She's on her way...can't wait to try her out.
It's not what it looks like...
...I swear! This is a Volvo, you are right, but I'm not giving in the forks, I'm saluting her. She goes by the name of Vera and she has treated me to many trips up and down the coast in the luxury of her passenger seat. She's a winner!
Greater Then what?
Here's my favourite-tall-Brisbane friend Matt, aka Rabbo, aka Cunnosaurus Rex. These shots were taken on the weekend at Matt's gallery 9Lives that's currently showing a new body of works by Brisbane artist Simon Degroot. Show looks rad, well done Simon and 9Lives. PS. Matt has been taking and abundance of great shots lately and has just put a plethora of new ones up from his recent travels to Tasmania. Check them out here.
Taj Tearing
Was lucky enough to witness Taj Burrow competing on the weekend passed, in the Breaka Pro at my local point break Burleigh. This is Taj about to throw fins in the round before the quarters.
Australia Day Desert 2011
This thing was gigantic. That's my hand (my hands are not freakishly big nor freakishly small) on the left hand side of the Pavlova just to indicate how big the thing was. I think it was about 15cm high as well. Thanks to Baby Glow's mummsy for delivering the goods this Australia Day. Pressure's on for next year.
Espio Jnr
Just got back the negs from the first roll I shot on my new addition to my family; PENTAX Espio Jnr.
$5.00 big ones from an op-shop that I can't remember where. Has a built flash and she's all auto. The shot was taken a few weekends ago at Tallebudgera rivermouth.
Pop-110
Here's my old man. He's been a legend in my eyes since I was a kid and he still is today. He's been through a lot of hard times and still keeps his chin up, convinced that he's killed a China-man in a past life. Top photo is my dad at the para olympics in 1984, being presented with a Gold medal for freestyle.
The bottom is a couple of years previous of my dad with my newly born sister. Photos get me high!
Bad to the Bone.
Got a new scanner a couple of days ago and went through all my old family film and scanned a bunch in. This here is some bad-ass lookin' dude who took my mum for a spin when she was younger and needed to tick of a life accomplishment of riding on a Harley Davidson.
Where's Wally?
Where's Wally indeed. I'm stoked that I've had a camera on my phone for the last year to capture stuff like this. Poor Wally the Black Labrador Puppy, I hope he was found. I don't think he'll have much luck being recognised if all the posters look like this though. This would definitely sit on the smaller end of the scale of the damage that the recent torrential rain did to us in Australia. Hopefully if Wally's owner has to print out more flyers they opt for laser colour prints instead. If you have Wally though or see him make sure you call the owners!
Hello World
Seeing this sort of thing gets me so high. This is a screen grab from my web statistics of where people are currently viewing my blog. If you see this and are from somewhere pinned on the map thankyou. And thankyou to all new followers and viewers as well. I still remember when I first saw this option in my account and was blown away. I showed my mum and she was blown away that people all over the world look at my stuff. So to all my fans, followers and haters who look here thankyou!
Oh Pete-oh remember to breathe
It has begun...(my history of the Polaroid Land Camera)
It all began on the way back in 2009 when I was invited on the Lovers' Land Trip.
First time I became aware of the Polaroid Land Camera was when Dustin Humphrey's took these two portraits of Dave 'Rasta' at Angourie Point, New South Wales Australia. Which also birthed my obsession for seaweed rice crackers with avocado.
My first portrait, taken by Dustin as well. We were surfing all day in the hot sun and I fell asleep amongst the rocks (I must have been damn tired).
2nd Portrait by Dustin touching up the Bad Don't/Rad Don't/Rad Aunt aka the ever evolving named board in Byron Bay. (the 2nd board ever shaped by D.T.)
Portrait of Ozzie Wright, Mylee and Rocky, Byron Bay by Dustin from Lovers' Land Trip.
Check out Ozzie's Blog here, he's the original d'essai pilote of the culture that is ___________.
And while you're there sniff around for his new ukulele tracks.
It's kind of a case of the chicken and the egg for me when it comes to my polaroid land camera discovery because I think it was definitely a photo finish between Dustin and Michael Crawley. I'm still pretty sure I first came about them via Dustin but if not it was MC fo sure. The mad bastard and soon to be proud dad, says film gives him a ''big dirty stiffy'' (I think we're blood brothers) and is a huge reason I'm a huge advocate of shooting on all sorts of film. The man introduced me to sweet hidden photolabs around our home town, 120 film, x-proccessing and basically held a gun to my head if I didn't by certain cameras.
Not only does he obsess over photography but he also can actually take a mad photo, see here.
Just a few of MC's exposures below.
My baby. I stumbled upon her in an op-shop (thrift store) somewhere on the Gold Coast I think. I was in (I still am, just in denial) a mad camera haze and bought every half decent/half amazing looking camera that I could find in my price range. And aren't I glad I've held onto her. Polaroid Auto 320 Land Camera. Yes! I've always wanted to buy film for her but always thought it was too expensive and wasn't even sure if she'd work. But one pre body surfing session later, Claudio Kirac came by to pick me up to go to the beach and behold, he had a similar Polaroid and asked if he could take a portrait.
