Return of the scrub turkeys

This week in the studio.....

A turkey here.....



....a turkey there,



...turkeys in my garden everywhere!

Mixed Emotions

This week I visited Redland Art Gallery at Cleveland for a talk by Dr Kathy Townsend, a participating scientist for Judy Watson's artist-in-residency on Heron Island in 2009/2010.

Dr Townsend talked about the impact of human generated waste on sea turtles - plastic bags, balloons and other bits of plastic are eaten by turtles and it can kill them.  I really enjoyed her talk even though it was not about the art itself and I got a lot out of it.  Unfortunately I was left very uninspired by Judy Watson's art works - her layering process was interesting but I didn't feel that her artworks had much impact.  Judy was present at the talk but didn't introduce herself or speak - very disappointing and makes the artwork and the process of creating it seem cold and detached.  I would have liked to see some artistic passion! Perhaps I need to go back and have another look when I had more time.

A big surprise was the prints by Carolyn Dodds.  Her detailed linos were beautiful but I particularly loved her artist books and mixed media works - using frottage, photocopies and collage.  She also uses a lot of thin papers like Japanese rice papers which she hand prints using brayers and other tools.  A very inspiring body of work.

I recommend you visit this exhibition, its on until 29 January (the gallery is closed between Xmas and 8 January).  Together Judy's and Carolyn's works will inspire anyone who loves printmaking.

Below is a Utube video of Judy Watson's artist-in-residency at Heron Island. 

Coochie collected

My big news is that both of my monotype artist books that I created during my residency at Coochiemudlo Island in April 2010 have been acquired by State Library of Queensland for their artist book collection.

I created 2 books at Coochie, my 'Lost and Found' series, inspired by the diversity and fragility of the island's tidal mangrove environment.

So my books will outlive me and I can visit them at any time.  Truly wonderful!

NSW Southern Highlands

We recently returned from another motorhome holiday, this time to the Blue Mountains and Southern Highlands in NSW.

This was a great opportunity for me to collect plant materials for my monoprinting.  Several years ago, whilst first visiting the Blue Mountains, I collected a few sprigs of a beautiful fern which I have since discovered is called 'Pouched Coral Fern'.  This fern looks great in my monoprints and I was keen to collect some more, as my original pieces had fallen apart from many runs through the press!

I collected pieces of the fern from a public park in Katoomba, storing the fern in a small phonebook and layers of newspapers.  This means the fern will be dry when I print with it.  Sometimes this storage technique doesn't work as the dry plant will fall apart in the first run of the press, but I've had success with the more robust ferns using this technique.

I'm looking forward to using them in my monoprinting, and sharing them with my future workshop participants.  Luckily I always leave enough room in my luggage to bring my goodies back!

Exploring (note the scarf & raincoat!)

King Fern

There's a forest down there somewhere...
I'm at one of the many lookouts in the Southern Highlands. 
There was zero visibility due to rain, mist and fog!

One of my monotypes featuring my favourite, 'Pouched Coral Fern'

Stitching a new way

I've been trying a few new book binding stitches to expand my skills and provide a bit more variety to the look of my books.  I've also been cutting up old monoprints and using up decorative papers that I've been stashing for quite a while.  Its refreshing to use up what I've already got, but on the other hand, it makes me want to buy more to replace it!

I've been trying a cross-binding stitch and a knot stitch, see the photos below.  The cross-binding stitch was easy and looks great with the cover flaps glued across the front.  The knot stitch was a bit fiddlier.

Crossed Binding Journal,
 using a failed Quebec monoprint for the cover

 

Another example of the Crossed Binding,
really effective with the lines and textures
of the monoprint

I got a bit carried away and made a few....
Love those colours, yummy!

The knot binding example

Rats of the Sky, we salute you!

Last Saturday I spent a wonderful afternoon printing in my studio, continuing on with my 'Homage to the Pigeon' works, part of my 'Conservation of the Species' series.  I feel that pigeons are very underestimated birds that unfortunately have adapted too well to the human lifestyle.  Its our own fault that they have become such a pest but we still like to blame them! 

My next project is a series of artist books, once again focusing on the pigeon.

Fibre Fest 2011 - New Traditions

This is an exciting event being held by the Qld Spinners Weavers and Fibre Artists on the last weekend in October at the Mt-Cootha Botantic Gardens Auditorium.

