Years ago there was an exhibit at the Tate Moderne of Dion’s Urban Archaeology installation. I was intrigued & hooked, and this went on to be the inspiration for my ex-BIG LOVE’s short film. I delved into his world & have managed to catch his fascinating installation in other London, Paris & NYC galleries. He has an impressive amount of books, with extensive recording of his works & process.

Dion portrays through installation & display of personal belongings, the identity & personality of the ‘space’s’ owner.

Mostly, the process is as important as the finished piece. Like me, he is curious & attracted to museums, markets, field study, display, taxidermy, oddities, natural history & all the paraphernalia that comes with it.

I was thrilled to come across his signature in the Musee de la Chasse et de la Nature on the top floor in the far corner: a replica log cabin interior reflecting the life & passions of creators, collections and owners, Francois & Jacqueline Sommer.

Green words! Everyone is talking about going green & there’s no better way to say it than with green words. Patrick Blanc started the craze with his amazing vertical gardens & now you see them popping up everywhere. I love the idea of green graffiti.

At The Society inc. (& throughout my books) I have loved & fondly embraced the use of the pointing hand. You know the classic traditional symbol of indication, to train your eye to a point of interest, a caption or button. Well, I am moving on! I have now fallen in love with another.

The simple classic arrow.

This fascination started from an early age of archery & the paraphernalia that came with it: the leather arm protect, the wooden or bamboo arrow with feathered flight tails, the tightness of the bow as it draws back & you eye the target. My friends at BDDW in NYC seem to share my love & have them on their website (which is well worth a peruse). I believe they have started their own archery club. I would most definitely join if my place of residence was still NYC.

Most recently I have acquired some great arrow signs to sell at the shop as well as purchasing a classic bulls-eye from KioskKiosk that hangs as its own artwork in my space- a homage to my youth & the many hours of darts with my brothers & local gang.

My friend, Sean, who has worked with the lovely & talented Saskia of Grandiflora has branched out on his own. His new florist workshop has opened on the outer edge of Double Bay.

I had the chance to collaborate with him on my 10-page CountryStyle Christmas Spread for the December issue. This is a sneak peek of some of his masterpieces.

With the upcoming filming of Baz’s version of ‘The Great Gatsby’ with the fabulous Catherine Martin at the visual helm and the release of Woody Allen’s ‘Midnight in Paris’, the 1920s are at the forefront again. One of my most favourite times- for me it’s exploring colonial outposts followed by camels caravanning my campaign furniture & necessities in the deserts of the Middle East, or the excitement & exploration of fashion, music, muses, literature & the art of Paris. I based my paint theme, ‘Atelier’ on this time & it features the colours that might have been appearing in the Montmartre: pigments, cloth & milliner’s feathered pieces.

I am researching Sydney’s history so I can reflect it in an upcoming underground brick vaulted space in Sydney’s CBD. The Historic Houses has some wonderful photographic books, reflecting the time through photographs pulled from the archives of the Justice & Police Museum of past ‘peoples of question’. Fabulous not just for the dress & faces, but for the furniture, streetscape & signage that appears in the backdrops throughout.