 It's been an age since I last did a mood board, it's something I used to do all the time as a designer and I do miss it. So I thought I might have a go at a few combining my art and some interior decor inspiration. This one - boho meets beach, meets botanical gorgeousness! Soft blues and pops of green with plenty of rattan. From the top: Riviera Water Hyacinth Frame Wall mirror $115 from Living Styles, Hanging Fern Basket $15 from Kmart, beach house via decoratifo, Rattan Basket Planter $149 from Temple and Webster, Woven Monstera print by Jennifer Bell, Tropical cushion by KOO $20 from Spotlight, Santa Monica beach vibe home via Apartment Therapy, Mico Armchair $289 from Castlery.  Woven Monstera 11x14" print
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 Very excited to announce that I am a finalist in the 2019 Global Etsy Design Awards #theEtsies with my woven painting 'Unearthed'. The Etsy Design Awards are Etsy’s first-ever global award program. Honouring the work of sellers from around the world and across multiple categories. My unique woven painting has been selected for the Inventive Decor category. You can check out my etsy store at www.jenniferbellfineart.etsy.com 
The original art material, paper has long been a staple for practising artists. It is often the first thing artists reach for when they want to create. However paper’s usefulness goes beyond a surface to draw on. In Play with paper, artists exploit paper to push the medium to its limits. Through tearing, moulding, folding, marking and assembling, the works will present new ways of seeing and thinking about working with paper.  I liked this statement from the exhibition which I think explains quite well why I enjoy working with paper so much: Paper makes the world go round. The backbone of the modern world, paper holds knowledge in the form of books, stimulates economies through currency and communicates ideas between people. A blank sheet of paper can be a terrifying concept but it also presents a world of possibilities. Paper's versatility makes it the perfect medium for artists wanting to experiment by cutting, folding, tearing, burning, crumpling, gluing and assemblage.
You can find two of my works at the exhibition, 'Coral Forms' a small work using cut cardboard and acrylic, and 'Waterfall' a photograph woven with strips of recycled paper. I particularly liked these two works:
Play with Paper is showing from 14 June 10 17 August 2019 at Pine Rivers Art Gallery, Unit 7/199 Gympie Road, Strathpine 4500.
 'Constructed' has been selected for the 2019 Milburn Art Prize. With the theme Landscape as a space of creative discovery this piece continues my abstract landscape work looking at the patterns left on the land through human action. The woven painted paper painting is made entirely from recycled paper pieces including some wallpaper offcuts. The very structured weaving is suggestive of mining or urbanisation seen from an aerial view. You can see 'Constructed' from 3rd – 15th May at the Metcalfe Gallery, Brisbane Institute of Art, 41 Grafton Street, Windsor.
 A big thanks to Paper Bou for a lovely article on their blog this week. You can read the interview here.
 PHOTOGRAPHY BY NINA CHOI According to a recent article from Domino, toile is on the verge of a comeback. "The pattern, known more formally as toile de Jouy, first found popularity in late 18th-century France. Inspired by traditional Chinese porcelain designs and prints, the pattern is identifiable by its landscape scenes and floral motifs frequently rendered in either blue or red hues. Since its origin, it’s enjoyed waves of popularity, notably in colonial time, the 1970s, and the early aughts. It’s a traditional pattern, typically partnered with more traditional furnishings. But given its slow trickle back into fashion, it may be gearing up for an upgrade." I began creating toile inspired artwork in 2017, mixing photography with chintz lace patterns and weaving them together. My 'Comforts of Home' series explored what home means to me through the use of different floral and bird motifs. Using antique illustrations as a starting point I recreated the flowers and birds from blue security envelope lining, grouping them together to form a chintz 'fabric' toile pattern. These elements then formed the base for a paper patchwork and the patterns to decorate ceramic plates. Limited edition prints and a handful of original pieces are still available:
 101 x 101 cm work on canvas As I tend to work with mostly the same sizes for my work. I thought I'd put together a bit of a visual guide for how they look in situ in a bedroom. Here I've used a standard double bed. There are a few things to consider when choosing what size work you'd like for a bedroom - the bed size, ceiling height, are you going to frame the work, does the bed have a headboard, is there lighting above the bed etc. In the end it comes down to personal preference but hopefully the images here will be some help.  91 x 91cm work on canvas  60 x 60cm work on canvas Most of my works on paper and limited edition print are the standard 10x8", 11x14" and 16x20" sizes. Yes, even though I'm based in Australia and we use the metric system, inches are still used for photos and framing, so those are still standard print sizes and easy to find frames for. The next images show the prints with a mat in a standard frame.  16 x 20in print framed When you get down to the smaller sized prints you may want to consider more than one to help fill the space.  11 x 14in print framed  10 x 8in print framed I hope that helps and remember if you're not sure if a particular piece will work in your room feel free to email a pic over and I can do a quick mock up to give you an idea - just make sure to have something in there as a size reference like a piece of furniture with the measurements so I can get the scale as close as possible.