I'll be exhibiting some of my large sculptural weaving works alongside others' beautiful creations including dyeing, felting, knitting, crochet, spinning, basketry, and artist books.  There'll also be demonstrations and an irresistible shop full of handmade wares.

Opening times are 10-4 Friday 28th & Saturday 29th October, 10-3 Sunday 30th October.  Come along and be amazed!

Entry fee is $3, children under 12 free.

International and national....

October's going to be a busy month..... my artwork has been travelling interstate and overseas to be exhibited.

The highlight is definitely 'Water Portraits - Portraits d’eau' exhibition in Montreal, Canada, opening on 5 October.  I was selected with 10 other Queensland printmakers to exhibit with printmakers from Quebec.  If you've been following my blog, you'll remember my moments in the studio when it all went wrong and then thankfully right!  Check out the artworks via this website  http://dept.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/finearts/texts/specialevents.html

My other exhibition is 'Artbound' at Gallery Red, Glebe, Sydney.  I am exhibiting one of my monotype books from my 'Lost and Found' series.  There's a photo of my book on their website http://www.galleryred.net.au/artbound-bound-art-30-september/
The other 'Lost and Found' book is currently on show in the 'Paper Pages and Prints' exhibition at the Pine Rivers Gallery.

Its a huge pleasure and privilege to have my work exhibited outside of Brisbane, and the Quebec exhibition is my first overseas showing.  Its just a shame I can't be there at the openings, but I've only just come back from holidays!

Flax weaving in New Zealand

Its been a week already since I returned from my NZ holiday....how time flies!

I just wanted to share with you the wonderful experience I had whilst in Whangarei, NZ - I spent a day with Janine, a flax weaving artist.  She patiently taught me the basic skills of flax weaving, including collection and preparation of the fibre.

There are a number of Maori customs to be followed when collecting the fibre, including ensuring the sustainability of the plant itself when removing the leaves.  The most interesting custom is that women shouldn't collect the flax during their menstrual period.  (personally, I think we should expand that to include housework, cooking etc.....!)

As our weaving day progressed, Janine and I had a great chat about basketry in general.  I got her started on coiling with daylilly leaves from her garden and then got her excited about random weaving.  So the day ended up more as an exchange of information as well as working on our baskets.

At the end of the day, I had created a four corner basket with a folded edge and a two corner satchel with a plaited edge (see photos below).   My only disappointment is that both baskets were confiscated by Australian Customs as they weren't quite dry and so had the potential to carry nasties (like rust disease).  Luckily I had been prepared for that eventuality and had purchased some dry finished baskets by other artists (including Janine) during my trip. 

At the airport, they were filming for the TV show 'Customs' but didn't come rushing over to film my flax baskets being taken - obviously I didn't make enough fuss!  Or perhaps flax baskets don't rate as high as hidden drugs and fruit?

Anyway I would like to thank Janine for inviting me into her home and sharing her flax weaving knowledge - obviously much more complicated than my random weave baskets (more concentration required!).  On the day we left Whangarei, I gave Janine a random weave basket that I had made overnight - I used palm inflorescence from the caravan park's palms - never an opportunity wasted!

Now all I need to do is find a NZ flax plant over here........!

my 4 corner basket

my 2 corner basket/satchel - inside view

Toasting my flax weaving success !

10 days

Yesterday I flew back from a holiday in New Zealand.  As we travelled around Northland in our motorhome, I reflected that not only was I seeing a different country, I had 10 days away from.....

• the ringtone of my mobile phone
• the television and internet, especially emails
• my to-do list obsession
• waking up to deadlines and a daily routine
• knowing what day it is
• my art studio - i had time to reflect rather than do

That's really what a holiday is about, isn't it.  A temporary shelter from the everyday, from having to be focussed and on a rigid timetable.
I returned home yesterday feeling like I'd been away for ages, refreshed and ready to launch into my art....once I finish unpacking and doing the washing that is!

Papers, Pages and Prints

You're all invited to the "Papers, Pages and Prints" exhibition being held at the Pine Rivers Gallery this month.

Its going to be an exciting and stimulating display of artist prints and handmade books, created by artists including Judith Rosenberg, the Pressgang Print Group and Qld Spinners Weavers and Fibre Artists Book and Paper Group (that's the group I'm in).

