Soon to be revealed

We are all waiting for May 14th  . . . This is when the selected works will be on display, leading up to the vote . . . and winner of the Tip Shop competition.

I do not know what a lot of the entrants have done with their pieces, but of the ones we know about I am impressed with the variety of techniques used, along with huge doses of imagination.

I have heard reports about the decapitation of soft, cuddly children's toys and the mounting of their heads. . . . Yes! I did say children's toys . . 
Yep! I too am waiting to see what their function will be ????  
I am truly dying to see them!! 
I feel that is a new in  UP-CYCLING
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Yes! I am intrigued.

Trevor Moore and Jennifer Hamilton

A couple of the pieces I do know about are the entry from Jennifer Hamilton and Trevor Moore who combined their artistic skills to transform a daggy set of draws into a highly original piece. . . 

I love the waves of black oil slick on the top and the black wavy draw handles. . . . which contrast beautifully with the Bright, vibrant draw lining.


I want one too . . . .

Nancy Brown and Co-workers  -   I adore that edge!

Nancy Brown and her Co-workers have also contributed an interesting work that will also develope further past the time of the competition.

They aim to add layers of screen printing to the surface over an extended period.

Cam, Bri and Me - we all LOVE a bit of  RED

I forgot to take pics of ours toward the end of the process . . .  .so this one is the last I have . . . . with Cam half in it, adding the light fittings . . . . 

We added layers of pictures on the outside and kept it innocent, clean . . . .  & Oh! So WHITE

 However, on the inside it is all shelves for drinks, glasses, Gold leaf, red crushed velvet and lighting for the necessary bling effect . . .  . Oh! SOOOOOO LUSCIOUS!

Always fascinates me how a bit of paint and some IMAGINATION can transform a piece of the ordinary into something rather extraordinary  YUM!

PAPER Cut out - recycled - re-newed

OLD Books

Pre- Loved

Unwanted

 . . . .. . . DISCARDED





What a WASTE !




Wall paper Glue
Scissors
Brush
MDF

 

. . . . . . TIME

IMAGINATION . . .. . Altered . . . NEW from OLD

Tip

Tip Shop People’s choice Competition - continued

Anyone who knows me, knows I love to recycle. I hate the unnecessary purchasing of the NEW. If there is something I need and I can find it in a condition I can 'MAKE NEW', I am a very Happy lady. So for me this invitation to enter the Tip Shop competition is more about highlighting the unecessary WASTE of things that are thrown out . . . .  and the ability to RE-NEW or RE-INVENT, than about the winning . . . . though that would be a nice BONUS.

The main criteria for entry into the Tip Shop competition was, to choose a piece of furniture or bric-a-brac, which we had to transform into an interesting piece of FUNCTIONAL art.

We selected a cupboard. A BROWN uninteresting OLD TV cabinate, that someone had discarded.  . . .that was made of good strong wood.

        ·         First we had to decide what we wanted to use the cupboard for ?  FUNCTION

·         We had to decide what was it going to look like ?  CREATIVETY/ ART

We decided, rather than painting our own design or using mosaic on the cupboard; we wanted to use some of the many pre loved books, available in the Shop,  in a form of Collage.

 

All BOOKS at the TIP SHOP are sold for $0.50 cents each, so we were able to find quite a few amongst the MANY that would not be wasted when we cut them up.  We deliberately chose books that had been loved to the point of being obviously damaged, or those altered with artistic additions of crayon and pencil by previous owners, or ones that we felt were out of fashion.

We thought WHITE outside . . . .  . .RED inside, with GOLDLEAF & crushed velvet.

We decided we wanted the cupboard to look like a CHILDRENS TOY CUPBOARD on the outside,

while serving the function of a DRINKS CABINATE on the inside.

I looked on Google to find information regarding the practicals processes of fixing holes, sanding, painting etc.. . . . .

We decided it needed the addition of a few shelves for glasses and Bottles.

MATERIALS

Sandpaper

Paint.   White, 3 in one for outside.

 RED paint for inside

Goldleaf

PVA glue for adhesion of goldleaf

Material to line inside.

