SOUTHSET

Photos from Southset gallery and retail space

This past Sunday was an excellent day. 

For one, it was one of those rare, remarkably perfect, crisp-blue Melbourne days that you are all more the grateful for given the city's usual erratic and somehow emotional weather patterns.

Secondly, we took Weenie Mutt down to the beach for a run and found more than 50 sea urchin shells, not to mention a bucket to carry them all in. How fortunate. I understand that for normal people, this isn't exactly exciting, but for me... let's just say the breathtaking wonder of existence is personified by sea urchin shells. 

After I recovered from my sea urchin delightedness, we headed over to the other side of the city for the launch of the new Southset gallery and retail space, run by our friends Beth and Luke. 

Southset is home to lots of my favourite things: turquoise jewellery, Pendleton rugs, eagle pillows, Millie Studio chopping boards and Howlin' Wolf jewellery. On this particular visit, there were cans of softdrink with cacti on them and Mexican food. What's not to love about that?!

Also, the Southset gallery is the site of my upcoming exhibition, and in the meantime, a few of my prints and posters are available there too...

Southset is open Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays and the online shop is here. 

WHITE HEAT

White heat print, available for a limited time here. 

I like to work on drawings at least a little bit every day. Even if it's nothing important, or it's directionless or silly or self-indulgent. 

Somedays, nothing comes out of it and I've -- in isolation -- wasted my time. But other days, I make something that I love, and it's well worth the time. In a way, I gamble with my hours to see if I'll come up with something good. And the more I do it, the better the odds. 

You've all heard that saying: 'The harder I work, the luckier I get'? It's like that.

This piece really reminds me of that ethos, because I worked on it during a painfully insistent heatwave earlier this year, with no air conditioning of any sort and not even the nights offering a break in the temperature. Being from the north, I'm used to a big thunderstorm rolling through in the evening to break a hot summers day and cool everything off, but that doesn't happen down here in the southern parts of Australia. I'd never experienced anything like it, but I was determined to keep working, to keep making stuff. 

Because eventually, something good comes along. 

FOREVER SUNDAYS

Flynn Skye dress; vintage boots and hat from Camberwell Markets; vintage glasses and jewellery, with rings by Buffalo Girl, Lakota Jewellery and Rejoice the Hands; concho belt via eBay.

My favourite thing to wear, ever, is black jeans, Harley boots and a shirt with the sleeves cut off. But, even though it's the most comfortable-happiness-inducing combination ever, it's a combination that lacks a bit of drama.
Which brings me to my second favourite outfit: long dresses, heavy boots and big hats. Preferably with conchos and silver jewellery, and dark lips. And a Flynn Skye dress, like the above. Or, like the one I've added to my (somewhat jumping-the-gun because it isn't until June) birthday wish list.
Too many maxis, too little time...

WILDNESS

Wildness print, limited edition of 10, available here.

...he reached to hold what cannot be held, what already ran among the mountains at once terrible and of great beauty, like flowers that feed on flesh. What blood and bone are made of but can themselves not make on any altar nor by any wound of war. What we may well believe has power to cut and shape and hollow out the dark form of the world surely if wind can, if rain can. But which cannot be held never be held and is no flower but is swift and a huntress and the wind itself is in terror of it and the world cannot lose it.

Inspired by Cormac McCarthy's The Crossing, a book that hijacked my mind, made me cry on the train and had me talking nonsense about wolves and horses to anyone who would listen.

FEATHER ARCH

One-off handpainted denim jacket available here. 

Vintage turquoise necklace, tassel necklaces from Ishka, vintage glasses, shirt and hat, earrings from Tree of Life, rings: vintage, Southset, Rejoice the Hands and Lakota Jewellery.

Macrame knotting. Banjo playing. Reading the whole Border Trilogy in a weekend. Shell collecting. Listening to bands you've never heard before. Looking at the night sky. Sewing. Letter writing. Exploring new lane-ways in the city. Ceramics. Planting a bad-ass cactus garden. Painting on old denim jackets...

It's hard to get around to all the rad things that its possible to spend time doing, but it's always worth making time. 

I've finally got it together and painted on some vintage denim jackets. This is the first... more to come soon!