Traditions

Aprons & Hammers with Emma Greenwood from Craft on Vimeo.

So I'm still in Italy, sweating it out in Rome with the family. We have one day left and then the ridiculously long, uncomfortable flight home. We will be going from extremely long days, sunset after 8:30 pm, temperature around 30 degrees, to Melbourne's wintry weather, and extremely short days. I hope our immune systems are ready.

It has been a very inspiring trip, we have seen a lot of art, both contemporary and classic,  and we have eaten a heap of pasta, pizza and gelati. The kids have had a lot of attention, Hazel is a big attraction, as all the Italians wave at her and talk to her, calling her bella, or carissima. Travelling with kids and a Granny is, um, well, interesting, logistically challenging, expensive, and ultimately quite amusing. The kids are a big icebreaker.

I have been paying attention to the style of the Italians, hot damn they are sharp dressers! In Venice I was gobsmacked, Florence and Rome less so, but generally they have amazing knitwear, leather products (of course), and eyewear/spectacles etc.

I was particularly inspired in Florence, as Tuscany is the home of the leather industry, with many tanneries, workshops and manufacturers. A friend was visiting the San Miniato region to meet with leather producers, and I eagerly await her findings!

I love the traditions of Italy, whether it's food, arts/crafts, family, living with mucho gusto! And so in a very circuitous ramble, I finally get to introduce this short film, showing me in my studio, using traditional shoemaking techniques.

My buddy Tom from Bandit Films was commissioned by Craft Victoria to make a few films on Melbourne artisans/craftspeople, including Philip Stokes, Nicholas Jones, Emily Green and myself. Over the course of a year or so, Tom visited me in the studio and as he filmed we chatted away about shoemaking and crafting, there is no dialogue here but plenty of visual information.

I hope you enjoy it, seeing it all while I am away from home makes me a bit teary, as I do miss my studio, and am storing up all this inspiration and energy for a big frenzy when I get home. I especially love the closing shot of me and Little Hazel, she was only 18 months old, such a munchkin!

Olde Worlde

 French boots from the 1860s.

 The stitches were so small and perfect, every detail was exquisite and I felt like a big galumph in my battered boots.

 This is my ideal outfit, seriously, I am such a fan of these old military  uniforms. Do not be surprised if you see me sporting one of these jackets in the near future.

Bentwood cradle from the 1860s. Gorgeous. I had to restrain Hazel from climbing in.

These treasures are all in the permanent collection at the NGV.

Ray Gascoigne

I love reading Smith Journal, and the latest edition features the subject of this short film - Ray Gascoigne, maker of astoundingly detailed ships in bottles. Leo and I pored over the photos but now I can show him this video, and hopefully it will make a bit more sense to him.

In contrast to yesterday's post about Loewe, and their impeccably clean surfaces and benchtops, Ray's workbench looks very familiar to me, layers of materials and tools with one small clear space directly in front of him. I'm always keen to see how makers order their space, or not!

Bravo to the Etsy blog for featuring such gorgeous short films.

Loewe loves leather

Via The Selby - wow.

In the words of Liz Lemon 'I want to go to there'!

 

  

 

  

 

 

Melbourne Medical Museum

My son and significant other both have a keen interest in medical models and associated apparatus; microscopes, anatomical drawings, surgical tools etc. We read about the Melbourne Medical Museum last month, and bookmarked a visit in our diary, they are open during the week and on Saturday afternoons, so we combined it with a trip to Lygon St for icecream.

Located on Level 2 of the Brownless Biomedical Library, Melbourne University Gate 10 on Grattan St, we went up the spiral staircase past studious Saturday peeps, all hushed in the library, a foreign concept for our Hazel.

It's only a small room, but we loved the gorgeous old cabinets, velvet-lined cases with surgical tools, old porcelain medicine bottles, fancy medals and the fabulous old pharmacy staffed by the lovely lady above. No dodgy sunnies or jellybeans for sale there!

Rodarte

The fashion writers are describing the lastest collection from Rodarte like a Game of Thrones tribute, indeed after the show Kate Mulleavy said "This collection for us was about medieval fantasy roll playing games.”

I love it! I've had an interest in armour and sci-fi for a while now, so this collection just ticked all the boxes for me. Hello Rodarte kindred spirits.

I am a bit obsessed with GoT at the moment, reading book 5 which is an absolute brick, but so addictive. It's my version of crack; I read at the traffic lights, I am Miss Antisocial with her head in a large book. The pages are wafer thin, the print is so small I have to wear glasses to read it, the maps are delicious in their detail, the characters are fabulous, the casting of the HBO show is inspired, you get the point - I'm hooked!

