Call of the Small studio visit: Jodie Cunningham

It was a busy day today but I made time to pop in to Jodie's studioand see what she was up to for the exhibition

(Erm, that's not actually her in the photo...)

Jodie started by experimenting with a barcode generator(no, I didn't know there was such a thing either but I now desperately want to play)

She transferred the designs to a full sized maquette (if there is such a thing.)

And I decided the final version of this table would be worth another stretch of eating lentils and rice Chez TSS:

But Jodie, being Jodie, is all about colour.

She'd created barcodes of her family members and created a trial table enclosing and protecting smaller benches, all with individual colour schemes, representing members of her family:

Here's the first trial run in acrylic:She's also experimented with hand painted acrylic paintings, both circularand square.

I suggested she could do a table that says "Call of the Small" What do you reckon?

(Go visit the real (and fabulous) Call of the Small and thank her for letting me borrow her name, won't you?)

As if there wasn't enough excitement around here already

Remember I waxed lyrical about Alex Asch's work at the CMAG Something in the air exhibition?(Photo of me at the opening courtesy of Paul Webb, CMAG)

Well guess what? I received an email from Linda Davy this morning confirming she has just picked up three sample box frames from him.

Yes folks, if you love the miniature works in the exhibition but don't have a dolls house (yet) you can chose to order a hand crafted Alex Asch box frame to display it in rather than worry about your new acquisition disappearing if someone sneezes.

How cool is that?

The thing I most love about a new knitting project...

Is choosing which stitch marker to use.

(Clockwise from top: Pear, from an op shopped set. Monopoly car: didn't even realise I had this! Plane: one of two (which makes me think they were earrings) bought years ago for dolls house purposes. I know the other one is in my bachelor's apartment, next to the Absolut bottle...) Parkes dish: bought here. Hand: gift from Sharon Cornthwaite. Mushroom: an op shop find. There are more choices. But they're in sets so kept in a different place...)

Anyone fancy buying me this for Christmas?

Magpie cottage: a black and white house for sale in Bowral.

Chirpy chirpy cheep cheep

I popped into Canberra Glassworks on the way to the Accountant's this afternoon. And guess who was waiting for me? Doesn't he (she?) look at home in the Glassworks shop?

I'm rather chuffedand have placed him (her?) in pride of place directly above my desk so I can admire her (him?) as I work:Now I just have to work out what sex he (she?) is and what her (his?) name is. Maybe I should play it safe and just call it Robyn?

While I was at the Glassworks I noticed a pile of fliers for our exhibitions on the counter:

(In case you're wondering, Craft ACT fliers hardly ever have images of work from The Crucible Showcases, just the two main galleries...)

Petite prints

Ampersand Duck popped round this morning to drop off her work for the show:Wanna see what she's been up to since we visited her? First out of the box was Hammer Time (hand coloured), in an edition of six (note the edges on all the prints...): Ampersand (edition of 10)

Dragonfly (edition of 20)Frog (edition of 20)Owl (edition of 20)

Rat (edition of 20)

Look up (edition of 9)

And, finally, Almost ace (edition of 11)

Each print comes with an card explaining how it was made:Want your very own Ampersand Duck original? She has generously donated Almost Ace (11/11), worth $20AU for a giveaway.

You know the drill: leave a comment on this post before Wednesday 4 August and I'll draw a winner. Giveaway now closed.

Hello Madame Curator

Just some of the range of amazing knitting work that arrived in the mail this morning: The light is awful at the moment, so I'll hold off taking proper photos until later. But in the meantime here's a little teaser:
(This knitted basket, with enclosed knee (picnic?) rug is a mere 4cm across at the top. And it's one of the bigger pieces in the package...)

In which I realise how lucky I am

During the past few months I've been invited into may artisan's studios. Had permission to take photos of both their studios and their work. Ask dumb questions. Cause swearing and angst.

All because I wanted to infect more people with miniature-itis. (Well, OK, two were already infected)

I may have had some success with the infection (the fact I've had several people wait list themselves for the as-yet unscheduled round two is a good sign. Pity I forgot to write some of them down and now can't remember who they are...)

Yesterday I picked up copies of the official media release and opening invitations. Today I expect delivery of two artisans' work and plan to do a trial build of the gallery (which I'm hoping will end up to be of standard to be the final build. Fingers crossed).

I also hope to have a meeting at Craft ACT to discuss things like if I can sell some of the work online (so those of you unable to make it to Canberra can buy), if I can create a little catalogue of the works and (most importantly) if we can serve Dolly Mixture and little tiny cupcakes at the opening (6pm Thursday 12 August).

Will you be there?

Christmas in July

Cycling S and I were given a voucher to an Off the Street class at Canberra Glassworks for Christmas last year by J&M. Cycling S topped up my voucher so we could do the paperweights together and today was the day, after an early start for brunch at Cycling S's new home.

On the car across to the Glassworks I commented that it felt like Christmas Day since I was feeling stuffed and sleepy. It was pointed out to me that it kind of was Christmas Day as I was about to use my Christmas present. But it wasn't until I got home that I realised today is July 25th!

Here's me hyperventilating into my plastic bag while waiting for my class to begin:
"Wanna be starting something..."
Seriously though, here I am begging to do the now retired bird paperweight and explaining I'd been looking forward to making one for 6 months:

(Which they let me do. Probably just to shut me up...)

"If you don't shut up already we'll stuff you in the glory hole "

First I'm introduced to the sticky thing (aka blowpipe) "Hello sticky thing. Niiiice sticky thing..."
There's a big container of molten glass in the corner, heated by a furnace that's constantly kept at 1100 degrees. If I could have got close enough to see it properly (I was scared my plastic glasses would melt) I suspect it would have looked like a big old glass fondue.

My instructor stuck a stick in and came out with a blob of orange glass on the end of it.They cooled down the stem of the Sticky Thing blowpipe
then we carefully applied glass colouring to each side.Alas there was no black so I had to make a split second decision and go with a bird with a white chest and a multi coloured back...

Then I was introduced properly to The Glory Hole which is 2000 degrees and remelts the glass so it can continue to be worked. We added more *shudder* colour before heating it again to melt the colour granules(Wayhey! Note that I'm flying solo!)

It all gets a little hazy here. I think they added another layer of glass from the fondue pot in the corner and we they shaped it on The Benchy Thing (Marver?)before a final reheat in the glory hole.
Then I had a go at the Bench.. Maver
before I was lead to the torture rack and said my final goodbyes.
Which, it turned out were a little premature as it was just the place to do the detail work.(I got simultaneous flashbacks of my own toffee making efforts and the chaps in the front window of Suga in Melbourne at this point)

I convinced a tail to show itself:
then a beak

eyes are kinda useful. One...Two!Yep, looks like a bird.Now we have to let it fly free. Or at least remove it from the blowpipe...

The giant scissors come out

then I get to tappity tap the blowpipe with my huge tweezers:and my bird is caught with a set of big, what look like hessian padded, tongsand plopped onto a lozenge of glass that seems to magically appeared, just when I need it:(J captured the elf that made it happen as he sneaked away...)

My bird was straightened up (no bent birds round here!), I said "Hello!"

before he was carried into a large cupboardy thing which is "only" 500 degrees. Where he'll recover from the stress of his birth, be gradually brought back to room temperature over the next couple of days, at which stage I'll be allowed to bring him home. Gawd, I feel like I've just gone through the birth process but without the 9 months of feeling sick, the pain, the mess or the expense!

Then it was Cycling S's turn: (All photos thanks to J, except the first two, which are courtesy of Cycling S)