Visiting Franz Marc Museum in Kochel am see

Finally after 14 years of wishing and hoping I made it to the Franz Marc Museum in Kochel am see! I first came across the artists Franz Marc in 1994 when I was studying art as an elective at highschool, and instantly I fell in love with his work and the artist himself. I must say that I thought the museum would feature photos and artifacts from his life but I was wrong it is a real gallery that feautres his work and that of other modern artists who were his friends or working around the same time. I think the house he had in Reid is actually set up in this fashion. I wish I knew where it was so I could visit it.

Here is the view of the museum from the carpark, the gardens are so beautiful as are the surrounding forrest and mountains.
Here is the view from the other side of the car park, the actual Kochel am see, ´lake Kochel´

And finally here I am standing outside of the Franz Marc museum. Thank you Axel for making my dream come true, driving me all the way across your country to see my beloved Franz Marc.

Swiss Crafts

I believe in my last post I promised some photos of traditional and local crafts that I came across in Switzerland. Here are some of those photos. I came across this bell making workshop and pottery studio when travelling with Regular and her dad through the Swiss mountains near her village.

These photos are of a workshop where bells for stock animals and decorations for horses are made. These bells and decorations would have been used more often in years gone by. Most of these in the photos are made for trophies. In the local villages they hold wrestling contests and the winners get a bell as a trophie. on the bell is inscribed the winners name, the year and event.
People also order these special silver bells as wedding gifts with the names of the couple written on the bell. I thought they were a wonderful idea and would love to get one for my wedding. I made sure Regular knew that hehehehehe! All the leather work and the making of the black and brass bells are done by hand. The wedding ones and others like them are made from casts rather than hammered into shape from a sheet of metal.

Here are some photos from the pottery studio. I loved every pieced in the store but in particular this fondu set that costs 500 euros almost 1000 australian dollars! Considering it is all hand made and painted it´s worth it. You could watch the artists create the different pieces and watch them paint them with the diffrent glazes. It was great to watch. Proof that they were indeed hand made and made locally.


Here I am picking out a small ceramic bunny. I wish I could afford more I would have bought so many more things if I had the cash!

I only have a few more days left in Germany and I am already starting to feel down, I don´t want to go back home. I´m just starting to feel settled and comfortable with the language barrier, different environment etc. I am also enjoying the extra time off work and uni and don´t really want to have to get to reality just yet. I don´t know how I am going to cope not seeing Axel again for 5 months, 4 months this time was hard enough. boooooo hoooooo hooooo!

Hello from Germany

Ok so I thought I´d have a bit more time to write but I have been on the road for two weeks traveling from northern to southern germany, then flying to Switzerland and back again. I must say it has been a very busy and awesome three weeks and I am already sad about having to go back home in a week. The country and it´s people have been wonderful. Axel´s family and friends have been welcoming and helpful which makes it even harder to leave in a week. Anyhow I thought I would just take this opportunity to tell you all that everyone loved their handmade presents and I found out that Axel´s mum was looking for cushions for that room for over 6 months but couldn´t find any she liked! until mine came along hehehehe so I was glad that I chose to make cushions and not table runners. Axel and his brother and his girlfriend loved the quilt for the baby, baby Lena who I have totally fallen in love with.

I am already starting to think about what I could make for everyone´s Christmas presents, more granny blankets, Christmas stockings and some cross stitches I think or some scarfs and hats considering it will be winter. Anyhow I have 5 months to work it all out.

Here are some photos, highlights from the past 3 weeks...

The cushions in the Remy´s lounge room.

Looking at Axel´s baby photos, awwww so cute! hasn´t changed much hehehehe.

Driving on the ´WRONG´side of the road, ok ok ok the right side of the road!

Meeting up with Bernard who was responsible for introducing me to Axel in Melbourne

Meeting up with friends from Contiki Australia, Thomas in Munich and Regular in Lucern Switzerland

Finally visiting the Franz Marc museum in Kochel am see a 14 year dream of mine finally came true also visited Franz Marc´s grave in Kochel.

