Spring 2014

Spring has sprung once again but instead of posting pictures of tulips as I usually do, I decided to post a picture of my cactus, something closer to home. This little guy has 17 flower buds so far! I don't think I've ever seen a cactus with so many flowers at once. It's like spring has decided to announce its arrival with fireworks bursting into a display of color... hahahaha

I'm not sure if the tulips in the Botanical Garden were able to make a big impression this year. We had a couple of storms hit Wellington on the day that the Spring Festival started. I wouldn't be surprised if the tulips were badly battered.

Winter day!

Today hasn't been particularly cold, in fact, it almost seems like everyday has been as cold as this one! That's not entirely true of course, we've been having some nice sunny days and they almost feel like spring... until the wind reminds us that we're only experiencing an illusion, hahaha.

Keeping myself warm at home, I look out the window from my "studio" and can see how it's hailing quite hard. Fifteen minutes later the sun comes back out and all traces of hail has disappeared except for the puddles on the street. Hail is always an event here in Wellington but will never compare to when it snowed a few years back, "a once in a life time event" they called it... unless you're like 90. That was an awesome day!!

Cool little video that captured the feeling of that day :)

AMN5

Fifth International Conference on Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology

 

 

The MacDiarmid Institute organizes an International Biennial Conference that offers a broad interdisciplinary overview of advanced materials and nanotechnology, and provides an exciting forum to discuss new and exciting advances in the field.

 

The logo for this event had to depict the fact that the conference was taking place in New Zealand. It also had to include the concept of nanotechnology and/or advanced materials, which are the main areas in which the conference focuses on.

In order to address these requirements, the proposed solution had a representation of New Zealand created by organic forms, round, curvaceous elements that seem to meld together for a specific purpose. The repetition of these elements can then devise organized structures, by which, the concept of having advanced materials or nanotechnology has been achieved.

Applications of logo and secondary elements on assorted

conference materials. This part of the project was undertaken

by the conference organizers.

Wellington, New Zealand

Need I say more about beautiful sunny Wellington? I have been thinking long and hard about what identifies Wellington, what makes it unique, what makes it so special. Other cities rely on their architecture or monuments and as soon as you see them, you can identify the city immediately. The mere mention of the Eiffel Tower and you'll be thinking of Paris, people riding bicycles with baguettes in their baskets and little cafes on the sidewalks. Big Ben will evoke images of black taxis and the Thames River, 5 o'clock tea and maybe a rainy foggy day in afternoon. The Chrysler building brings the iconic yellow taxi stuck in traffic amongst other 50 yellow taxis and the Statue of Liberty in the foreground perhaps. The list is long and I could go on forever... Golden Gate Bridge, Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Tower of Pisa, etc.

So what could I use to illustrate Wellington that makes it so iconic? The Beehive perhaps? The cable car? The Brooklyn turbine? Maybe... all of these are options but it's not something that stays with you forever. You may come to the coolest little capital in the world and enjoy the vibe of the city, the excellent coffee options you have at arms length, the relaxed atmosphere... but does that really identify Welly?

And then it hit me, like a storm on a clear sunny day! Why the weather of course!! That is one thing that will always be talked about. No matter if you've been living here all your life or you've been here for a day, the weather is something that will always be discussed at some point. There's no escaping it, it makes Welly what it is and the way people go about their everyday activities.

Tip: Umbrellas not recommended

On top

Last year Alexa came to NZ to visit and we had a whirlwind of a trip stopping at some of the major points of interest in the N Island. We didn't have enough time to see or do as much as we would've liked but she still was able to go back to LA with a good idea of what NZ is like... Gorgeous!

This year I went to California and we traveled around as well although not as much. Still, we made a stop in Carmel, San Francisco and Yosemite. Nice and interesting places, and Yosemite is stunning as well.... If I had to choose between what I've seen so far of California and NZ, there would be no doubt about my choice of NZ being on top. NZ rocks!!!!! Now if only Alexa could be here... I love you GG! ;)

By the way, that picture was taken on top of the hill that overlooks the city, the wind turbine is right next to us but not included in the shot.

