Friday Friends - Local Artists - Serena, David and the Hotchin Gallery

Happy Friday lovely Maddabling blog readers! This week, in the Maddabling Friday Friends series, I am so excited to share with you a new gallery space that has opened in my town, the Hotchin Gallery. This tiny space is packed with so much local artist goodness you won't believe it 'til you see it! I took a few happy snaps to share with you all so you can get an idea of how much can be shown in a one room space. 

This week, I am thrilled to hand over the blogging reigns to the lovely Serena as a guest writer, to tell you more about Hotchin Gallery and the works of David Edgar and Serena McLauchlan. I hope you do enjoy reading the The Story of Serena, David and the Hotchin Gallery. Have a fantastic weekend everyone x 

The Story of Serena, David and the Hotchin Gallery

Who is Hotchin Gallery?

Hotchin Gallery is a partnership between David Edgar and Serena McLauchlan.  We started Hotchin Gallery in 2009 as an online gallery and ‘open by appointment’ studio gallery in the under-croft  space of our home on Hotchin Avenue, showing our work.  

David Egdar - Blue Sea

The name Hotchin Gallery comes from Hotchin Avenue named after Sir Claude Hotchin, the art benefactor who lived in Albany across the road from us.  

Former house of the late Sir Claude Hotchin

For the past three years we have opened our home gallery for The Bendigo Bank Southern Art + Craft Trail – we really loved the experience of sharing and connecting.  The move to Lower Stirling Terrace is a desire to continue the sharing of our art and other contemporary artist on a regular basis.

Hotchin Gallery - Lower Stirling Terrace

How and When did your handmade/artistic journey begin ?

Serena: I have always loved art as a child, painting especially and retreated to my visual world - I naturally desired to study visual arts at University, although doubts were always cast about the future of surviving and ‘making’ it as an artist - I persisted!

Serena in the Studio

I completed a visual arts degree with honours, majoring in painting, minor printmaking at Edith Cowan.  As part of my honours year I studied in Amsterdam at the Amsterdam School of Arts.  This really was an inspiring seven months of taking in art and culture from Europe.  Towards the end of my degree in 2000 - I met David Edgar.  I moved into Spiral Studio Murray Street, next to David and the rest is history! Whilst studying year 12 at NASHS I saw one of David’s luscious paintings and really fell in love with the work, I married him 5 years later!  We work together on projects and exhibitions a great deal.

David Edgar - Lavender

What inspires you ?

Serena: Other painters and artworks. My Favourites are AidaTomescu, Anish Kapoor, Joan May Campbell (Albany), Margaret Olley, Mirka Mora, Rosalie Gascoigne and many more. Most are women and some inspire me for more than the works they produce – more often their attitudes about making and protecting their cultural endeavours.   The challenges of raising children and maintaining a contemporary arts practise.

Headland - Serena McLauchlan

On a conceptual level the light in Albany being very atmospheric, the environment and the colours loaded with history.  For instance looking at the trains passing our new space and the worn patinas inspired me to make some encaustic ‘cargo’ paintings. I am very much interested in colour, the history of and subjective memories we associate with colour a childhood spent surrounded by rich textures and Albany light continues to influence my palette. My work is also about the process of painting and the decisions which are made throughout the process.

What mediums do you work with - do you have a favourite ?

We both use oil paint, sometimes water-soluble oil paint. I like to use wax encaustic which I started using at uni to ‘extend’ the paint but soon loved the buttery qualities and visual fuzz it can create on the surface.  I still continue to experiment with wax encaustic to push the possibilities and work with new surfaces.  I also studied printmaking and enjoy monoprints and ‘quick’ techniques to produce free painterly prints. Recently I have started to work with mirror as a surface and that’s proving to be exciting.

Encaustic Table - Serena McLauchlan

What kind of things do you make/create ?

We both create paintings and drawings, visual diaries, photographs which result in exhibitions.

Pared - Serena McLauchlan 

Do you have a favourite piece that you have made/created ?

I can never rest on a work - you are only as good as your next painting, that’s the drive to keep making and creating.  When I look back at some of the large paintings I completed during my degree I really see more in them now and appreciate the energy and drive that it takes to make those types of works.  I am very proud of the exhibitions held in Perth at Turner Galleries in 2003 and 2008 and the art trail shows we have created over the last three years.

What are your future plans/dreams/aspirations ?

My dream is to see more Galleries and pop-up galleries spring up all over Albany, which is starting to happen with pop-up spaces and the Museum – Albany opening up three rooms as galleries and also Bay Merchants pop-up spaces. To see a dedicated contemporary art gallery of world class standard on the Albany landscape. Continued links with PIAF and visual arts components in Albany.  

