A Love affair

It's been a year since my darling sister Alex opened her amazing floral and event design shop "A Love Affair"  on Bourke street. In a quick year her stunning and original floral arrangements have garnered the enthusiasm of  editors and stylists from Australia's top publications. Her delicious seasonal bouquets and center pieces have not only gained her some of Sydney's most influential clients, but have rivaled the best floral and event design companies in the business. I've devoted this recent blog to my talented sister. If you don't know the shop, get down and check out what all the locals are raving about.


ALEX OATLEY- FLORAL AND EVENT DESIGNER



1. What inspires you? 
 Nature and the Australian landscape, fashion, architecture, art, design and films. Basically anything can spark an idea, I’m constantly drawing inspiration from my surroundings and culture.

2. Who inspires you?
Fashion designers  Victor & Rolf for their clever construction of garments, Architects, especially Gaudi for his organic, sculptural forms, as well as Australian business women who turned their passions into hugely successful brands such as Donna Hay, Florence Broadhurst (although not originally Australian) and my family. My Dad pretty much had an Oliver Twist upbringing and over came many obstacles to get where he is today.

3. What do you like to do to unwind on your time off?
I like going to the organic markets, bike riding, catching up with friends, going swimming at the beach, eating delicious food and getting out into nature.

4. What do you love about working with flowers?
I love the changing seasons and discovering unusual delights. The natural beauty of them inspires me with their amazing array of colours textures and fragrance. It brings me total peace of mind and makes me happy.

5. How did you get into this industry?
I studied events and entertainment design and then went on to work in commercial production and styling weddings and events throughout Australia. I started introducing flowers and botanical elements into every design I created, so it was a natural progression really. I like to say I combine nature and design.


6. What’s your favorite destination?
I love traveling and exploring new territory, I don’t have a particular favorite place, anything new and exciting satisfies me.


7. What’s been your favorite project?
I love every new project as it gives me an opportunity to create something fresh and inspiring, however I have particularly fond memories of working in Port Douglas styling large events in remote off site locations, such as the rain forest, everything was so fertile and abundant, nature really is our oyster!


8. What sort of response has the community had to the shop?
The community has had a really positive reaction to our store. The locals make a point of coming in to say hello and continually thanking us for inspiring them with our ever changing window displays and beautiful shop.

A Love Affair Floral and Event Design
1/748, Bourke Street, Redfern NSW 2016 T. 9698 1968 Email alex@aloveaffair.com
www.aloveaffair.com.au

Can't Polish a Turd

Beginnings of new years mark  change. As with every year 2012 will be a time for evolution. 3 of the greatest artists and thinkers in history have reminded me of the best things you can achieve as an artist. Progression, fearlessness, and vision.

Towards the end of last year I saw the Picasso exhibition, while he is not my favorite painter, this exhibition blew my mind, even after seeing all of Picasso Museums in Europe.....I've only just come to appreciate the extraordinary range this man had, and how completely open he was to all of his ideas. To see how quickly, and confidently his works were constructed, is crazy. No fussing, no finessing just solid raw creativity. Some of my paintings just happen quickly, instinctively, these are the best by far, and others that I labor over, manage to turn the corner, ,and then there's the others that never make it, no matter how hard I try. Can't polish a turd as my brother in law would say! Sure Picasso had a few turds too, every artist does, but his were done with just the same confidence as a great piece! No wiping back, no laboring, nothing. You can almost hear the internal dialogue if this painting is coming out shit it's my shit, and my shit doesn't stink!

The other thing that has woken me up is watching the recent doco on Jean Micheal Basquiat. When I started painting I watched the movie 5 times. He is one of my favorite painters ever. Alongside with Keith Harring he is the father of the street art movement today,What natural genius. For the people that don't understand why he's a genius, and there's people that don't, genius is creating something entirely original, and then being compelled to create and let that vision evolve where ever it needs to go......untamed. As opposed to someone who can say draw proficiently well, but like everyone else.

