MEMORIES FROM DOWN UNDER

ROAD-TRIPPIN' DOWN THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD

ORANGE EATING CONTEST IN TORQUAY

CHECKING OUT THE SURF AT BELLS

GETTING TO KNOW THE WALLABYS ON PHILIP ISLAND

FISHING & DOLPHIN WATCHING AT PORT MACQURIE

ADMIRING THE VIEW FROM BYRON BAY LIGHTHOUSE 

EATING THE BEST B.L.A.T IN THE WORLD

AT BAYLEAF CAFE IN BYRON BAY

GOING FOR A SURF AT LENNOX BEACH

CHILLING IN THE HAMMOCK IN COOLENGATTA

CHECKING OUT THE ROXY PRO

PASSING TIME BY PIMPING MY SURFBOARD

EXPLORING THE BLUE MOUNTAINS & STUMBLED 

ACROSS THIS AMAZING WATERFALL

GET YOUR TAAFFE OUT

                                                                                        

LUKE TAAFFE IS AN ARTIST/GRAPHIC DESIGNER/SURFER FROM NSW, AUSTRALIA. I CAME ACROSS LUKE WHEN LIVING NEAR BYRON BAY ON THE EAST COAST. THERE WAS A GREAT GALLERY MY BOYFRIEND & I USED TO VISIT NEARLY EVERY DAY CALLED 'RETROSPECTS GALLERY', WITH SOME BRILLIANT ESTABLISHED & EMERGING AUSTRALIAN ARTISTS & DESIGNERS. TAAFFE'S WORK WAS BEING EXHIBITED AT THE TIME, & I WAS INSTANTLY DRAWN TO THE VIVID COLOURS, THE ORGANIC SHAPES & HIS CLEAR LOVE OF THE OCEAN. 

TAAFFE MAINLY WORKS ON "WEATHERED WOODEN BOXES & PRE-LOVED MATERIALS" HE FINDS IN TIPS OR ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. USING MEDIUMS SUCH AS ACRYLICS & INDIAN INKS, THE COLOURS IN HIS PAINTINGS ARE STRONG & RADIANT, CONTRASTING AGAINST THE WOODEN BACKGROUNDS THAT ARE OFTEN USED. 

THE STATEMENT BELOW FROM THE RETROSPECTS GALLERY SUMS UP HIS STYLE EXACTLY...

" THE ERODED AND OFTEN FOUND MATERIALS HE PAINTS ON, REFLECT THE SALT DECAYING EFFECTS OF OCEANSIDE LIVING AND HOW IT IMPACTS ON MANS DESIRE FOR DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESS. IN CONTRAST, THE VIBRANT COLOURS AND INK DETAILS HE USES SHOW THE FUN & PRIVILEGE ONE HAS TO BE RAISED NEAR THE SURF. "

BY DAY HE WORKS FOR ROXY/QUIKSILVER WHERE HIS WORK CAN BE SEEN ON SURFBOARDS & SKATEBOARDS. LUKE ASLO CREATES PRINTS FOR ROXYS SWIMWEAR, BOARDIES & DRESSES THAT ARE BOLD & BEAUTIFUL. WHEN I WAS IN BALI LAST MONTH THE ROXY SHOPS WERE AWASH WITH HIS GRAPHICS & YOU CAN TELL HE'S STARTING TO GET A PRETTY BIG FOLLOWING IN AUSTRALIA. 

COMING FROM ENGLAND, IT'S A PLEASURE TO STUMBLE UPON SUCH COLOURFUL & ENERGETIC DESIGNS FOCUSED ON THE OCEAN & SURFING WHEN TRAVELLING. AS MY PERSONAL STYLE IS COLOURFUL & PLAYFUL LIKE LUKES OWN, IT'S INCREDIBLY EASY FOR ME TO DRAW INSPIRATION FROM HIM. I REALLY HOPE TO SEE A LOT MORE FROM HIM IN THE FUTURE.

WHEN ASKED TO DESCRIBE HIS WORK, TAAFFE SAID IN AN INTERVIEW ON MESURF.COM.AU: "MY WORK IS LIKE PITCHING A TENT ON A REMOTE BEACH SURROUNDED BY PERFECT WAVES WITH A BEAUTIFUL GIRL AND WAKING UP IN THE MORNING AND THINKING FARRRRK...HOW DID I GET HERE."

