Red Brick Magazine

Feeling inspired

2013-07-18T05:25:00.002-07:00

This week I have launched myself into my new position with Leadership Ballarat and Western Region, it's one of those crazy transition periods that I seem to invite into life so frequently. Although there's an element of scrabbling to keep up with the new skills and information being thrown at me I gotta say I find it pretty darn inspiring!

It might seem a far cry from the gallery but actually, right now, this job is so much closer to where I am focused and the things I really love in life; community, storytelling, connecting people and helping them find the things that they need to move forward. And, believe it or not, I think I will actually have MORE time to be creative myself!

So what have I been working on? It must be nesting season for me as I have been repainting our home a little bit at a time, kitchen cupboards, bedroom, living space and creating and hanging artworks to match. I'm in love with a very soft grey called 'half concrete' it's so relaxing and calming without being predictable. Yummy.

In other news planning our wedding is coming along nicely but I think that's a whole post of it's own!

What have YOU been working on?

A big announcement

2013-06-18T03:53:00.001-07:00

I have a story to tell. It's the story of me, where I'm at, where I'm going and a new chapter is unfolding that I can't wait to share with you.
2013 has been a MONSTER of a year so far, one of those years I'm gonna look back on and and think 'that year changed my life!'
Life is full of tough decisions, ones that pull us in many directions and involve our heads and hearts and all the parts in between, I believe you know when you have made the right choice when thinking about the path you have chosen makes you smile. Today I am grinning from ear-to-ear and couldn't be happier at the direction I'm taking and have been itching to tell everyone all about it.
For the past five months I have been working with the very lovely and capable Krystle Evans, a Ballarat based artist. She has been learning the ropes at the gallery, working with artists and being that friendly face in the shop several days a week. In fact, Krystle has been pretty much running the show! Very shortly my time at the gallery will be over, come September this year the gallery that I have poured my heart and soul into will become Krystle's baby, so she can give it the love and affection it deserves and make it even more awesome!
I'm so excited that Krystle has the passion and drive to keep the gallery thriving and couldn't think of a better person to hand the baton to. Knowing our dream of a friendly and fun artistic space in Ballarat will continue and grow is all I could wish for. I believe in Krystle, and admire her for her dedication and fresh enthusiasm, and know that the gallery space will flourish in her hands.
I have taught her everything I have learnt and can't wait to see how the gallery grows.
The gallery will remain in the same space and I got the secret-squirrel lowdown today on the gallery's new name! It's going to be AWESOME! We will keep you up-dated on all the gossip as it unfolds via our Facebook page.

So why am I leaving? For those of you who know me, and those running their own business you will know how much a project like that consumes your life. It's a passion that keeps you awake at night thinking of amazing ideas, solving problems, and plotting and planning. It's an amazing experience and it's all consuming! I'm so proud of everything that Marcia King and I built, and even prouder of the role it plays in our community now, but I am ready for new challenges and experiences, and want to make space in my life for them to happen.
So what am I up to next? Running the gallery these past two and half years has been the most incredible experience, it has very quickly allowed me to immerse myself in this awesome town and I have recently been offered an amazing opportunity to have a much wider impact on the community via a role with Leadership Ballarat and Western Region (LBWR).

I'm so excited, this is a bit of a dream job for me right now and will allow me to build my skills, as well as use everything I have learnt from my time at the gallery to do something awesome.
So what about 'Red Brick'? Well, you will still see me on Facebook and the website and the blog (now I have more time!) as well as with my involvement in the Pop-Up Co. To be honest Red Brick is ME and I couldn't break the two apart if I wanted to! Red Brick will still be the face of my own adventures and I can't wait to take you along on my journey.
If you think you have some questions, or want to hear more about this transition of the gallery you are more than welcome to get in touch. You can contact me at hello@redbrickgallery.com.au or Krystle at exhibtions@redbrickgallery.com.au

Beginners product photography

2013-02-10T02:10:00.000-08:00

Oh goodness! Product photography = pain in my curvy ass!
Anyone who has ever had to take snaps of the stuff they have made will know that it's no mean feat to produce clear and pretty pictures that really show your product to it's best advantage.

One of the most valuable pieces of advice I have ever received (and incidentally ignored) was from an old lecturer. He very wisely told me that the most valuable thing I could ever get out of art school was a friendship with a photographer. He was right, you can spend thousands of dollars on high quality product photography as quickly as blinking and the DIY approach can drive the sanest maker batty!
For several years I have battled along trying to create crisp, evenly lit images to show the things I have made to their best. I have fought poor lighting, windy outdoor conditions, over-blown highlights and crazy constructions to produce white backgrounds.

I FINALLY seem to have found the solution and although the process is still fairly time-consuming I get consistent results every time. WIN!

I think a successful product photograph can be broken down into 3 key points, 1: Set up (lighting, backdrops etc), 2:Styling (how to make your image relevant and pretty) 3: Technical stuff (camera, editing etc)

I think I had better give a quick disclaimer at this point. I'm only a hobby photographer but I believe everyone can develop some key skills to taking awesome photographs without too much fancy (expensive) gear and studio setups. There are lots of resources out there for taking professional product images, this post is about taking a good quality image without the expense and gear!

SET UP
I like my product shots to have a neutral background like the above image. You can add in pretty bits in your styling, but to make the product shine, and show all the details clearly a clean, clear background is often best.
I used to fiddle around hanging backdrops of white fabric or paper and always found it to be a nightmare removing creases and shadows. I now use and LOVE my product cube. It's like a pop-up tent with changeable backgrounds designed for product photography. It creates a consistent and instant background instantly. I have never worked out how to twist it back into it's zip-up bag, but aside from that it's pretty awesome and really affordable.

The best, and easiest light is natural lighting. The tricky part is that you don't want it to be direct (shining straight on your product). The most even light is reflected at your subject and diffused to create an even light.

