Recovering from folk...

I have just returned home from a week in sunny Canberra working at the National Folk Festival. A week of fiddles and flutes, scrumpy and mulled wine, camping in a folk village in the middle of the city, people watching, folk music listening, acrobats, buskers, artists, instrument makers... A week of chaos really, yet most definitely a week of fun!

The Strutt Sisters
Although music was clearly the focus, there was much to see in the way of art and my favourite new discovery for the week was the lovely Strutt Sisters from Newcastle and their gorgeous handmade jewellery. How awesome are these??

I just love that these are all made with tiny pieces of fabric. You can go here to read more about the girls and see more of their work.

A visit to the gallery
Canberra, despite what many people say, is an interesting place to visit, not least for it's art - ah yes, a visit to the capital is incomplete without a visit to the National Gallery which always inspires me in a new way every time. This time, I was completely taken by the patterns in the amazing cloths in the Asian art section...

This is a ceremonial cloth from Chennai, India, and it is over 200 years old! Wow! These ancient art forms make me wistful for a time when life was not so busy, when women would sit around laughing, chatting, sipping tea (or scrumpy, perhaps?) while slowly stitching such masterpieces by candlelight. I am idealising, to be sure. But tonight, I look around me and I am surrounded by screens, cord, artificial lights, phones, things that flash, things that buzz, things that gently hum in the background. Where are the birds? The rustling leaves? The murmur of my community? Tonight I am craving a simpler existence. And right now, I am inspired to embroider! Which is, quite frankly, something I never thought I would say!

So thank you, Canberra, for a week of fun, music, sunshine and creative inspiration! I'll visit you again soon!

What am I doing here?

I have been an official blogger for two days now! So I figured it was time to decide what my purpose is. At least for now. So... below are the three main things I want to do with my blog.

1. I won't deny it - I am partly here to promote my business. Which, for those of you new to Red Parka, is illustration. I love all sorts of artistic things but drawing is the main thing I do. I have a website Red Parka Designs but while this is a good place for selling my work, it's not really interactive. I wanted a way to be more communicative with people who like my work. And as well, I don't always want to talk about myself (believe it or not!). Which leads me to number two...

2. I want to share the work of other illustrators. I hope my blog can become a place where people who love illustration can discover new artists and get inspiration. While it will focus on illustration, I will no doubt stray (as I am want to do) and share creative work of all mediums from time to time. In fact, I'd like to share all sorts of things I find inspiring here, in the hope that others will benefit, just as I get inspiration from the many blogs I read on a regular basis... which leads me to number three...

3. The last main things I hope to do here is a little more abstract. I am a big believer in creative living. The unconventional life. Making your own rules. I believe in quiet individuality. Non-conformity. The road less travelled. I also believe in simplicity, tradition. I am happily married, can't wait to have children, fantasise about the little house in the country with two dogs, a cat and a bunch of happy chickens that we will move into one day. I get anxious when the house is messy and things aren't in their proper places, yet I love living out of a backpack, sleeping on couches and exploring the chaos of cities like Dehli, Tokyo, LA.... So, I'm not sure exactly what number three is supposed to be - lets just say I want a place to write about what drives me. What gets me excited. And I hope to find people out there who get excited by the same things, whether it's the cute tea cup I find at my local op shop, the pint-sized underground heavy metal bar I stumbled across in Osaka or the amazing exhibition I just saw at the National Gallery.

So there are my three aims with this blog. But right now, it's a rainy Tuesday morning in Melbourne and I have lots to do - a big order of my little animal magnets to make and post and then possibly a greeting card folding session whilst watching the latest Harry Potter film on DVD. Have I mentioned yet that I love Harry Potter!!

Have a great Tuesday!

Jen x

My first ever blog post!

Hello world!

Here I am! It's me, Jen aka Red Parka. It's been so long now that I have wanted to start a blog, but I never knew what to write.... well, to be more precise, I could write til the cows come home but I never thought anyone would want to read it. But, today is the day, and I decided I don't really mind if people read it or not. I'm starting a blog. In fact, I just started it! And it's going to be great! Awesome in fact. Really.

I love reading other people's blogs for inspiration so my greatest hope is that my little contribution to the world wide web will inspire a few people out there as well. My mission in life is simple - live creatively, live well, live happy. Easier said than done, I know. But there you have it. I do my best.

So I'll leave it there for this inaugural blog post because, quite frankly, I'm exhausted by all this technology I've just had to get my head around and it's clearly time to make a cup of tea and curl up on the couch with my book.

Have a great Sunday evening!

Jen x