Showing posts with label melbourne. Show all posts

Melbourne's Best French Toast

So I have moved to Melbourne to explore my opportunities as an artist. Along the way I have discovered the art of 'brunching'. The meal after breakfast and before lunch, or in my case, I eat brunch instead of both. Don't tell my mum. Anyway, my favourite brunch is french toast. Eggy, sweet, and perfect for brunch.

Attention: The following list may be small, but I am committed to tasting all the best french toasts Melbourne has to offer. So enjoy!

1. Smith & Daughters, Brunswick Street, Fitzroy.
Spanish French Toast: Spanish style dipped in spiced wine syrup, coated in batter, and served with poached nectarine or peach (or quince).

Well, this one was a shock to my system. I don't often eat interesting food, so this french toast really made a mark. It was very interesting and cooked to perfection. Either the spices, the sweetness, or the fruit, had me going back for more. It was filling and perfect for a Saturday morning out in Fitzroy.

I might as well mention that the service was the best I have ever had. I know that is a huge statement, but I dragged my boyfriend back there a few weeks later and received the same great service and food. Smith and Daughters isn't a place to miss when you are in town.

2. Common Man, South Wharf, Melbourne.
French Toast with caramelised banana, toffee, and strawberries on top.

 OH EM GEE. This one was my favorite. $14 and I got a stack of french toast, and it looked amazing too. I love south wharf, I haven't stopped raving about it all month. Common Man was lovely for brunch, especially when everyone else is at work. City views and city sounds. Beware the seagulls.

3. Black Kettle, Sassafras, Mt Dandenong Tourist Road (Dandenong Ranges).
French Toast with cinnamon and homemade raspberry jam. 

 This little french toast was really lovely. Up in the mountains surrounded by ancient forests and beautiful tourists. This french toast really stuck with me, because of the simplicity. Simple french toast with homemade jam that really packed a punch. Yes the jam was the hero of this dish. Really fresh, sweet, and sour (my mouth is watering as I think about it). This french toast is great if you just want to get away from the city and have a simple treat. The customer service was lovely as well. 

Black Kettle French Toast, March 2015.

4. The Hardware Societe, 120 Hardware Street, Melbourne CBD.
(Thick) French Toast with berry frozen yogurt, and berries. 

 I am afraid I really skipped out on this one. The place was so busy, so it had me a bit frazzled and I didn't end up seeing what I had chosen on the menu. I just said "french toast?" and they gave me just that. It was quite an experience. I haven't been to many busy places yet, and this was obviously a gem to everyone there (not just me). Excellent service and coffee.
Anyway. French Toast. It was huge, and actually quite savory tasting. Despite the berries on top. I am a little undecided on this one still. However, it is still a 'must eat' if you are in the area.

The Hardware Societe, March 2015


5. Fitzrovia, Fitzroy St, St Kilda.
(Thick) Creme Brulee French Toast with banana, whipped mascarpone, toasted pecans, bacon, and vanilla verjus syrup.

 When this hit the table, so did my jaw. I wasn't sure how I was meant to finish this one. But I did. It was my first bacon french toast experience, and it was good. The service and coffees were excellent. However, the french toast experience is a hard one to explain. I think the mascarpone didn't need to be there. I mean, I was already struggling to take in the salty bacon, citrus syrup, sweet banana, toasted almonds, crunchy toffee, AND french toast. I was fond of the dish, but it has left me a little undecided again. All in all, Fitzrovia is as good as people say it is. I will be dragging my boyfriend there sometime soon.



Well this is the end of my list so far, but I am always on the look out for great french toast. If you have any suggestions, let me know!
 

Greetings from Melbourne

Greetings from Melbourne!
So I have finally moved in to the new room/house. 
Melbourne is big. That is my only thought at the moment. 





However I know that I love the countryside and the sea and the mountains. I hope to be spending loads of time out there when I start to get a grip on reality. New house, new city, its pretty crazy. 

 I thought I would just give an update of where I am at. 

 to be cont.  