Again, the photography cube is ace for this, it softens light shining on your product and gently reflects white light back at it.
Despite all of this I struggled to get nice bright images until I discovered the perfect spot in my home... at about 5pm (in the summertime) the sun hits the window at the top of my stairway. It shines onto the white wall and the light is bounced all around the white space and creates the perfect conditions for photography in that spot. The light is in-direct and diffused. Ticks all boxes.

You can create this effect by using a reflector to bounce the light onto your subject if you don't have a handy white wall. Often we focus on creating a whit background forgetting that it's what's behind the camera that directs light onto our subjects.

STYLING
This is the bit I Iove the best but also find the hardest to do well. When you set up your shots you need to think like a shopper. You need two types of images to give you all the information you need to make the decision to purchase or not. The first type of image is a clear shot of the product it's self, no distractions. This is the part that helps the shopper work out the quality of the product, I have often been a bit disappointed as an online shopper when I took a chance on a poorly photographed product.
As a photographer you need to show details such as surface texture, dimensions, details like fastenings, stitching and accurate colour. The tricky part is capturing all of this information in just a few shots. The below image shows the colour of the leathers, the adjustable buckle, the stitching quality and two-tone strap in one image. Don't be afraid to get up close, my webshop images are quite small even when expanded.

The other kind of image is the lifestyle shot. This image shows the buyer the way you want them to feel about your product. It might show the products uses, include pretty props or show how the buyer can style the product themselves. Props can also give a sense of scale to your images.

It's a process very similar to creating an amazing product description and there's a great interview here that's really useful in helping you work out that process.
I only make and buy products that I love, so style my photos in the same way... how I would use or wear that product. I'm not comfortable modelling things myself (I pull funny faces and accidentally stick my belly out) but a snippet of myself is fine and I stand in that magic spot whilst my fella takes a shot (under strict supervision!) :)

TECHNICAL STUFF
My DSLR was the best purchase I ever made. Even when I just use it for snap-shots it's wonderful to get the photo close to the way I saw it in my head. It took me a long time to get one because quite frankly being an artist my whole life I'm broke and paying the rent has to come first right!?
I eventually saved enough pennies to buy my Nikon D3100. It's an entry level DSLR. That means it's nothing flash but it has enough functions to take a pretty picture if you use it properly. It can also shoot film.
I'm not going to pretend that my cheap camera and lens takes the best image ever, but it's certainly a huge leap forward from my old compact camera. This article nicely explains the differences between the two. If you are using a compact there are a few simple things you can do to take a better photo like setting your white balance, here's a useful but fairly dry article giving you some tips.
I shoot in RAW mode. Essentially this means I capture as much of the visual information that my sensor can pickup. Even if it doesn't look much in the photo at first, I can draw on it when I edit. I use Adobe Lightroom to edit my photos, it allows me to adjust the image easily without loosing any information as well as store and catalogue them. My default edits include warming the image up and deepening the shadows. I also crop my images to a square, to fit the format on my webshop. Below is a before and after.

It goes without saying that the subject of your image should be in focus, and I think it's extra pretty when the background is blurred. Use the focusing tool on your camera and adjust your aperture settings.
Sheesh... this technical stuff can get pretty boring if you get bogged down in it, so let's leave it there huh?!
I'm hoping this post has given you a sweet overview into making your product pictures prettier and less stressful, let me know how you go, emails at hello@redbrickgallery.com.au are always welcome!
All the best
X Steph

Dreams, goals and aspirations

2013-02-03T06:33:00.002-08:00

Did you make new years resolutions this January? I'm not a fan of them myself, I find they are so often focused on the negative parts of our lives... loose weight, spend less time working, be a more patient parent.... they can feel a bit like a list of things we beat ourselves up about.
To me that's not such an inspiring start to the year, so instead this January I made a list of goals instead. This list included personal as well as business aspirations, less a fixed 'to do' list and more a guide to start the year with a clear sense of direction.
A really great part of keeping this blogazine is the recording of this time in my life, a time-capsule of who I am now as an artist, designer and small business owner. I think it will be really interesting to look back on my aspirations in the future so I'm going to share a few of my goals here for posterity.
It's a long list I have to confess, so I will only share part of it!

Get engaged.

It may not sound like the most romantic way to go about things, but my boyfriend and I have decided it would be really lovely to get married. It's been something we have talked about since shortly after we met, and just a matter of time until we both felt ready. I'm the luckiest girl ever and can't wait to celebrate our relationship!

Work my butt off

I never thought I would say these words but 2013 is the year of work. Generally I think working hard is pretty over-rated but this year I have some business goals I want to achieve and the only way to get there is by hard graft. Every small business owner will tell you it's hard going working for yourself but I'm determined to knuckle down and make this year the most rewarding and fulfilling Red Brick year ever!
I can only apologise to my darling friends in advance, I love you dearly but I will be thin on the ground this year.

Make more things

There's nothing new here really, I'm ALWAYS making things it's true, lots of things. But this year I want to make more artwork, design and make more products and get them into other peoples loving hands.
Running a creative space can be really amazing, but sometimes I can get so busy enabling artists and designers to create and show their work to the world that I run out of time to do my own making. This year I'm making it a priority!

While we are on the subject I thought I would share some of the things I have been working on this summer. These things involve wood, brickies twine, foraged timber and the most wonderful pastel-flouro paint mix I have ever created.... it's ZINGY on the eyes!

Fun wooden goodies aren't the only thing I have been making this summer, I spent most of my Christmas holidays re-building our website and these pretty one-off wooden jewelry designs will be appearing on it soon. I'm really proud of the new site and would love to hear what you think of it too. You can see it here.
I know I don't always make it easy to respond to my ramblings and rants but I love to get emails from readers so please feel free to get in touch, My email addy is hello@redbrickgallery.com.au you can also say 'hello' on our Facebook page too!
X Steph

My baby the Ukulele

2013-01-25T23:02:00.000-08:00

For my birthday in 2011 I was gifted a very cute, baby pink ukulele and for over 12 months it sat looking very pretty on my book shelf tormenting me.... because although I'm absolutely passionate about music, I'm thoroughly inept when it comes to playing an instrument.
I just can't get my head around how music works, it's a complex maze of rhythm and melody, layers of carefully structured sound who's theory sends my head into a whirl almost as easily as listening to it makes my body want to.