Tatau

 I am a bit cheeky, and perhaps lazy, in stealing this post from Craft Vic





Tatau #6: Emma Greenwood

words: Hahna Busch, photo: Beth Nellie

Inspired by the upcoming Tatau exhibition for Craft Cubed 2012, Craft has been intrigued to discover more about the diversity in tattooing across Melbourne. So we got out and about to meet some locals with unique tattoos and unique stories to tell. Here is a snapshot of one of the inked individuals we profiled…

From 4 August, all 12 of our profiled guests will have their photograph exhibited in From Tatau to Tattoo at NGV Studio, Federation Square. More information about the exhibition and project can be found on the Craft website here, including registrations for a tattoo by guest artists Tricia Allen, Pat Morrow and Simon Wilson. From August you will also be able to read the full editorial pieces on our tattooees. Stay tuned to The Craft Blog, for more tattoo profiles over the next couple of weeks.

EMMA GREENWOOD

Untitled
Artist: Geordie Cole, Tattoo Magic
Tattooist: Geordie Cole, Tattoo Magic
2000

WHO: Emma Greenwood – shoemaker and creative extraordinaire

WHAT: A depiction of swirling blue waves breaking into foam, inspired by traditional Japanese woodblock artists, and similar to Hokusai’s Great Wave of Kanagawa image.

WHY: Emma’s tattoo was a tangible expression of her love for the colour blue and her passion for the traditional style of the Japanese woodblock artwork. It is “the one” image she is prepared to wear for life.

WHEN: Emma got her tattoo in 2000 when she was inspired and surrounded by tattoo culture. The artwork covers an old tattoo done in her teenage years, and was recently retouched.

WHERE: The long-searched for artist trusted with doing the piece was Geordie Cole of Tattoo Magic.

Kicking the habit

During the Christmas holidays I gave my bookcase a clean, you'll recall my color coded revamp which is still soothing my senses. I got rid of a bunch of magazines, I'm not one to keep mags around in huge towering piles, mostly I rip out my face pages to collate into themed folders -yes I am a bit of an archivist freak, journal keeping, birthday card keeping paper collector.

So I looked at the mags I had been buying, and they were mostly interiors glossies, with product-laden editorials, voyeuristic shoots of people's fabulous homes, fodder for consumerism really. Yes, there were a few good ideas, inspiring colors and aesthetics, but I could see the same stories being used again and again, in a whole lot of different mags. Even though I'd been reading them each month, it wasn't until I quickly flipped through them all in the last minute cull of images that I realized how tired I was of the whole scene.

So my New Years' reading resolution/revelation came to me in a medical waiting room, full of people, full of glossy gossipy mags. I spied the familiar yellow border, a sentimental reminder of time spent reading about the world, the cultures, people, natural beauty and wondrous spectacle. National Geographic.

The funny thing about this new addiction, is that what used to be my quiet time with a cup of tea, usually when Hazel had just gone down for her daytime nap, has become family discussion time. We all flick through together and talk about what we're seeing. Hazel loved the story of the orphaned elephants, Leo couldn't stop looking at the images of dissected bodies, I'm inspired by the Berber people and their traditional robes, oh and the Sami people of Lapland too.

My mind is full of maps, places I want to visit, and obscure facts with which to impress my learned Dad. I know about the huge caves discovered in Vietnam, the reduced birth rate in Brazil, the salt flats at Lake Eyre in South Australia and the wing-suit flying phenomenon.

The only problem is that I may end up having huge stacks of Nat G mags around the house, as I am unlikely to be able to cull this collection!

Hello Burberry Prorsum

I want to make things like these beauties.

I would also like to wear such beauties (budget allowing), but not sure how I'd do the school run on the bike with toddler in tow.

And what does Prorsum mean anyway?

From the clever folks at Burberry.

Nga Waiata

I first became aware of New Zealand Maori artist Nga Waiata in a recent issue of Dumbo Feather, and from the first look at her work I was/am smitten.

Late last year I emailed Sam the following photo, with a caption indicating that I was coveting these rings. Lo and behold, the gorgeous man visited egetal and after ordering one in my size, my hand is now graced with a chunky lapis lazuli beauty!

I used to wear rings all the time, but when I took up shoemaking I had to stop, as they were getting in the way of my tools,  also getting very banged up, and often marking what I was working on. I'm sure I can remember to take this one off when I'm at the tools.

I have never been a crystal devotee, nor do I have a penchant for timber or anything brown in general, but these are supremely clever in their beautiful, minimal, natural qualities.

According to Nga's website:

Lapis Lazuli is a stone of total awareness
helps expand the intellect & intuitive aspects of ones character
facilitates clear expression of thoughts
helps you say the right thing at the right time!

Sounds like a long-overdue element of tact may creep into my world, here's hoping!

 

Nga's new pendants feature handwoven chain details, I haven't seen them in the flesh but love the use of large crystals. All crystals are sustainably mined in Brazil, and the timber is recycled Pohutakawa, machined by a master craftsman and hand-finished by Nga.