Just after I saw the Picasso exhibition I saw a Doco on Bill Hicks one of America's greatest Comedians, and more than just a comedian he was a philosopher. Way ahead of his time for his anti corporation, anti war ideas he became more famous in Europe than he did in his own country. Sticking up one of his quotes in my studio has taken away any of the pre exhibition nerves that I usually have before I have a solo exhibition such as I'm about to with "Jungle love" "Don't be afraid, Don't ever worry, because it's just a ride" That's right normally right now I'd be going in for heart surgery, or breathing through a brown paper bag.....not this time. To know that I've  done all I can is liberating.

These three men have had such a huge effect on me right now, because I'm at the point where as an artist I have different things that I want to say. I've done a lot of diverse things since I started as an artist, painted a series of myself in the shower, paintings of graffiti on walls, I painted the 6m sq space that I lived in with an ex boyfriend and turned it into a collaborative installation, as well as painting a suit for a magazine shoot, but most people would recognize my reclining nudes and women in bikinis which started to attain notoriety about 2 years ago.

As an artist people begin to label you, which always seemed stupid to me,"You're a figurative painter", or you're a "landscape painter". These are dictated  by the market, or dealers who are defining you  to their buyers. lately I've heard Sexy, sensual, not that there's anything wrong with that, it is obviously a part of myself that I have enjoyed expressing, As a person, as an artist I'm multi faceted and there's different things I'd also like to express this year, but first things first.........It's been a solid year of painting exhibitions and it's almost time for a holiday to reinvigorate, stop to smell the roses and appreciate all the good things that have happened in my life last year. It's been an amazing journey.

 My final thought, the thought that sums up the courage, and vision of Picasso, Jean Micheal Basquiat, and Bill Hicks and where 2012 will take me is this:
"It's not because things are difficult that we dare not venture, It's because we dare not venture that things are difficult" Roman philosopher mid century AD

JUNGLE LOVE

Lime Forest

Mia Oatley's latest exhibition "Jungle Love" is her first solo exhibition in Queensland with Gallery One on the Gold Coast. "Jungle Love" follows on from a successful 2011, with Australia's top publications featuring articles on her including Belle Magazine, Vogue Living, Queensland Homes Magazine and The Sydney Morning Herald.
After a successful show with Richard Martin Gallery in Sydney, Mia's portrait of Jasper knight for the Archibald Prize was selected for this years Salon Des Refuses. Her growing national and international appeal has seen collectors Australia wide and from cities such as Hong Kong, London and Paris, add Mia's work to their collections.

Liquid Garden

Contemplation

Jungle love - Artist statement.

"Earlier this year I went on a trip to Bali, partly as a holiday, and partly to meet my boyfriends son who was 8 at the time. We took him to the Bali Bird Park, somewhere I probably never would have gone if I hadn't of been with a Kid. I couldn't have imagined how much I would enjoy it, and how indelible the images of the tropical birds and landscape would be. Since returning the saturated colours of the jungle, and tropical birds have wound their way into my figurative work. The languid decadent women who live in eternal summers, are my way of tapping in to a part of myself that's calm and at one with nature. The world that I create in my paintings is a way of blowing off the mundanity, and stresses of every day living. Meeting my boyfriends son for the first time at his school in the jungle was the beginning of a deep love with my man, and this new little person that was going to be a part of my life."
For further information contact miaoatley@gmail.com

MY AWESOME NEW WAREHOUSE

I've been needing to get a bigger studio space for a while now.While my beautiful little studio  down in Clovelly has been ideal it's become impractical.
When I'm working on 2 shows, and getting requests from galleries in cities that I haven't showed in before, my space chokes up with paintings quickly and without adequate storage they spill out all around the house. It's been like living in a gallery, or a gallery's store room until now........

3 days ago my boyfriend  and I signed the lease on our new warehouse space in Mascot
The 220msq space is huge open plan, double story self contained building. Originally we were planning on moving in February after the completion of my Gold Coast exhibition, but when this opportunity came up through a friend, at such a great price we couldn't resist taking it on.