I'm exhibiting 3 artist books - my monoprint book 'Found' from the 'Lost and Found' series, my altered book 'Gardens in Art', and my collaborative pages journal 'Birds and Butterflies'.

The exhibition is on from Wednesday 7 September to Saturday 1 October, with opening night on Friday 9 September from 6pm. 

There's also a fantastic workshop program, for adults as well as children.

For more information, go to the Exhibitions page  www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/pinerivers-gallery

Printmaking using the sun...except it was raining!

Yesterday I did a workshop creating printing plates using UV light.  The workshop was run at Impress Printmakers Studio by Belinda Sinclair.

We used specially pre-prepared plates, exposing them to UV light using a light box and dark room at the studio.  Sunlight is another exposure method, but obviously not an option on a rainy day!

Images used in the process ranged from artist sketches, copyright-free images and vintage woodcut prints.

I am really excited by this process as I will be able to use solar prints with my monoprints.  It will enable me to get sharp distinctive imagery that may be difficult to achieve using my monoprinting stencils.

The only downside is the cost of the plates and if during the exposure process you make a mistake, then the plate is wasted.  I had already experienced this when I first played around with solar plates last year, when I accidentally turned the light off in the dark room when exposing a plate.  Needless to say, not a lot happened on my plate!

Below are a couple of my prints from the workshop, using chin colle (ie collaged papers).  I can't wait to do some more, it was heaps of fun and the results were great.

Jelly fish image with text behind.
I used a piece of coloured paper on the
head of the jelly fish.

The dodo! 
I used chin colle on this print,  unfortunately
my cutting technique was a bit off,
hence the 'jaunty' angle!

Its a mystery to me but....

Its amazing what you can find in a second hand shop.  I found this little beauty in a Lifeline shop on Tuesday and been wondering ever since what it is.

Its shaped like a rolling pin with 4 rubber sections that roll independently.  Each section has little rubber suction cups on it.

I thought that perhaps it's a massage tool but after testing it on my partner Craig, we're not too sure (he didn't seem to enjoy it, complaining that it was cold!).

I'm open to ideas, so please make some suggestions, hopefully someone can enlighten me as to what its purpose is. 

Being a typical artist, when I saw it of course I thought 'printmaking'! I'm sure I can make some really interesting organic marks with it...... 

A box worth a thousand words

On Saturday I attended a workshop run by Amanda O'Sullivan at the Impress Printmakers Studio at Camp Hill.  The workshop was to create a Japanese Bone-Clasp box.

As you can see from the images below, I created a box suitable to house my recently completed Altered Book.  The box is covered in a red Thai fern paper and a red mulberry paper lining.

The box was reasonably straight-forward to construct once I painstakingly planned every component, making precise measurements and cuts.  I've made clamshell boxes before, but this one was a bit more complex.  We used 3mm acid-free grey board with mulberry paper hinges which made the box very sturdy.

I'm not fond of being overly accurate and neat (especially when dealing with glue!) but I am very chuffed with the results.  The box and book will be exhibited in the 'Papers Pages and Prints' exhibition at the Pine Rivers Gallery in September. 

The completed box with the bone clasps

The box open showing the inner lid
and mulberry paper lining

My Altered Book "Gardens in Art"


My Altered Book open at one of my favourite pages

Quebec Print Version 2

Well here it is!  One of the prints that I completed for the Quebec exhibition, finally finished and I'm very happy with the result.

The embossing is gone, replaced by another print using rubber bands and a moon stencil.  Very simple but effective print reflecting the 'Water Portraits' theme.

My only problem now (as usual) is documenting the prints digitally.  I've just spent all morning trying to get the colours right; they don't seem to replicate properly using my digital camera.  The photograph above is probably the best likeness that I could get out of the 8 prints, in various colours of purple, lime green and blue.  The lime green is the most difficult to get right, it comes up in the digital image more like mud than a translucent bright green. 

So I have contacted Carl Warner, a very experienced art photographer who is coming next week to photograph all my current prints using his professional camera equipment.  He photographed some 3D work for me last year and I was very pleased with the results.  A great photograph really makes a good print look good (like it should!).  I'll blog some of the photos when I get them in a few weeks so you can see the gorgeous colours of the prints like they are in real life.

