Forthcoming exhibition

 I have an exhibition at Bulleen Art and Garden 

https://gallery.baag.com.au/event/p-l-a-n-t-w-o-r-k-s/

Three Rivers Exhibition, better late than never

 Here are a few photos of my works that were in the exhibition

Pear Prints

I just noted that it is almost a year since I posted so thought it was time for another. It isn't that I haven't done anything in a year but there have been a few changes around here, the biggest is that my partner has retired. Last year I taught a few workshops and spent quite a bit of time making preparations and samples for these. So far this year I have three workshops scheduled the first was last weekend and it was making paper from denim and making books based on the accordion or concertina structure. In preparation I made quite a lot of denim pulp and a blank accordion that I thought I should add some prints to. I pulled out some old lino and MDF cuts and printed them onto some 300 gsm hahnemuhle that I had left over from another project.

I had a whole set of pear prints but at the same time we had lots of pears on our tree and the lorikeets were really getting stuck into them so we picked them all even though they were very green. I figured I'd try cutting one in half and printing from it and I had a lovely time and was pretty pleased with the results.

Then I made some collages and made some cards with pear prints.

My first accordion I filled with collages and pear prints.

The next two are blank inside and have pear prints and collage on the covers.

Paper is: Circulation

I have nearly finished my most ambitious piece for the exhibition next month at Mont de Lancey in Wandin. I've called it Paper is: Circulation playing on the title of the exhibition and on newspapers and the spots and other circular imagery in my spherical books.

When I took these photos I had made six books with cases but decided it looked better with an extra three so I have now made nine books and have nearly finished the cases and I've used each of the colours of the hemp paper that came from Bangladesh and has been living in my studio for around a year.

Herring Island Summer Arts Festival

 Each year a small group of volunteers puts on an arts festival on Herring Island, a lovely bushy island in the middle of the Yarra River. The first two for the year were Association of Sculptors and Basketmakers of Victoria and next up is the Contemporary Art Society of Victoria followed by A4 Art. I usually enter both Contemporary by Nature and A4 Art however this year I've just entered the first show and for the first time instead of framed wall hanging pieces I have entered these two artist books. The first I did some time ago after a workshop with Glen Skien and the second more recently.

Spore mixed media, collage, print and handmade mushroom paper

Spore mixed media, collage, print and handmade mushroom paper

Spore mixed media, collage, print and handmade mushroom paper

Circularity handmade paper pulp painting and gelatine print

Circularity handmade paper pulp painting and gelatine print

Circularity handmade paper pulp painting and gelatine print

Questionnaire and A4 Art

I was recently asked to answer some questions by a student from Ireland and thought I would share them here along with my answers.

How did you become an artist? have you an artistic background?

I sort of fell into it really, my early training was in the sciences but I always did some creative activity with my hands, knitting, crochet, bargello, enamelling, pottery, jewellery making. You name it I tried it! When I discovered paper it just took over.

Which was the first artist book you ever created?

I made quite a large book called 'Lecture Upon a Shadow', it was made from black handmade paper and every second page was an embossing of a body male and female front and back. It incorporated a poem by John Donne that I had printed using my computer then layered it so that it was embedded in the alternate sheets. When I first made it I glued the pages together, I had to come up with a way of spacing the sheets since they had quite a bit of depth. I made a very heavy cover that was hinged and never really sat right. I have since rebound it by sewing it with a soft cover and have turned the heavy cover into a box. 

Lecture Upon a Shadow c1996 Cast recycled paper and embedded digital print

Lecture Upon a Shadow c1996 Cast recycled paper and embedded digital print

Where do you find your inspiration when creating your artist books? 

All over the place, sometimes it is the theme of an exhibition, an idea might sit with me for a while and I'll work on it in my mind and often get the final idea when I'm lying awake in bed!

Do you intend for your books to reflect on you as an artist? 

I guess so, sometimes I have fun with my books but sometimes they can be quite political.

Could you define an artist book in your opinion?

This question! The $1000 question. I like a fairly inclusive definition and could say 'a book made by an artist'. I like to include sculptural book forms and out there interpretations, they don't have to be made of paper they don't even need pages as such or text. I guess they do need to have some sort of narrative and a connection otherwise almost anything could be considered an artist book.

I see you're an artist of many talents, What is the main type of media you like to use? 

My main medium would have to be handmade paper, I get quite excited by the versatility and flexibility of paper as a medium.

Lastly, Have you any advice for me as a young artist about to create my own first artist book?

I would say go for it! It is a great area to work in and I think there is growing interest in the field.

I spent a bit of time yesterday doing gelatine prints for inclusion in the Contemporary Art Society of Victoria A4 Art exhibition that will be shown at Herring Island, a little island in the middle of the Yarra river. The exhibition is open to anyone in Australia and is so easy you just send in up to 4 pieces A4 size and the society frames them all and hangs them in the Gallery on the island. There is still time to enter the works need to reach Richmond by next Friday, I am posting mine today given our new postal system with three classes of mail. There is more info on the CAS website. I am also submitting for the Contemporary by Nature show that is on before the A4.

Here are my Gelatine prints.

Connect 2 on recycled paper with plant fibre

Connect 1 on plant fibre paper

Connect 3 on handmade cotton paper

Connect 4 on handmade cotton paper

Workshop results and As If Women's Art Register members show

Since I got back from teaching in Ballarat I have made a bit of paper and done some batik dyeing. Women's Art Register is turning 40 this year and we have funding to put on a women's art festival in Melbourne this October. The theme for the Festival is As If : 40 Years and Beyond and it promises to be a great boost to the Register and to the women artists represented.

I am one of the curators and have made a couple of pieces for the show. Years ago, probably 1975, I made some batik Tshirts, several had the women's Liberation symbol and some had 'Shame, Frazer, Shame'. My sister still has one of the shame ones and is going to lend it to me but I was inspired to make another WL one for the members show but instead of using commercial dyes I went with indigo and rust. I also did some batik on a sheet of recycled paper and dyed that with indigo too.

I came back from the workshop with quite a lot of pulp even though I sent the participants home with some. I made some landscape concertinas and had a bit of a play with red and black pulp.

Here is a picture of my class on the final day with all the work produced on display, you can see that I had a very talented group.

Late in June the exhibition 'Pulp and Fiction' opened in Negev, Israel. Here are a couple of pictures of my work hanging in what looks like a fabulous space.