Sophie's Ramblings

Irrelevant, but funny.

2010-02-22T19:09:00.001+11:00

haha.

I'm on a horse.

The Oceanic Lounge

2010-02-10T23:53:00.003+11:00

Such a sad fact of liquor liscening laws when another venue has trouble opening, because of the narrow mindedness of many of the Ballarat community, and because of the limitations on venues that both serve alcohol and support live music and performing arts.

Please support The Oceanic Lounge - whose facebook group of 775 members and rising is found here. - "a new comedy / music venue and cafe situated at 97 Bridge Mall, Ballarat."

There has been many city council meetings about the opening of this venue, which due to strict policies with massive generalisations has to file itself as a "nightclub" - hopefully this beautiful venue will be able to get around the red tape and be a wonderful addition to Ballarat's live music scene - and provide an alternative to other music venues in town that are quite hectic. Somewhere nice and laidback, but with awesome acoustics and a medium-sized stage perfect for local community dance and singing groups, bands, comedians, theatre... sounds good to me.

The Oceanic Lounge's open letter to the Ballarat community :

------

The following is an open letter from proprietor Dona Pentland and her partner Geoff Hassall, to the Ballarat City Council and those business owners in the Bridge Mall area objecting to the opening of The Oceanic Lounge at 97 Bridge Mall, Ballarat:

" To whom it may concern,

Having read carefully through the objections to the planning application for 97 Bridge Mall, we wish to clear up what is obviously a misunderstanding as to the kind of venue proposed.

The term “night club” the only available label under council regulations for a venue of this size that does not provide full restaurant service, is misleading in this case. The objections all hinge upon the perception that we are intending to cater for the late night twenty something drinkers and ravers. The opposite is in fact true.

The application is for 1 am closing. This is the very time when the type of revellers who bedevil Ballarat’s night life are just getting going. We want to create a venue that will nurture Ballarat’s rich art’s community. A place where Jazz, folk, community choirs, original local and imported live acts can be presented in a setting where great care is taken to ensure that the music sounds good! There is a clear lack of such a place in Ballarat at present. A place where poets and local theatre groups can be showcased, where dance groups can hold evenings with enough room to move, in short a wide range of entertainment that does NOT include loud pre-recorded music and binge drinking till all hours.

I am a locally based musician, and my partner and I have both worked here for almost ten years in Arts based Disability support. We have a broad network of fellow artists, workers, and families who share our frustration at the lack of a medium sized venue of this kind, with wheelchair access to a welcoming non threatening environment.

Regarding concerns about sound levels, in addition to ticking all the boxes of the Liquor Licensing Board’s requirements, the building (originally being a bank) has extremely thick insulated ceiling tiles, designed to muffle sound. The solid brick structure has a double entrance with very heavy doors.

We have received encouragement from quite a few local traders who see the presence of a venue of this nature, as a welcome addition to a dining and arts precinct distinct from the designated ‘night club’ area of Ballarat*.

Our Vision has always been to set up a venue that is the very antithesis of the kind of places that produce most of the problems detailed in the objections.

A great majority of this community like to enjoy a meal at a local restaurant, take in a show, have a few drinks before heading home at reasonable hour. Why should Ballarats night time culture be held to ransom by the behaviour of drunken patrons of The ‘nightclubs’ where it would seem that music, entertainment and social interaction are dominated and distorted by the imperative to sell as much booze as possible.

Some years ago the feminist movement ran a campaign called, If I recall ‘Take back the night’ aimed at making the streets safe for women at night in the Melbourne CBD. What about making a place for all the rest of us? who do not want to mingle with upset drunks, and have our senses numbed by conversation killing levels of in house ‘Disco’ just so we can have an evening out.

All the local eateries except McDonalds are licensed already.
We anticipate that the kind of patrons we will attract will enhance the business of surrounding restaurants.

Many of the problems such as, urinating, vomiting, random acts of vandalism.etc. are already with us, and short of gating the Mall at each end I cannot see how preventing one more local trader in your midst** will stop the drunks passing through on their way home from the Lydiard street precinct to the eastern suburbs.

* It should be noted that last year,Dona Pentland was actively involved in the establishment of an action committee to deal with bullying and vandalism in the Bakery Hill end of the Mall. The committee members included Catherine King, Councillor Des Hudson, Geoff Howard MLA.,Senior Ballarat Police, the Courier, Local radio, and student representatives.

**As a new addition to the community of businesses we would seek to be actively involved in any enlightened initiative to preserve and improve the amenity and safety of the area.

Yours in good faith,

Geoff Hassall & Dona Pentland "

------

Hope to see this one set sail.

- Sophie

Art History Cheat Sheet.

2010-02-10T23:50:00.004+11:00

Awesome. From here.

Feline Fashion

2010-02-02T12:09:00.003+11:00

On the Street....Full Tortoise, Chinatown, LA

Awesome Fashion ;-)

The Catorialist

Queen : The Unseen Archive

2010-02-02T09:21:00.003+11:00

I'm really looking forward to the Art Gallery of Ballarat's Queen : The Unseen Archive exhibition, opening 20th of February. I've been very lucky to be involved in some of the design process of this exhibition, and after the success of the John Lennon : Imagine! Exhibition, I can't wait to see the finished product. Expect more theatrics, more stage props, costumes and memorabilia and more of a concert-like experience. A very exciting time.

From the Art Gallery's website :

The Art Gallery of Ballarat presents an exceptional world premiere exhibition showcasing a fascinating blend of photographs and memorabilia of legendary English rock band Queen. Queen - the Unseen Archive will feature both iconic and unseen images of the group taken by close friend Peter Hince, providing personal insight into one of the world's greatest rock bands.

Sat 20 Feb - Sun 11 April 2010.

Get along to see it if you can!

- Sophie

Blogs to love.

2010-01-31T21:55:00.002+11:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything myself, but I have been following a few new (or recently discovered) blogs that you should have a look at too. All local goodness (That's around the Ballarat area, for any readers not in the B-rat).

