Suzanne Cronin, Silversmith

Suzanne first picked up a jeweller’s torch in high school and has been dabbling ever since.  

She attained a Silversmithing and Jewellery Degree (Hons) in London where she won a merit award for her designs from The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.

Recently setting up a workshop in Australia, she returned to her passion, silver. 

The Bell of Queenscliff

Charm Pendant

In 2011 Suzanne was invited to participate in the group exhibition The Moonah Stand.

The following are exerts from her Catalogue The Moonah Stand-Jewellery:


"The Moonah pieces are primarily 925 sterling silver, some with a hint of resin, latex or enamel. This range evolved because I was given a seed pod off a felled Moonah from Victoria Park, Queenscliff...Sitting on the mantelpiece for a year, I was drawn to the little branch and decided to cast in Sterling Silver."

"Colours of the latex inclusions in the pendants are ingrained in my memory of the Victoria Park trees but not for the reasons you might think. Plastic ribbons tied to the trunks denoted that tree was to be felled. When? That depended on the colour...The presence of bright latex and resin in some pieces serves as a reminder to me that the hand of man is imprinted here."

"It's (the bright latex) a sharp contrast to the organic silver casting. In fact, the bright colour seems out of place...Just like a pink ribbon on a tree perhaps?"


Suzanne's Maker's Mark is TLC which stands for The Laundry Collection.  The icon inside the C pays homage to her front-loader!

What inspires you?

I am inspired by my life and what unfolds around me whether that be family, community or the materials I have available to me at a given point in time.  My style, for want of a better word is therefore constantly evolving and changing.

What drives you to produce what you do?

I thrive on challenge, I always have done.  I see each piece as a creative challenge I have to conquer.  Turning an idea, that pesky little thought that won’t go away,  into a piece that is aesthetically pleasing yet technically perfect is the goal.  Each piece is different and has its own nuances.  I am driven to find perfection, my Holy Grail, unobtainable yet so alluring. Hence, I am fastidious about the finish of each piece.

How would you describe your creative process?

Trial and error.  Actually, a lot of error then epiphany.  I latch onto an idea and it stays with me and the process of breaking it down to a working piece can take years or a day.  I manipulate my metal, I sketch, I ask opinions of the family, I sleep on it, I dream about it.  My best work has been produced as a result of satisfying a dream.

What handmade item do you cherish?

Probably the wrong answer but I have to say, everything I make.  I feel so privileged to be doing what I am, each piece I produce it a testament to the journey that got me here and I cherish each and every one.

I will say I have a box of my mother’s letters that are very dear to me.  She documented my life and our relationship through her writing for a period of 15 years until her death.  I know letters may not be thought of as handmade, but in this computer age I can tell you a lot of time and love went into her words using pen and paper.

Besides your creative work, what else do you do, and like doing?

I’m at a period in my life where I like investing time with the family doing family activities.  Oh, and there is a small interest I have in computers but more and more, even that is becoming part of my creative work.  My challenge there is to conquer Computer Aided Design.

Which artist, writer, designer or craftsperson (living or dead) do you admire?

I saw an early ring by Georg Jensen and the simplicity and mirror finish have stayed with me as an object of desire and a standard to aspire to.  I have always admired the designs of Wendy Ramshaw especially the Picasso's Ladies series.  Deborah Brearley is a constant target for my admiration, seemingly effortlessly waving a magic design wand to every project she touches from drawing to painting, printing, quilting, animation and the rest!  The work of sculptor Damien Elderfield takes my breath away.

What can make your day?

When a teenager or young adult spontaneously says my work is “awesome” or “that’s really cool”.  It’s one thing to happen in the family, increasing my cred with the children but another experience altogether when a total stranger says it.  Either way, magic!  Makes me feel like I’ve struck gold.

What are you currently reading?

Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks which a book club read but I do enjoy her books.  It was also an e reader experiment.  I was given a Kobo reader for Christmas and I loaded the whole reading list for book club 2012.  Now the challenge is to actually get them read.

Latest magazine subscription:  Frosting  (a jewellery not cooking magazine!) 

Frosting is just to keep me up with current Australian jewellery design trends.  I also like examining the photography as I photograph my own pieces.

What is a favourite quote or saying?

Carpe diem

 

Set up for photographing the finished works

If you want more details about Suzanne and her work visit her website: The Laundry

If you'd like to see the full catalogue mentioned in this post click this link:   Moonah Stand Exhibition Catalogue
Suzanne has a solo exhibition opening February 9th at House Gallery, Queenscliff
To contact Suzanne email:      Thelaundrycollection@gmail.com

                                               www.thelaundrycollection.blogspot.com

Maude, Illustrator, avid reader.

Maude drew this after the intesive interview!