Pretty in pink and unblinking, my uke stared me down. It's Mahalo brand cheap and cheerful and it's jangly strings silent and neglected.

And then something happened. My lovely man bought himself a saxophone and threw himself into it with gusto... I mean, he even grew a mustache to match, we're talking dedication here!
4 months later and he's busting out bebop jazz solos like there's no tomorrow.
I'm not entirely sure this is a good thing, but it's certainly made our house a more musical (and louder) place to be and changed something in me.

I had a very quiet Christmas time, burnt out by a hectic November and December I jut sat on my couch and lounged in the heat. I ate, I drank, I watched lots of movies and took a 2 week sabbatical from my crazily busy life. In short, I recuperated from 2012.

One very special but indistinct languid summers day, in the post-xmas haze I picked up my Ukulele. And I played until my fingers were sore, I learnt simple chords and how to strum, I learnt that playing chords on the uke demands no reading of music, I learnt it's hard to sing along but I'm damned if that's gonna stop me.

Our house rang with badly played beginners ukulele tunes, my fingers got tough, and my rhythm less clunky, and now it almost sounds like music, and I'm proud. Proud as baby-pink punch.

I also learnt that the ukulele is the most hipster instrument of all time.Should a girl with pink hair really be taking it that far? But pride will get me nowhere. I'm embracing my social stereotype, I have a tuning ap for my iphone and I'm learning some of my fave indi-folky-poppy tunes (well, the simple ones anyway).

How can you fail to be happy with music as cheerful as this?!

A return to what I love

2012-12-27T17:16:00.002-08:00

So it's been a while. I'm sure you can forgive me, when it comes to the crunch Red Brick is ultimately a retail business so times have been hectic. CRAZY even! Over the past week I have been enjoying a well earned break.... Today I'm still in my P.J's well after 11am but my head is feeling a little more ready to face the world. I have missed you dear blog so get ready for some lovin'!

As well as the usual festive frenzy I have been working on a couple of very special projects and I have some pretty exciting news I have been dying to share. The past month or so has seen me feverishly beavering away working on a brand new range of products!

Don't get me wrong, working hard in the gallery promoting the work of other artists and designers is rewarding, but there's something extra specially satisfying in developing my own designs.

The first range I would like to introduce to you is close to my heart. Developed from my 'Lady Of Ballarat' original papercut, I have titled this giftware line 'Beautiful Ballarat' as it celebrates all that is wonderful about our little city.

I've been seriously excited about this new giftware range, the design appears on tote bags, tea towels, notebooks, soaps, art prints and cushion covers, all of which have been hand-printed by me here in Ballarat.

The range officially launched this month at the Ballarat Popup shop and the response has been fantastic! Thanks to everyone who has already checked it out and for all the positivity I've been receiving. Sometimes, as a maker, it can be hard work believing in yourself and the value of your own artwork, but receiving such an awesome response has been the confidence boost I really needed, so a heart-felt thank you from me.
I really am pleased as punch and once I have recuperated a little from the silly season I shall be hard at work uploading these items into our new online store which I have been diligently re-vamping... no rest for the wicked!

Thankful, 2012

2012-11-24T04:01:00.002-08:00

This week, if I were still living in the US I would have been celebrating Thanksgiving. During the couple of years I did live there I was lucky enough to have Thanksgiving fall on my birthday and really got to see how well North Americans know how to celebrate the good stuff, those long harsh winters become so much more tolerable with all those festivals and events.

Here in Australia we are on the brink of Summer and tomorrow it's my birthday. Last birthday I lost track and thought I was turning 33... Maths has never been on of my strengths and the years all seemed to blur into one... when my mother reliably informed me (she was there at the event after all) that I was only 32 I felt like I had gained a bonus year!

And this year really has been a bonus. My best so far. The biggest blessing.

Usually I get so excited about birthdays, I'm one of 5 kids so as you can imagine my Mother didn't have a whole lot of time for individual attention. Birthdays were the days that we got to shine, got to be celebrated and cherished. This year I'm feeling, for the first time ever, fairly ambivalent, there's no pressure to make it a special day and I know why... this year there's no need to be celebrated on my birthday because for the past 366 days of this year I have been celebrated every day of the year and I have my wonderful Mr Mark to thank for that.

So I think it's only fitting that I make this birthday post about the things I'm thankful for, because there are plenty of them!

First, and most importantly is my Mr Mark, as I have told you before he's awesome. I couldn't even begin to try to tell you how awesome he is so lets just leave it at that... I know, I'm a mush-head.

I'm thankful for another year. I know now not to take my well-being and health for granted and cherish every extra year I get.

I'm thankful for my amazing friends. I love you, thanks for loving me too.

I'm thankful for my creative talent, it makes me so happy and enriches my life, every day in so many ways.

I'm thankful for living in a country that is not only extraordinarily beautiful but also one which respects my right live a peaceful life, my civil liberties and human rights.

I'm one very lucky lady and this birthday I'm sending my love and thoughts to those less fortunate. With so much to be thankful for it's the least I should be doing.

Here's wishing you many more years to be thankful for too.

XXX Steph

Something ace from someone awesome. A handmade Christmas gift idea

2012-11-07T20:10:00.000-08:00

This week the world has been in flux, world leaders have been chosen, storms have raged and stocks have rallied.

Meanwhile in the Red Brick household it's been cross stitch time. Changing the world one stitch at a time. Or not, as the case may be.

I planned to keep this little project a secret as it was meant to become a Christmas gift for my beloved. However my inability to keep anything I'm excited about on the hush-hush has once again prevailed, and the cat is out of the bag. Lucky really. For you. Because now I have chance to share this amazing gift idea with you before Christmas. Yey!