Click on the images to check them out.

Anthony Woodward Comics

Love Again

Circa62

Southerly Posts

- Sophie

Back to it.

2010-01-31T21:18:00.005+11:00

Well, this is a half-hearted attempt at starting up my blog again.

This could be anything from silly little tidbits from my quite mundane life, to happenings around Ballarat and region that I think are worthwhile a mention or two, to just posts full of images that inspire, excite, horrify or amuse.

A few things from my last post (quite some time ago) :

- I got into my teaching course, a Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) - Double Arts Methods at the University of Ballarat. Which means I'm going to be a crazy art teacher. Awesome.

- Christmas, New Years, Summer Adventures. Now for Birthday, Festivals and a lot of work until I go back to uni (Things are going to get hectic).

- New friends, new inspirations and obsessions. Keep tuned to this blog for more info.

This will be my blog from now on : don't expect anything ground-breaking, but hopefully something interesting every so often.

- Sophie

Move Along.

2009-09-02T13:12:00.002+10:00

Nothing to see here, people....

... a little bit 'meh' about the blogging thing at the moment, as you could probably tell from my lack of posts.

I may come back to this later, but at the moment I have nothing to say or write or post.

Carry on...

Meredith

2009-08-12T14:21:00.002+10:00

So, I found this rumoured lineup on the internet - courtesy of Elyce's blog... Really, really hope this is true. Looks awesome as always.

Animal Collective (USA)
Band Of Horses (USA)
Jarvis Cocker
The Oh Sees (USA)
Afrika Bambaataa (USA)
St Helens
Kitty Daisy & Lewis (UK)
The Bang Gang Deejays
Why? (USA)
The Fearless Vampire Killers
Gang Gang Dance (USA)
Patrick Wolf (UK)
Tim Sweeney (USA)
Knightlife
Paul Kelly
Combo La Revelacion
The Vaselines (UK)
Jebediah
Love Of Diagrams
Ooga Boogas
Hey Rosetta! (Can)
Cloud Control

Meredith Music Festival is my favourite time of the year. Can't wait for the lineup announcement, and hope it's really similar to this!

Ooooooooohhh

2009-07-30T17:52:00.003+10:00

Lou is talented and makes nice things. Check it out. x

Uninspired.

2009-07-28T20:48:00.012+10:00

Quite a lot has happened in the last fornight.

Some fantastic, a lot of it, not so much. Most of all, I'm feeling rather 'Meh' about a lot at the moment. So I'm trying to recapture my motivation and passion...

Some of the things still inspiring me in the world...

Nature. Walking along the creek next to my house has been quite literally a breath of fresh air, and a great way to keep my mind off of things.

Romance. It's out there.

My fantastic friends. Especially this one. She's about to open a new stylist/florist business in Bendigo, and I love her to pieces.

Music. Especially the live type. There is some fantastic live and local music happening in Ballarat at the moment, most of it completely under the radar, raw and real. Plus old tunes like those from Mr Cash and Dylan always continue to have an effect on me, no matter what.

Future plans. Working with children - their innocence and unbridled passion and creativity has made me realise that I'm making the right choice for my career plans, even if I'm not 100% sure how that will all plan out.

Happy times are just a hop, skip and a jump away.

This weekend.

2009-07-22T15:04:00.005+10:00

Things to do in Ballarat this weekend (apart from just snuggling up out of the cold...) :

SATURDAY :

Great Collections
A Museum and Galleries NSW Touring Exhibition
Art Gallery of Ballarat, Free Entry.

SATURDAY NIGHT :

Ratstock : Ballarat musicians showcase
Peter Lalor Hotel, Corner Mair/Armstrong St, Ballarat
6pm onwards / $12

IMMACULATA / CHASE NATION / VITAMIN K / X’s & O’s / MONTH OF SUNDAYS / PATRICK MC CABE / MICK DOG

SUNDAY :

Pleasant St Markets
10 am - 2pm, Pleasant St Primary School, Lake Wendouree, Ballarat.

Selling a diverse range of unique art, craft, fresh produce and fantastic food... live music... live art....workshops for kids...face painting...circus performance and community groups. They have snack food, sausage sizzle, Indian food and Dutch pancakes.
There is a playground and jumping castle for the kids. The market has been running for 20 years. Home made, home grown, home sewn. Over 130 market stalls, raising money for school improvements.

-----

Sure to be a lovely weekend.

Heart.

2009-07-20T13:27:00.002+10:00

Oh, Zooey.

I can't wait for this one.

UPDATE :

Thanks to Marcus and Kiri-Joy, I had a look at the movie poster.... <3

Busy Bee.

2009-07-19T18:38:00.004+10:00

My life is pretty erratic at the moment. One week of no work followed by a week of 9-5 all day and nights at Her Majesty's. The good thing about this is that I get an intense rush of craziness followed by a rest / catchup week. And tonight is the first night of my catchup... good meal with my boyfriend, Masterchef on TV, Freelance work and hopefully a good nights sleep.

Oh, and updating my badly neglected blog.

The best thing about my jobs (I'm working for City of Ballarat in three different places) is that they're all in pretty rad places. I'm very lucky to work at Art Gallery of Ballarat, Eureka Centre, and Her Majesty's Theatre. All are pretty cruisy work overall, with fantastic people. It also means that I get to see a lot of cool things while I'm at work, and get paid for it!

First up is the fantastic Hans Heysen exhibition at the Art Gallery. Beautiful landscapes mostly, with impressive depictions of the Australian bush and gums. I'm not a huge fan of Heysen's work, but I can appreciate the beauty, espeically in his depictions of light shining through the trees or reflecting in water. It's an impressive exhibition - and for the price of a gold coin entry, well worth a visit.

While you're there, have a look at the pretty cool Urban Art Agenda exhibition, with a focus on stencil graffiti.

