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Maker of the Month – Kim Russell

We’ve been big fans of Kim Russell’s work for a long time. Brooke and Chela shared a studio with Kim many moons ago. We enjoyed sharing a space with such an intuitive and whimsical creative soul - truly an artist who dances to her own beat. Kim began her creative practice making small, limited-editions of jewellery, but has since moved on to clay, making one-of-a-kind sculptures which ooze personality, movement and spirituality.

We are so excited to be showing Kim's exhibition of new works entitled 'Masks' this month at Guild of Objects from 22-30 July 2016.

Please come help us celebrate the launch of Kim's exhibition at a special preview on Thursday 21 July from 5pm - 8pm.

We recently interviewed Kim about her work , her practice and her perspective on life and creativity.

Can you please tell us a little about yourself and your craft?

I designed and made jewellery which I loved but I'm influenced by materials so working in a studio with ceramicists led me to creating with clay.  I make small sculptures and feel like I'm on my own little exploration of surrendering and letting it unfold.  I'd love to make large sculptures one day but have no idea how to go about that so for now it's fun playing with form and shapes on a small scale.  My craft goes hand in hand with many of my spiritual practices.  I love the spontaneity and immediacy of clay.

Do you have design philosophies that guide your practice? 

Get out of my head and into my body and let the creativity flow.

What does your studio look like? 

I have an alter with candles, rocks, crystals, palo santo and other trinkets, but besides that it's pretty bare. I don't like too much visual stimulation when I'm making.  Being surrounded by trees is all I need.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

From stimulating conversations...

The other day I was walking through the forest and came across a guy watching a lyre bird.  We started chatting.  He composed music and I said I made sculptures.  We spoke about nature, creativity and the ways of the Universe then thanked each other and continued in our opposite directions, both knowing that we had crossed paths for that moment to creatively inspire one another.  I live for those synchronisations.

What does your perfect day feel like?

It doesn't matter what order but it would include.....meditation/dancing/yoga/walk in nature/eating healthy meals/snacking on sweet treats/cups of tea/connecting with friends/making lots of sculptures while contemplating life's mysteries.

Who's work do you admire?

It changes all the time but at the moment it's Jean Miro and John Byrne.  Oh, and Bjork and Patti Smith, they are constant inspirations.

If you could do anything tomorrow what would you do?

Fly to the magical lands of Peru.

If you could teach your kids one thing, what would it be? 

I would probably want to nurture their curious and free nature and hope they would never lose it.

What are you reading at the moment?

Mysteries of the dark moon by Demeter George

If we rummaged through your grocery bag, what would we find?

Vegetables, chocolate, tea, nuts, Danish sweets.

Can you tell us the first thing that pops into your mind when we mention the word …

Breakfast...yum                 

Weekends...relaxing

People...mix bag

Pause...keyboard

Sound...healing

Smell...nature

Place...travel

Texture...tactile

Ritual...necessity

Color...black

What’s one thing you can’t live without at the moment?

Living in the forest

What are your words of wisdom?

Tap into your own unique gifts and don't follow the crowd.  It doesn't matter if your work isn't always popular.  Evolution and growth of your own practice feeds your soul.

 

Exhibition Open Hours:

Launch Night | Thursday 21 July 5pm - 8pm.
then
10am - 4pm on the following days in July
Friday 22  / Saturday 23 (closed Sun/Mon/Tues)
Wednesday 27 / Thursday 28 / Friday 29 / Saturday 30

 

Find Kim on Instagram, her website, and the Guild shop

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Guild Map Launch // Social Snaps

So you may have heard we collaborated with local illustrator Ashley Ronning on a map – specifically the Guild Of Objects' Guild to North Melbourne! Naturally, we had a little soiree to celebrate. Thanks so much to everyone who came along – here's some piccies of your faces. 

 



Photos by Linsey Rendell. 

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Maker of the Month – Ashley Ronning

For our first Maker of the Month for 2016, we introduce you to illustrator and zine maker extraordinaire Ashley Ronning. From her studio in Brunswick, Ashley sketches plants, ponders the cosmos, and explores anxiety with illustration. Her risograph creations are often dark and twisty, but also colourful and comical. She's also the maker behind our very own Guide to North Melbourne map! You can now pick up a copy in store, before taking it out for a test run in our wonderful neighbourhood.