Knowing mine was hiding upstairs amongst my personal museum of cameras I told Claud I'd grab it out after the beach and see if she worked. Much to my disappointment we opened the battery cartridge and discovered it took some weird pre-70's battery that a kid of my age would have most likely seen and would definitely have trouble finding. Alas we jumped on Google as we seem to do for every question/search these days and read that a 123 camera battery could be used with the help of some sticky tape and foil. Foiled and sticky taped in up and.....bu-bow. No deal. Sad face. After Claud left though I was convinced that I could make it happen, merely because she was in such good condition. Shortly after opening the battery cartridge I noticed that I'd put the ''+'' on the "-" end, FAIL! Flipped the battery around, shut the door, pulled the trigger and in the words of Crawley I got a ''big dirty stiffy'' courtesy of the noise of the shutter 'clicking'.
The man below who put the icing on my Land Camera cupcake, CK. These are the very first two of hopefully thousands of photos I will with a polaroid land camera. When the first photo came out developed, (photo on the right) Claud and I were like little girls getting the Barbie Doll House for Christmas. Our screams raised flocks of birds from trees and shattered the windows of his house. My smile was up to my eyes (not hard for me and my size 10/10 teeth) and motivation further than I could see.
To wrap this monster post up I'd like to thank Dustin, Michael and Claud for all being part of my Land Camera birthing and can't wait to send them all photos I take along the way, as well as post them up here. Adios xxx
Art Assignment by Tom Simpson
The following is a school art assignment that was done by Tom Simpson, a young artist from Australia in his last years of high school education. Tom emailed me asking if he could send me some questions for his art assignment as he'd chosen me as the artist he wanted to write about. To say the least I was chuffed. Thanks for your interest in my work Tom and anyone else who would care to write an assignment about me let alone ask a question, don't hesitate because I'd be more than happy.
Art Assignment by Tom Simpson -
At the young age of twenty four, Nick Chalmers a contemporary, Australian artist has taken a somewhat different approach to the traditional process and convention of exhibition. One of his most recent exhibitions ‘Ze Frog and Toad’, involved shoving a bunch of portable artworks in the back of an Avis hire truck and embarking on a tour starting in Melbourne around the whole east coast of Australia, stopping every now and again to exhibit his work out of the back of the truck.
Chalmers created ’Merman Man‘ in acrylic and ink on paper. The work features a man’s face superimposed on a map. Lines within the map such as roads, rivers and contour lines provide the boundaries of the face. The background of the map also provides an interesting contrast to the detailed line work of the foreground.
The focal point of the work is the large male face superimposed over the map on the right hand side. Perhaps it is a self-portrait symbolically tying Chalmers to his hometown and the important of its spirit of place to his sense of identity.
The original features of the map appear ghostly behind the superimposed face – a lovely metaphor for how the features of the land imprint themselves on our psyches.
Chalmers specifically chose a map of the Gold Coast’s Mermaid Beach as the background of this work as that it is where he grew up and still resides today. This piece was also exhibited at 19 Karen, a gallery in Mermaid Beach. As such, the work pays homage to his hometown.
Chalmers discovered his love for art at a young age. He studied it through his school years and has continued it as both a hobby and career later in life. He has a website/blog that showcases all his artworks new and old and photos from all his exhibits.
In 1998 Chalmers was awarded the Primary School Creative Arts Award at his school’s end of year awards’ night, at which he received his first ever cheque for one-hundred big ones. His art teacher at the time told him to never stop painting and from that night on he never has. Over the years he has been creating artwork in a range of different media including: acrylic, ink, short films and zines.
AQUA BATS
Aquabats - Alaia's are hard to ride from Johnny Abegg Films on Vimeo.
Johnny Abegg aka me + 6 years (We share the same birthday and several other creepy things) made this little clip with footage we shot of each other 2-something years ago surfing an Alaia for the 1st time. The piece of timber was hand shaped by Dain Thomas. The session was a blast. Paul Mc created the artwork for the clip.
Another Australia day with the Krab
The Krab came out for Australia day, but this time for the inflatable pool shenanigans. (Not deep enough for underwater silliness :(
ArtPark
Got a little Christmas/New Years care package of t-shirts and caps from the Paul and Craig from ArtPark. Along with the gear was this drawing from Paul that apparently left Byron black and white and thanks to the mega amounts of rain Qld has had, has now transformed the once nikko work into some water colour-esque masterpiece. Can't wait to hopefully meet and see what their first resident artist, Joni Sternbach brings to Australia with her mind blowing photography. Go check out the boys site and support the artists and ArtPark.
Vintage ESPRESSO
So my local coffee fix is under threat from the Gold Coast Council and are at risk of being shut down. Not only is the coffee and food delicious but all the staff are a dime a dozen. Just take a look at what happens when your i.d. accidentally pops out when you are trying to pay for you coffee; you lift your coffee of its saucer and ta-da a portrait drawn on your saucer. Head to Vintage Espresso on the Gold Coast 1/43 Alfred St, Mermaid Beach and sign their petition now so I can keep my body functioning with their tasty beans.
Surface POP
In you are in Melbourne town this Friday is the opening of Surface Pop Up at 11-13 Carlilse Street St. Kilda. Should be a mad night. Will post the works up here soon that I'm exhibiting.
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