From the Art Gallery website :
Inspired by New York graffiti of the 1980s, stencil art is a form of street art, or urban art as it is often called, which has sprung up all over the globe in the last two decades. Now a respected art movement and refined art-form, it has long moved off the streets and into galleries and art spaces.Urban Art Agenda brings together some of the most prolific artists from around the world in a unique showcase. Featured are David Soukup (Chicago), Kenji Nakayama (Boston), Skran (Lisboa), M-City (Warsaw), XOOOOX (Berlin), Jana and JS (Salzburg), Jef Aerosol (Lille), Ozi (São Paulo), Kostar (Liège), Orticanoodles (Milan), Mandarina Brausewetter (Vienna), Penny (London), El Moocho (Melbourne), ELK (Canberra), KidZoom (Sydney).

It's a really cool thing that in our one gallery you walk through this exhbition on graffiti art to a very traditional exhibition like the Heysen.

Looking foward to the Great Collections exhibtion, starting on July 25th, amazing huge travelling exhibition from Museums & Galleries NSW. Had a sneaky peak at two Brett Whiteley works that are being hung at the moment, going to be brilliant!

I also worked two shows at Her Majesty's Theatre this week : The Dancer's Company Ballet - ushering and getting to watch beautiful ballerinas all night - and The Kursk, a fantastic drama about a Russian submarine tragedy.

The Dancer's Company is The Australian Ballet's regional touring group, comprising guest artists of The Australian Ballet alongside graduating students from The Australian Ballet School, and was pretty amazing. Three acts, with the final act from The Nutcracker (The Gift of A Dream, Act Two).

Act One was by far my favourite, costumes and dance from the 1920's. Beautiful. From The Australian Ballet website:

Choreographer Robert Ray, inspired by several poems of Sir John Betjeman, has created a translation of the spoken word into beautiful dance. Set in England in the 1920s, Ray's work is one of graceful ballet, of wit and uncluttered style that suits both the period and sentiment of the poems.

I'm pretty lucky to be involved in such magnificent performances and exhibitions. Makes work worth going to.

And now for my week of rest and catching up... Freelance and Thaw design mostly!

Hottest 100...

2009-07-12T13:55:00.003+10:00

I don't know how anyone can narrow their favourite songs down to a list of only 10! I find it hard enough to list my top 10 artists, or top 10 albums, let alone only top 10 songs.

I've attempted to narrow my top 10 albums of all time, whilst listening to the top 100 of all time on triple J. There is so much that can be said about that countdown : I wish it was the top 100 of this decade, or of the 90's or something. Of all time, voted by Triple J listeners, makes me really annoyed.

So, my top ten albums (as of today, anyway)

---

Jeff Buckley - Grace

Neil Young - Harvest

Pixies - Doolittle

Radiohead - OK Computer

The Beatles - The Beatles (White Album)

Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited

Ryan Adams - Cold Roses

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed

Arcade Fire - Funeral

---

Oh, so hard. Some close calls :

My Morning Jacket - Z // Any Beatles album, and quite a few Bob Dylan albums. Same with Radiohead, Ryan Adams and The Rolling Stones. // Air - Moon Safari // Augie March - Moo, You Bloody Choir // Quite a few Nirvana albums // The Avalanches - Since I left you // The Drones - Gala Mill // Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty // Bloc Party - Silent Alarm // Coldplay - A Rush of Blood To The Head // David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust // Eddie Vedder - Into The Wild // Elliot Smith - Figure 8 // Gomez - Bring It On // Led Zeppelin (I can't chose just one!) // Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News // Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory // Miles Davis - Some Kind Of Blue

God, this list could go on forever... and now to listen to the rest of the countdown ( #31 Metallica - Enter Sandman, playing at the moment).

What would be in your top 10 favourite albums of all time?

Developing..

2009-07-10T13:04:00.000+10:00

from FFFOUND.

Music of Love.

2009-07-10T12:41:00.002+10:00

Last Saturday night I saw Jack Ladder at Karova, with support by Kid Sam.

Both bands completely blew me away, Kid Sam in particular was absolutely mesmerizing. Best moment of the night : when Mr Jack Ladder ate a banana on stage. haha.

Give these two a listen :

Wow.

2009-07-07T23:52:00.000+10:00

Uh... ok...

Found via awesome design blog, Swiss Miss.

More Football...

2009-07-07T23:25:00.006+10:00

This Sunday just gone, I met my Mum, Dad, younger brother, Aunt and Uncle in Melbourne, and saw the MIGHTY SAINT KILDA beat the Geelong Cats! A fantastic game - I'm already dreaming of wearing Red, White and Black on that one day in September... I've been a saints fan all my life - didn't really have any choice with my Dad being a bit of a fanatic - and am enjoying seeing them win at the moment! Hope the momentum keeps up, and at the end of the year if all goes to plan, I might have to take my Dad up on the pact that we would get some sort of tattoo to commemorate their win... God, how bogan and sad am I?

Saying that, there isn't too many things that I find more enjoyment from in life than a fantastic evening at the football with my family, eating a meatpie at half time and cheering along madly to a close game with a thrilling finish.

Catch-ups

2009-07-07T22:42:00.007+10:00

Ok, so I've been useless with the blog lately, so thought I'd do a massive catch-up post of what i've been upto the past two weeks.

First up : my boyfriend and I spent a lovely weekend in Bendigo, and saw the Archibald exhibition at their gallery (which, in my biased opinion, is not as good as my Ballarat gallery... hehe).

Vincent Fantauzzo
Brandon
Archibald Prize entrant 2009

It was an interesting exhibition : I'm always interested to see what artworks are chosen in terms of technical skill and artistic merit, and ones which may have been chosen with the subject of the portrait in mind. I guess it would be hard to find balance, and an immense task to undertake putting the exhibition together. I don't like to compare year to year this exhibition, as it is so unique, but I just don't know if I was impacted as much by this collection as the previous year's entrants.

