Peace is every step

I have mentioned before how I enjoy working with some particular quotes. This is another one which I like to use and can play over and over again in different formats. It is a quote by the Buddhist monk, scholar and poet Thich Nhat Hanh, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967 by Dr Martin Luther King. He lives a philosophy of mindfulness and walking meditation, encouraging us to consider a peaceful way of being in the world with each step that we take.

I have used the quote recently in a book I made for a collaborative exhibition in Japan. It was part of a sculptural piece that provided spaces for both Japanese and Australian artists to display their works.

I also used the quote in small 'book-ets' I made for an exhibition here. I called them "peace in your pocket". They were small pages, cut and folded so that you could always carry peace with you. The good news is that all of them sold, so a few folk now carry peace in their pockets..

Melbourne graffiti

Now I know I'm not the only person who is impressed by the artistic graffiti in Melbourne's laneways and elsewhere; books are written on it, seminars held and so on, but I did love this piece we came across on Brunswick St Fitzroy. The colours are brilliant, and the lines full of movement and life. It works so well as a feature piece and yet there are many beautiful moments in the details as well. I don't know who the artist is, but it's a piece of wall art that makes you smile and wonder.

Dream...

Barry and I are preparing for our joint exhibition in November. It's interesting to work together on a theme and see how we each approach it differently. Also always fascinating to observe the very different working approaches themselves; I seem to spend more time in my head and less time in the doing in the early stages. Hopefully it will all come together. Here is the beginnings of something. I'm not yet sure where it's going or what it will become, but I have a couple of pieces like this that I plan to put together. It involves cut outs, embossing and there's no other word for it but "pricking". The shadows play beautifully and I am surprised by the difference a rich background makes - the words seem quite bold against the red. A little bit of tidying up needed here and there, but it is beginning.

Rusty stuff

Last week I spent a day in the studio with my niece Emily. We had a fun and busy time. We started by making paper from some pulp that had been lurking about for ages and it was good to experiment with different thicknesses and effects. We then rusted a heap of paper as well. This is always something like alchemy to me - wondering what will happen and what marks will be left behind; and how things will change as they dry. Emily made heaps that she can use in her art work and I took the opportunity to get some more stock done as well - here are a couple of shots of some fabulous rusted paper that might appear in later art works.

For me there is something wonderful with the remnant rust that is left behind and the texture that it creates. The different papers also rust so differently - great fun!

ABC3D

It's less than 6 months to Christmas, yet I am still in love with this book I received last Christmas! It's a fabulous alphabet book which uses intricate and clever paper engineering to form the letters of the alphabet as you turn pages. The author is Marion Bataille, a graphic designer and illustrator who lives in Paris, and it is published by Bloomsbury.

I took photos of some of my favourite letters, but came across this clip of the book being opened which gives a much better sense of how cleverly the letters unfold and work together. She turns the C into a D with a turn of a page and a little tab being pulled, V becomes W when you hold the mirrored page up to it and there are lots of other ingenious elements. The thing that really impressed me was how she managed to design the letters and the pages so that they were robust enough to be mass-produced. U is truly beautiful. Enjoy!!

Phrases of the moon

Often as a calligrapher you are working with other people's words, and most times they are quotes or lyrics or poems that are well known. I have had the good fortune of late to be asked to work with a local poet's words as part of our "Water from the Moon" exhibition -to give a visual expression to the poems. Robyn's "Phrases of the Moon" poems touch on 5 phases of the moon (new, crescent, quarter, gibbous and full).

I chose to make poem books, rather than a book of poems, so each poem has it's own book. Each page has a single line of the poem which encourages the reader to take their time with the poetry - pausing for reflection. I embossed the phases of the moon on the title page and then gilded the phase that related to that poem. I also used translucent covers to capture the idea of the moon being seen through scudding clouds. Fortunately both Robyn and I like the essence of things, and the elegant simplicity of these pieces worked for both of us. They are currently on show at the Maleny Library.

