Happy Camper - Californian Hues

My ultimate dream is to live somewhere in California one day, maybe in a little apartment on Venice Beach, or a house in Echo Park. I've visited Cali three times previously and each time I fall a little deeper in love with everything about it. I always take thousands of photos, and some of those have gone onto be in my shows and exhibitions and end up hanging on someone's wall. It's definitely a place of inspiration for me, and for so long I was convinced that I could never replicate those dreamy Californian hues and warm colours in my work back in NZ.
So, I decided to set myself a challenge and took a walk around my neighbourhood when the sun was shining and the light was warm. My mission was to replicate, as best as I could, that distinct Californian look in my photos. These pairings will be featured in a collection that I'm currently working on, and I think they came out great!
That warm yellow light is crucial in order to create the look I was after, but I also knew that extra warmth could be added to the images in post-production. I'm especially pleased to have found an amazingly retro orange caravan down a little dead-end street. By adjusting the colours in the third pairing, I was able to manipulate the orange of the caravan exterior to be more of a lemon yellow colour, a sneaky trick but super helpful for instances like this.
Although Wellington is not California, it's nice to know that I can somewhat replicate that look and produce work that I'm really pleased with. I'm super excited to share my new collection soon, as it's probably my favourite so far, capturing the unique interiors and exteriors of homes, with a retro 1960s / 1970s focus.
Bella 🌼

Depop June Preview

It's been a while since I wrote anything on here about my Depop business, so I thought it was about time I updated you! Sales were crazy good when I first set up my store and I was getting a lot of business through Facebook clothing groups, especially. However, now that I've obtained a decent amount of stock and sales have begun to slow down again, I really want to start being more picky with the pieces I chose to sell.
I recently took a trip to Waikanae, stopping at all the op shops along the way and exploring Otaki and Levin too. This gave me a chance to really narrow down the overall style I was aiming to achieve for my store and be a bit more picky with the items I purchased. That being said, I left my trip with four giant recycle bags full of clothes.
So, I thought I'd share a preview or sneak peek of some of the items I picked up on my trip, that will be coming to my Depop store by the end of this month and the start of June. It excites me, the idea of these amazing, unique pieces that I've discovered being passed over to someone who will wear them in a completely different way, and create tons of interesting memories in them. I try my hardest to select clothes that I feel could all be narrowed into a similar style or category, something I'm still trying to figure out. Some of my favourite pieces at the moment are brightly coloured turtlenecks, especially mesh ones. Mesh being a super lightweight material, you can easily layer tee shirts or singlets over top to create a really unique look. I picked out several funky turtlenecks, including the two pictured above to sell this Winter.
I'm also loving crochet bags, a trend that has been circulating for a while now. I especially love them for Winter as they have such a beachy, Summer vibe to them, a direct contrast to the rainy, windy and brutally cold weather lately. I picked up this green one at an op shop in Waikanae and it instantly caught my eye, as I have one very similar, you'll be able to purchase the bag pictured above at the end of this month!
I'm attempting to somewhat discipline myself to not go on any big thrifting hauls until I've cleared a decent amount of my current stock...but that's harder said than done. So, look out for more previews to come in the next few weeks, as I churn out some of my current finds!
As always, feel free to email me or send me an Instagram message if you have any questions.
Check out my store here.
Bella 🌼

Deluxe Cafe Exhibition 2019

Here it is, my first exhibition of 2019! You can now find my prints from both the 'Shirley's House' collection and 'Lost In California' hanging on the walls of Deluxe Cafe on Kent Terrace, Wellington. It feels great to see the photographs from my newest collection 'Shirley's House' in a physical format and equally great that they compliment some of my older pieces from California so nicely. I seem to always be attracted to the same general colour scheme when taking photos, which gives my work a cohesive look and makes combining collections super fun. Last night we spent several hours attaching fishing line (don't try this at home) to the back of my prints and hanging them as best we could by balancing on tables and chairs. We are not professional exhibition installers, but somehow we made it work and I think they look great! I chose eight of my favourite pieces, four from each collection and we hung them at varying heights to add some more visual interest (plus, it was much easier that way.) Deluxe is a super cool space and we got free reign of the entire blank back wall. I love the way my images fit with the funky retro diner vibe they have in there, and possibly the coolest chairs I've ever seen!

It's a great feeling having my work displayed somewhere again, even if nobody really pays too much attention to it! In saying that, if you're in the area go check it out, I would love to hear feedback. If you're interested in any pieces or you have any questions feel free to email me at bellafosterart@gmail.com. 

Bella.

'Lost In California' Extended Edition

My largest and most successful collection to date, 'Lost In California' can now be found for a month hanging on the walls of Deluxe Cafe in Wellington, as of this afternoon. These photographs are something I am very proud of. Unlike most of my previous work I haven't begun to resent it as time has gone by, well not yet at least. After exhibiting 21 pieces from this collection at Ventana gallery last year, it soon became obvious to me which were the best sellers. It just made sense to include those pieces within the eight that will be shown at Deluxe. However, there are so many more compositions that never even made it to Ventana and haven't been seen by anyone at all. So today I thought I would share 'Lost In California', the extended edition.
As always, if you are interested in purchasing or have any enquiries about my photographs, you can contact me at bellafosterart@gmail.com.


'Canters' - Bella Foster 2018


'Getty Corner' - Bella Foster 2018


'Single' - Bella Foster 2018


'The Judgement' - Bella Foster 2018


'Instant Breakfast' - Bella Foster 2018


'Stick In The Mud' - Bella Foster 2018


'Sidewalk' - Bella Foster 2018


'Trespasser' - Bella Foster 2018


'Lost In California' - Bella Foster 2018


'Loiter' - Bella Foster 2018


'Merry Go Down' - Bella Foster 2018


'The Golden Arches' - Bella Foster 2018


'Sun Shade' - Bella Foster 2018


'Temptation' - Bella Foster 2018


'Rough Night' - Bella Foster 2018


'Lazy Town' - Bella Foster 2018


'Shake Down' - Bella Foster 2018


'Clean Break' - Bella Foster 2018


'Sunday' - Bella Foster 2018