Jacqueline from Wee Little Stitches tells me her web store has been abuzz with Australian traffic lately and it's no surprise really, since good ole Frankie Magazine shared her amazing cross stitch patterns in their weekly newsletter.

Drawn at first to her amazing pixel characters (Ferris Buellers Day Off, The Labyrinth and The Goonies!) I whooped in delight to discover she can also design you a custom couple/family pixel people portrait. Amazaballs! I quickly lined Marky and I up for a awkward snap and a few days later Jacqueline sent through a design for proof... along with an apology for it's tardiness due to Hurricane Sandy leaving her powerless.. literally... to get to it earlier. What a gal.

Naturally I berated her and told her that was no excuse ;) but I was quickly pacified when I saw what an AWESOME job she did.... doesn't this look heaps like us?! If I were a bunch of pixels, this would be me. :)

Now listen here you crafty types, if, like me, you are looking at this and thinking "hmmm... I could design that" well yes, I'm sure you could, but for $12 Jacqueline designed me a custom pattern complete with a list of the exact DCM embroidery floss colours I would need so I didn't have to spend an hour in the store comparing colours (yes, I'm THAT person) as well as a whole heap of cross stitch tips on her blog. B.A.R.G.A.I.N

Now stop being a cheap-ass and buy something ace, from someone awesome this Christmas. BLAM.

Weekend shenanigans and my Happy Place.

2012-11-07T00:55:00.000-08:00

This weekend was a corker. A winner. Do you know what a great weekend means? An image-heavy post, so look out!
I treated myself to an extra long weekend with my lovely man to spend a few days enjoying the amazing spring weather and each others company. I'm still so attuned to the seasons of the Northern hemisphere that I forgot how lovely this time of year can be... oh my gosh... here I go again, banging on about the weather! Hahaha.

I just can't help it though... as an ex-pat you have no idea how exciting it is for me to be able to get into shorts in Spring... well, any time of the year really!
Each year our town celebrates 'Springfest', a community event spread around the shores of the lake with market stalls, yummy food, vintage car show and heaps of stuff for kids. With that big ole sun shining I think the whole of Ballarat turned out for the event this year!

My fave part by far had to be the awesome Chinese lanterns in the lantern making competition... Ballarat has a strong Chinese heritage from it's Goldrush days so I love seeing that multicultural history celebrated. Plus, how awesomely colourful are these lanterns!?

As if walking around the lake weren't enough for a Sunday, I made the executive decision that we were heading out bush... I can't get enough of camping and, yes, I do know it's not for everybody, but I really think camping in the forest is my Happy Place. Uppercase H uppercase P. It's that good.
Do you ever find it hard to relax? I do. My brain whizzes around, spinning with so many ideas and inspirations and projects and worries all at once that sometimes I think my brain will implode on itself! I can 'chill' with the best of them, but I'm so rarely actually relaxed inside, just going through the motions of being at rest in the hope that my thoughts will give up the struggle and follow suit.
I can recall 1 time, in the past 4 years in which I was so relaxed I thought my brain would turn to mush.Yep. You heard me. One time. In 4 years. Wow, was that a good feeling. My whole bod felt different... like a big, cooked strand of spaghetti, soft and floppy and just hanging out like...urm... a cooked strand of spaghetti!
Stick with me here because I'm going somewhere with this... that one miraculous and marvelous occasion was on a week long camping excursion. Sure, I hadn't showered in days except in river water, and my feet were black as a very black thing, and my hair felt like a grease-fest but I was happy and relaxed and it felt AWESOME. It can be pretty darn tiring being so tense all the time let me tell ya, and how I long to feel like spaghetti again.

Sometimes it's easy to forget about the things on your very doorstep. We are lucky in Ballarat to live close to a few State Forests which offer acres and acres of bush to explore and camp in and this season I'm keen to suss out some local places rather than taking the drive to the coast. I want to find some pretty places close our house for spontaneous getaways, quick refreshing retreats without the fuss and expense of camping on an organised site. And as long as there are trees and water I'm happy, be it ocean or river or creekside.

Just 15 minutes down the road and we could have been a million miles from our house. Out of the city, down by the creek we threw up our tent and with the campfire lit I was one happy chappy. Gathering wood and making some amazing coals to cook over just makes a process I already love that little bit better, food is so great delicious cooked over an open fire don't you think? The simplest fare is mouthwatering and I'm dreaming up all sorts of yummy things to cook up next time. Even a cuppa tastes better brewed in a billy and drunk from a tin mug.

In just one night sitting around that campfire, staring into it like it were television, I felt just a small part of me unwind, my clockwork loosened just a little and I got a taste of that illusive cooked spaghetti feeling.
As we sat there into the night, just me and my man, we watched the fire crackle and glow and listened to the noises of the bush at night, we both knew our next trip would be very close indeed and this year is Camping Year at our house.

Happy camping,
X Steph

Making the most of it: Spring

2012-10-31T16:57:00.003-07:00

Oh my goodness! You have no idea how excited I have been this week by Spring... weather... boring? NEVER!
One thing that really sucks about having your own retail/shop based business is that you have opening times... that means most of my day times are taken up by being in the gallery. I do get alternate weekends off but as luck would have it, none of the really yummy days this Spring have fallen on my free time.
This week I totally lucked out and Monday was the most glorious, sunny, blue-skied kinda day. Perfect bicycle riding weather!
I had my eyes peeled for a vintage ladies bicycle for a while and one day whilst heading to work from my fellas house I spotted the most beautiful shiny 70's 3-speed cycle propped up outside the local op-shop. I called Mark as soon as I pulled up and sent him over quick-smart to nab it! Lucky I did as whilst he was paying his $17 for it another hopeful arrived for it... too late! It's now mine, all mine!

With such a perfect 24 degree day on Monday I quickly roped a friend into taking a spin down the pathway along the creek... but not before we spent an hour or two servicing my bike! Whoops!
It's all good, between us we fixed the gears, tightened the chain and adjusted the brakes. We also took a trip to the local cycle store where I grabbed a cute basket... perfect for my camera, water bottle and this little fella!

