Doodler. Unibrow.

I have to admit that I have a thing for monobrows. Apparently, I'm not alone so this week's Doodler is for monobrow enthusiasts everywhere.

Spin. I Didn't Knew You.

My new favourite song is Shark Ridden Waters by Rhys Gruff. Beautiful melodies, gorgeous lyrics and a hypnotic groove that begs repeat plays. More sharky goodness can be found on Archie Bronson Outfit's Coconut from last year. It's still on high rotation here.

Glossy. Octopussy.

I've just taken out a subscription to Fantom, a fresh new photography journal out of Italy. It is a rare joy, a magazine where content is unexpected and new discoveries are made with every page flipped. No wonder it is my new favourite magazine. I was immediately drawn to this astounding cover image by Yumiko Utsu. I think it has just entered my top ten of all time great covers with a bullet.

Pie Report. Good Stroganoff.

Easter means time off and time off means time to explore somewhere new. Nelson Bay was the destination, and it was certainly worth every moment spent getting there. Beautiful surroundings, an amazing view from the summit and a pretty good pie from Red Ned's Gourmet Pie Bar. From a dazzling array of options including ostrich, crocodile, teriyaki kangaroo and a lobster, prawn and barramundi pie, I chose a quite subdued Beef Stroganoff considering the choices offered. At $5.50 a pop, how did Red Ned's pies fare:

Beef Stroganoff
3.75 Pastry
3.75 Filling
4.00 Tastiness
4.00 Structure
2.75 Value

SCORE | 3.65

Steak Diane by guest judge Pete McLean of Art Out & About.
3.00 Pastry
3.50 Filling
4.25 Tastiness
4.00 Structure
3.00 Value

SCORE | 3.55

First 13. Kooragang Wetlands.

Glossy. Ginger Sweeties.

I love this August 1964 cover of Woman's Journal featuring this pair of adorable ginger kittens. The cuddly kittens are apparently called David and Jonathan and were photographed by Camera Clix. I love cats and I miss my adorable Miyake greatly.

First 13. Hunter St.

Pinboard. Free For All.

Like Five or Free, Free for All is about finding new homes for my images. Following an artist talk at the University of Newcastle, I gave away a couple of hundred images to interested students (lucky punter above). The images are from previous Wunderwall installations, The bucket was on the move at NAS Gallery and There are too many things in the cupboard at the ANU's School of Art Gallery.

Pie Report. Never Again.

Pies are the perfect in-a-rush food. You can grab one, scoff it down and be back on your way without wasting more than a couple of minutes eating. I was in that position earlier today and risked a chicken and vegetable pie from a Daily Bakehouse outlet in inner Newcastle. While it was better than I was expecting, I did have a few issues besides the rather unappealing look of it. The pastry was too thick and the only vegetable was corn. As for the consistency, it was a jelly-like substance that resembled the Blob.

Chicken & Vegetable
2.25 Pastry
2.50 Filling
2.00 Tastiness
3.00 Structure
2.00 Value

SCORE | 2.45

Doodler. The Devil in Barbara.

Every now and then I find a magazine that someone else has doodled in. I wish I found them more often as I cherish the artistic creations inside. The doodler who reinterpreted this issue of New Idea gave Mrs Bush either devil horns or fox ears coupled with a Hitler moustache. I couldn't go past that for this post.

Pie Report. Spud Wonder.

Because they're so very good, it's without surprise that the final pie I consumed from Gumnut Patissierie in Mittagong was a potato one. The potato topping has a touch of the Deb about it, yet the smattering of cheese on top subverts that flavour and adds crunch.

Potato
3.75 Pastry
3.50 Filling
3.75 Tastiness
3.25 Structure
3.50 Value

SCORE | 3.55

Glossy. Amazingness.

If you adore magazines as I do, then treat yourself to Cover Junkie, a site devoted to the art of magazine covers. Picking a favourite is hard – there are too many excellent options on the stand to choose from. Creative interpretations of current global affairs is what Bloomberg Business does best. De Zeit never lets anyone down, Jacques is kooky and Interview delivers for the celebrity conscious. I'm loving this  Pop Africana cover for sheer impact.

Pie Report. Nanna's Gramma.

At the end of our family holidays - we always went to the same place - we would stop at the Nambucca fruit stall and mum would buy some gramma, a kind of pumpkin. This was odd because our dinner plates were more likely to be loaded with three types of meat and a single vegetable, so the purchase of an unusual vegetable was irregular. On return to Sydney mum would bake gramma pies which she'd serve with runny cream and a sprinkle of sugar. They were delicious and I looked forward to them. For some reason gramma pies popped into my head a few days ago, so it was a surprise to actually see an A-frame sign in a local Newcastle bakery advertising their availability. It was lunch time so I ventured a mushroom pie and a selected a gramma pie for a sweet treat later. Unfortunately, the gramma pie was a mistake with a too sweet sugary filling the over-riding sensation.

Mushroom
3.75 Pastry
3.00 Filling
3.00 Tastiness
2.75 Structure
3.00 Value

SCORE | 2.90

Gramma
2.75 Pastry
2.25 Filling
2.00 Tastiness
3.00 Structure 
2.00 Value

SCORE | 2.40

Pinboard. SuperKaleidoscope.

Recently, I was asked to contribute a short piece to SuperKaleidoscope, a smart art project by Sarah Mosca and Kim Fasher that aims to showcase the work of Australian artists internationally. To see what I had to say about Rosie Deacon, click here.

Glossy. True Beauty in Print.

The Los Angeles Times Magazine was redesigned many moons ago with breathtaking results, particularly this cover featuring Mad Men's Christina Hendricks. Inside the design is crisp and clear. Newspaper magazines of this caliber put the dull offerings of the Australian press to shame – The Australian Financial Review Magazine a worthy exception.

Doodler. Creative Capers.

Flipping through The Australian Women's Weekly some months ago, I was delighted to stumble on this rather artistic reworking of a Nicole Kidman portrait. It is a striking use of texta and highlighter that would do Arlene TextaQueen proud.

Pie Report. Gloopy Gloop.

Up a side street in Bowral there is a bakery cheaper than those on the main street, and with far friendlier staff. This little bakery makes quite good apricot danishes and croissants. As for the pies, not so successful. A rather weird chicken pie was purchased recently from the lovely young student who works there. The near dreadful creation featured chicken pieces suspended in a thick glutinous substance all encased in a thick and flavourless pastry. I think I'll stick with the croissants.

Pinboard. Midweek Social at Carriage Works.

The second Midweek Social took place at Carriage Works in November 2010 as part of the P4 (Pilot) program and the Live Live festival. The line-up included the brilliant Robbie McGregor as compere, The Knife Waltz with their dazzling burlesque show, Paris (not the city Paris) on the tarot table with the Wheel of Fortune, John and Joy on the Photobooth, Katrina Jamieson-Toy was impeccable on the door and Sarah Mosca, Vanila Netto and Clementine Barnes excelled with their snaps. Along with a meat raffle, Twister and Rubik's cube competition, Midweek Social guests played the night away on a range of retro board games winning prizes from eras gone past.