postcard exhibition

I am currently organising a postcard exhibition for which I hope to receive lots of entries. The details are below.

My Paper, My Land
A postcard show will be held to coincide with the IAPMA Congress in Burnie, Tasmania. Works should reflect where you come from and contain at least 80% paper. The size should be around 10 x 15 cm and works should be sent through the mail, preferably with a postage stamp and postmark to Gail Stiffe, 11 Keltie Street Glen Iris, Victoria 3146, Australia.
The works will be exhibited in Creative Paper’s Gallery for one month including the congress time and will be for sale for $A20 each unframed. The funds raised will be shared equally between Papermakers of Victoria, Creative Paper, the IAPMA support fund and the Papermaking Village in the Philippines and unsold works will remain the property of Creative Paper Tasmania. All works will be documented on a website to be announced. Works can be sent any time between now and 1 March 2009, there is no limit to the number of entries anyone can send. Please indicate on your card if you do NOT wish it to be displayed on the website. Enquires info@gailstiffe.info.

credit card papers bigger pictures and more detail

In response to Wendy's request for bigger images here are a couple, I'm sorry I've taken so long to get them up.

The first one (my favorite) has Reeves Brilliant Red and Jo Sonja's Harbour View background colour run down the page together then Jo Sonja's Island Sand background colour on top.

The second has Island Sand and Brilliant Red mixed together then run down the page then Jo Sonja's Rich Gold on top.

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.

yabbers postcards and CD books

We had a good day at Yabbers today making hemp paper and sewing on postcards. I finally got to beat up the hemp that put my beater out of action last year. I split it into three loads and the first lot I chopped up before putting in the beater. I broke the scissors while trying to cut the second batch so put it in as was and it beat up Ok. We made the paper for our group project for the exhibition then started playing with dropping pulp onto various objects to make really textured paper, it's a technique we learned from Noella Mills, a Queensland artist.


I like using threads and gutter guard as in most of those above. Once they are dry we will paint them with a dark coloured acrylic paint then rub over with 2-3 colours of metallic paint.


The examples above were made by glueing pieces of paper onto card then painting over, they need at least one more colour to bring out the texture.


The CD books we made.

And the postcards, mine is on the bottom left side, I might still add to it before I post it on.