LOVE LOVE LOVE....

I love group shows especially when they are with a fun group of makers & artisans. Whenever I get an email from Gleaners Inc about taking part in a show I get really excited!

"Take Heart" at Gleaners Inc. show opens the 2nd of August & runs until the 31st of August

a show Craft Victoria's Craft Cubed festival. I took part last year here's the link to that particular blog post.

I've been a bit obsessed with Milagros, reliquaries, ex votos and scared hearts of late. I've been finding pinterest really good for collecting images for ideas my pinterest board for this project and getting the creative juices flowing. 

I think it is the shiny gilded gold foil & over the top decorations, I'm of the more is more school of thought an love the use of gold foiling & precious metals in  iconography - something which seems to re-occur despite the differences in religions and belief systems world-wide. About 10 years ago I went to an amazing gold & silver leaf themed exhibition at the Tokyo museum in Japan. To be honest I think I had a moment of Stendhal syndrome at this particular exhibition. I suppose it would pass for some sort of quasi-religious/transcendental/mythical experience depending on your faith. I've always had a penchant for the glittery & shiny must have been the sheer volume of beautiful, gilded, gorgeousness that got me! Seriously pop something shiny in front of me and I can be utterly distracted.

Here are a few images of my work for the show they are paper assemblages with a bit of a craft/sewing element with the steel pins & also a slightly creepy anatomical/ medical book element too. My thinking is that with a bit of metallic paint & ruffled pleated paper can make anything look pretty. They are shadow box framed and a homage to the sacre coeur images I love.

Pop along and have a look show, there's a few other shows & events as part of the festival so checkout the Craft Vic web page.

Gleaners Inc
2 Ballarat St
Brunswick 3056
Trading hours 
M-F 11-5
Sat 11-4 
Sun 12-4

Another festival that is coming up that I'm involved with is MSFW Melbourne Spring Fashion Week. I'm taking part in an off-site event titled "beasts in the wardrobe", which is being hosted and held in collaboration with the amazing boutique Madame Virtue. 
That is due to start in late August so just stay tuned for the blog post!

 

  Love Miss FOO XXX

Day of the dead... an exhibition not a zombie movie!

As much as I love zombie films, it is my favorite genre of horror and George A Romero is  a genius! This blog is about an upcoming show at Gleaners Inc. The lovely Liz Jones is again curating & hosting a super fun show! (The last Gleaners show was "feather your nest", previous blog post here)

This time the theme is "The Day of the Dead" or Día de los Muertos the Mexican holiday which gathers family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. Held on November 1st and November 2nd, All Saints and All Souls Day - info on the festival here

 

Detail "flor de muerto" by Sai-Wai Foo

Above is a pic of my piece for the show title "flor de muerto" (flowers of the dead), a mixed media piece with pen, ink, watercolour, pleated paper and sequins. The show runs from 2nd to 30th of November at Gleaners Inc. 2 Ballarat St Brunswick.

An official opening Party on Friday 9th November  from 5.30 pm. There will drinks and nibbles and discount shopping on the night! hope to see you there!
 

While I am at it I am going to provide a list of some of my fave zombie movies... no particular order...Braaaaaaiiiiinnnnsssssss.

Day of the Dead

Dawn of the Dead (1978 & 2004 versions)

Return of the Living dead

Night of the Living dead 

Diary of the Dead 

Brain Dead

Dellamorte Dellamore (english title was Cemetery man) 

[REC] (the original Spanish version)

Evil dead (all in the series)  

Zombie Strippers

Shaun of the dead 

28 days Later (technically it is an infection movie but it's on my list!)

Dod Sno (Dead Snow, Norwegians & Zombie Nazis)
La Horde (The Horde)

Pet Sematary (for the Ramones song!)

Zombieland (BILL MURRAY.... nuff said)

Love Miss Foo XXX

Feathering my nest..... exhibition at Gleaners Inc.

I delivered some work for an upcoming exhibition at Gleaners inc. the exhibition is part of  Craft Victoria's Craft Cubed festival. I have 2 pieces in the show that references the theme "Feather your Nest".

One piece is titled"Iced Vovos, jam fancies & cups of tea" It's of one of my crazy parrots replete with pleats, poms poms & sequins. I like to think she is squawking mid cackle during a tea party. Its about nesting, being and feeling at home.

