Still Life Photography

I have more than I need, digital photograph, ©  Candice Herne 2012

Happy Birthday Suki June

 My daughter Suki turned 4 this month. We set up a special space to party in.

Suki's friends came and played musical cushions.

Everyone had Strawberry Shortcake doll cake which was made by the whole family. 

And they all played pass the parcel. It was a wonderful day!

Photographs of unfired handbuilt ceramics

Recently I have been making handbuilt ceramics from porcelain clay.

Handbuilt Pinch Pots, Candice Herne, digital photograph, ©   Candice Herne, 2012 

 Handbuilt ceramic milkjugs and pot, Candice Herne, digital photograph, © Candice Herne, 2012

Handbuilt Ceramics, Candice Herne, digital photograph, © Candice Herne, 2012

Handbuilt ceramic coil bowl, Candice Herne, digital photograph, ©Candice Herne, 2012

New Easter Traditions

 Easter Tradition, digital photograph © Candice Herne 2012

Easter is a Christian Feast celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

To be honest Easter has never been a time that I have given much thought to. Usually it involves a quick dash to the store to grab some chocolate eggs and that's about it. I only realised Monday was also a public holiday yesterday.

Although now since having children I have been pondering, how to create special times, special bonds, family rituals and family traditions.

Religious Organisations are smothered in mysterious  holdiay's festival's traditions, ceremonies, rituals and celebrations. Lent, Passover, Bar mitzvah just to name a couple. These traditions seem to be the building blocks of faith, belonging, community, connection, celebration, and rights of passage. Eager to build my own Family traditions I take from this a procedures manual on how to create my own family ceremonies and traditions. After discussing this with Suki aged 3 I asked her what special thing she would like all of her family to do this Easter. She said a photograph with Mummy, Daddy, Rhody, and Sparkie (the dog). So with that idea sorted together we decided on our location which was to be outside by the tree swing (which is where Easter Bunny hid all the eggs), then some sort set design. Aunty Jenny, Jessma and Kai were to come for a early dinner, so we decided to set up a pretty dining table under the tree. We needed a beautiful centre piece so Rhody set about finding the 3 tiered stand to fill it with all our Easter eggs and flowers from the garden. We took our New Easter Tradition family photograph then had a family feast. We will build on this idea of celebrating the family/family tradition and ritual and come up with something for Christmas. Happy Easter! Candyxx

Collection of drawings

Upfront Club, Installation of feather drawings, 30cmx37cm framed, pencil, ink and watercolour on handmade linen paper, Candice Herne 2012

I was interviewed by Sascha from Earth Dreams Magic last week about my current show Messages. You can read the interview here.

I have now put all the drawings from my show up on to my website. http://www.candiceherne.com/site/gallery/messages.html

If anyone would like to buy one and give my drawings a new home. Please email General Manager Karen Syrmis for all transactions manager@maplestreetco-op.com  or call Karen on 07 5494 2088. They are $180 each. I can arrange to have the work posted to you for an extra $10 postage fee. The Upfront Club accepts direct deposit only. * Please note drawings Feather 12 and 19 are now sold.  Candyxx

Investigating tone, movement, and line - photography

 Inskip Point grassy bank, digital photograph ©  Candice Herne, 2012

Nice Breeze Inskip Point, digital photograph, © Candice Herne, 2012

An exhibition of Feather Drawings at the Upfront Club, Maleny, Queensland, Australia

I warmly invite you to the opening of my solo show Messages. People who follow my blog may remember last year when I started drawing my feather collection for a week.You can see some of the drawings here: one  two  three four five six seven.

In total I have 22 framed pencil, ink and watercolour drawings on handmade linen paper from Creative Paper in Tasmania. I remember saying I wasn't going to do any more. Remind me never to say never :) I got into the swing of it late last year and just kept on drawing the feathers, playing around with line, shading, tone and water colour. Before I new it I had a small series of drawings. Then an opportunity arose for me to show them at my local Music and Arts Hub the Upfront Club. I had a meeting this morning to wrap up all the framing for these drawings. I am so pleased. The framing is going to be very contemporary, simple and beautiful. I have found the most lovely, professional and helpful framer up here on the range her name is Ali Parnell.  Ali lives on a farm and combines an art practice and framing with caring for horses.  Ali did a mock up of what the work will look like. As I am so visual, so this effort was so well recieved and helpful, and I got a real sense of how the show is going to look overall. Thanks Ali!

