From the gutter to the stars

Arcadia Liquors_A Cosy Haven

No longer can Newtown or Surry Hills claim to be the home of funky bars.  
In the depth of Winter, Arcadia Liquors opened their doors, creating a cosy yet funky place for the locals to have a drink after work or  
just an excuse to have an 'Old Fashion'.  
You will find the bar on the corner of Redfern and Regent Streets, Redfern, 
next to that weird street sculpture.

The Art of the Street

The walls of the streets are lined with art.  Is it conscious?  Is it an accident?  
Is it a response to needing to be heard amongst the crushing noise of the city?  
Maybe its just a natural, organic occurrence.  
Whatever it is, it is there, shift your focus from the ground, you might find something wonderful right it front of you.

Baby its cold outside

Its Winter here at the moment.  
The feeling on the street is low.  
We all need to shift ourselves into the night air and crank up the energy level.  
The evening air is sharp on our faces, and makes our hands feel numb, 
but the feeling of walking in the park after being in a building all day is exhilarating.
 Like I said, those puppies need a walk and your legs need a stretch.  Enjoy!

A new world view

Shiftazine has been very quiet for awhile.  
We shifted our world view and saw life through different eyes.  
We are fortunate to enjoy other lands and cultures.  
But even if shifting to another land is not a possibility, you can shift your world view by
 exploring a part of your city or town that you have never seen although curious about.

Shift your world view just for an hour, a day or a month. 
Enjoy seeing new or surprising things.
We are back and have lots to say.      

An observation

For quite awhile I have noticed random chairs that just appear on the street.  They appear like mushrooms do, one minute there is nothing, the next, a chair.  They always make me feel sad.  Once loved, the pride of the room and now just pushed into the cold.  They are calling out to be taken home and used (as long as they are not too random).  Recycling at it basic level. Next time you pass a street chair, say "Hi", strike up a conversation and see where it leads you.  Enjoy!

The Sweetness of Joy

Lemons.  I love lemons.  Firstly, I love the lemon tree. The leaves are more than decoration.  
One year on the Amalfi coast, I was served the most fantastic melted mozzarella that had been placed on a huge Amalfi lemon leaf and then placed on a grill. 
The oil in the leaf gave the melted cheese an evocative flavour. 

I love the perfume of lemon blossoms. The scent lifts the entire surrounding area.
Everyone should have a lemon tree in their garden or backyard. They use to.  
It was a standard Australian suburban thing to find a lemon tree out the back.  
The idea you can just go outside and pick a lemon fresh off the tree. 

I love lemons themselves.  The juice is sweet and emphasise and enhances all the other flavours it is blended with. 
A squeeze of lemon over grilled lamb,or fresh salad greens, or even some lightly steamed brocollini; A slice of lemon with a G & T.  Summer. 
I love the wide range of yellow that its skin can be. I love the diversity of shape it can be. 
I love lemons. They bring me joy.  Celebrate JoyDay 25 November.

Peter Tully, Shiftazine salutes you

The ‘shiftazine’ philosophy has been around long before shiftazine magazine every saw the light of day. 
I was lucky enough to be at the same art institution as one of Australia’s great creative energies, Peter Tully. 
His tribal wear was the stuff that inspired many of us and gave us the courage to shift our appreciation of all things in our mundane lives. 
I recently found myself in front of a wonderful Peter Tully piece that was dedicated to the King of Kitch, Liberace.
It was a delight to be once again in the presence of this artist’s energy, humor and eagle eye for all things delightful. 
Peter Tully Shiftazine salutes and thanks you. XXXXX

Shift Bag

My friend went to Thailand over Summer. He had fun.  He saw lots of interesting things. He bought a couple of things. And one of the things was put in this bag.  This bag is made from recycled newsprint.  This is a great shiftazine idea!

A Dash of Joy

On the 7th of February Shiftazine posted an article entitled ‘Every surface a canvas’. 
In it,I wrote “What does the word mutable really mean.  
Well, by the dictionary's definition it means 'to change', shifting, 
but it also means a sense of the fluid,ideas coming and going.”

The dear dog that was the inspiration for the drawing was a great dog called Dasher, 
and he brought joy to all the people who walked along Crown Street Surry Hills Sydney,
 for such a long time. 
Always there to greet you and give you a moment of his day.

He was hit by a car last week and died. 
Thank you Dasher for all those tiny moments of joy you gave so many people. 
Life is mutable. 
Joy is fleeting. 
Remember to celebrate the thing that brings you joy on JOYDAY, the 25th November each year.

Shiftazine Issue No.3 The 'DPS' Issue

Open publication - Free publishing - More blue

A bit of wear and tear

The Fridge Jury

I know a very clever young designer, who lives in Newcastle, Australia. 
 Her name is Fleur Bennett.  She is talented, down to earth and very witty. 
She sent me these drawings, now I am sending them to you. ENJOY!

"Dear Jack-Attack

This series is called 'Some People I've Met Lately' although there is one image of Bob Carr titled 

''Geez Bob, You're A Smug Fucker' (but I've never actually met him). 
Generally each character has his or her own title such as: 'I'm Just with him for his Brain.' 
or 'The Train from Gosford is Fraught with Danger and Bogans' and 'Getting my Hair Cut Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time.'

I'm inspired to draw by people I meet or see in the street or even in the paper. 
I get very excited when I see one of those old men with the ears and nose that never stopped growing and a face full of character lines, 
I find RSL's are an excellent hunting ground for great faces. 
I just love the infinite possibilities of the human face...I mean we all have two eyes, 
a nose and a mouth, yet each of us is instantly recognisable as our own person.

Artworks are drawn using gouche and ink on canvas. Canvasses are 4x4 inches in size. Each image takes one to two minutes to draw - any longer and 
I find you get done for harrassment or worse... let's just say an old bloke with a 
skinful of shandies can be tough to shift. At the moment I seem to be going through a blue phase, i'm not sure how long this will last.

I like to stick my artworks to the fridge (on magnets) for a while 
before I group them because then every time I open the fridge (and lets face it - 
it's quite a bit) I can figure out what order they look best in and how I can improve future artworks."

White is not white necessarily

Nothing square about this

Grannie squares are so not hip, or cool, or designer.  
However, when you shift the places you expect them to be seen or how they are used, you have a grannie square of an entirely different colour.  
Found this very amusing and visually exciting animal head in the window of Garden Life which is on the corner of Cleveland and Young Streets, Surry Hills, 
Sydney, the other night. 
(On my way home from a very successful Mardi Gras) 
What a delight!  Get that wool and crochet nettles out. Get square.

Joy flutters around us

Another reminder of JoyDay.  
Chalk drawings, as you know I love, are a constant source of JOY.  
Don't just walk by them or on them without taking a note of them. 
Shift how you see the world.

Shiftazine Issue N0.2

Open publication - Free publishing - More green

THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE PAGE TURNING SHIFTAZINE IS OUT NOW. This month Martyn Thompson, a wonderful Australian photographer who lives a creative and crafted life in New York. Some of your favourite articles from the past are here for you to enjoy once more. Thank you for all your support and visits to the new format. Hope you enjoy it Issue No.2.

Inner City Community Gardens

This article appeared in the first page turning Shiftazine.  It is  such a cool topic that I thought I should run it here just in case you sadly missed Issue No.1.  When I first came across this particular garden I was so struck by the degree of the care and tremendous effort that had been invested in it.  Within days I found another garden and then another. And it is all the doing of the local people of the area,  no councils involvement, no big business, just individuals working for a greater good.  So now go find a local community garden, but better still, become a part of one or even better, start one!