Question Time

I'm going to answer two assignment questions, which I'm getting asked on a regular basis, here. It'll make sure there is a record of it and it's just easier than answering separate emails.

What inspires Liana Kabel? This is a regular question and I
do believe answers can be found by looking at my work, posts and media coverage. Feel free to interpret. But here are a few added pointers:

"If it looks like a lolly, I like it" - it seems to be true.

Colour - bright, happy, vibrant. I'm drawn to it.

Plastic - material of choice. It's cheap, unvalued, but also slick, modern and very now. The colour choices and lightness along with availability makes it terribly appealing.

Home - most of the objects I rework are those found in the domestic environment. Such as Tupperware, knitting needles and shampoo bottles. I do have mixed feeling about domestica,so it isn't all a celebration of it. Not at all.

Rubbish - recycling. I enjoy giving something a new life, reinterpreting it and giving it value.

Flowers - I tend to make a lot of floral pieces. I don't think I'm inspired by nature but rather the artificial version of it. More kitsch than organic.

How was the company Liana Kabel formed? This question always cracks me up especially right now as I'm sitting in my fuzzy hot pink dressing gown and slippers typing this. Maybe one day I'll be a company and maybe one day very soon I'll have to employ some help, but right now it's just me making things and marketing myself.

I seriously started making jewellery in 2003. In late 2004 I had my first solo exhibition at Craft Queensland where I made over 100 pieces of jewellery using Tupperware. This is where my love affair with plastic began.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask them in the comments section and I'll try my best to answer them.

pictured above - Necklace made from Tupperware bowls and salad servers.

Seven Obsessions

The lovely Kara has tagged me. I have changed the 'seven things about you' objective with my 'seven current obsessions'. I think it's close enough!

Here goes:

1. Men in hats. You know those cute fedora hats. I do tend to get embarrassed if the man in the cute hat comes anywhere near me, because it really is about the hat. For now anyway.

2. Tofu. Can't get enough of it.

3. Going to the gym. Well I did only sign up last week but I totally love this gym, and I have a current need to run, run, run. Luckily it feels like running towards something. Something good.

4. Dexter. Sometimes I just love my Foxtel.

5. My car. See how cute it is (below)! It's number plate is something KSI. So I call it my kissy car. I am truly a dag.

6. Benefit makeup. It's so girly.

7. Me. I just want to do me things. Things that I like. Things that I want to do. Right now it all about me, me, me, me, me. Go me!

I really could go on....about me.

OCD & ME

Last Sunday I went along to Tropfest. There were good films, and there were not so good films, but there was one film that made me laugh a little nervously. In this particular short film several actors lip-synced to the words of real people with real obsessions. Their obsessions varied but they all related to an overwhelming need for repetitive acts.

I wasn't sure what it was all about at first because the first obsessee was a toy maker, and it felt like it was maybe making fun of craft and us crafty types. It didn't help that I could see myself in her, and frankly several of my friends. Then the film went on to show several other characters and their need to fry onions and touch a light numerous times, for example. Maybe it's just me but the toy maker seemed out of place here. Or maybe I just don't think anything is 'out of place' with my own level of obsessive making?

I am aware that I am obsessed at least, or driven, or however you want to put it. At present I am enjoying a little more variety in my life. It isn't all about work and jewellery, which is nice, but I do get worried about not being focused enough. I think that perhaps you do need to be obsessed with what you are doing to get somewhere. It seems hard to impossible to not work long hours and push yourself to near exhaustion sometimes, and you require some internal fire to keep you going when most sensible people(?) would stop.

I guess I think obsession can be a good thing, or even a necessary thing. But it also can get pretty borderline at times. There is always the danger of slipping into something unhealthy and destructive. For myself I am interested in living a more balanced life with plenty of enough room for my obsessive ways. I'm not sure how I'm going with that, so we'll just have to see how it all pans out.

Thanks Lara xx

This just made my day!

More Photos Of Me!

Some quick snaps of my new pink wall (painted today) and of how well I match my new pink wall. I think everyone needs a camouflage wall, or just somewhere to hide every now and again. Anyway soon this blog will just be photos of me - don't worry, no chance of that! Last ones for a while I promise.

Happy now Gino!

How Old Is Liana Kabel?

It must be that time of year and I find myself again on some high school assignment list. Which is fine, a little funny, and a bit flattering too. Anyway I can see by the emails that I'm receiving, and some of the google questions regarding me, that there is a bit of important information that isn't documented.