This is his sleepy face. That basket must be cozy!
Our town is riddled with bike trails along the creeks and river, winding through wetlands, parks and plantations and you can feel like you are in the middle of no-where even when you are bang in the city. The thing I love most about city trails is the crazy mix of natural and industrial... look at these massive water pipes spanning the valley!

It's been a long time since I took a bike out for a spin and I really admire those super-fit peeps who whizz around on them all the time. I'm not the most confident cyclist, I'm more than a bit wibbely-wobbly, I'm frightened when I go too quickly and even the most moderate incline had me struggling... but heck was it fun just taking in the world and practice makes perfect right? Join me in a bike ride this Spring?

Sounds of a Friday #3

2012-10-26T00:11:00.000-07:00

This week I couldn't help it... todays band are my all-time fave band EVER. I heart you Belle and Sebastian. Big time.

Frankie goodies alert!

2012-10-25T00:38:00.002-07:00

Good ol' Frankie Magazine, you've done it again!

After much anticipation the new 2013 Frankie Journals and Calenders are here! Big time YAY!
Frankie Magazine has released its 50'th issue this month and for those of you who aren't familiar with this Australian magazine it's a really pretty mag featuring lots of really nice arty, crafty, musicy and homely stuff for nice people.

These two babies are just beautiful and deserve a spotlight all of their own to shine and shimmer in.
The calender features the most gorgeous illustrations by all of these awesome artists... Anna Albero :: Lucy King :: Kate Pugsley :: Donna Wilson :: Irana Douer ::Julianna Swaney :: Jill Labieniec :: Jennifer Davis :: The Black Apple :: Nancy Mungcal :: Anke Weckmann :: The Pin Pals

Because I'm a thrifty art lover I look forward to the release of the Frankie calenders each year, at $30 it's a mega affordable way to get artwork from all those amazing artists and illustrators. Printed on the most gorgeous paper I have cut up and framed past calenders for my home! Me? Cheeky? Oh yeah!
We have the Frankie Calenders in our shop at the moment. They only print a limited number of these lovelies so look-out, they sell like hot cakes!
But wait! There's more!
The Frankie 2013 Daily Journal is jam-packed with cute illustrations, has a lovely hard-backed fabric cover and has both week and month to view pages as well as an awesome page of stickers and lots of other clever little pages.

I reckon I can tick a whole handful of people off my Christmas list with these bad-boys so lookout and snap one up while you can.
Thanks for letting me share all this paper goodness, see you tomorrow for 'Sounds of a Friday'.
X Steph

No Comment?

2012-10-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

A couple of friends have recently asked me why they couldn't comment on this blog. To cut a long story short I removed the ability to post comments when I did a blog makeover. for a couple of reasons and none of them are because I don't care what you have to say... Cereally!

First up, I'm going to admit the depressing truth. I'm fessing up that it is not because I'm popular, it's certainly not because I got waaay too many comments to handle, far from it.
In fact I very rarely got lucky enough to get receive comments on my posts. Awww... poor me, it's a hard life huh?

Once I finished feeling sorry for myself I realised that there are LOTS of blogs out there that I read regularly that don't get comments either... I mean, even blogs with a SERIOUS readership (like gazillions of readers!) seemed to be experiencing less comments.
Was this like a trend or something? Are we as a blogging community getting less 'commenty' are we feeling the need to respond less and just observe and take internal notes more? Now I know this isn't true across the board... my friend Kate at Foxs Lane gets a whole heap o' comments... she has comments coming outta her ears and is herself a queen of commenting. But generally I'm sensing a decline in commentarama. Yup. I did just make that word up. And I'm sticking to it.

I decided that instead of seeing that comment-less post and getting down about it I was going to go with the flow and write and blog for MYSELF. Like a loner in the school yard I was just gonna do my own thing regardless of readership, and comments, and stuff that all the popular kids had going on. I was going to make a blogazine, with magazine-esque pages of inspiring content and DIY's. A creative space for all types of readers including non-bloggers to absorb and go forth feeling confident to give a new project a go!
So I dove into my html, and, like the rebel I am, deleted the ability to comment on this blog. No, I can't remember how I did it, and no, I certainly can't recall how to re-activate it. Big Ooops.

But never mind, I'm all over this social networking thingy like a rash, each of these posts and much more commenty goodness appears on our Facebook page every day and I more than welcome your thoughts over there! Why not come visit me in the Facey hood? We can hang and 'like' things together!

Studio Snapshot

2012-10-22T03:53:00.000-07:00

Tacked onto the back of the gallery is a sweet little room, it's just a couple of meters square but with the most beautiful view over our courtyard garden. I have nabbed it as a studio space for myself... yeah.... total score, hells yeah!
Now I'm not telling you anything new when I say I can't resist a project, and this little room was seriously calling for a make-over. After a lick of white on the ceiling I spent a long time researching the perfect shade of grey for the walls. I had no idea how tricky it would be! I wanted a soft grey without brown or purple undertones and eventually settled on a Dulux shade at quarter strength. I was concerned the slight greeny tinge would be a problem but it's PERFECT!

It's soft and soothing and creates the most perfect light... the room over-looks our garden and the light is most amazing in the late afternoon when the evening sun sprinkles through the foliage. It was one of those evenings tonight when I took these pics, although it's not ready for a full studio tour I couldn't resist sharing the room so far.

Remember I told you I was inspired to paint? Well here's the result. Have I mentioned (much) that I'm LOVING neons this season?! Well, surprise, check out these neons baby!
All of the other rooms in the gallery have fireplaces and I knew this one would be no exception. Ever inquisitive I just couldn't help but wrench off the Masonite covering the chimney breast and OH MY GOSH! Look what I found! NO WAY!