What inspires you?

Trees. In the forest and on my bookshelf.

What drives you to produce what you do?

The little moments of fizz, every now and again, when you do something that “works”.

How would you describe your creative process?

It happens unexpectedly. I’ll be walking along minding my own business, then *BAM*! I’m sitting at my desk working furiously and no-one is allowed to interrupt me OR ELSE.

What handmade item do you cherish?

A beautiful cherry-red ceramic lampshade made by the infinitely talented Yoko Ozawa. Unfortunately I don’t own a house to hang it in, but I cherish the dream of it dangling over my kitchen table!

Besides your creative work, what else do you do, and like doing?

I am almost a qualified Librarian… it follows that I like reading, the alphabet and generally just hanging out with books.

Which artist, writer, designer or craftsperson (living or dead) do you admire?

So many. So I will be fickle and say, at the moment, Janet Frame.

What can make your day?

Bad spelling.

What is a favourite quote or saying?

The empty can rattles the most.

www.maudefarrugia.blogspot.com

Sophie Read, Artist and Gardener

Sophie's meticulous attention to detail pays off in both her artwork and the gardens that she designs and maintains. Her 'Robot Paintings' on recycled board have her signature motif - a rocket carefully painted on the reverse. The paintings have been reproduced as a series of greeting cards, each  featuring a robot with' attitude' .

Sophie in the studio working on a lino block.

Lino print

What inspires you?
Street art, cartoons, surf/skate/snowboard art, industrial/mechanical drawings, lettering, logos and typography, comics, children's books, japanese woodcuts, to name a few!

What drives you to produce what you do?
It's something I love to do, and something I need to do. It keeps me on an even keel.

What handmade item do you cherish?
Perfectly carved slices of avocado, chunky cubes of goat's cheese and a splash of beetroot marmalade, skilfully arranged on a piece of sourdough toast. Created by Annie's Provedore in Barwon Heads and cherished by me on a regular basis - usually Friday or Saturday morning

Besides your creative work, what else do you do and enjoy doing?
Gardening, playing guitar and ukulele, watching animated movies especially in 3D, exercising, surfing, hanging out in the garden with my partner Philippa and our cat PK

Artists you admire?
Street artists like Banksy, Hera, Space Invader...children's book illustrators Shaun Tan and Graeme Base...Doug Bartlett (Nick Morris and Dave Bowers)...the work they produce is beautiful and the processes they use mind blowing!

Can you describe your creative process?
It's not really organised enough to describe it as a process...the ideas are constantly bubbling away, ideas and images become sketches, some of which are abandoned immediately and then often turn up in later work. Relatively few are worked and reworked through to the final stage. I tend to jump around a lot. Different styles, different media, I get really carried away....there are so many ideas, so much inspiration all around, new things to try...it's exciting rewarding obsessive compulsive joyful chaos!!

Then I have to go back to my gardening work and it all simmers back down to bubbles again. Until my next day off...

What can make your day?
Most of my daily feel-good moments come from connecting with people in some way...sharing a laugh with Phil, a brief exchange with a stranger down at the shops, coffee and chats with a friend, getting an email from someone I haven't heard from for a while. All that stuff means a lot to me.

Favourite Quote?
'An artist cannot fail - it is success to be one'
My mum passed that one on to me...not sure where it came from, but it means a lot to me. Not just the literal meaning, which in itself is wonderful, but it also speaks volumes about the support I get from her. She wrote it on the back of an old envelope and gave it to me years ago, when I was feeling like a complete failure and making a bit of a mess of my life. I still have it, it's one of my treasures.

ROCKET STUDIO cards featuring the painted illustrations on board.

Sophie can be contacted at rocketstudio@yahoo.com.au. She works out of Ocean Grove, Victoria, Australia. Her work can also be seen at the QUARC market held in Point Lonsdale on a regular basis.

All designs (c) Sophie Read 2012

Portrait of Blackbird Fledglings Nest

Such a beautiful nest of grasses, mud and fragments of blue baling twine, all foraged!

The empty nest

Oil on linen (wet!)

John Ellis, Every Picture Tells a Story.

John describes himself as an activist and photographer. His energy and enthusiasm for life is inspiring and his work and music lift the heart. Every photograph has a story and the layered meanings are only revealed in conversation with him.

John took this photograph of the Point Lonsdale lighthouse in 2006 when on a jaunt in a Tiger Moth.

What inspires you?
Socialist revolutions in Cuba and Latin America. Their actions bring a glimpse of hope for a humane, environmental and equitable world.

What drives you to produce what you do?
 An urgency to record the history of Left movements in my lifetime through photography.

How would you describe your creative process?

A desire to capture the event and the people involved.

