is painted with a few simplistic strokes which are blended with a dash of white ink to emphasise the shine on the rounded shape.

MEET OUR PAINTERS AND READ ABOUT THEIR INSPIRATIONS AND MOTIVATIONS.

Merilyn Chappel

With a background in journalism and interior design, Merilyn is a bold and adventurous mixed media artist with her own gallery in the northern Sydney suburb of Dural.Read more

Denise Dean

Denise Dean is an artist, graphic designer and illustrator. Renowned for her wonderfully decorative and colourful children’s book illustrations and watercolours, she is also highly regarded for her work in the graphic design industry. Read more

Lee Evans

Lee enjoys capturing the individual character of farm animals and much-loved pets and finds the texture of oil paint ideal for these more expressive, realist works. Read more

Melanie Jai

Melanie Jai’s art is a visual documentary of her experiences as a mother with a child with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Read more

Ian Lean

Ian exhibits in many galleries and art shows and his reputation continues to grow steadily. He has had many solo and combined exhibitions and has won several painting awards. Read more

Jessika Steiner

Jessika Steiner was born in New Caledonia where she lived on her Swiss father’s hand built yacht before settling on the Hawkesbury river north of Sydney. Read more

Karen Tanner

Karen’s training and background is in Graphic Arts. She is an accomplished Painter and Sculptor. Read more

Lesley Davies

Australian artist Lesley Davies paints and draws a wide variety of subjects but her works particularly feature cute interpretations of Australian flora and fauna produced mainly in watercolour. Read more

Maurice Larkin

Maurice has been drawing from his early childhood in Liverpool, England. Read more

Wayne Wagstaff- Viking Coffee Table

Meri — Wed, 26 Oct 2016 01:30:40 +0000

Inspiration

Inspiration for these pieces comes from the need to see if it can be done ( non tradition Blacksmith work ), or the need to develop the skill and level of craftsmanship. Either completely new designs are drawn up or traditional blacksmith item images found on the internet are used. If internet images are used, then the item is always “redesigned” is size, materials and flare.

The work covers many areas of Blacksmithing which then means that new tooling and techniques must be made and learned.

As blacksmithing is now considered more as an art form rather than strictly for purpose, a certain amount of artistic licence is added to each of our pieces to bridge that gap. Balance is also required for a piece to project a pleasing view otherwise our human mind will instinctively notice fault. It can take several versions before a balanced design is found.

Known as the “Viking Coffee Table”, we used 6 Recycled / upcycled Australian Hardwood beams ( 4” square by 59” long ) recovered from the Norwest Train Tunnel construction, with heavy hand forged legs and struts. The beams are cross drilled and held together by two 5/8” tie bars. All joints are hand punched and riveted with handmade plates and nuts on Whitworth ½” threads. You could use the rings to “attach” your “pets” to; the Coffee table is extremely heavy and hard to move.

A closer detailed image of the ironwork legs and support bars. 1 ¼” square legs with tapered 5/8” support bars and 3/4” square cross braces. The split rings are ½” round by 3”Ø.

Meet with Wayne Wagstaff at the NEXT EXHIBITION & ART TRAIL: 12 – 13 NOV 2016

Items being demonstrated

Reef Knot Coat Hanger

Copper Tea Spoon or similar

Wood Staples

Small Wall Bracket Hanger

Other small items to be determined

MEET OUR METAL ARTISTS AND READ ABOUT THEIR INSPIRATIONS AND MOTIVATIONS.

Gavin Stewart

Gavin has a life-long connection with metal, working in various forms from industrial applications through to the creative arts. Read more

Wayne Wagstaff

A qualified Blacksmith by trade, Wayne forges each piece by hand and then and assembles it for that personal touch.Read more

Wired for Living – Lee Adams & Barry McLoughlan

Carole-Anne Lunn- Emerging Wood Nymph

Meri — Mon, 24 Oct 2016 21:26:45 +0000

Carole-Anne Lunn- making Emerging Wood Nymph

Although for the past several years Carole- Anne has worked mainly with glass, she still loves l love working with clay . Producing her figurative sculptures means she now has the pleasure of working with both clay and glass.

1^ST STEP…..Design and create form in clay.

2nd STEP….. A mixture of Silica and Plaster is poured over the clay figure which is now in a dam to form the mould.

3^rd STEP…….When clay is removed from the mould. Large chunks of glass are then placed in the mould and then it is ready to go into the kiln.

4^th STEP……The kiln is programmed to a cycle and the firing will take up to three days.

