tell us about your background.

i have been in the timber industry for 30 plus years.
initially in landscaping, fencing, and manufacturing outdoor furniture and play ground equipment. i suffered some spinal injuries which prevented me from continuing with this heavy work so i moved on to wood art/turning which had interested me for many years. i simply moved my skills to another level and learnt a few more skills.

tell us about what you create?

i create a range of items from fully functional bowls, cutlery, mortar & pestles, vases etc. to totally decorative art pieces and everything in between.
i also make items to order.

what made you start making your pieces?

as i said earlier i suffered spinal injuries which prevented me continuing with my business so i looked for an alternative that was closely aligned with timber. i started making functional items which i gave away in the early days and then started to sell when they were of sufficient quality. you have to get rid of what you make otherwise you end up with a shed full of product. i later moved on to art works.

what is your inspiration /influences?

this comes from any where, could be from something i saw on tv, in a shop, some ones else’s work or emerge from a piece of timber.

what materials do you use?

all the timber i use i collect my self. most of it is western timbers and are usually very hard and difficult to work. some times i wonder why i bother but the end results make it worth it as the inland timbers are mostly beautiful. i also collect driftwood which often has interesting features created by nature that can be enhanced with a bit of imagination.

tell us about the process?

most of the equipment i use is fairly large and expensive but once you have it, it lasts for years. other than a creative eye you also have to have good manual skills with good hand eye co-ordination. it can be fun with something starting as one thing and ending as another. there are also the odd disasters along the way.

why did you pick incube8r?

i didn’t i was invited and that is a bit of a complement. however i am always looking for new outlets for my pieces and thought that this a different concept to the traditional galleries so i thought i would like to be part of it.

where else can we find you?

www.rolfgehrmann.yolasite.com
facebook
gympie woodworks museum.
bundykeg cooperage.
lilactree craft uk.
torimber festival ravenshoe.
or simply google my name and you will find me.

tell us about your background

I’m a retired Accountant who has been travelling the creative road for the last six years, from beading, through chainmaille and wirework before discovering a love of working with sheet-metal.

tell us about what you create

I create brooches from copper sheet metal. I use traditional fabrication methods, hand sawing and texturing the metal, before applying a naturally derived patina. My work uses no solder, instead relying on cold connection methods of rivets, micro screws, nuts and bolts, and staples and tabs. I usually make owls, birds and other items of whimsy.
Lately I have been using a new metalwork technique called fold-forming, where the copp or brass sheet is annealed, folded and hammered, to make base plates for unusual necklaces featuring fossils and semi-precious gemstones.

what materials do you use?

mostly I use sheet copper, red brass Sterling and Fine Silver, and a little Nickel Silver.

tell us about your creative process?

I usually draw a sketch, then try it out with cardboard to make sure it works.
With brooches you must be sure that it can sit right, and that the brooch pin can be attached in a way that works with the design.

why did you choose in.cube8r?

I love the concept that is behind Incube8r. The fact that the artist gets the full return from the sale, and that the Incube8r manages the advertising and the actual selling, leaving the artist, in this case, me, to concentrate on creating the articles.

anything else you would like to add?

I love the way Isy and the Incube8r staff work so hard for their artists’.

It makes the whole process so much easier.

where else can we find you?

You can find me at the Rose St Artist Market on the third Saturday of the month, and at Newport Substation Artists Market on the first Saturday of the month.

We were born in Warrnambool, Victoria, the middle two of four siblings. Terry in 1950 and me in 1948. Three boys one girl. In pre tv days our favourite pastime was drawing. We loved to copy the comics, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and all the Disney characters. Terry and I have carried on with the art and developed our style and experimented with various mediums over the last 15 to 20 years.

For the two of us it has been a constant in our lives where other aspects have been in constant change physically and emotionally. Of the four of us, Terry and I were ones most affected by the family hereditary ailments, in my case copping a double whammy. We both have Charcot Marie Tooth Syndrome, a neurological affliction which causes muscular dystrophy in legs, feet and hands, and me also with congenital hip displacia. We have battled against adversity all our lives, and still do.