There are so many other highlight but I´ve just realised how late it is and I have promised to cook lunch tomorrow, Axel´s mum is working night shift so I wanted to cook so she doesn´t have to worry. I will post some more photos later, there are some great photos from Switzerland which show some local craft, awesome stuff I tell ya. Till then I hope everyone is well and enjoying their summer or winter weather.

My Turn!

I've realised I have spent so much time making things for other people that I have never really made anything for myself. The only thing I have for myself is the quilt I made when first learning to quilt. It was a square on square pattern I made as part of a class at Spotlight in Werribee. oh I lie, one more thing, a small lapghan, my first granny square project, that I've also managed to keep. So having said that I am starting to put a list together of all the things I want to make for MYSELF! I have been looking on the internet, googling images, flicking through craft magazines and visiting endless craft blogs and have been inspired by so many of the things I've seen.

Here is a list of things I want to make for myself

1. I am in love with quilts that have house blocks on them, I want to make either a wall hanging or bed cover with cute houses on it. Here are some images off the interent that have inspired me.

2. I have always loved cross stitch samplers and want to make my own 'Home Sweet Home' sampler that has flowers, a sampler house, birds and bees and rabbits as part of the design as well as an alphabet set of course. I want to frame it in a lovely antique wooden frame and hang it in the entrance of my home as people enter in. The above picture is off the Internet and just gives you and idea of the look I want, it is not the type of imagery I want though.

3. I want my own large size granny square blanket that I can throw over my couch and use as a blanket and snuggle under while watching television on a cold winter's night. I want it to incorporate a range of fun colours that will cheer me up on a cold day.

I love this one off the Granny Along flicker group site, who ever made it I love it!!!! It's so yummy looking and cosy.

4. I want to get back to painting and make some paintings that feature beautiful bunnies, I think maybe even a portrait of my dear bunny Charlotte. I just love the detail in the painting below. I think I would like to paint something like that or at least start collecting some 'bunny' paintings like the one below.

Even as I write this entry I am reminded of the quilt I need to finish for my sister's wedding, the beaded necklaces I have started to put in my etsy show, I will talk about that another time once I get it set up completely. And I've got to finish the children's cross stitch sampler for my friend's baby. I haven't touched it in 6 months and his first birthday is in September. It was supposed to be a 'birth' day present but I just haven't finished it.

Ahh looks like it will still be a while before I can start something for myself. Oh but I wait patiently for that day!

Finished Crochet and Felted Presents

Hi everyone I can't believe how longs its been since I last posted, over a month! There has been lots going on though. I am still in the process of cleaning my rental property but at least the new fence is up, the house is completely painted and the garden has been attended to. There was actually 4 truck loads of rubbish we had to take to the tip, can you believe it?! All that's left now is to clean and repair the roof and to build steps at the back door. I don't know when I'll be able to get new tenants but it is stressing me out financially.

Anyhow enough of that and onto crafty news! I have finally finished my boyfriend's granny square blanket and it looks pretty good if I don't say so myself. It is so warm and comfy. I've given it a wash with fabric softeners and it smells so lovely. I've also made two necklaces with handmade felt beads using the wool from my uncle's farm. These have been made as gifts for friends overseas. I've also finished the cushion covers for Axel's parents complete with zips which my mum helped me sew on.

Here are some photos of the completed projects. First photos is of the necklace I made for my Swiss friend Regular who I met last year as part of a Contiki tour of central Australia. I am going to see her as part of my trip to Germany- weekend stop to Switzerland yay! Second photo is of course a photo of the finished blanket for Axel.

I hope everyone is well and thank you for still visiting my blog even though I have neglected it to some extent. I promise I will blog more often now that I have finished reports for work and assignments for uni. I will be in Germany as of next Sunday and will stay there for four weeks so hopefully I'll be able to give you a bit of a tour of the country as I travel around and let you know what the recipients of my crafty presents think of them.

