Art and Life blog of Lisa Falzon

New site and blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:07:00 +0000

I have moved!

Finally I have a proper site again with all the bells and whistles.. and that includes a new blog location too!

Please make sure you redirect your feeds to the new location, to get the feeds go to

www.lisa-falzon.com

and check out the RSS button on the right hand sidebar.

Thank you so much for following this blog. XOXO

Fall 2011 Wearable Art collection...

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 20:39:00 +0000

Will go live in my shop tomorrow (Sunday 4th) at 8pm GMT.

As there's only one of each item I am giving fair warning ahead in case there was a special one you fancied!

there'll be earrings....

rings....

.. and pendants.

All in handmade boxes, ready for shipping out.

They'll be in the Wearable Art section of my shop (go figure :P) so you can RSS to that if you liked, even!

:) XO

As to packaging...

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:39:00 +0000

I do love things that come in pretty packages. This extends to books, boxes, labels on perfume bottles and even food tins and packets... the extra care gone into making something so ultimately superfluous a thing of beauty pleases me greatly.

So when it comes to packaging my own art, I like to go the extra mile. For my prints, my prerogative is transit-safet so aesthetic is moved aside somewhat to make room for stiff backings and rather dull cello sleeves to protect the prints from rain, other bulky mail and the ultimate threat - angry postmen. I always include one of my matte thankyou notes with a personalised note to add a bit of a smile into the package... but...

..with wearable art, I love to go to town with the packaging!

I make the boxes and the labels myself, bit by bit. I think so far this Fall's collection is going to have the prettiest packaging. Also for the first time, I'll have earrings and rings for sale as well as pendants!

The wearable art pieces are small treasures, each is hand cut and assembled by myself. Stay tuned for more info - there'll be only one of most items, two of a few, and then that's it for a good few months.

I'll announce the pieces right before they go for sale first here and on my page.

:)

The Girl, the Moon, the Killing Tree

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 00:47:00 +0000

The Girl and the Killing Tree

est voila

Calling all Connoisseur and Collectors

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:32:00 +0000

... To Connoisseurs ...

I guess there's a lot to be said of getting your portrait painted in 2011. I love portrait work, be it photography or painting, or a mix of both. In fact a mix of both is my very favourite.

Star Spine

Been enjoying experimenting with texture, artand portraiture a lot lately. This is one above of my latest pieces. I used to take up commissions for portraits fairly often some years ago.

Here's two other past creations of mine:

Portrait of Catharine with pomegranate and sparrow

Portrait of Christina

They are mad fun to make, and the client gets a digital high res file so they can print out their old-timey portraits onto large canvases and frame up if they like, or keep just to use online. I had stopped offerring this service for a while due to work backlog but I have a few slots open now commission-wise, so I'll be open to creating your portrait should you be so vainly inclined! ;)

Drop me an email if you're interested, lisa@lisa-falzon.com
I'll need time to work on any creations so make sure if you want one, it's not for a last-minute event!

..and to collectors...

Now as to the next bit!
I am grateful for the many awesome patrons who have purchased my art - be it of the wearable, of the hangable, or of the postable ilk. It's slightly freaky to think I have my art peppered all over the world at this point. I'd LOVE it if you could send me a picture if you have my art framed, or of you modelling my wearable art.

You can either email it to me, or if you have a FB account, it's easy, upload it to my page here.

Anything you've ever owned that I've made will do, be it from ages past (cringe as I might at ancient creations.. eek!) or the very recent past.

As a thankyou for your trouble, I'll offer free-shipping-on-next-purchase from my shop to anyone who humours me so kindly. :) Just drop me a message and I will contact you back with a discount code.

Thanks a bunch!

New art, as well as some Moths in my belfry...

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 22:44:00 +0000

Know Your Audience

I'd say that's pretty good advice no matter what you do eh?
Perhaps it's just an outlook thing. My magician up there seems to be a big hit with his target demographic at any rate ;)

It'd been a while since I sat down and painted something for my own collection. This is a reworking of an old concept of mine, something like a ten-year-old concept. I am enjoying it more here reworked digitally, it was originally a rather frightful acrylics-on-canvas affair from my teen years.

I've been very busy with my project Moth and BayLeaf. I participated in a local fashion show. Here's some snaps from it.

Headpiece my Moth and BayLeaf, (my headpiece-and-accessory brand)
Photo by Miki Barlok

As much as I love to work digitally, I love to work in the 'real world' too and making these fantastical headpieces hits just the spot for me. I really enjoy making them. It's also allowed me to meet many stylists, photographers and couture-designers. I've has my pieces modelled in some pretty swish photo shoots.