Terry and I both had operations on our feet as teenagers giving us more mobility during
our working lives but they are now deteriorating. My story took a different path but we
have now come full circle.

All these issues meant having to give up the craft markets and when I spotted a sign about a new concept of art and craft retail called in.cube8r, on the door of an empty shop in Moorabool Street in September last year, I thought what a great idea, a perfect outlet and some exposure for our artwork.

I met Sharon while they were refurbishing the shop and with her help we set up our wall and have been there since day one. We draw portraits from people’s photographs and draw and paint work for sale, and the commissions are trickling in. It suits us perfectly because it is our public face. Customers can drop off photos at the shop and pick up their completed portraits. And the icing on the cake for us is that we aren’t charged commission, our only cost is our gallery space rental and Sharon does all the hard sales work for us, marvellous. And we aren’t the only local artists being nurtured by this concept, it gives us a lot of self-esteem and recognition for our talents that constantly gets overlooked by mainstream ‘conventional’ art galleries.

I guess the theme in both our lives is something we learned from our Mum that is to keep going no matter what, and never give up. Life has thrown a hell of a lot of pretty high hurdles at us, but if they are too high to jump over then we just crash through them. It’s like when we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel then we bloody well light our own.

tell us about your background

A part time hobbyist, with a perchant for paper crafting and greeting cards. Love anything to do with wonderfully created item that invokes the senses.

tell us about what you create

I have a thing about gifting. So I decided to start decorated some small giftboxes. So far i have been decorating boxes which I bought. The next phase of the process is to create 100%. handmade gift boxes. I also create greeting cards using paper embellishments.

what made you start making your pieces?

I beleive a gift should always be well wrapped and presented. what is the point of buying or making a nice gift if the packaging is boring and generic.

what is your inspiration/influences?

Simple, modern no fuss design. almost pattern free with straight line or gemetric pattern. I also like the natural look. however purple is my favourite colour so that is going to feature a lot in my designs.

what materials do you use?

Cardboard paper, decorative scrapbook paper, kraft paper, ribbons, embelishments, cloth, paint….anything that I am into at the moment of creating my products.

tell us about your creative process?

Usually I have a notebook, where i jot down ideas as they come to me. Then I will go throught the book and pick out the one that I think is doable. I sometimes create a board with pictures of items of interest and in the colour of the theme I’m working on.

At the moment thinking of doing some lilac/pastel coloured boxes for easter. alos thinking of doing a range using kraft boxes decorated with natural/beige coloured items.

why did you choose in.cube8r?

Because you have the chance to use your space as you feel is right for your product. Also it is a good space for artists to express themselves and meet other crafters.

anything else you would like to add?

I have decided to create a line for the next Suitcase Rummage, check out my blog for updates.

where else can we find you?

Etsy – http://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftStuffIMade

Blog – http://musingsofabrisbanite.blogspot.com.au/

Geelong is now 5 months young and having spent 6 days a week at the gallery, my fingers were screaming to do more creative work. I now have Sherree my retail assistant manning the gallery on Mondays and Tuesdays so that I can fully utilise the time to be more creative.

I decided to start sewing again and have had my sewing machine in storage for more than 10 years. My sewing machine has been with me for almost 30 years and it has never failed me. When I retrieved the machine out from the shed, my eldest son recognised it and told stories of how I spent my time sewing when he was just a little boy, telling his sister and youngest brother how I used to sew clothes for them from shirts, shorts to jackets, pillow cases etc.

This time around, I decided to try my hands at making softies and door jammers. Owls were popular and thus mini paperweight owls were born. Then I went on to larger owls as door jammers and cat jammers and they proofed popular. Next were softies and sock puppies, elephants, dogs, zebras and I’m coming out with more new designs. Alas, my old faithful had a cardiac arrest and I had to permanently put it in storage and I now have a brand new sewing machine.

