Matthew Roland.

ShipShape

2012-01-03T00:08:00.001+11:00

Happy Belated New Year!

For today's post though, some photos of ShipShape, a piece that I worked on with Lulu Ruttley and Daniel Dittmar for The Design Kids' Terrible Twos exhibition. We paired my illustrations with their ideas and beautiful type, and the piece was auctioned off on opening night. The funds raised went to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. All-round a great project to be a part of.
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Feast Your Eyes 2

2011-12-27T16:44:00.000+11:00

It's been a while, sorry! I've been working five days a week and blogging has paid the price. It's not that I haven't had things to blog about, it's just a time thing, as usual ugh. A few photos from Feast Your Eyes 2, an event by the guys at Art on the Wall, where Caitlin Shearer (above), Matt Roden, and I exhibited four food pieces each. Lots of fun! Mine pieces are all for sale (framed!), so let me know if you're keen.
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After Open House

2011-11-13T23:32:00.001+11:00

The Open House 2011 exhibition, where the Swig & Swill project was exhibited, is now complete, and it was quite an eventful night! Thank you to everyone who came, I hope you all had a great time, and loved that amazing Jameson/Apple Juice combo.

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Open House 2011, an event which aimed to make a mark on our city, achieved, despite its complications, exactly that.

Week One
From the very beginning, when we were first briefed on exactly what the situation was, and what we were expected to, I was exited amongst brief moments of apprehension. I knew that the even was an opportunity to make a public statement about our city and about Darlinghurst, and yet I also knew how important it was that whatever we chose to say would need to be perfect. We needed to understand and experience the area to the extent that we could express something about it with no doubt or uncertainty at all.

It was important to my group, from the start, that we found something to say with meaning and purpose. We didn’t want our project to be something that solely sought out good marks, or a fun experience. We wanted it to be something that would hold true for the locals of the area, and that would be remembered for the point that it made.

Early Ideas
In spite of our good intentions and aspirational aims when we first began brainstorming, our early ideas all seemed to be extravagant in execution yet trivial in subject matter. We discussed installing a large door at Foley Street’s end, or constructing a typical suburban scene in all white, ready to be live-painted by attendees. I think that the problem with these ideas was that whilst they were impressive, they had no definitive connection to Darlinghurst, they could have just as easily been placed in situ in any city area in and country and hold just the same meaning. This was far from what we wanted t o achieve, and from what the subject asked us to do.

Flannerie
As a group, we made a number of trips to Foley Street in the first few weeks of the semester. These helped us to immerse ourselves in the area, and explore its many laneways and alleys. It was on one of these trips that our idea was really formed. At that point, we had already began to consider exploring the drinking and cafe cultures of the area, but until then we hadn’t realised that these cultures could be used as a tool to map the people of Darlinghurst, their individuality, their diversity, and their society. On our 10am walk through Darlinghurst, and less than a minute away from Foley Street, we saw an old man with a wine bottle (complete with brown bag concealment), struggling to break the seal. He leaned over to a young boy sitting nearby, and held out his bottle. The boy opened it for him, handed it back, and the old man smiled. Seeing the sense of community in their actions, we decided to focus in on this, and find a way, with our bottles, to express the diversity, uniqueness, and closeness of the area.

Swig & Swill
The Swig & Swill concept was straightforward whilst still encouraging pensive thought, questioning, and consideration. By using bottles, a defined and physical object, to sociologically map the people of Darlinghurst, we were able to give a literal visualisation to a much more abstract concept. As a group, we each sought out bottles of different shapes and sizes, which we then painted in a palette of five colours that we had found to be prevalent in the area. Each of the bottles, in their respective hues, were representative of a sector of the community. Then, when displayed, they were mixed amongst each other; tall bottles with short, pink bottles with grey, wine bottles with juice, and it was via these pairings and groupings that the work became truly representational. If the work had been composed of only wine bottles, or if we had chosen a palette of only one or two colours, the work would not have had the same visual intensity that we were able to achieve. This is also true of Darlinghurst, if different sociological groups were extracted, it would cease to be Darlinghurst as we know it. The vibrancy and excitement of the area is purely a result of the people.

The Group
I have often found that university group-work can pose a slew of unwanted challenges, with incompatible timetables and working hours usually the culprit. However I think that our group worked well to allocate tasks and coordinate meeting-times throughout the semester. Each of us worked consistently, always collecting, scrubbing, and painting our bottles. And in addition to this, we took on individual responsibilities; I looked after the photography of the bottles prior to the exhibition, as well as the design of the posters at our Fraser Street showing, and the plinth informational card at the Foley Street show.

The Night
On the day of the exhibition, everything went, for the most-part, to plan. Our bottles were all ready in good time, along with our additional elements of lighting, documentation, and support. However we could not control the rain. I think that this is one of the points of differentiation for Swig & Swill. When it began to rain, we moved the bottles indoors, one by one with little consequence. When the rain stopped, we moved many back outside. Whilst many of the other Open House projects were challenged dramatically by the rain, we were able to deal with it both quickly and efficiently. The night was a success. I think that our project had a message to it that was clear and powerful, so that no matter what the conditions, we were able to get our message across. I made note of large numbers of people crowded around our plinth and reading about the bottles, and I overhead many people comment on the lit-installations. The project was very much a personal one, not only for us, but for all the people of Darlinghurst by whom it was informed. Those at the exhibition could look at the bottles, and quite easily spot which one they connected with. Our work was very much an art-piece, another intrinsic link to the area, which helped it to engage.

Fraser Street
The Fraser Street exhibition, as with Foley Street, was extremely important to us. As we had been given the opportunity to share our message again, we wanted to make good use of this, and demonstrate the feel and intent of Open House once more. By reconstructing some of our primary areas of installation, as well as designing posters that showed the bottles in their Foley Street situ, we were able to recreate Open House on a smaller scale. The Fraser Street showing, as with all exhibition, had its setbacks and time-restrictions, but I think that we dealt with these well and took them in our stride.

Looking Back
There aren’t many things, in reflection, that we should have done differently. It would have been good, for example, to have planned out a specific wet weather plan, and how exactly it should be executed. Small elements of our setup, such as mounting our plaque and attaching our lighting, could have been done even earlier. But, despite these small changes, I think that we worked well as a team to deal with each issue as it arose. We had a clear idea and vision of our project, and thus had no difficulty in changing our plans to achieve it. We knew what we needed to say, and I think, when looking back, that we, along with all the other Open House participants, said it well.

Swig & Swill

2011-11-06T11:44:00.001+11:00

It's not all that often that a University project extends to spray-painting over 150 glass bottles and setting them all up in a small CBD laneway, but when our intent is to sociologically map the area's population, taking specific note of both its drinking and art-loving culture, everything begins to make a little more sense. Kind-of.

