From: Saturday 6th June to 4th July 2020
Location: Balmain Space, 79 Beattie Street, Balmain.
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday: 10 am to 5pm
Artist in Residence: Thursdays & Fridays, 10am to 3pm - pop in to meet Sarah!
*We'll be practicing social distancing
Sarah will also be teaching WEAVING WORKSHOPS on select dates.
Learn a wonderful new skill, weaving bangalow palm inflorescence into beautiful sculptures!
BOOK NOW - there are only 4 spots in each session!
$90 per person (materials provided & ready to use!)
This class is all about play and experimentation. You will learn through your hands, a deeper connection with nature and also your creativity. You'll leave with your very own sculptural creation using the natural fibre of Bangalow Palm inflorescence.
Random weaving is an ancient basketry technique where experimentation is key as is play. There are no right moves, it's all about feel and sensing.
At the end of the experience, you will have not only a sculptural piece and a deeper understanding of nature's creations but most deliciously, an exploration of your own creativity.
All materials will be supplied for you to simply come and play.
To make sure you're safe and I'm safe, there will be only 4 attendees.
]]>Last weekend I was enjoying my large flat white and the Sydney Morning Herald and I came across an article by Michael Harry in the Style section about earrings. “The surprising accessory we're buying in isolation” Apparently there has been “a surprising spike in earring sales thanks to COVID-19”.
Michael suggests that while working from home frees us from having to dress for work – earrings allow us to “feel put together as we remain housebound”
For some of my colleagues wearing lipstick is an equivalent practice---or perhaps that was a pre-COVID thing, i.e ‘I don’t leave the house without lipstick’.
The trans-formative accessory
Christine Smalley of Etelege says “earrings are her ‘thing’. They are a trans-formative accessory that can change and soften the face.”Earrings can change your ‘look’ and move you “from day to night in an instant”.
Have browse through a range of Christine’s earrings here
The well accessorised Wendy Moore
In a recent blog post jewellery designer, Wendy Moore, talks about a more intentional approach to the earrings she wears. She decided to wear earrings for the following 5 days that “celebrate some good things from social media….mainly connections with gorgeous people which may not have happened without it”
On another day Wendy wore earrings and a necklace to help her connect with “that positive, optimistic part” of herself. She wore these pieces to some medical appointments last year and they remind her that she is not just a scared woman …she is a “WELL ACCESSORISED scared woman”
Wendy has a wonderful sense of humour in addition to being a beautiful woman and sensational artist. We have a limited range of Wendy’s pieces here.
My affordable indulgence
For me earrings are an affordable indulgence. Women often purchased earrings from Breathing Colours when they found life too taxing and they needed just a small ‘pick me up’.
Earrings can be all you need to accessorise an outfit. Contemporary fashion utilises an extraordinary range of colours. I remember when I could chose between Forest Green or Bottle Green. Now, apparently, there are 50 shades of green. Your outfit can be in apple green, wasabi, lime green, mint, olive, neon, jade, pear, chartreuse, teal, and 40 more! Indeed, your outfit may sport a number of these shades.
Design with beads by Liz Deluca
Translucent Glass Wings by Hilda Procak
Earrings can be your way of celebrating a special holiday, special person or a favourite artist. I’ve always loved buying unusual earrings when on holidays.
Earrings can be readily ‘up-cycled’ and redesigned when you’re ready to transform them.
Featuring polymer beads by Sera Pinwill
As Michael Harry says… wearing a pair of earrings with an ‘appropriate’ shirt can be ideal for a presenting professionally on a Zoom call when wearing your trakky daks and ugg boots.
Earrings, like glasses, can be a quirky, bold & colourful even in more conservative work places. In most workplaces you can celebrate your individuality – within reason - with earrings even when wearing a uniform.
Finally, earrings are for everyone, whether you like bold colourful statements or small and elegant pieces. Whether you have pierced ears or not.
Get the look
So let's get playful and post your look #breathingcolours #isolationart #isolationcreation
Boho Earrings Medina Brass Filigree
Earrings with Enamel Beads by Jan Rietdyk
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Anne studied Fine Art at the National Art School in East Sydney from 1968 to 1972 and had her first exhibition of paintings at the Victorian Artist’s Society Gallery in Melbourne in 1973. She then went on to teach Art at Lalor tech.
