white lace and snow

grumpy star june market news

Good mid-morning to you all! Here I sit, pyjama-clad still, my attempts to catch you up on my news today interrupted periodically with all variety of banging and popping sounds; Dave is working from home and as luck would have it, finally got his new camera flash delivered this morning. And, now that he has other toys to use it with (namely about ten different lenses of varied and increasingly intimidating lengths), he has set his tripod up on the table and is making movies of Monty, now recovered from last week's stint at the vet and the theft of certain important parts of his tomcat anatomy, who is playing jack-in-the box with the packaging of said flash, the inflatable cushiony padding part of which now doubles, thanks to Monty's ingenuity, as a squishy sort of ski to be skidded across the kitchen floor. Brilliant.

Here's a snap of my first stint at Palmerston markets last Friday night. A huge thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hello and other lovely things about my work. I love hearing people say: 'This reminds me of . . .' or: 'I had something like this when I was little . . .'. But what really makes my day is that look some people get like they've found treasure. It is a very humbling thing to watch a person's face light up and to know that my work is the reason for it. I feel like the luckiest girl on earth to be able to say thank-you to their murmured comments of: 'This is really wonderful'.

Sunday of course marked the first sabbath of June and of course, the Happy Yess Market for another month, and, not incidentally, the market I designed a poster for a few weeks back. It is such a special day for me to look forward to now; I go with a hungry tummy so I can buy lots of cake from the lovely local girls who find the time on their weekends to bake all sorts of wonderful; to say hello to the excellent people who keep Happy Yess a vital part of our arts community and sell plungers of delicious fresh coffee; to meet new people and be the lucky recipient of their lovely words, and best of all, to catch up with my lovely friends, having hid myself away working all week. There really is nothing better than eating cake in a camp chair, surrounded by loads of wonderful handmade things, watching bunting flicker jewel-like in the afternoon sunshine while talking about music contributing to the evolution of the human species, or when to have the next crafternoon, or where to find the best vintage clobber in town.

If you're looking longingly at those lolly-like necklaces, you are more than welcome to come and try a couple on while I'm still selling them! The majority of my stall is dedicated to my illustration work and prints, but the jewellery I sell is made with equal love and care. The Fimo necklaces are all strung by me, and the stringing alone takes several hours as I consider each to be a wearable work of art and can safely promise buyers that their hard-earned cash ensures no-one else in the world will have one like it. Dave and I made the beads together a few years ago before we left for London, and though we loved doing it, we no longer make beads anymore. Besides the problems created by the climate, this sort of work can be very hard on the hands (kneading the clay, even with the aid of a pasta maker can be very physically demanding) and takes, quite predicatably, hours. Hours which, I am sad to say, I don't have spare, and know I should dedicate instead to drawing. So, once these necklaces go, there won't be any more! I've also made earrings, which are equally lovely statement pieces and use hand-sewn raggy beads as well as smaller Fimo ones. Most necklaces are between $35 - $65, the earrings $15 - $25, and bracelets $15. Any of these would make really special Christmas or birthday presents for any girl, five or thirty-five!

I will of course see you all at the next month's installment of the Happy Yess Market; word has it the very clever Emily Hearn will be designing the next poster- I can't wait!

Have a fabulous day everyone!

Mel x

next stop, market domination! mwah-ha-ha!

It's only Wednesday and it looks like this weekend might be only slightly less mad than the last one! I'm delighted to have received confirmation late last night from the lovely Kerrie, who manages the Palmerston markets, that I am able to attend this Friday!

You'll find my stall somewhere between the children's play area and the R n' B musician, from 5pm- 9pm. Come say hello, take a business card for yourself and another for a friend, and, if you haven't already spent your pocket money on scrummy curry and mango smoothies (and I can't really say I blame you!), you might want to invest while you can in one of my 'tea-time' or 'i  ♥ bubble tea' prints- barely one week old and already selling like hotcakes!

Or, if you're being a clevertrousers this year and slowly buying presents for your special people before the Christmas madness truly begins, how about a handmade-with-love fimo necklace, or some raggy fabric earrings? No two are ever the same, so you'll never have to worry that someone else is thefting your style  (though, of course, they may have excellent taste and already be in the lucky possession of an equally snazzy Mel Macklin necklace, that you will madly begin to covet and want just as much as the one you already own. Yes, it has been known to happen- my friend bought a necklace for her sister in Amsterdam and has spent the past 4 years wishing she'd kept it for herself!)

But maybe you're still recovering from last year's Santa season, in which case a "gnome tea" or "grumpy star" print are both under $50- something special for your wall that won't shread your wallet-lining.