MEET OUR GLASS ARTISTS AND READ ABOUT THEIR INSPIRATIONS AND MOTIVATIONS.

Penel Bigg

Penel Bigg The first time anyone sees Penel Bigg’s beautiful and sculptural glass works they fall in love with them – they literally look good enough to eat. Read more

Rhondda Retallack

Carole-Anne Lunn

Carole-Anne Lunn works with clay and glass producing beautiful and unique sculptural pieces as well as jewellery items. Read more

Meredith Woolnough- Paper Nautilus

Meri — Mon, 24 Oct 2016 21:01:30 +0000

Meredith Woolnough, Paper Nautilus (2016), embroidery thread and pins on paper, 59 x 70cm.

This piece is inspired by the beautiful ribbed patterns on the Argonauta argo egg case. Argonauts are commonly referred to as the ‘paper nautilus’ but they are not nautiloids. They are in fact a type of octopus and the female makes a beautiful, translucent egg case to hang out in. If you are lucky you may find one of these egg cases washed up on the beach.

Argonaut egg cases are generally white in colour but I couldn’t resist making this interpretation of their form in my favorite orange colour scheme.

I have always been a lover of cephalopods and have previously created artworks inspired by the shells of the Nautilus and Ammonites (a prehistoric cephalopod). But I think these little guys are now my new favorite. They are just so weirdly wonderful! See the bottom of this post for links to a great video and some further readings.

So once I knew a bit about these creatures I just had to create an embroidered artwork based on these beautiful egg cases. Although my egg case came from a species that is local to Australia; Argonauta nodosa (commonly known as the knobbed Argonaut) my design was based on the more widely distributed Argonauta argo (also knows as the greater Argonaut).

I was torn between creating a bright colourful interpretation of the shell or a subtle white piece that more closely referenced that natural colouring of the egg case.

So in the end … I made both.

After mapping the ribbed pattern on an Argonauta argo egg case I created a brightly coloured piece using my favourite colour scheme of reds and oranges. I moulded the piece when it was drying to give it a subtle curved shape and pinned its edges directly down onto the mounting board so that it retained this three dimensionality within the narrow box frame.

To read the full story of this artwork visit Meredith blog: http://meredithwoolnough.blogspot.com.au/2016/09/my-new-favourite-marine-critter-argonaut.html

MEET OUR TEXTILE ARTISTS AND READ ABOUT THEIR INSPIRATIONS AND MOTIVATIONS.

Helen MacRitchie

Helen MacRitchie is a textile artist living and working on the North Shore of Sydney. Read more

Barbara Schey

Textiles are a very tactile experience for Barbara, consequently the many ways one can manipulate the cloth in shibori techniques to achieve new and exciting outcomes are sheer joy. Read more

Meredith Woolnough

Meredith Woolnough’s elegant embroidered traceries capture the beauty and fragility of nature in knotted embroidery threads. Read more

Lisa Shepherd

Lisa Shepherd is a textile designer and visual artist currently using photographic cyanotypes to create delicate, joyful artwork. Read more

Trish Fraunfelter

Living in the beautiful, natural environment of Berrilee, Trish Fraunfelter’s illustrations are a reflection of all that surrounds her. Read more

Make an Air-Dry Clay Clover Necklace

Meri — Sun, 16 Oct 2016 04:59:30 +0000

With just a few materials, you can craft a simple and elegant clover necklace.

TOOLS

a rolling pin
a small circle cookie cutter
a skewer
pliers

MATERIALS

white air-dry clay
a clover button
a paintbrush
gold and green craft paint
an O ring
a necklace chain

Gather Supplies

The materials and tools required for this project are: white air dry clay, a rolling pin, a small circle cookie cutter, a clover button, a paintbrush, gold and green craft paint, an O ring and a necklace chain.

Roll It Out

Take a small chunk of the air dry clay and roll it out using the rolling pin.

Cut the Clay

Press the small circle into the clay. Remove the cut circle of clay.

Create Clover Shape

Press the clover button into the circle of clay.

Reveal Imprint

Peel the button away from the clay.

Create a Hole

Use a skewer to poke a small hole at the top of the circle of clay.

Let Dry

Allow the clay to dry for 24 hours.

Prep the Paint

Once the clay is dry, gather the gold and green paint, the paintbrush, and the necklace chain.

Paint Gold

Paint everything outside of the clover imprint gold.

Paint Green

Paint the clover imprint green.

Let Dry

Allow the paint to dry fully.

Attach O Ring

Use a pair of pliers to open the O ring, then thread the ring through the hole in the clay. Use the pliers to close the ring.

