What makes it tick?

Little monster with heart - from the MONSTERS show

Time is so precious to me! I feel it slipping through my fingers, and I worry that I am not "getting enough done." I fill my days, nights and weekends with busy-ness (yes, I know that's not how to spell it) making work, thinking about work, looking at other people's work and so on and so on.

Every now and then I feel lost in the morass of it all, but then I find a point where I can look back over it all and take stock of things. I realise that this year, as it comes to a close, has been a very very full year.

A friend asked me to send some "highlights" of my year to her for an alumi thing at my old haunt Whitireia... the list of highlights was something to giggle over.

January was curating, setting and installing The Gallery of Oddities for Fuse Circus and the World Buskers Festival in Christchurch... transporting over 70 artworks and collectors items down for display in an interactive side show museum (based in a truck).

February was frantic, with building, curating and making work for the Fringe show Alter + EGO, also based in the same truck. Alter + EGO showcased the work of 21 different artists over six days and three different locations in Wellington.

Then March was madness, curating the third edition of The Gallery of Oddities, for the Wellington Circus Festival, our best yet I think, complete with a mini burlesque performance for late night adventurers, a bearded lady (the exquisite Miss Marvella) and lovely lion tamer (Miss Cheeta Von Zeeta), never before seen marvels of the natural and unnatural world, and more...
It was with this version of the Gallery that I began to really experiment with combining my performance and storytelling with some of the scultpural work I have made.
Those of you who have a history with me will know of the thirteen years spent as a Fairy, telling children tall tales and adults dark ones. I think this is an obvious link in some of the more doll like of the works that I make now.

Lambi monster with heart - also from the MONSTERS show

August I exhibited the goldilocks bear with the Toi Poneke group show Head On, September was Dr Sketchy and then October was MONSTERS - a hugely successful group show at MyGalaxi Gallery with the Runamok collective.



November is running along like a freight train, preparing the release of my new range which is created in collaboration with my dear friend Annie: The Wild. The Wild will be released as part of Jewels for Christmas the jewellery sale at the Paramount, this organised through Workspace Studios, the studio I run with Annie, (and where I teach lots of enthusiastic creative people the techniques and tricks of jewellery making) and of course, stocking my galleries.

Working stuff out with Tracy on the soldering bench

Jewels for Christmas is going to be truely wicked - I am making some new yummies, using a lot of stones this year... I think I am obssessed with colour and light at the moment.

I am also really working some cool things out, that play with storytelling and child hood icons.

maybe too much Beatrix Potter as a kid? No.... never too much!

I am very excited by this years event, we have always dressed up the Paramount, and this time we are creating an enchanted garden for our stage!

I have it on good authority that the Mayor is coming to our launch, and lots of other cool and snazzy people as well, so inbetween being excited I am pretty freaked out... so much to do.... so little time.

Yes, time is very precious.