home is where the cat is

During my trip to Japan, I was lucky enough to meet lots of cat friends around the quieter streets and in cat cafes. I decided to create a zine which compiled all those wonderful furry little buddies including some unforgettable things I was introduced to along the way. I named it 'Home Is Where The Cat Is' in dedication to my cat who I missed terribly while I was away. It was so relevant during my trip, I never felt quite at home till I had my cat back in my arms. I love you so much Spraynard Krueger.

LIST OF THINGS TO DO BEFORE JAPAN

Since I have been working non stop since my partner and I booked our tickets to Japan about 6 months ago, I have left quite a lot of things to the very last minuet for our trip.

Things to do before going away in 7 days time:

-Fully charge my SLR camera
-Get power plugs for all of our electrical equipment we are bringing
-Decorate the front of my travel visual journal (which I will be using to draw at least one picture every say!)
-Download all of the music I want to travel with (Like FKA Twigs, HABITS, Oscar Key Sung and anything flowing and mellow)
-Decorate my sneakers with fabric paint so they have the same pattern on them like my jeans
-Kiss my cat one hundred times because I am gonna miss her guts like cray
-Give my winter jacket to my cousin Sca to borrow while I am gone because she really likes it and I wont be needing it in Japan because Japan will be hot as.

YAYAYAYAYAY!!! Well, the next time I will be writing is hopefully when I get to Osaka because that is the next time I will have a day of freedom to myself.

Peace xxx

Trip to Japan!!!!

 I am super duper excited about my trip to Japan which will be in July with my wonderful partner. It will be my second time there and I know for a fact that as soon I get back home I am going to start planning to go over again!!! (I am super obsessed)
So far, the plan is to land in Tokyo, go to the Island of cats for my birthdya which will be the third day in. (It is an island covered in cats!!!!) stay there for a week, go to Kyoto and stay in a traditional house for a week, head over to Naoshima for some robot fun times for another week, then head over to Osaka to see the wonderful water and temples for a week and then spend one last week in Tokyo again. 
WHAT A PLAN!!!
My partner is really into Japanese robot anime and action figures so we will be doing a lot of searching in Tokyo for some little friends to take home with us. 
I love Studio Ghibli so we are definatly going to go to the Ghibli museum for a looksy. I also loooooove kupi dolls and i have heard there is a super cool historical museum full of dolls which I am super keen about seeing too.

I plan to do at least one highly rendered sketch a day in my scrap book which i will be bringing and i plan to take a photo of the sketches with a Japanese background to post on my blog so watch for those! 

 
These are traditional wooden Geisha dolls from Japan. My aunt gave me two when I was just a little girl and I still love them and cherish them. Aren't they cool!

Small collaboration exhibition

To start off the curatorial side of my career, I have come up with a concept for a very small exhibition to develop which focuses on collaborations with illustrators/designers and writers who are Melbourne based.

The idea that is forming is also to involve a zeen  format which is such a wonderful concept in its own right. Each illustrator/designer will find a collaborating partner in the field of creative writing to develop a stunning collection of artworks. Each artwork shall consist of one line to a paragraph of a story or idea which the writer will create on their own, then pass on to the artist for them to develope a partnering image to go with the text to further expand the concept of the text.

Each collaboration should aim for A5 to A3 formats and 5 works between them. Each work shall be archival printed which I shall organize to lower costs for the artists.

The step I am up to presently is finding an appropriate place to hold the small exhibition. I am looking around for the right kind of spaces as we speak and as soon as I find the space, I will be formally contacting the artists and writers if they would like to involve themselves in this humble little project.
   

                                 Editorial Illustration "Tree" 2010

Extra Little Pieces

Hello all!
Since I have been working on a large collection of sculptures at the moment, I seem to find myself with a bit of time on my hands between layering my paint. This is the worst because I hate not having anything to do with my hands, so I have started to pick random tracks on my computer to play and then I choose a line of the lyrics to create a little design of while I wait.
Here is one I did briefly with rubber cut out stamps I made myself.

The lyrics come from a Coco Rosie song from one of their earlier albums. It is a super sweet song.

Spirit Eye Artwork

Spirit Eye 2013Acrylic on wood

Clusters

This collection of work is a visual representation of a cluster of science fiction genitals mating and floating in the futuristic atmosphere of our universe. No gender differentiates them, only slight changes in texture and tone give them an identity.

                                    

                         
 

Midsumma opening party

My lovely studio members and I were invited to celebrate the opening of the 2014 Midsumma festival at the NAB building along with our very talented copywriter friend Luke. It was a night of champagne, colourful performers and drag queens which happen to be a few of my favourite things.

With only a matter of days till the exhibition opening of my show, I am super excited and proud of Jessie, Stacey and myself with he quality and depth of our work this year.

Midsumma Festival Event

Here is the link to the Hello Sunshine event, From the Ilk exhibition.



 http://www.midsumma.org.au/program/visual-arts/from-the-ilk   

Science fiction genitals

For my newest body of work for the exhibition which is coming up in January, I have decided to reflect on evolution and the possible future of man kind. I have started to produce a fictional example of what humans may look like in the future. I have done this by producing a floating cluster of colourful orbs which represent non gender specific genitals.