Take care and keep on crafting!

House Cleaning

I have resettled a little after the last post, thanks mainly to my beautiful bf Axel and his words of wisdom and the comments shared by Inger C at Hello Craft Lovers reminding me that there is plenty of time to be an artist as we never stop being one, it's something you can go back to at anytime in your life. I do have to say though I still feel like it is something I should be doing now when I am younger rather than older. I am scared domestic life, kids husband will really take over then and seal the creative envelope shut. But of course these are fears and not necessarily my future reality.

Anyhow I finally had my tenants move out of my house I lease and have started on the big 'clean up'. Now I know things could have been worse but at the same time the house was not left in the best of states and outside was worse, things broken and nothing I could actually claim. Very annoying. If there is anyone here from Melbourne I tell you John Kontek, Sunshine has failed to manage my property properly. They have not done one inspection over the last 3.5 years and have made appointments with us to inspect the property and not shown up only later to argue that they did not make an appointment with us. Ha! obviously we just dreamt up the date and time. And above all they have lost my last months rent by telling the tenants to pay after they move out. As if they are going to pay after they move out. Seriously why should I miss out on money if they want to be lazy and not do their job as they should. Anyhow I think I will take matters further with them. Not happy Jan!

Anyhow all weekend we have been painting and cleaning and this weekend we will start on the backyard. I need to get the roof fixed and painted and also put up a new fence. My parents have been awesome. Mum has helped me paint and dad is going to help with the removal of a broken down patio and the fence. The Garden needs a good clean up too, there is ivy growing on the side of the house that is about 9 feet tall.

I must say I will be happy when it is all finished, clean and fresh smelling with less out of control plant life and a 6'4 fence so nosey neighbours can't peep in. Oh must not forget all finished off with a non-leaking roof!

Fine Art in Contemporary Craft

For a while now I have been contemplating on pursuing and developing an art practice that incorporates crafts like crocheting and felting but in a way that is more sophisticated and is designed as fine art rather than just decorative craft. I was browsing at the local 'arty' book store in Yarraville and found a book called By Hand which presents the craft based artwork of a variety of artists. Every artist is also presented with their own artists' statement as well as 3 or 4 photos of their work.

The book is edited by Shu Hung and Joseph Magliaro, and those of you in Australia buy it off Amazon.com it's much cheaper, if only I'd known. The work itself covers a variety of media from cake decorating to freehand sewing even crochet in the form of granny squares!

Shane Waltener, Sweet Nothing, An intimate history of cake decorating, 2005

Coffee Maker M.I.M, 2001 Margarita Cabrera

I don't know what I am going to do... I have this urge inside to create 'fine art' again and not just make handmade presents for friends and family. I want to become serious about my art again but I am not sure if it's for all the right reasons. I am starting to worry that I haven't made serious art for so long that I have lost any chance of making it in the art world. Then I start thinking oh what a waste of time going to art school for 4 years and what will people think who have known me as a kid with a pencil in my hand? The problem is if I think about it real hard and look deep down and honestly about my desire to make art again it could all be because I still have a silly teenage idea that being an artist is cool and if I am an artist then I can be cool or 'interesting'. It's so stupid. I bumped into a ex lecturer and my honours year supervisor at the train station the other day. It was lovely to see her but at the same time at the back of your head you can't help but think maybe you failed her by not continuing to purse an artistic career.

I think back on my years at art school. I do love making art creating and designing. But at the end when I have an artwork finished and I think of the art world and exhibiting, the snobbery and academics that run the show it makes me want to slit my wrists. I am a miserable artists and a happy teacher who acknowledges that she is a daggy teacher who thinks she wants to be a cool artist. I sure am an idiot at times!

I think I will email that lecturer and make a coffee date...