Personally creatively, I am working towards a Perth solo show in May 2014 which will be a fantastic challenge and opportunity to show in Perth once again. I am also coordinating the Bendigo Bank Southern Art + Craft Trail this year and plan to see this event continue in the future as an awesome forum for promoting our region.  At some stage I also plan to complete my Masters in Painting/ Visual Arts – but that’s a long way off..........

David Edgar - New Zealand Christmas Tree

Dear readers, do you want to find out more? Here is how you can connect. 

Visit the website here: www.hotchingallery.com.au

Become a follower on Facebook here: 

www.facebook.com/HotchinStudioGallery

Or visit in person at: 

Hotchin Studio Gallery
4/229 Lower Stirling Terrace/ corner Residency Road
Albany WA 6330
WA, 6330 Australia

Open Wednesday - Friday 12-3pm 
Open Saturday 9.30am - 12pm
Or by appointment

Vintage Azure - Wednesday Wishes

Vintage Smocked Embroidered Summer Dress from VioletFolklore

azure 
noun
1. a deep blue, occasionally somewhat purple, similar to the colour of a clear blue sky
2. (poetic) a clear blue sky
adjective
3. of the colour azure; serene
4. usually postpositive (heraldry) of the colour blue
definition from www.collinsdictionary.com

I hope you enjoy the inspiration of  lovely Vintage Azure finds that make up this weeks Wednesday Wishes x 

Mid-Century Capri Dots Sherbet Glasses and Plates; 

Azure Blue from GoldenDaysAntiques

1960's Party Line Pumps - Vintage Azure Flex Sole 
from ecofriendlyfreckles

80s True Blue Wrap Silk Dress (L) from honeymoonmuse
50s Cat Eye Glasses 1950's Blue Eyeglasses Ocean Pearl 
Thick Wrap Around Optical Frame NOS 48/22 Swank France 
from THAYEReyewear

Mid-Century Alfredo BARBINI Murano Glass AZURE Blue Smokeset 
from metaMmorphis

Friday Friends - DUSTy Divas - Tiny Lion Jewellery

Welcome to Friday dear readers. How was your week ? I experimented with some new recipes over the past weekend, including some Hummingbird Cake Loaves and a Thai Green Curry Chicken Noodle soup - oh my, yum! I just love to experiment in the kitchen don't you? I have recently put together a set of recipes on Pinterest dedicated to picnics and outdoor eating. You can check it out here if that sounds like your sort of thing  http://pinterest.com/maddabling/picnic-ideas/

This week, I want to introduce you to a brand new Friday Friend, DUSTy Diva and Australian Artist, meet the lovely Cat from Tiny Lion Jewellery.

Cat makes pretty one of a kind jewellery, that is affordable and has lots of attention to detail. Let me share a few favourites with you now. Make no mistake though, Tiny Lion Jewellery is only tiny in name, it really does roar! 

I am Loving this sweet Snow Trees silver plated pendant necklace

and these earrings, made with gorgeous crimson beads and wrapped in copper wire. They are just delicious!

And then to the Yellow frangipani silver plated adjustable ring, this is so simple and elegant, and very much reminds me of the frangipani flowers in my garden at the moment. 

Ok readers, I insist - it is now time to make yourselves comfortable and settle in to read The Tiny Lion Chronicles. Remember to be kind to one another and have a fantastic weekend x

The Tiny Lion Chronicles

I am Cat from Tiny Lion Jewellery. 

I was born and raised in Sydney, and I love it here. I study science and I make jewellery, among other things.

When I was young, my parents bought me a glass painting kit. You know the kind of thing – it had a small set of Vitrail paints and relief outliners, several acrylic templates, and a book of design ideas. I was hooked, and I decorated every jar in the house. As I got older, I still kept going back to the glass paints when I was in a creative mood.

I’ve always been ‘crafty,’ and I’m lucky enough to have had parents who encouraged my myriad hobbies and interests. I think everyone has the potential to do a wide variety of things; the only differences between two people are the things they chose to focus on throughout their lives. I don’t think anyone should completely rule out the idea of trying something new. 

Recently I sort of fell into the process of making jewellery, and I love it, even when it’s difficult and frustrating. In a former life I played a lot of classical music, and I find myself applying some of the techniques I learned from that to my creating – I focus on the details, and on improving particular skills and practicing challenging techniques. I believe that all knowledge is worth having, and I try to take every opportunity to improve my skills and deepen my understanding – although it’s not as easy as it sounds!

