Saturday, October 8, 2011

Contented sigh...

Well, here is the final expression of those torn and battered books.  I have enjoyed bringing this piece to life in so many ways.

Developing up an artwork or piece is such a journey. Oftentimes it starts with this idea, then wanders over there, comes back to the original but with a twist, or takes an even longer detour and finishes up well off the map.

I would love to be able represent the thought/idea to realisation journey in a graphic or visual manner sometimes.  Mine would be most often be a messy doodle; with the occasional and rare straight-ish line. I think that creativity often feels like a leaf or a tree - with bifurcations taking you off to here, choices and decisions taking you off there, each branching moving you a little bit further away from what you originally intended.

At other times; it's just like everything falls into place and it goes from A to B without a hitch!

This piece fall somewhere  between a straight line and completely off the original map. The final piece holds to my original vision, but needed a few adjustments and detours along the way.

It is called "Learning my Lines" and is part of our Light and Lines exhibition which opened at Hand Held Gallery in Melbourne on Thursday night.






You can now see why we were playing with the metal strapping last weekend! 

I was really, really happy with the way this worked out and have lots of ideas to pursue along these lines.  Sometimes it just feels like you got it right. For me, this is one of them. Contented sigh.
Posted by Fiona Dempster at 2:51 PM
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23 comments:

  1. Sara BowenOctober 8, 2011 at 2:59 PM

    Hello Fiona, I love your worn-out books and the metal straps! It's one of those pieces that is greater than the sum of its parts... beautiful! Sara x

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  2. ronnieOctober 8, 2011 at 3:19 PM

    lovely piece fiona.... very successful resolution I say!

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  3. Anna MavromatisOctober 8, 2011 at 5:34 PM

    A piece representing/symbolizing B + F union?!?!?
    Great work and great title, too!

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  4. UnknownOctober 8, 2011 at 5:43 PM

    Trips to the library could take on a whole new look! I love it. I'd been wondering about the scale of your metalwork from last time, so I'm pleased it's something that you'll be able to get through the doorway.

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  5. jgrOctober 8, 2011 at 7:48 PM

    Fiona, this piece is magnificent!

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  6. Fiona DempsterOctober 8, 2011 at 9:04 PM

    Thanks so much Sara - sometimes it just works.

    Hi Ronnie - thanks too; it kind of references those leather straps that were sometimes used to carry books around; just how to express that in metal was the challenge! It's nice to feel like it is resolved.

    Thanks Anna - yes a bit of me and a bit of he in there for sure!

    Thanks Annie - yes it got bent around a bit so yes, it fits thru the door! And you can pick this up and carry it around...

    Wow Jane - thanks! I'm glad you like it, it feels kind of special.

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  7. JenniferOctober 8, 2011 at 9:48 PM

    I so badly want to comment, but words fail me at the moment. Such an exquisite piece on so many levels. Breathtaking.

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  8. ArtPropelledOctober 8, 2011 at 11:21 PM

    You definitely got it right Fiona! I love it!

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  9. Velma BolyardOctober 9, 2011 at 8:50 AM

    yes! very good!

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  10. Noela MillsOctober 9, 2011 at 11:11 AM

    Ahhh - yes, fantastic concept on so many levels - and I'm with Annie - the scale seemed much larger in your 'hinting' post.
    Will be on the lookout for old pull apart books for you now xoxoxo

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  11. LAC EMP 2020October 9, 2011 at 8:18 PM

    Contented sigh Fiona? I think I would have let out a deep breath and have had to sit down for fear of the excitement taking my breath away! A beautiful idea simply executed.

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  12. BarryOctober 9, 2011 at 8:37 PM

    F-well conceived, designed and executed; and of course new skills learnt. But I also love the different levels of meaning that the combination of the title and the combination of materials conjurer up. B

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  13. Fiona DempsterOctober 9, 2011 at 8:40 PM

    Jennifer - that is such a wonderful comment. To have a reaction like that is beautiful. Thank you.

    Hi Robyn - glad you love it! It's great when it comes together and says things you want it to say, and then more.

    Thanks Velma!

    Thank you N - it has come down in size hasn't it? And I do think it makes you think this, then that and just smile...

    Oh Lesley - how perfectly captured! I must admit I was grinning like the cheshire cat and kept popping back in to look at it and think - I REALLY like it! Thanks so much.

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  14. Fiona DempsterOctober 9, 2011 at 9:08 PM

    B-thanks for the new skills! It has magic and memory and many other thigns within it...

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  15. Jo MurrayOctober 10, 2011 at 4:40 AM

    There is something so olde worlde about this piece Fiona. Perhaps a reminder of days before the school 'port', when children tied their shool books together with a strap.

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  16. Fiona DempsterOctober 10, 2011 at 6:23 PM

    Jo - so true! That was the sense I had as I was making it; but didn't want it too obvious; and that's also a link to the title...

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  17. layersOctober 11, 2011 at 2:40 PM

    I love old books and old rusty metal and you have combined them beautifully.. congrats and best wishes on your exhibition with Barry.

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  18. GabriellaOctober 12, 2011 at 4:29 AM

    What an amazing piece, F, with so much meaning and memory in it, so many possibilities at different times for different persons, just like the books it is made of! I also thought of the old book-straps we used to use for school. Why do they seem from not so long ago? I like the idea of portable books - no excuse to leave them behind! This piece so expertly captures all the dualities I like most about old books - their physicality as objects with so much visual and tactile appeal, and yet their existence as objects of the imagination, which we can carry with us...their fragility and their permanence...brava!

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  19. Kim SchoenbergerOctober 12, 2011 at 12:03 PM

    Very nice piece Fiona it was well worth the wait and suspense to see the final piece. Congrats on the opening of your exhibition and your sales.

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  20. Fiona DempsterOctober 12, 2011 at 6:43 PM

    Thanks Donna for the wishes, and I'm pleased the combination appeals...

    Ahhh G/TT sometimes I think I should just wait to see what you say about a piece before I truly attempt to express what it's about because you always capture it so elegantly and passionately. As ever, thank you and I am pleased that it brings pleasure...

    Thanks Kim, it was a pleasure to be with it as it evolved, and I really like how it worked. Thanks for the wishes and support, glad it was worth the wait F

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  21. LouiseOctober 13, 2011 at 2:50 AM

    This work is just exquisite, in all its old, worn and recreated beauty. Your creations are a marvel Fiona. :) And I love the visual feast of your blog posts. Always a joy to read. :) Thanks again for sharing.

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  22. Fiona DempsterOctober 14, 2011 at 4:41 PM

    Thank you Louise - most kind and generous! I'm glad you enjoy the eclectic bib, bobs and ponderings...go well.

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  23. jackieOctober 17, 2011 at 6:44 PM

    Very pleaseing work - how lucky to have found someone to help you bring your imaginings to life.

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I appreciate your thoughts and comments; thanks for taking the time.

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