Archive for the ‘ArtsBus’ Category

” No Yes” Book.

Monday, September 22nd, 2014

Today I made my first ever limited edition artist books. The past few weeks I’ve been working with Queensland artist, Jack Oudyn  creating, 2 original artist books. We sent the original books across the country many times in the post, from Victoria to QLD, so we could both add our marks.

"No Yes" Book Side 1

“No Yes” Book 1/3

 

It has been a challenge to get the maths right with the edition. They are far from perfect and I lost a few marks in the process, which, I think only adds to their charm and it’s been a lot of fun, learning from mistakes made along the way.

Each little “No Yes” book measures W4 x H5 x L40cm. made from 160gsm. goatskin parchment paper in cream.

 

Thank you Bluethumb!

Saturday, September 6th, 2014

I’m a bit late with this…

Thank you BLUETHUMB ! for listing me as one of your top 20 artists to watch in 2014

PCS 8

Yellow. VMH & Mapping. Drawings.

Monday, May 12th, 2014

3 drawings on Australian acid-free drawing paper 2013.

Click on each image to see a larger view!

Acrylic paint graphite and thread

Yellow Yellow Yellow

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graphite oil pastel felt pen

Mapping

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mixed media with collage

VMH

 

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Each drawing approx. 42 x 29cm. / 16.5″ x 11.5″ in size.

The Travelling Artist

Saturday, March 8th, 2014

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Wherever I go I like to have all my art materials in one place encase I need to jot down an idea, or for when I get that creative burst.

 

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So, when I found this old case I knew exactly what I would do with it. I made myself a personal art kit for when I go out and about. I keep this case in my car and it goes everywhere with me. I also have a smaller kit for when I travel overseas. This kit is much lighter so I can collect art materials along the way

 

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It has everything I need for drawing, painting, collage, photo transfer, stamping and writing

In Transit series of collages

 

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Acrylic paints and ink in a pouch my daughter gave me

 

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Chalk in a vintage medical tin

 

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Water colour paints, coloured pencils and double sided tape

 

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Brushes for painting, pens for drawing and writing, felt pens, graphite pencils, knife, scissors and glue stick for collage

 

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Paint swatches

 

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Collage papers in a plastic pouch.  Mixed lot of vintage and newer papers

 

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Hand- dyed coffee filters, vintage wallpaper, labels and book pages

 

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Stained printed matter and newer papers

 

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Old music prayer book

 

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1932 school book full of hand drawn  world maps

 

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1960s New Idea magazine for cutting

 

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Old advertising

 

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Vintage encyclopeadia pages sealed with a layer of translucent gesso paint

 

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A book of hand-made French paper

 

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Small canvas boards and palette, matt and gloss medium for collage, painting & transfers

 

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Mini stamping kit in old cigar tin

 

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Stamp pad, tiny rubber text stamps in matchbox, stamp holder and tweezers

 

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I also carry a selection of my hand made artist books in progress to work in.

 

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My books are made from found papers, junk mail, advertising

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used envelopes, cereal boxes and food packaging

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Embellished with used clothing labels, tags, stamps, stickers, pen ,ink and found fabric scraps

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sewn with thread or wire and filled with whatever else I find in my travels

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It’s amazing how much I can fit into the case

 

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Do you have a portable art kit ?  Whats in your art kit ?

See Jenny’s portfolio here

Back to “Free Tutorials”

Selling Art Online.

Friday, January 31st, 2014

This article got me thinking…

Art Galleries, Art Sales and the Internet: A Survey  

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I can remember in 2000 thinking how I had to change the way I did things as an artist. After receiving injuries in a car accident I needed to find new ways to market and promote my artwork to the outside world

 

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So, I had a website designed where I could show, sell and write about my artwork and other related things of interest

 

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I believed at the time that an online portfolio was the way to go and that eventually every artist and gallery would do all their arts business online.