The Cherry Hood portrait of David Helfgott (pictured above) was one of my favourites, huge and confronting, but with lovely soft paint dripping and forming a lovely painting. Hood is a favourite artist of mine, her paintings of children are beautiful and haunting. I'm looking forward to seeing David Helfgott play at Her Majesty's Theatre in Ballarat soon.

We also managed to catch the 'A Camera On The Somme' exhibiton (which had lovely WWI photgraphs, highly recommended) and have some of the always-delicious woodfire pizza from GPO, yum! Funny, I never went there when I was living in Bendigo, but everytime we are in Bendigo now it's almost a tradition that we go there.

Topped off by a purchase of night in with scrabble challenges, all round a fantastic day.

workaholic

2009-06-30T01:26:00.002+10:00

Jobs that I have worked in my life (up to now) :

1. Basketball Umpire
2. Canteen Retail
3. Toyworld "Fun time expert"
4. Tomato packer/sorter
5. Visual Merchandiser
6. Bartender
7. Waitress
8. Abbotoir Employee
9. Graphic Designer
10. Photo Editor
11. Medical Receptionist
12. Usher
13. Optical Dispenser
14. Barista
15. Information Service Officer
16. Gallery Customer Service Officer
17. Usher
18. Data Entry
19. Babysitter
20. Face-painter
21. Tutor
22. Freelance Designer

22 Jobs in 22 years.

Time for a new one to add to that list... staying with Gallery/Eureka Centre/Her Majesty's, but looking for part time work to fill the gaps between that and freelance design. Phew.

And now I can't get Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" out of my head...

MJ.

2009-06-26T16:26:00.002+10:00

I'm not really saying much on this issue.

As much as I love Michael Jackson's music, I think a few issues have been kinda glossed over. For someone who has most likely molested children, he's being hailed as a God. This clip however, shows a man who's still a little boy. Very strange.

A weird day.

Cute Clip.

2009-06-25T18:50:00.000+10:00

New song from Sarah Blasko, with illustrations and animation by Melbourne based artist Celeste Potter. Sweet.

Crisp and Clean.

2009-06-25T18:03:00.005+10:00

I'm desperate for a wardrobe upgrade, and am after a simple, classic starchy mens-style white button up shirt. Having trouble finding one in Ballarat! Timeless and instant style... gah. I need one of these!

Got the Blues.

2009-06-23T16:56:00.002+10:00

Chills, Cold and Comfort.

Mix tape.

2009-06-23T13:08:00.004+10:00

My housemate Helly and I made the most amazing mix tape for a friend last night, and I felt like sharing. Not all of these songs are on these artist's myspace profiles, but you'll get the idea.

1. Run Run Run - Phoenix

2. Phantom Other - Department of Eagles

3. Out the Airlock - Paul Dempsey

4. Blood - The Middle East

5. Babys - Bon Iver

6. All You Do Is Talk - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

7. Impossible Germany - Wilco

8. Sunrise - Yeasayer

9. I've Got Friends - Manchester Orchestra

10. The Minotaur - The Drones

11. Furr - Blitzen Trapper

12. Second Chance - Liam Finn

13. The Funeral - Band of Horses

14. Best Kept Secret - Jack Ladder

15. Rain on the Vein - Clinkerfield

16. Mystery Talks - Jim Ward

17. Place to Be - Nick Drake

18. Brother - Little Birdy

All are on high rotation on my ipod / computer at the moment!

Something to do..

2009-06-23T00:45:00.004+10:00

Questionnaire stolen from Meg and J. I should really op-shop more. With my bank balance as it is at the moment, this is mildly depressing, haha.

---

What colour/s do you have far too much of?
Black for sure. I just can't seem to stay away from it, and while I was working hospitality and at the Art Gallery so much, it was versatile enough to wear pretty much all the time. I still can't stay away from a little black dress purchase.

What colour/s do you wish you had more of?
I'd love a red coat at the moment. Some more electric blue, perhaps (my favourite colour), and more cute floral prints.

What was the last thrifted thing you purchased?
Haven't been for a little while, possibly my new bag, pure leather and in perfect condition, from the Church oppy in Dana St.

Oh, and I managed to find a cream perfect length trench, complete with tags with original pricing of over $200, great buttons and fully lined... for only $5 from the Vinnies in Bridge Mall.

The last store purchase?
A pair of $2 earrings from Diva today. Wood and with a nice flower pattern, too cute and cheap to pass up!

The last swap?
Haven't done that in a while... my best mate and I swapped tops a little while back.

Do you buy clothes only when you have spare money, or do you put yourself into night terror debt to own the clothes you love?
A bit of both, really. Sometimes can't resist the impulse buy, but not working much at the moment makes me think about my purchases a bit more! I'm lucky enough though to not ever really spend too much on clothes, so when I do splurge, it doesn't hurt the bank balance as much.

What's you favorite colour combination?
Black and black, ha. I'm a fan of neutrals (creams, pinks, greys) with black at the moment. Oh, and navy and white is a classic.

A colour combination you'd never wear?
Orange and Red. With my colour hair, I'd end up looking so ranga people would have to wear sunglasses to shield their eyes from me.

Name five pieces of clothing in your wardrobe you wouldn't be without.
Black tights, Navy jeans, Winter boots, Converse high-tops and my black-any-occasion dress.

Name five pieces you've made it your mission in life to own.
A pair of black skinny leg jeans that make my legs look amazing, a red duffle coat, a classic white starchy shirt (actually on a mission at the moment to find one of these... any suggestions?), perfect tuxedo jacket and a white wedding dress made to perfection ;-) hehe.

----

Footy Fun.

2009-06-22T14:31:00.005+10:00

Tim Rogers and his daughter, Ruby, courtesy of The Herald Sun website.