Grain and Gram

Thanks to Dudecraft I found out about Grain and Gram - The New Gentleman's Journal. They are not a blog-a-day types, but when they press 'publish' it is always a long, nutritious read. The other day I clicked over to immerse myself in the studio and practice of Jason Gregory of Makr, who designs and makes custom leather goods for discerning folk.

I can't do justice to the interview with my current weary-morning-brain, but if you read my blog because you like handmade products with integrity and deluxe processes, then please visit the Grain and Gram folk, and bookmark them for future reading and inspiration.

Here's some footage of the Makr studio, I think I have a crush on all of these blokes - bearded tattooed skateboarders with cylinder-arm walking-foot machines :)





Grain & Gram: Jason Gregory, Designer from Grain & Gram on Vimeo.

Birthday loot!

I do make a fuss on my birthday, and my peeps are becoming accustomed to the shenanigans. I sing silly almost-birthday songs leading up to the day, I dance around the letterbox when cards and parcels are delivered, I am wearing my best kimono (sleeves flapping in the breeze as we ride to school) - I may be 38 but really I am still about 7 years old!

So I've sampled Haigh's Truffles delivered to my door by Paula, have coloured in with my Stabilo fine liners in rainbow format (thanks Leo, Sam and Hazel!), have ooohed and aaahed over the fine books (thanks Mum, thanks Leila!) and stamps (thanks Dad!) and I hear that the Taco Truck is in my neighbourhood today, what a treat!

I hope that some of my ridiculous bonhomie rubs off on you too, here, have another exclamation point!

Gorgeous and/or green

 My girl in her awesome bathers. Nothing better than a paddle pool on a 35 degree day, kept them entertained for hours!

 My boy is gummy again! Hazel pushed out his second top wobbler, it was a bit like a cat-flap for the last few days, really gross!

 Our gargantuan 1.375 kilo zucchini, we have used it in a cake, in a pasta and still have some left. A gorgeous plant to grow, such huge leaves and pretty flowers.

My soon-to-be-delivered Tree Top Green Asics. Oh boy I want them to hurry up!

On my bedside table

The Creative Women's Circle began as a networking group, run by my dear pal Dearne Herrenberg, who got very busy and handed over the reigns to graphic designer Tess McCabe. Events are held throughout the year, usually a guest speaker who tells their story, providing know-how, advice and inspiration to a crowd of enthusiastic gals.

Tess is an ideas lady, and a bit of an achiever, producing this nourishing little blue book, Conversations with creative women, interviews about the careers and creative lives of 15 Australian women.

Such beautiful details, she has even made a letterpress scissors bookmark! I love a good bookmark.

 Two of my very favourite ladies, Maryann Talia Pau and Pip Lincolne, are present, and although I have known each of them for a while, and have had many in-depth personal conversations with both of them, I have never quite heard the stories they share in this book.

Also included are Kristen Doran, Lucy Feagins, Marian Hosking, Clare Lancaster, Cristina Re, Kate Vernon, Masayo Yasuki, Serena Lindeman, Grace Camobreco, Lou Pardi, Seja Vogel, and Tess Lloyd and Maja Rose. Phew!

( Please excuse my dodgy scanning!)

The intriguing Polli team.

 It's a words book, not a picture book, but includes title pages for each subject, designed by 15 different illustrators, a great way to give a few extra people some big-ups!

I took this book to sleep school with Hazel recently, and although we were only there for one night (meant to be three, snotty daughter not allowed to stay and share her leaky nose with the other babies) I devoured it in any spare time I had, relishing all of the stories and career paths, the advice of both what to do and NOT to do.

I have always had great relationships with teachers in my life, as I am quite an avid student. Looking back I can see that I've had a stream of creative mentors over the years: my high school art teacher Mr Caskey, my sculpture lecturer at Uni George Popperwell, my chalk-and-cheese shoemaking teachers Simon O'Mallon and Tim Skyrme, Johanna Preston during the time I made shoes for her label, and my capoeira teacher Lorem Dias.

I guess I consider this to be a book full of mentors, which is just what I need right now. I have been a bit disconnected from my craft and from the larger world of teachers and practitioners, which is one of the pitfalls of working from home. Any one know of a good mentor for me right now?

One of the crucial lessons learned at sleep school was to look after myself.  The staff at Tweddle urged me to take at least 15 mins to myself as soon as Hazel is asleep, no cleaning, no domestic duties, just me and a cup of fine tea and some equally fine reading material, or whatever it is that takes MY fancy.

So here I am, kids are out at school and daycare, and I have a hot date with my sewing machine. I'm making sandals to wear in Adelaide over Christmas, I am supremely aware that it is a rare skill, and that I happen to have it. Yay for shoemaking!

Yay for this book and the restorative effect it has had on me.

Yay for all the teachers in the world, especially all of mine.

Finally, yay for Tess McCabe, she gets a gold star!