Anne Nicholson is a celebration of originality. Creative from a young age, her artistic endeavours have spawned an impressive body of work. The willowy, ashen beauty from Wollongong belies her 24 years as she speaks of her fervour for graphic design.

By day, Anne works as a graphic designer and stylist at a small design studio in Wollongong. She escapes the daily grind by immersing herself in eccentric DIY projects such as zine making and, what she dubs, “functional art”; think canvas totes, bookmarks, greeting cards and envelopes, key rings and stationary. Most recently, she has added photography to her repertoire.

Similar to her personality, her creative aesthetic is colourful and light, with a hint of sarcasm. She explores her penchant for art via illustrator, photoshop, cheap acrylics, felt-tip pens, lino stamps, off-cuts of paper and fabric, watercolours and stencils. “My love for each is varied but just as strong as the next.”

After graduating with a diploma in graphic design, she collaborated on her first zine which was brilliantly entitled ‘My Feet Were Dirty but Now They Are Clean’. Experimenting with a montage of colours, it was jam-packed with clever thoughts and delightful drawings.

‘Mr. Over Achiever’ was her first independent zine, so it comes as no surprise that it is one dear to her heart. She goes on to reveal that the inspiration for the comic zine was a fellow zinester who was always trying to trump her. Well, she sure showed him!

Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for her numerous fresh zines in the works including a brief comic about an unnamed, peculiar delivery driver and an innovative sketch-fest of her closest friends.

As a proudly independent publisher, she appreciates the importance of local zine fairs in getting to know who and what is out there. Describing zine-ing as rewarding, she revels in its creatively diverse nature; “whatever you are into, you can find a niche for it”.

Anne is hard at work building herself a career in the graphic design Industry. But what is her advice to fellow up-and-coming artists? “Use social networking to its complete advantage” by means of blogging, networking or becoming a contributor.

Check out all her great work on http://www.wemakezines.ning.com/profile/AnneNicholson

Contact her on  annemakesthings@hotmail.com

Some pretty great illustration work from Sydney local Seamus Heidenreich.
Especially loving the choice of colour palettes.

hap·pen·stance

(hāp’ən-stāns’)
n. A chance circumstance.

Opening this week at Saatchi & Saatchi is Hip Pop, a group exhibition from the good folks at United Galleries. Now in its third year, Hip Pop features artwork that explores one of two themes: “the ongoing legacy of the ‘pop’ art movement and its continuing influence on contemporary art, and the nature of ‘hip’ cutting edge artistic practices which continually push not just the boundaries, but also our perception of what constitutes art…”

Hip Pop features a really strong contingent of work, and blends a variety of media to create a really interesting cohesive collection with nice points of difference.

Here at Happenstance, we were lucky enough to talk to some of the featured artists. Ben Ali Ong, Lee Grant, Patricia Mado and Ben Rak were kind enough to take time out to talk us through the ins and outs of the trade.

BEN ALI ONG // PHOTO MEDIA
“Although my own work doesn’t fall under the label of pop art, I do enjoy it and have always looked at that kind of work for inspiration… [My] work revolves around themes of mortality and consciousness… I think it’s important to follow your instincts and do what you love, from there you’ll find your own voice…”

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL INTERVIEW & SEE MORE.

PATRICIA MADO // PRINTMAKING

“This is what I try to show with my works: the ‘accidental beauty’ that we are constantly surrounded by and exposed to in our everyday lives… The actual technique of carving is something that has taken me many years to develop; every printmaker has his or her own signature in the lines they choose and don’t choose, it’s like a fingerprint really… I like the process, dedication and to determine what it is going to be from start to finish.”

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL INTERVIEW & SEE MORE.

BEN RAK // PRINTMAKING

“[Pop art] breaks down the barriers between high and low brow culture… My aim is to raise questions about the relationship between conformity and distinction. All the images in the series portray members of subcultures that have been marketed to the masses… Screenprinting seemed to be the ideal medium for combining printmaking and my previous photographic experiences.”

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL INTERVIEW & SEE MORE.

LEE GRANT // PHOTOGRAPHER

“We’re a much more visually literate generation than even our parents were and you only have to open your eyes to see how image saturated we’ve become as a culture… The uncanny – and perhaps slightly freaky – thing about brothers and sisters are the codified behaviours, the funny habits and the more obvious physical likenesses… Generally I’ll know that I want to photograph someone when I see them – it’s a funny thing really…. a little like falling in love, a moment of recognition I suppose.”

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL INTERVIEW & SEE MORE.

Hip Pop opens this Thursday 12 November at Saatchi & Saatchi, 70 George Street, The Rocks, and runs Monday to Friday, 9am – 6pm, until 27 November.  As well as the artists featured here, it will also showcase more work from Kareena Zerefos, Stephen Dupont, David Disher, William Holt and Jane Fontane.

