Validating complete...

I have shared the bits and pieces of the making of these books, most recently on Sunday, but when I received the Perspex display cases, I felt they really were complete.  

The framed works are called Validation; however, I called these books Validating. 

Artists' books call you to engage with them. The experience becomes personal: you interact, you touch, you move through them. You see the present, recall the past and wonder about the future. All in the act of turning pages.

For me, the process of reading these books is validating. It's active. It's responsive. 

As you turn the pages and read the words, you nod, go uh huh, yep...

The books rest, rolled and wrapped within their cases.

The cases can also be used as display stands.

Draping.

Or rolled.

The opening page.

And its last page.

The opening page of the other book.

An its final word...

And close ups of threads, always...

Validating I and II are now complete, and complement their siblings Validation I, II and II.

Making Validating

I think have documented some of the making of these books along the way, but they have finally come together.

It took me a while to work out how to make them books. The pages were beautiful - the soft vintage bandage, letraset, flighty to hold, ephemeral-feeling.  They felt inconsequential as if they could fly away somehow.

Question was how do I bind them? Do I bind them? Will I make perspex covers? That was my main game for ages working out a binding where they could be viewed from within these imagined Perspex covers.

And then I thought no, I want them to feel uncertain as you work through them; as you approach them you aren't quite sure what they are about, or how best to engage with them. So that meant good bye to Perspex covers.

I didn't have enough page-sized bandage left, and I struggled to work out what to do.

I did however, have many scraps, and a patching together idea began to form.

I pulled some threads from a scrap, and began to use those threads to sew pieces together to make covers.

Now the work was making sense to me. Now it had integrity.

So I made two front covers, and two back covers, one set for each book.

And once again using the pulled thread to stitch with, I bound the covers and pages together.

I love the moment of awkwardness as you attempt to lift the front cover, to allow you to turn the pages. You are all of the words within - hesitant, uncertain, tentative...

And yet you manage it, whilst feeling cautious as you do.

And of course, you find yourself within it...

Thursday Thoughts...

"Salvation is certainly among the reasons I read. Reading and writing have always pulled me out of the darkest experiences in my life. Stories have given me a place in which to lose myself. They have allowed me to remember. They have allowed me to forget. They have allowed me to imagine different endings and better possible worlds." 

 Roxane Gay

I wasn't sure about the opening line here - salvation has such a truly religious overtone to it that I baulked a bit. But then I read the rest of it and let salvation become a salve.

In particular I like how Ms Gay describes the twin opposites of losing yourself, and finding yourself, in stories and in books.

At first I guess it can seem counterintuitive to have a single something that can both find you and lose you, yet books and reading and stories are supremely capable of achieving both.

When we need solace, to retreat from the difficulties of the day or the world, we can lose ourselves in another's story. We can experience solitude.

At times when we are uncertain about things - we can find kinship and companionship, support and occasionally a kind of cheer squad in books and stories. We can find we are not alone.

The absolute magic of books.

Detail of wood inlay panel, The Studiolo from the Ducal Palace at Gubbio, 1478-82. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (2013)

Making Home

 I may be almost finished with my notions on home and what it all means, but then again, I'd never say never!

Last week I managed to complete the two small books I had been working and re-working. I have called them Making Home as they honour the small birds who build nests in such glorious and intricate ways.

I sewed pouches for each of them. Again I like to protect my work, and I also think that pouches, boxes, slipcases, let you know that what you are about to spend time is a special or precious thing.

As I often say in my Building Narrative workshops - you start 'reading' an artists' book long before you turn a page.

The covers are a rich, warm creamy paper and the spines are 'bobble-stitch' sewn. That's a technical term I use to describe the sewing which may also be known as dot dash perhaps?

Making Home I reads:

gleaning downy threads

patient weaving of new dreams

time and twigs entwined

It also includes some hand-stitched twigs.

I chose the lovely light Japanese paper print of the nest to include, and trimmed it down to sit nicely within the page design.

Making Home II is similar in shape and style and stitching.

Inside, the words read:

preparing for Spring

stitching layered lines of hope

fine wisps of shelter

I played with the 'layered lines' idea in my calligraphy and formed the words with several different strokes, from different coloured pencils.

I placed the second nest print on soft Japanese tissue into the design, and then stitched some more layered lines...

I love both of these books. For information about purchasing one or both of them, you can find them at my online shop here.

And through the week, Barry brought me this gift...

Home is built anew...

And the sale is over...

Here we are on Sunday, recovering in a slow and gentle way from the busy-ness that is preparing for and running an Open Studio Sale, especially one so soon after returning from away.

We had a good day - it seemed like there were waves of people, and then some respite, then another surge followed by some time to have a cuppa, and it went like that for most of the day.

