Thursday Thoughts...

"Books should go where they will be most appreciated, and not sit unread, gathering dust on a forgotten shelf, don't you agree?" 

 Christopher Paolini

I have never read of M. Paolini's books but at least I know he is a rather famous author of fantasy!

That said I do think I agree with his suggestion here.

Books play so many roles in our lives. For me some of them have been constant companions since I was a child - they sit upon my bookshelf and haven't been read in a while; but they are treasured and every time my eye runs over them I am reminded of childhood reading time and the joys of discovery.

On the other hand I am truly quite ruthless about moving books along when we have finished with them. I do really agree that books should be shared, that they should be where they are most appreciated and not neglected or forgotten. After I read something, then Barry reads it, then maybe we send it to my Dad to read, it heads off out into the wider world for enjoyment by somebody else.

We do keep a few special ones - some of the ones I have given away or loaned and not had returned that I scour secondhand book shops for to get  my own copy again. Some that really really moved me and some that I know I will be re-read.

Art and craft books are the hardest to toss! I just never know when I might want to dip back in or get inspired by something that didn't have meaning for me earlier. It's tough, but necessary at times to move them along and honestly, they are some of the most joyfully received of passed on books when they land in the right place.

I think his use of the word appreciated is important - some of my books are sitting there, perhaps suspended in time, unread for a while, but they are truly truly appreciated for the role they have played; or the role they may yet play...

Bookshelf at the beautiful Brooklyn Art Library, 2013, before the fire destroyed so much.

Red Card

 We are on the mend and even tho I love not feeling physically sick with aches and pains and grunge; I think I love having my brain back more!  I have really noticed how my brain is getting back to normal - seeing connections and getting enthused, wondering about new techniques and ideas. It feels good.

So I managed to finish my book Red Card.

I made my first artists' book about Australian women being killed by their partners or ex-partners back in 2014. Ten years later, after much hand-wringing, promises, plans and consultations, very little has changed. 

 

In this book I give red cards to governments, lawmakers and law enforcers who need to do so much more to stop women being killed. I give a red card to those men who quite simply, need to stop killing women. I also give a red card to the media who continue to blame women and describe him as a good bloke. 

In many sports a red card sees you sent off the field or court, no longer able to participate in the game or match. 

 

I am weary and tired that so little action is taken against this domestic terrorism. I repeat and repeat and repeat STOP. JUST STOP.

 I like the combination of black and stitched running stitch and the red machine stitching. When the book cover is open fully and laid flat and face down; the red machine stitching takes on the form of a cross. With the cover closed, the horizontal stitching flatlines...

As ever, I do love a random, dangling thread. The horizontal stitching is nice and clean, but the spine sewing leaves these threads. Domestic terrorism is tangled and messy for those stuck within it.

A lot of stamping of the word STOP took place. The inside cover and the central pages and pocket.

The seven cards inside the pocket read: STOP killing women; STOP blaming women; STOP saying he's a good bloke; STOP finding excuses for him; STOP pretending it's normal; STOP making women responsible; and JUST STOP.

STOP women being killed.

STOP killing women.

STOP saying he's a good bloke.

JUST STOP.

Still trying, but now with some words

 So after making shapes and blobs and drawing some lines, I began to try to work out how the words might work with the imagery. 

After I had fiddled and played and tried and tested things, these are the notes I wrote on the back of each page.

The black pen is too harsh. Writing over the shapes and lines feels the opposite of the words. The writing style feels complicated.

Wet on wet doesn't work for. The lettering across the top still looks too complicated. Pencil is better than black ink.

Nice layout. Nice colours. Caps work well. Not sure the image and the words feel connected.

I like the way the words appear to bust up the complexity and create a little oasis. Pencil yes. Caps yes. I don't think the extra colouring works. I don't think the white elements work.

Barry's Washi tape worked beautifully. I like the oasis of lettering. Caps tick. Pencil tick. Simple/elegant.

Love the colours. The Japanese card is smooth. Pencil tick. Caps tick. Washi tape tick. ?My favourite?

A compilation of my three favourites at the end of the day.

After an overnight test, I came back and tried to add some extra interest in to a couple of favourites, adding layers to some of the shapes formed in the stones to see if it made them more interesting. Using lead pencil, and then watercolour.

The jury is still out for me on that!

