Papers and ironing and orchids

 The good (great!) news through the week was that I  submitted my presentation for the Bind25 Conference in New Zealand. That felt like such a relief and such milestone.

The fact that it was there, always there, waiting for me to tweak it, add to it, delete elements of it, was the strangest of feelings for the past few weeks. But now it is done. Yay.

So I decided to turn my mind to a wee book I am thinking of making in an edition.  To start with I had to work out what papers did I think would be best; and then discover if I had enough of the paper to do what I wanted...

These are my lightest book papers - from my paper sampler book - and I was looking for the whitest, and the smoothest, and luckily for me they were the same paper. Magnani Map paper, 140gsm.

I then looked through my light papers drawer, with Japanese papers and other feather light papers and came across this great piece. We had a sunshiny day so I popped it outside to apricate - gather the sun's rays - and freshen it up a bit.

Which really drew attention to the creases! I need to cut around 50 small sheets out of this piece, so I knew I was going to need pretty much all of it. Next step - google "can you iron tissue paper?" and with my newly found knowledge that yes you can, if you protect it with other paper (which was common sense really, but I do like to check).

And so I did, portion by portion.

And this is the after shot. It worked really well and I realised that once I have cut the sheet down further, I will be able to iron the individual pages as well before using them in the book.

It is going to be a small book - about A7 when stitched, so kind of nice to hold; but will require lots and lots of cutting of papers.

And I thought it really was worth sharing my beautiful ironing board cover design! By Suzie Hope, handmade in Dubbo. I makes ironing a much nicer event.

Which is the perfect segue to some of Dad's orchids shining in the early morning sun...

Thursday Thoughts...

“In writing. Don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the thing you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us a thing was “terrible,” describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was “delightful”; make us say “delightful” when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers, “Please will you do my job for me.” 

C.S. Lewis

This week's pondering is on books; and on these weeks, I nearly always grant myself license to ponder books, reading and writing - seems fair. Smile.

Today's quote is a great reminder for me whenever I try to write and or describe things.  I imagine it is an early version of "show don't tell". The notion or idea of not simply describing in detail what a thing is or how you want a reader to respond.  

I think good writing nearly always asks us as readers to get involved, to bring our own thinking and imagination to the show, to add in details, or draw on experiences. Rather than simply being told what something. Or how to feel. 

When writers use similes that suddenly open up our understanding or encourage us to feel differently, it is a wonderful experience. I often stop, pause, take a breath and think wow - what a great way to 'explain' it.

Nevertheless this is challenging work and it so much easier to simply say or describe something, rather than write it in a way that encourage the imagination and involvement of the reader.

For me, his final sentence gives us a very clear reason why we should try harder. It really is a bit weak and a bit lazy to have readers do the work for you. Onwards!

Books I dip into and return to help me think about beautiful writing...

Lovely news and lovely moments

 I received some lovely news through the week. The Mackay Regional Council (hosts of the Libris Awards, Australia's premier artists' book awards) contacted me to advise that they had purchased Red Card for their Collection.

Their collection is a very impressive one, as they acquire the winner of the prize and then go on to select books from amongst the finalists which they think will add value to their collection.

Back in 2022, they had purchased another of my books (a wee trio in fact) called Turning Point and it feels rather special that Red Card will joining them.

It's also just an interesting aside that both books are about similar issues; and both employ red, black and white. Rather different to my sisal soft, quiet palette.

So that was lovely. And just before that news we had three delightful days of blissful sunshine and there were some lovely moments to be captured within them.

And for the not so sunny moments, there are still beautiful sunflowers bringing some sunshine inside...

Because it felt like that regular programming had resumed this morning... sigh.

Building Narrative Workshop

 Sunday evening weariness after a wonderful workshop with four great women, at the amazing Kim Herringe's studio here in Maleny. Kim is a fabulous printmaker, artist, and all round champion of art and is a truly excellent and generous teacher.  I was honoured to be asked to be a guest instructor in her beautiful studio space - and yes there were wallabies hopping through the garden!