Anne travelled extensively and lived outside Australia from 1974 until the late 1980’s. Starting her travels from Darwin, she flew to Bacau in then East Timor on a TAA flight that cost only $42. She then hitched across Timor to Kupang, island hopped by ferry to Bali and onwards, working while she could along the way, travelling alone and on the cheap.
Anne spent a few months in Jogjakarta studying Batik with an Indonesian artist, learning to draw with boiling wax, a djanting (a little Javanese tool) and the wonderfully coloured dyes.
After spending time in India where she developed her love of bright colour, intricate design and spicy food, Anne went on to live and work in Pakistan. She lived in Peshawar in northern Pakistan for some years teaching English. With her then partner, she collected many handicrafts and handmade carpets which they later imported in large quantities to Australia and sold in their two Melbourne city shops.
Quickly growing sick of being a shopkeeper, Anne returned to Pakistan in 1980 and walked with Ashraf Aman, the first Pakistani to climb K2. They walked from Hunza in far north Pakistan, near the Chinese border, to the Afghani border near Chitral. This journey took over two months and Anne reminisces that it is “the most amazing experience of my life so far”. She describes Pakistan as “medieval at the time but the high country was enchanting”. They met and stayed with different tribes of people in each valley; Kirgi people, nomads that travelled with sheep and camels, sleeping in tents made of camel hide, and Kafirs (non-believers), animists who worshipped trees, rocks an the spirits of the land, living jut across the Pakistani border in Kafiristan.
Anne returned to Australia briefly and was off again to Tokyo for a couple of years teaching English and studying Japanese printmaking and culture. Next she travelled to Hong Kong to work as a journalist on a local magazine for a couple of years. She returned to work in Melbourne in 1986 when her mother was dying, but was soon off to Europe for a year, then Thailand for some months to recover from the European air.
Returning to Australia once again in 1989, Anne decided to move to the country with her new partner, settling in a property at Carapooee near St. Arnaud. Apart from one trip to Southern India, Anne has stayed there ever since.
Anne taught Art and English intermittently over the years. In the early 90s she discovered Mac computers and became involved in digital art and graphics. This led to six years work as a graphic and website designer for a Canberra web developer, Preventative Solutions.
In the early 2000s, Anne worked as an artist and website designer for a La Trobe University, Bendigo, in a multi-media project “Small Towns Big Picture” involving a variety of artists, writers and musicians. This work involved mapping facilities, clubs and community groups and learning local stories in a number of small towns; Wedderburn, Dunolly, Maldon, Talbot and Carisbrook. Concerts were held in each town, CDs produced by the musicians anda video produced by Phillip Ashton, a filmmaker from Dunolly – Anne’s website enabled people to access all their local groups online with photos and local artworks.
Anne exhibited her digital photographs in St. Arnaud, VIC in 2000, at the Portland Arts Centre in 2001 and in a group exhibition at Ararat Art Gallery in 2003.
Most recently Anne had a solo exhibition in 2014 of paintings at the Portland Arts Centre.
Anne is currently retired from paid work and lives on the farm in Carapooee by herself. She does TM meditation twice a day and has started doing yoga. Anne spends her days walking, painting, taking photographs and tending her property – including her animals in this dry land in the midst of a climate emergency.
Anne has had a rich, colourful, adventurous life that is reflected in her captivating works.
]]>Etelage is about “Bespoke jewellery made in Sydney for the modern bohemian woman with a warm heart and sassy style”.
Christine Smalley‘s brand, Etelage, has become synonymous with innovative design and meticulous handcrafting using an eclectic mix of vintage and modern brass, glass and gem stone beads with a strong emphasis on ethical work practices and an eco footprint.
Christine began her jewellery design journey at the age of 8, creating from her own stash of beads. When they ran out, and unable to find interesting beads in Australia, she started her own business ‘Etelage’ (French for adornment) in 2002 and purchased beads from Italy, the Czech Republic and India. The large minimum purchase requirements led Christine to open two shops to sell through. She then started having beads made, particularly beads essential for unique designs which were not available elsewhere.
