I’m excited to share that I’m a 2025 Creative in Residence at the Victorian Archives Centre, Public Record Office Victoria. As part of the program I’m researching the history of local public transport ticket design and related ephemera, and I look forward to sharing more information before an exhibition that takes place mid-year.
Foot-as-cray!
Last year I began a new illustration commission featuring a range of Footscray icons, including the beloved Sims supermarket and both Olympic Tyres and Olympic Doughnuts. A range of these prints are now available in the shop!
My pen and ink illustration of Olive’s house.
Lockdown local (and a long story about Olive and the Westographer!)
Melbourne’s currently in week 1,000 of COVID lockdown (or at least that’s how it feels sometimes), which means most of us can’t travel more than 5km from our homes. While that can feel extremely limiting, especially if your friends and family are local but more than 5km away, I’m trying to focus on the positive things. One big positive - it means I’m slowly discovering every little green section of my zone, and I’m going on lots of walks in my neighbourhood.
One house that I walk past all the time used to have the sweetest garden, tended by its owner, an elderly lady named Olive. I met Olive briefly one day a few years ago, when I was walking by just as local legend photographer the Westographer, aka Warren Kirk, was photographing Olive and her house. Sadly Olive moved on not long after that and since then, the house has fallen into a state of decay. I was lamenting this recently, on a local lockdown walk, but then I realised I could bring the house back to its former state of glory by drawing it as it was, based on the Westographer’s photo. So that’s what I did. Above is a shot of the pen and ink drawing in my notebook, and below is how it looks after it’s been digitised and coloured (and yes, I take liberties here - Olive did not have a pink house :) Nothing like a good old lockdown to get you looking closely at what’s around you!
If you like it, West Footscray House is now available as a fine art print, in A4 and A3 sizes.
The finished art print, after the illustration has been coloured and printed.
Thanks to Warren Kirk, AKA the Westographer, for permission to reference his photo. Warren is a photographer who captures a world that is quickly disappearing, and is the author of multiple books, including Westography (2016), Suburbia (2018) and Northside (due out late September 2020). He also shares his shots on Flickr.
Together Forever
With the lockdown here in Melbourne extended for a WHILE LONGER, I need something to keep my mind off things, and what better way to do this than a new colouring in sheet (or 30!) My illustration is part of a project from the fab Together Gallery (ie: Claire Ritchie and Luke John Matthew Arnold) and this time they’re tackling the whole alphabet. I was lucky enough to illustrate the letter F and after much deliberation, decided the most important F at the moment is flowers, one of the few things getting me through this crazy time. Get your pencils and textas out and don’t forget to share your work on social media #togethergallery.
COVID ART
To combat Melbourne’s lockdown, there’s been a lot of art making going on around here. Like every day. Painting, drawing, whatever. It usually happens first thing, sometimes it happens last thing, but it always happens. It’s not always fun, it’s not always pretty but it always is. And it’s highly recommended as a bit of therapy against all the negative places your mind can take you in this crazy time. The work has mainly been colour or patten based, and I’ll show more soon, so watch this space!
Vote for me and you could win $2000!
Gorman's having their first ever art competition and this is my entry, a gouache painting called Intersections. If you like it, you could wear it! And if you vote in the People’s Choice Award (it takes just a sec) you go in draw to win $2000. Entries close 11:59pm 14/06/20. Thanks!