Changing direction, this is something I have wanted to do probably from the beginning. I have wanted my jewellery to be more artistic, more about making something without thinking about whether it is sellable. Sometimes I have designs that require too much material, which makes the items too expensive to make. Of course, this is how all things are calculated, but I don't like how sometimes I just can't make what i want because it might be a huge cost and who is going to buy this? Well, the time has come for me to find out who will buy this.
This year, 2026 (thought I better clarify as I haven't made a blog post in years), I have not done any markets or events but am concentrating on the Art Fairs. At this current point, I am in the Artisan showcase and the Art Fair Showcase for the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, CIAF. This is pretty exciting for me, but I do wish I had more time. I have realised it takes so much time to try to do these different pieces than it does for the Artisan work, but it is, as they say, a learning curve.
The theme this year for CIAF is Reclamation and Regeneration. 9–12 July 2026, CIAF returns to Tanks Arts Centre and sites across Gimuy/Cairns. My submission will consist of three main pieces: necklaces, and hopefully, they will meet the brief. As I am writing this blog, I have not finished which makes me panic, like I said, a learning curve. Never took into consideration mind blanks, sickness, family issues when I thought I had so much time and now here I am at the tail end of it all coming (or not) together.