The pieces I make are unique, and I only sell the ones I am satisfied with – for every Etsy listing I create, there are a dozen attempts which were not to my liking. In the future, I hope to reduce the number of items which ended up as scrap, but I don’t ever want to sell a piece I’m not proud of.

I believe handmade jewellery is so much more meaningful and genuine than store-bought jewellery. It has real soul and history, and is like wearing a tiny piece of the person who made it. I try and put the best possible workmanship into my items. I would like each thing I create to be better than the one before it. I never want to stop learning, improving, and practicing.

As a relative newcomer, I find the creative community to be so supportive, inclusive and helpful. I really do feel proud to be a part of it, even in a small way. I consistently encounter a mindset of openness and generosity, and I try to reflect that and to contribute as much as I can. I don’t think there are enough hours in a day to do all the things I want to do.

My main goal for the future is to take my work from an amateur level to that of an artisan – I’m not too proud to admit that I have a lot to learn, and I never plan to stop trying to improve what I do. It’s been very difficult for me to focus on a narrower range of techniques; I want to try everything I see, and 

I always have to remind myself to concentrate on mastering one or two things at a time. 

I’d like to take a metalworking course, although I’m aware that becoming a true artisan can take a lifetime. I’m saving up for higher quality materials and tools, but first I want my workmanship to be at a level commensurate with that kind of investment.

The main materials I work with are wire, gemstones, clay, and resin. I like to incorporate the natural world into my pieces, sometimes literally. I hope to never run out of ideas – actually, my greatest fear is running out of time. I want to experience everything.

Dear readers, do you want to see more ? Check out these links: 

Buy lovely things on Etsy here: 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/tinylionjewellery

and follow see what inspires Tiny Lion on Pinterest here: 

http://pinterest.com/tinylionetsy/

Flamingo Pink - Wednesday Wishes

flamingo noun (plural flamingos or flamingoes)
a tall wading bird with mainly pink or scarlet plumage and long legs and neck. It has a heavy bent bill that is held upside down in the water in order to filter-feed on small organisms. 
Family Phoenicopteridae: three genera and four species, in particular the greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) 
Origin: mid 16th century: from Spanish flamengo, earlier form of flamenco (see flamenco); associated, because of its colour, with Latin flamma 'a flame' from_ 
source : http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/flamingo

The inspiration for my Wednesday Wishlist this week is Flamingo Pink. Enjoy x 

Spend a Night in the Flamingo 4x4 american motel sign retro photo by elgarboart

70s Flamingo Pink Lace Babydoll Festival Dress honeymoonmuse

Pink Paper Flamingo Cake Flags Drink Stirrer by AnnKayDesign

Speckled Flamingo Pink Pyrex Casserole Dish, 8.5" by planetalissa

Pink Flamingo 8X12 by hilarywalker

Friday Friends - West Australian Artists - Andrew (AKA OHP)

Happy Friday lovely Maddabling readers - phew what a week! How's things in your part of the world? There is a long weekend coming up here, it's kind of nice to have an extra day added to your weekend. 

This week it is my great pleasure to introduce you to Andrew (aka OHP), this weeks Friday Friend. Andrew is a fellow West Australian and passionate music lover who also happens to be an extraordinary leather worker! 

Andrew will be taking over the Maddabling blogging reigns as my Guest Blogger this week. I don't get to feature blokes all that often and you will just LOVE his work. My other half worked in leather work as a trade (in an earlier life) so I truly appreciate the work and skill that goes along with this craft. Here are a few favourites that I had to share with you all.  Aren't they gorgeous ? 

I was also particularly captivated by this series of photos showing a restoration, from old to new again. Love love love it!  

Dear readers I  now invite you to take a little YOU time, sit back and relax, and read a very inspirational story, The Lowdown on OHP's Leathers. I hope you find his story as fascinating as I did. Have a fab weekend everyone x 

The Lowdown on OHP's Leathers

G'day, I'm Andrew  and my passion is leather. 

I have been doing leather work for 9 years and I've worked with a variety of leathers including Cane Toad leather. I think my journey started  shortly after working as a rousy in hot smelly  shearing sheds from dawn to dusk every day. It wasn't good for my health , it also landed me in hospital, and in a lot of pain, however, work was also hard to find in my central wheatbelt town in WA. 

It wasn't long before I asked myself a simple question " what  can I do with my hands?" as I've always been quite creative , and virtually out of the blue, I decided to try my hand at leather craft. I have never worked with leather at all at this time, not even in school.