Headpiece: Moth and BayLeaf :)
Photography: Aspect Photography by Shane O'Neill
Styling: Pearl&Godiva

It's a downright boon to collaborate with so many people - I get to reap the benefits of having my pieces in such prettily styled shoots by a variety of skilled people... the above picture for instance has been in an incredible amount of Etsy treasuries and on the Etsy front page too, based on the beauty of the photo undoubtedly :)

Headpiece/epaulette: Moth and BayLeaf :) Photography: Aspect Photography by Shane O'Neill Styling: Pearl&Godiva

That's one of my favourite pieces, a custom-creation 'Crow Queen' headpiece.

PS: Here is Moth and BayLeaf's fan page

I've got a small illustration project coming up for another Maltese schoolbook by progressive publishers Merlin, and will also be creating headpieces and wearable crazinesses for the upcoming Cork Fashion Week in September, where I'll be collaborating with fashion designer Laura Eliason.

Lot's of creative stuff coming up. Not enough hours in the week for all this working.. not to mention all the revelry I demand on enjoying as part of, you know, this creative lifestyle! ;) :P

Melita

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:56:00 +0000

Gozo landscape

I recently visited the homeland. As some of you might know from previous posts, I was born and raised in Malta though I have since moved and am based in Ireland.

I love Gozo's capital 'city', Rabat. It always feels so sleepy.

You can see Gozo here in the foreground, Comino across the sea with it's beautiful bright blue lagoon, and Malta on the horizon..

Melita is thought to be the word the name 'Malta' came from. It means honey, or 'sweetness'. It's an archipelago in the Mediterranean sea, some 60km off the coast of Sicily. Malta is an independent Republic, and I say this because I am so often asked whether it 'belongs' to Italy or Spain or Greece. But nope!

Our languages are Maltese and English. Most Maltese people also speak Italian fluently though.

There are three main islands - Malta, Gozo and the small uninhabited Comino. The latter is mostly a destination for divers, swimmers and bird spotters. There are also smaller islands all around, but those are REAL small then. Tiny!

Above are three views of the Grand Harbour of Malta.

mama's garden. Sometimes she throws parties here, mostly when it's the village feast day.

mama's garden, with a lot of papa's contraptions there such as his solar-powered irrigation system

It was weird to be back.

Malta is so beautiful, so steeped in human history in a way that is different from Ireland, where the landscape, brooding skies and nature has more presence than human structures.

You may recognise that fort and this scene from the new The Count of Montecristo movies.. I love that the landscape is so calmly imposing. This is Comino.

My car handbag goes offroading.. the geological wonder in the background is 'The Window' and one of the Maltese Island's most famous postcard locations. It's often used for movie sets too.

The Maltese landscape is mystical in its own way. Hard to take a ferry trip round the smaller islands of the archipelago and not imagine how suited the bright yellow rocks are to sirens and Illiad-esque beasts and monsters.

The port of Gozo, the island of Calypso where the witch who charmed Odysseus supposedly lived

The sun is so bright that being around the sea around noon becomes an almost hallucinatory experience.

Especially for me as I have very light sensitive eyes that increase in their visual acuity according to ambient light.

street view of a village, with some typical Maltese balconies.

I felt overwhelmed by the sharpness of my vision, when in the misty overscast Ireland, where even sunny days have a soft cool haze around them, I am used to a dreamy Pre-Raphaelite kind of view of the world.

Mama's garden

This is an old fountain I'd made out of clay several years ago.. mom and dad still have it installed on the garden wall!

Tasty honey rngs! Filled with dates and honey, these are a Maltese sweet treat

lemons in my mama's garden

Awesome as it was to see our families and our old haunts, the heat was a little too much for us. By the end of our trip Highwayman and I were clamouring to be back to this cold place with its refreshing rains and cool mornings.

A short video clip of me on the ferry trip to Comino.. it was so refreshing to be out on the sea in all that heat, the breeze was entirely tricksy in that I didn't realise how much the strong sun was affecting my naturally sallow skin... I got burnt to a crisp! Hehe

All photos are © Lisa Falzon

The Annotated Studio

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:03:00 +0000

So following house-warming shenanigans, wanted to share with you some shots from my home and studio. And to make heads or tails of this continuously self-propogating chaos I live in, here is the super-duper annotated version of a partial-tour of my house!

So, here's a small peek at the entrance way to the kitchen

and going up the stairs towards my studio...

and another floor.. it's high up! My legs are getting a lot of training...

Ok phew... now we're outside...

and closing the door behind us inside...

then turn to have a look...

