Show at Chapman and Bailey

I'm taking part in another show, this time all entrants are given a 35 x 35 cm stretched Bell Arti canvas as the starting point of  their artwork. I can't wait to see what the other entries look like, it will be interesting to the different approaches and mediums used. 

"above the clouds" By Sai-Wai Foo

I managed to snaffle a lovely natural linen canvas as the base for my piece. Here's  a sneak peak of my piece. I have to admit I had a blank canvas for months in my work space just lurking & glowering at me. Typically it came together quite quickly once the deadline was looming - after all the paper folding. I think the process of cutting and folding a paper helps me think through ideas and I find the whole process to be very relaxing and a bit a meditative state.
My piece above is a small flock of cut paper birds circling above a mass of pleated paper clouds. It's titled "above the clouds" and below are images of the work in progress - the canvas was blank for quite a long time....

2012 Belle Arti Prize hosted by Chapman and Bailey

12 December – 26 January at 
Chapman & Bailey Gallery, 350 Johnston St, Abbotsford  
Opening on Wednesday December 12, 2012 between 6-8pm
Facebook event page here

Love Miss Foo XXX

World Aids day & Toy to the world!! Beware the bear!!

Today is world AIDS day & I thought it would be timely to mention a project I am involved in.

I am decorating a 15-inch vinyl bear! YAY! Which is part of  a campaign named  "Toy to the World".

My blank bear has been sitting by the telly all white and naked in its vinyl glory. I am working through some ideas on how to decorate this little darling I think it will involve glitter, sequins & pleated paper...

my currently very naked bear...

There was an artist day on 17th of November at Section 8 where artist were doing live workshops & painting demos. Was I a bit miffed I will not be able to be there for that one :( but after all a large family event is taking place that day to I can't beg off to paint toys and drink beer! Have a look at the pics of the launch from their Facebook page. 

The event is being run by the dynamos at Pencil Neck Productions and it is the 2nd year of the this event. Monies raised are going to the Aids Council of Victoria and funds go towards projects like HIV prevention, treatment, research and education .

During the Midsumma festival here will be an exhibition of the bears in early January culminating a silent auction which will run during the duration of the show. I've taken part in charity auctions like this before & I have to admit I do get a bit competitive when it comes to the funds that my work raises!! Ok I admit it I am competitive but it's for a good cause so there!! 

Also to help fund the project they are crowd sourcing funds via Pozible so get in before the 22nd of December to show your support!! 

Stay tuned for pics of my bear!

Love Miss Foo XXX

Markit & sculptures hanging out at Quirk & Co

Pleatybunny by Miss FOO stall at Markit

I've had couple of busy weeks preparing for Markit at Fed Square, but if you didn't get a chance to get down there my regular stockists will have a selection of new stock time for all your Christmas shopping. With all that organsied I am looking forward to getting back to making some new works. 

As with the last Markit it was really well run by the organisers & as always it was a lovely crowd. Here's some pics from the day on my Facebook page. I had great company on the day with Peaches + Keen, My Mother Mabel , Betty Jo, and Gleaners Inc being very fun stall neighbours!

Also I have a couple of paper sculptures installed at one of my favorite stores Quirk & Co. in North Melbourne.

Paper sculptures by Sai-Wai Foo instore at Quirk & co.

One of them is the sister piece to my Yering Station sculpture show piece which will be in show until the 2nd of December at Yering station then will be off to the its' new home in the Bayside City Council's art collection. I am pretty excited that a piece is now part of a public collection!

See my previous blog post here about the Yering station show & there are pictures of the opening of the show on my facebook page 

"ships and sealing wax. of cabbages and kings" by Sai-Wai Foo

There are 3 pieces which have been shown at the Toyota gallery & the other piece has not been shown publicly until now.... up till now it has been residing on my dining table! It is titled "Rime of the seasick mariner", a bit of my homage to my love of nautical fiction & my penchant for feeding the fishes when I'm a sea. 

"Rime of the seasick mariner" By Sai-Wai Foo

Pop by and have a look. Quirk & Co. also stock my illustration work and has a great range of designer wares & goodies in store. It's a briliant place to pick up pressies. I've had a look at the new stock they have in for x'mas definitely worth a visit!! Besides I am also dropping of some new stock to all my retailers over the next week so get shopping!

Love Miss Foo XXX

Quirk & Co. 

466 Victoria Street, North Melbourne VIC 3051

(03) 9329 7057

info@quirkandco.com.au
quirkandco.com.au

Opening hours

Monday: 11am - 6pm
Tuesday: 11am - 6pm
Wednesday: 11am - 6pm
Thursday: 11am - 6pm
Friday: 11am - 6pm
Saturday: 11am - 5pm
Sunday: noon - 4pm

Markit & A brave new world a sculpture show

*** UPDATE***
the show opened last night & there is an album of images on my Facebook page

I think part of my problem is I think most things are possible, underestimate the amount of time that things take and sometimes over estimate my own abilities.
I had submitted and been accepting into a sculpture show on the based on drawings. So going from sketches to a 3D object, which needed to stand up to scrutiny and an show of this caliber was challenging to say the least. This time I was working with a materials I didn't have any expericne with as well as having a looming deadline, nothing like a but of pressure to get me going.

