There were tales of last-minute spit and polish, a bomb-scare evacuation, and the artist even hanging his own paintings, but the opening of Outré Gallery Perth on Friday night went off with a Shebang!

It’s a great thing to have Shag ~ aka Mr Josh Agle ~ in Perth again, and he was at his amusing, bon vivant best (well, we were well-lubricated, esp. after some cocktail indulgence at Deville’s).

Check out the new 260 William St space and the exhibition ‘Inscrutable Mystery Guide’ – the paintings must be viewed in full panoramic splendor. It’s up for 3 weeks.

When Steve Jobs said the iPad was magical, I think he was referring to its powers of seduction. Once you hold the thing, you want one! OK, it’s meant to be an ereader, but I think until they make something electronic smell like ink on paper, books are my pref. But it does make reading War & Peace in bed easy.

And then there’s the gorgeous, clear rendering of images and movies. It’s easier to haul around than my laptop, and when I find I can sketch with it (Sketchbook Pro is kinda addictive), my inner iNerd was awoken.

His painstaking watercolours of flowers and birds are just captivating. But what incredible dedication: after retirement he set himself a challenge of painting all the recorded species of Australian birds. An amazing collection of works.

I bought this book to inspire my recuperating Mum – Happy Birthday!

For the Love of Nature: E.E. Gostelow’s Birds & Flowers by Christobel Mattingley

I didn’t design this lovely label… I just wish I had!
Discovered this on the weekend in the venerable ‘Bucks Off Liquor Store’ and instantly fell in love.
The gorgeous type – my kind of slab serif (maybe it’s Caecilia – one of my favourites?); the minimal effect; the wonderful silver foil; the detailed fork illustration with a lovely spot varnish… ahh. When label design works.

So I’m yet to sample its wonders, but it’s going in the fridge now, and hey, if you’re the designer, salut to you!
And please drop me a line to say so.