polska

Here are some photos taken in Poland last week..

Get ready for a Christmas giveaway from me, in a week or two :)

november sketches

A couple of sketches from the sketch book, mainly sketched during my holiday in Poland. Photos in the next post! :)

And here's some food for thought.. which I think is so true...

"Some part of being creative is being child-like. Kids create all the time and without the anxiety that you get when you're older. They're not tortured. They make a drawing
and they love it. 'Look I made a drawing! Mom!' And as an adult it's harder to stay in that place"

Spike Jonze

Living north

A new painting...

A little chicken living north.

Done with acrylics, gouache paints, pens, markers and paper. [A4]

halloween!

A ghost brooch I did for Halloweeeen!

Happy Halloween ♥

Jellyfishmonster Mobile Charms

I've created some mobile charms today! They have names too. The red is Randy Redz, the yellow is called Dilbert Duke and Edna May is the purple one.

They can be purchased from here.

Project against stereotyping

Finally I can show you a project which I was working on during these past weeks. A couple of months ago the local organization Atelier culture.projects initiated a project dedicated to stereotyping, entitled: Memento: Little Moments of Awareness against Stereotypes.

A seminar about this issue was carried out and a few quotes were generated from the seminar. These quotes were based on the strong stereotypes which are present in fairy tales. During the seminar fairytales were analysed and stereotypes were detected and discussed in depth. Next step was to create little mementos which featured these quotes related to stereotyping. We finally produced keychains, mirrors, badges and magnets with little illustrations accompanied by a matching quote. Nicely packaged, they were hang in three different locations around Malta and people could pick one, and hopefully carry on the message against stereotyping and labeling.

Here are some of the designs I did for this project (each quote was translated in Maltese):

Mirror on the tree/ who is fair that I can see? (please turn over)
Mera mera mal-fergha mxejra / fejn hu l-gmiel biex jaraw ghajnejja? (aqleb ghan-naha l-ohra)

Society defines the witch
Is-socjeta taghti definizzjoni ghas-sahhara

In bed? Can't be granny!
Fis-sodda? zgur m'hijiex in-Nanna mela!

The clock struck 12 / Cinderella ran to her princess
Mad-daqq ta' nofs il-lejl / Cinderella griet lejn il-principessa taghha

The mementos at 1. Lower Barakka in Valletta, 2. Sliema and 3. University of Malta:

Close up the hanging mementos:

I really do hope that this project induced some change in the way we think!
You can read more about the project here!

IF: Flying

I decided to contribute to this week's IF topic flying. Here is it.

little green chirps

A new painting done with gouache paint, pens and paper.

Inspired by autumn and Joni Mitchell - especially this song.

brooches and multi purpose hangers

I have created two brooches :) One features a wooden yellow duck, which was originally a hairclip. The one below is a red button brooch - originally an earring.. yepp believe it or not!

Available here

Been thrifting again and got myself some useful items. See this clothes hanger?

Why use it for clothes when you can hang other stuff like notes, images, post cards or photographs? Here is my version.

There's a Radiohead ticket there, a Miffy postcard, a little original drawing by the talented Asja, a Gaudi postcard from Spain, a little note by my brother and other papers and items which have value for me.

I was struck by this box. The patterns simply blew me away. I liked the fact that the flowers are not positioned in the center, but slightly to the side.

And this cat too :)

Photography

Recently, Friends of the Earth Malta launched an international photographic exhibition and competition on the effects of climate change. The theme was: Climate Change: the change is already here.

A maximum of 20 photos were featured in the exhibition, amongst which one can find the following photograph taken by me - the photo was awarded second prize!


The exhibition is moving around 3 different locations around the Maltese Islands. Currently it can be viewed at The University of Malta. It will be moved to Birgu in two weeks time.

The exhibition is part of an awareness raising campaign which FoE Malta is participating in together with sixteen FoE groups across Europe.

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Something different from usual, is this photo I've taken a couple of weeks ago. It features the legendary long haired woman, portrayed in an early 20th century style.

The photo was exhibited at a Burlesque show which took place in Valletta last week.

