Chewed by Tuesday

Chewed by Tuesday's sterling silver bic penlid necklaces - available chewed or unchewed!

Chewed by Tuesday is the new jewellery label of Melbourne-based designer Vivenne Gibson. Vivenne's very first design is a sterling silver pendant necklace which pays homage to the humble bic penlid - available chewed or unchewed!

Chewed by Tuesday's penlid necklaces are handmade in Melbourne, and are available in a limited edition of only 50 pieces per design. They're currently only available online here. (potential retail stockists, Chewed by Tuesday would love to hear from you!)

Chewed!

Camilla Gough studio visit - and the brand new e.g etal blog!

Jeweller Camilla Gough at work in her Melbourne studio

The lovely ladies at e.g etal in the city have recently commissioned me to profile some of their very talented jewellers for the brand new e.g etal blog!

First up is Camilla Gough - I was lucky enough to visit Camilla's studio in the Nicholas Building a couple of weeks ago to chat with Camilla about her work and take these shots. I always love to see the workspaces of creative people - and how about that incredible view down St Kilda rd! (photos at the bottom of this post)

Camilla's work is truly exquisite... for the full interview with Camilla, head over to the e.g etal blog!

Top image - Wedding bands designed for a couple who were married in Cape Town, South Africa and who then flew to Mudgee, NSW for a ceremony in Australia. The rings incorporate scenery from each of these special locations – on the outside Camilla has traced the outline of Table Mountain in Cape Town, on the inside of the rings, the scenery at Mudgee which formed a backdrop for the Australian ceremony. Luckily the couple share exactly the same ring-size! Apart, the rings are abstract – but when placed together they tell a story. Bottom image - The ring on the left was inspired by a bushwalking trip in Tasmania, and depicts the mountain range of Frenchman’s Cap. The ring on the right is entitled ‘Mallee Night Sky’ – inspired by the incredible star-filled skies in the Mallee, North Western Victoria.

The incredible view from Camilla's studio!

TMOD

Jewellery by TMOD

TMOD is a mysterious design partnership. Georgie Swift and Milenka Osen both studied design at COFA in Sydney, graduating in 2007. Unfortunately their website is somewhat indecipherable to me (perhaps I need some plug-in to view it properly?), so I know very little more about them! However I do know they design fantastic, super-contemporary jewellery, and they've recently been shortlisted for the SOYA Spirit of Youth Awards!

I really love the chunky black hexagon chains, and their new weather-vane / sign-post style pendant necklace (pictured above). Never seen anything like it!

You can view and purchase more TMOD things online here. Lots of them actually appear to be on sale at the moment!

Does not Equal

Dual Chain Reflections necklace by Does not Equal - AU$99.00

Dual Flags necklace - AU$79.00 and Triple Medallion necklace - AU$89.00

Does not Equal is a unique Melbourne jewelery & accessories label run by designer Charisse Black. Charisse graduated from RMIT in 2007 with a Bachelor of Communication Design, and started her jewellery design business soon after graduating, with the goal of producing distinctive jewellery for the male market. There's still so little jewellery designed exclusively for men, it's great to see a savvy young designer pouncing on this gap in the market!

Charisse's work is characterised by strong, clean lines and geometric design elements. "Black Truth/ White Lies" is her latest range - a 20 piece unisex collection which draws inspiration from the balance between light and dark, good and bad, truth and lies.


Charisse's creative influences stem from many different disciplines... she's drawn to the Scandinavian lifestyle and their design aesthetic, from fashion to interiors. She admires labels like Acne, Resterods, Surface to Air, and Rickard Lindqvist.

Does not Equal is available online, and in the coming months will be available in selected boutiques across Australia. In Melbourne they can currently be found at Rude Health (17 Irwell street St Kilda) and ComeBack Kid (Level 1, 8 Rankins Lane CBD - opening sometime this month!).

Handle and Spout

How gorgeous are these handmade accessories by Handle & Spout?

Via the Tas-ka blog (Tas-ka is my new favourite webshop, thanks Ebony!)

