/ Travel Like an Artist: Bianca Mavrick's Californian Design Tour /
It's time to meet our newest artist, Bianca Mavrick!
Brisbane based Bianca is a contemporary jeweller who delights in creating oversized sculptural earrings, developed from graphic motifs and a love of colour.
Pieces of Eight is excited to launch an exclusive capsule collection of Bianca's earrings. To get a feel for what inspires this young artist, we sat down to hear about a design trip Bianca recently took to California.
"In 2017 I visited California, and the first thing I did was head into the desert to Palm Springs (via a self-driving Tesla car service - because I don't drive!). I was excited to go to Palm Springs for the modernist architecture and antique stores, but also to see Desert X, a site specific art biennale which was held at the same time.
I spent some time in Los Angeles travelling alone, which is my favourite thing to do. I was really excited when I booked my ticket and realised that a Peter Shire exhibition would be held at MOCA while I was in town. Looking at his work has influenced the way I think about the materials in my own work. Previously I'd only seen his pieces in books or online, so this was a really wonderful experience."
Poolside at the Ace Hotel, Palm Springs
This was a very lively place to stay when travelling alone. The mountains looked flat, like painted movie backdrops.
Desert X, Palm Springs
I was in Palm Springs during Desert X, a site specific art biennale where I got to see Doug Aitken's Mirage House. It's a house that is floor to ceiling mirrors, blended into the landscape!
Salvation Mountain, California
I don't drive, but I met a nice Uber driver who agreed to drive me into the desert to visit Salvation Mountain. It was a bit of a risk, but I really wanted to go there! Parts of the mountain are made from straw, covered in many, many coats of paint and diligently conserved. I loved the colour palettes.
Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles
This mint colour is a favourite that comes up in my work, and it followed me around California. Detail from Melrose Avenue in LA.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Again, my favourite mint colour popped up at my favourite building at LACMA - the Pavilion for Japanese Art.
MOCA Pacific Design Centre
I went to see my favourite Memphis designer Peter Shire's retrospective exhibition 'Naked is the Best Disguise' at the MOCA Pacific Design Centre. Seeing his work in the flesh was fantastic, so much inspiration for materials, colour and surface finishes. Here's a detail of my favourite Bel Air chair made from steel and enamel.