 

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Showcasing my art online allows me to work in reasonable physical comfort, for short amounts of time on my arts business. My website generates interest for my work from local and international audiences. I have received contacts from gallery directors, collectors, several awards, art residencies and invitations to exhibit my work in many countries

 

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Having a website allows me the freedom to control and curate my own exhibitions online. I can write on my blog and participate with other artists worldwide in collaborative art projects and exhibitions

I can set up a portfolio where my artwork is for sale

 

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Being online gets me out of my “studio mind” so I can network, share my thoughts, skills and ideas with others, as well as, sell my art to an international audience.

Back to “Free Tutorials”

200 places to sell! Your Art or Craft Online

Saturday, August 17th, 2013

Resource time…  the first 12 of 200 places to sell your creations online.

2 of my favorite Australian sites at the moment, where I have listed a few of my own artworks .

Artfuly  

Bluethumb

Where to Sell Your Art or Craft Online.

  1. 3BStreet – A fun and quirky site with great visuals where you get your own animated storefront. Artist participation is juried, with a monthly fee as low at $9.95 per month + 3% of all transactions.

  2. 500px.com – Photography site – store your photos, share them and sell them. Features work of beginners to experts. Sell your work by opening a “store” account, which is available to free as well as paid memberships.

  3. AbsoluteArts – Claiming to be “the most trafficked contemporary arts site” it offers levels from free to premier. Artist bio/statement and portfolio displayed with shopping cart.

4. AbstractArtistGallery – Not an e-commerce site, this is a database of living abstract artists that presents work and includes a link to the artists website to drive traffic there. Juried; they request a donation from artists who are included.
5. AffordableBritishArt (UK Site) – Artists sell their work with no middleman, commission free, but there is a charge to have an account (4 tiered levels). You must have a PayPal account to receive payment for your work.

  1. Aftcra – This site calls themselves “the place to buy and sell one-of-a-kind goods proudly crafted by American hands.” Set up a storefront here for free, and product prices must be $10 or higher. Listings stay for four months. They take 7% fee on sales.

  2. Amazon – Upload your images to sell on one of the biggest marketplaces on the web. Jewelry is a huge category here, but you are competing with manufactured items.

  3. American Handmade Crafts – Free trial (with $35 setup). Monthly fees starting at $12, and each artist can list hundreds of items for sale. They provide a shopping cart.

  4. Art.com – This highly ranked e-commerce site has a division called Artist Rising, where emerging artists can upload images. They provide a print-on-demand service to sell your work. Two levels of membership – free and paid.

  5. Artaissance – This juried site is looking for sophisticated art that is suitable for art publishing, and is run by well-known frame manufacturer Larson-Juhl. If your work fits the bill, you can go through a submission process to become one of their featured artists.

See the other 180 online sites by Carolyn Edlund at Artsy Shark

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Xtinction Xhibition

Sunday, February 24th, 2013

Xtinction

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 Slices in Time- Jenny Davis – Digital Photography. Wax – textile – butterflies and string.

Xtinction is a contemporary art prize inviting artists to explore the concept of extinction… to people, places, things, flora and fauna. Xtinction aims to broadly highlight the many Australian species that are presently endangered. Artworks include painting, sculpture, photography, wearable art and mixed medium works, and include the use of sustainably sourced materials and objects.

Date: 23 February – 24 March
Venue: Three local galleries, HEALESVILLE Victoria.
Contact Details:
www.threestories.com.au

Artworks are on display and for sale at three Healesville Galleries:

The Artist’s Lounge – 222 Maroondah Hwy, Healesville
Yarra Valley Gallery – 5 Church St, Healesville
Three Stories Artspace – 505 Maroondah Hwy, Healesville

Time: Daily 10am-4pm

 

 

Happy Holidays & Stop Procrastinating…

Wednesday, December 19th, 2012

Happy Holidays & Stop Procrastinating…

As 2012 ends, I would like to thank my followers at Outlook8studio blog, for all your support and comments over the past year.

“Happy Holidays” to all of you and hope you will continue to come back now and then, to see what’s new.