LEE GRANT // PHOTOGRAPHER

Happenstance: What does pop art mean to you, and would you consider yourself a pop artist?
Lee: I’m a child of the 70s and 80s so have learned to look at the world from numerous visual perspectives. I love pop art and the way it appropriates and reuses images from everything from comics to advertising to magazines. My work isn’t really pop in this regard, however I don’t doubt that the influence is there… How can it not be? We’re a much more visually literate generation than even our parents were and you only have to open your eyes to see how image saturated we’ve become as a culture. I think pop also defines a general attitude to and interest in the world, so in this way, then I consider myself ‘pop’. Also when I think of pop’s heydey I always think of the music revolution of the 60s and I usually always have a tune in my head when making photographs. My most recent series “Belco Pride” is definitely an Aussie hip hop soundtrack…

H: Tell us a little about what you’re showing in Hip Pop, and where you drew your inspiration for it.
L: I’m showing two works, one called “The Day Meg wore a Dress” from a series that explores siblinghood and the bond between brothers and sisters. Siblings are strange things. Most of us have them or are one to someone. The uncanny – and perhaps slightly freaky – thing about brothers and sisters are the codified behaviours, the funny habits and the more obvious physical likenesses, all of which by my observation aren’t necessarily confined to those who are biologically related. I guess I’m interested in those intense emotions that always seem to be present amongst siblings. It’s incredibly universal yet always unique.

The other is part of a more recent body of work called “Belco Pride” which is about where I grew up and still live in fact. I wanted to look at how belonging, connection and identity can be deeply rooted in the specifics of one’s inhabited landscape. So “Ginninderra Underpass” is just one image from a larger series of portraits and landscapes. I guess you could say that the work is an ode to my origins, part documentary and part visual poem.

H: You take some really great, interesting portraits.  How do you choose your subjects and strike up the nerve to approach them?  Do you have any favourite stories about this process?
L: Well thanks! Generally I’ll know that I want to photograph someone when I see them – it’s a funny thing really… a little like falling in love, a moment of recognition I suppose. I’m getting much better at asking complete strangers, but it’s still hard. I hate to say it but I think it helps that I’m a woman (especially when approaching parents of children). I’ve had very few knock-backs, mostly because I’m pretty persistent and am genuinely interested in the people I approach. This is terribly important actually, to really interact with that person, even if just for a short while… it makes for a fair and interesting exchange. I always give away prints in return too, so in a way you extend the relationship when you return with photos. It’s so interesting to see how people respond to their own image. I can honestly say that the process of photographing people over the years has had a massive impact on how I view and interact with the world. There’s so much going on in the world – especially in your own backyard – I find it hard to believe that you can’t be inspired by it all!

H: Do you have any tips, tricks or advice for young artists trying to get their work out there?
L: It sounds corny but I wish I’d received this advice when I was younger! Just trust your own instinct… it is very rarely wrong. Persist with your endeavours, work really hard and believe that you can achieve your goals, no matter what obstacles lie before you. And most importantly take all criticism with a pinch of salt but also with dignity. You never know what you might learn about yourself or your practice by listening.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT LEE’S WEBSITE.

BEN RAK // PRINTMAKING

Happenstance: What does pop art mean to you, and would you consider yourself a pop artist?

Ben: To me pop art is art that uses the iconography and symbolism of popular culture to deal with issues of day to day life. As well, it is art that breaks down the barriers between high and low brow culture. It is hard for me to consider myself a pop artist, as so much of the art work made today falls into that category. I think there is room for sub categories in the pop genre and I guess I would fall into one of them.

H: Tell us a little about what you’re showing in Hip Pop, and where you drew your inspiration for it.

B: The two works I’m showing in Hip Pop are part of a series I did called ‘Sub-culture Vulture?’. They are titled ‘Invert’ and ‘Misfit’ – depicting a skater and a punk. My aim is to raise questions about the relationship between conformity and distinction. All the images in the series portray members of subcultures that have been marketed to the masses. When looking at these images, which consist of patterns of designer fashion logos such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Gucci, viewers may ask themselves whether the identity consumes the brands or the brands consume the identity.
By displaying fashion logos that no subculture members would wear, I am suggesting that the counterculture rebellion actually contributes to intensified consumerism, as opposed to resisting it.

H: Tell us a little about the screenprinting process, and what drew you to it.

B: I’ve always been into photography. In recent years I started getting more and more into printmaking – etching, relief and screenprinting. Screenprinting seemed to be the ideal medium for combining printmaking and my previous photographic experiences. I’m especially drawn to the ability to go large-scale and the multi color.

H: Do you have any tips, tricks or advice for young artists trying to get their work out there?