The big question appears to be how old I am. Here goes. I was born on March 16th 1969. I'll do the maths for you. I'm 38 years old, 39 in a couple of weeks, and by next year I'll be... that number is a little too scary for now. Perhaps I should start getting used to the sound of that, or otherwise I may be in danger of having some kind of tragic mid life crisis type thing.

While I'm here I'll also clarify a few other facts. I was born in Darlinghurst, Sydney and am living in Brisbane (Australia) at present. Also my last name is German and is pronounced K-bull, like cable, as in USB cable. It doesn't worry me if you pronounce it incorrectly, but I do get asked on a fairly regular basis how it is pronounced so I thought I would clarify it. I know for myself I do avoid using people's names if I’m not sure I’ll get it right.

The photo (above) of me is for Gino at Collect ("more pictures of you please"). Anyway it isn't a great one as I look a bit serious, and well, using flash is just never attractive. But I'm in a hurry as I'm off to the studio for the day, and it was the first recent one I found. And as it is Valentine's Day today let me take the chance to wish you all a happy one. Maybe because of that I’ll just make pink things today.

To Facebook Or Not To Facebook

Maybe I'm just an old fuddy-duddy but up until now I really haven't got onboard with the whole Facebook/My Space/Social Networking phenomenon. I do have a Facebook account but I really only signed up due to a bit (lot) of pressure, and overwhelming enthusiasm from some friends. Up until now I haven't really got the point of it. Do I really have time to throw a sheep at you? Or do I even want to? It seemed to me to be something that people who had jobs signed up for. Something that provided some much-needed distraction until the clock hit 5. Now I'm thinking maybe there is more to it than that.

Last night my studio pal Mark signed up for his Facebook account. He added me as a friend, as you do, and it came just at a time when I really welcomed a distraction. I was writing (trying to) a boring grant application (not sure why I put myself through these things - I don't know about you but working out budgets is just not my idea of fun!). Anyway, I took the opportunity to leave that for a while and look at my Facebook account and it suddenly dawned on me that there were people I would like to keep in contact with, and that this was perhaps a good way of doing just that. Maybe it wasn't all about filling in time.

I can be a bit haphazard when it comes to the whole email/phone calls/ keeping in touch thing. So maybe sending a couple of people a cupcake, or whatever, every now and again, says 'hey I'm thinking of you', and is a whole lot better than no contact at all! I had a great time In Adelaide recently, for example, and would like to keep in contact with many of the people I met and caught up with. Perhaps this is the way to do just that.

Anyway, what do you think? Any opinions on this topic? Is it a waste of time or not? I'm not 100% convinced of its worth but I think I'll give it a bit of a go, for a while anyway.

Pablo Fanque & Annadee

On one of my regular trips up Oxford St, during my recent Sydney visit, I stumbled upon new contemporary jewellery gallery Pablo Fanque. I thought was a really nice little gallery with a good range of work in a prime location. It was great to see another gallery primarily devoted to jewellery in Sydney as they are pretty far and few between.

Anna Davern has a show opening there tonight, so do check it out if you happen to be in Sydney. On show will be the work she made whilst in Estonia. I would love to see this myself, but a trip back to Sydney is a little out of the question right now! Anyway it sure to be a good one.

Count Me Lucky

Count me lucky to have such a friend/colleague as Kylie Johnson . I have known Kylie for several years now and as her website says, she really is a "hopeless romantic". She is also clever and hard working, and totally deserving of all her successes. Tonight I get to share in one her recent, and very exciting, successes by attending the launch of her first book of poetry (go-getter Kylie has self-published several books before!).


Talking about Kylie here has led me to think about why I am friends with her. Why are we compatible? I had often thought that our work was very different, and our
personalities too. Not that I had ever thought of that as a bad thing, but rather that was just the thing of it. Thinking a little more about us and probably due to having some time away, I realize that I am very much like Kylie. I am many
of the things she is, but I am also many of the things that she is not. I guess if there is a secret of me, is that if I am one thing it is very likely that I am also the direct opposite of that too. Coming to understand the truth of that helps me understand such things as why I am flexible, adaptable, emotional, and can take a long time to make a decision and reach a conclusion. Seeing both sides can be a real pain sometimes.

Like Kylie I will admit to being a hopless romantic. It is just that I am also a
die-hard cynic as well. I wouldn't say no to flowers, or some heart shaped thing, but filling my letterbox up with packets of musk lifesavers ( Juno reference) would be so much better. But who me needs romance! Not me! Maybe me?