Tuesday 31 July 2012

MR P TWISTED 50'S LOVE


The MR PRICE online store went live yesterday and I am sure the interweb was humming! The second trend for the launch installation was Twisted 50's, I so loved this one! The A1 print was an image from a recipe book that I have had for ages, I think it belonged to my gran but my mom gave it to me. A paperback with crazy tinted pictures of dishes made using gelatine or jello. The combo's were something to be believed!! Real party food on a plate.


PROJECT ROOM made the giant heart cut outs which we covered with an awesome faux wood formica. Scott designed the vector shapes which included pop culture images from the era.


We sourced vintage romance/crime paperback novels and some very quirky ceramic poodles to complement the slightly prim yet offbeat fashion story. As well as gorgeous retro inspired sugar shakers.

All Images BYRON at PURE PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO

Monday 30 July 2012

JEMA LOVE


Look at the handsome fella I found at the Hillcrest SPCA shops. Isn't he crazy beautiful. He is made by JEMA of HOLLAND, apparently not very well known amongst collectors but quite popular here in South Africa. On doing my Google research I discovered that many of the pieces they made are very familiar sights in our vintage shops and we even have one or two other pieces. I would LOVE one of their stags or blue birds!!



Friday 27 July 2012

SWANRISE LOVE

Happy 7th Birthday to our darling Swanling. You are our absolute treasure and the reason behind everything. How spectacular was the sunrise this morning from our kitchen window, a birthday sunrise.


Thursday 26 July 2012

MR P AQUATIC LOVE


The first trend for the MR PRICE Press Launch Installation was Aquatic - all gorgeous metallics & sheen  with an ethereal moodiness. One of the images from my initial brief was by underwater photographer ZENA HOLLOWAY whose work I absolutely love, so I followed through with the otherworldly state that she captures to come up with my solution (* see my mood board above).


I designed a 3m long classical ballet tutu made from the softest bridal tulle in beautiful shades of minty smoke. The wonderful seamstresses at CARNIVAL & BACKSTAGE ( Shop 23 Glenwood Village, 031 202 3852) and I fussed over the technicalities until we got the layering just right, so that it would have the lovely pouf of a tutu but also a melancholy drape. My dear right hand gal Miss Caryn, girl wonder, then sewed on giant iridescent flat sequins to catch the light like scales. This could have been a story about me setting fire to our kitchen while trying to dip dye a 3m tutu on our gas stove. Lucky for me there had been a run on Dylon Pewter Grey No.62 multipurpose fabric dye at every chemist in Durban, so we created the same effect by adding a gorgeous layer of powder charcoal tulle underneath the minty smoke.


Each install had an A1 print to support the trend, the gorgeous white box frames are by iKHAYA. This  illustration is from Ward Lock's Junior Pictorial Encyclopaedia of Science. It was printed  by BRAND IRON onto wallpaper which gives an amazing texture and really holds colour beautifully. Thank you CHRISTIAN MUGNAI for the heads up on this technique.


The sleek yet industrial rails were custom made by PROJECT ROOM, who also produced and installed the larger elements of my designs. Miss Caryn and I sourced the buoy's and rope at a shipping supplies shop. The string of vintage ornaments that look so much like bubbles are from my favourite Antiques and Collectables haunt, ECLECTIC (157 Gordon Road, 031 303 2218).


All images BYRON at PURE PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO

The very delightful clothes of course will be showcased on www.mrprice.co.za from Monday 30th July. Have a look at the following fab blogs for their posts on the Press Launch:
LANA LOU
LUCKY PONY
THUNDER IN OUR HEARTS

Wednesday 25 July 2012

MR P ONLINE LOVE

BYRON at PURE PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO
Woohoo! MR PRICE will be launching it's new official online shopping store on Monday the 30th July. www.mrprice.co.za

They held a splendid sneak peek Press Intro yesterday and I was commissioned to create an installation in their showroom. Over the next few days I will be showing the 6 trends that we needed to illustrate and what we created for them. Plus I will tell you all about the wonderful team that I worked with who made magic happen. Mr Price associates are all truly lovely people and we were made to feel so welcome on the day we installed. Have a look at some of the images from the day at ITSWHATIMINTO

Tuesday 24 July 2012

THANK YOU


Thank you so much to my champion of typography and design, (plus practical sense) Scott, my partner in all things wonderful, for his invaluable help on my big install (will do a post on the install once it has served it's lovely purpose). A splendid and gigantic thank you to Jo and Amber for having faith in me. To my right hand gal Miss Caryn, who understands and tolerates and helps to make real my wayward ideas (to the point of burning fingers). AND a crazy giant AWESOME thank you will bells and whistles and cherries on the top to the fantastic team at PROJECT ROOM - Marius, Andrea, Jarred and Martin. You guys rock! You were such a pleasure to work with, made the thoughts in my brain come alive and did not leave until it was done and done right. Thank you too to Nev and Rhenda for the craftsmanship on the frames - perfect as always PLUS BRAND IRON for the great prints. p.s. Thank you to Neville for some wisdom when I needed it, you are a true gentleman.

Monday 23 July 2012

ANNETTE LOVE


As I am lucky enough to be doing a wonderful installation today, I would like to draw attention to an artist who works with large scale installation as an art form. ANNETTE MESSAGER is a French artist born in 1943. She thinks big thoughts and paints conceptually with objects, prints, photographs and drawings. Her work can be macabre but is always interesting.



Friday 20 July 2012

STOKPERD LOVE



My lovely friend has a clever friend who custom makes bespoke pieces of furniture to fit in special spaces in your home where no store bought stuff will do. Have a look at STOKPERD's beautiful site, her pieces are well styled and beautifully made. I love all the well thought out details.

