more of you know who…

Melissa is interviewed by Steph. A lovely time was had by all 😀

I have some new work in e.g.etal. It is much of the the work from the Return show – like the Random Strung Planes above, just without the hand-cut pieces (they are awaiting another engagement). To coincide with the new works appearing in-store, I have been interviewed by the lovely Stephanie, and photographed too. I now appear on their blog.

It was my first time being interviewed, (I’ve spent hours on the other side of the digital recorder, and the transcribing bit really hurts) but I think it went ok. I do look like a dork in the sandblaster photo, but hey, if that’s the worst of it…

black and night

Melissa did a workshop with Bettina Speckner in 2009. She shares now? Ulterior motive afoot? Read on…

from the Bettina Speckner workshop I did last year.

The centre work alters recycled objects, while the other two work with large black beads which I took from my small collection of large beads (I had three in black, three in red and three in white, all acquired in Albany, WA, while I was on assignment down there for a few days, years ago.) These were bought specifically to wear to a 20’s theme party held by my littlest sister.

The necklace recycled an umbrella handle (from an umbrella I ‘borrowed’ from my mum/dad, and which later collapsed in a Melbourne storm – hey, it was originally from London, so don’t talk to me about a Perth umbrella not living up to a Melbourne shower…) and an electrical power cord. I sliced everything (yup, one trick pony…) and then reconstructed the parts.

I flippantly dismiss my slicing as my ‘one trick’, but in this case I was looking at my practice from a different angle, and created some particularly self-reflecting work. For whatever reason, I ended up working in reverse. I usually design a bunch of shapes, and then slice them. For this I sliced a bunch of objects, and then designed with them.

I was reminded of this project this morning, when I opened a parcel from Jasmine Matus for the Box Project. It’s going to be an interesting experiment, whichever way I slice it.

on the intertubes

Melissa Online! Now more Online!

Hiya! So, it’s been ages since I mentioned the conference in Perth, eh? Three whole posts have passed; it’s been over a week since the last one went up. In internet time that’s practically years between mentions. Did you enjoy the holiday?

Today my paper Examining the connections between architecture and jewellery from the JMGA conference was published in the Craft Australia online library. I put up links to the images I used in my delivery a while back, but at least half of them appear with it, in its online incarnation. Once again my thanks go to all the artists who gave me permission to use the images of their works, including the ones who were not published.

Also on the Craft Australia site, a review of the conference by Christel van der Laan. Christel is an amazing jeweller, and her new works, which were on display in the JMGA Members exhibition in Perth (see the final image on the RHS of her review), are incredible.

outgoing

Mel’s applying herself to applying. Wanna join the fun? There’s plenty of links to go round!

First of all a community service announcement for any recent grads in Melbourne:
ArtStart info session
Tuesday 25 May 2010, 6-8pm
Old Council Chambers, Trades Hall

FREE! RSVP: Melissa Habjan, ArtStart Administration Officer,
 on 02 9215 9162 or at m dot habjan at australiacouncil dot gov dot au
2010 ArtStart Grant information
 – Closing date: 4 October 2010. 
Applications available online from 23 August 2010.

—–

In other news, here’s what I’m currently applying for:
a show at Object – closes June 30
a few travel grants – Noosa, British Council and the Samstag Scholarship (the last two for grads) and New Traditional Jewellery.

I made it into NTJ in ’07, so it’s not that hard, but I didn’t in ’08, so it’s not too simple either. (Maybe just getting more popular, yeah? That’s how I consoled myself…)

preziosa young

Melissa’s upcoming opening: Preziosa Young, Florence. This time she’s not going. Awww, poor she.

Yup, feeling very young today… But this is not about me, it’s about precious things going on display, in Italy!

You are cordially invited to the Opening, Friday 21st of May, at 6.00 PM of the Firenze Preziosa Exhibition in Firenze, Leopoldine Cloister Torquato Tasso Square. Open every day, 11.00 a.m.-7.00 p.m. till the 6th of June, 2010. Free entrance.

Artists: Giampaolo Babetto, Johanna Dahm, Ruudt Peters, Helen Britton, Andi Gut, Evert Nijland.

