Those that know me well would know I’m a nut for children’s books, in particular those by Irish bred, Brooklyn based illustrator/writer Oliver Jeffers. My wife a little while back now surprised me with a limited edition print direct from Oliver in collaboration with Swiss Miss. As I do when I get something as fantastic as this I hang onto it waiting for the perfect moment to do something special, most people call this procrastination. Well that perfect moment has struck and my newly framed Oliver Jeffers ’3D Boy’ 3 colour letterpress print now graces the wall of my studio, total inspiration!
Now that it has hit the shelves I can now share with you a project I worked on a little while back. Australian Singsong is a collaboration between Sunshine Coast musicians Robert Brock and legendary guitarist Phil Emmanuel. I was responsible for art Direction, design & layout as well as taking care of all of the finished photography for the project. It features images I personally photographed in the South Australian Barossa Valley, Northern New South Wales beaches and Queensland’s Scenic Rim Region.
The album production called on a number of established musicians across Australia and featured a varied array of instruments from acoustic and electric guitars to the mandolin, banjo, fiddle, accordion, didjeridu and even the spoons get a listening! It was a fun project to conceptualise and work on – having a rough cut of the final recording to power along to definitely helped in transferring the atmosphere of the music into the finished art.
Below you’ll find some images of the final pressing along with some photographs that appear throughout the 8 page accompanying booklet. If you’re interested in buying a copy of the CD please get in touch and I can help organise getting one to you.
My wife and I have been quite busy this year pursuing our passions in art & photography. Saturday was the first day of Spring and also the official launch of Chez Beauvardia our online store. With a full range of affordable and personal photography, fine art & wooden prints. All of our unique creations are directly inspired by simple living, salty sea sprays, nature and a love for the arts & quality handmade.
Be sure to visit Chez Beauvardia { www.chezbeauvardia.com } and if you haven’t already done so, why not join our Facebook page!
www.chezbeauvardia.com | Chez Beauvardia – Handmade in Australia
I’ve been an avid collector of childrens books for a while now. Whenever I visit a bookshop I find myself stuck in the childrens area and leaving with yet another book. When we do eventually have kids of our own they’ll sure be in heaven.
I’d like to share with you a small video of one of my all time favourite writer/illustrators, Anna Walker. I was fortunate enough to visit the recent ‘LOOK! The Art of Australian Picture Books’ exhibition and see some of Anna’s originals up close and personal, which I could happily sit and gaze at for hours. Her work draws inspiration from her surroundings and creates a magical sense of curiosity and wonder, two key elements which define a perfect children’s book.
Next time you’re in the bookshop pay a visit to this little back section of the store, pull up a bean bag and get yourself lost in one of Anna’s books… guaranteed to make you leave smiling!
Image from Anna’s book ‘I Don’t Believe in Dragons’.
Were you like me and always fascinated with the game Mouse Trap as a child? Meet Melvin the Mini Machine, a portable 38-step Rube Goldberg machine and predecessor to the originally built Melvin, a social media experiment by Netherlands design studio Hey Hey Hey. For the complete background story visit the official website which delves more into the technical side of Melvin and his bigger brother. This will get your brain ticking and in action for a Monday morning.