I remain somewhat unsure aa to how I might bring transparency into the mix but I'm hopeful that it might linger at the outside edges of my thinking and work itself out and let me know!

Generally speaking I think I have got some good guide posts - the smooth Japanese card, the washi tape for masking out, the masking out itself as part of the design, the pencil, the capital letters, and the white pen. All good to keep going with. I think also the cooler greys. Maybe adding some extra dimension to the shapes? Still not sure!!!

Next question to ponder - is each page done in the same colour way and tones? Or does each page have its own colour? There are seven so...???

Thursday Thoughts...

“Never look back – unless you’re planning on going that way.” 

Henry Thoreau

At first glance this quote seemed self-evidential; correct; positive and all of that.  Of course to move forward we have to look to the future, think about where we are headed, look for a fresh start, be enthusiastic and so on. Don't get stuck in the past keep moving forward seems to be the thrust of it.

But I am not sure about never looking back.

I think it depends so much on why you are looking back. If you are looking back with longing, with regret, with deep heartfelt wishes to go back, and for life to be as it was back then, it's probably not all that healthy or helpful. In part it's understandable that one might want to return to a time before some catastrophic incident, to turn back time so that something horribles doesn't happen or isn't said. That is understandable, but not helpful because it isn't going to happen.

If you are looking back with fondness, to memories which make you smile; or to gain strength from knowing you have handled tough things in the past; to recall lessons learned in order to be able to apply them again; that sort of checking back in with the past can be put to good use I think.

Perhaps this quote is just another reminder to me of how much I worry about absolutes. About complete and utter certainty. About firm and unequivocal positions. I find life has far too much grey to be certain about anything...

Trying something out

 As mentioned previously, I am really hoping to make a book sometime using my seven sets of words that began with walk... and look slowly

In fact, I went to Julie Chen's Artist Book Ideation cards and captured some goals and guides for making the book. I thought if I took away the structure and techniques issue and just worked to a set of guidelines I might get myself closer to just making the book, given that I have the words, rather than face three more years of pondering...

I find the cards a marvellous tool for breaking through road blocks - they are a bit like the Nike tag line and get me going to - just do it.

I don't often work with the accordion structure so that will be a bit of a challenge. (You can see some testing of ideas and counting of pages coming through the page from the other side!). Mixed media I think I can work with, the translucent/transparent paper is yet to be worked through, but I was happy I got to work with my favourite colours! I have to design an enclosure or box as well. So,  these are my parameters.

This was all done a few weeks ago, but on the weekend I collected some watercolours and cards from the studio and brought them home just in case the mood or moment arrived where I felt up to doing something with them. Mindless blobs of watercolour seemed perfect for my brain fog.

And then I began drawing onto them a bit. Not quite sure where they are going but... maybe somewhere.

Not much to show for it yet, but this is further than I have gotten before with getting these words turned into a book, so it's progress. All very slow at the moment, but going gently is the thing.

Not much, but something

 I still haven't spent any time making down at the studio, but I did pop in the other day to collect some cards. I was pleasantly surprised see that before I got sick I had re-arranged a few things and that this little display was now the welcome at the front door. I had completely forgotten I had done this.

I did manage to sit and stitch three more fragments of fabric with resist. Yippee. Major milestone. I felt some of the stitching may not have been clear/legible so added the words and some inked morse code for clarification. Red is still clearly having a moment with me.

And that was pretty much that. As we emerge from under a blanket of blah we managed to walk to town and have a coffee this morning. Another milestone. As a reward, our companion was this young water dragon.

And for context, this is how close they were sitting for most of the time - my chair, my shorts and my shoe. They are quiet and gentle companions and it feels like a privilege to have 'wild' animals spend time so close to you really.

And keeping us company through the week have been flowers and twinkles - cheering us up on the miserablest days. Strelitzias from a neighbour and one of Dad's orchids.

Onwards.

Thursday Thoughts...

“You can’t use up creativity. The more the you use, the more you have.” 

Maya Angelou

I like this idea of an ever-replenishing well of creativity. It is comforting. 

There are things in life that seem to multiply, and sometimes exponentially - like infection and like some allergic reactions which just get worse each time - but this seems like a lovely thing that multiplies!

I must admit that I had never thought of creativity as finite. I had aways assumed that if you reached a blockage that time would find a way to create and form new ideas and work. I had never feared using up all my creativity. 