Old books

A life long love of mine is old books. Their covers, their texture, their pages, their stories, their authors, and their lives. 

 Every Saturday morning my dad would drive us all to the library. We didn't have much. No games and not very many movies. We had the beach and the library. 
We probably had more than that, but thats all I can remember.

 I remember winning the book reading competitions. And getting excited when a new book came in. The day I was finally old enough to accompany my mother to the Adult Fiction section. The day I discovered Terry Brooks. The day I realised I could buy my own books. The day I finally gave up my collection of Saddle Club and Pony Pals to the school library. That was a big step. The day I realised I could stay up past midnight reading and still make it to school. The day I realised I could read during English and Economics and no one would stop me. The day I graduated school. The day I got my first car and realised I could drive myself to the second hand book store. I remember the moment I realised I really loved books.


My two favourite books are my fathers dirty copy of The Hobbit, and an old magical thesaurus. Both have inspired me greatly. I have used the thesaurus to write many songs, and to think about words I may never have come across in todays world. Both books inspire wonder in me. I love books because of the utopia I find in them, an escape, a refuge. In my drawings I aim to create the same feelings, only these feelings are accompanied with exploration and creation. When I read, I go into their world. I want my artworks to push on the borders of my mind and imagination. Creating reality and substance.



Here are some quotes I found that really resonate with my thoughts on reading and books:
“What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet or excite you. Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die.” — Anne Lamott
“Be awesome! Be a book nut!” — Dr. Seuss 
“I owe everything I am and everything I will ever be to books.” — Gary Paulsen  
“No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.” — Confucius 
“Knowing you have something good to read before bed is among the most pleasurable of sensations.” — Vladimir Nabokov
Thanks to Emily Temple for the collection.

Work in Progress: The Dragon

(Disclaimer: I actually couldn't finish this piece, I felt I had rendered it the wrong way. Maybe I will pick it up again and fix it one day...)




My illustration The Dragon, from Peter Jackson’s movie; The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, was created using watercolours and ink pens. The watercolours form basic shapes, which make up the shadows inside the hall and the shadows cast on the dragon. The watercolours were used to make thick blotches of colour, and smaller thinner marks for some details on the hall’s structure and the the dragon. The highlights of the dragon, support beams, and gold, where the light is cast, are not painted. The details of the hall and dragon are made with ink pens, which form vertical and horizontal hatchings. These marks cover and darken the shadows and some mid tones on the dragon and support beams. There has been added watercolour over the ink pens, resulting in darker shapes and details. The covered marks look smooth and blurred while the marks on the dragon, which are untouched by water, are crisp. The colour palette is minimalistic; it contains Paynes Grey, yellow and indigo. The grey is used all over the illustration, while indigo has been released from the ink pens, and yellow where the gold reflects. The paper is very thick and very sturdy. The size of the illustration is 56.5cm (w) x 38cm (h). 
Figure 1, Smaug, Alan Lee, watercolours,
http://tolkiengateway.net/ wiki/File:Alan_Lee_-_Smaug.jpg

The reasons for using these marks and colours are justified in the following points. For example, I have used the watercolours to show an approximate of the shapes in the real image. In contrast to the large spots of watercolour, I have used the hatching marks to bring structure to the hall and dragon. I kept the head of the dragon as a point of focus in the piece. Artists such as Albrecht Durer and Michelangelo Buonarroti used hatching marks in their figure studies (figure 3). Though they used these marks differently, I have applied similar techniques in my own work, The Dragon. I have found the vertical hatching marks to be best for illustrating shadows. As for the dragon, I have studied Alan Lee’s version of Smaug(figure 1), and tried to replicate the way he uses the whites of the paper as the reflecting scales. The colour palette I chose is minimalistic, because I wanted to focus on studying different hatching marks. It was also inspired by Alan Lee’s colour palette in his painting of Smaug. The grey is used all over the illustration to create some cohesion. I used Paynes Grey because I feel confident with the colour’s texture and control. I used the yellow for the gold and the reflection of the gold on the dragons body. I made sure all focus was on the dragon. I liked the indigo that came from the pen’s ink so I made sure there was more of it at the front of the image to create a deeper depth of field. The paper was cut this size, because I thought it would challenge myself and my techniques.