And lastly.. some recent snapshots :) My favorite is this first one - the lady put on a sulky face as soon as she realized i was taking a photo of her (I was mostly struck by the colour scheme and the grungy white door anyway!)

Bubblegum Houses

Ok so i kept my promise and painted last week's sketch, aaaand here it is. it's been ages since i've painted something for myself and i'm happy with my productive day today - thanks to tea and autumn-y weather =}

And here are two sketches i drew 2 nights ago

I've been working on new pendants and magnets and a new stock is now available at Mandali. Next - will start working on a Christmas stock!

Here's a photo of me being silly :P


Lastly, some photos taken in my garden today, right after it rained...


Next post will feature some of my recent photography activity.

black and white

I will paint this last one on canvas.. soon!

cat village

This particular cat village always caught my attention. Everytime I pass by, I notice more tattered toys and the area just keeps getting bigger and even more eye catching. To me it looks like the toys form part of some child animation! I just love how ragged and vintage they look. I wanted to share some pictures here (taken with my new camera ^^).

three swamp swimmers

New painting!

A couple of weeks ago, I was using gouache painting for the first time and I did this quick illustration of 3 gray creatures having their first swim in a swamp. The third creature on the right is scared to death! poor thing :}

necklace hangers and pink bunnies

My necklace collection is getting bigger and bigger. Today, I decided to sort them out and hang them on two separate wooden hangers. I finished painting an elephant and star hanger an hour ago.


And this is a funny scene I saw last Friday :D I've been noticing ragged soft toys and dolls hanging around in places (even on trucks!).. hmm maybe i could get to shoot them and create a new series :}

thursday encounters

Some forms, shapes and creatures which struck my eye today.


And this was taken a couple of weeks ago. I like the mysterious feeling it provokes.

Skimmed Photoshoot

A second photoshoot of the local band Skimmed. They've recently recorded their first album and are launching it in a month's time :)

See the previous shoot here

And click on the image below to listen to their songs.

sketch, color, box

I'm love the combination of blue/mint with peach colour. Below are two are of my latest purchased clothing which have similar colours. I'll explore this combination further for sure :)

Today I bought this antique-looking red box for a good price.. For now I'm placing my little acrylic tubes in it :)

Next post: Shoot of the band "SKIMMED"

Mandali and jellyfishmonsters meet

I'm happppyyyyyy to announce that jellyfishmonster magnets and pendants are now being sold at Mandali - a shop located in Merchants Street, Valletta. The shop sells exclusive and unique items such as jewelry, bags and t-shirts. It is open from 930-1830 every day. More info about the shop here!

I went to the shop to hand over the pendants and magnets today. All jellyfishmonster magnets have unique names and they are available to buy as from tomorrow!

Other than this, I've been generally low in productivity - the heat is really getting to me. However, I have a couple of photoshoots coming up one of which is burlesque themed!! Also, I will be purchasing an new SLR this week - can't wait to get my hands on it :D

Here are some photos from the shop:


I came across this guy's work and loved it. His name is Jay Cover - more of his work here

an hour at the museum

I wandered around The Museum of Natural History yesterday, as part of a photography assignment. It was a pleasurable hour indeed.

The Team go Steampunk

These guys are the contributors of Schlock Magazine - an anthology featuring short and serialised fiction, illustration and photography. These writers and artists publish original works of speculative fiction, exploring various subgenres through experimental fusions in style and format. For this photoshoot, the team went through a drastic make over - going back to decades of years.

Here are some photos from the shoot:

{styling by: Sarah Micallef, Carla Said, and Maria Muscat}

empty football grounds

Apologies for my absence. I will be back soon!

Heads and steps

People walking up and down the stairs.
Everyone has a unique way of doing that.

Green turtle boy!

So here he is!! He's finally ready and varnished :)

His body was originally a wooden box which I was close to throwing away, but something told me not to! His legs and hands are made out of old wooden rulers, purchased from a second hand bazaar (together with some other stuff :P).

Monday..