Christine loves objects and the stories they tell. Christine’s passion for unique and beautiful things evolved from the stories her aunts told her from their overland adventures in Persia and Morocco and their exotic embellished clothes and jewellery. She was influenced by the jet set glamour of the 1960s and their elegant and bohemian luxe lifestyles.
Christine says she used to tell people “she hangs out with old men”. Their shared passion for the beads overcame any language barriers that emerged. Christine says ” I love working with vintage beads. I see myself as an interpreter and advocate for the old artisans of Bohemia ( modern day Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic) They were the original makers of beads, buttons and jewellery for the global costume jewellery market of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Twenty years ago the makers in the Czech Republic made beads and sold them to the state controlled distribution company ‘Jablonex’. Christine was only woman in the crowd of men who were sales people and buyers. Jablonex would display the items on cards and Christine would buy from the cards. Christine didn’t meet the makers or visit the family businesses spread all over the country.
Christine says “My business is a privilege. I’m surrounded by beauty and involved in another generation of storytelling” Christine has fossicked through a vast amount of exotic, tribal and rare beads and embellishments to achieve her exquisite range of unique beads.
Her stories of recent buying trips to the Czech Republic highlight Christine’s love of unique, vintage beads. She spent days in cold, damp basements searching through old, moldy boxes for unusual beads to add to the Etelage range.
Brass is the dominant metal in her work as it’s the most sustainable metal whilst maintaining a classic glamour and warmth – like gold.
Robin Hill of Breathing Colours says “I would visit Etelage to buy a specific item and leave with a unique stash of ‘one of a kind’ beads and designs to complete. For me a trip to Etelage was a dangerous delight”
The 70s had a large impact on Christine – from boho chic to retro glam – the era transcended generations like few before or since. She offers a fresh modern take on 70s bohemian opulence you will love to wear for years to come. Every piece is designed to help customers express their own style.
Earrings are Christine’s ‘thing’. They are a trans-formative accessory that can change and soften the face.”Earrings can change your ‘look’ and move you “from day to night in an instant”. She loves “being on the tools” and making unique pieces.
Explore Christine Smalley’s ‘limited edition’ collection on the Breathing Colours online store.
She closed her Newtown shop in 2014 and is focusing on her online business.
She says “I’ll continue with my ‘Passion Project’ of researching Holocaust survivors who are jewellery designers in Sydney. I’ll continue teaching foundational, technical skills and design fundamentals such as colour, texture and composition. I’ll continue making jewellery and “being on the tools”. I hope my volunteer work at the Powerhouse Museum evolves into museum collection management opportunities in the future.”
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Location: Balmain Space, 79 Beattie St Balmain
Open: By appointment - call
Come and explore Steffie’s collection of atmospheric landscapes!
]]>From: Monday 18th November to 24th December 2019.
Opening Night: Saturday 23rd November, 3.30 to 6pm
Location: Balmain Space, 79 Beattie Street, Balmain.
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday: 10 am to 6pm.
]]>"...Mellissa's paintings are visually spectacular and invite the viewer to search for further harmony and empathy with the natural landscape. She brings the natural landscape and birds of Australia to life" - Robyn Williams, Purple Noon Gallery
Mellissa says that “Since the 90’s I have continuously studied and practised painting and printmaking honing my art to vibrant optimistic harmony with the natural landscape." Her style is distinctive with her electric palette and layered application of brush strokes. Mellissa has named her style "macropointilism". Her work is admired by both Australian and international collectors alike. It is included in many private and public collections around the world.
"The hospitals should be full of Mellissa's paintings. They'd make everyone feel better!"
Steffie’s other recent awards were for ‘Best Landscape in the Show’ at the 2018-2019 Postcard Show at Linden New Art. In 2015 she was awarded the Lorenzo il Magnifico Silver Medal for painting at the Florence Biennale, Italy.