I submitted the maximum number of concepts for the show thinking "oh I'd be lucky to get a piece in" whoops is all I have to say now. I've been up to my armpits in cut & pleated paper & the onset of RSI and some sort of glue overdose is imminent. Needless to say I am finding glitter in some odd places.

I had to give up knitting a couple of years back as combined with being a on a computer all day & drawing it was causing me a few issues. I think I am going to have gnarled claws when I get to be an old grumpy lady, never mind I will be poking people with sticks & running over the toes of young people in my souped up nanna mobile...

I'm thinking glitter finish flames, a canopy trimmed with pom poms & and big shiny chrome pipes! Yes I have a plan and it's a good one.

But I digress I have work in the upcoming Toyota sculpture exhibition called "brave New World".... its a pretty big show & the calibre of artists taking part are making me feel just a little bit anxious. 

I have installed the sculptures at the Toyota Community spirit gallery and the show opens on the 27th of November and runs until March next year.

SCULPTURE 2012 - BRAVE NEW WORLD

the eighth annual exhibition showcasing the diversity and excellence of sculpture practice in Victoria

Opening Tuesday 27 November, 6:00 to 8:00pm

to be officially opened by Professor Callum Morton
Head of Fine Art, MADA (Monash Art Design & Architecture)

Exhibitors: George Alamidis, Anne Anderson, Emma Anna, Alan Annells, Marynes Avila, Mohd Khairi Baharom, Rob Ball, Don Barrett, Drasko Boljevic, Carolyn Cardinet, Albert Yi-Fu Chen, Bruce Cleal, Mark Cowie, Mimi Dennett, Paul Dew, Sean Diamond, Andy Dudok, Frank Duyker, Sai-Wai Foo. Sione Francis, Avis Gardner,, Kate Gorman, Mandy Gunn, Tegan Hamilton, Owen Hammond, Rowena Hannan, Matthew Harding, Dana Harris, Anton Hasell, Brian Helmkamp, Liz Henderson, Mark Henry, Nick Ilton, Melanie Irwin, Amelia Johannes, Cath Johnston, Stephanie Karavasilis, Andrew Kimpton, Jennifer Leggett, Sally Lie, Joanne Linsdell, Georgia MacGuire, Katherine Marmaras, David Marshall, Sheena Mathieson, Andrew McPherson, Samantha Menzies, Martin Moore, Mutsumi Nozaki, John Owe Young, Sherry Paddon, Norian Paicu, Anuradha Patel, Kirsten Perry, Jackie Ralph, Geoffrey Ricardo, Robyn Rich, Anna Robertson, Shoso Shimbo, Jeremy Shub, Adrian Spurr, Jenny Steiner, Kerry Strauss, Tul Suwannakit, Ronak Taher, Kim Tarpey, Brendon Taylor, Christopher Taylor, Pimpisa Tinpalit, Liz Walker, Carmel Wallace, Brook Winfield, Keren Zamir

Curator: Ken Wong

Toyota Australia

155 Bertie St, Port Melbourne

[Mel Ref 2E B11] 109 Tram, Stop 127, North Port Station/Lightrail Port Melbourne

Open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm or by appointment

Exhibition continues until March 2013

Composite image of my sculptures

This series explores fashion, identify and self adornment . In this case it's a group of 4 rather magnificently coiffed & decorated beasts: a goat, deer, dingo & a cat. 

Even more excitingly I am expanding on this body of work with a related exhibition in March 2013. It's going to be part of the LMFF L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival Cultural program I believe the full program gets launched in December of this year. The lovelies at Quirk & Co in North Melbourne will be hosting the show and there will be an opening night with drinkies & shopping. The show is titled "Dedicated Followers of Fashion"(yep it's a reference to the Kinks song!)

I am in the process of planning the show and working out opening dates stay tuned to my Facebook page for updates of shows, new work and photos.

Also Markit at Fed Square is coming up on Sunday the 25th of November. It will be one month to Christmas so get a jump on the pressie shopping. If you do I think you should  pick up something for yourself as a reward for being so organised!!

Pop in for a visit I am on Stall A32 with is in the Atrium, I'm close to the NGV book shop!

It's a fun market and the quality of products and variety is amazing also it gives you an opportunity to meet the makers & also the chance in some cases discuss & place an order for a custom made piece. I will have market specials but if you can't make it you can always go to my regular stockists as they will be all be getting a restock just before X'mas.

Also if  you are after a custom made piece I can be contacted via email on pleatybunny@gmail.com or an order can be placed through my stockists!

