Bulletin and other things

Well I finally got the IAPMA Bulletins posted and they are really special, the covers by Helmut Becker took him ages to make, they are beaten hemp with snow retted and running water retted hemp embedded in the paper. There are 15 paper samples and the assembling from printer to post took about 90 person hours, thanks to my friends who came to the various working bees I didn't have to do it all myself otherwise you'd be lucky to get them before Christmas.

I have managed to put together some collages for the Contemporary Art Society exhibition at Burnley Harbour which is on next Friday to Sunday. I have used a sheet of kozo in each and decorative papers for each vessel.


Vessel 1 wax stamp and paper dyes on recycled paper

Vessel 2 indigo and walnut on Belgian flax

Vessel 3 walnut on Belgian flax

Vessel 4 indigo, walnut and rust on Belgian flax

I made some paper the other day for the first time for ages, it was hemp fabric that I finally finished beating when Yabbers went to the Bundoora stables earlier this month, I still don't trust my beater to do hemp, in fact I haven't used it for ages, it did handle recycled paper OK last time I used it. I'm using the hemp paper to print on for a book I'm making at the moment, I'll post some picks once it's made.

I have just started a photoshop course 3 hours a week for four weeks, it looks like we are going to do some fun things, the first session was just getting to know the system and a basic look at layers and shapes. I was going to put up my first project but it's not really worth it, just a couple of shapes. I'm hoping I'll learn how to better adjust the colour in photos that I'm sent for the Bulletin, some are still printing up too dark.

Women's Studio Workshop and Apollo Bay

I have just been watching a couple of videos of the Women's Studio Workshop, the first is a documentary about the workshop and the second show the process of making an edition of 35 copies of an artist book.
Great viewing, I wish I lived closer and could apply for one of their residencies.

Last weekend we ventured down to Apollo Bay for an extended weekend because of Melbourne Cup Day on Tuesday. We had a great time and started the holiday at the opening of Anne Marie & Jo's exhibition at Aireys Inlet, we arrived at the YHA in Apollo Bay too late to cook dinner!! Well that's my theory anyway. We ate at the bottom pub the first night and even though the hostel is well equipped with two kitchens and even a herb garden we only breakfasted there, it was a real holiday. Sunday we went for a drive and a hike up in the Otways, they are amazingly green at the moment, all very lush and the waterfalls were wonderful, lots of water. Monday we went back into Lorne for their sculpture festival and walked from one end of Lorne to the other then back again, saw some terrific sculptures and of course we couln't visit Lorne without a visit to Qdos gallery where there was a show of Marny Fenton's found object sculptures and Mary Cooke's photographs. On Tuesday before we came home we visited the Cape Otway Lighthouse and just about got blown off, gale force winds are anything over 35 knots apparently and these were 50 knots, just amazing and the sea was so wild. I haven't even looked at my photos yet but I am hoping to put together an artwork for a friends apartment near Apollo Bay. The other project I have on the go at the moment is to make some paper from Mulberry bast, I'll start cooking that tomorrow.