Dream Diaries and Book Exhibition

So much for daily blogging. It has been ten days since my last blog, In that time I've finished the IAPMA newsletter and bulletin, worked on a brochure for ecorecycle, bought a new second hand car, grooved at the Apollo Bay Music festival and sorted out Women's Art Register (well spent Tuesday there). Last night I went to the opening of Peter Lyssiotis and George Matoulas exhibitions at Deakin University Stonnington Stables. All the usual suspects were there. I liked Peter's work particularily the large prints of manipulated photographs and some of the photomontage. Didn't think much of the star concertinas upstairs though!

I've been trying to get some paper made for about a week, maybe today I'll get to the vat. I covered several dream diaries last night after dinner so will have some examples for the workshops on Sunday and Monday. Last week I took some photos to put on this page so I'll put them up now, they are the pages, covers and finished dream diaries.

Gift folders and Papermakers meeting

Here is the pink paper turned into gift folders. I've probably done enough now and have started on some dream diaries. I haven't written anything for the last week or two because of Easter and working on IAPMA bulletin and newsletter. I've virtually finished both, just a little more to do in the newsletter. We had papermakers meeting today and M & I set up the 2D work in the alcove shop. We didn't have much to chose from just mostly my work and a few photos but it looks OK I guess. We had lots of people at the meeting which was in the wetcraft studio, saw M's completed box from Glen Skein's workshop, papers from Bangladesh, paper made by V from old doba (Trobriand Island women's money made from banana leaf) sent by C several years ago http://home.iprimus.com.au/gailstiffe/trobes.html I have a picture on this page of a woman in the Trobes making doba. Then people went about make shaped and decorated sheets of paper.

IAPMA Bulletin

Not much doing today. I'm about to head into the city for lunch and have been sitting at the computer for half the morning doing very little. I covered some more boards for gift folders last night, did about 8 sets of various shades of pink, I'll do collages on some and leave some plain, might even put some photos on a few. Still haven't finished my bit for the bulletin and I discovered an article I haven't put in might have to go back to 10 point. I need to start on the newsletter soon too.

Pink paper

Some of yesterday's pink paper drying on sheets of fibro cement and some of the gift card holders I've been making for mother's day and other occassions. Today I went to the Register and worked on redesigning the flier and the notices re AGM but I came home early and have been at the computer ever since. On the way home I called into the op shop and bought a knitted jumper with a fancy design, I've been having awful trouble with the piece I'm knitting myself keep losing where I am in the design.

workshops

I've been sitting too long at the computer doing everything except getting on with editing the bulletin. Must get on with it. Today I've made some middle eastern easter cakes and two small batches of pink paper starting plain then adding some torn up envelope and some dyed pineapple fibre then some recycled sheets with flowers and seeds that came out too thick the first time. I've talked to Jenni on Skype and have been working out some dates and topics for workshops I'll run at home so I've updated my website, now I just need to let people know.

pulp painting and cabbage

These pictures are the result of a couple of play days. I was reading someone else's blog about using silk screens in pulp painting and remembered that I had some screens from when I was doing some watermarks a few years ago and since I had the fine denim and sheeting pulp decided to try it out. I needed to have the blue pulp at just the right thickness and found that it worked better without the deckle so that the top sheet was really thin. The picture on the left is one I took in india many years ago and is a bit of a favorite. I've used it for cyanotypes, van dyke brown and watermarks in a book I made several years ago called Children of India. The book folded out to make a box with a light inside for viewing the watermark. The middle sheet is just the denim layer swiped with a sponge. I'll probably use it with cyanotype next month. The right hand sheet is another silkscreen one and is a computer altered self portrait again from some years ago.

The other picture is of some red cabbage leaves treated like vegetable papyrus but not joined together. I was throwing the outer leaves of the cabbage into the compost bin and they were such a lovely colour that I wacked them in the microwave for a couple of minutes then pressed them between cotton sheets and blankets until they were dry, they are now beautifully transparent. Don't know what I'll do with them though!