Category Archives: Eye-catchers

Heritage contemporised…

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When everything old is new again. The charm of contemporary jewellery is that marriage of the craft, the art historic and the zeitgeist of the present day (with mutual respect for all three) – particularly in the case of cultural artefacts. Because tradition is a beautiful thing, all the more so in an au courant context. Which brings us to Giuseppe Jack Alexander Murray’s Christening present: what to gift a wee bairn of Scottish-Australian/Sicilian heritage to fittingly celebrate his entree to the heterogeneous tribe…

 

Ginger Bottari, Murray clan pin, saw pierced brushed titanium, opal and gemstone.

It’s his kilt pin (sans dagger, in the spirit of universal pacifism.)

Over 100 hours in the making (63 saw blades!), 8 layers, the opal to mirror his Antipodean roots – here’s hoping he’ll be a Wild Colonial Boy! – and a bucket of unadulterated Sicilian sentimentality.

A labour of love. Priceless.

 

Ginger

But wait, there’s more…

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Megsie’s been expanding the fleet, and getting fanciful with a childhood favourite. You can’t imagine how much fun she’s having in the workshop…

 

Megan Bottari Surf and Turf Fleet Review 2

Megan Bottari, Surf and Turf: Fleet Review (against the tide), lost wax cast Australian lead crystal

Megan Bottari, Without a paddle (Bluebell, from the Surf and Turf series)

Megan Bottari, Without a paddle (Bluebell, from the Surf and Turf series), lost wax cast Australian lead crystal

Megan Bottari, Surf and Turf Fleet Review 5

Megan Bottari, Surf and Turf: Fleet Review (against the tide), lost wax cast Australian lead crystal

Megan Bottari, The Owl and the Pussycat

Megan Bottari, The Owl and the Pussycat, lost wax cast Australian lead crystal

Megan Bottari, The Owl and the Pussycat (rear).jpg

Megan Bottari, The Owl and the Pussycat series.jpg

Megan Bottari, Cat Overboard!

Megan Bottari, Cat Overboard!

 

Megsie

Ode to the Far South Coast….

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Fresh from Megsie’s oven is a new series of work, Surf and Turf, referencing all we hold dear about the agrarian-coastal culture of this glorious corner of NSW that we call home. We have the best oysters in the state (Tathra – wins every year!), fabulous seafood, divine beaches, a pristine (Wilderness Coast) environment and, last but never least, moo cows galore.

But of course that’s merely the surface chat (they’re not really just a promo for our delectable region!) – they’re so much more besides, not least being a classic example of Megsie’s inimitable narrative bent (and her predilection for a tasty melange of material and vernacular.)

We’ve only just launched these little sweeties on their Odyssean adventure, and Megsie’ll be back in the workshop this week to expand the fleet…

 

Megan Bottari, Surf and Turf, lost wax cast Australian lead crystal

Cast with our glass of choice, James Thompson’s fabulous Blackwoods lead crystal (love it!)

[Mmm, we can feel our fave culinary fusion coming on…yum yum yum!! n(Ed)]

 

Megsie

Melbourne with the Muzzbotts…

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The Gang jumped into the Dreadnought last week for a quick dash to Melbs to pick up the Muzzbotts/have a pre-xmas fall-about with Granny (…with the sub-plot of Sir Galahad’s Exotica-ca Tour de Banksy) and what a jolly good romp it was. Fast and furious, just the way we likes it (as in get in, get out.) Especially at this time of year, when the city’s at its most frenetic; summed up so perfectly by Banksy’s Christ with Shopping Bags…

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…and img_7545-1

Fabbo. All that and more, but perhaps we’ll put it in some sort of vague order…

First up we hung about the Queen Vic Night Market with the Murray boys, as you do…

Chef Iain

fanging

Marky Mark
 Ging, Granny and those Murray boys

And then we had our Big Art Fix; Banksy (what else?) Which didn’t disappoint, always so much cooler in the flesh, eh…

Have a nice day

…and, of course, the man himself has the last word…

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Heaps more to see (we just chucked in our personal faves) – totally worth the bother.

And then we were off to our Christmas treat with Granny; High Tea at the Windsor followed by our habitual bevie with Chloe…

Granny and Chloe

…one of our favourite, and enduring, cultural observances.

And then we forgot to take our camera with us on our night out with Marky and Cormack…

…but we had it the next day at Din Tai Fung (where, omg, we thought we’d died and gone to heaven – best dumplings EVER)…

Din Tai Fung

And then we caught up with the lovelies at The Warehouse Pizzeria…

Pizza maestro Norm

Anthony and Adele

…and sugar artist extraordinaire Tina at Sugardrops Cake Studio…

Tina and Iain

xmas gingerbreads from the Sugardrop Cake Studio

…before finally Beating the Retreat…to Toora – for a wind-down in Bevie’s gorgeous garden followed by a divine day at Wilson’s Prom (our first ocean swim of the season)…

foraging with Bev

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Perfeck.

The cherry on top…

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Red letter day here at the workshop;  George and Ian were back to finish off the lighting – kiln bay, coldshop and last-but-so-far-from-least…drumroll, maestro…Netster’s blown glass Paper Lanterns! Omigod, we are in dead set seventh heaven…

workshop lighting

workshop lighting

workshop lighting

workshop lighting

workshop lighting

workshop lighting

Betty Blair blown glass paper lanterns

Beyond fabulous/perfect way to top off the studio fit out. And then, as if that wasn’t enough, the arvo lights are back…

Wyndham lights

It’s just the beginning.

Wyndham sunset

And contentment settles lightly as a sigh.

[Loving those lanterns Netty, thanks big time, you ROCK. For those who don’t know the Netster (hard to imagine!), you can acquaint yourself with annette blair: glass here. n(Ed)]