AND I THINK IT SUMS UP HIS WORK PRETTY NICELY!

www.taaffedingo.com

www.retrospectgalleries.com

GET YOUR GUN GIRL

WHEN I WAS LITTLE I USED TO SKATEBOARD AROUND MY BACK GARDEN, AND MY GRANDMA WOULD CALL OUT "ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, THERE'S A GIRL IN THE GARDEN". IT WOULD SEND ME INTO SUCH FITS OF GIGGLES I WOULD FALL OFF MY BOARD, AND I'D END UP WITH NEW SCRATCHES EVERYDAY FROM HER CALLING THIS OUT. GROWING UP IT'S A PHRASE THAT'S BEEN DRUMMED INTO MY HEAD, ALWAYS PUTTING A SMILE ON MY FACE. NOW 20 AND HAVING SPENT MOST OF THE LAST DECADE SURFING, SNOWBOARDING, SKIING, PADDLE BOARDING, PARAGLIDING, SKATEBOARDING AND SO ON, IT'S A PHRASE THAT STICKS TO ANYTHING MY GRANDMA WOULD SHAKE HER HEAD AT.

I'VE BEEN WANTING TO START A BLOG FOR SOME TIME NOW. A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO I TRAVELLED AROUND AUSTRALIA WITH MY BOYFRIEND. BEFORE I WENT, ONE OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS SAID "ANNIE, YOU'RE GONNA BE DOING SUCH COOL THINGS, YOU SHOULD START A BLOG SO PEOPLE CAN FOLLOW." OF COURSE I AGREED, BUT PUT IT TO THE BACK OF MY MIND. FAST FORWARD NEARLY 2 YEARS, & NOT ONLY DID I TRAVEL AROUND OZ, I ALSO WORKED A SEASON IN MERIBEL, FRANCE - SNOWBOARDING & CLEANING TOILETS EVERYDAY! I WENT ON A 2 MONTH ADVENTURE TO BALI, SURFING SOME LOVELY WAVES & SUBMERGING MYSELF IN THE CULTURE. I ALSO WORKED A SUMMER IN MY NOW HOME TOWN OF ST.IVES, CORNWALL, LONG-BOARDING AT MY LOCAL BREAKS AND CHALLENGING MYSELF TO SOME STEEP CORNISH HILLS ON MY CRUISER (THAT DIDN'T GO SO WELL!) & I MISSED OUT ON THE CHANCE TO DOCUMENT IT ALL.

FAST FORWARD TO TODAY, & SOCIAL SITES AND MEDIA HAS GOTTEN THE BETTER OF ME. I RECENTLY SAW THE ROXY COMPETITION 'LET THE SEA SET YOU FREE', & KICKED MYSELF, AS IT SEEMED SUCH A GREAT OPPORTUNITY. WHEN I WENT TO MY BOYFRIEND ABOUT STARTING A BLOG, I MENTIONED THE NAME "ANNIE GET YOUR GUN", AND HE OOZED ENTHUSIASM! HE SAID "THAT'S GREAT, IT'S LIKE ANNIE IS GRABBING HER 'GUN' SURFBOARD & IS READY TO GO SURF SOME BIG WAVES!" I LAUGHED & THEN REALISED THERE WERE 2 SIDES TO MY NAME...

SO NOT ONLY DOES THIS BLOG REPRESENT MY GROWING LOVE OF EXTREME SPORTS, IN A WAY IT REPRESENTS THE 'BIG WAVES' I'VE OVERCOME AND GOING TO EXPERIENCE IN THE FUTURE. THIS BLOG IS A HAVEN, A PLACE WHERE I CAN UPLOAD MY PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS, MY FILM-MAKING AND PHOTOGRAPHS. TIPS ON HOW TO SURVIVE A SKI SEASON & THE NEWEST HEALTHY RECIPES I'VE FOUND. THIS BLOG IS SAYING 'ANNIE'S GRABBING HER CAMERA' OR 'ANNIE'S GOT HER PAINTS READY' OR 'ANNIE IS GETTING HER GUITAR OUT' (IF YOU'RE LUCKY) THIS BLOG IS ABOUT BEING CREATIVE AND DOCUMENTING TOO MANY MEMORIES & INSPIRATIONS I HAVE MISSED OUT ON.

MY BOYFRIEND NOW JOKES "ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, THE SURF IS PUMPING." I CAN SEE MY GRANDMA NOW, SHAKING HER HEAD AWAY!!

(BY THE WAY, I DON'T HAVE A GUN SURFBOARD, OR SURF BIG WAVES. I'M MORE OF A 3FT-WAVE-KINDA-GAL. BUT IT'S ALL ABOUT HOW MUCH FUN YOU'RE HAVING OUT THERE, RIGHT?!)