Friday, May 16, 2014

Sunday workshop and a book finally made

I started this post nearly a week ago but somehow none of it saved so here goes again.
I am teaching a workshop for Papermakers of Victoria this coming Sunday and we are doing acetate etching (although it is perhaps more correctly acetate engraving). I have done a bit with sheets of thickish acetate scratching the surface with an awl and that is what we will be concentrating on however I have also been playing around using an engraver on perspex and was happy with the results so we will do some of that too.
Here are a few that I did with the acetate:-


And these ones I did with the perspex and the engraver.



Some time ago I blogged about a workshop I did with Velma Bolyard in February this year, well it took getting together with Chris to bind our PoV snake books (from longer ago, last December!) to finally bind the second book of pages that were in the blue tones. Some I dipped in indigo but I also slipped in a few cyanotypes and other bits and pieces.









This book will be going to Fabriano to the IAPMA congress for the silent auction and I have started work on my keepsakes, I have enough of the plant fibre paper that is a mix of papyrus and New Zealand flax both of which got well washed and bleached somewhat by the rain. I have made my two plates from easy cut rubbery material and done a trial print, the next challenge is to see if they will overprint without too much slippage.

The snake book bound! At last.
                                    
My page on right, the back of Chris's on the left
More of my page, all the paper is yukka, the top sheet has been momigamied with arrowroot paste and the bottom sheet has daphne bast fibre added and has a lino print.


Mind you while I am mucking around with this blog I should be either printing my keepsakes, binding some eco books or preparing the catalogue for the Congress members show. I had better get back to at least one of these!!!



Friday, May 2, 2014

Too busy to blog???

I notice it is almost two months since I last blogged. I have been thinking lately that I have been spending too much time working for and promoting other peoples practices and not enough on my own. I have been spending a lot of time helping with the organisation of the next IAPMA Congress that is happening in Fabriano Italy from 1-6 July. And yes, I will be attending and having some holiday time in Paris, Amsterdam and Rome before the congress.

Connections cyanotype on handmade cotton paper

Nexus - detail cyanotype on hanji
These two pieces will be exhibited as part of the member show in Fabriano, they are on their way to Italy now, I have my fingers and toes crossed that they'll arrive safely. Back in 2000 the work I sent for the members show failed to arrive. Three of the boxes arrived back in Melbourne in January 2001 and one was delivered to the Tuscany address a couple of months later.

This dress is currently in Jeonju Korea but due to the ferry disaster there won't be shown until some later date. All public events have been cancelled or postponed.



I have made a few journals lately including a new series of Melbourne icons. It all started when I made my daughter who is currently living in Netherlands a cardboard Christmas Tree and Vegemite jar ornament. Since I had the photo of the Vegemite jar I put it on the cover of a couple of books but they were deemed to breach copyright so I started again with some Vegemite on toast, lamingtons and twisties. They in turn led to using photographs of some Melbourne landmarks, The Skipping girl and Luna Park.
Skipping girl

Skipping girl inside

Skipping girl

Luna Park

Lamingtons

Vegemite
These books are currently available at Open Drawer and The Alcove Art Shop, not on Etsy yet.