A stitch in time...

I have been turning my mind and my hand to some practical creations rather than purely artistic creations this week. I am pulling together a suite or portfolio of handmade and hand stitched journals which I am looking at selling as an ongoing line. I have also stitched a journal as a farewell gift for a friend/colleague who is taking up a job down the coast. I have worked every second page in the books shown below, each slightly differently. I used water colour pencils on heavy printmaking paper to make a running line at the bottom of the page in one; and did my own "scribbly bark" impersonation along the bottom of the other book's page. They are each stitched with waxed linen thread. Let me know what you think...

Reeds and lines

We have been busy entertaining guests and showing them the sites of the Sunshine Coast and hinterland. On Saturday we headed to Eumundi Markets and dazzled them with all the fabulous fresh food, creative work and fabulous design. We stopped and talked to Genevive of Little Green Dress and the girls at Audrey and Rose.

Heading back we stopped off at Ewan Maddock Dam. I have always loved the stunning blue-grey reeds that grow in clumps along the dam's edge; and this time we stopped the car and took some shots. I like the way the lines work and the reflections in the water, and can see me heading back for more photo opportunities.

CREATE09

Last night we attended CREATE09 - Brisbane State High School's Art exhibition/extravaganza in South Brisbane. The works were displayed through the campus, and we wandered around the installations on a very balmy winter's night. My niece Emily's work was on display amongst the many talented young artists from the school. Emily's year was responsible for creating 'gateways' to the art at each of the entrances, and also for the lighting and illumination in the grounds. Emily's lanterns, which she made in collaboration with her friend Holly were a highlight for me - playful, stylish, elegant with a touch of whimsy.

Her main piece was a statement around the busy lives of young people and their desire at times to escape to a fantasy world. It worked beautifully as a statement, using digital prints on transparencies placed within a desktop filing/organiser system, moving from the black and white of school to the full-blown colour of moments of adventure and flights of fancy. It was an interactive piece, allowing you as the viewer to re-arrange the sequence and tell the story as you understand it. The ability to interact and play with art works is a recurring theme in my own work and I really appreciated the opportunity to play with somebody else's work!

There were fabulous photographs, statement paintings, wearable dresses fashioned from plastic bags, artists' books and sculptures and it was great to see so much talent shining through.

Ancora Imparo

As a calligrapher, reader, and ponderer I love quotes. I often find that other people have captured thoughts so beautifully or simply, or can say what I want to say so much better. One of my favourite quotes which I use again and again is Ancora Imparo "I am still learning". It is attributed to Michelangelo and I must admit it works for me. It works for me as an artist and as an individual. I have so much still to learn as I develop my artistic practice; and as an individual I hope I never stop learning.

I have used the quote in a couple of artists books and will continue to use it for a long time yet.

A nest of 3 books - each with the quote written over and over with different sized nibs, and folded

1. The perspex 'pages' in a box

2. I love the way the letters layer

3. The pages laid out (Apologies for the glare)

And so it begins...

Welcome to my blog - a place where as a self confessed cartaphile (my made up word for paper-lover), bibliophile and graphyophile (my made up word for lover of writing) I hope to share my love of paper, books and writing; and some happenings in the studio.

I am currently part of a group exhibition in Brisbane called "Water from the Moon". It's a collaboration between five Maleny artists and reflects their responses to the beautiful Lake Baroon. Wendy was the inspirer and made the paintings; Ken was the organiser who also made ceramics; Noela made her 'wabi-sabi' jewellery; and I worked with Robyn, a local poet, to put her beautiful poetry into artists' books. The works can all be viewed at Ken's gallery Maleny Artworks.

On the weekend I ran a demonstration/workshop at the Brisbane Square Library on making handmade and artists' books. We were lucky enough to be in the 'suspended' pod in the Library, and here are a few photos of the workshop.



The exhibition closes on 29 June 2009.