I now spend my 3 days doing different crafts, Sundays for jewellery in different media, Mondays for papercraft – papertole and Tuesdays for sewing. (That includes sewing clothes for my daughter!)

This is my largest project so far. I stripped a very old table, took off the legs, sandpaper and repainted the top. Then I used mirrors, paua shells, lead-lights, stained glass and created a surface on the old table top.

We then framed the table-top to give it a ‘modern’ antique look so it doubles up as a picture. I gave it a name and called it The River of Wealth. I put crystal tea-light holders to support a piece of tampered bevel edge glass which is larger than the artwork. Original table sits 6, with the glass over it, it now sits 8 comfortably or 10. The artwork sits on top of 2 solid hand-carved sandstone base. This now sits as a centrepiece in my dining room and is now our proud dining table.

My decision to be part of this franchise has been something which I always wanted to do as I’ve always loved the arts and craft world. I love doing things with my hand and learning new crafts. I thus understand the issues and problems all new emerging and aspiring artists go through when they start off. Also, my many years of experience in the corporate world have given me an advantage in helping me understanding more of the business world.

So here it is, the other side of me when I’m not at the gallery!

tell us about your background

I have always been interested in making things, in 2004 I decided to make some lizards and mosaic them to spruce up a rock wall. This is where I fell in love with glass. I never did finish those lizards, but I have made some fantastic mosaics!! A friend introduced me to Dichroic Glass and I knew this was for me. I bought a kiln and started playing with this beautiful glass.

tell us about what you create

I design and create one-off pieces of Dichroic Glass Jewellery.

what made you start making your pieces?

when I first started making jewellery pieces, I wanted my work to be different. I worked at creating a speciality with the glass that no-one else was doing. I am now known for my different shapes that are totally unique to my Flowerbomb Jewellery Design range. I have customers from all over the world that tell me they have never seen Dichroic glass jewellery like I make.

what is your inspiration/influences?

Colour, Colour and more colour!!! The glass itself is my inspiration. It is so beautiful and vibriant. The companies that make Dichroic Glass are always making new patterns, so it is exciting when a new order arrives and I get to play with it.

what materials do you use?

Dichroic Glass . Dichroic is a greek word meaning “two colours” It is made up from several types of metals including gold and silver. Because of the metals and then the firing process some glass will reflect up to 2 colours when rotated.

tell us about your creative process?

When designing shapes, I usually sit and play with the glass until something jumps out at me. I will then fire off a few shapes to see how the glass goes during this process, then I will make it up into a pendant to see the finished results. If I am happy with it I will then make up a run of this design. The exciting thing with this is that I can make up to 20 of the one design and not one of them are the same. I cut the glass free hand so all pieces will differ from each other. in various ways.

why did you choose in.cube8r?

To have a collection of talanted people showing their work in such an enviroment as in.cube8r is such a great idea. Usually the public has to wait for the weekends to visit markets etc to see such a gathering of artists, with  in.cube8r they can chose when they want to go.

where else can we find you?

www.flowerbombjewellery.com

tell us about your background

I have worked as an illustrator for the past thirty years with a few breaks for having children, working as a stained glass window painter, studying painting at RMIT and starting my business

tell us about what you create

I make greeting cards and prints using my illustrations which are painted in the traditional way with brushes, paints, pencils and inks

what is your inspiration/influences?

There are so many amazing and beautiful images in the world I guess I’m influenced by everything. Indian miniatures, 15th century Flemish paintings, Mexican folk art, Czechoslovakian children’s illustrations of the 1960′s to name a few and of course the natural world

what materials do you use?

I use gouache, liquid watercolour, pencils, oils and sometimes finish off paintings in photoshop.

tell us about your creative process?

I usually start with an image that has been percolating in my head, it often comes out when I am doodling and not really conscious of what I’m doing, then I’ll develop the idea, do some rough drawings then settle on something when I’m satisfied. Then the fun bit is painting the finished piece. Sometimes I get it right straight away and sometimes I’ll do two or three versions. I have unfinished paintings from years ago that I will go back to and change a bit then finish.

why did you choose in.cube8r?