Interview - Elke Kramer

Trompe L'Oeil Mexican pendants and bracelets by Elke Kramer

More from Elke Kramer's stunning Trompe L'Oeil range

Models wear oversized Trompe L'Oeil pendants

Elke Kramer is a total superstar. You probably know her best for her unique jewellery designs - often inspired by bold, geometric shapes. But what you mightn't know is that these exquisite pieces are just the tip of the Elke-iceberg! Elke's creative endeavors meander between illustration, graphic design, textile design, multimedia and even independent publishing! All this in addition to taking on much of the day-to-day runnings of her successful jewellery business - including co-ordination of production in Indonesia, and regular collaborations with fellow designers and creatives. This is one serious multitasker!

What I love most about Elke's work - especially her jewellry - is that her aesthetic is so entirely unique. Her extremely popular Trompe L'oeil range (2008) combined an unlikely family of chunky resin shapes, geometric art-deco inspired pattern, traditional tribal aesthetics, and even hand stitched elements. The result was truly striking - and unlike any other jewellery range I've seen... and originality it hard to come by these days!

I am also so inspired by Elke's seemingly innate ability to balance a constant stream of varied creative side-projects, whilst also maintaining a clear and uncompromising vision for her business. She strikes the perfect balance - continually pushing the boundaries with her own creative output, whilst maintaining an intuitive understanding of the the demands of the market and wider fashion industry. In other words, she's totally got it sussed. Agggghh.

Read on and take note!

Tell me a little about your background - what did you study and what path led you to what you’re doing now?

My mother was a graphic designer and an artist. She reared me on a pile of Letraset catalogues, indian inks and gouaches, quilt pieces, cross stitch patterns and a general love of all things creative and artistic. I inherited her creative confidence and passion. I never considered jewellery design till I selected it as an elective and university and realized I could combine my love of craft and fashion in one outlet. After graduating from COFA, with a BA design, I had stints working in-house for Oyster Magazine, Sass & Bide, and freelancing for three years before Michelle Robinson approached me to design jewellery for one of her shows. I’d never intended to pursue jewellery design as a career but soon after the show, orders started coming in for my first “Skylark” pieces and my label grew quite organically from there. It was so liberating to finally produce my own designs and have free-reign over their conceptual development after years of freelance design for others.

Elke's fantastic chunky resin bracelets for Australian designer Jessie Hill's Spring / Summer 09 clothing range.

You’ve had great success with your unique jewellery designs, however over the years your creative output has been enormously varied – including illustration, art direction, graphic and web design and publishing popular art/fashion zine Lilac Menace. How do you balance this great variety of creative output? Is jewellery your main focus these days, or do you still have numerous creative pots on the boil?

There’s an innate restlessness to my creativity. I can’t confine my ideas to just one medium like jewellery so I’m constantly exploring new materials and creative outlets to manifest my ideas. At the moment I’m producing digitally printed silk scarves for my new collection, as well as a range of leather goods. I also have a multitude of collaborative side-projects in the works, so I’m probably not the best person to ask about ‘balance’ right now! Basically, I try my best not to take on more than I can handle at any given time, and I always make sure my own label is under control before I lend myself to outside projects (although it is a constant neverending battle to do so!)

Page spreads from Lilac Menace

A lot of creative professionals say that they love the creative side of their job, but hate the paperwork and the ‘business’ side of things. Do you struggle with things like marketing and promoting yourself or your products, keeping your accounts in order, and managing staff etc? What advice would you offer emerging designers about establishing a creative business?

Oh god! You have really put your finger on it! I actually don’t mind the ‘business’ side of things, it’s almost a refreshing break from the pressure of that pure creative output, when you generate new designs and which answer subjective and personal questions. As my business grows it is eating up more of my time and I find myself constantly complaining about the ratio of time spent designing versus facilitating and administrating. I am lucky to have amazing and supportive press agents to handle that sector of my business, and a wonderful book-keeper who is a bit of an agony aunt, as well. I have just taken on a sales agent, which frees up even more of my time and since September I have international press and sales agents too, as well as 3 fantastic interns and a part-time production manager. This allows me more time, but I also feel the pressure to keep up the pace because I have money pouring out of every direction keeping the engine pumping.

Good advice would be to not grow too quickly and bite off more than you can chew. Also don’t be afraid to speak to other creative professionals people about their business management systems. There are so many administrative tasks that you need to have set up properly to lay the foundation for smooth growth.

Pattern design by Elke

How would you describe your own style of jewellery design?