What hand-made item do you cherish?
A hand-carved, wooden buffalo from Mexico. For me its represents strength and resilience against those who would destroy us. I bought it in Mexico City on a short stop over on the way to Cuba and the United States in 1996.

Besides your creative work, what else do you do, and like doing?

Listening to classical, jazz or folk music, playing the recorder with friends, reading, walking through the bush, writing my memoirs, writing a history of type setting in Australia, voluntary community work, and cataloguing Left political collections.

Which artist, writer, designer or craftsperson (living or dead) do you admire?Paul Robeson. A colossus who bestrode the world stage singing, acting, fighting for social justice and who took on almost single-handed the fight for civil rights of Afro American people in the United States.

What can make your day?
Having a picnic or a Happy Hour by the sea.

What is a favourite quote or saying?
There are two:  “Workers of the World Unite,’’ and  “The People United Will Never be Defeated”

1000 images from the John Ellis Photograph Collection can be viewed at the University of Melbourne Archives web site, or from the Picture Australia site at the National Library of Australia.
 John photographs are Copyright: University of Melbourne Archives.

John takes a shot at the Pine Gap restriction sign outside the gates at the United States' spy base near Alice Springs 1998

Protesters march through Melbourne in protest against the United States' war in Iraq, 2002

Protesters march from Jabaru to the Jabiluka uranium mine in the Northern Territory, 2001 

Annual May Day parade through Melbourne, 2003

Moorabbin Peace Action organised the only meeting of Dr. Benjamin Spock when he visited Victoria. He spoke about the American war in Vietnam and its consequences for Australia. The Australian Nazi Party protested outside the Moorabbin Town Hall. 1971

John can be contacted through this blog site regarding his photographs and the stories associated with them. He also plays recorder in a group called Musique who perform regularly at varoius venues.

Blackbird Singing

Mother and child      Oil on linen

The Song     Oil on Linen

detail     The Song

In the front yard today was a flegling Blackbird.  Mother and child sang and called to each other all afternoon.

 How could I not paint them!

 Father seemed to be the main forager, feeding the child, no doubt the worms from my compost that is nearly matured in the backyard.

 The pleasure I had from the afternoon serenade was worth the loss of the worms in my garden. Though poor worms had no say in the matter!

Reg, Retired Professional Fisherman, Gardener, Maker.

What inspires you?

The birds that come to my garden...I feed the doves  and a blackbird has made a nest close to my back door. Her first nest and babies were taken by the crows. She knows she is safe now.

 How would you describe your creative process?

I think of something I need or want to make and I just get on with it. I follow my instincts. Like the flat bottomed boat I made for fishing in the shallow waters of Swan Bay

What handmade item do you cherish?

Some tools that a Russian friend made for me. The metal was from some old plough pieces and he worked them up into something really special. Having to' make do' is where he came from.

Besides your creative work, what else do you do?

I cook, garden, read and watch the weather and the birds.

What was the last book/magazine that you purchased?

Urban Farm   Very inspiring and some great ideas that I am trying out. Like the floating lettuce garden......Vermiponics they call it! And it has the sourdough bread recipe too!http://www.urbanfarmonline.com/urban-farm-magazine-and-books/urban-farm-magazines/uf1105-table-of-contents.aspx

What can make your day?

Catching a fish!  Finding an early ripe tomato.

What is a favourite quote or saying?
I will think about that!

Vermiponics

Vermiponics

Hot house made from bits and pieces for early tomatoes

The shed

The 'digger' the Russian made for me

The Folly of the Dolly

When  about to put this dolly's head through a hole on the fragment of lace cloth (the starting point of the costume) I thought of the artist Mirka Mora. Many years ago I attended a workshop and spent some time with her,. Her hair was greying at the time, dark eyes and ruby lips. She expressed herself lots of cheeky smiles and giggles and had wicked sense of humour.  This dolly with flowing grey hair ( of old darning wool) and flowing dress for me has a spirit like that of the Mirka I remember.

Girl with Attitude

A friend delivered a box of treats tonight!  A beautiful tatterered, woven and drawn threadwork cloth, very, very passed its useby date, has become a costume for this little character with attitude.

I stitched the fine linen cloth onto a dolly shape, filled the sections with a soft washed and carded wool and she started to come to life

. The limbs twisted and turned and even before she had a face, she had a mind of her own.

 The hair was form an old card with darning wool on it, and the pig tails emerged after the wound section was cut away from the card and stitched into a wig shape.

I thought the section of embroidered cloth with the most holes and wear would make an old time dress.

 The doll and the cloth had other ideas!

 I slipped a holed section over her head and the piece became a cheeky little' short dress number'. Of course under the 'cossie' she has some very classy underwear. Pink lace knickers and bra. ...and she has the cutest of belly buttons.