In.cube8r is a good place to see which of my cards and prints will be most popular. My work is in a beautiful space surrounded by other peoples work so there is a lot of choice for customers. I think the concept of supporting artists as a successful business is brilliant.

where else can we find you?

I will be at the St Kilda market starting early next year (date to be announced) You can find out when I will be at the market and see new cards and prints on my facebook page Gillian Mary Cards and Prints

www.gillianmary.com

my day job is pretty cool, swimming in thousands of brightly coloured business cards. saltprint prints, designs and gets really excited about these little rectangular pieces of card. we also work with a talented bunch of aussie freelance designers to produce some of the freshest designs for printable things. designing for brands and corporations is an art in itself, and is completely collaborative in it’s nature of working with a client to a brief. i really love contributing design to a new brand, and seeing my ideas breathe life into a business.

now in our tenth year, saltprint’s lives at salt house in new farm, which is a creative co-working space which we share with other creative companies and freelancers. This is the best “work” place i’ve ever “worked” in because it’s like a big creative share-house! we have designers, marketers, fashion and web creatives all working side by side, individually and sometimes together. i think it’s important for creative professionals to grab hold of any physical contact they can find in today’s virtual environment. i’ve worked virtually online for months at a time without real human contact, and i’m always surprised at how fast things get done when you meet in person. salt house is almost near capacity now with studios and desks, however we keep a little spare space for a rentable photo studio, and space for creative events.

by night i like to plan killer parties, disguised as networking events for creatives. this project is called sprinkl, and it’s becoming one of brisbane’s favourite events for grass-root creatives. we’re planning our seventh event now for april 2012 which simply involves mixing grass-root creatives of all flavours and making real face to face connections. one of the favourite attractions of sprinkl is the live design-off that we stage between two local designers, sometimes on two large projector screens, or with paint & canvas. there is something fascinating about watching a designer over their shoulder, and it becomes very interesting watching two designers at the same time with their own interpretations of the same brief. the designers we have featured so far have received some great publicity and opportunities out of the exposure at sprinkl.

what i really love about working with designers with saltprint, co-working alongside freelancers at salt house, and mixing with grass-root creatives at sprinkl, is seeing young creatives taking their art to market and making a living out of it! there is something wholesome about making a living with the work of your own hands, and i applaud all creatives who are brave enough to back themselves in selling their creative work. the whole process of selling or making a living out of art gives the art the chance to be enjoyed by other people, rather than growing dusty in your folio or even worse in your mind.

i started on my own designing logos & annual reports like most graphic designers do. offering printing services to my clients seemed like a logical choice for me, and while printing errors and late deliveries scare off most designers from printing, saltprint grew very quickly into a national company with a surge of design and printing clients from a diverse range of clients all over australia. it’s now very satisfying being able to employ young designers myself. i particularly enjoy finding design talent amongst a pile of portfolios when other agencies can’t see past their lack of experience or qualifications.

when i’m looking for a designer amongst a stack of resumes and folios, there a couple of reactions i often have:

*laugh out loud* – as i read aloud the floury and over-jargonated cover letter to my esteemed colleagues for the advertised position.
*yawn* – as i flick through 12 pages of the one folio piece, presented at different angles and stages of design development.
*go emo* – as i fall into depression over the very dark, mysterious and serious folio void of all life & colour.
*take a second look* – noticing a sneeky pair of arty breasts.
*drop folio and visit online folio* – enjoying a short & sweet folio, leaving me hungry for more.
*sit & stare* – finding brilliant art in a simple design.
*omg* – did they just use word-art in their resume?

while i am a fan of providing leg-up opportunities for young designers, and the whole collaborative-crowd-sourcing paradigm, there is something i find wrong with some of the mass spec-work and free pitching being encouraged from some of today’s design-contest websites. i won’t name names, but i dont think it’s right that 99 designers work, and 1 gets paid. i use my own refined model of the crowd-sourced design-contest which involves more curating, and fair payment for all involved. i hope to one day spread my ideas about healthy & profitable creative-collaboration around the world.

