I Hit a Wall on show

On Friday B and I headed off to the big smoke (Brisbane) on the train (for 50c each way!) to see an exhibition called Dearly Departed, at the State Library of Queensland.  The Library has put together an exhibition around death, dying, loss and grief and has sources lot son fascinating items from heir collection; the original layout maps of cemeteries, stonemasons tools, journals of nurses and doctors; and all many of things related to how we mark death and the grieving process.

I was thrilled to learn that my artist' book I Hit a Wall  had been selected to go on show alongside so many other precious items.

I have written about its progress before (plenty of link backs in that previous link) but here are the words that accompany it in the collection (but which are not display in the exhibition):

I hit a wall 
2024

After the year that was 2020 I regretted not creating any work that spoke of, or to, the pandemic.
In 2021 I thought I would pay attention and just note down key events.
My Dad had gifted me a number of my mother’s handkerchiefs and I thought to embroider a journal of sorts onto them.
I began by writing down events in my own handwriting, transferring them onto a hankie, and then hand embroidering my handwriting.
I had no idea what 2021 would hold and that in fact, it would be busier than 2020 had been.

Each month I would capture events, and start stitching.
It took all my creative time to try and keep up with policy shifts; quarantine; border closures; contact tracing; gatherings; social distancing; access to vaccines; short sharp lockdowns…
It was exhausting.
I persisted.  
But then.

There was too much. I was too tired of it all.  I felt numb and overwhelmed. I felt weary.
I transferred the month of August onto the hankie but couldn’t start stitching. So much happened in that month that I had to do the criss-cross writing so often seen in old correspondence where the written lines went in two directions. I felt it would never end.
And I submitted to a sense of overwhelmedness and simply stopped.  

I hit a wall.

Leaving this artists’ book partially completed represents us all at the tail end of that year. I had thought I might pick it up and complete it, but I haven’t been able to.  Like everybody I probably just want to park those times, not re-visit them in detail.

Reading the handkerchief pages of this book, I am amazed to recall the daily drama we dealt with.

But I hit a wall and have now simply tacked the pages together and it is complete just as it is…

31cm(h) x 31cm(w) x 1cm(d) closed; 31cm(h) x 62cm(w) x 1cm(d) open.

Cotton handkerchiefs and embroidery thread, Pilot Frixion pen

There were different themes across the exhibition, and my work was part of the Pandemics, epidemics and quarantine.

There is an interesting virtual tour of the exhibition for those who can't get to Brisbane, and here is a screen shot of my work on display.

Back to the book itself, August was the month that defeated me - so much happened and I felt overwhelmed by the thought of trying to capture it all, let alone sew it all.

And by October, I had nothing.

This remains a book that I am proud of, and that has a special place in my heart and in my mind. They were such difficult times, and with this book, we remember them.

Boxes and displaying things

I have almost finished my book for Narratives. The pages are done and the cover is done and the colophon is done. The backing sheets have been glued into place. I have gathered some extra bibs and bobs.

And my mind has turned to storage and display. I had planned to make a display tray with a divider to hold the book and some bits alongside it.  At different points over the past few weeks I have watched some videos; drawn some ideas; plotted out a path or paths to making a box with grey board and book cloth. I chose the book cloth and got the grey board!

Sunday was the day I had on my To Do List - make box. 

So I set aside time and sat down to think my way through once again. Playing around here with some cardboard and getting a feel for how big I wanted it to be; how high I wanted the walls to be.

I decided I would do a trial run using Bristol Board/very lightweight card.

It was great to get out of my head and into my hands. As I went about doing the things I thought I should do (in my head) my hands remembered that I needed to do other things, and do some things differently. Thank you hands.

So I made a display tray with tape holding it together and thought yep I have the dimensions right and some of the logic about which side are slightly higher; which ones might be slightly longer than the internal dimensions and so on.

I was happy with the dimensions - it felt as if the book would sit nicely in its place and the other compartment could hold the extra bibs and bobs - the proportions worked. 

You can just see it here below, but I also wanted to include a notch in the divider so that you could lift the book out quite easily.

I showed it to Barry at this point and we agreed I had a good plan and the thing looked good. I then went - now I just have to work out how to cover it. And I pondered that in my brain and came up with some thoughts. My brain was really hurting here! I thought I might cover the divider before gluing it in and then when I looked at it I thought oh my goodness; it is going to be really hard to cover that notch neatly.

And I stopped dead right there.