This isn't the first time that I've lived in a warehouse, I did it in Paris, and I've done it in Australia in Bondi Junction above a gallery, and yeah I've forgone a few things that some people never would just to have the space. Like no electricity in my studio in Paris...BRRR, to just plain no bathroom in Bondi Junction, which at first didn't bother me, because my boyfriend of the time and I just had cold showers in the garden by the veggie patch in the summer, and in winter I joined a GYM to errm get fit and use their bathroom. After 4 months I had enough of that, but it was worth it to have the experience of living and working in The Eastern suburbs in a huge, and charming space.

Perhaps I've out grown my taste for experiences for things like that, because the first thing I made sure was that this place had a shower, and HOT water. Packing up my stuff the other day I started hyperventilating when I realized how far it was from the beach, and all of my favorite cafe's.
But this decision is no different from all the rest that I've made in my life since becoming an artist, and that is that my painting and creative life comes first. The rest is secondary.

we're 3 days into a mamoth repainting job, and it's exciting to see this once ugly office building transform itself into a modern, open plan, stunner. Every new space is great for an artists work, and a whole lotta space is the best thing of all.

 Hipp Hipp Horray for The new Space!

Limited Incomes VS Limited Editions

PHOTO: Chen Wenling Sculpture by The Sea

On Thursday night I had an interesting conversation with a friend about weather doing limited edition prints devalues the original work. 3 months ago I did my first limited edition prints, and felt it was absolutely the right thing to do. As with any idea that I pursue, I do it with a great deal of research and certainty that it will be best way to go forward as well as  protect my artistic reputation and integrity, that's why the editions are in small runs, no more than 30.

I went to the opening of Cockatoo Island on Thursday night , a super event, but it wasn't until  Sunday that I opened the free bag that everyone was given as they left the Island and found a promotion for the Art series Hotels. "The art series hotel group showcase Australian art on a grand scale by dedicating hotels to individual artists." Which artists you may be wondering? Only the most established and recognizable names in the Art world CULLEN< OLSEN< BLACKMAN. And what type of art do they show there you may wonder? That's right the works are archival museum quality Giclee prints, made in editions no larger than 45 but generally between the 20-30 mark.

However big name artists, and the string of contemporary street artists that now get limited editions were not the first. Of course Norman Lindsay lived off his prints, and another great example was John Coburn surely one of our most innovative artists, also being quite innovative in a business sense installing a printing studio in the backyard shed, and printing some of his most famous works. Long Before This Daumier had his works printed in the newspaper, and soon to follow were members of the impressionists most notably Monet.

John Olsen's Giclee prints can be found upstairs in Tim Olsen's Gallery for around $2500, and also out the back of Ian Dawson gallery. The reason why more commercial galleries are slower to get on board  is clearly that the Artist has to be of a certain level in their career to demand a good enough price in their prints for them to weigh up the effort of selling them.

perhaps this is why younger artists sell prints online, or in the young emerging galleries, (in shows and online) keen to provide a source of income for their artists. As a friend who deals in commercial print astutely noted that consumers have changed their buying habits so this type of purchasing is not only the norm, but those without this service are at a disadvantage in this changing climate.

The other great thing is once the whole thing is set up either online or with an agent , you don't really need to think about it. The money is just paid directly into an account. This leaves more time than ever for the artist to earn more of income whilst concentrating directly on their original art.

I just came back from Sculpture by the sea.....the best in several years, and noticed something that I probably never would have if I hadn't of been thinking of the whole making art in editions process. After walking the trail and seeing all of the large and (original sculptures) I went into the small sculpture room and noticed that sculptors also make work smaller than the original in editions.

Artists such as Chen Wenling from China made his Red Memory priced at $6200 in an edition of 300, . Obviously 300 is a huge edition, others like Hugh Ramage made his Harlequin Dazzle in an edition of eight. It was clear that artists like Chen couldn't live off just $6200 from making just one small version of Red Memory. I couldn't help thinking that it didn't matter that if the original Red memory costing many thousands never sold, it was the perfect promotion for these tiny Red Memory editions, which allow him to keep making very large and expensive work, and to help ship large work all over the world, and actually living it up because 300 x $6200 is $1,860,000!! get on down CHEN.