Xmas in Paris

Procrastination…My thoughts now race ahead to the new year and plans for my arts business…What plans? I have been procrastinating far too long in this area and have promised myself in 2013 I will organise my time better…

 

Xmas in Paris

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, I checked out some of my favourite blogs and found this article from, Carolyn Edlund at Artsyshark that may help all you procrastinators out there…

12 Ways Artists Can Stop Procrastinating | Artsy Shark.

“How to pack your artwork for transport”

Friday, September 21st, 2012

How to pack your artwork for transport.

Packing your artwork for transport can be a very daunting task. Your precious artwork must be wrapped in a professional way, so it arrives at it’s destination, without being damaged in anyway.

Very early in my art career, I sent some small paintings overseas for an exhibition. I thought I had done really well in packaging them for the journey. I started with a layer of acid free tissue paper, bubble-wrap, then into a box.

On return to Australia, I unwrapped the paintings and couldn’t believe it. Two of the paintings were embedded with bubble-wrap dots from the high temperatures in travel.
Today, I use many, many layers of acid free tissue, rigid card back and front, cardboard corners then, I wrap the whole artwork with bubble- wrap and put the parcel into my sturdy custom – made art boxes .
An excellent article and well worth the read How to pack your artwork for transport

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“LAND TO LIGHT – Photo Diaries”

Monday, April 23rd, 2012
 All Photo’s by Charles Farrugia
Here are some pictures of the opening and links

Land to Light – 4 Victorian Artists

Monday, March 26th, 2012

 

 

Your invited to the opening of “LAND TO LIGHT” exhibition at 5pm on Tuesday 17th April at Switchback Gallery – Curated by Charles Farrugia and Rodney Forbes

Artists
Jenny Davis
Charles Farrugia
John Martin
Mark Story

Exhibition dates: 17th April to 24th May, 2012 – Mon-Fri 9.00 to 5.00 or by appt.
Address: Gippsland Centre for Art and Design
Building 6S Monash University Gippsland Campus
Churchill 3842

Contact:  gippsland@artdes.monash.edu.au

Website: http://www.artdes.monash.edu.au/gippsland/switchback/

Phone (03) 9902 6261

How to get there: http://www.gippsland.monash.edu.au/campus/getthereandpark.html

Make a Large Studio Easel in 6 Easy – Peasy Steps

Saturday, February 4th, 2012

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How to Make a Large Studio Easel in 6 Easy- Peasy Steps

When I built my studio years ago, I needed to have a versatile easel. I couldn’t find anything suitable in the shops and my budget wouldn’t allow for much.  So, I went about creating one from my left over pieces of timber. I needed one that would take small to very large canvas’s all at once. I needed lots of space too. Being an abstract painter, I slosh paint and work very quickly, sometimes on many canvas’s at once. I wanted a permanent spac,e where I could work on small canvas’s 30x30cm up to very large ones 4 x 2 Meters . My easel ended up being 9 meters long x 4 meters high and after 12 years of daily use, my rough and ready easel is still going strong.

My simple Plan

Materials & Equipment

Cut yourself, or buy 2 equal lengths of  hardwood or pine, however long you want the easel to be. This is for the floor and wall runner that will hold all the upright struts.

Cut yourself, or buy equal lengths of hardwood or pine for the uprights. Decide how many uprights you want to hold your canvas .To get the length of each piece , measure from floor to top wall at the angle you want the easel to be.

Bolts, nails or screws

Wooden dowel lengths of wood for pegs

Drill with a “spade” drill bit the same circumference as the dowel pieces you have

(Spade bits are used for rough boring holes in wood.)

Tape measure

Hammer

Drill

Method

1.Everything will need to be measured and cut for the area your are working on.

2. Grab the floor runner piece, lay it perpendicular to the wall on the floor, judging the best space between the floor runner and the wall . Screw, bolt or nail to the floor at intervals to secure. (Note) Remember to allow enough space from floor runner to wall for a slight angle for the upright pieces of wood so your painting canvas can to sit without falling

3. Grab the wall runner piece and screw, bolt or nail to the upper wall at intervals and make secure.

4. Lay all your upright pieces of wood together on a flat surface together (floor )and take your drill with the spade bit and make holes from bottom to the top on all the lengths of wood. The spacing has to be equal across the whole lot.

