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!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
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........!
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........!
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| my 4 corner basket |
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| my 2 corner basket/satchel - inside view |
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| Toasting my flax weaving success ! |
Thursday, September 15, 2011
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.....
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!
- 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
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!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
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
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
Sunday, August 28, 2011
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.
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.
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| Jelly fish image with text behind. I used a piece of coloured paper on the head of the jelly fish. |
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| The dodo! I used chin colle on this print, unfortunately my cutting technique was a bit off, hence the 'jaunty' angle! |
Thursday, August 18, 2011
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......
Sunday, August 14, 2011
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.
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.
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The completed box with the bone clasps and mulberry paper lining   My Altered Book open at one of my favourite pages |
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Quebec Print Version 2
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.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
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!".
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