Update: Team Paul Callaghan

Mark Hunter wearing "Team Paul Callaghan" apparel.

Things are going well with our fundraising and I would like to thank everybody who has contributed in one way or another. The t-shirts and hoodies sold through Team Paul Callaghan have been a huge success, and some members of the team have seen supporters wearing them around town. That's really awesome!

Our goal of reaching $20,000 has been met and we're now on our way to $25,000. Will we be able to reach the new goal? With your support there may be a good chance of doing so.

I would like to remind you guys that all proceeds from the sales of the Team Paul Callaghan go directly to the Relay for Life event organized by the Cancer Society of New Zealand. If you guys have already contributed, spread the word around with your friends and family members.

Don't forget that you can make a direct donation as well in case you want to miss out on the cool swag. Just head to the Relay for Life page and help us support a good cause.

Cheers!

Team Paul Callaghan

I suppose many of you are familiar with the name of Paul Callaghan or Sir Prof Paul Callaghan as he was known in the later years. He always got a kick out of being named Sir, but he only accepted the honor because he thought that it would give him more street cred and in that way he would be able to reach more people when he addressed his thoughts and visions about NZ science, NZ economy, the rebuilding of Christchurch, the conservation of the flora and fauna of NZ and so many other things that concern or should concern all kiwis.

Paul passed away last year after battling cancer and a group of friends and family have gotten together to honor his memory and share the wonderful experiences he brought to our lives. It is for this reason that we have decided to organize a team in the Relay for Life event that the Cancer Society of New Zealand leads each year. Paul took place in this event a couple of times, showing his support for this cause and even participated in the opening lap as a cancer survivor.

This year we have designed some cool t-shirts to support this noble cause and we ask you to show your support by purchasing these designs. Not only will you be helping the team reach our goal of raising NZ$20,000 but you'll also be helping out all of those people that benefit from the work of the Cancer Society. So come on, chip in, and be part of Team Paul Callaghan by visiting the Team Paul Callaghan store!

If you'd like to know more about the man himself, I invite you to visit his blog. If that is not enough for you to get an idea of who he was and what he did for New Zealand, simply search his name on the internet and choose from the myriad of entries that dedicate some lines to his work.

Thanks for taking your time to read this.

A storm had just come through Wellington and another one was on its way. That weekend I had planned to go to the Wairarapa and visit one of its vineyards and enjoy a really nice lunch with Alexa. There seemed to be no point in venturing out and driving over the Rimutakas if the weather was going to be bad. You might as well stay closer to home and appreciate what you have in your backyard.

A drive around the bays is always a good drive and each and every one of them has its own appeal. Owhiro Bay, Island Bay, Lyall Bay, Scorching Bay, Evans Bay... drive to each one of them and have a little stroll, 10 to 15 minutes will be enough before you head on to the next one and you'll be surprised by the amount of things you'll see. Penguins, seals, dolphins, orcas and even the occasional sea leopard can be encountered. That day however, only the seagulls were out braving the weather, the Cook Strait had been roaring and was getting ready for another uproar. Amongst the shiny kelp that had been strewn across the stoney beach, the white plumage of the seagulls really made them stand out.

In the end, we spent around 4 hours gathering seashells and enjoying the views that were on offer. Maybe the lunch we had had not been as fancy as I had planned originally, maybe the weather hadn't been as great as expected, yet, those few hours had been spent in great company and with the discovery of little treasures in each seashell and views from the bays. Perfect way to end the weekend.

Spring Festival 2011

Our clocks have been move forward and the tulips have been blooming for a couple of weeks now, so I guess it's safe to say that Spring has finally arrived. This year's end of winter was pretty crazy, we saw snow in Wellington and not only around the tops of the hills, but even at sea level! The last time a thing like this happened was 50 years ago. Really looking forward to warmer and more stable seasons.

