Postcards and Yabbers

The postcards are starting to come in for My Land, My Paper. Three this week from the US, Spain and Canada. I have put pictures here.



At Yabbers we've decided to send each other postcards using the techniques we've done at the meetings. At our last meeting we made paste papers using a method Dineke taught at a recent workshop. You colour your paste as usual but you paste on lots of layers of paper and fabric, mine turned very red as you can see.

Front:

Back:



I've made two postcards, one I kept plain and the other I did gold embroidery on. At the last T'arts meeting Lesley Uren showed us how to couch gold onto fabric. The butterfly wing and coiled piece were some cheap gold wire and the other bits were what I brought home from Lesley's. Now to see if they go through the post!







I have been making some new journals lately including some from the leather scraps from Reverse Art and some small Chinese swords from a $2 shop.

Here are some exposed stitch bound books using an adaptation of a method I learned from George Matoulos many years ago.


Preparing to sew:

The completed books:

Discards and CAS

I have finally finished sewing the book for the Discarded Exhibition. Almost all the materials used came from Reverse Art Truck. The paper came on a large roll and I used the credit card technique which I heard about on Wendy's Blog and got the instructions from Kelsey. I did some with colours and gold and some with colours and off-white, I think I prefer the latter. My favorite pieces were done with red and blue swiped together then off-white over the top but they didn't end up in the book because I thought I might use them as end papers so cut one sheet in half then decided to go with plain endpapers. I have since made some brooches with this paper but I don't have pictures because I've already delivered them to The Alcove Artshop.


I cut the text out from the back of the sheet for each section and used leather and furnishing fabric for the cover. I used the exposed stitch binding described in an earlier post.



The exhibition is on in a week or two, I have to deliver on Thursday.
I've also done a couple of pieces for the Collectors Exhibition run by the Contemporary Art Society, The Exhibition is on from 5 - 18 May at Steps Gallery in Lygon Street Carlton.
The two pieces I've submitted for selection are Ladders to Fire 2008



and Seduction of the Minataur




Both titles from Anais Nin an author I read avidly in the 70's and both works made up of smaller parts. I have been doing quite a bit lately with pattern, I enjoy the effects you can get by juxtaposing different elements. You saw some of these pieces in their raw state a blog or two ago.

I seem to be committing myself to lots of things at the moment, I just can't help myself - I do like to be busy! I am convening a postcard show to be held in Burnie as part of the IAPMA Congress there and helping to convene an International Paper Show in Melbourne and a Cyabnotype show with another paper artist at the same time. I've also said I'll be part of another project organised by M Squared and need to produce something before May then once a month after that. the words for this month are voodoo, phobia, fool and scribe.

Classes and Recycling

I have been asked about running a coptic binding class so have scheduled one for Saturday 19th April, if you are interested in attending please email me info@gailstiffe.info, it will start at 10.30 and finish about 4pm. I have pictures of some completed books on my webpage on the workshop page.
Yesterday I was sent some pictures from the two workshops I did down at Portland, Papermaking from plants in December last year and Book binding earlier this month, they were taken by Peggy Schwarz.

The Papermaking.


The Bookbinding


I am considering entering an exhibition called 'Discarded' and thought I'd make a book from materials garnered from the Reverse Art Truck. I just called in on my way home from Mum's yesterday to get some paper since all the materials I've used in the books I've been making lately have come from there. Well, half an hour and $8 later I came out with this haul. More leather, some book board, ribbon, brass corners, curtain fabric, paint samples, paper bags, gaffer tape and a roll of paper.



The place I go to is called Reverse Art Truck and is at 17 Greenwood Avenue, Ringwood. I notice from their website that there is also a branch in Cranbourne.

I had heard that there was one in Geelong and one of the participants in the Portland class tracked it down. Here's what she had to say.
'Whilst in Geelong, I managed to track down the recycling place. It has moved from Newtown to the city, and is called - Diverstat Creative Recycling, at 2 Baylie Place, Geelong. Ph. 52215421. You may be interested to have a look if in Geelong, but I wouldn't advise anyone making a special trip as they didn't have a lot of 'stuff' there when I visited. They did say though that things come in all the time. I should mention that the place is a little difficult to find. Baylie place is a back alley with businesses having their back entrance off it, but there is a little organic
café there, and the recycling business is part of that, so you go into the café to ask about it.'

There is also Reverse Garbage in Sydney where my niece happens to work. They also have a gallery selling articles designed from materials they sell. Here is an article about the gallery from the Sydney Morning Herald.