Unlike the "Monday complaints" I usually make, today I cannot complain :} The day started off with a meeting involving a wedding photoshoot... after an hour of exchanging ideas with the client, the meeting ended up with the great news of having custom souvenirs for the wedding. And I will be working on them!!! I was so happy =D News like that make feel like I'm going to explode with ideas and I was highly motivated for the rest of the day! Most probably the souvenirs will consist of tiny canvases, all hand painted with different colours. We still need to narrow down our ideas until we have the perfect one! Plenty of time left anyway!

And speaking of little canvases. I painted this little one today. I'm really liking these canvases.. I need to purchase more of them and work on a whole set of plenty of canvases.


Here's another thing I started working on today. It's not ready yet! This little googley eyed dude will shortly have a pair of hands and legs soon :}


And here are some pics from my short stay in France. The bands in the below pictures are:
I'm from Barcelona, Bloc Party, Emily Loizeau, and E-bony Bones (seen at EuropaVox!)

New painting and sketches

I've finished a painting this evening. I am quite surprised that I actually managed to paint in this unbearable heat! The painting's title is "Cohesion".

Also, I finally found the time to scan a few sketches from my sketch book.

Raindrop Head

New painting on canvas :}

Photos: Market + The making of...

So I've decided to share with you some photos of the preparations and set ups used for taking the photos which where exhibited last weekend at Earth Garden. These photos involved four months of preparation and research.

Make up: Justine Fava
Model: Analise

Wrapping the model with construction tape!

As you can see the bus stop sign is a real onel, as many thought it is photo-shopped! This was the toughest shoot - the waves didn't help at all! But it was definitely a fun one.

Us hanging the clothes, making sure the colour scheme is right. That washing machine was actually found dumped over there.

Dressing up our tree... with paper! This took us around an hour to do. Cutting those tree shaped papers was so much fun and they actually reminded me of childhood crafty activities :)

Black make up used for the "Air Pollution" photo

And this is the dress used for the same shoot. It's made out of two garbage bags and big white buttons sewn with nylon thread.

And finally, some pictures from the market experience :) It was so rewarding to see how much people liked the magnets!



One last thing - the talented Lisa Falzon interviewed me this week. The interview can be viewed on her blog just here!

Going abroad tomorrow - I'll be heading towards France for a European festival called EuropaVox. So I will be away for a few days!

Exhibited Photos @ Earth Garden

As promised, here are the photos which were exhibited this weekend at Earth Garden. I can finally publish them online :) Each photo represents a current environment issue and is presented with a relevant quote.

Click on the images for large preview...

The conversion of a natural area to an urban are means the
destruction of whatever was there previously (Simon Bacchus, 2001)


Marine pollution has become widespread due to the disperse
and diluteattitude of most countries. For many years, many
argued that the oceans andseas were so large and
deep that all the pollution dumped would be rendered
harmless by dilution with water. (David Vella, 2001)


Due to human activities such as the combustion of fossils fuels, deforestation,
and vehicle exhaust, concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide has
increased by about35% since the start of the Industrial
revolution. (Peter West, 2005)


For at least the last 100 years, sea level has been rising at an average
rate of about 1.8 mm per year. Scientists project rising sea levels to continue
through the 21st century, with levels increasing between
7 and 22 inches by 2100. (Alley, Richard et al, 2007)


The population of Europe generates about four billion tons of solid

waste each year – about 5 tons per person. (Laurie Collier Hillstrom, 2003)



What we must realize is that the paper products we use daily could
have been a part of a forest which functioned to enrich and hold soil,
absorb carbon dioxide, collect and recycle water, release oxygen,
and regulate climate. (Stock, Jocelyn and Rochen, Andy, 1998)

Each photo was printed on laminated foam boards of size 24x16". Here is how the photos were displayed at the event:

The next posts will include pics of the market as well the making of the above photos :)

Preparation...

Two days to go for Earth Garden! I have been busy preparing and making lists :} I've created a total of 44 clay magnets, and 8 pendants. I will also be selling original paintings and merchandised items at the market. Really looking forward to this weekend!
I will post some pictures of the event next week, as well as the 6 images exhibited in the exhibition.