Bold and zany.

Some of Elke's fantastically zany designs for her 2007 range Onwards and Upwards

Which designers, artists or creative people are you inspired by?

Am I allowed to go on and on? Because I can! I really like fashion designers Sandra Buckland & Alina Akhmadullina, jewelers Nel Lissen, Svenja Jon, designer Marcel Wanders, hmmmm… also love the approach of artists like from Mike Parr & the Kingpins, as well as the aesthetics of Inka Essenhigh, Matt Lienes, Henry Darger, the Snuggle Pot & Cuddle Pie illustrator. I love Jenny Kee, Marian Bantjes shes a ridiculously intricate illustrator.

Then there is Family, in Los Angeles, my little brothers curated book store, The Selby - a website… oh and Melodie Wolf, (fashion), Diane, A Shaded View (blog), Catherine Baba (stylist), Martha Stewart (celebrity chef), Hyde S K (handbags), Tina Kalivas (fahion), surface to air, M/M Paris, (art directors) Self Service, Kokoro & Moi, LF Markey, Alexandre Herchovitch, Rei Kawakubo, Show studio, Nest magazine, Duke magazine, the Lladro Re-cyclos project, Dale Frank… oh god I could go on and on and on..

Illustration for Mad Cortes

Where else do you find inspiration – i.e books, magazines, your environment, travel, your family and friends?

I am addicted to travel; I think producing in Bali is partially just an excuse to immerse myself with foreignness and the thrill of the exotic. Past trips to Zanzibar, Morocco, Israel have been immense sources of inspiration. Friends and family are the greatest source of inspiration. My little brother David has opened up a wonderful ‘curated’ bookstore, called Family, in Los Angeles. He just opened ‘Hope’ gallery, in Echo Park as well. Along with a silent cinema and newspaper, he has built a small hub that unites a new scene of emerging underground artists and musicians. I am so proud and inspired by him.


What does a typical day at work involve for you?

It varies a lot depending on season and location. Currently my workday begins with me and my boyfriend crossing the road for a double shot of coffee and then we wander down to the domain for swim at Boy Charlton pool – I love it! It cleanses my soul for the day. I then race into my studio and juggle the myriad of daily pending tasks; from working on product development, researching, checking production in on schedule, to dealing with production issues, durability and fits etc. At the moment I am designing summer, so I am sitting in a sea of scribbles on envelopes and scrap paper, swatches of laminates and polycarbonate, colours cards, tears from magazines and reference books. Liasing with my press and sales agents, manufacturers and stockists means I am constantly bouncing emails back and forth – its like in pinball when you get multiball and you have to keep 25 zooming balls bouncing ball and forth all at once!

More cute pattern design...

What's the best thing about your job?

Being able to be my own boss is great. On those mornings when I just need to take it slow and breathe and wander around book-shops or linger at the pool to think, I have no-one to tell me to get back to work.

More from Trompe L'Oeil - Russian Bracelets

And the worst?

Work tends to take over life. Try as I might, I’m constantly thinking about what needs to be done, I am find myself working in my dreams, often developing intricate designs for twisted briefs that make no sense when I wake.

What would be your dream creative project?

Designing and building my own home where everything is custom-made, from the stain glass windows, to the hand made tiles in the bathroom. I would want to have a hand in every detail, have a kiln in the back where I throw the pots to use in the kitchen and grow many variety fruit trees in the back yard that I would pick the fruit to made the jam we use for breakfast on the hand painted plates. It would be a blend between eco self-sufficiency and the crafty lifestyle of Martha Stewart, but on acid.

Dazed and Confused illustrated pagespreads

What are you looking forward to?

This year I’m moving to a new studio with some other amazing creative minds from Sydney. It’s a brand new shared creative studio space in Surry Hills, where the whole level of a building has been turned into a network of irregular sized creative spaces. Its feels like an art-deco boat, with wooden floors, black & white details, round windows and light fittings. There are artists, designers, musicians, film directors, photographers and a pop-up-book-maker – all in one collective space. We are called BretherenJustBelow.

Sydney Questions –

What/where was the last great meal you ate in Sydney?

