Phibs, wild and wonderful

Last night we attended the opening of Phibs' exhibition at the Plump Gallery in Enmore. What a pleasure to see walls filled with Phibs' (aka Tim's) intricate, boldly graphic art!

 

Obviously we are not alone in this feeling as the gallery was getting crammed with people, many spilling out onto the footpath. We were lucky enough to meet Tim and we a had a great chat about art, street art, his influences and style – and computers. He was happy to let us take photos, and so we did.

Mixtec (ancient Central American) art

Phibs is from Sydney, but has worked in Melbourne also. Having worked as a freelance artist and a street artist for years, his aim is to move toward more "legitimate" art and less "unauthorised" work.

 

Very busy gallery opening with Tim on the far left.

Outside looking in.

 Nevertheless you can see his pieces around streets of the inner city of Melbourne and Sydney.  His style is quite distinctive; a strong graphic feel with intricate bold tapering lines in swirling movements, and strong sense of art and mythology of ancient cultures. I always get a feel of Teotihuacáno, Mayan or other ancient Central American art.

So as Molly Meldrum used to say: "Do yourself a favour" and go see The Journey exhibition at the Plump Gallery, 240 Enmore Road, Enmore. It is open from the 8th to the 28th of September. You can't miss the gallery, there is a huge Phibs colourful face piece on the wall out front.  We shall be returning in daytime to grab a photo of that.

So much to see,
J in JAM

GRRL+DOG we are hunting you...

We popped into the Artisans' Market at the Eveleigh Carriageworks on Wilson Street to visit family and took a stroll around the stalls. There's always heaps of fun and funky, arty and amazing things to see, smell and taste. They also have a farmers' market every Saturday. http://www.eveleighmarket.com.au/sydney/

This Sunday it was our pleasure to meet Denise Litchfield aka GRRL+DOG. Denise is a very crafty woman, creating dolls, knitting and street art. Her work is fun, colourful, and quirky.

 

Her website states:
"Denise Litchfield is inseparable from her dingo kelpie, rescued as a pup from a plastic bag.
Going by the name grrl+dog‚ they form a six legged fibre collaborative that includes street art, knitting and community projects. They love to scrounge for vintage fabric and scraps to recycle."

She places fibre and street art in "unexpected places, guerilla fashion"  and says "it is better to ask forgiveness than permission".

 

It is one of our pleasures to 'find'  her fabulous knitting around a street sign or on a tree limb. I first saw her street art in Newtown and it just amazed and thrilled my sense of fun and colour. You have to look for it, it's not always easy to see, especially if you aren't aware of it's existence! See more of our photos here at http://www.flickr.com/photos/64292272@N07/sets/72157627315082560/

There's much more to see at www.grrlandog.com or you can buy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/grrlandog or see her guerilla knitting photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/dneese_l/sets/72157610868899993/

 Find art in the unexpected,
J from JAM

The Extraordinary Mr Will Coles

Sydney based artist and sculptor Will Coles is an absolute favourite of ours. The magic of his art for me is the objects themselves, the idea attached to it, PLUS the quirky hunt for the sculptures. You never know where you just might find one!

 
Born in Warwickshire, England in 1972, Will's website says he "grew up in the Suffolk countryside and spent several years in London and Glasgow before moving to Sydney, Australia."

His grandfather, Norman Sillman, is a sculptor allowing Will ready access to art and art theory. Further experience was gained at the Ravensbourne College of Art, Wimbledon School of Art and the Glasgow School of Art.

Even though the sculptures are interesting visually, the product is less important than the ideas and thoughts they try to generate. Will's sculptures 'ask' you to stop and think about things such as consumerism, our individual purpose in life, our wastefulness, our adherence to an unsustainable way of life.

Will has written:

"Think, about the waste of every day life, of the things you throw away as waste, of the life you throw away doing something you hate, of wasting your life away.

"Think, about a better way of living, a better way of life, maybe doing something else, somewhere else."

Thank you Will Coles for giving me the pleasure of your public art!

Cheers,
J in JAM