Kim had asked me to teach my Building Narrative in Artists' Books workshop and it was a joy to spend time talking about the many ways we can bring our stories to life for people in our artists' books.

As I said at the beginning of the workshop it is a really heavy 'head-day' and far more so than the usual  'hand-day' that we love as makers and creators. However, time to ponder, investigate and explore is also a gift that is welcomed and we went in and down and around and through and back again with our thinking about making.

As ever, I failed to get many photos, but here are a few.

After chopping up papers for my paper sample books, I knew there was a reason I had left the scraps lying around!  There was enough black paper to make 4 name plates for the attendees at my Building Narrative workshop (and enough white paper to make the next ones too!). Winning.

Packed and ready to go - those boxes hold so much books-goodnes!

We talked about books and what they mean to us. We talked about storytelling and art. And we talked about how to bring it all together.

Part of the workshop encourages folk to examine artists' books, discovering how well they tell their story, and what the artists might have done to enhance the storytelling. Here the group is quietly at work interrogating some beautiful artists' book.

Here are just a few of the books we spent time with. Thanks to my friends Susan, Annwyn and Lesley and one from Alice Fox in the UK as well.

It was a big but beautiful day and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to work with these women. So much richness in their thinking and exploring and learning and sharing. I have another workshop set up with Kim in October and then we shall see if there might be more. 

Kim had run a cyanotype workshop yesterday, and how could I not take a photo of these beautiful blue brushes left out to dry???

Ahhh.... the end of a good day.

I ask participants for one word about how they are feeling at the end of the day and here is a compilation (some gave two or three...)

Challenged, Encouraged, Enriched, Inspired, Overwhelmed, Exhausted...

Thursday Thoughts...

“I am a series of small victories and large defeats and I am as amazed as any other that I have gotten from there to here.” 

Charles Bukowski

As I circle back to think about 'Life' amongst my rotating trio of ponderings, I thought about this one today and after years of sitting quietly in my large document, for some reason it was simply its time.

I don't think I have read any of his work, but this simple sentence has depth to it for me, and possibly for us all. I like the sense of awe and wonder and amazement that sneaks through its cracks. 

As we get older, I think we do often stop and reflect and think how amazing it is that we have made it from here to there. Whether that is because we had tough childhoods, or grew up with not much, or never felt confident, or ended up having one or two difficult relationships or had serious illness or injury interrupt us, or had always been told we weren't creative. For a myriad of reasons and from amongst the many things that could have derailed us, somehow here we are.

There is also something in the way he characterises his victories as small and his defeats as large. It seems that he feels he has really been knocked down at times; and that each time he won, it was only small or maybe fleeting. It made me wonder if all our defeats are large and our victories small? Possibly not all, but definitely some.

In line with other truisms, perhaps it really is that we learn more from our mistakes and losses than we do from our successes.

A recent defeat. But I did learn!

Trying different pebble jewellery things

 I have been thinking about the jewellery I make and at the moment I am still very happy making pebble-inspired jewellery. I don't have a need or a hankering to head off and try other forms just yet. And anyway I still have things I want to improve and get better at with these ones.

And so it was that I snaffled an hour the other day to try and see if I could use up some random, small pebble forms that were lurking about. I had this notion about soldering five pebble forms together to make a necklet of sorts.

And maybe some earrings, and then what the heck there were three left over so maybe a drop pendant as well? I had laid out the pebbles in the best form I thought and simply traced around them so I could remember what I liked!

The soldered pendant piece.

And the others...

And sitting on the couch one night I collected some silver chains to see what might work.

And with what...

 

And then I had another hour or so where I could file and polish and attach - and here they are.

Time well spent.

More refining to do - every time I do something I learn something. But I think these ideas are worth pursuing...

Re-stocking

 As mentioned, my grief card cupboard was bare, and so I set about cutting paper, setting type, inking up and printing. Then the illustrating and then the packaging and the final step updating the inventory.