Artist’s Conference on Saturday 22nd of May, from 11.00 a.m. to 17.00 p.m. The participation to the conferences is free: please register on-line at www.preziosa.org, or contact the organization

Collateral Events

PREZIOSA YOUNG Third edition of this important contest/exhibition of young goldsmith/artists selected for their individual research and for the originality of their creations. The selected artists are;

Cheryl Eve, USA
Erin Keys, Australia
Monica Haneckova, Slovakia
Sachiko Shouji, Japan
Edna Yoshie, Japan
Sooyeon Kim, Korea
Adam Grinovich, Sweden
Melissa Cameron, Australia

with special mention to;

Marta Hryc, Poland
Susanne Wolbers, Germany
Elena Ruebel, Germany
Sabine Lang, Germany
Jahyun Baek, Great Britain
Natalie Smith, Great Britain
Tiina Rajakallio, Finland
Lisa Juen, Germany

I have to add the ‘special mentions’, since last year I was on that list.

export exhertions

Melissa goes to school. Well, marketing school. A marketing masterclass, in fact. Where are the masters?

Today I went to a Design Victoria mini-symposium, or what they called a Tools of the Export Trade Masterclass. I found out about it on the Australian Design Unit blog. Owing to the recent shenanigans that ensued when getting works to international exhibitions (thanks Eyjafjallajokull for making it even more stressful), I was (and am) keen to ‘skill-up’ in this area. The marketing insights and the tips from professionals managed to outweigh the the speakers who intoned some very irrelevant information for a small business such as mine. In fact, after today, I’m leaning towards using the term ‘micro business’ when referring to my art practice.

While the info on offer was all well intentioned, and possibly even some of it useful to me; like some of the nuances of the ‘dark arts’ of marketing, and more grants info available from the Victorian Government and Austrade, it’s not likely come in handy when my projected output won’t reach the marketing budget needed to trigger their minimum grant amount.

Ahh well, back to sweating over the details on Australia Post forms.

out of Perth and back to earth

Melissa gets down and dirty… earthy… sandy…? Anyway, she’s back in Melbourne.

An explanation of my title: I’m now back in Melbourne, and am going back (all of 2.5 weeks) to what I learned in Perth at the workshop presented by Elizabeth Turrell, which was, in essence, about how to apply sand to metal.

So, what’s to know about earth then? Well, very kindly, Inari put her hand up to make an order to Thompson Enamel in the US on behalf of a few fellow Victorians. She is currently studying at RMIT and keen to keep using this process in her works for examination, so was quick off the mark with her order, which I have been told arrived yesterday. (Yup, a Sunday…)

For my order I went over to Thompson’s website where I downloaded their comprehensive catalogue (on the main page) and set about trying to find the enamels we had used during the workshop. In the end I ordered (in 8oz dry powdered form) from the section – Liquid Form Enamel, Water Base, Base Coats:
BC-1070 Medium fusing white
BC-969A Low fusing clear transparent
BC-303L Medium fusing clear transparent (not used in the workshop, I just added this one to be a completist)
and in the Liquid Form Enamel Colors:
533 White
930 Chinese Red
772 Black

Being in the possession of a sand blaster (too many posts to note sorry, do a search if you’re interested) I will be testing these enamels (once I have mixed them with water and got them paint-brush ready) on mild steel and stainless steel (why sandblast? Elizabeth suggests blasting the surface to help the enamel stick). And with any luck on some recycled pre-enameled metals as well. One of our group has already approached her local white goods retailer and been given a bounty of fridge doors to attack/beautify.

Now all I need is a kiln. Coincidentally, TurboNerd sent me a link to this little sucker yesterday. It’s maybe a little small (dimensionally and in possible heat output) for my current needs, and definitely lacking in a thermometer, but it’s perfect for my current price range…

For the moment I think I’ll attempt flame-enameling instead.

discussion – part b

Part B – a magnet for jewellery obsessives. Not just any magnet; a nickel plated, 2kg rated rare-earth magnet. Melissa knows other jewellers will understand.

So, Part A: make jewellery. Part B: discuss.

You’re a jeweller, or an interested bystander, and you want to see some interesting jewellery. Your significant other/drinking buddies/family/friends/acquaintances will obediently accompany you to shows and galleries, but they’re not as ‘into’ the work as you are. You lack discussion time, a sounding board, a sympathetic ear to your obsession(s).

Solution! Come on down to Studio Ingot, Shop 2, 234, Brunswick St, Fitzroy, on Saturday the 8th of May, around 2pm. Meet other jewellers. Chat about stuff that matters. To jewellers. See Michelle Kelly‘s new work. Have a cup of tea. Go home refreshed and rewarded.

Tell your buddies!