babanangu

Toe socks

Design and the City 2011 at Helsinki Summer School was special!

I have plenty to share from my month in Finland.

Here's a quick sketch in the meantime.

Liisa Jokinen founder of Hel-Looks chatted to us about her street style finds and sent our class on a mission to find our own 'image of Helsinki'. To me this describes the height of exotic: white havaianas on black and white toe socks. I spotted this on a lady at the second last bus stop of my daily Helsinki commute to the university.

moi moi

My last evening in Finland, drawing and addressing postcards while the sun sets on Suomenlinna island.

It's been so very very good.

Green on Green

Green is a name for many colours. This is why I love it.

a good colour

sunnuntai

Helsinki is bringing it. It's stretching my mind, keeping me awake late, affirming design, making me feel gentle - if you watched the Temple Grandin biopic you'll know what i mean by feeling gentle. So...yes. Finland is yes and Helsinki is yes. So far so good.

suomi

Finland is yes

gusty thursday

'Gusty Thursday' is available as an editioned archival print (on heavy weight fine art paper) at Salon 91 's Winter Wonderland show - which ends this Saturday afternoon. That means two (and a bit) more days left to browse some lovely wintry prints by lots of talented illustrators. Details here

the safe spaces campaign

The Freeworld Design Centre is hosting a Women's Day celebration on the 4th of August in aid of the Safe Spaces campaign where 45 balls by South African creatives will be auctioned for this charity. Details here! And plentiful amazing creations to browse and get ready to bid on here.

I made the illustrations on my "safe = free" ball using electrical tape and my trusty babanangu-bird-scissors.

(The FDC did a very sweet post on me in June - thanks so much Amy!)

yellow landscape

Postcard: the Gamsberg seen from the Namib

Photo credit: H. Theiss

Upper orange

I walked all the way up Upper Orange street last week on my way to the Finnish embassy, found a park called the Homestead, sat in the sun under a fruit tree and stuffed these in my purse.

Winter Wonderland

Last night's opening for the Winter Wonderland show was packed! Loads of pretty stuff. More details here and here.

(I cut these asymmetrical 'snowflakes' individually from 1cm label stickers - editioned prints are available through Salon 91 gallery )

Here's a quick sketch I made for the window display. It makes me want to re-watch Fargo for some reason...

(The weather's not playing along - its HOT in my studio today)

one minute seal

First Editions

You have two more days to see * this show *

a mini diorama

a story about swimming lessons

It must be the coldest day of the year so far here so perhaps not the most appropriate pictures to post... However, these are part of a lovely show up at Salon91 in Kloof street until the ninth of next month which showcases stories, pictures, animations and artists' books created by my fellow classmates and I. You should see it if you're in town. Details here.

postcard painting

Harare postcard, gouache on paper

This tiny gouache painting of flamboyants in Harare is up at Salon91 Contemporary 's Paper is You show until the 25th of this month

1979

Postcard of hotel in Kenya, 1979

trivial pursuit/i virtual stir up

sometimes I grow unreasonably attached to the inbetween work.
testing lettering, wordplay, layout planning.

inspired by i love saturdays

This lady's blog is a delight. Those one-colour line drawings make me want to fill sketchbooks too and her image layering mmmm.... here, take a look.

Red hair and hello Winter

The internet loves reds right? I certainly do. This lady's hair changed colour pretty soon after I gave it to M , I think it may be green now. So we learn. Archival quality else the sun will claim it. Are you out there Lady M? Has it faded away completely?

(It's a beautiful sunshine winter's day in the mother city)