25. New Site, New Cover, New Year

I finally have a proper website! Some of you may remember the shitty temporary html scrolling thing that has been up for over a year now… I had thought I would never get around to overhauling it, but my mate Dittmar at Flood Studio helped me out with a slick, clean design. Nothing fancy, exactly the way I wanted it. He usually does curation/graphic design which is the studio’s forte, so it was extra nice for him to help me out on this one.

Check it out - PAQUETTE.COM.AU

I’d love to know if you think it compliments the work.

Im saving the new art up (especially the traditional stuff) for a big update in one go and I may add a traditional section specifically for it.

Also thought I would share this latest cover i finished a while back (still unreleased in Aus). The brief was a bit insane and i think the visual complexity killed it, but seeing the printed version amongst a bunch of other 12″ covers, i was surprised at how effective that was. Mitch at Bang Gang 12″s is yet to finish it off with the title text and the back cover. This is the second cover I have done for the label and they are muchos fun. Not the least because most of our ‘business meetings’ take place at the beach :)

BAGRAIDERS: TURBO LOVE REMIXES

And the sketch/approval stage for shits n giggles:

As for the new year, I have some really definite goals in mind. Both artistically (more traditional painting, performance, storytelling and writing) and in my own life.

The end of 08 in the new studio has been a profound experience and has shifted me into uncomfortable places I may never have otherwise gone. It has reminded me of some things I had let myself forget over the last two years, and has (in a roundabout fashion) brought me back onto some very important paths.

I wish you all a safe consumeristmas season (spend time not money!) and happy creativity throughout ohnine.

Peace.A

24. Some of the crew

Photographer and Promotional extraodinaire Christopher Lee Dusseldorp stopped by the studio yesterday to shoot a promo for the Hallelujah group show. This is a bunch of the guys who work with me in the studio, doing our best to look 'street'. I stole my pants from Vanilla Ice.

23. The epoch of intention

I have had a really hectic few weeks settling in to the new house, taking a plethora of new projects on board, meeting so many amazing artists in sydney i had never heard of, and generally adventuring around. The last 2 weeks or so I have found myself in a purely ideas-based headspace. Apart from work stuff, most of my time has been spent more on writing and development than painting, which is fun. I now have enough work to keep me busy for about a year and enough personal projects to kill my free time till I retire i think :D its a fun feeling to be this busy, to always have something to go on to next. As im deepening my personal maximalism manifesto, im starting to gel with how it works and the differences that occur between it and, say, the path of a 'specialist' artist. Most important is to nail out any fundementalist, self-righteous ways of thinking and be able to interact with all the life views of those you meet, as rainwater passes through the leaves of a tree. (LOL!)


Moleskines

Here are some moleskine pages... this book ended up turning pretty much into a storage space for thumbnails and notes, with only one or two 'finished' sketches. I try to conserve the expensive moleskines for more laboured drawings... but i guess the nature of the coffee shop sketchbook is to doodle and write without thinking too much about it.

you might have to click these to see them properly.





Single Origin Roosters

My caffe of choice for the past few months has been Single Origin Roasters on Reservoir ST, surry hills. The coffee is the best I have ever had (in any country) and the staff are all amazing people who bring caffe service the closest to spirituality I have ever seen! Some of the switched on conversations I have had there have been genuinely inspiring and thought provoking and its amazing to see just how good food and drink can be for your soul when it is prepared by those who care about it. Check it out if you are local, and tell Gav I sent you!


This kid was sitting with his grandpa, playing scissors paper rock. Somehow he found a way to make scissors beat rock AND paper, which gave him a distinct advantage in the showdown. Life is better before someone tells you what the 'rules' are! I played the little champion in a best of 3 when gramps was out of the ring... sad to say i was soundly defeated. How did he always know to use scissors?! Coffee art copyright Single Origin Baristas.


ORLY?

Don't forget CULTURE JAM this thursday night at Oh Really in Newtown. Apeseven is on the walls and I reckon this will be a big one. More info at OhReallyBlog (a worthwhile stop on your daily web route).


MORE ART IN PARTY!

Speaking of live art, we had a big housewarming party on Sat night, got a great turnout and unleashed a crate of spraycans on the back courtyard. Was so fun to see so many people getting up and letting their creativity out uninhibited. Cheers to krez for supplying the good tunes in a timely fashion and contributing to the can fund! The face was the first ever thing I have done with cans... it was easier than I expected but I can see how the finesse of linework with cans is a real art in itself. Monkey king was a collab between myself and David Smit from Amsterdam.






Emptiness

I found a way to get photos off my phone, and noticed this one I took when I was bored on a film shoot last month. I really liked the way my silhouette was made in the negative space from the light. It reminded me of the imaginary nature of the 'self' - essentially an empty space framed by the elements of what we identify with as us - our bodies, emotions, memories, etc. Its one interesting and perplexing way of looking at things :)



Sculpture By The Sea

I never got around to posting my shots of sculpture by the sea, but I did have this one on my phone... i thought it was really nice to see a sculptor in an otherwise somewhat 'highfalutin' show allow kids to walk all over their piece of art in the name of fun! Apart from the graceful perpetual motion bird overlooking the cliff face, this was my pick of the show.


This is Cecily..

She's a poet, I like her stuff.



Hallelujah!

I have no idea what this show is all about but apparently I'm in it! I got added to the roster last minute, last night... and it seems all the family's in it... I'm not on the flyer but I was part of the promo photo (LOL!) They are using one of my old works... anyway a bit of a mystery but check out the show if you are about :) Its at blankspace on crown st, opens on the 18th.



Lots more updating to come next day or two. For now, this is LAUGHING GAS signing out.