"Ladies First" opens at 6pm this Friday night, 21st May 2010! The girls will come out to play, and show off an amazing collection of original artworks.

Curated by Melbourne's Tessa Yee, the show will be a unique and light-hearted exploration of the ways in which female artists represent their ideas of femininity - both the dark and the light, the naughty as well as the nice.

"Wind and Sea" by Nadia Turner

Earlier this year, Melbourne-based illustrator & artist Nadia Turner exhibited her work in a group show titled "Stories To Tell". Nadia's careful brushwork and detailed compositions are so beautiful, and here, she opens a window for us to peer into her illustrated world...

"Drabarni" by Nadia Turner

I 1. How did you come up with the name "Wayward Harper"? It seems like such a good fit for your illustration work.

NT It's a name I've used for email and whatnot for years and it just felt right to use it for the website. It came about because I play the Celtic harp and I guess at the time I felt rather wayward in nature :-)

"Nunuuika the Huntress" by Nadia Turner

I 2. What led you into a career in illustration?

NT I studied a diploma of illustration at NMIT in Melbourne which was a really good course for teaching the basics of illustration, before that I hadn't really realised that you could actually make a career out of illustration. After finishing the course and working for about a year in unrelated retail and hospitality jobs, I was, I admit, fired from a job and thought wow; I really don't want to go back to working for another boss, so I’ve absolutely got to make this illustration thing work! So I applied for the NEIS scheme, where they teach you the basics of starting a small business, in my case a freelance illustration business, and pretty much just after starting NEIS a publisher contacted me with some work and it all started from there.

"Large City Scape" by Nadia Turner

I 3. Where do you find your inspiration?

NT This is always a hard question, because inspiration can come from almost anywhere can't it?

But I would have to say from old myths and stories, beautiful old photographs, children's books, nature, music, and of course, other artists. But the list does go on and on.

"Beneath the Jackdaws Gate" by Nadia Turner

I 4. What does the music of the Celtic Harp its associated mythology & folklore mean to you?

NT I went through a big phase during high school where I was obsessed by all things Celtic. I started to learn the Celtic harp, and I especially loved that with the harp there is such a long history attached to it, and how, in comparison to other instruments, it's played such a large role in lots of myths and folklore. It's just such a magical sounding instrument that really fires the imagination. I was playing a lot of music back then and art and music were a bit more equal in my life and guess it really influenced the shape of things to come, so to speak, in regards to the themes that I'm now drawn towards in my painting. Art has kind of taken over my life in the past few years and I haven't really had much time to devote to music, so that's something I really need to work on and get back.

"The Jaala Girl" by Nadia Turner

I 5. How would you describe your painting style? Do you carefully plan your subject matter & composition before you begin painting?

NT Well, I work in a few different ways, depending on the project. For my illustration work, yes, everything needs to be planned out with rough sketches and then colour roughs for the client to approve, but in my own personal work I might simply just start a painting after a basic sketch and see where it goes from there.

"Wind King" by Nadia Turner

I 6. What are your favourite materials & techniques? Which of your paintings are personal favourites?

NT I tend to use mainly acrylics paints, on wood, canvas or paper. Sometimes I do some ink and watercolour pieces.

I can become pretty attached to most of my pieces. I think that's natural when you work for so long on something. But at the moment I think "The gift of time to the Red King" and "Wind King" are my favourites.

"The gift of time to the Red King" by Nadia Turner

I 7. What was the Illustration course at NMIT like? Did it just focus on various art techniques, or did it really prepare you for a career in illustration too? Did you find it a difficult industry to break into?

NT I found the course at NMIT really good, all the teachers were wonderful and really talented in their particular areas. It focused on all the different art techniques you might use in illustration (we had an amazing teacher who was brilliant in just about every medium you could think of, so I learnt a huge amount from him) as well as practicing all the various styles of illustration. My actual drawing and painting skills had improved by such a huge amount at the end of the two years and that was the most important thing for me. We learnt a lot about the industry but in truth, I felt a bit unprepared about the business side of being a freelance illustrator so I sort of fell in the deep end with that. But experience really is the greatest teacher when it comes to all of that, you've got to make those stupid mistakes in order to learn.

It can be pretty daunting when you start out when all you have is your student work and you are trying to convince clients that you really are professional! Once you've done that first job it really is so much easier to get hired, so until that happens it can be very difficult industry to break into. Australia also has such a small illustration industry especially when you compare it to America and Britain so that makes it very hard for us aussie illustrators, but hopefully one day that will change.

Little Owl Handpainted Brooch from Wayward Creations (US $40)

I 8. When did you decide to translate your art into products such as brooches & cards, and where can we purchase Wayward Harper designs?

NT I guess it's been a couple of years since I started the brooches and cards to sell at markets. They've evolved a lot since then. I haven't been selling at any markets recently but creations of mine can be bought at In.cube8r Gallery at 321 smith street, Fitzroy or at my etsy shop, which can be found through the 'shop' section of my website.