Sunday I had such a fun day at the Community Cup in Melbourne, watching the Espy Rockdogs win in a close match against the RRR Megahurtz. A day of beers, lots of kids and dogs running around, Kick-to-Kick, fun live sets from Kram and the Cosmic Psychos at Half-time, and lots of laughter. Musos trying to play sport was hilarious! Elsternwick Park was a great location for a huge crowd of supporters, and all for a good cause.

Tim Rogers and Kram - who played a set before the match, too.

From the organisers of the event : "We hoped for four or five (thousand people), and to get 6000 to 7000 in the middle of winter in Melbourne really showed what the Community Cup meant to Melburnians."

The Megahurtz cheerleaders. Too cute.

Fun times, reminded me so much of country footy matches from my home area.

Mmmmmm....

2009-06-22T14:21:00.004+10:00

My Friends Teagan and Cat and I hit up the new Main Bar on Saturday night for delicious drinks and pizza. Such a lovely venue, all cosy and snug, with amazing vintage decor. The booths were really comfy, and I loved the chairs hanging from the roof! Definetly a great place to share drinks and food and conversation.

Pumpkin and Salami pizzas... yum!

Will be going back for sure....

Girl Crush.

2009-06-20T19:11:00.004+10:00

Alexa Chung is pretty.

Sunshine.

2009-06-20T18:59:00.003+10:00

My lack of posting over the past few days has been due to me actually getting some work - and upping the job hunt, without sacrificing my soul for the sake of a few shifts.

I'm dreaming of this at the moment :

Roadtrips, beaches, summer tunes, friends, cute flowers in hair and warmth and sunshine!

Little Joy are one of my favourite bands at the moment, so sweet and lovely.

As much as I love winter layers and red wine, I am already looking forward to the warmer months...

- Sophie

Warmth and Wonder

2009-06-16T19:39:00.004+10:00

Heat and Heartache. The Chills and Calm. Rose and Ric Rac.

To my dearest...

2009-06-16T18:04:00.010+10:00

My lovely Nanna, who lives in South Australia, has recently moved from her family home and into a nursing home, and I have been lucky enough to be given some treasures from her house. Among some of the beautiful old bits and pieces are an amazing collection of postcards and old family photographs.

This cigarette tin and album are full of the most beautiful, delicate notecards and photographs, the detail in them are amazing. I'm fascinated by the precise handwriting and illustrations, and the fact that this was the way that people kept in contact.

They're so precious, I feel so lucky to be looking after them. What a wonderful source of inspiration.

Book to Movie.

2009-06-16T00:45:00.001+10:00

The Time Traveller's Wife movie trailer, based on the original book by Audrey Niffenegger. One of my favourite books of all time, made into a movie. Eric Bana looks like a good fit for my beloved Henry.

Anyone else read this one?

Sunday Wanderings.

2009-06-15T16:54:00.005+10:00

Melbourne : Ok, so not so sunny.

Yesterday I had the lovely opportunity to spend the day wandering around Melbourne by myself in the sunshine. I had such a wonderful day, visiting a few galleries and generally soaking up all as much inspiration as possible in one day.

First up (after an epic train/bus/tram trek from my friend's house, and coffee and croissants on the way) was a look at a free exhibition at the State Library of Victoria

24 April 2009 - 25 October 2009

The Independent Type: Books and Writing in Victoria is a free exhibition that celebrates Victoria's rich and diverse written culture, highlighting the stories, the voices and the spirit of independence that have made our literature unique.

The exhibition examines a diversity of 'literatures' – the printed book, electronic media, the spoken word and even a possum-skin cloak. It looks into Victoria's thriving literary niches, including poetry, theatre, literary journals and 'zines, and children's literature from I Can Jump Puddles to Animalia. It explores every aspect of the world of books and writing, from booksellers and publishers to literary awards and festivals. It tells the stories of passionate and enterprising figures such as State Library founder Sir Redmond Barry, the eccentric EW Cole and his Book Arcade, independent publishers McPhee Gribble, and Lonely Planet founders Tony and Maureen Wheeler.

Fantastic exhibition, well worth it, and I really recommend doing the free ipod tour (either download off the website, or hire when you are there). I had fun trying to listen in to an education group going through (in a non-creepy way), cute kids talking about art and literature. Definitely what I want to be doing - how much fun would it be being an education officer/guide at a gallery or library?

ENGLAND, Dress c. 1816 (detail), cotton muslin, metal
145.0 cm (centre back); 80.0 cm (sleeve length)
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, The Schofield Collection
Purchased with the assistance of a special grant from the Government of Victoria, 1974

After the state library it was off to NGV International... I had every intention of going to see the Dali exhibition, but as the line was about an hour and a half long (opening weekend and all) I thought I'd save it for another day. Went and visited some of my favourite works, and spent a lot of time in the exhibition - beautiful dresses!

John Brack , Australia 1920–1999
Latin American Grand Final 1969
oil on canvas, 167.5 x 205.0 cm
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Purchased, 1981 © Helen Brack

After a bit of a wander around Federation Square and the Design Markets, I made my way to NGV Australia - The Ian Potter Gallery, and saw the Top Arts VCE exhibition (really impressive works from year 12 kids!) and the John Brack exhibition, which I had really been looking forward to. Well worth the price of admission, I didn't realise that his later works were such a deviation from his earlier style, and how extensive the retrospective would be. I tagged around with a tour group for a while, which was really informative, but as the space was so busy, I did my own thing for a while and tried to avoid the crowds.

All in all a fantastic, inspiring day. I've got to get down to galleries more often! Lucky that I work at one, so at least I get to see art on a regular basis, but days like yesterday make me wish that I had the opportunity to see exhibitions more often.

Coco and Pearls.

2009-06-15T16:27:00.006+10:00

I'm seeing a little bit of a theme here... French inspired, much?

I can't wait for the Coco Chanel biopic to be released soon, the fashion alone will be worth it, not to mention one of my favourite actresses - Audrey Tautou - is playing Miss Chanel herself. Watch the trailer below (no subtitles.. but amazing style and cinematography).