(If painting the easel do this now before attaching to wall)

5. Take your pre- cut lengths of wood with the holes and sit each one so the bottom is sitting behind the attached floor runner and at the top against the wall runner with the holes facing you. Screw bolt or nail the upright struts to the floor runner and to the wall runner at top. (Note) Go along the floor runner at whatever spacing you want with the upright struts to be.

Almost done. Cut lengths ( 6inches) of dowel for the pegs that will hold all your canvas’s

Note: If the pegs don’t fit in the holes… Round off one end with sandpaper by hand, or with an electric sander.

All done!!!  Now grab your canvas and paint to your hearts content

Art Squats. Hybrid Arts. Studio in a box Paris.

Sunday, October 2nd, 2011

I believe art can no longer be only confined within the walls of established art institutions and be thought as only painting or sculpture. At a time when we are at the peak of global creativity I see artists refusing to be labelled and contained. Art venues and spaces are struggling to keep up and are experimenting with new ways to present this explosion of creative output artists for multidisciplinary and multidimensional.

When I was in Paris last time, I saw evidence of this. In a city of almost 300,000 living artists Paris seems to find creative outlets for multidisciplinary and multidimensional. Little “Hybrid art” spaces are popping up everywhere in the streets. Artists themselves have had to think of innovative ways to get their art seen. Many making their home an art space open to the public.

Art squats, sandwiched between homes in residential areas, art has taken over abandoned buildings where a rich cultural life of concerts, debates, exhibitions, lectures and workshops unravels in clandestine venues.

When I’m in Paris I have a couple of creative spaces I made out of necessity. “Studioinabox” and “The Dungeon”

 

 

“Studioinabox” is a wooden trunk in the apartment living room where all my creative materials are stored. I create the work on top of the box or the floor space. I  may even display or exhibit in side the box. As I move from country to country, my “nomad art’ has to be small and transportable. I enjoy the challenge creating in the immediate space and using only items, I collect from the streets,used packaging and a few other bought art supplies that I can fit into my “Studioinabox’

 

‘The Dungeon” is a space underneath an apartment block in Paris. It’s damp, smelly and creepy with dark corridors, full of earth walls with red wooden doors. The lights are on a timer and go out every minute, so you can be stuck in a very unearthly dark abyss, if you don’t press one of the buttons on the wall quick enough. I have devised a way to stop them turning off and over the years, I have become more brave and allow myself to connect to the dark hole, for longer periods. Eventually I want to open the space and show my video and photography down there. I also have ideas of a performance in the space.

In Australia, I find there are too many artists and not enough art spaces as well. So, I’m playing around with a few ideas using my home and website, as my art space for all sorts of creative experiments. Nothing, is fully formulated or resolved yet, and will keep you all informed of my progress from this blog.

Do you have a special space where you create and show your work?

2nd Place Winner

Friday, July 1st, 2011

Thank you very much to John R. Math at  Light Space & Time Gallery for choosing my painting, VM IMP. Berlin as 2nd. prize in the Abstracts Art Exhibition .My work was chosen from 550 other artists from all over the world.

All winners will now be featured on the Light Space & Time website for the month of July 2011. Thereafter, the artworks and links to the artist’s websites will remain online in the Light Space & Time Archives. Congratulations to our artists who made our Abstracts Art Exhibition so successful this month. At any time, we invite our winners and other interested visitors to link their websites to the Gallery’s archive page for further ongoing promotion.

