Walking Through and Looking Up...

In 2008/2009, my work became represented by Heafford and Hall and Papered Parlour in London.

Recently, these works were printed and purchased by some clients of Heafford and Hall in London. Just thought i would share the final result. They are part of my range of still images i have taken on my many travels entitled 'Walking through and looking up'.

When 2 became 1... Became Complete.

After 2 years of marriage, Renee finally requested the 'engagement ring' to match the wedding band I made back in 2007.

This ring has been 3 years in the making and with such beautiful clients as Renee and Kriss, the design was the result of patience for all the elements to come together (and for me to finally return to my bench). I have always enjoyed making jewellery for this couple as they have such appreciation for nature that I can design with immense creative freedom.

These rings were cast from found willow branches and leaf collected from one of my many hikes in the 3 years living in Tasmania. The stone is 1.62ct Australian Sapphire set into 18ct Pd White Gold.



Catching up with Renee and Kriss recently took me back to when i was living in this quaint little house in Launceston making their wedding rings from Willow branches I sourced from a local river bank, and the Maritime College. My living room was filled with twigs and leaves that fed the fire to toast my marshmallows as I worked.

Sigh.
They were special times in a special place.

Getting lost in the tropics...

My second day in Cairns was a hunting adventure. A hunt for the mystical tree the locals call 'the Curtain Fig Tree'. This 800 year old Fig Tree fell against another tree at some stage during its life. The strangling vines then began to grow down with the tree at such an angle that it created this beautiful curtain effect.

Merry Bag of Presents Under the Tree...

Amalfi Coast and Rome

After 6 months in Corfu, a dear friend and I decided to undertake the windy road trip of the Amalfi Coast in Southern Italy. The unpredictable lanes and chaotic road rules were every bit the adventure.

The cliff side bends of the Amalfi Coast line are never ending from Sorrento to Solerno. Every angle of this region is truly extraordinary. In 4 days, we were able to take our time and visit each of the small villages in between. These included Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. I was overwhelmed at the lost city of Pompeii and excited to experience the crater of my first volcano: Mount Versuvius at 1281m above sea level.

My italian was non-existant but that did not stop me from attempting to ask for directions where possible. The people were beautiful and always helped with exaggerated hand gestures and warm expressions. In the end, we found our destinations and made many friends along the way.

Kythera...

After spending almost 4 months in Corfu understanding my maternal side of the family, I have taken 5 days out to visit another small Ionian Island, Kythera to see where my paternal side came from.

As you can tell from this photo - paradise!

I met many family members I never knew I had and got spat on (a Greek blessing) which made me feel very welcome on the island.

The Ionian islands are situated on the Western part of the mainland of Greece and are comprised of 7 islands. All my grandparents came from three of these islands, essentially making me a true Ionian islander. :) My next island on my the wish list is Ithaka...

BIG move to a little Island...

It has been a while between blogs - and with great reason.

In May 2009, I moved to a little island, called Corfu, located on the north-western part of Greece. With mountainous views of Albania, Mediterranean weather and the island lifestyle, I have quickly slowed down my hectic London pace to just sit and get back to nature. (About time i'd say too).

So this 6 months is a retreat back to nature and back to the inspiration that fuels my practice. I'm not sure what to expect from the collection that i hope to make by the end of it but as there is not much fungus here, the work will definitely be different.

To understand why I have chosen Corfu - it is simple. The picture attached is my beautiful grandmother's house dating back to the 1930's (ish) which i have finally located after a few weeks of roaming around blindly with this photo and greek letters which to a local may have made some sense. She is the one to whom i have changed my name so the connection is as special as one can be between a grandmother and a granddaughter.