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Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Finding ways

Susan and I have begun another collaborative book.  We set some parameters, had wild-round-the -world discussions about options and we each went home to play and explore.

Today we were getting together to swap pages - we each prepared around 14 pages so that we could give each other 7 and keep 7 and build a book around the two sets of pages.

We had added another dimension into the work this time - burning.  This is where it gets funny; over the past few days we have let each other know where we were up to and what we had done; and in the texts and emails it become clear that we had left our last meeting with quite different ideas about what we would do!

I thought we would prepare pages and do a bit of burning, then hand them over for more burning and destruction.

Susan thought we were burning pages and handing them over.

So with trepidation we go together today thinking it might be very very ugly and that we would need to modify, reverse, and possibly start again on some parts.


In the end we decided to work with what we each delivered. They are so very very different, but there is immense potential in what we have in our hands.  In fact I am quite excited by the possibilities now and am looking forward to seeing what happens next.



They actually sit together well - hiding, revealing, covering, protecting...



Here are my piles of trials, so funny that I left all my delicate burnt pages behind and just burnt into my Arches Velin pages!




And played with wax and water...



I remain hopeful that something beautiful may emerge from this intriguing mix!

18 comments:

  1. love the combination of veiling with the calligraphic marks Fiona

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    1. what lies beneath, Mo...I like the way the strength and the fragility play to gather so well.

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  2. I too remain hopeful ... more than hopeful I think. I like the burning ideas you have had and have been playing around with - will be so interested to see how you bring those and bits of my burnt paper together.

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    1. So many options aren't there Susan? and I keep trying to work out what my story will be...I am having lots of fun I must say!

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  3. Wow I so love these collaborations you two do. I wonder when it is my turn. It would be such a unique and enriching experience to collaborate on a project with you Fiona! Put that one up your sleeve. :)

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    1. Ah Louise, I shall hold that thought! Susan and I do have a rather special thing going and we both appreciate it very much. Go well.

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  4. How amazing these papers are! It never dawned on me to burn holes and such in papers... you have both achieved a beautiful effect.

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    1. Susan had the idea and I went along for the ride! It has been absolutely fascinating and I am intrigued at the different effects - trying to select only one or two is the hard part. I am sure you would enjoy it, tho you do have to be careful with the thin papers - best to do them slightly wet or right next to a sink for dunking. Go well.

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  5. looking forward to see where these sets of papers go

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    1. Given how things have gone so far,I think it will be a wild ride Jac!

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  6. What a fascinating feature to include. This is going to be really interesting! You two are such an inspiration.

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    1. It is really fascinating Ellen - and I love how it makes me think about what I am trying to achieve, not just how gorgeous it all looks. It's a really interesting modality to work with. Go well.

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  7. Oooh...The bees went to their new home the other day and I was given the remnants of some left over beeswax to melt and dip my papers into. I thought it would be a fitting reminder but have not found the time to do it yet. Now of course I want to wax them and singe them to within an inch of their lives! I love those holes Fiona, especially the small, orderly and controlled pattern of the incense stick. Looks like another great collaboration in a new direction.

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    1. Oh have fun with that wax Lesley - I love how it worked on this heavier paper after I'd burnt the holes; now I want to try and burn holes after I've waxed! We are certainly heading off into unchartered territory here - with all the usual permissions to reject, leave behind, tear up, cove rip and what not I think anything could happen. Go well.

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  8. Yes, I would think this could be very interesting! Can't wait to see what you both come up with!

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    1. I think it will be really interesting Sharmon and I expect we will come up with quite amazingly different books even thiowe have pretty much the same starting point. Go well.

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