New Work: The Ruins of Dale 2

Katherine Anne, The Ruins of Dale 2, 2014, 38cm (w) x 28cm (h), Watercolours, Ink pens

My illustration Ruins of Dale 1, from Peter Jackson’s movie; The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, was created using watercolours and ink pens. The watercolours form basic shapes, which make up the shadows of the mountains and the shadows cast in the ruins. The watercolours were used to make thick blotches of colour, and smaller thinner marks for some details on the mountain faces and the bridge. The highlights of the mountain, ruins, and bridge, where the light is cast, are not painted. The details of the mountains and ruins are made with ink pens, which form vertical hatchings. These marks cover and darken the shadows and some mid tones on the mountains and ruins. There has been added watercolour over the ink pens, resulting in darker shapes and details. The covered marks look smooth and blurred while the marks in the ruins, which are untouched by water, are crisp. The colour palette is minimalistic; it contains Paynes Grey and indigo. The grey is used all over the illustration, while indigo has been released from the ink pens. The clouds behind and in front of the ruins have been scratched away by a dry brush. The paper is very thick and very sturdy. The size of the illustration is 38cm (w) x 28cm (h).

 The reasons for using these marks and colours are justified in the following points. For example, I have used the watercolours to show an approximate of the shapes in the real image. In contrast to the large spots of watercolour, I have used the hatching marks to bring structure to the mountain range and ruins. I decided to experiment with more water over the hatching marks, resulting in very dark blotches I was unprepared for. I kept the ruins crisp as a point of focus in the piece. I added much more detail in The Ruins of Dale 2 than in The Ruins of Dale 1, because I was creating a library of marks I did not have in The Ruins of Dale 1. Artists such as Albrecht Durer and Michelangelo Buonarroti used hatching marks in their figure studies. Though they used these marks differently, I have applied similar techniques in my own work, The Ruins of Dale 2. In the course of studying hatching marks and the forms of mountains, I have found the vertical hatching marks to be best for illustrating mountains and hills. The colour palette I chose is minimalistic, because I wanted to focus on studying the mountains and ruins. The grey is used all over the illustration, to create some cohesion. In addition, I used Paynes Grey because I feel confident with the colour’s texture and control. I liked the indigo that came from the pen’s ink so I made sure there was more of it at the front of the image to create a deeper depth of field. The paper was cut this size, because I thought it would challenge myself and my techniques.
 

New Work: Ruins of Dale

Katherine Anne, The Ruins of Dale, 2014, 28.5cm (w) x 19cm (h), Watercolours, Ink pens 
My illustration Ruins of Dale 1, from Peter Jackson’s movie; The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, was created using watercolours and ink pens. The watercolours form basic shapes, which make up the shadows of the mountains and the shadows cast in the ruins. The watercolours were used to make thick blotches of colour, and smaller thinner marks for some details on the rocky outcrops. The highlights of the mountain, where the light is cast, are not painted. The snow has been represented without colour also. The details of the mountains and ruins are made with ink pens, which form vertical hatchings. These marks cover and darken the shadows and some mid tones on the mountains and ruins. The colour palette is minimalistic; it contains Paynes Grey, brown and some lighter blues. The grey is used all over the illustration, while lighter blues is used on the mountains further away. The brown has been used in the ruins of the city. The clouds behind and in front of the ruins have been scratched away by a dry brush. The paper is very thick and very sturdy. The size of the illustration is 28.5cm (w) x 19cm (h).

