I'm declaring a blog holiday for myself :-)  I'll be back in Mid SeptemberThe first week or two, my computer will be turned off as I want to have a break from the internet too.

I'm officially out of love with Loy Yang - the quilt.  I taped up the big template this morning and I just don't want to make it. So I'm rolling it up and putting it aside for the time being.

I'll make the triptych instead... should be fun :-)

So, my gig as a university lecturer is over.  The preparation was HELL.  But the actual lecturing was good, I especially enjoyed the tutorial on Wednesday.  I still have to set the assignment and write the exam question, but they will follow a similar format to the tutorial work, so I'm hoping it will be relatively easy.

Last weekend,  I attended the Melbourne Art Fair and enjoyed it very much.  I noted the following artists whos work appealed to me for one reason or another... I suppose I tended to ignore the really pricey stuff and now I wish I hadn't, because there was some fabo work which I wish I'd noted, oh well.

Lionel Bawden: scuptures made from pencils, represented by GrantPirrie a gallery in Redfern, Sydney. 

Holly Grace: blown glass vessels and sculpures, represented by Perth Galleries

Milan Milojevec: Printmaker.  I was so excited to find out later that this guy is from Tasmania :-) He is represented by Port Jackson Press 

Geofrey Riccardo: also a printmaker represented by Australian Galleries

And another printmaker I REALLY loved was Rew Hanks, he was represented by Legge Galley at the art fair, but I note that he is also represented by  Port Jackson Press. Rew Hanks' linocuts do not seem to reproduce well on the internet, but I can tell you that it was a gut reaction when I saw his Tasmanian Tiger works, probably because I immediately recognised Hobart in the first work I looked at and also because he has given the Tasmanian Tiger (extinct) an epic treatment. 

The Tasmanian Tiger is still mourned by Tasmanians, many hope it has somehow survived and sightings are reported from time to time.  I feel it is wishful thinking though.

OK this blog entry is long enough.

The lecture was today.  I didn't sleep too well last night, I was worried about finding my way to the correct room since I've never really been on that campus and I also had no idea how long it would take to get through my 67 slides in Powerpoint.   I should have tested it out first, but I ran out of time.  I was still writing my notes this morning.

Anyway, it all worked out.  I found the room, convinced someone to find someone to help me get the data show thingy working, and I lectured away for 2 hours and finished my 67 slides with about 30 seconds to spare. 

I have to prepare for 2 hours of tutorial and set an assignment by Wednesday afternoon.  Which would be OK but I have, like, my own real job to do.

I can't believe I was so enthusiastic to do this.

In lieu of doing any real artwork,  I have put together a collage of yellowed paper from a war era knitting pattern book.  I love that yellow.  Gonna have to work out how to dye it one day.

I'll be away for a few days.  But don't be sad*.  I've left you with a few links.

Karren Brito keeps a blog about her shibori practice.  Informative, interesting AND eye candy.  What more can you ask?

I find that the collaborative blog Drawn consistently points me to the websites for excellent artists and illustrators.  Here are three I have enjoyed recently:

On my Desk is a blog showing photos of desks and studios of creative people. 

The website of David Hughes is just wonderful.  Especially the drawings in the private view section.  A little disturbing, but I'm not a believer that all art should make you feel warm and fuzzy.

David Choong Lee is a painter from San Fancisco.  I enjoyed his site very much and note that he has produced a number of books which are calling to me. 

And I'm pleased to see that Camilla Engman is back from her blog holiday. 

Also.  My blogroll is always being updated and adjusted. So feel free to click through if you have the time. 

See you early next week.

* That pathetic face belongs to my dog Reuben.  He will be residing in an unheated kennel over the weekend, so he has a reason to be desolate (poor thing)

Don't these colours look great together?  This photo was taken whilst the fabric was still wet and they have dried much lighter, but still good usable colours.  I was a bit naughty and did not pre-wash this fabric before I dyed them, it doesn't seem to have had any noticeable effect on the final product, but from this photo, it appears that there are some tiny undyed bits.

I'm still up to my ears in lecture notes.  My module was postponed until next week which has given me more time to procrastinate.  I really hate study, I much prefer to 'learn by doing' and the preparation for this 4 hour teaching job has been a bit torturous for me.  Oh well.  I could have used the crappy notes which were supplied to me, but in the end I couldn't subject the students to them, so I chose to start from scratch.  I suspect it will be easier to lecture from my own material anyway.

This weekend Riscy and I are going to Melbourne for my employer's dinner dance and other Melbourne goodness.  We are going to stay with my old friend Lynne and her partner so it should be a good social weekend.

You would not believe it.  I actually dyed some fabric!

A lot of them will be overdyed (especially those pukey orangey pinks on the right - bleh), although I'm partial to the lavendery and bluey fabric in the middle.

I have had this blog for around a year and a half now and I am ALWAYS suprised when people I know mention that they read it. Real people read this blog? How alarming!! LOL

When I write here I have a fuzzy idea of who I'm writing for.  She is someone interested in textiles and fibre, art perhaps, maybe older than me, with children and someone, probably, with political and religious views that I don't share (but that's ok, I can deal with that.  As long as we don't have to argue about it).  The main thing is that the person I'm writing for does not know me.

Which is dumb.  Because I know that Carol, Monica and Danielle drop by here occasionally (hi guys).  And I think Frank reads this sometimes (because I bagged the book his wife loaned me and then she read where I blogged about it and I felt terrible, 'cause I would never intend be insulting, but perhaps my post was... a bit, not nice).

AND to top things off.  Riscy's internet game buddy 'Shaker' passed on a compliment about my hair do.  Ummm I think this dude is about as far away from my imaginary audience as you can get.... Shaker, do you have a secret interest in quilts?  Come on, admit it.  You really want to give up your war simulation games and surrender to the sewing machine.  Make Quilts NOT War.  

I utterly detest those fucking computer games by the way.  (I don't think my imaginary audience appreciates the colour of my everyday language, so that was a taste).  Isn't there enough killing and violence going on without you guys wasting your youth and your prime living years pretending to kill each other over the internet? For fuck's sake! (just to round it off)