Audrey has recently starred in a beautiful Chanel No5 Perfume advertisement, that makes me want to spritz a beautiful fragrance at the nape of my neck, and ride a vintage train.

And some photos of Coco Chanel's endlessly beautiful style, couresty of this site.

I really need to get out of my jeans and into a beautiful dress....

Secrets and the Internet

2009-06-15T11:43:00.003+10:00

This impacted on me a lot, as a frequent visitor to Post Secret and other internet networking pages.

PS. Sorry for lack of blogs, been a bit busy lately... more coming soon.

MM.

2009-06-02T17:46:00.007+10:00

Photos of Marilyn Monroe in the LIFE Magazine archives. Never published and before she was famous. Beautiful...

Yesterday would have been Norma Jeane Baker’s 83rd birthday.
(1 June 1926 - 5 August 1962).

My Room.

2009-06-02T17:24:00.005+10:00

My bedroom is my sanctuary, my favourite place to hang out and create and rest.

Bobbi the cat is usually on my bed at the moment. Either she loves being around me when I'm sitting at my desk, or just soaks up the warmth like the selfish thing she is. Anyway, she's rather cute, and very soft!

Cupcake stands as jewellery holders...

An old door found underneath our house makes for a great inspiration pinboard. This is constantly changing, and a good indication of what sort of aesthetic I'm in love with at the moment.

It's Here!

2009-05-30T15:43:00.001+10:00

Back from the printers and ready to go...

Thaw Four : Hibernation! This means that we have been working on Thaw for over a year now... wow.

Pick up your copy in stores on Monday, or go to our online store to order a copy or subscription.

Artist Love.

2009-05-30T14:12:00.002+10:00

Audrey Kawasaki is one of my favourite illustrators. Her beautiful, etheral and very sensual illustrations of girls are amazing, and her new work for an upcoming solo show in Japan are, as always, quite beautiful.

Images thanks to Bec Winnel, who is quite a fantastic artist in her own right. Her drawings are obviously influenced by Kawasaki's, delicate and fragile images of young girls.

My beloved Apple Macbook Pro Laptop, which is pretty much the most valuable and useful thing that I own, has been pimped up by an Audrey Kawasaki vinyl, which I scored from Gela Skins, which have a great selection of vinyls to decorate any mac product (my ipod really needs some loving).

I've had a lot of comments about my precious laptop, and I still love this print after having it on there for over a year - quite the feat seeing as I get sick of graphics so quickly! It's so lovely and soft, and quite sensual really, and fits in really nicely with the silver laptop. Love.

Look Book.

2009-05-30T13:57:00.005+10:00

When I was a young teen, all I cared about was if I had adidas three-stripe trackies for netball practice, and a roxy tee for casual day. Anything else "fashion" was completely irrelevant in my eyes. As I've gotten older, I've found more art in fashion, and more reason to dress up and find styles that I like and want to make my own.

Look Book is one of my favourite sources of fashion inspiration - mostly from kids that are waaaaay to cool for school. Sometimes a bit too emo, or a bit too "on trend", but mostly lovely and inspiring and a touch of grunge and sex.

Some of my favourite finds recently :

Trash and Tea.

2009-05-28T15:56:00.001+10:00

Bits and Bobbins, Grace and Garbage, Fashion and Fakes.

Where I want to be.

2009-05-28T15:35:00.000+10:00

Oh, how I love Paris...

Arty Farty Tea Party

2009-05-26T13:34:00.005+10:00

Come along and have a cup of tea and a wander around the Art Gallery of Ballarat!

This Thursday 28th May
10 - 11.30 am
Art Gallery of Ballarat, Lydiard St Sth.

Morning Tea to raise money for Cancer research and support in Victoria

- REAL COFFEE from the BEAN BARN
- $4.oo entry
- loads of door prizes
- moring tea, coffee, oj
- have a look around the gallery
- donations of $10 or more go into the draw to win $5000 worth of holidays vouchers to be used in Australia

Will be a lovely morning, hope to see you there.

Housewife.

2009-05-24T21:34:00.002+10:00

I've been a bit out of character lately... baking cakes and cookies and nice things, tidying my beautiful house and drinking copious amounts of peach tea out of cute tea cups. Maybe I'm channelling my inner Betty Draper (can't wait for the new series of Mad Men!

It's pretty easy to feel domesticated in such a beautiful house as mine. Friday our house looked picture-perfect, all Autumn sun and warmth. My housemate and I sat outside on our deck eating treats and drinking tea all day... ahh.

This Saturday.

2009-05-21T02:44:00.004+10:00

Come see a fantastic local Ballarat band introduce some new songs, and play some older favourites from their first album. Escape from the cold, and into a cosy venue for drinks, tunes and nice times.

Karova Lounge, Saturday May 23

X's & O's hit the hometown stage for a night with more introductions than a speed-dating event.

We've got a stack of new songs that we would like you to get to know. And we hope you like them, because we plan on recording them soon. Then you can take them home to meet your parents.

On the outside, the songs will be pleasant to your folks. They'll be courteous with the right amount of please and thank you, but deep down, under the surface, they won't give a damn if they are liked or not. Because they know that they're good songs and that they should be enjoyed for what they are...Good songs. And to hell with them if they can't see that.

So come on down to Karova Lounge, Saturday May 23. Entry is $7.

I'm looking forward to seeing my friends on the Karova stage again (they're playing with Pony Up! at Karova on the 14th of June, too, if you miss this gig). Hope they get a bit of local support, seems like a lot of Ballarat people - especialy the younger crowds - are skipping the entry fee and coming to gigs after 12 to catch the last part for free, or waiting until the DJ is playing, rather than supporting local live music. Disappointing, a trend that I hope isn't going to continue...

Top 10.

2009-05-21T02:03:00.009+10:00

Things I like, from a variety of places.
Most are from blogs listed to the right of this page.

Red Wine Tuesdays.