Making prints is a way to reach a broader base of collectors, some of them will never be able to afford an original, but 3 people who have bought one have made serious inquiries on my original paintings. Obviously if they come through it will be better than placing an expensive add in top magazine , or doing an art fair with expensive rental costs.

The thirst for an original piece of art, to be a collector that owns the only one  will never be replaced by a print, nor will making prints of the original devalue the original. Has making posters and every conceivable image on earth of the Mona Lisa or the impressionists for that matter made the original works any less fascinating or quelled the punters enthusiasm to behold it in the flesh. I think not.

Last year my paintings had another increase in price, and this year there have been more inquires on my paintings, and mixed media drawings than ever before from every part of the Nation. So while that part of my original work remains as exciting as ever, new ways to create art and sources of income including limited editions are always of interest to me. Of course some people will always be afraid of progression and the future, such as some of my old teachers who don't see Giclee printing as real prints, but if it's good enough for Blackman, Cullen and Olsen it's good enough for me.

What's the New work All About?

It's an exciting time in the studio. The recent confirmation of 2 solo shows in 2012 has got me working like a demon. The first show will be at Gallery One on the Gold Coast in February 2012, and the following will be in Sydney in September of the same year.

I'm the type of artist that really needs deadlines. It really gets my blood pumping. I work well under pressure, it's when I produce my best work. Otherwise there's far too much time to enjoy life, something the Italians have made an art out of,  but not the best way to get exhibitions done on time.

People keep asking me what the new work is about lately, so it's got me thinking about it too.
My work is almost always about love. My muse has been my lovers, love itself, even the feelings and strength in being alone and cherishing the passion and strength inside of me.

New relationships are like a renaissance, like spring spreading vines, and blooming flowers every where. My relationship with my boyfriend was just 6 months old when we visited Bali earlier this year. I was there to meet his son, so we did things that I never would have done if we had of been alone. One of them was to visit the Bali bird park. It truly blew my mind away.  After doing a few paintings with birds when I returned, it's not until 7 months later that the full impact of that trip has really crept into my work. Stunning golden Macaws, and the lush foliage of the tropics has wound it's way into my paintings, with startling results. The colours are intense and jumping off the canvas.  

I'm also including a new body of portraits in the Gold Coast exhibition, which is very exciting. It's a new direction in my work, which has received a lot of attention, and something that people haven't seen yet in an exhibition.

I have also been thinking about May West. Holly Wood's original bad girl.  Her famous statement " good girls go to heaven and bad girls go every where" is just wonderful. Of course bad girls go every where, because they are not wasting time trying to be good, or please every body.

The women I chose to model for me, through their decision to become artists, and other personal decisions in their life have all had to go their own way.   Not being a good girl is not always easy, that is why I wanted strong women with a unique sense of flair and individuality.
I wanted to choose women who could create more than just good poses, women who embody a sense of freedom, and power, who could represent the  place in my life where I'm at now, and where I'm going........

Monthly Round Up

It's been a while since I've written a blog. Loads of fantastic things have been going on since last time you heard from me, so hears a quick sum up.

The Art without walls was a wonderful success! Alongside of 5 other artists at Ambush gallery I exhibited work. I choose to exhibit my new range of limited edition prints, with just 4 to choose from we had to make up some extra frames to accomodate the 7 prints sold in total!
Almost half of the limited edition tee shirts that were designed by me, and sold through Art Without WAlls have been sold which is excellent!
All in all it was an excellent night, great fun and enjoyed by all who made it along.

I've also got some work down in Sohi Gallery in Bowral. Sohi Gallery is a massive pop up gallery conceived by design duo Thomas Buich and Kylie de Roew. The sheer size and raw industrial feel of the 350msq space is capable of rivaling galleries from our major cities. Standing right in the town center it houses an impressive collection of contemporary art by artists such as John Olsen and Carlos barrios among many others. Sohi Gallery has a great selection of my original mixed media drawings, and limited edition prints ranging  between $1200 $300.  So if your in the Bowral area make an effort to pop in, it's well worth a look.

I'm busy in the studio now too putting some great work together. With one solo exhibition confirmed and another soon to be confirmed it will be a busy year getting high breathing paint fumes and exploring some new work.

Til next time

Mia