A stirring at the station…

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It’s been a wee while since the last post and we have to confess that the workshops have been in a state of almost total inertia for the last month and a half…the Muzzbotts have been staying, say no more. [Hey, it’s a work-life-family priority/balance kinda thang. Family always wins. n(Ed)]

But those lazy hazy crazy days of summer are finally winding up and the advent of our favourite season, Autumn, has lured us back to the fray. The arvo lights have returned to the workshop – hoorah – and it’s such a pleasure hanging out in there (…not least in anticipation of happy hour!)

Anyways, Megsie’s kicked the year off supersizing the oyster shells in drop-dead gorgeous, lickable pink…

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Megan Bottari, lost wax cast lead crystal oyster shells, dimensions variable.

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…and augmenting the colour range, inspired by local beaches; Pambula River Mouth turquoise,  Tathra blue, Eden deep green/blue, and so forth (…so that ‘lazy’ summer has, let’s face it, been quite gainfully spent!) Never fear, it’s not that we’re creatively stuck on the oysters – but the very fact that we live in prime oyster territory (Tathra’s Nelson Lake oysters have won Best Oysters in NSW for donkey’s years, Wapengo’s close on their heels and the list goes on and on) makes it akin to a sacrilege to merely sideline them. And who would want to, they’re so delicious in that fabulous Blackwood crystal.

Megsie

Ginger, meanwhile, after working on the drawings on and off for the last year and a bit, has finally kicked into metal – we’re talking her Ratsutra series, people (eagerly awaited by those in the know.) These’ll be released from time to time (as she gets around to them – she’s got other projects on the go) and in no particular order. First cab off the rank is…

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Ginger Bottari, Ratsutra #9, saw pierced brushed titanium brooch

Ginger Bottari, Ratsutra #9, pencil and ink drawing

Ginger Bottari, Ratsutra #9, pencil and ink drawing

Ginger

So cute, we’re loving ’em.

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.

Ginger’s latest bling…

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…a classy new production line we call Crownies, cast silver…

pendantsGinger Bottari, Crownies, pendants

brooches  Ginger Bottari, Crownies, brooches

earrings (plain)Ginger Bottari, Crownie earrings (plain)

earrings (fancy)Ginger Bottari, Crownie earrings (fancy)

Ginger Bottari, general Crownie Ware

Plus more of the serious kit, the Caged Pearls, silver and South Sea pearls…

earringsGinger Bottari, Caged Pearls (earrings)

pendantsGinger Bottari, Caged Pearls (pendants)

And some of those real cute l’il critters, for the Vernacular Reassignment (yowie-wowie) series, saw pierced titanium, stainless steel, found objects (collected)

TiggerGinger Bottari, Yowie Wowie (Tigger)

JimminyGinger Bottari, Yowie Wowie (Jimminy)

CockyGinger Bottari, Yowie Wowie (Cocky)

WombyGinger Bottari, Yowie Wowies (Womby)

BattyGinger Bottari, Yowie Wowie (Batty)

Ginger Bottari, Yowie Wowies

Adorable.

We’ll be loading it all up on the Atelier page shortly.

Ginger

Open studio…

Yesterday marked our first annual Prisoners of the Crown Open Studio day…

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prisoners of the crown

prisoners of the crown

prisoners of the crown

prisoners of the crown

prisoners of the crown

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prisoners of the crown

And so we had a lovely steady trickling through of ridgy-didge retrogrades for the Mugshot parade…

[Though we did miss a number of you, sorry – couldn’t cover all bases. We’ll make sure we have a dedicated snapper on hand next year. n(Ed)]

Big love to Nicky who drove down from Canberra and back just for the day (sterling effort!) and Meegs for the gladioli and Pimms (fab!)

Next public PoC Open Studio Day: Sunday 12th November 2017

Ned biz…

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This week has marked the anniversary of the Kelly Gang’s infamous shootout with the traps at Stringybark Creek (in the Wombat Ranges) – setting them on a fatalistic course culminating in Glenrowen, Ned’s capture and his consequent execution.

Megan Bottari, 'Stringybark Creek: vignette #1', gunshot glass(fused), vintage police fence paling

Megan Bottari, Stringybark Creek: vignette #1, gun shot glass (fused & sandblasted), vintage police fence paling

Megan Bottari, Stringybark Creek: vignette #1, gun shot glass (fused), vintage police fence paling


Megan Bottari, 'Stringybark Creek: vignette #1', gun shot glass(fused), vintage police fence paling