B: Find your unique niche style and be persistent.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT BEN’S WEBSITE.

BEN ALI ONG // PHOTO MEDIA

Happenstance: What does pop art mean to you, and would you consider yourself a pop artist?

Ben: Although my own work doesn’t fall under the label of pop art, I do enjoy it and have always looked at that kind of work for inspiration, especially in the areas of photo collage. To me pop means challenging the traditional notions of low art and high or “fine art”, and breaking those boundaries.

H: Tell us a little about what you’re showing in Hip Pop, and where you drew your inspiration for it.

B: I’m showing a couple pieces from my series Black Sun (the art of dying). The work revolves around the themes of mortality and consciousness, ideas I always explore. It’s an interpretation of the Tibetian Book of the Dead and Egypt’s Bardot Thodol, which are both scriptures used to guide the soul to the afterlife.  I’m also playing on the idea that a photograph metaphorically always represents death, in the fact that it is a moment passed.

H: What attracted you to the kind of photography you make?

B: I’ve always been attracted to the darker aesthetics of art, looking a lot at people like Goya and Bacon, those themes are all there.  The whole Japanese black and white style of photography too, all these guys explore the notions of identity and mortality by looking at the spherical view of life and death.

H: Do you have any tips, tricks, or advice for young artists trying to get their work out there?

B: I’m still learning myself, but I know that what has worked for me so far, was to have a recognizable style of my own. I think it’s important to follow your instincts and do what you love, from there you’ll find your own voice I guess, and just keep doing that. Don’t worry about making work that is in fashion or popular because that always changes. Also don’t follow the rules, in all the different “movements” there are these rules so to speak, forget them! As important as technique is to learn when your starting out, it can also be a trap if you are bound by it.

VISIT BEN’S WEBSITE HERE.

PATRICIA MADO // PRINTMAKING

Happenstance: Tell us a little about what you’re showing in Hip Pop, and where you drew your inspiration for it.

Patricia: The chosen artworks at Hip Pop exhibition are part of a running process that I have been working on since 2002. I am interested in showing  things that you can see crossings in, like maps, scaffolds, electric posts, nets, trees and so on. They are things that in daily life you don’t even notice, but you then realise you can find beauty in them. In Japan, where I lived for 2 years, there are lots of energy towers in the middle of the cities like you see in the monster movies from the ’70s. And they are there: giants, opponents, standing out from medieval houses and rice crops. The contrast is amazing!

Scaffold is something that has always inspired me. The way that the scaffolders weave it together, not for an aesthetic reason but for the purpose of protecting and successfully fulfilling the building project and without casualties; it reminds me of the way the birds build their nests to make sure they will have success securing offspring.
This is what I try to show with my works: the “accidential beauty” that we are constantly surrounded by and exposed to in our everyday life.

H: You make some really detailed and intricate engravings.  Can you tell us a little bit about this process, and what drew you to it?
P: My artworks are based on these “accidental beauties” that I see moving around in nature and the urban environment.  Most of my subjects have a connection to my life, for example the electric tower was just across the street from where I lived in Japan, and somehow it became beautiful and important to me looking out the window everyday studying it.
The actual technique of carving is something that has taken me many years to develop.  Every printmaker has his or her own signature in the lines they choose and don’t choose, it’s like a fingerprint really.

In 1998, when I was preparing for university exams, there was a teacher called Adir Botelho. He founded the Printmaking Course at the University of Rio de Janeiro in ‘70. That period was his last before he was forced to retire. In Brazil, we have a big tradition of printmaking in the Northeast, well-known for Cordel literature that mixes print with poetry, and he changed the conception of that from craft to art. At that time, I thought it was a good opportunity to study with him and it was really worth it. I owe a lot to him.
I think my background helped a lot with this decision. Japanese woodcut is one of the most important techniques and is respectable worldwide. I like the process, dedication and to determine what it is going to be from start to finish. On the other hand, I like the casual nature that comes with non-intentional lines, unconcerned carvings that appear among the chosen image.

H: Do you have any tips, tricks or advice for young artists trying to get their work out there?
P: The most important thing is to participate in exhibitions, art events and contests. As many as possible.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT PATRICIA’S BLOG.

Issue #2 is out now, and we’re ready to bring the ruckus!

Come and get dirty with us on Thursday 12 November from 6pm at GOODGOD Small Club, 55 Liverpool Street, Sydney (entry through La Campana.)

$15 on the door nets you a copy of Happenstance issue #2, and the chance to check out bands like Pee Wee and Dora Maar. Plus,… our cover girl the lovely Del Lumanta will DJ.

And of course, there’ll be complimentary refreshments and Grolsch happy hour for a limited time! Yeah! But get in early to avoid disappointment.

See you there!