Detail of "Iced Vovos, jam fancies & cups of tea"by Sai-Wai Foo

The second piece is a small scale sculpture, titled "Flight of fancy". I am a bit obsessed with bottles and glass at the moment; also about catching a moment in time like a souvenir. Clearly my fixation on snow domes and tourist kitsch is paying off.
It's a small black bird in flight over pleated clouds/petals made of book papers in a small glass dome with a champagne cork. (It's expanding on my artist book piece I made recently - which will be on  display at  Artisan Books as part of the 7th Annual Artist Book Exhibition, 11th of August - 8th of September)

 

"Flight of fancy" by Sai-Wai Foo

I think it maybe a a bit of a comment on my hording of materials too. I see things pop them away, it maybe awhile until use them but there is some method in my squirrel like ways!
The pieces will be on show at Gleaners Inc at the Stairway to Nowhere Gallery as part of the Craft Victoria's Craft Cubed festival .

Feather your Nest

at Gleaners Inc

2 Ballarat St. Brunswick, 

Victoria 3071, Australia

The show opens on Friday, August the 3rd at 5.30pm and will have drinks and nibbles and discount shopping on the night! The show runs through to August the 31st so pop by!

 Love Miss Foo XXX

lovely long weekends

I love long weekends - the June Queens birthday holiday is the last before the drag through the cold & gloom of winter. Also we have to wait months until the next in one in November.

It turned out the holiday on Monday was a beautiful Melbourne day which makes me utterly grateful for the fact I live in Melbourne. The warm sunshine and the wonders of vitamin D in the winter definitely helped stave off the winter blues. 

Here's  a couple of things we got up to:

A wander up to the local shops North Melbourne we are spoiled as we have great food coffee on our door step. One gem is Grigons & Orr  anywhere that has nanna crochet and knit blankets at the ready is ok by me. Besides the coffee andfood there is delish! 

a lady like coffee

Mini wondering where her breakfast is

mmmm Menu!

Uncle Bennies

Coddled eggs with cheesy toast soldiers

Followed by a wander around Collingwood and Fitzroy, nice to see the yarn bombers from Yarn Corner are keeping the trees warm...

 

Wandering works up an appetite to off to Naked for Satan for a nibble! MMMM pintxos... 285 Brunswick Street  Melbourne VIC 3000
Can't wait for their roof bar to open - Naked in the sky

After all that eating best to take ourselves & Madame had not had a big adventure  to the dog beach - Burns Reserve (Altona Dog Beach) Altona Rd Altona VIC 3018.

If you do go - go at low tide http://tides.willyweather.com.au/vic/melbourne/altona.html &  the road there is pretty potholed if you are coming via ...best to do a  bit of a detour & save your axels!

 

After all that it is back to the studio to start on some artwork. I am taking part in a few  group exhibitions.  One of them is the "Feather your Nest"exhibition at the Stairway to Nowhere Gallery- which is part of Gleaners inc. It opens at the on Friday, August the 3rd and runs through to August the 31st, will be part of the calender of events for the Craft Victoria Craft Cubed Festival.

& just a quick shout out to cherryandme.com for the write up on the blog! check it! 

Thanks to the lovelies at http://www.cherryandme.com for the photo from Markit @FedSquare

Love Miss Foo XXX

New Stockist Gleaners Inc.

I have a new stockist! I dropped off some bunnies & song birds today at Gleaners Inc. It's tucked in just off the main drag of Sydney Road in the former Perucci shirt makers store front - it is an oasis of vintage finds, haven of nanna crafting & handmade goodies. 

Pleatybunny By Miss Foo now at Gleaners Inc.

Run by the very lovely Liz Jones - super friendly and is the clever lady that is behind Betty Jo Designs. Also she's a bit of a truffle-pig of vintage finds... I have to admit I did leave the store today with a  beautiful vintage map book, mmmmm embossed cover... 
Here are some pics of the store & what you will find in there. 

Miss Mini making herself at home at Gleaners Inc

 

The Lovely Liz Jones & Mini doing her impression of a floor rug

A selection of Pleatbunny By Miss FOO bunnies & birdies!

 

 

Check out the Gleaners Inc. Blog here & you can stalk them on Facebook here!

Gleaners Inc. 

2 Ballarat St. Brunswick, 

Victoria 3071, Australia

There is going to be a Gleaners Inc stall at Finders Keepers Market this Friday 20th April 6pm -10pm & Saturday 21st 10am-5pm at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton. Stop by & say Hi to the Gleaners Inc posse!

 

Love Miss Foo XXX