Analogue - Counter Journal

Counter Journal, a new Wellington-based publication full of fresh ideas, talented creatives and that authentic Kiwi touch. You might remember my gushing article on their Pilot issue last month, so you can imagine how pleased I was to come home to my very own copy of their official first issue, complete with a personal note from Zack and Bon.

The theme of this issue is Analogue, with articles ranging from the art of vinyl pressing and film photography to thoughtful pieces on social media and the technology age. This topic can be difficult to write and read about. Especially as a young person, you can quickly begin to feel defensive, thinking, it's not my fault that story books have been replaced with kindles, clocks transformed into iPhones and the trusty notebook nowhere to be found. But the Counter Journal contributors discuss this topic in a fresh and more understanding way. They're not trying to tell you that technology is bad, a lot of them admit to relying on it in a big way themselves. Instead, their encouraging readers to consider a different perspective on life, with less emphasis on screens and more on paper, vinyl, film and print.

Although I'm very much a part of the technology age and both me and my brother find a large gap in our family photo albums as film cameras were forgotten in a new world of digital. I still find myself relying on more traditional methods for my everyday life. I simply can't bring myself to write an online diary, it just doesn't feel right. I can recognize the overall convenience of having all of your info readily available on your smartphone, sitting in your pocket or handbag 24/7. But there's something about a pen and paper that can never be replicated with a screen. Every day I sit down with my best 0.3 pigment liner and my favourite notebook from The Moma Design Store in New York, and I write. I make lists, write goals and ideas. I carry this book with me and I'm constantly scribbling down new thoughts as the day goes on. I suppose it's counter-intuitive, given that I write so much on my blog, but I love the romantic nature of a notebook.

I started my vinyl collection in 2017, and although my pastel blue Crosley record player from eBay never worked right, I enjoyed just simply having vinyl. My Dad purchased a proper record player and sound system for his birthday a few years ago. It sits proudly on the sideboard at the back of our house, protected by a thick layer of bulletproof glass (or so he says...) I was expressly forbidden to use the record player when having friends over and I probably would've been put up for adoption if someone had used his Smashing Pumpkins record as a coaster. But now that I think about it, I can't remember the last time my Dad actually sat down and listened to his record player. I think maybe he just likes the idea of having it too.

With technology literally taking over the world as we speak, I think it's so important to hang onto those classic and familiar practices, like reading a book, listening to a record or picking up a pen. One article that really stood out to me in Counter Journal was Brick by Brick written by Araina Kazia Pereira. Araina writes about the importance of teaching children creativity and problem-solving skills from a young age, and not with an iPad.

I grew up with so much Lego, our house was a constant sea of brightly coloured bricks. We also played with Humdinger, an educational wooden toy that seems to have vanished from children's toy boxes for good. I remember the soft feel of the wood, with all of the little carved holes and grooves. But most of all I remember how good it smelt. You simply can't create those feelings with an iPad, the touch, the smell and the memories associated with specific toys cannot be recreated through a screen.

It sounds silly but I truly think that playing with Lego shaped me and my brothers' personalities as kids. It taught us how to work together, solve problems and be creative. We would spend hours in the playroom setting up bases and little villages, combined with my Sylvanian Families collection and some plasticine models with very fragile limbs.

I personally value the simple things in life so much more than my iPhone or laptop. I will always journal and write lists on paper, my love for print will never die and my vinyl collection will continue to grow. I admire those people who are dedicating their time, energy and money to keeping those things alive. Zack and Bon are carefully creating a work of art, it feels good, it smells good and it looks really good. It isn't digital and you can hold it, read it, stack it, collage with it and keep it forever.

Counter Journal Issue One is in stores now and can be found at locations in Wellington such as The Axe, Minerva, Unity Books and a range of cafes including Tomboy Cakery, Prefab and Frank's.

Counter Journal Online
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Bella 🌼

The Colour Study - 5th June

Today I took four buses, went to eight thrift stores and ate one Tim-tam biscuit brownie slice. It's been raining since I woke up, but I decided that I wouldn't let that stop me from getting outside and going for an adventure.

I used to hate being alone, I found it utterly boring, being alone with my own thoughts and nobody to keep me company. But since leaving school, I've had to practice enjoying that alone time, because there is so much of it. I spend the majority of my week by myself until my family comes home after work. I see my friends and Ben on the weekend but Bella time has become the new norm. However, I'm actually starting to enjoy it. I actually like planning my day, sticking my headphones in and having complete control over where I go and what I get up to.

I took my first bus to Newtown and visited the thrift stores, including the very new Aunty Dana's Op Shop that opened on Saturday. It's so great to see more second-hand clothing stores emerging around Wellington. I stopped by the post office, got my hair very wet in the rain and then hopped on my next bus to town.