thanks for reading, i hope we can meetup at the next sprinkl!

tell us about your background

i was born in new zealand, and currently reside in victoria, australia with my two amazing children connor and paige, our cat cougar, and houdini and mr sniffles, our two pet rats.
i have held a camera in my hand since forever, pursuing photography as a hobby for many years before turning ‘pro’. i have exhibited extensively and sell my images internationally including to private collectors and publishers.

tell us about what you create

i create images from the heart! i have to feel it before i can capture it. i dabble in various subjects including landscapes, pets, collage, flowers etc, but my true passion lies with the african wildlife, especially the big cats! i produce fine art prints, handmade greeting cards and canvas bookmarks.

what made you start making your pieces?

there was probably always an influence towards art in our household as kids growing up. my dad has been a professional artist most of his life as a carver, and my mum dabbled in drawing and earlier, painting. i have always felt the need to ‘create’, and if i don’t i feel stifled, like something is missing. Photography is not what i do, but more of who i am!

what is your inspiration/influences?

my photographic direction has changed somewhat over the years. now i am completely inspired and influenced with everything africa! i have always had an affinity for africa, it’s wildlife and it’s people. i ventured there in september 2009, returning 6 months later. it has been one of the most rewarding and life changing experiences for me. i feel like i have found my calling in life, to record these majestic wild animals as fine art animal portraits whilst raising money from print proceeds to help conservation groups with much needed funding to save our wildlife from poaching, loss of habitat etc. i’m hoping as i gain more recognition, my wildlife photography will have more of an impact on such an important cause. i am also inspired by the power of words, and am starting to incorporate this with my images to convey a more powerful message. you will find this on my cards and bookmarks.

what materials do you use?

i shoot with canon camera gear, use mac computers, and print on an epson large format printer. my images are printed onto fine art papers and canvas’ using archival inks.

tell us about your creative process?

i find that wherever i go, i am always ‘looking’ at my surroundings. the way light falls on things, textures, patterns, and in africa, well it’s the spirit of the wildlife in their natural environment. being with them, observing them, and then shooting whatever catches my eye, usually trying to keep compositions simple yet compelling.. trying to capture the animal’s spirit!
back in my office, i love to ‘play’ in lightroom and photoshop, to add my creative edge to my images, to convey the message or feeling that i want.

why did you choose in.cube8r?

i came across in.cube8r on the web, and thought it was a fantastic concept allowing artists to showcase and sell their work in an affordable way, enabling us to pursue our love of creating as a career.

anything else you would like to add?

“my mission in photography is to make a difference…
in your hearts, and on this land.”
sam clark

where else can we find you?

i am still establishing markets in melbourne as i have just recently moved here from western australia, but currently can be found at my online etsy shop

http://www.etsy.com/shop/samclarkphotography?view_type=gallery

all 4 galleries were represent by their respective owners – Vicki from the valley, Sharon from geelong, Judy from Sydney and isy (founder) from fitzroy. for most girls, it was the first time ever they’d met.

over the 2 weekend days we were addressed by 5 fantastic speakers and our MC and facilitator corina vucic  lead us with awesomeness.

on Saturday morning we were lead by deb templar  retail coach/marketing/social media woman extraordinaire - we learned bucket loads and took away very simple hands on tools to implement daily. deb has a fantastic sense of humour, there were many giggles as well as ‘aha’ moments.

after lunchtime lovely andrew kelly took us further into other angles on PR and local area marketing, this session took place outdoors and was very hands on. we came away with a planner for the year and many insights into how to generate more press and visibility.

Sunday morning we were re grouped and grounded by the wonderful.

ruth levy – long term friend, co-facilitator, mediator, consultant, lawyer  - we discussed and cemented our learnings and took away a great ‘gems list’ to work on for the year.

the last speaker for sunday was Denise Greenaway  who took us through a validation and closing process.