Back on track

I do my best thinking in the shower.  But last night I solved my Quebec print dilemma lying awake in bed trying to get some sleep wishing I hadn't succumbed to my caffeine need earlier in the day.

As you know from my blog post 2 days ago ('a step too far') that I had accidentally ruined my finished monoprints that are to be exhibited in Quebec in September.  I'd concluded that all was lost and I needed to start again.

Well, last night I had a revelation!   Why not print OVER the wrinkled embossed area........ and it worked!  The prints aren't dry yet but it seems that I have managed to not only fix the problem but actually improved the finished works.  I like them much better now than they were before. 

Just goes to show NEVER give up.   Yesterday at the Studio it was 4pm before I produced one print that I liked.  Hours and hours of persistence paid off.  And today at the Studio, armed with my late night revelation and heaps of confidence, I was able to sail through the day, fixing the 4 ruined prints and finishing off another 4, just in case the wrinkles come back after the prints dry.

All in all, a very positive experience with some very tough lessons learnt.

I'll post some photos of the finished works in the next couple of days.  Tonight I'm just enjoying the moment.

She loves her arts and crafts a little too much

A friend of mine sent me this U tube video, its a great laugh. 

It reminds me of the moments when I've got a little bit too excited about some wispy bits of grass clippings for monoprinting......but this lady wins first prize for passion about a sponge and a bit of paint!

Look out for the overuse of "Oh my gosh!".

A step too far.....

Ever had the experience of trying to fix something and making it worse?

My previous blog post announced that I had completed a series of prints for a Quebec exhibition.  I had completed 4 good prints that I was happy with.  But then I noticed a few wrinkles in the area in which I embossed, so I thought 'I'll get rid of those wrinkles so the prints look better'.  Great idea, failure in the execution!

I dampened the prints, placed them under weights for a day and ended up with some horrendous creases on top of the wrinkles.  I've tried redampening and pressing and ironing but to no avail.  I can't submit those prints.

So back to the press I go!  Luckily I have 2 days at the studio this week.  The only problem with monoprints is that I can't just simply reprint them from a pre-prepared plate.  I have a very loose formula and process I can follow, but really its just serendipity as to how they turn out..... 

Rubber bands and Cottonwood leaves

For the past couple of months I've been working on some monoprints for a Queensland - Quebec print exchange which opens in Quebec Canada in October this year, then travels back to Brisbane for exhibition in 2012. 

The theme of this exhibition is Water Portraits and my work is drawn from my experiences at Coochiemudlo Island last year.

I printed the first layer of monoprints in early May but have only just revisited them to experiment with a few ideas I've been developing.  I wanted to express the notion of  'out of sight, out of mind'.  Its what we don't see that matters, in this case, what lies beneath the surface of the oceans, bays, rivers.  What damage is there that we ordinary people don't see?  I was pleased recently to hear that biologists were checking on Moreton Bay's dugong population to see how their seagrass beds were affected by the January floods.   But what about the rest of the ecosystems in the bay?  Do most people really care as long as the trawlers bring in the prawns and fish for us to consume?  I spent my childhood fishing in Moreton Bay so I feel a real personal connection to it.

The link to Coochimudlo Island is in the cottonwood leaves that I used.  I love them!  I have also used fishing line which created beautiful curly lines, like the swirling of the tide around mangrove roots.....

In my prints I also have experimented with embossing, something I haven't done a lot of, and required a fair bit of playing with objects and paper to get the right texture and look. 

I initially printed about a dozen prints, and will end up with only about 4 that I consider suitable for exhibition.  I'm really glad that I have given myself plenty of time to meet the submission deadlines, you can never 100% predict a monoprint.

I'll be revisiting my prints in the coming weeks, after having a break from them so I can see what needs to be done, lets hope I am still happy with them and can consider them complete.

one of the prints, in progress

...and yet another use for rubber bands.....embossing!

Coominya Ghost Train

Today Craig and I went mountain biking on the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail, the 15km section north of Coominya (meaning 'where is water').

This railway line was established in the 1880's but has been disused for many years.  In recent times the track structure has been removed to make a cross-country trail for horse riders, mountain bikers and walkers.

I hear you ask - what has this got to do with art?  Everything!  Scattered along the trail are discarded rail spikes that were used to secure the train line to the underlying timber sleepers.  These iron spikes fit nicely into my eco-dyeing pot to create a wonderful dark, rich brew.  They are also useful for rusting on cloth.