2nd Place Winner – Jenny Davis – “VM6 IMP. Berlin”

Jenny Davis is an Australian artist, working from studio’s in Victoria Australia and Paris France, where she sometimes lives. As an artist, she enjoys working in many disciplines including: painting, sculpture, photography, installation, video, collage, recycled design, sound and virtual worlds. Jenny has shown her work in many countries, including Australia, Germany, Spain, France and USA. Her work is in private and public collections across Australia, UK, Europe and the U.S.A. Outlook8studio

 

Featured Artist at “Artsy Shark”

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

Latest news!

I’ve just been featured at Artsy Shark. Thank you!  Carolyn Edlund for all your hard work and for doing such a great job promoting artists and getting their work seen.

Featured Artist Jenny Davis
Artsy Shark presents Australian artist Jenny Davis. Her mixed media work uses recycled and reclaimed materials. Enjoy her portfolio and see more about Jenny here.

Jenny Davis is an Australian artist, working from studios in Victoria, Australia and Paris, France, where she sometimes lives. As an artist, she enjoys working in many disciplines including: painting, sculpture, photography, installation, video, collage, recycled design, sound and virtual worlds. Jenny has shown her work in many countries, including Australia, Germany, Spain, France and USA. Her work is in private and public collections across Australia, UK, Europe and the U.S.A.

Starting out primarily as an abstract painter and sculptor, Jenny’s arts practice has evolved and crosses over into many areas and disciplines. Recycling and reusing items in her work is very important. Stuff that usually goes into landfills and gleaned from the streets of Melbourne and Paris, or wherever she travels. Street litter, food packaging, advertising materials, advertising materials and all kind of paper ephemera are collected and saved for this purpose.

“All this wonderful stuff I reclaim and use in my collage and sculpture.”

“My source of creativity is spontaneous. It can mean spending days even weeks in the studio and strange places contemplating and “collecting energy”. Once I focus and sit with that energy it can take off in all areas. I then definitely need to put down a feeling or emotion, with colour, marks, words, assembled objects, or digital images still and moving. Whatever it takes to get it out! I use various techniques, materials and tools to realize my ideas.

The same goes with my photography. It’s spontaneous and unrehearsed. I like to tell strange stories with my photography and will put myself in uncomfortable spaces to achieve this. I have a wonderful space I found in Paris, I call the dungeon. I can spend hours down there waiting for something to take off. “

At the moment, I am fascinated by the narrative we tell ourselves, when placed in unfamiliar situations. Our mind seems to fly into “spontaneous imagination” and not focus in the moment. I want to seize those imaginary stories and create something with it.

I love spaces underground. There’s a life underneath the earth, and people don’t know about it, but it’s very busy and living, I have taken photos of the Eiffel Tower but I go under it, and look at closer fragments. I’m inspired by many things: Creative minds, Science as art, varies art movements and artists, Ernst, Miro, Tapies, Surrealism, Dada, Abstract Expressionists’, Natural history, Psychology, de-construction , Chaos theory, collecting found- objects and street litter, graffiti, street art, books, vintage and antique, travel and more.

 

News Flash- Upstairs at Duroc – Paris

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

Upstairs at Duroc is an English language literary and art journal based in Paris.

The next issue no. 13 of Upstairs at Duroc will be out late 2011

Why am I pleased ? because 2 of my art pieces “Parisgrit” and “250 Degrees” have been selected to be published alongside notable writers.

I will let you know more about this exciting news when Upstairs at Duroc No. 13 magazine is out and ready to read.

Underground Urban Spaces & Art

Saturday, April 9th, 2011

My art is inspired by underground spaces and the debris left behind in the streets.

Graffiti, graphics and consumer packaging I collect from cities worldwide.

Have your speakers on and please enjoy my video! “Urban Strazz”

Meet the Tenant Book.

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

MEET THE TENANT BOOK (20% discount)

During the week I was cleaning out my book shelves and came across my book, “Meet the Tenant”. An underground survey of Paris.  It’s an unusual photographic survey of Paris. My photographs in this book are a “non-clichéd” look at Paris. Instead of focusing on the famous monuments, I zoom in on what is beneath the surface, photographing hidden places, including a storage area under an apartment.

I know I’m crazy but, I love spaces underground.

