The Ficus Screen - its story

The Ficus Screen in-situ at my exhibition

Today I unearthed some photographs I had taken during the process of creating my large 3-panel paper screen.  The screen was on display at my 'Conservation of the Species' exhibition last week.

The photos show the process of creating and printing the paper.... from mulberry fibre to inking the ficus leaves. 

The process started with creating several 2.4metre long sheets of paper from mulberry fibre (imported from Italy).  This was done on a vacuum table at Dion Channer's studio in April (see previous blogs).   After the paper was dried and ironed, I took it to the Impress Printmakers Studio and inked some large ficus leaves.  The leaves were printed onto the paper using the biggest etching press at Impress.  The paper was too long for the press bed, so I had to print one end of the paper, then turn it around and do the other end.  No room for error!

The wooden frame for the 1.8metre high screen was made by my partner Craig, and prior to attaching the paper, I applied a lime stain to tie the wood in with the paleness of the mulberry fibre.

I hope the screen gives lots of pleasure to its new owner.... as much pleasure as I had creating it, from paper pulp to printing to attaching it to the frame.

Creating the paper at Dion's studio

Inking up a ficus leaf at the Impress Studio

One of the ficus leaves - HUGE!

Rolling the paper and leaves through the press

Printing in progress

Conservation of the Species

I've just had the BEST 5 days of my life!  My solo exhibition, 'Conservation of the Species' finished today, with over 400 visitors and some great sales.  And most importantly, wonderful feedback from everyone, including the many walk-in visitors to the Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens where the exhibition was held.

I'd like to thank all of my friends and family who dropped in to see my artworks.  I am particularly grateful for my wonderful Mum, Jan, who worked tirelessly as my sales agent, and a big thanks also goes to my partner Craig who spent most of the weekend at the gallery serving up drinks and food, and running the EFTPOS machine out to the carpark to get mobile network reception!

Inconjunction with the exhibition, I ran 2 workshops at the gallery.  A great time was had by all, and it generated lots of interest in future workshops which will keep me very busy.  Its wonderful that so many people were inspired by my colourful prints and are now keen to explore their creativity.

So now I need a few days to recuperate, unpack the car and put EVERYTHING back into my studio in a place where I can find it..... that will be the tricky bit!

My 3-panel screen, made from mulberry fibre and
printed with large ficus leaves

Kudusama flowers on display

 

The 'sales table' filled with goodies - an opportunity for everyone
to take home something small -
VERY popular!

My handmade paper artwork 'Flow', flanked by
my monoprints

Gelli-plate Monoprint books

Some of the display

Mum and I at the gallery

Some of the girls at the Art Journal workshop,
examining their completed journals

Handmade paper and rusted paper,
part of the Art Journal workshop

Beautiful, expressive sewing on the student's art journals

Sun printing in progress - part of the Art Journal workshop.
Thankfully the sun stayed out for us!

Monoprinting workshop, with keen participants!

4 sleeps to go!

.....and I'm ready to go.  I spent most of Sunday framing my monoprints into perspex frames.  These frames are so that I can show my works on paper without expensive framing and without interfering with the walls at the gallery.  I've specially bought clear plastic fittings so that the finish is quite minimal.

Yesterday I bought the drinks and food for the 'drinks with artist' event, which officially is Saturday afternoon but I encourage everyone to come in anytime over the 5 days of the exhibition, I'll have plenty of refreshments in the fridge!

This is my last post before my exhibition opens, I've got commitments with my day job the next 3 days, then Friday I'll be installing the exhibition.

I'll post photos during the exhibition so you can see what it all looks like if you're unable to make it.

Cheers!

The Magic of Monoprinting is now published!

So here I am after my short camping break - refreshed,with a few more interesting leaves to add to my stash....!

But this post is all about my book "The Magic of Monoprinting" - its now published and available for purchase.

A preview of some pages of the book can be seen via this link on the blurb website    http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3161047

The 'Magic of Monoprinting' book contains 78 pages of beautiful colour photos of my work plus insights into my art practice and my monoprinting techniques.  There's an extensive gallery of photos of my artworks from the 'Conservation of the Species' series as well as other monoprints I've been working on in the past 18 months.

I've got copies of the book to sell at $30 each or you can buy direct from the Blurb website (plus postage from USA).   If you live in Australia, I can post to you for a minimal cost.

I'm really proud of my book and have really enjoyed putting it together.   I hope you enjoy it too.

Two weeks 'till launch.....time for a break!

Its now less than 2 weeks until I open my solo exhibition.

In the past week, I've been finishing off my large handmade paper works, including 2 wall hanging pieces and my 3-panel screen.  Its been a bit nerve-wracking as I haven't done much with such large sheets, and I knew that one mistake and it could all be ruined......!

I'm a big fan of 'to-do' lists, and of course, I've had several to help with my exhibition planning.

And I'm VERY happy to say that I've only got a few jobs left to do, most of them pretty minor.

So as its my partner Craig's birthday this week, we've decided on an impromptu mid-week camping trip.  I'm really looking forward to reconnecting with a forest environment, to wake up and just hear birds and no traffic or neighbourhood noise.