I was learning how to drive earlier this year and planned on getting my restricted licence, but slowly the habit started fizzling out. I find driving stressful and ultimately unenjoyable, especially when it's with a driving instructor who constantly tells you about his wife's cancer treatments. I've come to the conclusion that although it can be inconvenient, claustrophobic and a bit icky, I'll just take the bus. I quite like being driven around, because I can sit back and watch the world go by, people watching as each wet and soggy person ambles onto the bus. Plus, I'm nosy and what better way to catch random pieces of conversation from people you'll probably never see again in your life. I enjoy imagining what their houses look like or if they're a dog or a cat person. Is that weird?

Then I finally arrived in Karori after being squished next to a man in a big puffy coat for what seemed like an hour (yes-I love the bus...) It was freezing and I was very wet, but I made my way around four more op-shops before calling in quits. I resided in a small cake shop that was playing a very old radio station and enjoyed a decadent Tim-tam slice. This would not usually be my first choice, in fact, I don't actually like Tim-tams. But, it looked amazing and it tasted even better.

The bus ride home was my favourite, it was long and peaceful, I sat at the very back of the bus and stared out the window at the soaking streets of Wellington. It was a good day. It was one of those days that I'll probably forget in a year or two because it wasn't all that important. But at least I left the house.

Bella 🌼

Through The Kitchen Window

'Gold Dust Woman'


'Yellow Submarine'


'Crocodile Rock'


'Nostalgia'


'Cinnamon Girl'


'Sunny'


'Hotel California'


'Keep On Truckin'


'Crimson And Clover'


'Through The Kitchen Window'


'Brown Sugar'

'Through The Kitchen Window'
Travel back to the 70s through the funkiest retro homes, cars and corners in Wellington!

It's finally here, the fully refined and oh-so 70's collection that has been in the works for most of the year. 'Through The Kitchen Window' has been blossoming ever since my first 2019 collection came out, 'Shirley's House'. I was hit with a wave of inspiration after spending a few days at my 96-year-old great grandmothers' house, an absolute 70's time capsule. Everything about the 70's had me hooked and I knew I wanted my next collection to be bright, colourful, funky and very retro.

My first shoot was at the cutest little house in Lyall Bay, a place that my Mum took me to, and amazingly I was allowed to take photos. It was small and very kitsch, with bright lime and canary yellow walls. The yellow Formica table and orange and green kitchen cabinets were just a snippet of this house full of funky treasures. I was dreadfully sick with a cold at the time and forced myself to charge my battery and lug my camera along to the house at an open home later in the day. Everything about this place was a photo waiting to be taken. This first location definitely set the new collection off to a good start and gave me a distinct colour palette to work in. My favourite image from the shoot is in 'Crocodile Rock', the little chilli plant against the green stripey picket fence.

For a while after that I was a little lost with where I wanted these photos to go, I knew I needed more material but had no clue where I would find it. I had my Mum on the lookout for homes that she or her colleagues might be selling. But I was far too picky and when there was a suitable location, some tenants didn't want the contents of their home photographed by a strange 17-year-old girl, fair enough.

So, on a whim I decided to go for a walk around my suburb at sunset, hauling my camera along with me and my schnauzer dog to keep me company. The way that the pinky blue sky illuminated the buildings and houses on my street, it was as if I was seeing them for the first time. So I started clicking. Then I ventured down smaller side-streets and discovered that this light would reflect off windows and curtains in such a way that created the most glorious warm glow. I felt like a creep, peering through strangers windows with my lense. I hoped that Jock the dog made me look slightly less suspicious. This is when I decided on the name for my collection, 'Through The Kitchen Window'.

Several months passed and I took the odd picture in town, a bright green building, a funky old sofa in The Salvation Army or the retro lights in Aro Video. I was constantly on the lookout for my next shoot location and I had my 'photo eyes' peeled at all times. Because I like to pair two images together to create my final work, it means collecting a lot of material. I'll play around with pairings and colour combinations for hours, until I even start to confuse myself. I'm also a perfectionist, so if one shade of orange doesn't quite match, I'll scrap it. This created a rather frustrating time period of switching and swatching as I tried to create my final pairings. I was really happy with the images I was creating, but I felt like the story I was trying to tell didn't have its perfect ending just yet.

Then, about two weeks ago I discovered Steph's kitchen. The most glorious little 70's kitchen with bright floral wallpaper, orange cabinets and a green mini fridge. This was the final piece of the puzzle and 'Through The Kitchen Window' was complete.

I spent the last few days doing my final re-arrangements and re-edits, then my favourite part of the process, coming up with names for each piece. I knew that I wanted to go down the 60's and 70's theme for the titles, fun little play on words or phrases that people would recognize. So I spent hours delving into google for the smash hits of the 70's and well-known TV shows from the swinging 60's.
I had so much fun with this and I love the final titles, my personal favourites are 'Keep On Truckin', for obvious reasons and 'Crocodile Rock' because the shades of green in this pairing remind me of a cartoon crocodile, so it was very suited.

