Category: personal

Xmas Letter

Every year, my dad writes an account of the Barnetson family to send to friends and relatives. It’s written with pride and goodwill, even if the brevity can be humbling (‘Anne is still working in bookshops and sketching villains, as well as the odd commission.’). With dad’s 2021 xmas letter in mind, I set myself […]

Annie goes Electric

I’ve acquired an iPad Pro with the intention of learning to illustrate digitally. Here’s the first very quick sketch done in procreate on the device – I’m hoping to post an improved version when I’m better.

What Artists Wear : Book review

I love books about clothes and how and why we wear what we do. Charlie Porter’s collection of essays, What Artists Wear is a satisfying marriage of art history and fashion writing. It begins with sections on Louise Bourgeois and her friendship with Helmut Lang, Georgia O’Keefe (whose three-piece suit appears on the cover), and the […]

Margaret River Readers And Writers Festival 2021

I attended this year’s MRRW Festival as a guest of my good friend Cass Lynch, who was interviewing and on a panel as part of the festival’s program. The whole weekend was a literary delight, circulating Wooditchup with authors, publishers and other booksellers as well as readers like me. I sketched Cass and Karen Wyld […]

Satin Brocade Jacket

I found this bright cyan blue jacket in the op-shop. Its a Chinese style cheongsam, or long shirt made of rayon from a Shanghai label called Peony Brand. The cheongsam / qipao and associated garments were adapted from traditional Chinese dress and popularised in the 1920’s although mine is not that old. I don’t wear […]

Linen Haori Jacket

I love the latest piece I’ve ordered from a favourite company, OFFON Clothing, a label based in Vilnius, Lithuania. Simona and her team specialise in linen clothing with a simple and unpretentious feel, manufactured ethically and transparently. It is an unlined citrus yellow jacket loosely based on a haori, a traditional hip-length Japanese garment worn […]

A Nice Drop

Cass and Dave had me over to dinner, and for dessert we had donuts and a nip of Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey – not a bourbon, because of the wheat rather than corn mash, but from deep in bourbon country. Here’s the things we tasted.

Terra-cotta Dress

The bright mirror teal of my PopJewels Smithsonian earrings makes an excellent contrast to the brick-red linen dress I wore on Wednesday. They were a gift from a good friend which makes me love them even more. I made a commitment to buy when possible from smaller companies with an ethical focus, like OffOn Clothing […]

An Invasion Day 2020 protest sign sampler

I went to the Australia Day / Invasion Day protests in Perth city on Sunday 26th with Cassie. We made a note of our favourite signs (#TooStrongForYouKaren was a crowd pleaser). I made one referencing traditional tattoo flash with a treacherous handshake and replaced the ‘Trust No One’ text with ‘Sovereignty Was Never Ceded.’