It looked pretty damn disgusting, and let me tell you it was! This photo comes care of instagram ,several dried out dead rats, one rats nest and three buckets of general filth later. But it was worth it when I discovered not only were all the parts there, but it check out this awesome made in Ballarat emblem.

If you have ever wondered how to restore rusted cast iron then let me tell ya! First up you have to remove all the dead rats. Then whip out your wire brush and scrub off all the loose bits of flaky rusty-ness. Then coat all the iron in the magic anti-rust stuff, seriously. It's magic! This stuff creates a chemical reaction with the rust and turns it back into a non-corrosive metally goodness. Rockin!

Next you can give it a lick of heat resistant paint designed for stoves, I used a potbelly black. Although it has some cracks and has warped a little, there's no reason why this little baby won't be able to keep me toasty next winter. Just remember to get your chimney checked to make sure you don't burn the place down. Coz that shizzle's important dudes.

Puke-fest happiness rant.

2012-10-21T23:45:00.000-07:00

Sorry to brag, and you may dis-agree but I think my fella is the best-est ever.
I don't normally talk about my relationship on this blog, I stick to less personally and more arty stuff usually... but you need to know how awesome he is. OK?

This man is seriously amazaballs and if I were to list all the perfect things about him it would make you puke. And that would be gross so please resist the urge for the remainder of this post. :)

Mark and I have had a really awesome 12 months together, it's flown by. In a good way, and I'm already looking forward to the next. We took some time out of life to go on a day trip to the beach this weekend past, a chilled out day of strolling, eating ice cream, vintage shopping and just enjoying each others company. It's a well known fact that it's very easy to enjoy Marks company, he's just so darn easy to get along with!

Last week at work I received this ENORMOUS bunch of flowers from him.. what a legend! I think having a florist Mum has helped give him an understanding of how much ladies love flowers :)
Ok, ok, puke-inducing post over! Thanks for listening, I'm off to gaze adoringly at Mr Mark as he practices the sax-a-ma-phone (said in a Homer Sipmson esque voice).
XSteph

Sounds of a Friday #2

2012-10-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

This Friday is a good-un! It's my turn to have the weekend away from the Gallery and I'm all set to head to the beach tomorrow. I know it's a bit cool for swimming still, but a fresh Spring day is perfect for beach strolls, seaside shopping and eating ice-cream.

To get me in the mood for a sunny road-trip tomorrow I'm listening to 'Of Monsters And Men'. Their début album 'My Head Is An Animal' has been on repeat this week in the Gallery. With a pretty darn awesome video clip to boot, I share for your enjoyment 'Little Talks'. I hope you enjoy as much as I do!

Have a great weekend,

X Steph

Colour Inspiration

2012-10-15T22:52:00.003-07:00

Spring is making it's self known here in the Southern hemisphere, a few teasing beautiful days have been showing their faces in Ballarat and I'm feeling the vibrant vibe popping up in stores this season.
With neons making a comeback in the most amazing pastel-y kind of way I'm feeling inspired to paint!
I'm never one to stick like glue to a material as I mentioned in the Pop-up shop interview with me, instead I like to flit from medium to medium, using whatever feels right at the time. It's been several years since I had an extended stint at painting but the mood is upon me now.
Inspired by a glowing colour palette I'm softening it all down with some soft neural greys and loving it! Inspiring me lately is the colour palette of these beautiful driftwood sticks.

Sticks by Jessica Turnbow

From here

Available here

What's inspiring you this season?

Sounds of a Friday

2012-10-11T18:25:00.001-07:00

Fridays are often a little crazy here at The Brick, every fortnight it's the day we change over our exhibitions so there's not a lot of time for blogging. But I do get to listen to a lot of tunes!
One thing I love about running my own business is being able to play the music I want.
Music is such an important part of creating a great atmosphere in retail, setting the mood for what people are seeing and experiencing in our quirky little gallery and store. No boring corporate tunes here!

Today the weather is chilly and the sky is grey.... Ballarat is looking a little melancholy so I'm embracing that laid-back vibe with First Aid Kit. A duo of sisters from Sweden who create the most beautiful melodies.

Here they are singing in an alley in Melbourne. Wish alleys round here sounded so pretty.

Ballarat Pop-up shop

2012-10-10T22:46:00.000-07:00

For 7 days this Christmastime Ballarat talent will be featured in a pop-up retail shop in the centre of Ballarat and I'm the poster girl... well... my design has been featured on the poster... but I think that counts, haha.
The store is aimed to showcase the varied makers and designers in the region and is a great opportunity to pick up some awesome handmade gifts this Christmas if you are in the area.

Laura Day, the event co-ordinator has featured me on the events blog and I have shared the interview below... read on if you would like to hear more about me. Or not if you don't :)

The pop-up shop will be running from November 3rd - December 9th and is located in the Backspace gallery in Huyghue House behind the Ballarat Art Gallery.

"FEATURE : Steph Wallace

We just had to start off our first FEATURE post, with the one and only Steph Wallace. Steph is a super talented Paper-Cut Artist and the creative mind behind our beautiful Ballarat Pop-Up Shop branding image. Please read on to find out a little bit more about this talented lady…

Tell us a little bit about yourself Steph… and how you came to live in Ballarat?

I run a small independent art gallery in Ballarat called Red Brick Gallery, or ‘the brick’ as we affectionately call it. I’m originally from the UK and after traveling and working in the U.S I settled in Australia in 2005. After living in various parts of Victoria I was drawn back to the hills of the Central Highlands and tried my hand at living in the bush. I joined the Ballarat roller derby league in 2009 and as I began to become part of the Ballarat community I relocated into town a year later and have enjoyed putting down some roots since then.

What is your background and when did you start paper-cutting?

When I think about how to describe what I ‘do’ I get a bit confused… I studied ceramics and fine art in Edinburgh and although I still practice I wouldn’t describe myself strictly as an ‘Artist’, perhaps more as a ‘creative’. I write a blog, make stuff and nurture a business as well as create artwork and I love all those roles! I get a lot out of exploring new materials be they yarn, fabric, paint or timber and paper is my latest love. I adore the simplicity of paper and scalpel…. You can create so much from so little, with no fancy expensive equipment, just a bit of patience.