2009-05-21T01:07:00.005+10:00

Red Wine Tuesdays started as a group of my friends and I all working hospitality hours, and only getting to see each other on weeknights where everyone else was busy, and nothing was on that we could all do together. They have evolved into some of the best nights I've spent with a great group of girlfriends - and guy mates now - some messy, some quiet, some with 3 friends huddled in an empty apartment with a bottle of wine to share and new tunes to listen to, some a big picnic up at the lake ending in playing on the swings all night.

Our latest - and the first for a long time - was last night, a great reunion of friends, some epic dancing and most of all a great chance for us all to make the effort to keep at least one night free for friends. It became quite large... a lot more people must like the idea of Tuesday night sessions!

Yes, it may be irresponsible. Sure, it's not great for Wednesday mornings at work. But hopefully Red Wine Tuesdays will keep going, and keep gaining new members and friends for lovely times over a bottle (or two) of wine.

Inside.

2009-05-18T00:08:00.002+10:00

My head really doesn't make sense at the moment.

Weekend of Warmth.

2009-05-17T23:18:00.006+10:00

Well, I didn't end up Grooving the Moo. As much as the lineup was kick-arse (and Okkervil River are disappointing to pass by...), I had a lovely weekend tucked away in sleepy Talbot, eating lovely things, watching funny things, and relaxing. Oh, and a bit of designing too.

Thaw Four is off to the printers tomorrow! And what a mission this issue has been to finish. Not only are things always frantic in Thaw World, but Rohan and Kim (Editor and Creative Director of the mag, and the general brains/organisers/founders/creatives behind the whole publication) are in the midst of renovating their new house, and moving out of their old one. You can read about their adventures in home beautifying and stress management here.

So, Thaw Four, I think, is our best effort yet. A lot more content, lovely pictures thanks to the talented Teagan for our Grunge-Chic Fashion shoot, and a new, cleaner layout thanks to me having a lot of spare time lately. I even took up writing a little bit for this issue, along with the usual grapho and illustration work. Hopefully the proofs will come back from the printers tip-top!

You can still buy our Autumn issue from our Ballarat retails until June 1st, or of course at our online store - where you can pre-order our Winter wonder, or buy a subscription for the next year of Thaw for only $12! I'm turning into such a salesperson - or spammer!

Apart from turning into a publicist for the mag and overwhelming myself with designmania, I also managed to catch the Talbot Farmer's Market this morning, traipsing around stalls with my boyfriend who happens to live in this little town, and buying delicious fudge (mmm rocky road!), olives, fresh bread, cupcakes and some dodgy old CDs for $2 each. I resisted from buying quite a few hats - I'll have to save up my pennies for next time!

To top off our Sunday afternoon, we had a great all-day breaky at Europa, and caught the new Star Trek movie. I really enjoyed this film - and I don't think it was geeky at all! *cough cough*. Well, maybe a little bit. But it was fun, action-filled and very enjoyable.

While waiting for the movies to start, we walked straight into an advertisement for VB being filmed on Lydiard and Sturt Streets. Seemed like most of the town was being shut down, and that a large majority of Ballaratians were in costume and on camera!

I took a couple of sneaky snaps, of some of our friends being "farmers with their hands up cows" and "tall poppies", on their way to the pub for a hard-earned cold VB. Matter of fact... no, I'm not a massive VB drinker. But still, will be looking forward to seeing this one on my TV screen sometime - my bet is on footy finals!

Thanks Herald Sun website for the last one!

And rounding off a weekend with last minute Thaw bits and pieces, getting her all dolled up and ready to go the the printers tomorrow. How exciting! Bring on Issue 5!

Things...

2009-05-15T09:36:00.002+10:00

.... that I am most proud of in my life :

Being one of two organisers for a two-day mini-music event in Ballarat, to raise money for the Victorian Bushfire Appeal. Such a massive task, and I probably took on far too much, but it all worked out in the end - with a lot of help from others. And we raised a lot of money, which was the main point.

Getting up to the fourth issue of Thaw Magazine... from a basic idea between a few friends, to an actual, real, printed magazine - that actually sells copies - this is one project that I don't care at all about the money, it's all about how wonderful a project it is that I have put together, with Rohan and Kim - and a lot of contributers. Go to the Thaw website on the side of this page for more info, or if you want to contribute - we're always after creative people from Ballarat!

My wonderful family, and the awesome relationship that I have with them. I am very blessed and totally lucky to have such wonderful people in my life.

D is for Dahl

2009-05-15T00:14:00.002+10:00

Roald Dahl is one of my favourite authors - I was obsessed with a fair few of his books when I was a kid, especially 'Matilda' and 'The Twits'. UK Vogue has recently created an amazing fashion spread based on his books... brilliance....

Totally Wild.

2009-05-14T22:14:00.003+10:00

I am eagerly awaiting the release of Where The Wild Things Are...

One of my favouite movies as a kids - this one looks fantastic in the trailer, which you can watch here. Soundtrack by The Arcade Fire - second mention today - and filmed mostly in Melbourne, well worth a watch when it comes out.

Funny, Arcade Fire just seem to be coming up in everything today. Every one of my genius playlists in iTunes keeps coming up with at least one of their songs, I was talking about their arty-wanky DVD with my housemate, and a fair few bands I've been listening to sound quite similar...

Current Thoughts

2009-05-14T13:23:00.002+10:00

Winter is starting to set in, and due to a number of circumstances, I haven't left my house since Sunday afternoon.

There's something so nice about lazy days at home in front of the heater, designing away and drinking lots of cups of tea.

In the meantime, I have been completely and utterly obsessed with the Australian TV show 'Love My Way' - Claudia Karvan is one of my all-time crushes, from her days on Secret Life of Us, and her role as the neurotic and totally lovely Frankie in Love My Way. I don't think anything will surpass the first season of this series, but it's an interesting journey all the main characters take - though sometimes I just felt myself getting too frustrated by their many flaws. All round, an amazing show that I'm sure I'll be watching over and over again - I did buy the DVD!