Can you please tell us a little about yourself and your craft?

I live in a quiet corner of Brunswick in a 1950s-built, 1970s-renovated house with some good friends. I work in my studio just a short bike ride away from home, where I make my illustrations, zines and other projects. I grew up in Canberra and don’t go back to visit often enough! It was a great place to be as a kid, but I needed a change when I was old enough to flee the nest.

How did you first get started in illustration?

I was planning to stay in Canberra for university to study politics, but realised that it was absolutely not for me. Shillington College in Melbourne had the perfect graphic design course, and it wasn’t until after Shillington that I realised illustration was a possibility as a career! As for zines, I first saw them at small bookshops in Canberra and zine queen Vanessa Berry came to town to put on a zine workshop. She had me hooked!

 


What has the journey been like since those early days?

I felt a huge change when I met other illustrators and makers in Melbourne. It’s so amazing to have a go-to-gang for advice and support. I suppose my practice made a huge leap last year when I switched to full time. It has its stressful moments, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. 

Can you give us some insight into your creative process?

I get ideas from exhibitions, books, music or conversations, and often sketch out some ideas until I fall in love with something that I want to make into a drawing, print or zine. When I’m ready to begin the final piece, I make a rough sketch, refine it a little, and then ink over the top. If I’m risographing it, I’ll usually just draw the line work and then add layers of colour in photoshop, before churning it through the riso.




What does a typical day look like for you?

I usually wake up, sneak around the room in the dark so I don’t wake up the boyf, feed Fritz the cat, have some toast, hop on my bike to the studio, put on a pot of tea and fire up the computer. If I’m not feeling very inspired, I’ll organise online orders or answer emails, then I’ll usually do drawing in the middle of the day, and then risograph printing at the end of the day if I have printing to do. I do so many different projects so every day is different. Afterwards I’ll either head home to hang out with Fritz or go to an exhibition or gig.

What do you draw inspiration from? 

For over a year now I’ve been really inspired by space – I find it endlessly fascinating. I’ve also drawn a lot of inspiration from my trip to Japan last year, friends’ art, exhibitions, sci-fi books and films, and nature.




What are you reading at the moment? 

Men Like Gods by H.G. Wells. 

If we rummaged through your grocery bag, what would we find?

Pasta, pesto, zooper doopers, bread, broccoli, pumpkin. 

Can you tell us the first thing that pops into your mind when we mention the word … 

Weekends ... Halloumi for breakfast
People ... Sometimes
Pause ... Record player
Sound ... B-52s
Smell ... Tea
Place ... Tokyo
Texture ... Corduroy
Ritual ... Risograph
Colour ... Rainbow 

 

What's one thing you can't live without at the moment? 

Halloumi.

What are your words of wisdom?

Worry less about what others think and just keep making what you love! Eventually everyone else will realise you rule.

 

Find Ashley on Instagram, Twitterher website, and the Guild shop

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Spring has sprung!

The sky is bluer, the air is sweet with the scent of new blooms and the sun is casting warmer rays upon our corner of the world ...

Spring is here!

In-store that means we're all PLANTS and excellent PLANTERS to cuddle the precious roots of our leafy friends.   

pretty pastels

For this week's edit, we've taken cues from the new season's delivery of all things sugary sweet and floral – the sherbet hues of Niamh Minogue's bowls and Tessy King's boxes, the fairy floss pink of Melanie Rice's hoops, and the foliage gracing Edith Rewa's scarves.

We have lots of greenery at Guild including Ferns from $15, the popular String of Pearls, Ficus and huge air cleansing Peace Lillies for only $45. Easy care indoor plants are an affordable way to bring some Spring into your space.

To house your new 'apartment friendly pets' we've got hanging planters by Takeawei, macrame plant pods by Smalltown and just in are these big planters with bases from Alison Frith.

And if you don't carry the green-thumbed gene, you can kit out your walls with the unable-to-be-killed leafy prints from Elizabeth Barnett and Ashley Ronning.

Niamh Minogue bowl Ashley Ronning print Elise Sheehan necklace Edith Rewa scarf Melanie Rice bangle AL-MA earrings Tessy King box Bettina Willner Browne Melanie Rice earrings Two Hills rings Takeawei planter

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