 The reasons for using these marks and colours are justified in the following points. For example, I have used the watercolours to show an approximate of the shapes in the real image. In contrast to the large spots of watercolour, I have used the hatching marks to bring structure to the mountain range and ruins. Artists such as Albrecht Durer and Michelangelo Buonarroti used hatching marks in their figure studies. Though they used these marks differently, I have applied similar techniques in my own work, The Ruins of Dale 1. In the course of studying hatching marks and the forms of mountains, I have found the vertical hatching marks to be best for illustrating mountains and hills. The colour palette I chose is minimalistic, because I wanted to focus on studying the mountain. The grey is used all over the illustration, to create some cohesion. In addition, I used Paynes Grey because I feel confident with the colour’s texture and control. I used lighter blues to send the mountains backwards. In the photo, the city was a dusty brown colour, therefore I tried to place a little colour in my ruins to imitate the age and displacement of human remains in the stark mountain range. The use of colours in this work forms a deeper depth of field. The paper is this size, because I thought it would be enough to challenge myself and my techniques, after only working half the size previously.

New Work: The Lonely Mountain


Figure 1, Katherine Olive, The Lonely Mountain, 2014, 56.5cm (w) x 38cm (h), watercolours, ink pens
My illustrationThe Lonely Mountain (figure 1), from Peter Jackson’s movie; The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, was created using watercolours and ink pens. The watercolours form basic shapes, which make up the shadows of the mountain, hills, and lake below. The watercolours were used to make thick blotches of colour, and smaller thinner marks for some details on the mountain. The highlights of the mountain, where the sun shines, are not painted, or is very lightly covered with colour. The details of the mountain and hills below are made with ink pens, which form vertical hatchings. These marks cover and darken the shadows and some mid tones on the mountain. The colour palette is minimalistic; it contains Paynes Grey, violet, yellow and some lighter blues. The grey is used all over the illustration, while violet is used in the clouds, and lighter blues in the mountains further away from the Lonely Mountain. There is a pale yellow placed where the sun hits the hills on the right of the illustration. The paper is very thick and very sturdy. The size of the illustration is 56.5cm (w) x 38cm (h).
Figure 2, The Lonely Mountain, Screenshot of The Hobbit: The desolation of Smaug by Peter Jackson, taken from JJR Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
In The Lonely Mountain I wanted to explore the Shan Shui way of exploring nature through art, in regards to the way they see painting mountains and water (figure 3). One way I have done this is, by using the watercolours in an un-calculated way, therefore each water coloured shape is only an approximate of the shapes in the real image. In contrast to the uncertainty of the watercolours, I have used the hatching marks to bring structure to the details of the mountain. 
Figure 3, Xia Gui, Clear View over Mountains & Streams, Southern Song Period, 1127 - 1234, hand scroll, http://www.oberlin.edu/images/Art250b/Art250new.html 
Artists such as Albrecht Durer and Michelangelo Buonarroti used hatching marks in their figure studies. Though they used these marks differently, I have applied similar techniques in my own work, The Lonely Mountain. In the course of studying hatching marks and the forms of mountains, I have found the vertical hatching marks to be best for illustrating mountains and hills. The colour palette I chose is minimalistic, because I wanted to focus on studying the mountain. The grey is used all over the illustration, to create some cohesion. In addition, I used Paynes Grey because I feel confident with the colour’s texture and control. 
I used the violet in the clouds to bring them closer, and lighter blues to send the forms backwards. The use of colours, in this way, forms a deeper depth of field. The depth of field made by the colours in The Lonely Mountain was added with the guidance of Ron McBurnie, an artist who also works with hatching and watercolours. Ron McBurnie also aided me in choosing the right paper to work with. I find it thick enough to make mistakes and have the freedom to take the mistakes off the paper with sufficient scratching. I cut the paper to the appropriate size, because I thought it would be enough to challenge myself and my techniques. ◼︎

page7image11144 page7image11304 

How to Start an Artist Statement

I always find I need help to begin writing my artist statement. If you are like me, you will have a head full of research, information, and ideas; with no idea how to start your first sentence. 