Overall, I'm so pleased with these final images and I can't wait to see them in print. I have a super exciting show in the works at the moment, I'll speak more about that in the next few weeks. Although I feel that 'Through The Kitchen Window' is a story that has finally earned its perfect ending, I would love to explore this theme and style more. The 60's and 70's are still huge inspirations for me and I want to continue exploring and discovering more hidden gems throughout Wellington.
I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback on this new series, or if you have any questions about purchasing these prints, flick me an email at bellafosterblog@gmail.com.

Bella 🌼

The Art Review - NZ Art Show 2019

The NZ Art Show this year has officially blown me away, the quality of the work I saw at the show was amazing and so inspiring. I attended the Gala Evening on Thursday night, a chance for friends, sponsors and ticket buyers to get first dibs on all of the artwork. There were drinks and nibbles, live music, lots of people and lots of excellent artwork. I've been part of three shows now, but have never gone along to a Gala Evening. It was a bustling night of excitement as people put little red sold dots on their favourite pieces, nabbing them before anyone else could.

I sold 'Heat Wave' and 'The Mummy' to two lovely girls who took the time to talk to me about my work and tell me why they liked it so much, which was amazing. It was so nice actually meeting buyers and having a conversation with them. It means so much to me for anyone to even stop and look at my work, let alone buy it.

We spent a good couple of hours weaving through the maze of carefully hung artwork and admiring the incredible range of artists and styles on show. There were so many pieces that I loved but I wanted to compile a few of my absolute favourites into this post. These four artists were the stand-outs for me and there were aspects of all of their art that I would love to apply to my own work. For me, it's all about colour and when you're surrounded by so much incredible art, those pieces that simply pop off the wall and speak to me are bright, bold and original.

The NZ Art Show is still on for two more days at The TSB Arena in Wellington. So, if you're in the city stop by and check it out, there's a world of crazy cool and inspirational art to be discovered and a chance to support emerging kiwi artists!



Anthony Gordon
I've never seen acrylic paint used in such an effective way. I love the way this looks, the flat colours and almost cartoon-like shapes. I attempted to paint like this with acrylic for my school portfolio last year and found it so tricky to get those flat colours, without a single hint of brush-strokes. I love the colour palette that the artist has used throughout all of his works, I'm not sure if they are intended to go together as a series but they all compliment each other so well. My personal favourite was the very Wes Anderson like pink building on the top right, gives me major Grand Budapest Hotel vibes! I love the way he used a gradient of yellow paint to allude to light shining from a window, something that is so difficult to achieve and he has pulled it off so well.



Tanya Blong
Another absolutely dreamy use of acrylic. I was immediately drawn to Tanya's work as I painted with almost identical subject matter for my school portfolio last year. I loved painting the human figure but found it to be so much more interesting when the figures were wearing bathers, as opposed to clothes. This allowed me to really work on the shape of the body and create soft curves, uninterrupted by the random textures of clothing. However, Tanya paints her figures in a very different way to me, but I love it. She uses her brush in a much looser way, blending colours together to create a beautiful pink hue on the skin. I especially love the painting in the second image. The way her body is framed by the lush greenery of the palms and her reflection beneath her in the water.
Tanya's work was nearly all sold out when I went back to The Art Show yesterday, so get in quick if you want to check it out!



Claire Mcguinness
One thing I've never been able to paint successfully is human faces, I find it infuriatingly impossible. So Claire's work has me both stunned and very jealous. I love the simplicity of the colour blocked backgrounds, drawing all your attention to the face and the soft tones of the skin. I'm definitely more drawn to portraiture when it's a bit more abstract than photo realistic. Whilst both are incredible, I find there's a certain level of predictability that comes with super realistic paintings. Claire's work is the perfect balance between the two. I adore her use of soft colours, with pops of bright turquoise and green. She simplifies some features, in order to make others stand out, which is so effective.





Mahani Del Borrello
My personal favourite of all the work I saw at this year's show was Mahani's. It sits in prime position as you walk through the entrance to the show, her four images on display grabbed me instantly. I guess it's pretty obvious why I adore her work so much. The colours, the subject matter, the compositions and overall simplistic beauty. Her images definitely have that distinct Californian feel to them, which will always entice me. She works with strong lines and geometric shapes to frame her compositions, leading your eye across the work and guiding you to the intended focal point. I especially love the red shipping containers, with the gorgeous pinky blue sunset colours in the background. I have no idea how she creates such amazing images, or what she does to manipulate them post-production, but I absolutely love it!

Bella 🌼