All done now!

In a way it's sad that these are my best sellers; but in another way I am happy that folk can choose simple, heart felt and hand made cards for folk who need their thoughts and care at the time.

After finishing the illustrations for the dandelion cards - with the quote "they lived and laughed and loved and left... and life will never be the same again"

I find it quite meditative drawing these flowers and counting the seed heads that remain attached; and those that have been blown away.

This time around I also made some of my 'dandelion' cards in a portrait format, and they look OK.

Envelopes found and inserted, and then all tucked up in their cello bags ready for sale.

The other cards have the quote 'may flowers grow in the saddest parts of you' and  have a garden of hand drawn and coloured watercolour flowers.

This time around I chose a random set of colours for each card. I like working with the Graphitint watercolour pencils because they give such nice mellow colours - nothing bright or cheery.

All packed and ready to go. I printed a few on smooth card this time as well; and they have these lovely plain white envelopes which are lined with the deepest, darkest navy blue and look really really good.

Thursday Thoughts...

“An artist is an explorer” 

 Henri Matisse

I thought what a simple statement this is, yet what depth can be found within it.  

As an artist, I most often feel like a hesitant explorer, rather than a bold or daring one. It's interesting, because I definitely feel like an explorer. It feels as if I am tentatively setting out on paths I am unsure of; heading towards unknown destinations; travelling through lands only partially familiar.

It is rare that I have in my hand the map, the marked path, the distance to travel.

Most often I have a sense of the destination; and an inkling of the way to get there. But oftentimes I take detours and sometime find myself at impassable places.

The sense of explorer is all about exploring! Exploring ideas, techniques, methods of expression, successful approaches. Because I honestly don't think that artists always know exactly what they are doing or where they are going.

Explorers also seem to me to be about doing new things, going to new places, trying new ways, and as an artist that feels right to me. I may only be trying to find new ways to say something, but I am exploring the possibilities.

Finding My Way, 2010

Somewhat random bits of making

 My head is racing this way and that and trying to sort and sift and settle with so many things I want/need to get done. I am trying hard to come down on the side of things that NEED doing - rather than heading off in a million directions of things that I COULD be doing. Sigh. There will be time for those later.

I had a note to self that I needed to make a pretend scroll. Barry had previously made a beautiful scroll book which worked brilliantly for explaning about scrolls - but somebody recently purchased it and it now has a new home and I can't pull it out and use it for demonstration purposes! 

Down at the studio on the weekend I looked at a roll of paper and thought - that might do it.

And then I looked down at a crack in the floor and thought - that might do it.

I went off and grabbed a stick of graphite and did a rubbing of a crack!

I am quite fond of the marks made, and now simply have to work out how much to add to it without detracting from it!  That will happen.

If adding words, I have to work out is the work read from inside the scroll to the end of the scroll? Or is it read as you unfurl the scroll from the end ot the inside? Interesting...

I also have to print a few words, so was playing ever so briefly with some type, and surprised myself with how quickly I managed to decide on the typeface, the layout and then when I found one empty chase that I could pop the words into and lock it up I really felt like I was winning! 

Now to simply find some moments to cut the card and print! Easy right?

And then a quick rub over the letters with carbon paper to check if we are on track, and I think we actually are.

I also squeezed a few moments at home to sit down and try to use my alphabet to write some words out. I had a scrap of paper left over from the paper sample book episode, and just used a basic roller pen I use to write my daily to-do lists. This writing is quite small and dense.

Interestingly, I chose some words that are a reminder to me, and I like the way in which they are coded and not easily understood. Almost secret.

Life is full of variety!

And a rainy afternoon gave me the perfect opportunity to review these books and reflects on them as I prep for teaching and the Conference. So much wisdom and goodness within.

I enjoyed it so much the idea of a book reading session came over me - how delightful would it be to have coffee, cake, good arty folk and books and just sit in silence reading wonderful books and exclaiming and sharing every now and again?