To help myself and others start, I've found some good questions for writing the "Artist Statement", they are as follows: 
  • Why do you create art and what does it mean to you?
  • How does the creation of art make you feel? What emotions do you wish to convey?
  • If the statement refers to a specific piece, why did you choose to represent this piece in this way? What do you call the piece and why? What materials did you use? What are the dimensions of the piece?
  • What inspires you? How are your inspirations expressed in your work?
  • What message are you trying to convey to the viewer?
  • How much time is spent creating your pieces?
  • How is your work a reflection of you?
  • What artists (living or dead) have influenced you?
  • What is your vision/philosophy?
  • What are your goals for the future?
  • What are your techniques and style and how do these relate to the medium?
  • How do your techniques and style relate to your vision/philosophy?
The link to the site these were taken from is here.

Also, here are some examples I have found on another site that were very liberating to read. I know I get easily confused and disheartened without examples, so these helped a lot.
Jonathan H. Dough - Artist Statement"My artwork takes a critical view of social, political and cultural issues. In my work, I deconstruct the American dream, fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and lullabies that are part of our childhood and adult culture. Having engaged subjects as diverse as the civil rights movement, southern rock music and modernist architecture, my work reproduces familiar visual signs, arranging them into new conceptually layered pieces.
Often times these themes are combined into installations that feature mundane domestic objects painted blue, juxtaposed with whimsical objects, and often embellished with stenciled text. The color blue establishes a dream-like surreal quality, suggests notions of calmness and safety, and formally unifies the disparate objects in each installation. The texts provide clues to content and interpretation.
While I use a variety of materials and processes in each project my methodology is consistent. Although there may not always be material similarities between the different projects they are linked by recurring formal concerns and through the subject matter. The subject matter of each body of work determines the materials and the forms of the work.
Each project often consists of multiple works, often in a range of different media, grouped around specific themes and meanings. During research and production new areas of interest arise and lead to the next body of work."
Kathleen Bitetti Artist Statement & Explanation of Bodies of work"Since the early 1990s, my work has involved the creation of conceptually based sociopolitical objects and installations. In 1992 I began stenciling text by hand onto objects. Hand stenciled text/language has now become a very prominent feature in my work and I continue to use the same stencil and medium (graphite) that I used in 1992. In my work, I deconstruct the American dream, fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and lullabies that are part of our childhood and adult culture. My work also addresses gender roles/gender assignment, the fragility of family dynamics, domestic violence and the underlying threads of violence and danger that underpin American society. Often times these themes are combined into installations that feature mundane domestic objects, painted pure white and are often embellished with stenciled text. The color white establishes a dream-like surreal quality, suggests notions of purity and safety, and formally unifies the disparate objects in each installation. The texts provide clues to content and interpretation. My "conceptual sculpture weds minimal form with maximal content" (Shawn Hill, "BayWindows" Nov. 14 96 p27)..."

 The link to the site the statements were taken from is here. 

Here is a link to my artist statements, let me know what you think, and If you have anymore ideas for writing artist statements, please let me know (:

Influences: Julian Ashton and Ivan Aivazovsky

"The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance." - Aristotle


Julian Ashton's Australian landscapes are very honest, yet beautiful. They fill me with a sense of '"home", and a desire to discover more about my country, Australia. However, I feel odd that I should be feeling these things, because I think all I ever do is wish I was traveling again, wish I could move away, and wish it wasn't so hot all the time. Townsville is brownsville. Though, Ashton's art works have inspired me to explore and paint the Townsville scenery, which is something I haven't done before.

In my latest works I explore my utopian place. My utopia concept is combined with an exploration into the sublime in nature and landscapes, books, and movies. My aim is when others look at my work they catch a little of what I am trying to show them.

I believe art is a journey. Art and our souls are inevitably strung together. If there is a relaxing of my heart and mind towards this city of summer, then it will show in my art.

Julian Ashton, Evening, Merri Creek, 1882, oil on canvas, 91.5 x 122.0 cm 
(http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/7211/) 

Ivan Aivazovsky, View of Tiflis, 1868, oil on canvas, 36 x 47 cm,
 (http://www.wikiart.org/en/ivan-aivazovsky)
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