Steffie is a Melbourne based Australian landscape painter who has been painting and exhibiting atmospheric landscapes for over three decades. Her work is represented by galleries both locally and overseas and is held in numerous collections. Steffie says “As a visual artist, my main artistic influences are from Turner and the Australian Impressionists, with my paintings featuring dramatic skies highlighting fleeting climatic changes and contrasting light”.
Steffie employs a limited colour palette to achieve her atmospheric artistic effects. She “chooses to portray the landscape in transitory weather situations dominated by dramatic skies with contrasting light providing the main focus. My work reflects the unpredictability of nature with the emphasis on transitory experience, paralleling our own fleeting existence and the relativity of our significance within the natural environment”
We’ve just added this painting “Breaking Storm, Parramatta River” to the Breathing Colours shop and will be building Steffie’s collection in our online offering.
Steffie is also a writer and has republished her novel 'The August Months', in 2017 which deals with addiction and recovery. The book features two artists among the main characters. Copies of 'August Months' can be purchased online.
While you're visiting Breathing Colours Online don't forget to browse through the rest of the site and enjoy artworks by Faye Alexander Jenkins, Julie Simmons, Mellissa Read- Devine, Roxanne Lillis and more.
]]>Breathing Colours is a community of artists. One of our favourite jewellery and mixed media artists is Canberra-based Wendy Moore, who this week was awarded an OAM in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
I met Wendy at a class at Roz Eberhard’s Eclectic Studio many, many moons ago. Wendy & a colleague were teaching us to use fine strands of polymer clay to make jewellery. Wendy excelled as a teacher that day. She was forever inspiring, encouraging and patient.
Although well known as an artist and teacher Wendy was recognised for her service to the international community of Nepal via the Friends of Samunnat, an organisation that Wendy founded to support female victims of violence in that country.
Since its inception in 2006 she has been providing local women with training and support to make and sell polymer jewellery with the funds raised to provide legal, accommodation, education, and health support for Nepali women.
You can read more about Wendy and her work in Nepal via this excellent article published on the SBS website.
Wendy describes herself as a creator and connector, an artist and a teacher. “Ultimately, all I do is about celebrating beauty and connecting people to their innate creative voice. I know that hearing and responding to that voice transforms and empowers”
You can find out more about Wendy’s art and teaching on her website After the Monsoon.
For Wendy ‘After the Monsoon’ is also “a celebration of waking up and having another chance to live a compassionate and mindful life” Wendy chose ‘After the Monsoon’ as the title of her business because “During the monsoon, Nepal is a sea of swirling colour. Mud laden rivers surge, gutters gush, lightning cracks, thunder crashes and sweat flows.”
“After the monsoon, the world is aglow. Greens of such intensity they nearly hurt your eyes. Colour abounds – vermillion, magenta, violet, scarlet and glowing yellows. This vibrant fertility is my metaphor for abundant generosity. It feeds my passion for colour and nourishes my art and my teaching”.
I am delighted to have a limited range of Wendy’s creations available via our website including this intriguing piece where Wendy uses a multitude of techniques to create the components and then a number of design skills to create this lariat.
Wendy uses a variety of Polymer clay canes in the lariat. Canes are generally comprised of simple patterns that when combined form a quilt-like display of colours and designs.
Wendy’s jewellery truly is wearable art.
Wendy uses canes to shape beads that are like petals, flowers, leaves and buds. She uses canes to create a variety of patterns on beads – dots, swirls, stripes, swirled stripes and more.
These images help us to understand how Wendy Moore makes her more complex polymer clay pieces. The picture on the cuff is actually a slice of a cane. A cane is a combination of blocks of polymer arranged to create a design that runs along the entire length of a block.
Canes can be simple or complex and you can learn more about how they are made HERE or watch this video.
Wendy makes individual canes to represent different elements of the picture, for example, various canes for the different fields and other canes for leaves. These are then combined to create the larger picture- a mega cane - like the picture on the left. Once the cane is complete Wendy then pushes, smoothes, and pulls the cane until it is the size she wants. If she does this slowly and carefully, the design will be maintained all along the block even when it is made very small. Then she carefully cuts slice of the design which can then can be made into a cuff, neck piece or earrings.