As usual, the Wellington Botanical Gardens have a variety of tulips on display to mark the arrival of spring.

Latest victim

One more to the ever growing collection of fallen umbrellas. Windy Wellington Winter scores again.

Eating Dirt, Sweating Mud

I was approached by a group of Theater students from Victoria University to help them out with the design of a poster and a flyer for a series of plays that they will be performing. The title that encompasses these plays is quite clever for it reflects all of the knowledge that they have been digesting and assimilating over the years and that they now have to reflect in the plays that they are presenting.

Regarding the design, the chosen colors relate to earthy tones which one can associate with dirt and mud. Dirt being dry has a lighter tone than that of mud which becomes darker when mixed with water. The stressed grungy font helps to convey this feeling of hard work. The torn paper are elements that give us the feeling of something that has been put together in a very hands-on kind of way. Nothing is clean and precise which transmits the sense that people have actually been working on this project; blood, sweat and tears have been poured into this showcase.

The best of luck to all of them!

 

Student Symposium 2011

The illustration for this year's Student Symposium organized by the MacDiarmid Institute is finished! It seemed that every time I felt it was completed, I wound find a little detail that needed a bit more of work. There might be a few flaws still but I'm quite satisfied with the end result. If I keep working on this I'm sure that I'll keep finding other things that need to be touched up.

I wonder what next year has in store for me. What will the theme be and how will I be able to incorporate these characters. I think that MESA (The MacDiarmid Emerging Scientists Association) will be in charge of future Symposiums.

Muggy

Wellington Spring

So you would think that because it's spring and the weather has improved with sunny warm days, the all familiar sight of broken umbrellas around town would have disappeared... well guess again! I must confess I was quite shocked to come across the latest image while walking up to work the other day. Even though we had two rainy days over the weekend, I didn't think the wind would be misbehaving. Will this be the last image of the season?

Spring 2010

Wellington Winter 2

This is the second bin which somebody has kindly adorned with an umbrella. I suspect it might have been a girl but that's just me jumping to conclusions. I'll keep a sharp eye for other possible cosmetically enhanced rubbish bins in the city.

These incidents haven't gone unnoticed and have made the local news. Well... to be honest, they were talking about a new umbrella design which makes it a bit sturdier. Here's the intro to the story. Special appearance by Jennifer Eccles! If you want the full story head on over here.

Wellington Winter

Once again we start seeing the familiar broken umbrellas in the public rubbish bins (trash cans). I think this winter has been wetter than previous so I have honestly been trying to stay inside. That well may be the reason why I have only seen only one of these iconic images so far. On a good winter day (bad weather day really), it's not unusual to walk down the street and come across two or three prime examples of what the wind will do in Welly.

MacDiarmid Student Symposium 2010

Just finished the illustration for the MacDiarmid Student Symposium. This is the third illustration I've made for this series of Symposiums although only the last two have the same characters. The style of the illustration has changed slightly and so have the characters in order to fit the theme of the current symposium.

You can view the previous illustration here.

Perfect day

Aro Valley - Red Rocks... again

A few weeks ago Rachel and I walked up from Aro Valley down to Red Rocks. The track takes you to the Wind Turbine, to the Radar and then down to Red Rocks. On that occasion we walked for 9 hours and we were totally spent. It was a good way to start training for the tramping season. The walk is so enjoyable and the views you get from Wellington are so nice that I decided to do it once again.

This time I did the walk with a few new friends and since they haven't seen much of Wellington, I thought it would be a great opportunity for them to see the sights and stretch their legs. Nina, Alex and Caroline all come from the US and I think that what they saw today gives them a better appreciation for Wellington. Lein and Naomi also enjoyed the walk even though they're veteran Wellingtonians, hehhehe.