Open House 2011 is an event run by about 30 design students that aims to question and provoke ideas about how society impacts on the city and how the city impacts on us. The event will run for one night only, with six large-scale works each highlighting a different aspect of the overall theme. My group's work, Swig & Swill, will explore the interactions and implications of Darlinghurst's hugely diverse populous, and how this has made the area what it is today.
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Food Fight: Pack a Picnic

2011-11-02T22:04:00.000+11:00

Whilst recent posts may suggest that I wear the same Opening Ceremony jumper to every single art show I'm in, I'd like to assure you that this is not the case. It's simply a horrible horrible coincidence.

Nevertheless, these are a few shots of Sweets Workshop's second annual Food Fight exhibition. The show, as always, was put together wonderfully, and I must say that I'm particularly contented with the little collage featuring my Not Your Average Picnic piece in the Food Fight book. Pop over to Sweets and grab a copy, you'll see what I mean. Enjoy!
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The Dieline Feature

2011-10-25T18:57:00.001+11:00

Just a quick little post to let you know that my Smooth Sailing wine label project was featured on The Dieline earlier this afternoon. Very exciting. I've always had a soft spot (i.e. obsession) for packaging design, so to be featured on one of my favourite packaging design blogs is really quite an honour. To read the full post click here!
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ONE x ONE x ONE Opening Night

2011-10-17T14:18:00.000+11:00

The ONE x ONE x ONE Sydney opening on Thursday was pretty amazing. Possibly the best show I've ever been in. I was particularly in love with Rebecca Murphy's deck, as well as Yok's and Qwux's decks as expected. If you're in Melbourne or Brisbane, be sure to get to the show when it's in town!

These are a few of my photos from the night, including me looking particularly youthful with my deck. Hey, hi.
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ONE x ONE x ONE

2011-10-12T20:27:00.001+11:00

The ONE x ONE x ONE show opens tomorrow night, and I'm pretty excited to be exhibiting alongside some of my favourite Australian artists. I never thought I'd be showing with The Yok, and I must say I'm pretty chuffed.
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Smooth Sailing Inc.

2011-10-08T16:19:00.000+11:00

A set of three wine labels that I illustrated for Smooth Sailing Inc. but will never go into production. Hey, I'd buy them.
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Not Your Average Picnic

2011-09-30T21:17:00.000+10:00

This is a little drawing that I contributed to Sweets Workshop's next Food Fight exhibition. I love being involved with the shows that Emma and John put on, there's always the most wonderful group of artists involved.

I haven't been drawing all that much recently though, I just haven't had much time or all that much inspiration. I'm one of those people who goes through phases. Not in a crazy I HAVE A NEW HOBBY way, but more of an I have an idea and I'm going to pursue it today manner. This can be both good and bad. It's good when I actually have the time to fully pursue the idea, but every so often I attempt something that is simply just too big for me at that time. Those projects typically fall through, and I go all moody and sad. My recent necklaces were one of those things. Now I'm not trying to say that I didn't plan them or design them well enough, as I really do think that they would be beautiful to own and wear, but a couple of weeks ago I suddenly realised that I just couldn't handle making them right now. I stopped emailing people about them, stopped trying to fund them, and I've just been letting the Pozible timer slowly run out. Hopefully I'll have the time to attempt them one day, but I guess that now just wasn't the right time. Oh well, hopefully I'll have the heart to start another project soon. I'll let you know fo' sho'.
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Burger

2011-09-26T22:36:00.002+10:00

I'm not working tomorrow, and whilst I love my job more than even I thought I would, I'm quite looking forward to a bit of a sleep in. I'm also looking forward to making huge progress (I hope!) on an illustration project that I need to finish super soon. Tonight though, I'm just working on a little logo and obsessing with Jon Burgerman's new work and new tumblr. I'm considering getting a tumblr, but I'm not ready just yet.
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N&dV

2011-09-20T22:33:00.001+10:00

Infrequent posting, I apologise. It makes me feel like I'm a blogger playing hard-to-get. But really it's just the result of working five days. You know how it is.

I feel like writing a ridiculously long post about many things, but I know that long posts should only be written in the middle of the day, unless you want to forgo spelling and grammar and the general intelligent vibe. So that will have to wait. Now though, I just wanted to show you these amazing posters that were posted on grain edit the other day. They're by Niessen & de Vries, a Dutch duo with an insanely amazing portfolio of work. Go look, and bask in their fantastic use of colour.
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Dimensions

2011-09-15T23:20:00.001+10:00

I'm sorry for how quiet it has been here of late, I started a new job last week and I've been super busy. But! I've been quietly working away on my Before The Last Resort project, and I'm excited to share this update.

I've never been one for buying things unless I'm completely sure of what I'm getting, so of course I couldn't possibly expect people to pre-order my new necklaces based only on my first illustrations of them (though I'm very thankful to those people who did!) Nevertheless, with the help of Joshua from McKean Studio, I now have these fancy new renders to show you! If you fancy yourself as a bit of a jewellery buff, and don't mind some MCM vibes, I'd love to have your support. Each necklace is $65 including postage, and you can pre-order over here, hoorah!

Oh, and I'm sorry for the overload of grid patterning right now, I hope you can forgive me.
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Ice Cream Type

2011-09-11T12:43:00.000+10:00

I've been seeing so much old sign-writing around of late, but maybe I've just been looking for it more than I used to. Of all the things I've been seeing, ice cream related type has been weirdly prevalent, it's a pity that there's not so much around these days.

Everyone should quit their jobs and get into sign-writing How good would the world be then.
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DIY: A Bedside Table

2011-09-06T21:42:00.000+10:00

I've never posted a DIY project before, not because I'm lazy and don't like DIY, but because I'm lazy and don't like taking photos mid-DIY. Today though, I've decided to break the habit, and share one of my projects with you.

A little while ago, the lovely ladies from Paper Runway Magazine interviewed me for their second issue. One of the questions asked what I have on my bedside table, and I awkwardly explained that I didn't have one, let alone anything on it. But, determined to amend the unfortunate situation, I set to work on an IKEA Frosta Stool and this is how it went.

This lovely Charley Harper-esque fabric is an IKEA treasure, and I had been eyeing it on every IKEA visit. I was literally excited beyond belief to have finally found an excuse to buy some.

Cutting the fabric down to size was possibly the most challenging part of the DIY for me, as I struggled so much to decide which section to use! I've been in a bit of a nautical phase of late though, so I chose the section with a boat and I think it suits me well.

Even though I was making a bedside table and not a seat, I decided to glue down a little bit of fibre as padding. Not so much as to make it plush, but just enough that the fabric on top wouldn't slide or gather over the wood.

Since this was just a quick project, and as there was no sewing machine at hand, the bottom of the table wasn't as neat as it could have been. You could always sew a custom slip-cover at this stage of the project. Anyway. From here, I cut the fabric into a somewhat more circular shape, with about a two border around the circle of the stool. I pleated the edges of the fabric and stuck them down with cello tape, just so it held long enough for me to nail it down with upholstery tacks. The cello tape (or washi tape if you're always all cute and crafty) was then removed.

This is what the top looked like all covered up, lovely.

Now whilst the Frosta stool comes with four legs, I decided that three would be a little nicer, a bit reminiscent of the Alvar Aalto stool that the Frosta was surely inspired by. With a protractor, I marked out new points for the legs to be screwed in, each 120 degrees apart.