All I have to do now is send out some hard copy invitations to my local friends and then it's party time.
Candyxx

Cleaning up the studio and making a cosy corner

Candice Herne, Art Studio, 2012

I'm cleaning up the studio, getting organised and making a memory wall for a cosy corner.

Candice Herne Art is on Facebook

Pink Apple Blossom, Acrylic on artist cotton handmade paper, Candice Herne 2011

Candice Herne Art is now on facebook. I warmly invite you to connect with me here. I use facebook to share information that I find about art. I am always looking for inspiration, tips and tricks and I enjoy sharing what I find, so it may help other artists. So like me on my page. I will also be letting you all know a little bit more about my artwork, what inspires me and what gets me fired up in the morning. I would like to use facebook as a gateway to connecting with other artists, the general public, collectors, curators, dealers, designers, community workers/organisations, business and anyone who maybe interested in art or my work. I am also interested in selling some of my artwork through facebook. And offering my collectors some original artworks. Including at times some creative giveaways. So if this sounds interesting to you, I welcome you to check out my page and connect with me by clicking the like button. Thank you and see you on facebook. Candyxx

you can click on this to take you straight to my page

Teenage Portrait

Kai Lilly the teenage years

 digital photograph, ©  Candice Herne, 2011

My niece Kai in my Studio 2011. Slowly getting back into work. One more week till school starts. That has come around way to quick. I have totally enjoyed these holidays. We have spent most of the time at the beach and hanging out at home. I have a couple of small projects lined up this year. I'll post more about this next post. till then Candyxx

Underwater Photography

©      Candice Herne, 2012, Underwater Photography

Wishing you friendship and joy for 2012

photograph by Candice Herne 2011

Handmade wrapping paper for Christmas

One of the highlights this year was helping Rhody with his wrapping paper project. He thoroughly enjoyed creating painterly printed paper in the studio and of course having Mummy's undivided attention. Not only did he enjoy making the paper. But he also had wonderful times at both the Montville Market and the Heavenly Harvest Market were he regularly sold his handmade wrapping paper. Rhody made friends with the Juice lady Sue at the Heavenly Harvest Market. You would find Rhody at every market busily making fabulous experimental Juices side by side with Sue.

At our local Montville market where it all started in the Young Entrepreneurs Corner Rhody made friends with the local children and contributed as a member of a community. He made sure he tipped the musician's, selected seedlings for the vegetable garden; played the hall Piano, made arts and crafts with his friends, worked on the school's stall, ate lots of barbeque breakfasts, pancakes and drank litres of fruit and ginger juice. He learnt how to Juggle, was interviewed by Alistair Mcleod for a Queensland TV show. And survived 6am starts in sometimes cyclonic weather (and I never heard a moan, I might add.) Yes! he loved it all! We always spent way more than we ever earned but we and he gained so much more from the experience than we could possibly have imagined. I am not sure what we may do next year. However when I asked Rhody if he wanted to do his wrapping paper again next year he said Yes without any hesitation. He is in year 2 next year, so if we go ahead I think I will introduce accounting into the process. That will be interesting. We always get lots of feedback from our loyal customers saying their friends loved the paper their present was wrapped in and most would say that they framed it. One person even used it as a table runner. Creative!

So I'll leave you here and wish you all very happy Holidays a safe and joyous festive season and see U in the new year. Candyxx

Christmas Tree decorations made from Newspaper

 Christmas is my favourite time of year. I relish in making, baking, giving and receiving. I have a tradition that every year I make some handmade Tree decorations. This year I made some out of newspaper. Origami cranes, rolls covered in red cotton, layered lantern balls and words. I'm off this evening to a very special champagne celebration. By myself with out the children. I think I may let my hair out a little. It's been a busy, fun, successful year full of creativity. See U soon.    Candyxx