Rollers for paint

Brushes for glue and paint

Drop sheet to prevent mess

Nails

Glue.  Wallpaper paste for collaging

Scissors to cut out images

Extra wood to construct shelves

Wood beading,  to support shelves and frame collages

Hinges for doors

 Let the WORK begin . . . .

With our Cupboard from the TIP SHOP and purchases from BUNNINGS  - we got started . . .  .

#     Washing the cupboard to remove the dirt

#         Sanding to remove the old varnish and then washing again to ensure surface was clean to paint.

#       PAINTING, painting and more painting.

It is starting to LOOK like a VERY FINE piece of FURNITURE.

Stay tuned . . . .

        

Beijing together. Brianna and me.

As my timeAnothe

Bri and I at The Hutong, making & eating Chinese food

Thinking about our time together, I feel blessed. To be able to share such a wonderful adventure with both my children, has been an incredible experience. One I will treasure.

However, I am extremely surprised to realize I have grown rather attached to China . . . . this brash, confusing, contradictory, creative & exciting place.

So much creativity . . . . .

I look around and am continuously blown away by the talent, creativity, ingenuity and sheer audacity of the multi faceted inhabitants.

Throughout our journey, just when I think I am over the pushing, jabbering, grey haze of pollution, traffic and sheer size and rate of expansion . . . I turn a corner and am confronted by someone whose generosity and humor confounds me, or an environmental panorama that takes my breath away. I do think being an artist is a big advantage. I tend to scrutinize the construction, detailing and placing of things that many confess they do not acknowledge, witness, comprehend or see at all. (This process can be annoying as a short journey may take hours. . . . . . ) 

Peeling paint, layered patterning, constructed landscaping, the juxtaposition of shadows silhouetted on a path, all are cause for pause, examination and reflection. China is an ideal place for exploration, especially if you have time. The unexpected appearance of a huge paper cut-out design under a bridge. The stenciling of images on abandoned buildings, the appearance of sculptures at every turn. I often watch people walking past all these installations without any outward sign of recognition, and I'm bamboozled.

So much talent, unobserved?
In Brisbane I would have to walk through GOMA ensuring I witness each and every item, to see anywhere near as much as I can see just walking down a suburban main street in Beijing.

I am incredulous of the changes this county has experienced - is experiencing. 

In 2002 and 2007 we travelled through the major cities, to see the major tourist highlights. We saw a country in change and opening to all and any possibility. Now only 4 years since our last visit, the changes are incredible. 

No more grey communist garments.

Not the open fear of exposure.

Not hiding their ideas or emotions . . .  I hope it stays this way?

One of many Very large Paper Cuts behind glass under bridge.

We saw people holding hands and even kissing openly. 

We witnessed consumerism being all consuming. 

We saw the outward benefits of a new wave of 'liberal communism' 

(Sort of what we would consider entrepreneurial . . . capitalist . . .or plain in your face avaricious money making? Some good, some questionable)

Creative architecture everywhere

Through out my long stay, I have listened to a lot of criticism from numerous foreign individuals ( the blatant production of pollution, the over- consumption, the one child policy collapsing, the want,want,want of the people . . . ) and though I thought about their opinions and had to believe that they were observing obvious trends - I could not help but be sympathetic with the way things are going. After the 'so long without' still in daily dialogue and current memory, I think the need to want and the want to desperately need, would be extremely hard to resist. The swift rush from Cultural revolution to consumerism is surreal.Everywhere you look there is change.
Everywhere there is construction. There is planting of expansive parks.
Everywhere that something is changed a cultural installation or sculpture is installed.
Water park and out door movies in our local  shopping center . . . Cool !! We spend many nights here eating ice-cream and people watching.

The people know what they have missed, they know what they  want. And who can blame them for wanting it all - now.

Everywhere we go, they are making small steps toward rehabilitation. Electric bikes, wind fans & solar power to generate electricity. Planting of trees along every road and parks everywhere. The law to stop public spitting and the one child policy . . . . .the list goes on and on.

YES! I do wish her good management and good luck in the future.