There’s a Pakistani place on Enmore road, just past the theatre, called Faheem’s Fast Food. It’s always full of authentic bearded Pakistani taxi drivers, clustered around plastic tables devouring plates of goat and lentils and curries. The Tandoori Fish and the imported Turkish soft drinks are my favourite and you can truly feast for very, very little. I highly recommend it.

Best boutique in Sydney for unique Australian-designed jewellery?

Incu. They are incredibly supportive of Australian designers, always have a great selection of jewellery, from such a broad spectrum of our design talent and are also a pleasure to do business with.

Where would we find you on a typical Saturday morning?

On the weekends when my boyfriend is in town, we love to stumble (often nursing hangovers) through the Chinatown, down to the fish markets and have a breakfast feast of sashimi, seaweed, scallops, oysters and chips. I love sitting on the prickly fake grass next to the water, surrounded by squawking seagulls, Japanese tourists and rubbish… it’s the best. We would then head straight to Clovelly, with the papers, some mangos and our snorkels, and camp out for the day.

Sydney’s best kept secret?

Parsley Bay. It’s a secluded little beach that I shouldn’t be advertising online but I am assuming your readers are people I would happily share this spot with. There is a brilliant secret bit, beyond the shark net, you just slip under a chain fence, clamber over barnacled rocks and find this perfect little wooden ramp where you can leap off oyster-crusted rocks and plunge into crystal blue waters amongst the bobbing boats. You can almost believe you are in Sardinia or Croatia or somewhere far, far away.

Holly Throsby Illustration

Thanks so much ELKE!

Trompe L’oeil is in stores now. Elke's range for Sportsgirl (YES that's right!) should also be in-store currently (from Feb). Elke's next range Miracles and Wonder, for winter 2009, will be in store May 2009.

Interview - Lisa Cooper

Posture - artwork by Lisa Cooper

The Butcher's Daughter jewellery - photos from Vogue Living May/June 2008

Lisa Cooper - portrait from Inside Out's Christmas Issue 2008, photographed by Sharyn Cairns

I first became aware of the work of Lisa Cooper after reading a Vogue Living feature about her beautiful jewellery in the May/June issue last year... but then when Inside Out featured Lisa's Christmas tea party, set in her gorgeous Sydney studio filled with lush green plants, sweet treats and sparkling trinkets, that's when I really decided I needed to hunt Ms Cooper down for an interview!

Much like last week's interviewee Ebony Bizys, Lisa Cooper has many strings to her bow! She's an exhibiting artist who creates paintings as well as video projection pieces, and she will soon receive her PhD from COFA in Sydney. Lisa also creates exquisite jewellery under the label The Butcher's Daughter, and was recently commissioned by the Sydney Theatre Company to create custom-designed crowns for their much publicised War of the Roses, starring Cate Blanchett. Inbetween all these various pursuits, she also works at Sydney's favourite florist - you guessed it - Grandiflora, creating floral masterpieces. I'm not kidding! (Sydney seems to be getting smaller and smaller with every Sydneysider I interview!)

Lisa has answered all my interview questions in such a graceful, poetic way... read on for an insight into her incredible blossoming creative career.

Tell me a little about your background - what did you study and what path led you to what you’re doing now?

I have an Honours Degree from the College of Fine Arts. My near complete PhD research represents the summit of my formal education. It is an enquiry into the motivations and impetus of my practice. It answers in many words ‘the path’— the dedicated approach to making concrete (imaging), what is abstract in the universal/individual experience (a life), is the short answer.

St. i and St.ii paintings by Lisa Cooper

You work is so varied and you seem so prolific! You are completing a PhD in video art at the College of Fine Arts in Sydney, your handmade jewellery label The Butcher’s Daughter is stocked at select boutiques in Sydney, and you’ve recently created custom ranges for Collette Dinnigan and for the Sydney Theatre Company’s upcoming production War of the Roses. OH and you manage to squeeze in floral arranging for Sydney’s famous florist Grandiflora! How do you manage your time in order to focus on such a variety of projects? Do you struggle to balance them all?

It is not difficult to focus on these strands of practice as they are the ‘stuff’ of my life. I am not prolific! Though if I were it would be (as is always the case) a product precisely of focus, immovable, complete focus (an aspiration). ‘Making’ constitutes the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of my life. It is a selfish path.

