Drink it in - Portraits in Tea, Vodka, Whiskey and Ink

These energetic pieces by Carne Griffiths are ink drawings with a difference. Some of the washes are produced using uncommon mediums including tea, vodka and whiskey. Good to see those spirited artistic juices flowing!

Pictured are two portraits from his current exhibition called "Fragments" which can be seen for a limited time at the Ink-d Gallery.

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The Chrono-Shredder: Wall Calendar and Allegory for a Misspent Life

The Chrono-Shredder is an artwork by Susanna Hertrich which serves a dual purpose as both handsome wall calendar and cheerful allegory for the shredded tatters of your misspent, frittered away, irreversibly wasted, miserable life.

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iDreamSaver on Kickstarter

The iDreamSaver on Kickstarter promises to "Wake Intelligently", which we take to mean it will reach across at an appropriate time and apply gentle pressure to your shoulder while softly whispering your name and presenting you with coffee and the newspaper. Sadly it doesn't do this, but it does have a motion sensing infrared that wakes you when it detects a state of "light sleep" at any time during your pre-defined time window.

There looks to be some good attention to detail in this item such as the extended length charging cable and the micro-suction surface on the base of the device which aids one-handed docking and avoids slippage when operating the iPhone while docked. The guys behind it also appear to have excellent software and electrical engineering pedigree which should be an encouraging sign for would-be backers.

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Poulter's Pants

Ian Poulter's erotic logo is stamped into the button right above your crotch on these handsome tartan golf shorts.

Tartan aficionados can take comfort in knowing that Ian Poulter tartan is registered under the Scottish Tartan Authority, a starchy group of Scottish elders who meet at the pub every Friday night to swap jokes on all manner of subject except tartan, about which they are deadly serious.

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Frick'in Laser Beams!

The golden age of science fiction writing was also a stellar period for cover artwork, and this 1976 cover of Philip K. Dick's Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said is one of the best. You've got jet cars, a super funky police uniform (check the helmet!), and that laser beam cleaving a path through the air¹... whoa.

Pretty much all the sci-fi novels published by Panther in this era had cover artwork as awesome as this one, it's always worth a quick scan of the science fiction aisle in 2nd hand book shops to see what you can pickup.

Incidently, this is one of Dick's best books, it hits most of his favourite themes: dystopian setting, paranoia, stolen identity. He also tells this story without getting so trippy that you have to strain to follow along, making it one of his more accessible novels.

1. OK, we acknowledge that this cover may in fact depict a conventional gun firing with one hellava flame coming out of it rather than a laser beam, but c'mon... what's cooler?

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Michael Commerford Gallery

Sporting a handsome new front awning that is clearly visible to motorists making the winding climb up New South Head Road toward Edgecliff is the Michael Commerford Gallery. The display window typically plays host to a huge canvas depicting a simple, lovingly rendered portrait of an animal, often a giraffe, sometimes an elephant or cow, even the occasional human. In a corner of the painting is a special treat: a short poem composed by the artist in homage to the subject and written in his own childlike, uneven hand. That artist is Vayu and his works are available exclusively from the Michael Commerford Gallery.

Inside are dozens of original Vayu paintings created in his signature style: a sterile white gesso'd canvas contrasting the sudden outline of a hauntingly tender animal portrait. Vayu's subjects exhibit a sparkling translucence created through the application of hundreds of thin oil washes. Through these layers of paint you can often make out the underlying linework which adds a certain deconstructed charm. And then there's the poetry, all Vayu's pieces are effectively two complementry works of art; the painting and the poem, both enhancing the other's beauty.

You can't help but admire Vayu's dedication to this method and his mastery of it.

Also available are numerous prints of Vayu's works as well as some fabulous light installations by Reni Kung, and extraordinary sculptures constructed from cast off vehicle parts created by James Corbett. More on those another day.

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