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

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

Thinking pink....

"I adore that pink! It's the navy blue of India," 

 Diana Vreeland

Detail shot of 2 pieces in the "Think Pink" show titled 
 LEFT "Tickled Pink" & RIGHT "Pink perfection"  by Sai-Wai Foo

I am taking part in "Think Pink" a group show at the Firestation Print Studio in Armadale. The theme is anything to do with pink. 

The show will be raising funds for the Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) from 22nd October to 4th November.  It is being run in partnership with the Pink Lady Art Exhibition (see link for previous blog post) The official opening is on Saturday the 27th of October from 10am to 12pm - morning tea!

I have 3 pieces in the show and again fabulous birds are the subject matter,  this time a pair of flamingos and a very over the top parrot! 

"her signature colour was pink..."by Sai-Wai Foo

I have always had a fondness for pink. To quote Shelby from Steel Magnolias  "pink is my signature colour..." It's a film that can still reduce me to a quivering sobbing heap! If you haven't seen it do there's lots of big hair, southern accents, Dolly Parton, a bleeding armadillo cake & Shirley MacLaine is awesomely grumpy.

Truvy: What are your colors, Shelby?
Shelby: My colors are "blush" and "bashful."
M'Lynn: Her colors are "pink" and pink."
Shelby: My colors are "blush" and "bashful" Mama!
M'Lynn: How precious is this weddin' gonna get, I ask you?

Love Miss Foo XXX
 

Firestation Print Studio

2 Willis Street

Armadale VIC 3143

Gallery Hours: Wednesday - Saturday 11am - 5pm or by appointment

Workshop Hours: available for booking, 365 days a year. 
Below are images of the studio & gallery space.

 

 

Mini the wonderdog wanted to have a sticky beak in the studio

 

Fur & Whiskers group show and new work

UPDATE: images of the opening can be viewed at my Facebook page

"The Origin of Fur and Whiskers" is a group show that I am taking part in this month. It's  looking to be a fun show with a mix of diverse work, I had a sneak peek of the show when I dropped off my work over the weekend. 

I'm submitting 2 works for this show the first is a series titled "The animal in you" made up of a group of nine portraits. Unfortunately due to the size of the gallery the full series will not be on display. I was thinking how animals are often used to describe personality traits. There are so many animal based idioms. The full series is made up of a series of a group of 9 using a shadow portrait as a base.

"animal in you series" by Sai-Wai Foo

I quite like the ambiguity of the silhouette, I did find myself imagining the types of people these were once there animal totems had been assigned to them. In there series there is a 'stubborn goat','top dog', 'show pony', 'spring chicken', 'bird brain', 'black sheep', 'curious cat', 'night owl' and a rather 'bull headed' lady.

"A Good Looking bird" by Sai-Wai Foo

The second piece is titled "A good looking bird" again playing on oft used vernacular to describe a good looking woman. The piece is an paper assemblage of an ostrich in a glass and steel housing. She is quite glamourous and fun to make with all her pleats, pearls and sequins, not to mention her lovely long eyelashes! She is housed in a steel & glass container, she kind of reminds me of the witch Mombi in Return to OZ.

Image from Return to Oz (image from http://oneofeachblog.com/tag/return-to-oz)

 
The show opens on 5th of October and is at Off the Kerb gallery founded & run by Shini an old school friend. It's really nice to renew a friendship that goes back to well let's just say quite a few years.  Shini is one half of a very talented set of twins I went to school with. They are both very talented artists in high school however did not pursue their creative careers until graduating from"sensible" degrees!  Shini made the jump to art school her sister Dhini moved to fashion; up until last year had her own label is now head designer for a fashion brand. It's great how both girls ended up in a creative field as I could not imagine either of them being very happy in "sensible" non-creative job!

Pop by the opening!
Love Miss Foo XXX

 Off the Kerb Gallery

The Origin of Fur and Whiskers

5th October - 19th October, 2012 (Opening on Friday 5th October 6-9pm)

Opening Hours are Thurs & Fri 12:30pm-6pm, Sat & Sun 12-5pm. Entry is Free.

66B Johnston St, Collingwood, 3066
9077 0174