So, with pockets laden with rusty goodies (and a few interesting leaves too!), we rode the rail trail under a beautiful blue sky and cool winter temperatures.  A bit of art in the outdoors - to me, a perfect combination!

Traversing the disused railway bridge

The railway bridge with rails going nowhere

discarded rail spikes - just waiting for an artist like me!

a rail spike still in place on the bridge

A discovery

In my previous posts you will recall that I created eco-dyed books with monoprints of ferns.  I had thought at the time that I should call this series of books 'Fossil' as they appeared to reveal the remnants of some ancient flora caught between layers of rock.

Well, I was out mountain biking at Emu Creek, near Benarkin last week and was riding over some tracks that had been disturbed during the heavy rains over summer.  As usual I was in more of an 'art' zone than a 'riding' one and came across pieces of fossilised fern imprinted into rock.  This of course had me stopping and off the bike within seconds, with Craig 50 metres ahead of me wondering what on earth I was doing!  He really should know me by now......

Anyway I was most excited as these pieces of rock gave me the same feeling as the books I had created only weeks earlier.  Its almost as though the inspiration was back-to-front.  I was awestruck at the beauty of the fossil imprints and immediately felt that these could lead me further in more explorations in eco-dyeing and monoprinting.

Dyeing for the Results.....

Below are photos of my completed Eco-Dyed books that I was working on last week.  I had a rather hectic weekend and this week has been busy with my day job (excuses, excuses!).

The patterns from the eco-dyeing are just beautiful, enhanced by the crispness of the fern monoprints.  It gives a rather 'fossil' like feel to the books.  As you open up each book, its like exploring something very primeval and organic.  Yum!

Snake Book with fern monoprints

Accordian Book with pockets,
with fern monoprints on cards

A brew worth bottling!

Yesterday I introduced members of the Queensland Papermakers to the exquisite exploration of eco-dyeing on paper.  Although time was short, enthusiasm spurred them on to create some wonderful examples of dyeing on paper with onion skins, leaves, berries, and metal (amongst other things!).  I'm sure everyone has gone home to try some more dyeing in their own art practice.  That's the wonderful thing about eco-dyeing - it doesn't require any special equipment or expensive materials.

And one of the perks of keeping the 'brew' from yesterday is that the colour of the dye bath is well developed.  A beautiful dark inky brew smelling strongly of eucalypt.....yum!

So today I indulged in my own eco-dyeing frenzy and produced some great pieces.  Thanks to my friends I have an overwhelming supply of onion skins, so I packed my paper bundle solidly with onion skins.  This produced very intense prints.  I also let the brew simmer gently for an hour, usually only half an hour.

I used full sheets of Raines paper, folded concertina style.  I intend to make these into books, enhanced with some monoprinting (especially in one section where I forgot to put onion skins!). 

I will post more photos when the resulting books are completed later this week.  I'm waiting for the paper to dry before cutting it up.  Its been raining all afternoon, so they unfortunately they won't dry overnight.

Below are some photos to wet your appetite for yummy textures and colours!

Packing the folds with onion skins etc

 

After cooking but before the objects have been removed,
looks a mess but lots of interesting marks



A close up of the paper after dyeing

A delicate leaf print

Monotypes at Primrose Park

This weekend I flew to Sydney to run a 2-day monotype workshop with members of the Primrose Park Arts Group.

The idea behind the workshop was to use monoprinting to extend their creativity and art practice.  We started out by playing around with small plates and simple designs using plants, onion bags etc just to give everyone an idea of how collage monotypes are created, and to introduce them to the wonderful ghost prints.

The remainder of the weekend was spent with each participant working on their own projects.  Some used the large plates I provided, others explored hand-printing and water-based oil paints.  I was extremely pleased that they were able to work within their own art practice using the collage monoprinting process. 

This is the first time I have had an opportunity to share the techniques that I have developed over the past 2 years.  Usually there isn't enough time.

I returned to Brisbane last night after a most enjoyable weekend.  I stayed at the Cremorne Point Manor and enjoyed walks along the harbour foreshore with views of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. 

Thanks very much to Jean for her very efficient organisation and tasty lunches, and most of all thank you to the girls who joined me in the workshop - you were very friendly and approachable but most importantly, willing to try new ideas and push yourselves to new creative heights.