The studio looked lovely - with some merchandising display help from a friend - and we also raised quite a few hundred dollars for the Maleny Neighbourhood Centre.

Here are some photos of how things were displayed...

As you came in the front door - some of Barry's copper leaves; and one of my solace stones.

A quirky display of some of Barry's ladles.

And one of his sculptures, Bending, which is able to be displayed either indoors or out.

My recent work Carried was also on display.

And although the Perspex box for this fabric book Validating did not arrive in time, it was on show as well.

Some lovely cement tea light candle holders and display cubes, along with Barry's hand printed and stitched book  Daily Words.

Some of my Solace Stones.

And one of Barry's new pieces that I simply adore Poised-in balance.

Barry's small metal word books are always admired and enjoyed.

Some of my new and old Women Friends work was there.

Some of my Fragile Gains II eggshells in boxes on display.

The studio wall on the left as you entered.

It was hard work but satisfying and you always learn so much. A number of pieces are still available on my website so it might be worth a look if you are interested. Barry's wee metal word books and his hand set letterpress books still have some availability as well  you head here.

With many thanks to the folk who visited, who talked art and artworks with us and to those who bought pieces. We are grateful.

Open Studio Sale

 I have remembered in time to prepare a special discount code for our online websites so that folk who are far away, can also benefit from some (not all) of our offerings at the studio - my head hurts thinking about uploading simply everything we have in the studio onto a website with descriptions and images and pricing and ....

However, we have managed to get a lot of lovely things up there and hope that folk might appreciate a 25% discount off everything that is online, just for Saturday 19 November 2022 (Brisbane, Australia, time).

Links to our websites are here:

fionadempster.com

barrysmithart.com

decklededgepress.com

You simply need to enter the coupon code STUDIOSALE22 at check out to get your 25% off.

Fingers crossed.

Thursday Thoughts...

"I would love to live 

Like a river flows, 

Carried by the surprise 

Of its own unfolding". 

 John O’Donohue

Times are hectic and there are a lot of demands in so many ways.  

At first I noticed this quote because it sounded so peaceful, so restful so gentle. It felt like an antidote to the ways things seem to be.

But then, I thought about it again in relation to the way that life and its busyness seems to rise to a crescendo this time of year, and I thought - it IS like a river flowing, but flowing more like a torrent than a stream. 

Life IS unfolding in a way where I am carried by surprise (now this! now that!).

None of it necessarily feels gentle, peaceful or restful - and somehow the same words can describe these two divergent states.

I think what the quote has done for me is to encourage me to also have acceptance that for now, this is the way that life is unfolding, accept that I am surprised and carried along with it, and that it is probably flowing in the right direction.

This is more the sort of river I was originally imagining, and it is the kind of image I will carry with me.

New work for the Open Studio Sale

The title says it, and in a quiet voice afterwards I say, I hope. 

As I sat at the sewing machine on the weekend I reached into a basket to get some good snips. I looked inside the basket and found 4 re-working projects waiting to be completed.

This work had originally been a scroll. Which I really loved, but didn't quite know what to with.

Anyhow, I had completely forgotten about them. I must have started the re-working before we headed to Scotland but had absolutely no recollection having done so. I was however rather pleased to see how much preparation I had done and achieved.  

The pieces were all cut, I had cut the lining for the insides and I had folded them each to the point at which they would close. And then I had held them each in position with a pin as well so I could simply pick them up again and get started.

So whilst my memory had failed, my good work in the lead up cheered me!

The reverse of each.

I did recall that it had been a bit tricky to ensure that the little red X appeared on the front of each. This one just snuck in.

I really like how they are each individual, yet still feel connected.

So today I have begun the blanket stitch around the edges of the first one. To be followed by a running stitch-like seam. And then the cord that will wrap it. Then repeat for three more!

You can see why I quietly whisper "I hope".

Alongside my burgeoning body of work about Home, I have completed these wee things called "Homecomings".

I had begun another project with the lovely timber stands, and gave it away as a bad looking thing. They were relegated to a box in the storage room at the studio.

I have ended up bringing them out again to play with these. I made more envelopes with my lovely rubbing papers; and then added into each envelop one of my small, embossed 'journeys' pieces. 

I think they are lovely, precious things and hope others might find them so as well. You could pop all manner of precious pieces and memories inside them...

They are all individual but range in width from 7cm wide to 14.5cm wide; and in height from 6cm high to 9.6cm high.

The supporting timber and magnet stands range from 7cm - 15cm in length.

They will be for sale at the Open Studio Sale on Saturday 19 November 2022, 10am - 4pm at Deckled Edge Press in Maleny. After that, I will pop them up on the websites (or I might do it earlier if I get time!)