I went to my local library and borrowed the only  1970's book on leather craft numerous times, I  found some leather craft suppliers , commandeered my Mothers sewing room ( much to her disgust) and it went from there. It started mainly as  a hobby at first, but then realised that I could make a few dollars out of it. But best of all,  it was the buzz of actually making something with my own hands that I loved.

There were successes and failures at first, but mostly successes, but as the saying goes, 'we learn from our mistakes', and much to my surprise, I became quite good at it and I really  to enjoyed it. Many people took a lot of interest in what I was selling  at the markets, mainly small items like key rings , book marks and just a handful of belts.....I was even more surprised when they started to place orders.

I still have my early 'attempts'  and my mistakes at leather craft in a box under my workbench , and I do occasionally  compare those pieces to what I can do now, and  boy, what a difference. With the knowledge of leather that I have now accumulated , I can make myself whatever I please....and I love it!!

Over time , I took every opportunity to increase my   knowledge of leathers and  obtained a lot of books, patterns, tools and contacts  etc. and all I wanted to do is  learn and create more . Years later, I now have my own workshop and my own business , ........and my Mother has got her sewing room back.

I see art everywhere, and it's ironic that I hated art class in high school, but I think that was more to with the teacher than the art itself. Art engages the mind. , and like leather, no two items are the same, no matter how hard I try.

A lot of   my creativity comes from my Mother's side, as she was a seamstress by trade in the UK, even sewing for royalty. She  also made and taught pottery, taught spinning,  as well as making her own wool  and later with our own sheep and making  knitted garments for us as well as for others. Although she doesn't do pottery anymore, she  still sews, knits  and makes an assortment of handicrafts for the markets. That creativity still flows between us. We  often bounce ideas off each other. 

One of the sewing machines I use, a Pfaff 60 approx 60 years old, (now in my workshop), is what she once used to make our clothes on  when we were kids and during her seamstress days, a good indication of how strong and reliable the machine is.

I have found that 'word-of-mouth'  and some simple flyers and business cards  would have to be my most  successful means of advertising, and obviously, working hard making a good product, which has also created a good reputation for me. It still continues to keep me quite busy.

I have tried some online and newspaper ads, but that doesn't seem to work as well for me. I do a lot of craft markets ( its over a 1000+ now) , and I have learnt that people  are very tactile and like to see and feel the product, and even smell the product.The 'smell' of my stall could  be advertising in itself eh?

I do sometimes go on a website forum  called 'leatherworker.net' , which is very helpful if I get stuck on something or I need help with my machines, or I sometimes help others. It helps anyone from the absolute beginner to the advanced and experienced leather workers. Its a great way to show off, share ideas, troubleshoot, and no question is a 'silly question' .

I make a wide variety of items like belts, bags, tool cases, book marks, keyrings,wrist bands, just too many items to list. But belts are my biggest seller, my 'bread and butter' so to speak. The cheap and nasty imports are the biggest complaints amongst my customers who prefer a handmade item.

I do get a lot of joy from turning a blank piece of leather into something really beautiful that will hopefully outlast me. I can do all the hand carving , tooling,  and hand stitching and every item is all handcrafted. I don't always use sewing machines. Hand stitching is quite therapeutic and has a more traditional look. 

I also do a lot of assorted custom work and some harness work for horses. I also do horse rug repairs. I took advantage of a hole in the market in my area. I would love someone to teach me how to make or repair saddles , and I'd especially love to learn how to do the fancy  harness work, with all the 'bling' on draught horses one day. 

There have been so many favourite pieces that I have made over the years, but most recently, I have a couple of pieces. One is a stubby holder with a beer logo stitched in on one side ( one of my bright ideas), and a carved horse on the other. Horses are often difficult for me to carve and I practice doing them as much as I can , but on this occasion, I think I've almost nailed it.

My other favourite at the moment, is an old handbag that was in dire need of some love.

I made something old  new again. There was no set plan as to what to do with it, my 'creative juices' start to flow .

I  just see an image in my head and go with it  and that was the end result. But I do set myself a challenge with old leather bags. I can't cut the original  leather in any way. All main leather components have to be kept in the original shape or form. I can add extra trim,  add new hardware , change colour if I want to, and I've achieved just that.

My hobby , my love of art , hard work and perseverance has now turned into a seven day a week small business that I am so proud of.
You can see so much more of my work  on my photo page :  http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=ohpwa  and no doubt you'll see it grow in the future.