See you there
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

Finders Keepers market & other bits and pieces!

After my visit to the Finders Keepers in April this year I was really keen to take part in their next event. So I am happy to say that I have a stall at the upcoming October market, it opens of the Friday evening & runs all day Saturday! Going from the last market it should be a busy, fun market. Here's are the links to the designer directory  and the Facebook invite 
Just a gentle reminder the when the market is on it will be just over 2 months to Christmas.... seriously it feels as like it is just getting faster & faster!! ARGH!
If you can't make this market there are always my regular retail stores see my facebook for the listing of stores that stock my work.

Also I will be taking part in Markit at Fedsquare again on 25th of November... by that stage it will be exactly on month before Christmas so the panic should really have set in eep! For both markets I will have market specials and stock exclusively for the markets so pop by & grab a bargain - it is a reward to getting your chrissy shopping done early!

Also if you are thinking about getting portrait of your fluffy creature for yourself or as a gift you can contact me on pleatybunny@gmail.com if you want a quote or have any questions.

I love working on commissioned pieces as the subjects are always really fun and I do like the reactions I get to the finished piece! 

Here's are some images of comissioned work that I have completed recently: 

"Pinot"

Pinot looking handsome!

Pinot the handsome - a commissioned portrait of a very loved and handsome Chi/Jack Russell. The brief was for a portrait with airmail collar, I think he looks rather dashing with his starched collar and his little pearl button!

"A bad bad Bunny"

"A bad bad bunny" - a commission for a birthday gift, the brief was for a sweet but bad-ass bunny who had a bit of attitude witha vintage map paper collar.

"Oliver"

"Oliver" - a gift for a fresh baby, request was for a sweet looking bunny with patterned blues

love Miss Foo XXX

Pink Ladies & parrots!

I'm taking part in the 5th annual "Pink Lady Art Exhibition" its a Bayside local community event that is a fund raising event for the Breast Cancer Network Australia. It's a nice way of getting my work to a different audience and more importantly supporting a good cause.

The exhibition is based around the 5 elements as a theme, as much as I love a theme I have to admit I was stuck for a bit. I decided to explore the "lady" element of the exhibition  and do something that was fun and tied in with my obsession with all things fashion.

The resulting work a flock of three fabulously coiffed and groomed parrots express their personal concerns about the elements in their own unique way. Paper assemblages made of original ink drawings are hand cut and coloured with water colour pigments, pleated vintage book papers sequins and pom poms these fine ladies are the fashionistas of the feathered kind.    

EARTH “forget taupe or beige, the only earth tone she cared about was spray tan…”

FIRE “fiery temper? Clearly they had never been in her way at a shoe sale…”

WATER  “she didn’t mind the water so long as her mascara didn’t run…”

Love Miss Foo XXX      

 

Opening: Friday October 26th 7-9pm 

Opening Preview – Entry $15 donated to Breast Cancer Network Australia!

Exhibition: Saturday October 27th & Sunday October 28th 10am-5pmFree Entry – All Weekend!

Awards Ceremony: Sunday October 28th @ 1pm

Bayside Arts & Cultural Centre (Brighton Town Hall)

cnr Wilson & Carpenter Streets, Brighton, VIC, 3186

(MEL Ref 67 F10)

tickets for the opening night preview or more information go to http://pinkladyart.com.au/

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

Open Drawer - New Stockist

Hope everyone has been staying warm and snuggly in this rather gloomy and cold weather. One ray of sunshine in my day was delivering some goodies to a new stockist! I've just dropped off a whole lot of work to Open Drawer it's an Artist Made Gift Gallery, Art Gallery, Textile Supplies and Workshops. 

Really excited about this as I love the store concept. It's a cave of crafty goodness which extends from the shop front, to little sitting/library area, the art and sewing studios out the back and the upstairs gallery space. Besides the lovely ladies that run the store Prue & Robyn are an utter scream and give the best hugs!

Pop by and see the store, its a great place to pick up yarn and supplies - the button lady stocks her amazing vintage buttons here too. Also I will hopefully put something together to teach a workshop or two in the near future!

Stay Warm

love Miss Foo XXX

Open Drawer

1158 Toorak Road,
Camberwell (Hartwell Village) 3124
(Mel. Ref 60 C6)
Tram No 75 - Stop No. 52

https://www.facebook.com/opendrawer

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 10am – 5.00pm
Thursday 10am – 7pm
Saturday and Sunday 10am – 4pm

 A selection of the Pleatybunny by Miss FOO goodies that will be in store

 

Some snapshots of the lovely store!

 

 The gallery upstairs -currently there a felting exhibition

 

 More goodies in store 

 MMM nanna crochet blankets

Samples from the classes & workshops on offer 

 

The very lovely Prue & Robyn

 

 

 

 

 

 Knitty yarnnie goodness!

 Goodies in store