Then it's just a simple process of screwing all the legs in. This is best done listening to some nice music to congratulate you for getting this far.

And, done! If only I was being interviewed about my bedside table now, I'd have so much more to say. Nonetheless, now my phone has a home at night and my room is just that little bit nicer. I'm off to do some organising now, I start a new job tomorrow!
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The Sausalito Sun

2011-09-04T01:00:00.000+10:00

I finished this piece a week or two ago, for a show of custom skate decks that will be travelling around Australia a little in the next two months. The piece is called The Sausalito Sun Peaked Higher That Tuesday, and the show is called ONExONExONE. It is being run by the good folk at The Three Sixty Project and will be raising funds to support youth programs internationally. I don't know all the dates and details of the show yet, but as soon as I do, I'll pass it on. I really want to go to the Melbourne show!

More photos of the deck closer to the show.
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Modern Findings

2011-09-03T22:02:00.001+10:00

Modern Findings is one of my favourite blogs at the moment, it's run by a lovely couple living in the States, but that's pretty much all I've been able to glean as their about page only introduces their cats. Nonetheless, their blog and tumblr make the perfect pair, with a ridiculous number of beautiful modern images to browse.
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Alphabet Soup Opening

2011-09-02T22:24:00.000+10:00

Wednesday night was Alphabet Soup opening, and it was lovely to see some of my favourite people all in one room. We should exhibit together more often.
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Yes, Yellow

2011-09-01T14:01:00.002+10:00

I don't know about you, but recently I've been pretty obsessed with yellow. You know that amazing mustardy colour that's been going around? Loving it. Anyway, I thought I'd share a few of my favourite yellow things with you, just in celebration, you know.

A big bunch of Billy Buttons, also known as Craspedia, have been sitting on my desk for about a month now. They make me happier, you know. Then there's Colors, a book by one of my favourites, Charley Harper. It's a kids book, sure, but I don't see any issue with that. And lastly, another book (I'm such a reader). This one is full of lovely chairs, a gift from my sister.
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First Pieces

2011-08-30T14:00:00.000+10:00

My new Before The Last Resort Collection is now up on Pozible and I've been getting into that crazily frantic mode I predicted. I have about six weeks to raise my funds, and then some crazy making-time after that. The materials for my first prototypes are starting to come in, and whilst they're not painted yet (or powder-coated white in the case of those bolts), I'm getting excited anyway because I can see them coming together. Joshua, one chair-obsessive half of McKean Studio, has been working on these custom bolts for me, and will be whipping up some 3D modelling magic soon. I CAN'T WAIT!

If you can't wait either, I'd love for you to jump over to the pre-order website and put your name down for one of the new necklaces. $65, what a steal.
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I Am A Dash

2011-08-30T10:15:00.000+10:00

A few pieces from a month or two back, the result of listening to Sia's Academia on repeat for three or four hours. Email me if you're interested in them.

I saw Sia live once with my friend Tash; she was performing in Sydney for an iTunes event. Sure, I had to take a two hour lunch break to go, and yes we were about an hour late after going to the wrong venue and nearly crashing a wedding, but those last few songs that we did actually catch, they were amazing.
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Before It Begins

2011-08-25T17:36:00.000+10:00

From tomorrow, I'm likely to be perpetually frazzled and delirious, although I'm very excited nonetheless! I have a new project that I've been keeping secret for a little while now, called Before The Last Resort. If you click that link you'll be able to read all about it, but basically it's a series of three handmade necklaces that I've designed as a salute to three of my favourite designers. The necklaces are of the highest quality, so they're quite expensive for me to make (gold is pricey stuff these days), but by putting my project on Pozible, maybe I'll be able to make them!

Pozible is a bit like an Australian version of Kickstarter, where you can support creative projects by pledging money towards them in return for rewards, and if the project hits their budget (mine is $3000!!), the pledges are all processed, the project goes into production, and the maker sends out all the rewards. If you'd like to support me, I'd really love if you pre-order one of my new necklaces through the site tomorrow. As I make developments and prototypes and the like, I'll be posting about it here, so you'll be kept in the loop the whole time.

Do spread the word, and thank you for your help!
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Bicycles & Tricycles

2011-08-24T12:39:00.000+10:00

There's a new Finders Keepers gift guide out today, with a slew of bike related gifts. My history with bikes has been a very varied and emotional journey. Until the age of 17, I avoided the contraptions at all costs. But then one fateful day, my friends came to my house to go for a bike ride. Forced to reveal my secret inability, I knew it was time for me to battle the beast.

My picks for the gift guide are above, but to see where you can buy all those lovely things, as well as to see what all the other contributors chose, just head over here.
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Canvas Prints

2011-08-22T16:35:00.001+10:00

It's still another week until the Alphabet Soup exhibition opens, but from the few pieces that I've seen so far, it's shaping up to be a really nice show. This is one of two canvas prints of my piece, Regulus Arcturus Black, with the other to be exhibited framed at the gallery. I haven't had anything printed on canvas before, and to be honest, I hadn't even noticed that I requested canvas when I sent this to print. But luckily this was one of those mistakes that I'm really happy with, as I really like the texture and the colours on the canvas. I must remember to try new stocks more often.

If you'd like to purchase this print (2/2), do send me an email here.
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RAH

2011-08-20T23:42:00.003+10:00

The Rah Collective is a small group of artists, six to be exact, working away on a bunch of different projects/publications/generally good things. They've just released their first annual book, and I was lucky enough to be included as one of their friends. The book is a really great collection of artworks and illustrations, with lots of interviews too, so it's a nice way to see into the different processes of all the people involved. My spread is just after that of Little Gonzales, another Sydney illustrator. It's probably a little creepy, but because I follow so many illustrators on twitter, and have usually met them once or twice, I often feel like we're pretty much best friends. Little Gonzales, amongst others, is one of those people. Ohhhh, you can tell it's late when I'm typing on tangents and ever so slightly incoherent.

Back on topic though, I think that there are still a few copies of the book left, so you can grab yours quickly from over here.
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A Type of Show Opening

2011-08-18T21:06:00.001+10:00

A few photos from the opening of A Type of Show last night. The standard of work was amazingly high, with my standouts being Tony DiSpigna, Timba Smits, and Bianca Chang. If you're in the Darlinghurst area any time soon, I definitely recommend you head over and have a look.