So far, it has been a really enjoyable project to work on and it has helped me understand my stance on the unnecessary and sometimes destructive nature of gender.

For my inspiration, I have looked upon a collection of different psychedelic mediums which has in some way or another had an impact on me through my life.

Illustration Page

Hey there, I finally got around to becoming apart of the FB world by creating a promotional Illustration page.

Here is the Link:

https://www.facebook.com/erikadevosillustrations#!/erikadevosillustrations

Hope you enjoy.xxx

Kaleidoscope projection concept:

This work explores the relationship between chance and evolutionary advancement. It is a kaleidoscope which is attached to a light and simple motor mechanism that can be projected onto a wall. Inside the kaleidoscope, the small shapes which are projected onto the wall form an abstract, beautiful pattern which resembles genetic codes and atom clusters.  

The projection is a visual representation of the evolution of living creatures and the vast possibilities that could await mankind in the future. It also explores the idea of human genetics, the beauty of the individual and the potential for evolution. No genetic makeup is ever the same as we are constantly evolving and it is impossible to predict the exact course of this development.

Though we as humans constantly try to predict what may be waiting for us in the future, we can never be certain. Take, for example, the kitsch illustrations of the future which were so prevalent during the 1950s. They predicted a world of metallic, hovering manmade contraptions and scenes with hardly an organic element in sight. Although some present day architects and designers reference these images in modern structures, it is evident that their vision of the future was somewhat overzealous in comparison to the reality of today.  

The kaleidoscope explores this idea by presenting us with ever changing designs which can never be repeated and are always unique patterns. As the viewer, we cannot predict the way the shapes will fall. Will the atom clusters fall in such a way that the very genetic structure of mankind is altered? Is it possible to imagine a world where humans have evolved past such concepts as gender and race?

The project represents the amalgamation of genes and atoms to produce a stronger, more capable creature which will, in turn, be a more equipped survivor.

 

 

Science Fiction Mania!

i have watched quite a few science fiction films as of late. they have really inspired my work and i have been freaking myself out with them just for kicks.

new studio space.

recently my two illustrator buddies Jessie and Stacey have moved in with me to a studio space in Brunswick. The space in called Norm and it is really wonderful. it has a fully stocked power tool workshop for us to use for our 3d works and wood works. it has a huge space upstairs which we will be using for some future exhibitions and our studio is wonderfully private.
i have spent ALL of my spare time there, finishing off some projects and getting ready for new ones. the space is a really great place which has helped me focus and become extremely productive.
here are just a few shots of the layout of my section of the studio. hope you enjoy.xx

 

Anna Smyrk and the Appetites

i finished the three designs for the band Anna Smyrk and the appetites. it was a load of fun to do because of how commercial i had to be with the style so as to appeal to their audience. i love doing music related work the most because it is also a highly creative field and you can listen to the music you are doing the job for whilst working to really get into the mood of the project. anyhoo, here they are starting with the album cover and back cover

and here is the postcard front and back design

and last but not least the poster design (not including tour information)

i have to give a huge thank you to anna for asking me to do this for her, i really enjoyed myself and really love the final outcome which we were able to come up with. if you need some good new tunes i highly recommend her great band. they are all really talented musicians.

Album cover brief

So I was asked by the very talented Anna Smyrk if I would be able to design their up and coming Apocalypse album cover. i said yes and here we are! pretty much, what was wanted was an attractive image to follow the idea of an apocalypse but not necessarily to approach it in a negative way. we came up with a design which resembled a brilliantly colourful explosion of watercolour shapes. here is the process and where i am up to at this point. i will present the finished cover, promotional song credit postcards and poster when i have completed them.

Please stay inspired xoxo

I have recently gone through one of my no touch of the paintbrush fazes which happens to me every so often. I really get sad in this time but for some reason I feel unable to avoid indulging in apathetic nonsense. To remove myself out of this scheduled funk, I popped (not literally) into the local giant cheapo Asian store for my version of a good old fashioned shopping spree. These shopping sprees usually cost me around $15 to $20 and totally excite me to once again get stuck into being creative and doing my illustrations.  

This time round, I scored a whole bunch of stunningly coloured plastic bowls which I will use to put all my pencils and brushes in. I have noticed that every few months, I need to change the appearance of my studio to keep my environment fresh and interesting. The only one thing that stays the same is my collection of little toys which sit on top of my set of draws.

 

 

 

Oh maaaaaaan, you should have seen all the options of brightly coloured containers! It was a feast for the eyes and it made me feel like I was back in japan!

 

Next time you feel gloomy and drained of inspiration or motivation, try getting a new, cheap tacky little pencil holder or something of that nature. It really does the trick and it doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg like the crap they have in kiki k or smiggle.

 

Also, if you are working and like to listen to something while you create, I suggest escape from illustrator island podcasts. It is so wonderful. I have learnt a lot of little tid bits about the illustration industry through these guys.

Here is a link to one podcast about studio feng shui which was really great.

http://illustrationage.com/2010/04/13/efii-podcast-episode-30-workspaces/

 

BAR AS SPIRIT MOUNTAIN

GIF FOR YOU MY SWEETIES 2

GIF FOR YOU MY SWEETIES.xx