Friday 30 September 2011

Artists I know and respect - Part 7 Cathryn Swanson

Cathryn Swanson expat Kiwi, amazing writer of short fiction and funny poetry, pretty handy with a camera and now to show us she can just about excell in anything she turns her hand too, Ms Swanson has started creating cakes. Not your plain old sponge or apple crumble type. We're talking full on decorated- "gunna win a medal at the Melbourne Show" variety.

I offered Cathryn a feature on this blog if she attempted a Steam Punk version.
Well.... to tell a secret, I was going to showcase some of her works anyway, but now I have a really good reason.

Masquerade Cake

The Steam Punk cake
Reverse side






A Game of Kings Cake

Monday 19 September 2011

The making of Plastic Beach

It's taken ages but the people behind bringing Jamie Hewlett's brilliant ideas and artwork to life: Asylum Studios, have finally put up a small section on their revamped website with closeups of the model and a few other bits.
Sadly nothing really detailed on the process of actually building it.
I love this stuff. ENJOY




















Sunday 11 September 2011

Dragon Tears

Collaboration with digital artist Randy Monteith

Things had gotten a little better since the Dragons demise, although the parts that weren’t burned black were the sole property of the Government or the very wealthy.
Out here in the ‘burbs and territories they had to do with what they had and wait until Mother Nature kicked back in.
Pauly looked at his daughter while she was kicking the ground and watching puffs of dust rise and scatter, it seemed to fascinate her which in turn made him smile.
She didn’t remember any of the Dragon wars or the hard times associated with them.
She was the future and he had to deal with that see beyond his own worries make it the best he could for her.
Like now for instance, little Makita’s eyes seemed larger than usual behind the lenses of her facemask, something he didn’t think possible they were so big and gorgeous on her pale face without embellishing.
Makita was running around in the cloud of black ash that was stirred up by the gentle wind .


They were pretending it was snow.

Pauly had to make sure Makita didn’t inadvertently kick a carcass or some skeletal remains hidden under the dark blanket. In time the sulfur smell would fade and the poisons in the air dissipate, who knows? Snow might even return for real.
That’s what the scientists promised.
Until then Pauly would have to think like his child and pretend.

Saturday 3 September 2011

DaVinci's drum machine

Leonardo DaVinci sculpture, painter, inventor and all round genius.
They said this man had a key to the door of the future.
Well his genius is being directed at another discovery - that of the drum machine.
Obviously  Leonardo had the same problem most bands have in these more current times.
A problem drummer in the group.

I got this little model for my birthday recently and it was quicker to build than it used to take a drummer in one of my okd groups to get the "snare just right"
My Model


A Model from the current DaVinci Machine exhibition which just recently lef Australia after a sell out tour













And here is DaVinci's concept drawing











And these are some famous dead drummers











Keith "The Loon" Moon












Eric "The Fox" Carr













John "where's my Coke" Bonham

As regular readers are aware, I collect dead rock star dolls.
There seems to a major shortage of dead drummer dolls.
Of the three above only one has had a figurine made of him.