ALSO. If you're feeling particularly helpful, I'd love if you could let me know (in the comments) whether or not my blog pictures have been loading for you. I've been having some really frustrating issues with my web host of late, and even though a refresh will usually fix everything up, I'd really prefer that I didn't have any problems at all!
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A Type of Show Tonight

2011-08-17T12:38:00.001+10:00

I'm not sure exactly how big Kind of Gallery is, but I'm fairly certain that it won't be big enough. Tonight is the opening of A Type of Show, with one of the most ridiculous lineups the Sydney type scene has seen in a while. I'll be there, most likely squashed between a wall and a mass of industry folk and type fanboys, attempting to somehow get into whatever awkward position necessary to actually see the work. Oh, and CHECK THAT FOIL on the flyer!
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Alphabet Soup

2011-08-15T22:52:00.001+10:00

Here's the flyer for the Alphabet Soup exhibition opening next Wednesday, where I'll be exhibiting this piece. It would be lovely to see some of you there.
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Follow

2011-08-14T13:59:00.001+10:00

Opening only yesterday, Follow Store is Surry Hills' newest retailer, thanks to the lovely Brooke and Sarah of Finders Keepers. Leah and I were there after a brief (and somewhat disappointing morning) at Glebe Markets, and the store definitely lifted our spirits. The store is extremely well considered and well stocked, with some of my favourite labels adorning the walls, shelves, and armchairs.

We walked out with just a couple of purchases; a card from Bespoke Letterpress and one of Emily Green's amazing necklaces. Good shop, good buys.
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Regulus

2011-08-13T07:07:00.001+10:00

I thought I'd just give y'all a quick preview of a piece I finished a couple of days ago. It's off with the printers now, and I'll be picking up my prints (on a 410gsm stock!) in just a couple of days. It will be showing at The World Bar alongside a slew of wonderful artists on the 31st of August.
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The Apothecary

2011-08-11T22:36:00.004+10:00

The Apothecary, a new room at The World Bar, opened last night in all its well-styled glory. Laura, Caroline, Leelan (of Two Drinks Max fame), and I were there from about 6:30, indulging in the appropriately high quantity of candles and the free celebratory cocktails. Highlights include the tiny ceramic babies hanging from the chandelier and the lovely employee who quickly lit new candlesticks for us as soon as the first pair ran dry.
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String Theory

2011-08-09T12:48:00.002+10:00

Studying design can be a bit of a bizarre experience sometimes. Last week we were charged with the task of making some sort of string experience in Foley Street, Surry Hills. Our little group (Megan included, but I'm not sure if the others have websites!) went all geometric with milk crates and some fluro orange cord, and I was pretty contented with our efforts.
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So This Was Splendour

2011-08-08T12:36:00.000+10:00

Frankie of The Design Kids took a big box of Matthew Roland things up to Splendour in the Grass for her The Design Kids and Friends stall. Whilst I'm a little jealous that I wasn't up there myself, I'm glad that I spent the weekend in my bed because camping just isn't my thing.

There's also a photo or two up there of some lovely products by Emily Green and Pannikin. Thank you Frankie for the photos and for getting me involved, hurrah!
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Bottled Flowers

2011-08-07T08:10:00.001+10:00

This lovely floral backdrop was at a friend's wedding on Friday. I know it's a bit unusual but I've always had a soft spot for hanging things. It seems that whenever I'm doing an installation or display, suspension somehow becomes involved. So it was no surprise that these old glass bottles and lights had me very captivated indeed.
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Trial Lunch

2011-08-06T07:15:00.000+10:00

I was in Bondi on Thursday, dropping some things off to the TDK headquarters. On my way home I decided to quickly grab a coffee, and suddenly ran into Sarah and Cyndi of Melbourne's Trial&Error Studio. Such a nice surprise. We embarked on a day of antiquing and book browsing (not book buying). We just made it to Single Origin in time for lunch, but it definitely didn't disappoint.

Go have a look at their new website, and take note of take note!
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Type Horses

2011-08-05T10:46:00.001+10:00

Last Friday, Leah and I snuck into the city (about an hour drive each way for just a fifteen minute visit) for the opening-afternoon (from four till six) of Zoe Sadokierski's show Type Horses. Zoe is one of my University tutors, so it's really encouraging to see her personal work and know that the people teaching us work to such amazingly high standards.
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N8

2011-08-03T15:57:00.003+10:00

The good folk at Nokia sent me one of their new N8 phones to test for a few weeks. Sure, my personal pick might not have been pink, but when paired with an excess of blue, I like to think that my masculinity remained intact.

I used to work for Apple, so I'm quite versed on iPhones and have always struggled a little with other operating systems. But I think the thing that most impressed me about the N8 was its camera. Its video function produces extremely crisp footage, and the photos come out nice and clear as well. I didn't notice it on my own, but Joshua pointed out that there's a tiny little lens cover that slides down when the camera is not is use. Nifty.
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Issue Two

2011-08-01T23:19:00.001+10:00

I mentioned a little while ago that there's an interview with me in issue 2 of Paper Runway magazine. I'm yet to get my hands on a copy, but the issue is already online, and the guys at Digital Press have some sneak-peek photos on their blog. You can order yourself a copy online, or I suggest a little trip into Little Paper Lane. Head to Armchair Collective while you're there, make a day of it.
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Sam & Tom

2011-07-30T12:06:00.001+10:00

A week ago, or maybe it was two, my friend Tom came back to Sydney from Perth. I met him and Sam at the pub, in the hope that they had already quenched their golfing needs at the nearby, and somewhat glum, par 3 course. Unfortunately they had not, and I was carted off with them to play a round. Although that plan fell through too, and the superfluous activity was avoided altogether. Yesssss.

In other news, I'm planning a bit of a blog overhaul. I'll be redesigning, as well as changing and improving the content in general. If there are things you want to see changed, do tell me, I appreciate all of your help.
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I Wanted To Call This Lemon Cake

2011-07-27T12:57:00.001+10:00

It is common knowledge that meetings are much better with cake, and it is for that reason that the best meetings are usually those where Megan is involved. Megan, Jake and I are working on a print/branding project this semester, and if Monday's meeting was any semblance of the meetings to come, then this looks to be quite the worthwhile endeavour.
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Amy

2011-07-24T23:51:00.000+10:00

This photo is lovely, but it makes me so sad.
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Tardiness

2011-07-23T13:57:00.002+10:00

You've probably noted by now that I'm rarely on time with my blogging, and that if a post is only four or five days late, it is most likely the result of some unimaginable stroke of luck. So in that vein, I wanted to show you the now week-old video that Kylie made of the launch of the A4 Paper Festival. The video takes you through the opening night of the festival's main exhibition, as curated by Lisa Loxley. If you watch till at least the two-thirds mark, you'll be able to see my contribution to the exhibition, Take Me To A Higher Plane. Enjoy!
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Drawing Again

2011-07-21T17:32:00.002+10:00

It's not that I'd ever stopped drawing, but just recently I started drawing again with black pens and poscas, just how I used to. And I think I'd been missing it. These two aren't finished yet, there's still some tweaking and lots of sanding to go, but I like where they're heading. Now all I need is some of those triangle hangers to nail in.
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Splendour With

2011-07-20T12:06:00.000+10:00

If you're signed up to The Design Kids newsletter, you'll already know that The Design Kids are on their way up to Queensland (to Woodford, more specifically) for this year's Splendour in the Grass festival. Frankie, big-gun and boss of The Design Kids, will be running a stall there all weekend, and is taking along a few of my products as well. I packed everything up yesterday and decided on some special Splendour sale prices, so it's all very exciting! If you're going to Splendour be sure to say hi to Frankie, and maybe grab a Matthew Roland bargain while you're there.