Thursday 19 July 2012

CAROUSEL LOVE


Saw this link on a friends FB and was directed to the incredible TIM RACER. He is an antique wooden carousel animal restorer, working with master carousel painter PAM HESSEY. He has the most beautiful, fluid, realistic yet stylized technique ever, I wish I had more time and words to say how much I admire their talent. Shew!

Tuesday 17 July 2012

WINTER LOVE


I love winter and for way too many reasons to count. (Besides the being a ginger able to net a constellation of freckles by moonlight). Driving to the Mountains or Midlands now you will be treated to the most glorious spectacle. Multitudes of aloes blazing with red and orange flowers, all the shades of fire. Much of the grass is scorched so the crazy colour against the sooty landscape is too beautiful! In our Karoo patch out front we have aloes and succulents and cacti that have been carted from flat to flat to finally house. Our's is a dainty lass compared to the stark roadside warriors but I love her detailed blooms for their subtle gracefulness, curvy stems and unexpected hues.



Monday 16 July 2012

FOLKLORE LOVE


My dear friend across the sea in Londontown, Carla, sent me this FOLKLORE enamel coffee pot. It is from WILD & WOLF. It had a bit of a journey to get here but I am so excited to have it in my little mitts. Everything about it is beautiful, firsty it is enamel, it has a lovely shape and NINA JAREMA covered it in splendid pictures!!! Thank you my lovely Bold, you made me smile fit to burst!

Friday 13 July 2012

CHINESE PAINTING LOVE


In amongst a rather crazy week I have had the splendid privilege of going to Traditional Chinese Painting classes with An Ni, a wonderful, insightful teacher who has turned all my painting habits on their head. I have not had a quiet mind this week and my stubborn reluctance to be taught anything by anyone else has been tempered by a truly amazing teacher. It is a pity that the classes finish today as I feel I have had a small taste of something which has altered my perspective on how I work. Will do another post next week on the beautiful brushes, paper, ink and pigments that we have been working with.


Read more about An Ni and how she came to be in Durban here.

Thursday 12 July 2012

HABERDASHERY INSTALLATION


Voila!! And the first phase of the Haberdashery installation at CON AMORE is up! It is really strange to see all the bits and bobs that have been collected and wrapped and moved around in my brain a million times - in their new home.


There are still some gaps as there is a lovely chest of antique goodies that I need to place, plus I want to attach a large airplant to the wire shelves top left. It is meant to be a living collage so we will be adding elements continuously.


This is one of my favourite bits, fabric from HERTEX and ST LEGER & VINEY displayed in embroidery hoops along with my vintage, distressed tapestry.


My captive knitting needles, fresh sweetpeas in a Lucia ware vase and a peek at the strung up scissors case. I wanted to combine the feel of old fabric shop with it's strange sometimes unidentifiable sewing implements with a contemporary craft working space. Plus a small taste of wunderkammer.


Vintage thread reels under glass pie funnels and a hanging garden of scissors.


My Iceberg print on an old drawer and my favourite pin tomatoes. Just a the top of the picture is a glimpse of my current obsession, one of them anyway! Those funny souvenir paintings on slices of wood. My granny had one when I was little and I love them to pieces!

Wednesday 11 July 2012

READY STEADY


The renovations on the Haberdashery department at CON AMORE are done and today is INSTALLATION Wednesday!!! I'm all fastidiously packed and ready to rock. Please excuse the blurry pics it's early and dark and no tripod. So excited to finally put it all together. I am holding my breath mpfff mmmpffthhh.

 





Tuesday 10 July 2012

DONE & DUSTY


There were trumpets, I did a little dance, my brain stopped hurting and my fingers said thank you. I also held it up and looked through the look, small minds and all. Not perfect like laser but made by me.


Took a while to get it straight as the paper underneath was a bit wobbly. Had to hold it down while I sprayed the white.


Really like this masked off bit, where the negative and positive got switcharoo'ed.


It worked!


Absolutely last bit, added the triangles, my homage to the late 80's early 90's club posters.




The AFTERMATH!

Monday 9 July 2012

PUNCH LOVE


Make sure you visit this super cool exhibition opening at the KZNSA on the 10th July at 6pm. Check out more of the interesting work by JOHANN VAN DER SCHIJFF, his attention to detail and craftmanship is superb. Sides it's not often you get to give artwork a biff, whack, bop, smack!

Friday 6 July 2012

GFL LOVE


A1 piece of Bristol Board taped up and ready for action in the messy studio. Bit apprehensive as usually have my digital crutch.


Have masked off the area I want to remain white, which is the area around the block of eye blistering neon.


This was demon paint, sheesh! Not my usual brand but the perfect colour. It went absolutely everywhere, I had weird lumo pink feet and the messy studio now has a pink shag rug.


The blue was much more co-operative, held to the paper nicely and didn't make toxic dust.


The awesome side effect of the nasty pink was I could distress it by rubbing with some rough paper, also smoothed the blend really well.


Masked off the highlight colour behind the large crystal and Shade's portrait. Sprayed with my favourite duck egg blue but as usual camera makes it look a washed out grey.


Line work for Shade's portrait and second crystal grouping done with my super secret technique ooooh!


Really love the smooth retro gradient that the spray paint malfunction created, am always trying to get the feel of an etching without the beastly process.


Can catch a glimpse of my portrait of Olivia Newton John and the small areas that I masked off for the cacti flowers. Have removed the masking so that some of the line work overlaps into the white of the border.


And now for the torture, it just wouldn't be right not to lose a layer of skin in the name of art. Need a solid mask for the type so I can get it as crisp and clean as possible. Would have it lazer cut normally but trying to be Luddite for this project. Only using the hands! Will do another post with the last few bits and bobs next week, plus the finished work.