Thread Chain

Thread the chain through the O ring.

MEET OUR JEWELLERY ARTISTS AND READ ABOUT THEIR INSPIRATIONS AND MOTIVATIONS.

Carole-Anne Lunn

Carole-Anne Lunn works with clay and glass producing beautiful and unique sculptural pieces as well as jewellery items. Read more

Jill Davis

Born under the creative Aquarian star sign in Zimbabwe in the late 1960s, Jill grew up in a time where basic necessities were in short supply and imagination made drums out of tin cans. Read more

Eva Dominello

Eva is a Sydney based lamp-worker, making original glass beads using Moretti & Vetrofond rods. Read more

Christina Mija

For me, jewellery is a unique form of artistic expression. The vast array of possibilities that springs from marrying materials and techniques means there is always new ground to explore. Read more

Brigitte Ehrat

After much creative exploration I was introduced to the art of bead work. Read more

Kerri English & Vicki Corney- Gemella

Identical twins Vicki and Kerrie combined their talents and common interests in colour and design in 2005, to launch their designer range of contemporary jewellery at the Pittwater Community Arts Exhibition in Avalon, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Read more

How to Make Sea Glass Wall Hanging

Meri — Sun, 16 Oct 2016 04:23:03 +0000

Turn your beach glass collection into a piece of home decor to remind you of past seaside vacations.

TOOLS

scissors
sewing needle
drill with 3/16” bit
multi-use tool (Dremel)
diamond bits

MATERIALS

water
metal jar lid
sea glass
embroidery thread
driftwood
wooden beads
hot glue

Did you score handfuls of sea glass on a recent trip to the beach? If you’re looking for a crafty way to display those treasures, consider a handmade decoration like this that you can hang in your home and cherish forever.

Carefully Drill Holes in Sea Glass

Collect and organize enough sea glass for your project. Diamond bits are the perfect tool for creating small holes in the individual pieces of glass. Look for a set that will work well in a Dremel or other multi-use power tool.

It’s not often that you get the recommendation to operate power tools in the presence of water, but it’s necessary in this case. The diamond bit will get very hot as it bores through the glass, and to keep it cool, working in a shallow pool of water is ideal. The shallow pool is also great at containing glass shards and dust that are created during the process. Recycle the metal lid from a jar, and fill it with approximately 1/4” of water, or enough to submerge the sea glass.

Drill Through the Driftwood

Use a 3/16” drill bit to create small, evenly spaced holes in a piece of driftwood.

Assemble the Glass Strands

Tie pieces of 10” embroidery thread through each of the wooden beads, one strand of thread for each hole you predrilled in the driftwood.

Use a sewing needle to guide the thread through each piece of sea glass, and then through the hole in the driftwood. Knot the thread securely around the driftwood, and then wrap the remaining length. Use a dab of hot glue to hold the loose end in position.

Display It

Attach another length of thread to both ends of the driftwood, and display your pretty creation in your home.

MEET OUR GLASS ARTISTS AND READ ABOUT THEIR INSPIRATIONS AND MOTIVATIONS.

Penel Bigg

Penel Bigg The first time anyone sees Penel Bigg’s beautiful and sculptural glass works they fall in love with them – they literally look good enough to eat. Read more

Rhondda Retallack

Carole-Anne Lunn

Carole-Anne Lunn works with clay and glass producing beautiful and unique sculptural pieces as well as jewellery items. Read more

How to Make Drip-Paint Pots

Meri — Sun, 16 Oct 2016 03:46:41 +0000

A little drip goes a long way on these fun planters made from simple clay pots upgraded easily with craft paint.

TOOLS

dropcloth

MATERIALS

craft paint
assorted pots

You might cry over spilled milk, but you will rejoice when spilling paint on these fun planters. Grab an old pot, a funky color combo of cheap craft paint and get to spilling. Better yet, if you have small children, let them do the spilling for you.

Gather Your Supplies

You will want to be sure to use a drop cloth of some sort to catch the excess paint.

Spill

You can spill the paint from top to bottom or, as in this case, turn your pot upside down and spill from bottom to top.

Go With the Flow

Liberally spill your paint down the sides of your pot. Start with large globs at the rim and let the paint run down the sides organically. The drips should not look forced or intentional.

Layer on Color

Add a second color directly on top of the first glob. This will add weight to the paint and help it drip even more. Continue this with your colors all around the pot.

Dry and Display

Allow your paint to dry completely. Add a plant and create a clever display.