PS. I didn't really have a relevant picture for this post, but as The Design Kids are now selling my A3 Framed Planes, I thought you might forgive me if I used a photo of those.
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Things I Like

2011-07-19T15:04:00.001+10:00

There are some things that I love so much that I look at them online all the time. When I say all the time, I mean about once a week, usually for a minimum duration of four minutes, thirty seconds. But when you think about it, that's quite a lot of time. Hilary Grant's Mountain Cushions are one of those things. As soon as I have the cash to spare, I want to order as many as I can.
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Everyone's Doing It

2011-07-17T12:04:00.000+10:00

You know those blogs where they post a photo and then a breakdown of the colour palette? Color Collective for example, who even did a post on me once. Well I thought I'd try my hand, because I like colour, and I like these colours.
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Spy Club

2011-07-16T13:06:00.000+10:00

When we were younger, my sister and I were in a spy club. Spawned as a result of an Enid Blyton overdose and with a membership totalling four, the club played quite the noteworthy part in making me who I am today; a super-sleuth.

Now I'm not too sure how well versed you are in the arts of reconnaissance, so you may not have noticed my sneaky recent addition to the sidebar. But, I'm now being stocked at Berkelouw Books! My Flora cards can now be found in both the Cronulla and Newtown stores, with Leichhardt and Paddington soon to come. I took this photo at the Newtown store yesterday, but of course no-one spotted me, I'm a spy.
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Crochet Craft Club

2011-07-14T17:00:00.000+10:00

You may have already seen the photos over on Kit's blog of the craft club she hosted last Friday, where Julia taught us how to crochet. I wasn't as good as some, as you can see by my first polygonal attempt, but I tried again and I'm slowly making progress. The only problem now is that I've forgotten the pattern.. Oh!
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Cot Cot Cot

2011-07-12T18:47:00.000+10:00

Ally and I met up for a quick coffee yesterday at Bianco Nero, which was a nice break from what had been a very busy work-at-home day for me. We discussed typical matters of importance, and updated each other on the general state of our lives. Ally is one of those friends that I don't see as often as I'd like, so it's nice to meet up from time to time.
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Covered Faces

2011-07-12T00:43:00.000+10:00

On Saturday, Bianca ran one of her now-famous paper workshops at Hazelhurst Gallery. Jacob and I were there to help, but our main contribution was probably re-arranging the tables before everything began. These are just a few photos from the day, including one with me doing some sort of crazy winking thing. I'm sure it will catch on.
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Difficulties

2011-07-11T00:38:00.002+10:00

I really wanted to watch an episode of MasterChef before I went to sleep, but my internet is hating me, I'm hating my internet, and nothing is really going to plan. So I thought it might be nice to quickly post two photos from my lunch with Leah on Saturday. I still don't remember exactly what my meal was called, but it was described as Greek lasagne and it was amazing. Good night!
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Shortlisting

2011-07-07T13:24:00.000+10:00

I had a quick trip to The Shortlist with Kit on Monday, amidst some desk transporting and failed internet setup attempts. The avo toast was seriously great, as expected, and how amazing are those little red bottles? Yes.
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Interviews and All

2011-07-05T23:29:00.000+10:00

On Thursday, just a little before my pop-up studio closed, I took some photos of my space for Paper Runway magazine. They wanted a photo of me as well, and whilst I was tempted to obscure my face, I thought that an actual photo would be much much nicer. Be sure to grab a copy of the issue when it's out!

In other news, I went to a job interview today! I was a little nervous and quiet, but it was a really exciting space and it seemed like it would be a great place to work. Fingers crossed!
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Winter Windows

2011-07-03T21:52:00.003+10:00

I don't think I'd really realised until now the irony of my morning activities. From about nine till twelve, I was busy setting up a new winter-themed window at the lovely Little Paper Lane in Mona Vale. In contrast though, the sun was so ridiculously hot and so ridiculously bright that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get a photo without the glare.

The windows (there are two, I'll show you the other when I have a better photo), are made completely from paper, and every piece is hand-cut. And I promise that these are the last mountains you'll see from me for a little while, I know I've been going a little crazy of late. There are a few of my mountain brooches for sale in the shop, so be quick to grab one of those too!
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Closed Door

2011-07-01T19:58:00.000+10:00

Today was the last day of my little pop-up shop at Gaffa Gallery, and even though this photo is a month or two old, it's pretty much how I feel today. I'm a little tired, a little relieved, and a little nonchalant. Thank you so very much to everyone that visited me while I was there, I'll surely keep you updated of any events in the future. I hope you have a lovely weekend!
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Automated Colour Field

2011-07-01T09:44:00.000+10:00

Found via Present&Correct, this installation by Rebecca Baumann consists of a ridiculous number of flip-clocks (AMAZING) and laser-cut paper. It's so simple, and so lovely to watch. How great would it be if there was a series of them made in all different colour schemes? So good. So very very good.
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Hello Winter

2011-06-29T14:18:00.000+10:00

I'm nearing the end of my little pop-up, but I suddenly have so many things that I need to do! On Sunday, I'm driving up to Mona Vale to set up a little winter installation in the windows of Little Paper Lane, so most of today has been spent finishing off my paper-cuts for that. I've also just found out that I'm being interviewed in the next issue of Paper Runway, so I need to get that finished soon too!!

Ps. I'm in a little competition at the moment, with the chance to go to NYFW! Please like this page on Facebook for me. Thank you!
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Walter

2011-06-28T10:51:00.000+10:00

Photos by Filippo Fior for GoRunway.

Sure, I'm not typically one to be invited to runway shows or to have private fittings with designers, but I still like to think that I'm at least a little in the loop, as I follow the shows online. I rarely then repost what I see here, as I don't always remember to, but I saw this collection by Walter Van Beirendonck at lunchtime yesterday, and it hasn't left my mind for more than a few minutes since.
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Paper Workshops

2011-06-27T22:06:00.000+10:00

Just a few photos from my paper workshops on Saturday, run with my friend Bianca Chang. In the morning we made wearable paper sculptures, and you can see some in there by Alida (the patterned one), Kit (the pimping purple and gold), Lisa (the blue and green), Me (the white unframed one), and the rest are by Bianca.

In the afternoon we made tunnel books, with the ones above by Kit and Bianca & Jacob. And there's a really great post over on Chantal's blog with her Tree tunnel book, it's amazing!

Thank you so much to everyone for coming, I had lots of fun, I hope you all did too!
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In The Meantime

2011-06-27T00:56:00.001+10:00

About ten minutes ago, I had the complete intention of posting photos of Saturday's Workshops. But now that my eyes are starting to close, I've decided to hold off until the morning. That way I'll be much more awake and I'll choose the loveliest photos to share.

