Memo to readers

Come rain or come shine

A month or so ago, Sculptures by the Sea, at Bondi and the coast walk near by, as usual took our breath away with the inventive and creative efforts of a disparate group of artists .  
So much money is invested in the pieces themselves_made from bronze, steel and marble.  
And yet it took a large plastic bag and an old chair (which had a grass seat) to trigger such a wonderful interaction with its surroundings.  
One morning was stormy with a soft grey light, the next morning, the light was golden with the dawn light.  

Different effects, equally beautiful. Just LOVE it!

Digging old stuff

THERE EXISTS A GREAT TROVE OF POSSIBLITIES JUST WAITING TO BE RECOGNISED, ADOPTED, ENGAGED WITH ON BOURKE STREET, WATERLOO, SYDNEY.  
THE PLACE IS CALLED ‘DOUG UP ON BOURKE’ AND IT PROMISES HOURS OF ADVENTURE WANDERING THROUGH THE FINDS, THE CAST OFFS, THE FORGOTTEN.  
TIN SIGNS ABOUND ON ALL THE WALLS. 
THEY ARE LIKE A VOICE FROM THE PAST AND THE CHIPPED ENAMEL, AND DENTS, AND THE RUST ON THEM JUST BRINGS MORE CHARACTER TO THE OBJECT. 
THE ONLY WAY YOU WILL KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT IS TO GO  AND HAVE A LOOK FOR YOURSELF.

DOUG UP ON BOURKE, 901A BOURKE STREET WATERLOO NSW CLOSED SUNDAY.

When is a jar not a jar...

A Jar is defined as a wide-mouthed, cylindrical container made of glass or pottery, especially one used for storing food...
But a single flower or a grouping of buds and blooms are all the more beautiful when placed in a simple every day jar.  
It may be an empty vegemite jar, or a jam jar, even an old lemonade glass bottle which gently holds and supports the sweet bloom. 

Of late jars and soft drink bottles have been popping up every where being engaged as vases, like my friend Fran, 
who assembled jars and old glass medicine bottles and placed just a single bud or stem in each one.  
The effect was beautiful as seen on page 1. 

Alternatively the inventive and beautiful mobile hanging floral tributes just like this one found at Orto Trading Co. 38 Waterloo Street, Surry Hills, Sydney, Australia 
engage old soft drink bottles to create a focus to the cafe.  

Moral of the story...don't throw a glass jar out just because it is empty, 
fill it up with something else, like a flower and enjoy it some more.  Shift a little.

Shiftazine Issue No. 5

Open publication - Free publishing - More colour

The Joy of Pretty Dresses

Which part of this brings me the greatest JOY:  The colours just make you want to drive into them and drown in the hues of the rainbow; 
the pretty dresses, themselves, with the patterns and styles that are all so girl power enabling; 
or is it the fact that this store 'Grandma takes a trip' in Surry Hills, Sydney up-cycles clothes and fashions that have been thrown away by its original users.  
So many reasons to be delighted.  
JOYDAY is coming, 25th November.  
Remember to celebrate the thing or things that bring you JOY (even if its a tiny little thing).  
JOY is a powerful state to live in.

The Joy of Sunlight

Is there anything better than the warmth of sunlight... the way it makes water sparkle or brings a joy to a gloomy room.  
Don't forget JOYDAY is coming up on the 25th November.  
Wherever you are in the world, take some time to remember and celebrate the things that bring you JOY, no matter how small or mutable they are. 

I spy with my fresh eye

A wealth of delightful, some might say, beautiful objects never cease to be found in local ‘op’ shops. 
From teacups to furniture it only takes a fresh eye to discover that special ‘piece’ for your home or work space.

Take for example the 1950s & 60s cocktail and entertaining glassware which was regularly pushed to the back of the cupboard or 
palmed off to the ‘kids’ when they moved out of the family home (finally). 
These wonderful glasses often find themselves lingering on ‘op’ shops sleeves or at local fetes and markets hoping to find a new home. 
They cost so little but are so delightful.

The 1950s furniture, that now fills the corners of ‘op’ shops, spoke of the space age and brave new world materials like heavy duty vinyl, formica and 
plastic surfaces constantly delighted its then end users. (Easy to clean. Saves you time.) 

These fine, sleek mid century designs filled young families’ newly built bungalows in new built suburbs. 
But the furniture lost its shine and was eventually pushed out to local ‘op’ shops. 
Its only crime was it was old fashioned.

My friend Harold David has an eye that spies all of these objects’ original reasons for being and happily invites them to join him in his home.  
The images on these pages were taken in rooms that Harry built out of ‘op’ shop finds.

Shiftazine Issue No.4

Open publication - Free publishing - More chalk drawings

A Mid Century Colour Palette

The colour ways of the 1940s and 1950s possessed a subtlety and depth that has been lacking in the popular culture design colour palette for a while.  
The colours of that time had a softness that wraps around the user like a comfort blanket.

The colour plays in this article are based on a series of 1940s wartime magazine covers. Some of these colour plays utilise the same colour palette, seen at base of page. 
They are exercises in engaging a different combination or placement of the same colours to create different atmospheres or ambiance. 

Whether the palette is based on primary colours (red, yellow and blue) or a more subtle palette of soft grey greens and sand hues, the results and dialogue can be truly exciting and not dated.

These palettes could be the source of endless possibilities.  Play with colour.  
Be brave and don’t be a slave to what is considered the “NOW” palette.  
Invent your own “NOW”.