October 2010

Continuing with the follow up from our Home Is Where The Art Is feature in the October/November issue, we have an interview with Kerri Devine from Poetry and Cloth.

Who is Poetry and Cloth?
I guess Poetry and Cloth is me, Kerri Devine. It is the name of my art business.

What sort of artwork do you create?
I make screen prints of the things that inspire me. I hand print my original designs onto linen which I often stretch around canvas' so they can be hung on the wall. I also use my prints on cushions, bags, tea towels and even furniture! I love upcycling old chairs and stools with my designs. I am a trained fine art photographer as well.

A screen printed chair, and Harmony print from Poetry and Cloths range.

How did you get into it?
I had done photography for many years but was always wondering how I could use my photos in a more artistic, handmade way. I saw an ad for a screen printing workshop run by Carla Watson from Imprint, and decided to give it a go. Needless to say I loved it and haven't looked back!

Cherry Leaf and New Life photographic prints by Poetry and Cloth.

What is inspiring your work at the moment?
At the moment I am absolutely obsessed with the new leaves appearing on all the trees. I have spent many mornings out early trying to capture the glow of first light on these gorgeous new leaves. One morning I took 176 photos! I would have taken more but I was on my way somewhere! I am also designing new screen prints around the leaf theme, amongst others.

How would you describe your workspace?

I am very lucky to have quite a large room in my house as a studio. I have my printing table in there as well as just about every thing I have ever found that inspires me. It is full of mossy twigs, river rocks, skeleton leaves, seed pods, dried wild fennel, old handwritten postcards, shells, birds nests . . .

Inside Kerri's studio space.

What tips do you have for displaying art at home?
Firstly I would say don't display anything unless you absolutely adore it. Learn what you love and let that guide you. I think little groupings of your favourite items can be really beautiful. When you display things make sure that they take centre stage and don't have to compete with lots of other items. You want to draw the viewers eye to what you love best. Keep it simple, but interesting. It's also fun to think of unexpected ways or places to display art. Even a simple string line with your favourite images on it is beautiful. Also there's no reason why you can't hang a beautiful branch or seed pod on your wall. 'Art' is very subjective.

Prints and Mixed Media works by Dolan Geiman.

Which artists work are you coveting at the moment?
I am wildly, jealously in love with Dolan Geiman.

Thanks to Kerri for giving us a glimpse into her life. Poetry and Cloth artwork can be purchased from Felt.
 

While putting together the 'Home Is Where The Art Is' feature for our current issue, I was lucky enough to be in contact with a range of artists from around the country. So we thought we would take the oppotunity to share a little more on their working processes and what inspires their work. First up are sisters Shelley and Paula who are the duo behind Sweet William.

If you happen to be in the Wellington area on October 30th, make sure you swing by Craft 2.0 and say hi to the lovely ladies of Sweet William, as they will be having a stall there.

Who are Sweet William?
Sweet William is Paula Mills, a Melbourne-based artist & illustrator and one half of a creative collaboration between Paula and her sister, Shelley, who lives in Wellington. We are both originally from South Africa, have moved around quite a bit and felt the need to connect creatively.

What do you make?
Sweet William is mostly paper goods, art prints, cards, gift tags, garlands, calendars, mixed paper packs.  We also have a small range of small softies and art cushions.  The range is based on the Illustration work of Paula.

Sweet William illustrations, and The Madonna and Child illustration and art cushion

How did you get into it?
Paula studied commercial art and graphics and enjoyed a career as an art director and graphic designer. "Once my babies came along and after tragically losing my mother, I found my self turning back to my love of drawing and painting and embarked on a new career as an illustrator'  Shelley has a background in education, but has always been a maker, and has a particular love for textile art.  "I knew Paula and I could make a wonderful team, combining our love for the creative, ecclectic and hand-made".

Your work is a collaborative effort, how does this work?
It is quite hard to define.  We just have similar things that inspire us and are always having conversations about what we could do, or what we could try out.  On a practical level, Paula is the illustrator, and Shelley is making a range of items based on the illustrations - for example - Paula illustrated a lovely image of The Madonna and Child, and Shelley turned it into a fabric art cushion.

What is inspiring your work at the moment?
Our creative work draws on quite a lot of nostalgia and childhood memories.

Paula's studio space, Sweet William prints cleverly displayed on clipboards and a collection of favourite objects displayed on the mantle.

Describe your workspace?
This is reflected in our home with vintage finds -  we love old, interesting things that have a bit of a story, and beautiful objects made in a time when things were made to last a lifetime, not from the disposable society we currently live in. We need to be surrounded by things that inspire us. We love the quote by William Morris; 'Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful'.

What tips do you have for displaying art at home?
We are loving groupings and clusters of art works, montages and moodboards.
Don't be afraid to experiment with placing artwork on mantels and shelves and in interesting and unpredictable places.

Illustrations by Lisa Chow

Which artists work are you coveting for you own home at the moment?
We have a blog where we list our loves and finds - and we frequently feature artists we are inspired by.  We recently featured artist  Lisa Chow a Houston based illustrator.

Thanks to Shelley and Paula for sharing some of their ideas and inspiration. Their work can be purchased via Felt and Etsy or click here to follow Sweet William on their blog.

Image by Simon Devitt

Judges of the prestigious World Architecture Festival in Barcelona have shortlisted Crosson Clarke Carnachan Architect’s Great Barrier Island home as a finalist in the residential category – only 15 houses in the world have made the cut.
 
“We are competing against a wide variety of homes from around the world in the residential category all of which have their unique features and challenges.  I think that the Great Barrier House is particularly special for the Kiwi way in which it was built.  Our clients were intensely aware that most people on the Barrier work together to support one another.  As a result we were determined to use as many local tradesmen, suppliers and artisans as possible," says Clarke. “An example is the dining table where, after the trees fell in a storm, they were sawn up, milled, transported, dried and lovingly crafted into a unique piece using a chain of local people. There is community involvement, interest and pride in this piece and indeed the whole house, which everyone knows about, and many have been part of.”
 
Looking at this home and reading Clarke’s words, their design and appreciation of the local community in construction leaves me with no doubt CCCA is deserving of the accolade.