April has been a wonderful month – arriving back from Japan gave me a burst of energy and inspiration.
Also because my March blog focused solely on my travel journal in Japan, I thought I’d include a few other March highlights here too. This blog is a jumbled mess so I apologise in advance for that…
IN THE STUDIO
My washi tapes arrived! I have two designs of washi tape now and am so so pleased with how they turned out!
I had another delivery of the organic magpie print tea towels and some new reef fishy purses. These will come in handy in May as I am a stall holder at The Home Collective.
  
As always the progress with the calendar continues, I’m really looking forward to seeing this project completed. In July/August the original artworks for this will be exhibited at Tiny Tree cafe.
I’ve also been working on a few commissions and for Easter I painted this little bilby friend as my first ever giveaway 🙂 I’ve always loved bilby’s so it seemed a fitting way to share some Easter joy.
APRIL (AND MARCH) FEEL A BIT LIKE..
April and March were both very positive months. Spending March over in Japan was an incredible source of inspiration, however it did mean many aspects of my arts practice were halted. When I arrived home, I felt behind and overwhelmed – I am now finally feeling like I’m back on my feet, but it took a good while to settle back into it. Honestly, I have so much creative energy I don’t know what to do with it.
THE GOOD AND NEW STUFF
I joined the IA (Illustrators Australia)! This is an organisation that is there to help build and support the illustration industry in Australia. It’s important to be a part of these movements, as it is what creates a better working environment for creatives.
I’ve also kept up painting and drawing in my sketchbook. I’m aiming to make this a habit as I enjoyed it so much in Japan.
As I mentioned before, I’ll be having a stall at The Home Collective in May. I’m so excited for this, and also a little nervous. My dad and I are building some merchandising together, he’s super handy and I learn so much every time we work on these projects.
EXHIBITIONS aaand also gardens
Ok, so I went to some pretty mind blowing exhibitions and gardens in Japan – I’ll just list my top picks below:
- MOMAT – Tokyo
Bah! Go here! The exhibition was so fantastic and its so close to Tokyo Imperial Palace.
- Tokyo Imperial Palace
- Kyoto Botanic Garden
- Borderless TeamLab Tokyo
Go to any exhibition by TeamLab – they are always well worth it (although a bit crowded!)
FAVOURITES
Well my first favourite is Japan. Just as a whole. Love it.
My second favourite would have to be a new podcast ‘The Cute Life’ by Finnley Elliott. Finnley is an artist based in Hastings, England. I really appreciate hearing her insight into being a freelancer, as well as her dog and ghost stories.
The third favourite has been life – I’m so loving life right now. I’m loving being able to spend so much time doing art and being in choirs and having a part time job that aligns with my values and chickens and nature and everything!
Sorry again for how poorly this month’s blog as been written – but I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who reads it anyway! Let’s take on May with a very excited paint brush.
INGRID BARTKOWIAK 