Kilian Capitals

 There have not been too many moments to play and make and create, but I have been thoroughly enjoying my time with Kilian Capitals!!!

My photos are not transferring properly for some reason so I am frustrated by that; will do my best to make things look reasonable, but that is the best I can hope for I think.

I had drafted three words and practiced a few different layouts here - the missing word is stillness.

I transferred the single line version of the words onto black - looks grey here but is really a nice black.

And gradually filled them out in pencil as I went. I have mentioned my issues with writing the letter S - and boy what a delight it was for me to have all these opportunities to practice!

The finished 'piece'.

I continued on my merry way wth another short piece of one of my favourite quotes, but along the way I caught sight of a folded 'book-et' I had sitting alongside me and wondered if I might be able to bring things together somehow.

And so here it is!

I thought it would make a two-way sample book. I had loved this series of folds (inspired by Annwyn) and I enjoyed finding proportions I liked. I had written the lengths on the back of it, planning to use it as  resource. And then I realised that in fact, some of my Kilian sample pieces would fit within the folds. how excitement! and so then it could be my fold sample as well as my Kilian sample!

It incorporates black on white vertical writing, vertical writing white on black, pencil on white, pencil on black and white on black.

I got an extraordinary sense of satisfaction and achievement doing this small, play piece. Funny isn't it how you just play around and make something for yourself and it is joyous!

Celebrating Books in Maleny

It's that time of the year again, when folk head to the hinterland to sit by log fires and read books - and join in the Maleny Celebration of Books.

Maleny is a great town for books and booklovers and our small festivals been running now for five years! This year's theme is around women writers and readers.

I will be away teaching for part of it, but one part I have been involved in is selecting the books for, and setting up the display of, the  First Edition books by Australian Women authors.

We are fortunate that a local, Neil Glover, has the most astounding collection of First Edition books and he kindly collected the best of his women's writers books for us to display in Maleny Library.

There are a load of children's books and fairies feature a lot which is gorgeous.

And Oodgeroo Noonuccal's poetry and a children's book.

Blinky Bill and Jacko.

There are some famous books and some rare and unknown books. I think what I loved the most about working with these books was doing the research into the women writers and discovering what amazing women they were; what adventurous and ground-breaking lives they had led; and how they went about being a woman writer when it was not fashionable nor really welcomed.

Judith Wright, Eleanor Dark, Oddgeroo Noonuccal, Emily Bullock, Edna Walling, Dorothy Wall, the Durack sisters Mary and Elizabeth, and the Outhwaite sisters Ida and Annie are just some of the women we researched and their stories are told alongside their books.

 

It is shaping up to be a great weekend, with a children's authors' workshop; a children's film (Peanuts) and an adult film (The Daughter) both based on books. There will be an Outspoken event on the Friday night following an artists' book projection on the trees on the main street.

The Library will have children's bookmark-making activities and a Bumper Book Sale as well. The  Big Book Club will discuss "The Natural Way of Things" and the Sunday gathering will feature some serious Australian women writers - Jane Caro, Susan Johnson, Ellen van Neersen and is hosted by another write Krissy Kneen.

Tired just thinking about the feast of bookish things coming our way!

On a lighter note, I am also proud to say that I was involved in the winning window for the Maleny Show Society last month! The theme was recycling and our fabulous book shop Rosetta Books asked if I would contribute some of my folded books for inclusion in their display. Along with the many other wonderful ways they recycle in the shop it was lovely for the books to get another outing. Last seen here at the 2013 Celebration of Books!

It is very hard to photograph a shop window on a sunny day - but you get a hint of the books and best of all, the blue ribbon!!

Beautiful pages

One of the commissions I have at the moment involves celebrating the Friends of the Library in a town a little bit away from us. So we are working with books and words and I am making a 3-D piece to sit within a glass cabinet/coffee table in the Library.

Part of the work involves folding a book and I became quite enchanted by the pages the other day...

I love the myriad of patterns that emerge as parts of words and letters are revealed. I love the waviness of the page numbering. And just the general gorgeousness of folded pages!

Hearts are trumps

I have really enjoyed my recent burst of teaching and the engagement with fellow calligraphers and bookie folk. It's been great fun, really energising and inspiring, but having been on the road so much beforehand I haven't had much time to do my own work or follow up on all the ideas that have been bubbling away since the classes.

In between teaching I was still trying to do something creative, and I was fortunate enough to come across the work of Heather Eddy who has created a resource for book-folders.  She provides patterns, templates and instructions that help you make some really interesting 3-D book works, and I began with the hearts...

©2011 Fiona Dempster - hearts are trumps, Heather Eddy pattern

©Fiona Dempster - hearts are trumps

©Fiona Dempster - hearts are trumps

©2011 Fiona Dempster - hearts are trumps

Now that I am beginning to understand the principles of folding book pages better, I hope to make a few more from Heather's patterns and then see if I can develop a couple of unique Fiona styles as well!

Here's a corner of our dining room - with the book on display.

©2011 Fiona Dempster - a quiet corner

Page folding

I have discovered the truth for myself of the notion that teaching takes you away from your own art. I am busy preparing for my upcoming workshops (Barry has almost been busier see here) and as a result my mind is full of the getting together of things such as collecting, collating, and preparing pieces for each participants's pack of materials to experiment with.

I've also been making sure I have the right tools for them to play with and that they are in working order - going out and buying extra things to be doubley-sure that there will be enough to go on with. Half preparing some demonstrations so that people can see where I'm headed with a piece and so on. And of course, writing the course notes and preparing the timetables/schedules. All normal preparation for teaching.

It's all in good shape and perhaps its just me, but I felt that if I was in the studio this weekend, then I needed to be doing preparation things, not creative things. So there was very little creativity - a few attempts at new fold for Book Art Object and a fiddle with folding a book into a sculptural piece.

Here's where the latter got to.

©2011 Fiona Dempster Folded travel guide

©2011 Fiona Dempster - folded travel guide detail 1

©2011 Fiona Dempster - folded travel guide detail 2

©2011 Fiona Dempster - folded travel guide detail 3

This is the first time I have attempted this; and I used an old travel guide to Cairo. I think I'd rather work with a hard cover book and one that doesn't have coloured pages in it - I found them distracting in the final piece. I enjoyed just making up the folds as I went along - with very little idea of how they would appear in the final piece.  I think there is an enormous amount of skill in knowing which pages to fold and just how to achieve the effect you are after.

I think the good news about this technique is that it is one you can play with by yourself and learn by doing, and if it's a book you don't really care too much about then you'll be happy exploring and having a go.

I really like the close-ups of the folded pages - a very architectural feel.