Inside Primrose Park Art Centre - home to papermakers,
calligraphers, and photographers

The Primrose participants with some monotypes
completed at the workshop



Water Portraits

Today I went to the beach.  In the name of 'art', of course!

I've been selected for a joint exhibition of Queensland and Quebec (Canadian) artists, the theme is 'Water Portraits'.  The work that I'm creating is based on my previous experiences at Coochiemudlo Island.  I plan to use monoprinting to express my personal connection to Moreton Bay and its estuaries.

So today as part of my research I visited an old childhood haunt of mine, Nudgee Beach, and wandered along the shoreline amongst the mangroves and driftwood.  And to my delight, I found the biggest stand of Cottonwood Trees ever, a great source of one of my favourite monoprinting leaves.  I was like a kid in a candy shop!

This afternoon I prepared my registration sheet in anticipation of starting some prints in the coming weeks.
I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Cottonwood Trees along the shoreline

Looking across the mudflat - I love the earthy smell

My registration sheet and plates, ready to go

Etching over Monoprints

Today I have been printing some small etchings over monoprints.  This works best when the monoprints I use as background are indistinct and are in need of 'something' to create a focal point. And of course there's no shortage of monoprints that fall short of my expectations in any session of printing that I do.

For a change, I used water soluble ink - Caligo Safe Wash Etching Ink.  It was so easy to clean up - just water and detergent.  The downside was that I accidentally stained my press blanket.  I suspect that I overdampened the paper and during printing the ink mixed with the surplus moisture and leaked through onto the blanket.  I immediately washed the blanket in wool-wash but I was unable to use friction to remove the stain as I was wary of any rubbing action which might have caused the wool blanket to start felting. 

So now my blanket is permanently stained.  I guess its not really that bad considering I've used the same blanket without mishap for the past 2 years.  It sort of looks like a tatoo, a 'right-of-passage' perhaps?

One my prints - note how the ink has run,
creating some nice effects but staining my press blanket!

One of the prints used for a book cover

An Etching Experience

Last weekend I attended a beginners etching 1day workshop at the Impress Studio. 

This was my first experience etching zinc with acid.  Printmaking wasn't available where I did my TAFE studies and I have only since learnt some aspects of printmaking at various short workshops at BIA and Impress.

I found the drawing of the image somewhat challenging - the knowledge that I couldn't erase my lines like I could with pencil was somewhat off-putting.  I was helped by first tracing an outline of my pre-prepared image onto the plate.

The workshop was for me an introduction to the process of etching; its quite technical and lengthy compared to monoprinting.  I didn't particularly like having to keep track of the sequence and timing for the acid baths to create the aquatinting effects - knowing that if I made a mistake, my plate could potentially be ruined.  I'm also rather impatient with the inking of the plate - applying the ink then wiping it off just seems so.... pointless!  It took me the whole day to create one plate for a few prints - I now have a new appreciation of the process of etching.  Below are photos of my print from the etching workshop - my 'magpie'.

And now that I've had my big whinge about etching, I'm keen to explore more of aluminium etching.  I was introduced to this low toxic process by Judith Rosenberg several years ago and am keen to develop my skills.  I plan to use etchings over the top of my monoprints.  But I can assure you that monoprinting for me is my first love!

Magpie etching - 1st proof, line only

Magpie etching - with aquatint

Tasmanian Basketry Gathering

I've just returned from 3 weeks in Tasmania, the first 10 days cycling with 6 others from Hobart to Launceston, then travelling with my Mum to the biennial national Basketry Gathering at Port Sorell, north Tasmania.

For a week, we joined 120 other artists from Australia and overseas in exciting weaving and dyeing projects.  We learnt new techniques, worked with new fibres such as willow and made friends with other like-minded creative souls.  The setting was Camp Banksia at Port Sorell, a fantastic facility right by the beach, so we often went for afternoon beach walks where we picked blackberries and apples growing wild - a real novelty for us Queenslanders!

Picking wild blackberries to use in eco-dyeing

Blackberries - one for the pot, one for me (yum!)

With my fellow BasketCases from Brisbane -
Jenny, Angela, Floss, myself, Jan (my Mum) and Therese.

Bliss - happily creating a 'skelontised leaf'
using wire and raffia