Owly inspiration at Charles Street Artists' Market on 29/05

I have to admit to having been blown away at the Charles Street Artists’ Market last month. Setting up took, no surprise here, ages and I was still going around 1.30 (started at 10.30!) when I noticed the graffiti artists at work. These guys were painting owls! -- a fitting complement to my Kitchen Owls.

Fantastic wall art created during the Charles Street Artists’ Market on 29/05/11.

Wonder which of my owls gave them particular inspiration? This guy was there.

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Kitchen Owl #347 ‘William of Orange’

I later found out that they were inspired by my little guys. Wooo hoooot! I presumed they had come prepared with pre-planned designs of what they were going to paint but, no, they were doing it ‘on the fly’!

Thanks to Charles Street Artists’ Market for the photo and Deams & Itch from the ‘awol crew’ for the paintings. ;o)

New market on trial this Sunday -- Rose St Artists' Market, Fitzroy

Well, I've been enjoying the freedom of the school holidays but *not* the absolute shambles resulting in my house at the end of a few days of playing at home. I'm therefore looking forward to some time to create a little order here once school goes back. Not too much, mind…

Tara's 7th birthday at the beginning of Easter was a highlight of the holidays, along with our present to her, 'Cats', a couple of days prior. It was a distinct pleasure to enjoy her absolute delight at the theatre (luckily not solely due to the kitch, plastic martini glass with the lit stem that constantly changed colour -- "you may take it back to your seat but you must switch it off before the 2nd act begins". Never fear, it was only a non-alcoholic slushy!).

Easter down on the Mornington Peninsula helping to celebrate a wedding and take some photos of the occasion was fun with additional highlights of a judged Easter Bonnet Parade and Easter Egg Hunt at Uncle Martin & Aunt Yvette's caravan park on Easter Sunday. Tara's eyebrows shot up when, on arriving at Granddad's place, the Easter Bunny hadn't yet been as he was "incredibly busy delivering eggs all over the world"! A weak excuse which has helped to convince her that the Easter Bunny, along with that guy in red who turns up at Christmas, aren't real. Let's face it: I'm a terrible liar. ;o)

One benefit of our lazy school holiday life has been the volume of new owl creations (new ones starting from Mini Mae #25 -- http://good-times.webshots.com/album/575948722JEguIc?start=72) which I'll be taking to Rose St, Fitzroy on Sunday 11th. Come and join the fun of a market chock full of amazing talent selling fabulous stuff. I hope to see you there!

Back to school and the usual routine next Monday. Mixed feelings about that. My next market will be the following Sunday (18th) back at my regular Abbotsford Convent Maker's Market. It's panning out to be a busy month.

New additions to my repertoire

I have had some surprising interest in my quirky Kitchen Owls which you can see in my album on Webshots http://good-times.webshots.com/album/575948722JEguIc The he first one ('Flashy Fabio': Kitchen Owl #1) was quite a surprise to me as well: he is so adorable! As with most things creative he sort of evolved and, to be fair, he had been brewing in the creative recesses of my mind since my first 'sculpture' attempts for my daughter's school art show back in October last year. I displayed this shiny fellow for the first time at my Dec market at Abbotsford Convent and, perhaps due to poor layout, he was still around to be packed up again ready for my Jan markets at the Royal Botanic Gardens and Abbotsford Convent. More success this time as he, and a strawberry owl I made on the day of the Convent Maker's Market were sold. I didn't even manage a photo of 'Strawberry owl', my first jam jar lid owl (almost identical to 'Berry Pretty' but with a strawberry jam jar lid). 'Little Laddie': Kitchen Owl #2, my very first tea strainer owl, became a Christmas gift but also the rough template for the majority of my owls to date. I took along 'Beaky', 'Berry Pretty' (another jam jar lid owl), 'Insomnia', 'Dainty', 'Fly away home' and 'Copper Grandpa' to my February market at Brunswick Town Hall (Sisters' Market) and had some exciting interest. 'Dainty' was sold quite late in the piece to a young lady who had earlier bought some of my cards and who had been riding away but returned saying 'I was on my way home but I decided I just had to buy Dainty'. It's wonderful to think of my little guys hanging around in people's back yards or kitchens. Time and enough tea strainers are lacking to get more done but I'm doing my best to have some ready for the Botanic Gardens market on 13 March. 'Fly away home' now has a home to go to so I'll have to make another one of those, too. No rest for the wicked! ®