It seems possible that what she is expressing is that as you are creative, new ideas emerge; new connections are sparked; new paths appear to follow. I am sure there is a scientific term for this but I don't know it.

It seems to me that creativity is almost a way of being; and a skill/technique/tool that can be applied in different settings, and in different ways, so really it doesn't have a supply, it is a way. It is not a noun as such, perhaps it's a verb?

Preparing to bake can be creative!

Some good news

 I haven't managed to get to the studio or do anything for quite a while now, so the only thing I have to blog about is some good news received from the State Library of Queensland.

Back in 2017, the Library acquired one of my books  what about? why doesn't? what can? what does?for their collection.

I recently fielded an enquiry about whether I had any of the edition left as they were interested in purchasing an additional copy.

The book attempts to answer four questions I often see asked about domestic abuse and family violence:

What about male victims?

Why doesn't she leave?

What can I do?

What does gender have to do with it?

The Library has a White Gloves Room, where the Australian Library of Art often hosts White Gloves events. These events offer visitors the opportunity to engage with artists' books in their collection, to learn more about them and to experience handling them. 

In this instance, the Library wanted to purchase another copy of my book, so that they could make it available for these programs; especially for the handling. This way the original remains in the collection and can be brought out to be handled by individual patrons; but the second version would be able to be handled by many more people. 

I was honoured that the book was selected for this program.

The imagery for what about male victims?  - shows the vast majority of victims are female. All victims should be supported and believed; however, the systems we live and operate in are skewed such that women are far more often the victims of domestic abuse.

why doesn't she leave? imagery shows how hard it is to leave, how trapped and caught within a maze and web women often are. How hard it is to find a safe way out.

what can i do?  is represented by imagery suggesting you can stand beside her and surround her with  a circle of support.

what does gender have to do with it? women and men are not treated equally. Historically women were considered the property of males; they could not own property themselves and so on and so on. This encourages some men to think they can do things to women because they 'own' them. What we are seeking is a gender neutral way of being in the world where men and women are valued and treated equally.

And the book leads us to action. In big ways, and in small ways. To take to the streets, or to condemn a sexist joke or comment. To sign a petition, or to listen to a friend and help them stay safe.

It is nice to think this wee book (10cm x 10cm) with such a lot of work and effort and care and thought in it, will go on to speak to students and visitors for a time yet...

Thursday Thoughts...

“I want to write a novel about silence. The things people don’t say.” 

Virginia Woolf

As my eyes flew along the page that holds my quotes for Thursday Thoughts, this one caught my eye and I went with it immediately. That doesn't always happen, but today I thought -"ooh I wonder what that would look like???"

And before I knew it, it was copied and pasted over here and I was typing. 

At first I imagined an artists' book type book that had chapter headings like "Silence when sitting in awe at Nature" or "Companionable Silence whilst reading alongside each other" or "Silence when your heart hurts too much to speak of it" with each chapter followed by blank pages.

However because Virginia Woolf was a novelist I imagine she may well have written descriptions of these sorts of silences, because there really is so much variety in silence. She may have described in words, the silences I am imaging and no doubt silences I haven't even conceived of.

Silence can be deafening, or eloquent. There is a lot of power in silence. And indeed, there is lots to think about or write about it.

I am tempted now to collect a bunch of silences and I might just make that book at some point!

Quote by Mark Rothko; calligraphy by me, and etching and embossing by Susan Bowers. 2015.

In the red

 The number of times I wrote Studio - stamping or Studio - stitch on my daily to do list in the last week or more is funny. I think I managed an hour or two twice during the week before I needed to come home and nap. So progress has been slow.

I set out to do the Letraset on the red cards. In the foreground is an inside cover masked off for stamping.

Here are some of the cards. I honestly feel as if it's got to be this loud, this simple, this clear. 

You can feel my frustration and weariness in this one.

And it has been interesting to see how red is featuring elsewhere as well.

This small collection of blooms has kept me company and made me smile.

And this. 

As I watch with horror at all of the losses in the US, I have taken to stitching in Morse code. 

If you want to discover for yourself what it says, you can check here.

Otherwise I have written what the de-coded message is, way down below.

RESIST

I think there could be a world of subversive stitchers and printers out there.