I have indeed kept some glamorous company this past year— THE BUTCHER’S DAUGHTER has wings!

TBD is stocked at David Jones, Sydney City Store.

Ohhh GRANDIFLORA ! in the punctuating moments of our lives flowers bear witness (from tables and hall stands) and then they elegantly depart. Flowers are incredibly powerful metaphors and whimsical poets at once.

Lisa's crown for War of the Roses - incidentally, beautiful production design with all that foil confetti...

What have been some of your favourite creative projects / commissions?

-A video project at Cockatoo Island
-Two commissions for the Parisian cosmetics company SISLEY.
-I most love the private commissions for TBD, individuals who understand ‘Garden compositions in metal’.

Lisa's Video work. Above - Silence has Teeth. Below - Self Portrait with Onions.

How do your video pieces and works on canvas compare with the dainty style of your jewellery for The Butchers Daughter? Does your interest in floral imagery carry through in all areas of your work, or do you find yourself drawn to a different aesthetic when working in different mediums?

The grand poetic metaphor of flora is an important thread that runs through all of my work. Flora does feature in my video work and across the different mediums of my practice, though for TBD and of course Grandiflora they are used in a more material and literal sense, in other work it is for their poetical and conceptual meanings… from platitude to monolithic symbol.

Lisa's workspace - image from Vogue Living May/June 2008

Which designers, artists or creative people are you inspired by?

I am inspired by intelligence and lack of compromise but I think you want names… Simone Weil and Antonin Artaud, Susan Sontag, Samuel Beckett, Pipilotti Rist, Ezra Pound, St Therese of Lieux.

Where else do you find inspiration – ie books, magazines, your environment, travel, your family and friends?

Magazines are porn they make me feel dirty and good. Travel makes me feel like Alice in Wonderland, it makes you undulate and that is good. Inspiration is derived from experience I think, it is constant and also the past—memory, though it is a laboured concept.

Lisa's beautiful Christmas tea-party, featured in Inside Out Christmas issue 2008. Notice her intricate silver creations on the table... photography - Sharyn Cairns

What's the best thing about your job?

I’m not sure which you are referring to, I guess that’s the best thing about it.

And the worst?

isolation

What would be your dream project?

To answer that would be too limiting

What are you looking forward to?

Having a Doctorate
Berlin in September

Sydney Questions –

Best gallery to see the work of artists like yourself in Sydney?

Roslyn Oxley 9
Sarah Cottier Gallery
MOP

Where do you shop for the tools of your trade in Sydney? (ie jewellery supplies, art supplies etc).

That’s a secret

More from Inside Out's feature - love her beautiful jewels strewn throughout the studio... photography - Sharyn Cairns

What/where was the last great meal you ate in Sydney?

Fratelli Fresh
Billy Kwong
It’s a tie.

Where would we find you on a typical Saturday morning?

At Grandiflora - knee deep

Sydney’s best kept secret?

Its kindness

Studio visit - Dani M Designs and Felicity Jane Large

Dani M ceramic handcrafted jewellery by Danielle Maugeri

Last week I popped into the studio of Melbourne jewellery designers Danielle Maugeri and Felicity Jane Large. They share a beautiful, light-filled space in Flinders Lane, which is also home to an eclectic group of graphic designers, illustrators and photographers.

This week Dani and Felicity are having a studio sale where many of their pieces can be purchased at well below retail price... do pop in to check it out this coming Thursday and Friday between 12.00pm-7.00pm, and on Saturday Dec 20th between 10.00am - 2.00pm... not only a great opportunity to support local design and meet the designers, but also a chance to snoop behind the scenes in the gorgeous art deco Carlow House building!

Level 9 West
Carlow House
289 Flinders Lane
Melbourne
(corner of Elizabeth Street, entry via Flinders Lane)

Danielle hard at work (top), and her stunning ceramic pendants waiting to be finished (bottom)

Silver pendants and earrings by Dani M

Peeking beyond the jewellery workshop, the shared studio is also home to independent graphic designers, photographers and illustrators (top image). Felicity Jane Large tweaks her jewellery display (bottom image).

Felicity Jane Large's antique watch faces and vibrant acrylic bangles.

The workspace of incredible illustrator Jeremy Ley

The view - Stunning! Check out those rooftop pools and gardens! Man!