What or who inspires your work?

I have a large collection of vintage children’s books which is a great source of inspiration for me, both the vintage illustrations and the tales of adventure and fairy story. I love museum collections, the old cabinets of pinned beetles and pickled bits and pieces, and taxidermy. I really admire graffiti and street art for it’s use of colour and line. Obviously papercut artist and designer Mr Rob Ryan is a hero of mine too.

What is your work space like and what things do you like to surround you when you work?

I used to have a dedicated studio space but found I didn’t really use it… I like to be where the ‘action’ is so I constantly move the actual space that I work and just used the studio for storing my materials… fabrics, screen printing inks, paints, canvas, papers… you can never have too many art supplies! As I’m usually working in ‘the brick’ I often create at my desk or in the beautiful little garden behind the gallery… it has great light which is so useful as I’m always toteing my camera and recording moments for my blog. I guess that’s the joy of paper, it’s so easy to transport… my studio is where my heart is!

Where are your favorite places to go online for inspiration (blogs/websites etc…)

Don’t you just love the interweb?! It’s revolutionized living in a country town, now I can acess amazing artists and designers from around the world with a click of a button and, boy, is it good. I love Ausssie websiteThe Design Files, Lucy does an awesome job of traveling far and wide to meet some pretty amazing designers. My fave websites are more about staying inspired to create, and the girls over at ‘A Beautiful Mess’ inspire me not only to keep making and photographing but to work hard growing my business too. They inspire me to stay motivated an enjoy what I do!

What advice would you give other artists (just starting out?) or that might want to follow in your footsteps?

It’s hard to see yourself as a role model for others…. but I guess when I was a graduate the path ahead seemed so long and unclear. There is no way I would have even hoped to be owning a gallery (no matter how small) 10 years later! For me it was a question of working out what really made me happy… I thought it was making things, and in part it is. But it’s actually how that creative act can bring you closer to people, help you form relationships and interact with people in your community, that’s what really makes me tick! Once I figured that out, the rest is now flowing. I’m no longer over-thinking, alone in my studio, but I’m getting out there and being inspired to create by my relationships with other motivated, down to earth people.

Where are your top 3 favorite places to go in Ballarat?

Vegas and Rose cafe on Humffray Street is a fave place to relax with an Earl Grey tea. They have simple and delicious food and the atmosphere is so welcoming and friendly. You can expect to be greeted by your name and a smile… the best bit about small-city living!

On a sunny day a picnic at Kirks reservoir is a must… it’s never busy, so a peaceful arvo in the beautiful traditional gardens is pretty much guaranteed. Maybe a little campfire even!

Ballarat is riddled with secret bike trails which meander along the many creeks. Exploring these with the dog is refreshing and inspiring… Lake Wendouree is very pretty too but there is something about the Yarowee River trail that always makes me feel like I’m on an adventure. A great place to collect mosses for my terrariums!"

4 Simple Goals, an update

2012-10-08T19:15:00.001-07:00

About a month ago I shared with you my '4 simple goals', aimed to be achievable, enriching, process focused and achieved before the end of 2012. My goals were as follows....

1. Celebrate life and my achievements' of the last 12 months.
2. Make a book.
3. Take more photographs of people.
4. Enjoy growing things.

It's now almost a month later so I thought I would give you a little update on how I have been going so far, some goals have been whizzing along nicely, some are in progress and some well... have come to an absolute standstill. Oops.

To start with the positive I have been a MANIAC in the garden, building raised beds, raising seedlings and potting up perennials. This month has been a frenzy of gardening activity. With both veggies and flowers on the go I'm really looking forward to the summer months where I will get to reap the rewards of all this hard work. I have been so absorbed in this process that I have been entirely remiss in blogging. Another 'oops'.
But never fear, my creative juices have been flowing like crazy even though I haven't been sharing it here and goal 4 is seriously ticked off the list, I even got myself an awesome plant for my desk,a 70's classic the 'Monstera Deliciosa'. Hells yeah, what a name.

Goal 2 has been coming along nicely too, my Blurb book is nearly complete and just a few tweaks in the layout it will be good to go. A friend also mentioned that she made herself a Blurb/Instagram book, tapping directly into your Instagram account to upload photos it sounds as easy as pie and something I'm keen to try out.

Goal 1 is a biggie as it's more about a frame of mind than anything else, I have made a good start by helping one of my closest friends celebrate her birthday. It's been a big year for Kim and it's wonderful to see her so happy and loving life. How cute is this idea of dancing with strings of lights! Love it!

It also helps that October holds lots of things to celebrate including my man and I having a wonderful first 12 months together and my 7th Aussie-versary... I can't believe it's been so long since I first arrived in Australia! Worth celebrating don't you think!?

So here's where I'm not doing so well, goal number 3 has been a total flop... not only am I not taking more pics of people but I have been hardly taking any photos at all! I'm not sure what that's about, my camera is normally attached to me like an extra appendage! Perhaps it's sightseers fatigue after our trip overseas, or I'm just being lens-lazy! Either way I'm going to bust out that SLR asap and get inspired again, it's the only goal to go so I have no excuse!

Have you any simple goals on the go?
X Steph

This Must Be The Place

2012-09-14T20:04:00.001-07:00

I watched the most wonderful film this week, I enjoyed it more and more once the movie finished... it stuck with me and I keep thinking about it and it gets better and better! Does that even make sense?
I seriously recommend giving it a watch if you haven't already... Sean Penn plays the part of a ex-pop/rockstar goth wonderfully. Think a mash-up of Ozzie Osbourne's drug-addled oddness and Robert Smiths style, although bizzare this character is just so likeable.
Here's the trailer to pique your interest.

With music by David Byrne there's an amazing scene featuring talking heads 'This must be the place'. I can't resist sharing it with you.