Image used here: Woven Monstera Leaf Print I've got so many exciting plans and projects for 2019, but it can be pretty overwhelming knowing just where to start. Sometimes just taking a moment to look back over the past years achievements can help with a little focus. So here is my version of the 12 days of Christmas, my 12 favourite things from 2018...  1. Paper cutting Some of my first works for 2018. Apart from a couple of pieces last year, I’d taken quite a long break from cutting paper so it was great to get back into it with this project cutting leaf vein patterns.  2. Pattern painting Pictured here is ‘Variegated I’ one of my absolute favourite pieces this year. It's been a great year getting back into my painting in a big way - going up in size and up on the detail! I particularly enjoyed added a little collaged paper to work like this.  3. Artist Talk Feature So lovely earlier this year to be featured in UK based Artist Talk Magazine. You can still read it online via this link.  4. Interlaced collection From paper weaving to painting weavings. The start of my interlaced collection with this piece ‘The Woven Basket’. You can read more about this ongoing series of works here.  5. The Milburn Prize This year I was very excited to be a finalist in the Milburn Art Prize with this work 'The Woven Basket II  6. Regenerated The Regenerated exhibition at Brisbane's Aspire Gallery kicked off the start of my new aerial landscape series. I love looking at the beautiful natural patterns from a satellite perspective of the world and the Australia desert seemed like a great place to start following on from my aerial woven desert work last year. You can read more about my Regenerated collection here.  7. Microscopy After attending a great art and science workshop a couple of years ago this year I finally started to delve into work inspired by patterns found at the microscopic level, like this piece 'Mulla Mulla Pollen Grains', another one of my favourites from this year.  8. Variegated One of the big focuses of this year was putting together a large body of work for my Variegated collection and show. Celebrating the simple beauty of leaves from the microscopic level through the to leaf vein patterns. You can see the full collection on the website here.  9. Venation Series I just love how these turned out. A limited edition print collection based on my paper cutting work with Japanese ink. Prints are available from the limited print section of the website.  10. The Weaving Room Very excited to be taking part in my first regional gallery exhibition with the Weaving Room at Pine Rivers Art Gallery. As well as being a finalist in the Morton Bay Art Prize earlier in the year with one of my woven photographs. On show until 19th January with 'The Mock Orange Hedge' woven painted paper and printed paper.  11. Water ripples There's just something about water ripples, light bouncing off water and little bubbles on the beach I just love and keep returning to in my work. I was particularly pleased with this piece 'Variegated Rubber Plant by the Pool' with it's multiple layers of pattern.  12. Coral And finally wrapping up the year is my coral work. Great timing with trend setter Pantone picking living coral for their colour of the year. I've still got some more pieces to share in the new year, as well as some particularly unusual work with recycled materials. This work titled 'Beyond the Shallows' is my entry for the Art Lovers Australia prize, another highlight this year being picked as a finalist for the 2018 show. And that's about it. Wow, so much to look back on. I'm feeling very inspired for 2019! Thanks to everyone for your kind words of support and a big thank you to everyone who purchased my work this year. Can't wait to share all my new ideas with you.
If you had a particular favourite piece or technique this year please feel free to share in the comments, it might help me prioritise all these ideas :) And if you are interested in commissioning anything for 2019 please get in touch.   Beyond the Shallows I'm always excited to hear the pick for Pantone Color of the Year, must be the designer in me, but I was particularly excited this morning to find they chose Living Coral. Perfect timing to introduce my current collection of coral themed artwork.
This series of works has been inspired by the beautiful natural patterns found in the underwater world – macro and microscopic images of coral, little bubbles of water on the beach and rockpools. So if you're looking for a little living coral art please check out the available originals sections of the website. Beyond the Shallows available exclusively via Art Lovers Australia.  Coral Formations  Rock Pool  The Art Lovers Australia Prize is on again and this year I have entered "Beyond the Shallows" a new abstract painting inspired by the beautiful natural patterns found in the underwater world.
You can vote for your favourite work and go in the draw to win a $1,000 voucher to spend on the Art Lovers Australia website. You just need be an Art Lovers Australia subscriber. If you'd like to vote for my piece just follow the link and click on the little heart next to LOVE THIS https://artloversaustralia.com.au/shop/beyond-the-shallows/ Thanks! |
AuthorJennifer is a multidisciplinary Australian artist based in Brisbane, Queensland. Her unique work combines traditional art and textile techniques from around the world, such as weaving, with her formal training in fine art photography and digital imaging. Archives
November 2019
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