Or maybe, just maybe, you've done a bit of overtime these past few weeks and need to treat yourself- "the pink brolly" or "the boy with the heart balloons" both make great statement pieces for your bedroom, loungeroom or little one's play area.

I'll also have a sign-up sheet for upcoming workshops, so if you wanted to ask for more information on either of these, please feel free!

And after a recovery Saturday, I'll be doing it all over again at my second Happy Yess Market, at Frog Hollow. This month of course is extra-special, given of course, that the lovely market moles asked me to design this month's poster a few weeks back.

And on that note, an artist's work is never done- off I go to catch up on some much needed painting time!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Mel x

workshop posters!

Hot off the proverbial press- all the details for the upcoming illustration workshops!

Either of these would be great for teachers, secondary school students considering a creative career, or anyone at all who loves to draw, make stuff or generally tinker with anything at hand. It's all about having fun and meeting other local creatives- all skill levels are more than welcome. Probably best to get in quick though for the "Plasticine Pictures" workshop- this is designed to accomodate lots of one-on-one feedback and support and encourage collaborative practices, so I'll be taking on a limited number each time I run it.

Any questions or expressions of interest, please feel free to drop me a line at mel.macklin@bigpond.com.

See you there!

 

wonderful workshop weekend!

Happy Monday all!

What a weekend! I am amazed by those crazy kids who can pull all-nighters for days on end, but alas I was barely able to manage two, and there was no debauched partying for me in my aged state, no. On Friday morning, my day was mostly free for drawing except for the spot of muffin making and baking I'd planned for my lovely workshoppers the next day. This day of calm turned into a 3am bed-time, as I was gently persuaded by my lovely Dave that it would be an excellent idea for me to attend the Happy Yess 5th Birthday party to take advantage of the hordes of groovy tuners at my disposal and make a few sales. An excellent idea of course, but as the early morning bedtime might suggest, the darling printer decided to have a snit with certain types of (the nicest) Hahnemühle paper we have, thus turning a 2 hour job into five. Stoopid technology.

And though I could have carried my week's groceries in the eye-bags I wore the next day, the workshop was wonderful and over far too quickly. Have a look at my workshoppers' gorgeous work, and yes, you should absolutely feel jealous for having missed out! (Not to worry though- I'll be doing another, 3-day, in-depth illustration workshop on Saturdays 18th June, 25th June and 2nd July, as well as another 1-day workshop on illustration techniques on Saturday July 30th. Be sure to let me know if you're keen- I'll only be taking on a limited number! Watch this space for all the details or just book yourself in anyway- you know you'll have a great time!)

Before I'd even had a chance to revel in my wonderful day of workshopping and sharing ideas, it was time for me to get my droopy-eyed self over to Brown's Mart and scoff a cupcake or two to prop myself up for the evening. The music was fantastic, and not for the first time I thought how lucky we are to have such a clever bunch of creative Darwinites who, though their hearts may wander and their feet roam our little planet, always come back to share their music or art or general good selves with us locals.

As I did at my last market, I met loads of really wonderful people, locals and visitors who stopped by to say hello and other very lovely things about my work. Most memorably was a friendly fellow who bought a necklace for his daughter and persuaded his female friend to wear it so he wouldn't have to wear it himself on account of it clashing with his shirt; a lovely lass from Adelaide who bought my "tea-time" print, came back again to show her friend what she'd bought, and the third time to pick up her print and buy another, "the pink brolly". I so love it when people make that commitment to choose really special things for themselves; I love watching them deliberate over their choices and finally to give in and just get another because they really want that too- it is the highest compliment for me.

There was also another nice fellow who came by to tell his mates about the 'awesome' picture I'd awarded Cara at the CDU Prizegiving Ceremony a few weeks back, and how he'd have liked to get it himself. And lastly, my gorgeous friend Brooke Barnett came by with a huge kiss and hug, a much needed catch-up after 4 years or so since we've seen each other, and to buy my 'unicurl', which she instantly fell in love with. Thank-you, all you wonderful people; as glad as I am that you love my work and want to buy it, it is the loving it and the saying so that means so much.

All nice things,

Mel xo

i ♥ bubble tea!

tea-time!

As much as I love painting, felt-tip pen and graphite pencil are my first loves and I never fail to be impressed my the effects you can achieve with either. All the same, keep your eyes peeled for a colour version real soon! And do tell me what you think- I always love to hear your thoughts. Or, just as good, send me an email and place your order for a print now!

Have a lovely day,

Mel xo