(click these two following pictures to enlarge them so you can read the annotations)

and this one tends to always be with me while I'm working...!

Etsians mentioned in this post whose wares are in my house and above pictured

Yardia, Stash, Boojiboo and Little Arrow

Can you spot anything that I didn't annotate? Let me know what you think and if you recognise anything else up there that I didn't mention... intentionally or not! :P ;)

I'm still on holiday so shop's still out and I won't be able to answer emails.. but if you go to my Etsy you can sign up to be notified when I return and the shop is live again.

I've got some new products up my sleeve so watch this space. :D

Good servant, Bad master

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:22:00 +0000

I'm going to talk to you about my interest in fire. I've had a bit of a preoccupation with it since childhood.
It is my hope to be disposed of via the ceremony of a funeral pyre, once I, as bard-like pedants would say, shed this mortal coil.

My Funeral Pyre
digital collage, 2011

Either way not actually that fussed though. I'm hardly going to be there to watch it :P!

But fire crops up often in both my art and writing.
It is both beautiful and dangerous, symbolic and mundane.

It can be the safety of a campfire on a frosty day, and the crushing despair of an out-of-control prairie fire, destroying acres and acres.

I love that it can both build and destroy. This could be said of all the old elements - fire, water, earth and air. But fire to my mind does it with most panache...

from my micro-fiction blog, a 50-word story, 'love like a forest fire'

....and lends itself so well to metaphor. And it accomplishes all this while wearing my very favourite colours! No mean feat for any villain, to do so much when it isn't even corporeal.

Some weeks ago Drew and I threw a house-warming party, only we called it a house-burning party because we're annoying like that.

Because you are probably bored by all this pontification about fire, here's photos of me making some traditional Maltese food for our guests.

and some of me messing with SCSI.

One of my invitees made me a little house to burn in effigy at my house-warming.
Brilliant idea! Just the thing to add a dash of macabre to any evening.

It took hours to make (I'm told, by the maker) which made it extra delicious to burn down.

It burnt down beautifully too!

Didn't it? ;)

Effigy-house photos by Rhona Flynn

PS: Still taking time off, won't be able to answer emails and convos on Etsy but I will once vacation is over! ;)

Cynical Romantic

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Growing up, endangered animals, deforestation and habitat-destruction were major concerns of mine. Particularly in my early-to-late teens I was a bit of an eco-warrior. I worried about rainforests and rising water levels, I worried about recycling. I was a vegeterian for some years (to the detriment of my health, because I did not replace protein from meat intelligently and simply subsisted on carbs for the duration of this madness) though I know now looking back it didn't help the environment the way I thought it was. I disdained the human race, and in my head glorified animals. I suppose I felt personally responsible for the fate of 'the planet', in the way ego-tripping teens tend to feel everything is about (and because of) them.

But I grew up!
And now I'm quite different. I relaxed entirely. Now I am not sure the Earth needs all the saving I thought it did back in the day. Now I've come to really like humans, good bits, bad bits, terrible bits.
SO now I'm a cynical romantic :P Oxymoron? Hmmmm...

But I wanted to share the above video. I adored David Attenborough back as a child, and I still do. I love his frank, no-frills outlook, the fact that he's no rainbow warrior in the traditional sense, the fact you can tell he's always being sincere.

Some more, as promised...

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:35:00 +0000

And more here, check the wearable art section in my shop!

Pinterested?

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Did you know about this little gem of a site, Pinterest?

I'd been needing a site like this! A place to store, categorise and share inspiring pictures I come across online without having to actually save them and distribute them in the usual clunky way.

picture from here

Pinterest allows you to do all this collecting of images on a kind of virtual pinboard. Sharing them with other pinterest users or non users alike is a piece of cake - and the sources of your images are always provided as a link by each picture so the original source can always be traced. You can also add on contributors to your boards, say if you were working on a project with someone and wanted to pool inspiring photos.

found on Pinterest...

Do you have a boards on Pinterest, or have I piqued your curiosity enough to try it out...? ;)

I love collecting things but at the same time have commitment-phobia towards real-life objects. I allow myself plenty of ostentation though when it comes to hoarding virtual pictures.

Here's a direct link to my boards if you want to see what I've been collecting so far. The collection is bound to grow eh!

V is for...

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Mon, 30 May 2011 14:36:00 +0000

I used to love you
selfportait with egg on my canon digital slr.

Settling into the new studio just fine. Now if only there was a way to get it to stop turning into a Pompei-ish mess every time I use it...

Finished this painting today. It's called

V is for...