This was the point at which I thought I have run into a real road block. I realised I had bitten off far more than I could chew and that I needed to re-assess everything about this book and its presentation and display. It felt as if there was no way I could bring a beautiful and professional looking finish to this work with my current plans and thoughts.

I had also planned to do another tray that would fit over the top and which you would lift off to reveal the book and its bits. Whilst this seemed simpler than the divider tray - it also would have to look perfect and so there was yet another job to do.

So it was back to the drawing board and looking at a multiplicity of alternatives that might somehow do what I wanted.

Dear Reader, I am still contemplating! Fingers crossed something reveals itself to me in a way that looks good and is manageable within the timeframe (just under three weeks). Stay tuned.

In addition to the twigs, I have been gathering other bits I thought could go with the book....

Much pondering still needed!

Exhibition - Learning My Lines

 We recently had a mini-mini-break down by the water - to celebrate the end of our 6 year lease and the transition out of a public space and to home-based work.

Here is the holiday mood in three photos...

A time to relax and reflect and celebrate.

On our way home we visited the University of the Sunshine Coast University's Art Gallery. The current exhibition is called Marking Time: 30 Years of the USCArt Collection. I am honoured that one of my books  - Learning my Lines - is in the collection, and even more honoured that it was selected to form part of this show. 

I really love this book. It is a bit of a departure for me into the sculptural artists' book realm; but I have been in love with it ever since I first bought the books that form the basis of it.

Its origin story can be found here and here.

This book is where I first learnt to hand rivet. Lovely hand made copper rivets hold the rusty straps together.

And here I am alongside it, looking a tad dishevelled, but proud!

This is the first time I have seen it on show without a Perspex cover and I loved being close to the texture and being able to see the details under gallery lighting...

The University has shown it previously as part of the exhibition Women's Work back in 2019. 

Here I am with it in that show. Much shorter hair, but better groomed (it was at the opening!) and I am laughingly trying to hide my left foot behind the plinth because I had a badly broken toe and it was in a foot splint thingy...

The book continues

 The next steps.

I have loved the background to these pages and really enjoyed the typewriter written words., but have been wondering what else to illustrate and support the words???

In my previous works Under Construction, I had successfully used twigs, both stitched down individually, and bundled and stitched, so I thought to see how that might work.

As ever, I do love the twigs.

I liked them more when they were angled slightly. 

But I was a bit worried about their fragility and if they would hold up as pages were moved around. The books I had previously used them on were concertina style books where the book was displayed like art, rather than one where pages were lifted, turned and placed.

And I think my fears were probably well founded given they snapped and fell apart as I tried to bundle them. I will have to see if, or how, twigs can be part of this book; but they won't be on the pages I now know.

I then turned towards stitching, as the words about the building of nests so often suggest threads, and weaving and stitching.

For some reason, the notion of couching came to mind as I thought I might like the little bobbles that form part of it. So I did a line of couching. And was a tad underwhelmed. So I did another line thinking that together they might say something more.

But I wasn't convinced.

So back to running stitch I went. And I decided I liked the alternate lines of stitching and I think that three might work well.

I then used a metallic silver pen to make a few marks on the page (barely noticeable here) and added a few bits of scrap material I had rescued on the way out the door of the studio. I think they add something...

As ever, the challenge is how to support the words without overwhelming them. How to make the pages interesting but not too busy... I have one more thing I want to test and then I think I can begin.

And on another note - I have been invited by Sandra Pearce of Art from The Urban Wilderness to give an artists talk at Hive Studios in Brisbane in late March. I am excited to talk about my work and show some books and generally have fun chatting with artist book type people.

If you are local and/or interested in getting along here are the details...

Tarra Warra and Rose Nolan

 We recently spent the week away - on the road in Victoria. We visited friends in Inverloch; travelled through The Dandenong Ranges and on to Healesville; and then back to Melbourne for an event and another stay with friends.

A fabulous time was had, and it was great opportunity to see country we hadn't seen before; and to re-visit some beautiful places.

A real highlight was visiting Tara Warra Museum of Art, and the exhibition Breathing Helps by Rose Nolan.

The location was stunning and the exhibition breathtaking. Plus it was a brilliant blue sky day.

The work by Rose Nolan was immense in scale, and showed so many hours of work. I also loved how she worked with words throughout.

You might just be able to discern B hiding here...

The backs of the thousands of circles were equally delightful.

I love how she makes you work for the reading.

This says awkward... 

What a joy to have been able to attend this exhibition in this gallery. We were there during the week with only a handful of people (except for a group of school children who were utterly engaged by it all). A real delight, and a reminder of the wonderful things that are out there in the world for us to see...

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.