4 Simple Goals

2012-09-12T20:49:00.000-07:00

I don't do this very often but Elsies post on a Beautiful Mess blog has really rung true with me this month. I'm inspired to 'play along' and make 4 Simple Goals.
Here's how it works:

" 1. Choose simple goals that will make your life richer and happier on a daily basis. Choose things you may not otherwise get done, but that are not difficult to accomplish.

2. Do not choose result oriented goals, choose activity oriented goals. for example.... instead of "lose 10 pounds", choose something like "eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day". Get what I'm saying? Positive actions instead of just the end result!

3. Choose goals that are personal that you believe will truly make your life richer just by doing them! They can be daily, weekly or one time experiences.

4. Choose a reward for each goal as it is accomplished! It can be a small or large reward- it's up to you.

5. Blog about your goals, each one as you achieve it and a big post when they are all finished before the new year! " (image and text borrowed from Elsie Larson at A Beautiful Mess)

So here I go

Celebrate life and my achievements' of the last 12 months:

It's been a big year and my business as well as personal life has moved forward in leaps and bounds. As I have written lately I can lose sight of the achievements and only see the future goals. September is also a tricky month for me, it brings the anniversary of the the loss of someone very close to me. This year, instead of mourning in sadness I'm going to focus on celebrating life and my loved ones. This goal is about enjoying the process, not just the end result.

Make a book:

No, I'm not another blogger releasing a book! Haha. I'm taking about making a 'blurb' book filled with images from my recent trip overseas. A kind of celebration of a landmark trip with my lovely man to beautiful places. I'm not great at making photo albums and would love to have something special to remember this time not just files on my hard-drive.

Take more photographs of people:

I'm not sure why but I find it difficult to take pics of people... I'm not sure why... some of my friends are very self conscious about having their photo taken, sometimes I'm worried about spoiling the moment by whipping out the SLR. Either way I want to conquer this issue! My life is full of lovely peeps,so why shouldn't my memory card, and in turn this blog!

Enjoy growing things:

I'm on my way to having this one sorted.... by preparing healthy soil and planting seedlings now I am well on the way to harvesting fresh, home-grown veggies come summer. I also can't wait to enjoy the wonderful feeling a garden full of colourful flowers brings me. Part of this goal is to have fresh flowers on my desk and and snag myself some stylish indoor plants! Any ideas on this one? The indoor section of the garden centre always leaves me cold.... no pun intended!

What might your simple goals be?

Spring is in the air

2012-09-10T21:35:00.001-07:00

At last. Spring is in the air and it's bringing a spring to my step along with it.
We are still having our fair share of cool, rainy days but with the occasional beauty thrown in the mix I'm not complaining.

Our chilly town is defrosting and coming out of hibernation and so am I.
This past weekend has been full of all stages of the gardening process, sowing seed, potting-on seedlings, fertilising veggie patches and preparing to build window boxes.

As well as that I have been building the mother of all display cabinets for the many little bits and pieces of vintage and antiques I love... I can't wait to share some pics but I'm saving them until the process is finished.

Spring is such a productive sort of time don't you think? It seems to take ages to show up, and then 'boom' it's all go!

It's not only the garden which is enjoying some long planned invigoration but this weekend we had a huge day of Spring cleaning at home too. Little by little my dinky house is feeling fresher and cleaner and prettier. One project at a time, each DIY getting me closer to the vision of loveliness I know this quirky little home has been hiding under years of neglect.

How to: strip paint.

2012-09-06T04:17:00.000-07:00

This past few weeks we have been busting out a whole pile of mega-DIY skills, Marcia and I are the home improvement queens (seriously... we are!) and we thought this would be a great opportunity to share some of those skills with you.
This one is mega-fun, and you don't need expensive tools to do it.

You will need:
A heat gun (ours was about $30 from Bunnings hardware store).
Some paint scrapers.

How to do it:
With the heat gun on high hold it over the area of paint you want to remove until the paint begins to lift and bubble.

Using a paint scraper, scrape the paint away from the surface.

Work small areas at a time and don't hold the gun on an area too long or it will singe the wood.
For fiddly bits or to remove that last little bit of paint in cracks and gaps apply a gel paint stripping chemical, leave for a few mins and remove with a steel wool or rag.

Tip: You can get a scraper specially designed for those tricky bits of moulding.

Easy-peasy!

Learning to slow down

2012-09-04T21:11:00.001-07:00

It has been all go here at our bricks and mortar store the past few weeks. I have been BUSY and am still in that slightly manic head space of lists of things to do and projects to complete.
We have officially moved shops and are now inhabiting the shop next door to the original Red Brick Gallery at 216 Skipton St, Ballarat. This new, lighter, fresher space is now home to the 'new and improved' Red Brick.

We have been working late into the evenings to renovate the new space, painting and plastering, writing signage, re-covering the awning, making shelves and finding new homes for stuff in the store room.
But finally we are there, the new exhibition is installed, the shop is all in place and it's been a busy weekend trading.

There's still lots to be done behind the scenes (you don't want to see the disaster zone in the back rooms) but I am officially exhausted.

I came back from my overseas trip with a fresh perspective that I'm having problems implementing... I have soooo many projects, ideas and DIY's that I want to achieve. So many home and business improvements I want to make. When I think about how I would like my business to be, for my home to look, for my garden to thrive, there is always so much WORK to be done that its makes me feel.... Unproductive. Unsuccessful.

I have realised that I spend waaay too much of life worrying about the NEXT thing to be done, too much time spent looking ahead thinking about the next job, what's still to be achieved. There is no room in my head for acknowledging and celebrating my achievements thus far and this is no good. I need to sit back, relax and pat myself a little on the back.

So that's what I'm going to do this week.... once I have put up those shelves, installed the washing machine, painted another coat of paint of the bathroom floor, planted some seeds, fertilised the garden, taken a load to the tip, hung the door, made some window boxes and sorted out my studio. Hahaha.