It's inspired by Vicky Langan who is another Cork-based creative and you can check her and her experimentatal film and music out here and here

Wearable Treasures

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Tue, 24 May 2011 12:32:00 +0000

Summery heat's put me in a mood for lighter, brighter, more casual wearable art than I usually create. And these are what happened!

I like that they can be worn by all ages, that they're so cheerful and sparkly underneath the artisan-made glass and on their merry ball-chain necklaces. They're something like very versatile contemporary cameos. Also they're quite big and attention-grabbing!

Here's a couple of pictures

To peek at the rest, go to my wearable art section on Etsy.

New Gaff

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Mon, 23 May 2011 12:08:00 +0000

one chaotic end of my new chaotic studio ... I'd like to pretend it's cause I've just moved but let's face it, as a fellow artist recently said of it, it's not really my studio unless it's a shambles with a couple of girls sleeping in it.

New house, I love you muchly!
Now the only thing that is amiss is your smell.
You need to start smelling like our house soon. My dog, my perfumes, my incense, my food, my carpet cleaner, my things.

The view is just my kind of view. It's high up just off the city centre, and you can see the river far below with all the rowers going past, the train snaking Eastbound and all the ships coming in and out of the harbour. I sit and write a lot on that studio bed, it feels like a South-facing eyrie.

Spotted my print set Always, Sometimes, Never Sever in their La La Land frames? They fit them perfectly. I really like the effect - I rarely hang up my own art on my walls but these work well.

You can get the prints here. And oh, shop back online now! :)

Oh and... here's a little preview of what will soon be coming to the shop! While I was internetless, I worked on lots of little wearables. Will be sharing them shortly, watch this spot, they're great for Summer!

Moving studios free shipping sale...

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Wed, 04 May 2011 11:28:00 +0000

store link here

Pretty much what it says in the image ;)
Will be offline for a couple of weeks till I get the new place sorted out. Last orders taken on Sunday 8th will be sent out.. after that, hope to be back online real soon!

New Series...

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 21:15:00 +0000

Detail Left...

Detail right

Always, Sometimes, Never Sever

I find myself, in this new series, revisiting old concepts. When I was still mainly a traditional artist fresh out of conservation school, there's nothing more I loved than to turn the notion of a diptych and triptych on its head by putting modern themes and art into this old setting.

Now here's my latest diptych, a two-part painting. I'll be selling it as a set of two prints (the ones with the pink background above are a mock up, the actual prints will be entirely separate) Framed up and hung side by side they make very interesting wall pieces. I've had customers in the past get a little creative too with the distancing between diptychs or levels with respect to each other. I'll try to post some photos of the framed up prints for full effect soon.

print set on etsy

A Cultivated Taste for Cultured Rose

print here

The second one in the series. The series doesn't have a name yet, and maybe it won't ever. Have some sketches in the pipeline for more works. Watch this space!

Thrills from Down Under..

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:34:00 +0000

A while ago I worked out a licence with the awesome Australia-based LaLaLand who will now carry a selection of my pieces as poster prints, cards and note-cards and was delighted when I received the samples in the mail.. they are exceedingly cute and flawlessly done. Check them out!

LaLaLand sell these super-cute cardboard frames that are an affordable way to display your art prints fabulously. Ideal in rented spaces where you can't knock nails into the wall... and also for the ones who love to move their art around every so often, because they are lightweight and can be attached by mere blue tack. Put some of my prints in these frames and I loved how they looked.

The cards have artwork on the reverse and in a grey tone on the inside. I love the patterned envelopes they come in too!

These bite-sized note cards are sweeeeeettt! They also come with envelopes.

There's more than one cardboard frame to mix-and-match from. I love the particular two I was sent, they're just the right blend of rustic and rococo.
If you want to see more head over to this link!

PS if you see my LaLaLand pieces in a boutique somewhere around the globe, so snap a shot and send it to me please :D I'll send you a little gift in return. Seeing as I can't go globetrotting myself on a vanity-spurred hunt to see my artworks in real life places, I'll be real grateful if you could share any finds.. ;)

1k....

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 20:49:00 +0000

So exciting! In a couple of sales, I'll have made my thousandth sale through my Etsy store. To think I started an Etsy shop two years back with no real idea that it would eventually turn into my main business...

To celebrate I'd like to offer my 1000th customer an extra medium-sized print of their choice along with their purchase*!

(Ps: each item counts as a 'sale' on Etsy, so if you buy multiple items at once it counts as multiple sales! :) )

My Funeral Pyre

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 20:10:00 +0000

My funeral pyre

A keen sleeper for a heartily sought, willingly fought for, warm and prickly bed.

need this in your home?