“There’s a life underneath the earth, and people don’t know about it, but it’s very busy and living,” she said.“I have taken photos of the Eiffel Tower but I go under it, and look at closer fragments.”

If you would like to buy a copy of my book…

Buy “Meet the Tenant’

DESCRIPTION: ” Meet the Tenant” Photography in Paris Australian Artist Jenny Davis. After a venture into the dungeon area under a Paris apartment. I could feel past lives lurking within its damp walls and eerie narrow chambers of numbered red doors. I spent many days down there alone soaking in the atmosphere of the space in order to connect to some sort of creative energy which eventually took off in all directions. I am fascinated by the beauty in the unseen the contained and murky, sometimes thought of as dirty and ugly.

Hidden Spaces Exposed.

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

Thank you very much Kimberley Seedy and Lawrence Pinder, for the great article and photographs you created for the Leader newspaper about my latest exhibition at Burrinja 351 Glenfern Rd, Upwey Victoria

11 Feb 11 @ 06:01am by Kimberley Seedy

Jenny Davis shows some of the paintings and photographs at her Burrinja Cafe exhibition.s LAWRENCE PINDER N33FP405

A COLLECTION of paintings and photographs featuring some overseas locations are on display in a new exhibition in Upwey. Abstraction and Beyond, featuring the work of artist Jenny Davis, is on at the Burrinja Cafe until March 1.

It consists of seven framed abstract oil paintings on paper, created in Barcelona in 2005, together with mounted night photographs shot in underground locations in Paris in 2010.

Davis describes her photographs as a “non-cliched” look at Paris.

Instead of focusing on the famous monuments, she zoomed in on what was beneath the surface, photographing hidden places, including a storage area under an apartment.

Davis said she loved the spaces underground.

“There’s a life underneath the earth, and people don’t know about it, but it’s very busy and living,” she said.

“I have taken photos of the Eiffel Tower but I go under it, and look at closer fragments.”

Burrinja Cafe is at 351 Glenfern Rd, Upwey.

Abstraction & Beyond (update)

Saturday, February 5th, 2011

Exhibition update:

“Abstraction & Beyond”

Feb.2-1 March

Burrinja Cultural Center

351 Glenfern Road (cnr Matson Drv),

Upwey, VIC, 3158 .

Open Daily 9am-5pm.

If you are heading over to the Dandenongs over the next month, checkout my exhibition “Abstraction & Beyond’ at the Burrinja Cultural Center in Upwey, Victoria.

I just finished hanging the exhibition on Tuesday with the help of Amy Jo Jory, who runs the gallery at Burrinja. A cross-cultural mix of oil paintings I created at an arts residency in Barcelona, Spain, together with mounted night photographs I shot in Paris last winter.

I’m very pleased with the way it looks. My Spain paintings really connect to the space. At Burrinja they have taken on a very Australian feel yet, they are also Spanish. I can see both cultures in the paintings.

I’m relieved it’s finally up and running and all the hard work has been done. Now I like to sit back, let go of the work and relax. Although I love having exhibitions, once they are over, I am always glad to move on and begin new ideas and projects.

Burrinja Café & Bar
Open every day

Bookings: 9754 5707

Burrinja Café provides great food and coffee in a fantastic intimate atmosphere that continues the indigenous theme of Burrinja Gallery. It is an 80 seat fully licensed café that will seduce you the moment you walk in. Escape the hustle into warm ochres, great art and comfy lounges. Enjoy lunch, group get-togethers, music events, or just relax. Burrinja cafe is the ideal place to eat while visiting Burrinja to enjoy the great art or day-tripping in the Dandenong Ranges.

Functions
Burrinja  & Café Bar caters for all types of functions.
Call for details on our wide range of tailored menu options
Music – see Events for the line up of music, spoken word and more at Burrinja Café
Fabulous cakes, coffees, chai and more – all fresh!·
Menu selections are always being updated, and we can cater to your individual needs

More Café Gig & Events Info at the Burrinja Cafe website