I'm also completely in love with The Middle East's song 'Blood' - reminds me of The Arcade Fire, one of my favourite bands. Lovely and delicate, and the ending of this song is brilliant. I'd love to see these guys - But they've already sold out their show at the Northcoate Hotel! Another time. I doubt they're going to be going anywhere soon.

And I'm still debating going to this festival in Bendigo this Saturday :

Fantastic lineup... though I have seen a lot of these bands live. I think it would be pretty good really, just wish it was in Ballarat instead!

Apparitions

2009-05-13T17:35:00.003+10:00

Petra Nevistic Apparitions (detail) Image © of the artist

Apparitions: Recent works on paper by Petra Nevistic

I think I've got one of the best jobs in Ballarat.

The Art Gallery of Ballarat, on Lydiard Street, is in my (slightly biased) opinion one of the finest regional galleries in Australia. And I'm lucky enough to work there. Along with our fantastic, extensive permanent collection, at the moment there are some fantastic exhibitions on at the Gallery.

Apparitions, by local artist Petra Nevistic, is a fantastic illustration exhibiton, all fine lines and delicate imagery. From the Art Gallery of Ballarat website :

Obsessive fine lines (produced with a single paint brush hair) are intertwined with symbolic imagery, primarily from the natural world, that have been fragmented and then re-ordered into surreal re-inventions of body and nature.

Check it out while you have the chance, it finishes on May 24th.

Paul Signac, Fishing Boats at Lomalo (detail) 1923, watercolour, black crayon, touches of gouache. Gift of Col. the Hon. R.A. Crouch, 1944

Also on at the moment is a brilliant exhibition of rarely seen work from our collection, and recent acquisitions. Some amazing pieces there, really lovely illustration work, paintings, prints and one of the most diverse collections I've seen in a while.

Bits of my life

2009-05-13T16:16:00.004+10:00

Thaw.

2009-05-13T16:01:00.003+10:00

Thaw Magazine is an independent publication that I have the honour of being the Graphic Designer for.

Based, and entirely produced, out of Ballarat, Victoria, this little publication has grown from an idea between friends talked over a glass of red wine, to our upcoming fourth issue.

We started our little baby in Spring last year, and are now working on Winter 2009.

Thaw is about appreciating the good things in life, and about highlighting the bits of Ballarat and surrounding areas that we are so proud of. Art/Design/Phtography, Fashion, Food, People, Music, Events... it's a mish-mash of goodness.

You can now buy Thaw online, or at a whole lot of places in ballarat. Go to our website for more info : Thaw Magazine

You can buy Thaw at this online store - for only $12 you can have our mag delivered to your door, a one-year subscription for next to nothing.

A small preview of our upcoming Winter issue, on sale June 1st :

Cover Model : Freya Hollick , Photographer Rohan Anderson.

Blog Revival

2009-05-13T15:38:00.004+10:00

So, it's been a while since I've made a post to this page. I've made a few changes and got it back looking shiny spankin' and new.

This blog was originally something to keep me entertained and keep boredom at bay while I was living in Bendigo. Now that I'm back in Ballarat, and have become inspired once more by this beautiful city and the amazing people living here, I'm going to try and get back into the blogging game...

... hopefully this inspiration and dedication will last!

- Sophie

like/dislike

2008-04-02T16:17:00.000+11:00

likes:

- fine little day
- the orange red sky outside
- wollen scarves and fingerless gloves
- grid sketchpads
- tickets to see modest mouse and hot hot heat
- writing in lower case
- kimya dawson
- wrapping up in blankets with cups of tea
- fast internet
- weddings
- pretty dresses
- charcoal, grey and silver
- phone calls
- the kills, the mess hall and ryan adams
- taco nite
- running round the lake until i’m exhausted
- making mix tapes and cds for my family and friends
- getting money back from medicare
- riding bikes at night

dislikes

- folds in my socks
- messages that you can’t decipher
- bitter wind
- servers crashing
- highlighters running out of ink
- paying bills
- condescending retail workers
- green cars
- getting caught in the rain
- bad reality tv addictions
- stephanie rice obsessions
- being disconnected from the world
- bendigo nightlife
- paper cuts
- doors that won't shut properly.

~ Sophie

Blog Love.

2008-04-01T11:52:00.000+11:00

As much as I am a pretty bad cook, and tend to stick to the simplier drink recipes that I know, Becoming A Foodie is one of my fave blogs to look at and read. Beautiful photos and recipes I will eventually get around to reading someday.

- Sophie

My Muses

2008-03-31T15:04:00.000+11:00

I miss this.

2008-03-28T11:36:00.000+11:00

Lauren, Lee and Noah...

Sometimes I miss Kyabram.

Lazy Sundays with three of my favourite people in the world.

First Post... Obviously.

2008-03-25T15:38:00.000+11:00

Well, this shows how bored I am at the moment.

Finally, after being an avid reader of blogs myself (more like an avid waster of time/procrastinator on the interwebz), I have given in and started my first blog. Not to say that this will have anything worthwhile reading, but hopefully this will keep me occupied in some way.

Most likely to contain : whinging about being bored at work, excited ramblings about some form of music/gig/design/art/movie, ramblings about irrelevant topics...

I should probably write something here about who I am etc... though I'm sure the only people who will read this are either my friends who will post some sort of comment to pay me out about the lameness of having a blog - so, like, 2005 - or people who I probably don't need to give any more stalking ammunition. Ah, who am I kidding, if anyone wanted to find me in real life, I'm sure somewhere (ok, through Facebook, Myspace, Flickr, message boards, email, MSN, Skype) they would be able to stalk me quite easily.

Because I am worth stalking, see.

And enough of ramblings for this post... until I work out how to post images. And then it's on like Donkey Kong. (ah, my first post includes a video game reference. I'm really getting into this whole geek thing hardcore, no n00b here ;-) )

- Sophie