Although I've never had a blog post without a picture (or a video at least), so here's one that Zoe took of me. Goodnight!
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Gifts and Guides

2011-06-24T09:35:00.000+10:00

It went online yesterday, so I'm a bit late here, but I was lucky enough to contribute to the most recent Finders Keepers Gift Guide, Paper Love. My picks are all above, but if you want to know where to get them, or what everyone else suggested, you'll have to jump over to the Finders website quick smart.

And yes, number 4 is a bit of sneaky self-promotion, because today is the last day to buy tickets to my paper workshops with Bianca, both being held tomorrow!
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New Brooch, New News

2011-06-23T15:53:00.000+10:00

One of the best things about being in my little pop-up is that I suddenly have plenty of time to blog. Have you noticed the increased frequency of my posts? I'm a little proud of myself heh. Hello to all you folk who've been popping over since the Design Files post this morning, it's lovely to have you here.

I used to think that I was the only lazy person on the internet; if something required more than one click to see, I usually wouldn't bother. But more recently I've noticed that everyone is a little lazy when they're online, and information needs to be absolutely everywhere if you want people to read it. So in that vein, I'm going to hit you with all the workshop information you could possibly need, but don't really want to search around online for. My workshops are both this Saturday, and there are still spots left so I would love for you to come. Bianca and I are working hard to make sure they're really fun and also really helpful, so I'm pretty keen for a full group! Ps. I'm buying macarons for everyone. It's totally worth it for that alone.

Workshop One / Wearable Paper: Bianca Chang & Matthew Roland
About: This workshop will teach you to make your own hand-cut mini paper sculpture, which you will then turn into a brooch or necklace as a wearable piece of art. A two hour workshop, as part of the Matthew Roland & Friends pop-up hosted by Gaffa Gallery. The workshop is designed to give you an insight into our creative processes, as well as to teach you skills that you will be able to apply immediately, to your wearable piece.
Date: Saturday 25th June
Time: 10am - 12pm
Cost: $30, including all materials
Tickets: Here

Workshop Two / Tunnel Books: Matthew Roland & Bianca Chang
About: This workshop will teach you how to design, collage and construct your own panoramic tunnel book from paper. A two hour workshop, as part of the Matthew Roland & Friends pop-up hosted by Gaffa Gallery. The workshop is designed to give you an insight into our creative processes, as well as to teach you skills that you will be able to apply immediately, to your own tunnel book.
Date: Saturday 25th June
Time: 2pm - 4pm
Cost: $30, including all materials
Tickets: Here

Please do come along!
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The Space

2011-06-23T09:44:00.000+10:00

I'm on the train in to my pop-up, hurriedly writing out the day's to-do list. I've really enjoyed the last couple of days in my little space at Gaffa, it's a really calm environment for me to work away in, as well as to chat to lovely visitors as they drop by. These are just a few photos that I took of the space yesterday morning, and I tried my hand at styling in one or two!

Oh, and I'm on The Design Files today!! Thank you so much Lucy for posting about my little pop-up and workshops, I really appreciate it. And speaking of workshops (you knew this was coming), there's not long left to buy your tickets for Saturday, so get yours now!
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Patterns Of

2011-06-22T21:16:00.000+10:00

It's been a while since I've posted someone else's work here, so I'm sorry if you've been drowning in a sea of Matthew Roland. But not anymore! This is a little zine that my friend Kylie has just finished printing and making. It's called Patterns of Vietnam, and it's inspired by her recent trip there. You can buy a copy over here, and you should make sure to get in quickly, they're being shipped on Friday!
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And I'm In

2011-06-20T20:34:00.000+10:00

A few photos from today's bump-in at the Matthew Roland & Friends pop-up. I spent so long packing, but still managed to forget my desk, so it looks like I'll be lugging it in with me on the train tomorrow. Oh well.
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Tomorrow!

2011-06-19T22:33:00.000+10:00

Tomorrow is day one of my Matthew Roland & Friends pop-up studio, shop, and sitting room at Gaffa Gallery. The morning will be a bit of a crazy bump-in (and being an open-studio, you're totally welcome to come along and watch me set up), but by noon everything should be looking good and I'll be nice and calm if you decide to pop in. I'll be there for two weeks though, so don't stress if you can't make it tomorrow.

And don't forget my workshops with Bianca Chang! Running on Saturday June 25th, at 10am-12pm and 2pm-4pm, the workshops will teach you new paper-skills, and they'll be lots of fun. There's more info here, and tickets can be bought here!

I'll see you all tomorrow!
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No Parking

2011-06-17T23:12:00.003+10:00

My friend Madison is flying off to South America soon, and even though I missed her farewell party, we got to meet up for lunch today. We used to work together, for a year or so, and I love our occasional coffee dates and knitting conversations. Another soon I hope.
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Before & After: Painting Tables

2011-06-17T16:31:00.000+10:00

Well, I'm only really painting one table to be honest. I picked this little guy up for $5 at Vinnies, and gave him a good few coats of Harpoon Blue by Dulux. Sure, I forgot to prime and the paint will most likely chip away, but right now I think this table's looking pretty smart, a nice match for the shag-pile rug he'll be on at my pop-up.
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Parcel Swap!

2011-06-16T23:45:00.000+10:00

Dawn Tan of handmadelove and I had a parcel swap. I sent Dawn a little paper brooch and some cards (maybe she'll show you later), and she sent back this lovely print! The postman dropped it off at my doorstep early this morning, and if I hadn't been sitting about a metre from the door I wouldn't have heard him knock! It sounded more like an accident than a knock, like he hadn't intended to touch the door at all. Weird. But he was bearing good things so I can forgive him!

Dawn hasn't had such a nice day though. Some horrible people stole one of her beautiful drawings and printed it all over a bunch of tees. So mean. But Dawn your work is amazing so don't let them bother you!
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Workshops

2011-06-16T11:38:00.001+10:00

As part of the Matthew Roland & Friends pop-up at Gaffa, I'll be hosting two workshops on Saturday 25 June. The first [10am - 12pm] is a wearable paper workshop, where Bianca Chang will teach you to make a mini-paper sculpture, and then I will help you to turn it into a wearable brooch. The second [2pm - 4pm] is a tunnel book workshop, where I'll teach you how to build your own panoramic tunnel books out of paper (with Bianca's help as well).

All materials are provided for both workshops, and tickets are just $30 each. You can book your tickets over here!
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Pop-Up!

2011-06-14T23:37:00.001+10:00

Big news! Bumping-in and opening on June 20, I'm having a pop-up studio and shop at Gaffa Gallery on Clarence St. in Sydney. So exciting. It's called Matthew Roland & Friends, and will be open for two weeks. The space will be set up as a little living room, and I'll be there every day! I'd love for you to pop in and visit for tea, crafting, or even for a workshop (Bianca and I will teach you how to make some wearable paper-art, email me for ticket details). So many exclamation marks, I can't wait!

I hope you can come, let's have macarons.
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Etsy Craft Party

2011-06-11T13:59:00.000+10:00

Photos by Kit Palaskas.

Last night was lots of fun at Kit's Etsy Craft Party. Etsy Craft Parties are an annual event, where people all around the world meet up on the same day to make things together. There was a ridiculous amount of felt and card, and we pretty much just sat, ate and crafted for a few hours.