Little Fawn Handpainted Brooch from Wayward Creations (US $40)

I 9. How did the Spiderlings project come about?

NT Basically, I sent out art samples to Brolly Books and they contacted me about six months or a year later (I can't remember how long exactly) with a project in mind for me. So far I've illustrated three non-fiction children's books for them, "Spiderlings", "The great dinosaur game book", and "My dinosaur ABC".

"Spiderlings" cover art by Nadia Turner

I 10. Tell us about your experiences in illustrating a childrens book – something many of us would LOVE to do! Do you have plans for another book?

NT Hmm... well, it takes up a lot of time! Admittedly publishing isn't always as lucrative as other forms of illustration like advertising, especially when you're just starting out, but there is something very satisfying about finishing all the artwork and finally seeing the book in its finished form, there's something very addictive about that.

I'll probably be doing some more non-fiction books with Brolly Books somewhere in the near future, but of course what I would love to do is work on some books with actual stories and characters so I can really sink my teeth into them, so to speak. And of course, I would love to write and illustrate my own book; I just have to work out what it will be about and try to work out how to write it!

Stegosaurus illustration from "My dinosaur ABC" by Nadia Turner

I 11. Congratulations on your recent exhibition, "Stories To Tell". How did the group show with Alisha Ball and Rhiannon Mowat come about?

NT All very simply really. We all just decided we wanted to start working on a show together so we did! We all studied together so we have that connection and we are all drawn towards similar themes in our painting so our work usually sits together fairly well.

"Druantia and Ava" by Nadia Turner

I 12. What's next for Wayward Harper?

NT Well, hopefully lots of things. I'm trying to work on some new designs for my brooches and cards and I will hopefully have a nice new range of prints out soon. All of these will be available at In.cube8r and through my Etsy shop.

And maybe, hopefully I'll get around to writing a story or two :-)

"When Night Falls" by Nadia Turner

Thank you so much, Nadia, for this insight into your creative life!

To see more of Nadia's paintings, visit www.waywardharper.com, catch up with her blog at waywardharper.blogspot.com, or browse her Etsy store at www.waywardcreations.etsy.com.

Last week, we were invited to the studio space of Sydney artist Jade Oakley. We chatted about her work and took loads of photos as she prepared for her upcoming exhibition "Estuary" which will open on the 18th of June at Australian Galleries Glenmore Road in Paddington (Sydney).

Jade's recent work has been centred around delicately balanced mobiles. For this exhibition, she drew inspiration from estuaries. "An estuary is a special place. It is where the river breathes out into the sea. This is where life begins, muddy and mysterious. It is a place of crabs, mangroves, tides and tannins; where salt and fresh waters meet. I have used colours that speak of the murky depths of water and mud and mangrove. These mobiles have sprung from my thoughts about estuaries, of dark water filled with primeval life." Jade Oakley

The mobiles are made using materials such as fine wire and translucent papers. Jade applies gouache to the paper, creating subtle graduations of colour & tone. She plans the overall shape and colour shift of the finished mobile, then cuts the shape of each "leaf" before attaching it to a wire "stem". The leaves are gently fixed to the mobile with a (well-practised) turn of the pliers. Jade makes it look so easy! Once completed, the colour effects are stunning - a mobile may appear to have been dipped in ink, or reveal a wash of colour like brackish water over white sands...

The leaves pictured above were quietly awaiting their assembly into a large mobile Jade was creating the day of our visit. They looked amazing with the light shining through them. One by one, they disappeared from the queue and took their place in the lengthening work. Once part of the mobile, the leaves move so effortlessly - it can be mesmerising! You could never tire of a work like this as it would look different at every glance. I also took some longer exposures to try & capture the movement.

I originally know Jade from high school, and when I headed off to SCA (Sydney College of the Arts), she began her studies in fine arts at COFA (College of Fine Arts). Since graduating with Honours in Sculpture, Jade has exhibited her work both locally and internationally. Recent solo shows (both in 2007) include "Circumnavigation" at Bondi Pavilion, and "Tipping Point" at Mori Gallery (which we posted about in December 2007).

She has also completed some amazing commissioned work, been involved in many community art projects, and been Artist in Residence at Bundanon Artist's Centre, Noosa Regional Gallery, Vermont Studio Centre in Vermont, USA and Bondi Public School.

We're really looking forward to seeing more of Jade's new works in Estuary. The exhibition opens on Thursday, 18th June 2009, 6pm-9pm, and continues until Saturday 11th July at:

Australian Galleries
Glenmore Rd
24 Glenmore Rd, Paddington, NSW, 2021.
Opening Hours:
10am - 6pm Monday to Saturday
12pm - 5pm Sunday
Phone: 02 9380 8744

Jade will have many mobiles on display, and if you're in Sydney, make sure you don't miss it! As beautiful as the photos are, you really need to see her works in real life to appreciate the delicate balance & beauty as the leaves turn their circles and the whole mobile shifts shape. You can (very soon) see more of Jade's work at www.jadeoakley.com.au.