Herbert and Friends - Handmade Softies by Torunn

I'd like to introduce you to Charlie Bowie, possibly the biggest Bowie fan ever! He's a custom request and likely the coolest rabbit in the world! 

After a super busy couple of weeks at Gaffa gallery, all the critters wanted to do was relax! Some of them snuggled up in bed to read Insurgent by Veronica Roth which was decidedly not relaxing because it was so suspenseful! They literally couldn't stop reading it until it was finished and then they all looked despairingly at the book because it was over! 

Meanwhile, Marlo the wombat and Isabella the koala were downstairs on the couch playing TAKI, an excellent Israeli version of UNO, some would say it's roughly 65% more fun than UNO! Although, Marlo wasn't all too pleased with the game because he lost four games in a row!  

In the end Marlo did manage to win a few games and then he was also in agreement, TAKI was definitely 65% more fun than UNO.  

The polaroid camera is finished! Here are some pics of Herbert and Thea testing it out..

Then it was Ferris' turn to have his photo taken...

Here's the 'camera in the making' video!!

Music by Tobio

The critters have been thoroughly enjoying their stay at Gaffa - here's a little peek into what they've been getting up to...  

They usually start the day with a rigorous game of ping-pong. These games can get a little heated and there are sometimes disputes over score keeping, so they've found it's best to have an 'umpire' there to keep the peace. 

Then it's off to the Gaffa shop to see what goodies they can find.

Trying on the jewellery is always a must!

Then it's off upstairs to the gallery to view the artworks. There's always something new to discover! 

They often finish the day with a game of hide-and-seek, although there's not always a lot of seeking being done because they all prefer hiding!

If you want to stop by for a visit or a game of ping-pong, Gaffa is open Mon - Fri 10am - 6pm,  281 Clarence Street, Sydney!

I had such a great and productive time at Gaffa that I decided to stay an extra week! I'll be there Monday to Friday 10am - 6pm working hard in my little pop-up shop/gallery/studio, and I'm always happy to have a chat, so come on down! The critters are also enjoying their new space (more on that to come). 

Below is a photo of me working hard, taken by the talented Melissa Howe. I also included a photo of the polaroid camera I'm making and the model. I still have a little way to go on the camera but there will be more photos soon! 

Today was day 1 of the Gaffa Gallery Arcade Project for the critters and I. Below are some photos of our little set-up, it's nice and cosy! I'll be in the space sewing for the next three days so feel free to stop by if you're around! Opening hours are 10am - 6pm each day and there'll be an exhibition opening on Thursday night which means we'll be open until 8pm on Thursday. The address is 281 Clarence Street, Sydney CBD.

Thank you to everyone who had suggestions for felt sculptures! In the end I decided on an old polaroid camera, which is under way! Stay tuned for updates...

After two days straight of solid rain, Penelope and Alice couldn't stand being inside any longer!! They searched around for gumboots and umbrellas that were suited to their size, but failing to find any they settled for one human-sized gumboot each and one very large umbrella. Having both legs inside one boot limited their mobility somewhat, so they played eye-spy and who am I, but at least they were outside! 

Penelope and Alice will be on their way to Hope and Me, a shop in Launceston, Tasmania in the next few days. Hopefully they'll have better luck with the weather there! 

This weekend I'll be setting up a small pop-up shop/gallery space as part of the Gaffa Arcade Projects. Very exciting! I'll be there in person next week from Tuesday to Friday 10am - 6pm each day, doing the shop thing and my plan is to also make one of my felt sculptures while I'm there. For those of you who aren't familiar with them, here are some that I prepared earlier. Each one is completely hand-sewn and it usually takes me between 4 - 10 days to complete one, depending on the detail and degree of difficulty. I wanted to ask you all if there's some mechanical object that you've been wanting to see a replica of in felt? It's usually a fairly common domestic item, I'm open to suggestions! Then if your in Sydney next week you can stop by, have a chat and see me make it! 

Amon woke up so early this morning no one else was awake, so to pass the time Amon decided to have a look through the bookshelf and see if anything took his fancy. What he found was The A-Z of Art which he couldn't put down (he'd never seen anything quite like it!), and Ways of Seeing by John Berger. This got Amon thinking - maybe he could be an artist! There was only one way to find out...

He decided painting would be a good place to start his artistic career. His only concern was getting paint on himself, so he quickly found an old t-shirt and cut it into an apron. 

He then managed to locate some paint, a few brushes, a couple of canvases and even an easel which was just the right size! 

Amon thought flowers would be the perfect subject matter for his first ever painting. And was it ever!  

When his painting Still-life with Yellow Flowers was complete, Amon realised he was more talented than he could've ever imagined! 

To find out how far his artistic talent could take him, Amon asked for a volunteer to be the subject of his next painting - it would be a portrait. Kevin the Koala came forward quite excitedly because he'd never had his portrait painted before! 

It took slightly longer than Kevin had anticipated and he almost fell asleep at one point. 

Finally the portrait was finished! Amon was super pleased with his second painting, in some ways he thought it was even better than his first painting! He remembered he'd heard mention of a painting portrait prize in the past - Archimould or something like that. He made a mental note to check the submission date because with this portrait of Kevin he reckoned he was in with a good chance!  

Kevin was also very happy with the portrait, the only thing he wasn't quite sure about was his nose (he's sure it's not that big in real life), but he didn't say this to Amon. 

As it happens, Amon the Artist is a GIVEAWAY! To win this very talented yeti here's what you have to do:

1. head over to the Herbert & Friends facebook page 
2. 'like' the Herbert & Friends facebook page
3. 'like' the giveaway post
4. share the giveaway post

The giveaway is open until 5pm this Wednesday 6th June and the winner will be drawn at random. 
Good luck!!!