Can you believe it's April? It's always like this though.
Things will grind to a halt soon. I hear it's the cruellest month, with all the lilacs etc. But it's been just five days and hey, I'll keep my prejudice at bay ;)

I can hear birds of the gloaming sing through my half-opened window. It's so balmy here at the moment.

Bantam Beasts

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 02:19:00 +0000

I've occasionally mentioned my micro-fiction in this blog, that has so far primarily been dedicated to my art - in an almost ascetic way, I kept things online separate and a little bit aneamic as a result. While I'm still keeping my 50-word-story blog as a stand-alone, I'm going to make this blog more in the spirit of a proper journal.

Which I inaugurate with a new layout.
Wahey! (Any excuse to mess with new templates right? :P Geeks will concurr..)

Wearable Stories

Now, back to this post.
I wanted to introduce the microfiction project I launched early this year with my friend and partner-in-crime Rhona Flynn. We both wrote flash fiction (I 50-word stories, she 60-word stories) and decided it would be wise to join forces and create something of this unholiness.

And this is how Bantam Beasts came to be conceived.

Wearable Stories

Bantam tales on mirrors

Bedtime stories.. Tiny Tales on cushions!

Wearable Stories

It was a hard labour that lasted several weeks. It was at last delivered by Caeserian section and you'll be pleased to know Flynn is recovering well.

:P

Silliness aside, I'm quite pleased with the appearance of our shop.

If you go over to our store you'll see all of our own-written, handmade stuff.

And if you shared our shop, we'd love you forever because it's brand new and our monster hasn't made any friends yet.

As a matter of fact, here is our FB page for Bantam Beasts, to make sharing really simple.

Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 20:03:00 +0000

We have a winner! The giveaway winner was unique commentor number 12, i.e. Blueberry Blonde. Congrats! I'll be contacting you to post you Marie Antoinette wearable art soon. :) X

Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 19:50:00 +0000

Some shots from a birthday picnic, one cold cold January afternoon...

lighthouse on a little island out into the bay, blue and barely visible...

I couldn't feel my hands whenever the sun went hiding behind clouds, but it was good to be close to the sea again. Funny how I grew up with the sea as something that was almost always there, something you drove past daily or saw from windows and balconies, like a presence, and now it's a thing you'd go to.

Giveaway... Wearable Art!

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 12:45:00 +0000

It's been a good long while since I had a giveaway on my blog.. so this week I created this little wearable art piece featuring a detail from 'Marie in my Fancy' that I will be giving away this week in a little lucky-draw....

Isn't it cute? I am rather fond of it.

To participate, just go to my store front www.meluseena.etsy.com and let me know which thing you'd most like to own from it, and what would you do with it.. i.e. if it's a print, where would you hang it up? If it's a mirror where would you take it, if it's a wearable piece, how would you wear it!

Leave the answer here in the comment section.

All the commentors will be put into a lucky draw using a random number generator and the fortunate winner will be posted the wearable piece out. If there are over a hundred comments, I'll make an additional draw and the second-runner-up will get a print of their choice. So do invite your friends to post here too! The more, the better.

Rules:
- One post per person please!
- Make sure I can reach you somehow.. so leave an address email if you don't have one attached
- Giveaway will run for exactly one week from now, so ends Saturday 29th! Draw will be announced shortly after.
- I will only consider comments made on my blog, to make it fair for everyone! You won't need a login to post so everyone should be able too. :)

Bon Chance!!

On the other side

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Falzon) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 23:31:00 +0000

Yooo hoo!

Finding myself on the other side of the imaginary line the roman calendar has determined in the western world to mark the start of a fresh new sashay of our planet around the sun...

I'm also finding a new outlet for art. Or rather, rediscovering an old outlet. Because before I migrated almost entirely into the digital world of bits and bytes and filenames, I used to paint with brushes and acrylics.
Space and clutter issues meant that I neglected painting in the physical world, till this week when I started to rent a studio in the city. My own studio!

I'd been experimenting on the side with collage techniques, taking what I do in the digital world and transferring it as closely as I can to actual physical techniques. I realised I missed it.

I cut and paste photo texture same as I would on a computer. I glaze, I overlay and draw. I remove and rearrange. This piece is still in the early stages.

Lots of small projects this year.. more Moth And BayLeaf frippery and madness, working as a colourist on a comic book venture, more collaboration with the eclectic Studio 7, taking my microfiction to the next level by collaborating with this little arrow that serendipitously shot past me late last year, small illustration projects on the side and more digital pieces with some more print-set options... and hopefully an exhibition of canvas works.

:)