I've put away the 'to-list' and am looking forward to taking some time out to relax ......although I might be tempted to collect a leaf or two!

Three weeks 'til launch....

.... and I'm not worried at all.....well maybe a bit of pre-exhibition anxiety....!

I've finished all major works and this week have been focussing on the administrative side of my exhibition - labels, lists, and framing. 

I've invested in a small supply of A3 perspex frames, to complement the ones I'm borrowing from Impress Printmakers.  Thanks to Mum's stash of 1970's furnishing fabrics, I've been busy on the overlocker making bags for them;  they're almost an artwork in themselves - bright orange and lime flower designs.

Another (more exciting) piece I've been working on this week is my 3 panel screen.  I'm making this to 'hide' the kitchen area in the Richard Randall Art Studio, but also as part of my exhibition.  Last Saturday I was at Dion's paper mill north of Gympie making large sheets of paper from mulberry pulp.  This has formed the basis for my screen panels, onto which I have printed some large ficus leaves.  This morning I have been lime washing the wooden screen frame.  Its all going along pretty well, and so far am pleased with how its going together. 

I have also got a couple of large long sheets to hang as part of my exhibition.  The mulberry (kozo) fibre is beautifully transparent with includes the inner fibre (white) mixed with the inner and outer bark (chocolate brown fleck).  I can't wait to see it all in situ.

Below are some photos from Dion's studio last weekend, where I worked with my fellow papermakers creating our large sheets.

I'm working at the vacuum table,
at Dion's paper mill

My sheet on the vacuum table,
at this stage its just the mulberry fibre
 ready to have the water extracted

Ngaire in full flight working on her sheet,
she's tossing her fibre onto the vacuum table
with great creative energy!

This week in my art studio...

Today I started a 3 day blitz of making botanical pulp as part of my preparations for my upcoming exhibition "Conservation of the Species".

I'm lucky in that I've got everything I need at home to make botanical pulp - a garden full of potential material, an electric cooker, and an outdoor sink complete with insinkerator.   Its the first time I've used my insinkerator and its great - really speeds up the beating of the fibres.

Today I cooked up corn husks (luckily my chickens LOVE corn, so there's no shortage of husks) and lemon grass (from my friend Floss's garden).  Tomorrow I'll be processing banana leaves, heliconia and ginger.  And Mum will be bringing around a couple of bags of day lilly prunings from her garden as well.

Some of the fibre I will keep for workshops, but most of it will end up as artworks at my exhibition, combining printmaking with papermaking with a nature theme.

my electric cooker

Cooked lemon grass fibre before beating

Cooked and beaten fibre

 

my insinkerator installed under my outdoor sink

Inky and Pepper supervising my work (NOT).
Pepper is moulting so I've been collecting
her beautiful feathers for my basketry,
nothing goes to waste at my house!

Encaustic Fun

I've just spent 3 days exploring the medium of encaustic with American artist, Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch.

I've played around with encaustic before using books and DVDs as a source, but nothing beats having the techniques demonstrated to you by someone who really knows the medium well.  And 3 days of playing around is a luxury too!

Encaustic is a medium made of melted beeswax and damar resin (pure or coloured), layered over collages, drawings, shellac - anything really.

During the workshop, I had my first experience of image transfer, its really easy with the wax.  I found my niche on day two using some of my gelatin monoprints as a base, then layering with wax, image transfers and shellac.

The shellac was just divine - burning the wet shellac with the heat gun produced the most serendipitous marks (and you know how much I love them!).

Although its back to work today, a four day Easter weekend is looming, so guess what I'll be doing???

Not eating chocolate thats for sure!

p.s. I'll be exhibiting some of my encaustic works at my show in May, look out for them - I can't capture their real depth in photos.

Foreground -The wax pots melted and ready to go,
Background - Tricia using the heat gun to fuse the wax

Fern monoprint with image transfered text

Fern monoprint, with shellac and image transfer bee

An abstract piece -
I love the patterns made in the shellac by burning it!

Here I am, working on another encaustic piece,
doing some scratching with a dental tool.
I'd later wipe over the surface with oil paint
so it picks up the lines

Grasses monoprints

I thought I should show you some of the results of my monoprinting session from yesterday.....

One of the first prints,
simple design highlighting the
linear forms of the grasses

Later in the day,
note the change in colours
yet I hadn't cleaned my plate

A ghost print from the dirty plate,
a less-than-pure yellow and purple

Thumper's got a new toy

Today I gave Thumper (my etching press) a new toy.... a new 1 metre long bed.  The bed was made by my father-in-law Alan, who has also made me several other 'toys' for my art practice.

The bed will allow me to produce very long prints.  Its made the same as my original bed, plywood base with a steel top.

Today I was using my new bed to produce some monoprints using grass I 'sourced' during a bushland wander on the weekend.

During my printing today, I didn't clean off my plate at all, which meant that my prints got more interesting as I progressed.  I was also trying to use up some bits of ink left over from a previous session, so it forced me to be creative with my rolling technique and colour combinations.  Of course, this doesn't always work (= mud), but with a bit of thought great effects are achieved.

The new bed (and a print in progress)

My very dirty plate.
A bit of yellow, red, blue, and purple.
Unexpected but delicious colours!