The event was hosted in the lovely Eagle Soup studio, and Bianca, who has just joined the studio, worked away on a string of mini bunting to hang above her shiny new (albeit now panang-stained) desk.

I made a little felt mountain brooch, and Jacob got his craft on with some super tiny felt bunting. It was a very fun night indeed, and it just reaffirmed what I already knew. I need to move to the city soon. Thank you Kit Palaskas.
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Armchair Collective

2011-06-10T00:34:00.000+10:00

I've never been to Mona Vale before, most likely because of the ridiculous two and a half hours it takes me to commute, but after my visit yesterday I'll surely brave the bus again. Armchair Collective, from what I understand, is a fairly new cafe/store/generally amazing place. But despite its young age, the shop is pretty much perfect. I was visiting to see my friend Jake, and was treated to a bit of a tour.

When you enter Armchair, you're greeted with bunches of fresh flowers (straight from the flower markets of course), and then you slowly realise just how big the shop is. And just how full of people it is too. Just to the left of the super busy dining area is an amazing assortment of armchairs, all custom made. And if you walk a little further, you'll find cast-iron teapots, chairs hanging from the roof (on jute string, no less), and boxes and boxes of fresh vegetables. It's seriously incredible.

My latte was good, my outfit was complimented, and I finally made it to Little Paper Lane (more on that soon). All round, a lovely day.
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Of Mountains

2011-06-09T12:35:00.000+10:00

This is a little tunnel book (about A5 in size) that I made as a reflection on one of my subjects at uni. The mountains are all hand cut and the book is hand made. I used to think that tunnel books only had one purpose (tacky birthday cards), but if you google thames tunnel books there are some pretty amazing 19th Century ones about.

I have a few left-over mountains and I'm pretty excited about what I'm making with them!
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Hogwarts and Rest

2011-06-08T10:50:00.000+10:00

Uni has been pretty horrible of late, will all my assignments due in the space of three days. Today though, I'm handing in the last assignment of the semester and I finally have time to breath and blog. This is a little project from a week or two ago, with a number of pieces of Hogwarts inspired postal ephemera. I'm not sure how much you know about Harry Potter, but I'm a bit of a fan. Florean Fortescue was killed by death eaters (in HBP maybe?), so I decided that his family would re-open his ice-cream parlour in his memory. How lovely.
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More A4

2011-06-02T22:30:00.000+10:00

A few more photos from the A4 opening, including one of me with Yoshinobu and Emma, complete with awkwardly staggered heights.
Special mention to Jenny, Megan and Joshua in the others. Cute!
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A4 Opening Night

2011-06-01T19:00:00.001+10:00

The A4 Festival opened last night, after months of preparation and lots of hours of scalpeling. It was a nice relaxing evening, and super lovely to see all my super fun friends who came along to have a look. I'll probably post a couple of times with more photos (I have an especially great one of Megan and Joshua inside one of Yoshinobu Miyamoto's dome sculptures), but I thought I'd just start with a few.

The first three are my work, Take Me To A Higher Plane, with the next three by Yoshinobu Miyamoto, Benja Harney, and Bianca Chang respectively. More soon!
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Rumplo

2011-05-26T14:37:00.000+10:00

My shirt The Frank Tee was a favourite on Rumplo the other day. It's lovely to get a little recognition like that.

Grab one now in the store, they're just $45, there aren't many left and I don't think I'll be reprinting!
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A4

2011-05-24T16:24:00.000+10:00

The A4 Paper Festival, an event run by the Paper Convention Collective and headed up by Lisa Loxley, is just one week away and I'm getting pretty excited. I'll be one of twelve artists exhibiting in The Paper Mill, and I'm finalising my installation as we speak. I thought I'd give you a little look at one of the many planes I've been making!

Read more about the festival over here.
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Crazy Days

2011-05-22T16:34:00.000+10:00

Finders Keepers was on Friday and Saturday, and it was appropriately and expectedly insane. Thank you to everyone who visited me and bought a little something for themselves or for someone else. I didn't get a chance to venture far from my stall, but here are a few photos of Emma's and my stall.

Oh! And I just updated my online store with Henry Necklaces and Stone Pirates, so have a look if you like.
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Utter Contentment

2011-05-18T14:40:00.002+10:00

This is me, ridiculously happy, as I sneak a photo in the change rooms at Via Alley.
An Eames RAR Rocker and a Hang-It-All. Perfect.
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And the Winner

2011-05-15T14:04:00.000+10:00

I'm sorry for the late giveaway announcement, but I'm sure you all know how crazy Blogger has been going these past few days. Luckily though, everything is back to normal, and I can tell you who won!

Congratulations go to Penny of Pocket Carnival, if you could email me your address, I will send off your prize this week. Yay!

Also, I decided to be a little sneaky with my giveaway photos, and I shot them in front of one of my new tote-bags, being launched at Finders Keepers next weekend. I hope you can all make it!
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Tumblr

2011-05-14T10:53:00.000+10:00

I don't really understand Tumblr (with its likes and its reblogs), but Jacob posted this photo of me.
Last time I checked, it had 1800 notes.
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Duck

2011-05-11T22:45:00.000+10:00

After dinner here, where I had the duck.
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My Goodness

2011-05-11T11:19:00.000+10:00

This weekend, on Saturday to be precise, Emma and John of Sweets Workshop are holding their second annual My Goodness My Gocco exhibition, and these two conserves are my little contribution. Sweets Workshop is in Summer Hill, and easy to get to by car or train, so there's hardly an excuse not to go! (Interstate and international excuses excepted)

And their flyer is amazing!
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Comme This

2011-05-07T22:18:00.001+10:00

My new CdG wallet, perfectly packaged by Mr Porter. Thank you Leah, I love it.

And my giveaway is still running, just follow the blog and comment over here to enter!
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Matthew Roland Day: Giveaway

2011-05-06T11:46:00.000+10:00

It's my birthday! Hoorah. I'm twenty today, which is both ridiculously old and ridiculously young, depending on who I'm talking to. Whilst I'll be spending most of the day building paper sculptures, I thought I'd stop for just a little while to have a birthday giveaway! My blog and my work are really important to me, so I thought it might be nice to give another little thank you to my readers.

You'll win:
A pair of my newest Gocco prints, from a numbered edition of 24.
A set of three Flora gift tags.
The last of my Leah Brooches!

To enter, you'll need to follow my blog and comment on this post. I'll draw the winner next Friday or Saturday, so entries close at midnight Thursday EST. Good luck!
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With Amazing Mushrooms

2011-05-04T10:35:00.000+10:00

I've never really been around Redfern all that much. Not that I have any issue with the suburb, but as I'm schooled at the slightly ugly UTS, and not the beauteous Sydney Uni, I've never really had much of a reason to be there. But yesterday I met up with Grace for coffee and an impressive meal called a hash-stack. Baffi & Mo is a well-wallpapered cafe, with Single Origin coffee and a well rounded choice of seating options. We discussed life-plans (Grace is moving to London & I'm hoping to suddenly wind up with a huge stack of cash thanks to the twelve shares I own), and other matters of similar importance.

