Snow Snaps

Jenna looking oh so cute amongst the snow flakes!

Last weekend, the snow road trip came upon us!

Lots of my friends are pretty decent snowboarders and for some reason I thought I could match their abilities. While I am still nursing my sore limbs and bruised behind, I did improve (can even turn now - woo hoo!) and would love to get up to the magical snow mountains again this season. But there is nothing like a bit of play time in the snow with a camera to pass the time while I waited for the rest of the crew to carve up the black runs.

Personally, I battled to see a metres in front of me on the foggy, child-friendly green run. Who are all those little tackers who zipped by me in their skis anyway?! Still, despite all the preparation and layers of clothing / equipement required I snapped here, there is always time for a snow ball fight and to stick your tongue to the fresh air while the flakes tickle your exposed skin.

How pretty, this was the coverage just after 2pm on Monday!

 ah oh - who's Jakey going to go for this time...

...looks like a miss

Spring Summer Dreaming

hmmm....I am very glad to see the Spring Summer fashion promotions getting started. neer mind that August has just begun, I'm ready to celebrate the oncoming season! I have been drooling over my Greece shots from last year for far too long now - time for more warm memories to emerge...

For fashion, it looks like there are plenty of pale hues lingering like this sunset, matched with some industrial cobalt blues and khaki greens. and neutrals and nudes. not such great tones for those Mediterraneans among us who don't want to look like their skin and clothes are all one tone (minus a sun tan right now remember!)

BUT I have made my first purchase. From Ambercrombie online, including this stylish shirt:

Hoping to match it with some paler tones as it gets warmer and my skin gets a little darker. Okay back to design work now....

Drive Bys

Wouldn't it be great to have a camera on you in the car?

Well, these days I did. And i don't just mean an iphone, an actual DSLR or an analogue film baby at your finger tips at the traffic lights. I am not one for wasting time so I my eyes wander as much as possible in a few location until...BEEPBEEP!!!! The lights are green and I'm not moving.... (click click click)

But it's okay, I got the shots I wanted, and they're not even blurry. Everybody, (except the impatient truckie behind me) wins! I'll try to keep this up as safely as possible. I have always wanted to tour unknown suburbs of Melbourne and take some shots like this.

True Friends

I was recently asked to design and illustate for a locally produced documentary DVD, directed and produced by a close friend of mine - such delight!

Isabel is a keen young journalist and an incredibly intelligent young woman of the world! On a trip last year to Papua New Guinea, Isa recorded and followed the lives of young women in a little-known province of PNG that has an incredibly high rate of HIV-AIDS in their community. There are a group of friends who gather, known as The True Friends Club and this feature is a tribute to its members.

For me, having never been to PNG before and being quite in awe of these wonderful young females, I tried my best to put a delicate spin on such a topic. Nevertheless, the documentary and the spirit of the women is very uplifting and positive, full of colour and laughter and a sense of belonging. 

Isa sent me this pic above and from this, looking at some vintage fabrics and usinng my trusty water colour pencils, I got to work. Here is the progress - Final product to be posted soon!

Some fabric I thought might work nicely in the design, from my big red box.

Illustration Idea for the DVD cover

Isabella will also be off to PNG again shortly, after receiving another grant - you go girlfriend! 

I'll hopefully be given permission from her to publish some of her images as she goes....

Floral Furnishings

Our house is currently blooming with delightful winter floral arrangements. Mum has been quietly recovering from an operation but the snap frozen conditions of our household means that the flowers delivered have been kept fresh and colourful for an extended period to help her through the recovery. 

Here is one of my favourites, Lillies can often loose their appeal when they droop in all directions but this nifty solution of pinning the tropical leaf around the bunch is very cute. Well done Mum.

Landscape Series

I love these shots because there is so much mood to them yet they are so simple. I do remember the down pour that followed these shots. What interesting cloud cover does to natural light...  

I am still here!

Wow - How embarrassing! It's almost July...

If i ever did have any serious followers they most certainly will have found something or someone else's interesting things to distract them during this dull weather patch. 

If my lack of blogging efforts is at all going to be redeemed, it is with the picture above. Many weekends since March have been spent at open for inspections and auctions until this little gem came my way!

I promise now to be a more serious blogger of all things creative, thought provoking and quirky. Until then, please have a look at some of my most recent professional blogging and design efforts at http://www.thearkclothingco.blogspot.com/

RAINY WEEKENDS AWAY

Living in Melbourne comes with many pros and cons. Water restrictions and rain on long weekends away. hmm...at least the Labour Day weekend came with some competitive sport at the Lorne country club and some new HOLGA shots.

HEAT WAVES ON

Theres no better way to bring in the new year than with a roadtrip. If only we could all run on the beach and chase this heat wave away, then dive into the ocean. Fun memories and more film to be developed soon....back to work!