Now that I've been to a cafe that's effectively called Moustache and Moustache, my addiction to the slightly seedy facial hair has finally been cemented. Ideal project: a commissioned illustration of coffees with moustaches. How amazing would that be.
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Hello Jenuine

2011-04-30T09:55:00.000+10:00

Blogging can be confusing sometimes, when you've posted about so many things and so many people, you start to forget exactly what you have posted, and you end up posting it again. This could be one of those times.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned Jen Collins here before, but she is a wonderful illustrator working in Scotland. She has just launched a new website and blog and I suggest you hurry over and check her out. Oh, and Scotland is extra cool right now because it's so close to England and the newlyweds. Keep that in mind.
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Mango Chutney

2011-04-26T00:01:00.001+10:00

I spent a good portion of the night with my Gocco, and despite a slew of excessively messy difficulties, I'm quite happy with the results. This little lady is one of two prints I'll be submitting to Sweets Workshop's My Goodness My Gocco exhibition, and I'll be printing her man-friend soon!

Oh! And I hope you've all had a very lovely Easter indeed.
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I Can't Fly

2011-04-21T21:49:00.000+10:00

As my late nights increase in frequency, and as I start to set my alarm earlier and earlier in the morning, I know that Finders Keepers is coming. Finders is possibly, and most probably, Sydney's best market. Held in Carriageworks, and packed with amazing artists and designers selling their wares, it always seems to have the most wonderful atmosphere.

Super excitingly, and I've mentioned it once or twice already, I'll be at the next Sydney markets on May 20 and 21. If you are in Sydney it would be wonderful if you could come along and visit me, at my stall with Benconservato. Oh, and be serious about it, do what all the kids are doing and RSVP on Facebook. I'd love to meet you, so do say hello!

Ps. The flyer is by the wonderful Jordan Clarke.
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Wall Hangings and Such

2011-04-18T23:41:00.001+10:00

Just a quick late night post, and a photo of Leah looking lovely. I've pretty much been working for twelve hours straight today, with a half-hour break to get coffee and pay some invoices. Delightful. It's good though. I'm feeling fairly organised for Finders Keepers and my very exciting stall with Benconservato. But I'm thinking that sleep should start soon, because tomorrow is shaping up to be very much like today.
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In the West

2011-04-15T14:54:00.000+10:00

Ally and I headed down (up maybe?) to Summer Hill the other day, for some lunch and a visit to Sweet's Workshop. Halfway through the drive though, I remembered that I'd wanted to take a photo of this building the last time I'd seen it, and I quickly pulled over into the most awkward driveway possible. Seriously though, just look at that brick!

It was opening day at Sweets for the lovely Emma Simmons' new exhibition, The Sun Sets in the West, and we spent far too long wishing we weren't students and could afford a piece. Emma has an amazing illustration style, collaging her own landscape drawings with found materials, scanned fabrics, or anything really, creating a wonderful depth of textures. Head over to Sweets, the show is open for a few more weeks!

And there were cupcakes, always a winning element.
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Opening Night & 300 Posts

2011-04-13T23:45:00.000+10:00

It was opening night tonight for the This Little Teapot exhibition, and it was lots of fun to see what everyone has been busily working away on! My pieces were on the wall amongst some very impressive company, with Kirbee Lawler on the left, and Tabitha Emma & Caitlin Shearer on the right. I was particularly impressed with Tabitha's fabric-collaged teapot, I promise you that teapots are quite the difficult canvas to work on.

Caitlin's teapot was sculpted into a cat, no less, and was one of my favourites of the night. It was a nice contrast to her wall pieces, and a bit of a departure from her collaged and illustrative style.

And just a few other pictures of the night, including work by Lauren Carney and Benconservato. There's one in there of a girl looking closely at my Henry necklaces, as I was quite the awkward artist all night, casually listening in as people talked about my work. I'm so silly! I haven't really exhibited quite so formally before, so it was nice to hear what people had to say. I really loved being part of such a wonderful show, so hopefully I'll get the chance again!!

Ps. This is my 300th blog post, hooray!
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A Food Blog

2011-04-11T20:42:00.001+10:00

Sometimes I feel like I'm a bit of a food blog, posting a ridiculous excess of cafe visits and rosetta-topped lattes. I guess it just takes my mind off all my work for a minute or two. This is a lovely little lunch at Luxe, from a week or two ago.

In other news, this Wednesday is opening night for This Little Teapot, and the last two days have been ridiculously packed with necklace-making activities. With a huge amount of help from Matt (The Whittler), I'll be exhibiting a numbered edition of 20 laser-cut and hand-painted necklaces as part of my teapot's accompanying work. I gave a little sneak peak a while ago, and I'll be sure to post lots of opening night photos soon!

Come and visit me on Wednesday!!
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Rozelle in the Morning

2011-04-04T19:25:00.001+10:00

Despite our currently ridiculous workloads, yesterday Leah and I spent the morning in Rozelle. We had coffee at a cute little cafe (I don't remember the name!), and burgers in Newtown on the way home. The highlight of the day though was the little zine market in Paper Plane Gallery, where my friend Mechelle B had quite the standout stall. I'm pretty much in love with her brightly coloured risograph prints, and I'm smitten by this little laser-etched fellow and his slightly flamboyant bow-tie. Charming.
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Sample Viewings

2011-04-01T08:59:00.000+11:00

The This Little Teapot exhibition is drawing closer and closer, and my work is all finally coming together! Each of the 50 participating artists has customised a tiny ceramic teapot, and will be exhibiting it, along with some accompanying work, at Paper Plane Gallery in Rozelle from April 14.

These two photos don't really show too much, but they're a bit of a sneak peak at one of the pieces that will be exhibited with my teapot, and I'm fairly high up on the excitement scale. There are some amazing artists involved, and I'm pretty darn keen to see what they come up with.
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Lush Vibes

2011-03-29T23:28:00.000+11:00

Jacob and Bianca were kind enough to help me with their impressive photography skills on Sunday; Jacob shot photos of my products and Bianca made sure everything we did was perfect. I enjoyed myself immensely, just working away. It's possibly the nicest place in the world, their little apartment. I think I should draw them a thank you drawing.

And I want to live in Surry Hills.
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Macadamia

2011-03-26T23:43:00.000+11:00

Sure, I have no idea what these are called, but I'm pretty certain that they're the best pastry on earth.
From Bourke Street Bakery with Lisa and Kit this morn.
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Cages

2011-03-23T12:56:00.000+11:00

I followed Megan's lead the other day, and bought myself a nice big A3 printer. I set it all up last night and it's ridiculously huge, but I love every little centimetre of it.

But the printer gets better. It's a multifunction. That's right, I can scan too. The photos above are a series I shot for photography last year, taken on my FTb, and developed in the darkroom. Thank you so much Leah, Tash, and Ashley for your help, and please don't hurt me for posting these.
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