Thursday Thoughts...

“Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful.” 

John Maeda, The Laws of Simplicity

I bought this book the day we visited the Museum of Art and Design in NYC with Jennifer! It was a special day and this was a nice memento and reminder of the day.  I confess I haven't read it in full; but I was drawn very much to the notion.

This brief quote from the book sums it up for me. Simplicity in a design or an art piece is about removing the obvious and yet making sure that whatever is added in is meaningful, and purposeful.  Sometimes adding the meaningful can be about adding a blank space to something I suppose. But each element that remains is meaningful, not just there for decoration.

Maybe this is too considered an approach for some artists who might prefer to just place things and respond and keep adding and balancing. I am nearly always trying to work if I HAVE to add anything; I am nearly always satisfied with less, and have to be pushed (by myself or in the presence of others) to add things in. I like simplicity.

The more I think about and talk about art, the more I try to make sure my work isn't too obvious; not too direct. But I do like simplicity in work - the essence or the pared down nature of it. I find simplicity quite beautiful and restful and I think that's how I want my art to be.

©2010 Fiona Dempster 2010

Peace flags...

In amongst everything that is happening on so many different fronts, I have been trying to take steps towards my outdoor peace flags, which we will fly to celebrate International Day of Peace on 21 September 2012. See here (or the button on my side bar) for some fabulous, experimental and stunning flags and ideas about peace.

I had grand plans for these flags - but am now more just hoping that I might be able to pull off something that is good - not grand, I think I will settle for just good right now.

I have also headed off in so many different directions with these flags - each time coming up with a slightly less ambitious notion and one that will be more likely to fit into the time I will be able to make available to them.

Last week I finally worked out there was no way I could make my latest planned ones in time, but I suddenly had a beautiful, calligraphic thought.  Why not make peace weather-grams?  Weather-grams were created by Lloyd Reynolds a key calligrapher from Portland Oregon back in the 1920s.  In simple terms they are short notes written on brown paper and hung in trees to weather.

The idea really grew on me and I bought some brown paper lunch bags and chopped them in half  and began to write notes of peace on them.  I had loads of quotes to write out, when I suddenly thought - I'm going to 'verb' peace.  So each weather-gram will simply have upon it a single phrase - Be Peace. Imagine Peace. Think peace. Begin peace...things like that.

Here are a few teasers of what I am now making...

Soon you'll get to see them in the tree...

Rusty organisation

The world is full of serendipitous moments, and I have enjoyed seeing the beautiful rusty stashes that Susan and Jennifer have discovered of late.

It made me smile as I have been quietly organising my rusty bibs and bobs as we have tidied up around the block in preparation for the wedding that we hosted here on Saturday (yesterday). It was a beautiful celebration with lots of happy folk and much love.

As we were getting ready, we realised that a working artist's yard is not exactly what is needed for a wedding, so we felt the need to tidy up and with the Open Studios event not far away, getting organised also made sense.

So now over by the shed studio, I have this lovely old ladder, leaning against the wall with these beautifully organised bits of rust.  Now if only I can remember to put them back after I've used them...

Only other rust junkies or rust lusters would understand how nice it is to have your rusty bits all together and nearby!

Thursday Thoughts...

Fight evil. Read books. 

unattributed

I'm not sure if the brevity of this quote appeals simply because I am weary - but I do know I smiled when I first saw the T-shirt!

Inherent in this quote is the thought that reading books must be good for you. That books are on the side of the good-guys and that books will help good triumph over evil.  I like to think that books do help us find the way; do let us access truth and information; and do help us be properly informed, and that maybe this combination of things is what we need in our fight against evil.

Even if you want to ignore the sense of fighting evil (whatever that may be), you are still left with the idea that reading books is a good thing to do and I have to agree.

It almost says to me - when in doubt read a book. Which is pretty much what is top of my list (but not always something I can actually do) whenever I need to answer the question "what to do now?"

I'll head off now with the virtuous thought that any time I read a book I am fighting evil. Yay me!

Source:cafepress

Real Food art

Our town is hosting the Real Food Festival again on 8 & 9 September 2012. Last year everyone was stunned and thrilled when about 3000 appeared and wanted to explore and understand real food - food that comes from nearby, is organic, and carefully prepared. And of course, much more.

To coincide with the festival COMA is holding another one of its themed exhibitions at Maple 3 Cafe from 4 to 25 September. This time, the theme is "Food as art".

We were asked to work with 30cm x 30cm canvases (or to have framed work within those dimensions).  I bought a canvas and I tried a few things, but I don't know what it is about canvas, but I just freeze.  I can't think of anything that appeals, and everything I try is truly awful.

Barry suggested to just work on paper and get it framed to size. Suddenly I could think of dozens of things to try that felt quite nice and quite me.

So we began with rusted metal and an apple.

I took turns doing different things with it. Clearly I had to try tea...

And then I played with just embossing  the same shape (albeit reversed)

And then I tried the two together!

I am yet to work out which arrangement I shall use - there are four pieces at the framers for me to consider on their return.

I guess I could also just have framed the rusty apple couldn't I?

Studio preparations continue

Barry and I have been in Melbourne for a few days with work-work, and today my sister-in-law-to-be and my brother visited so that I could teach them how to make their own hand-made book for their guests and photos at their wedding.

We had a lovely time and Lorraine made a great book!

I snatched a few hours yesterday and again as Lorraine sat stitching this afternoon, to keep making wee things to sell at the Open Studios in a few weeks' time. I have been making my own cards and in synch with the plan for the next book in Susan's and my collaboration, I have also been making my own envelopes.

As a minor distraction, Susan and I are planning to make an envelope book next time - stay tuned for just what that might mean and how it might look.

But back to the cards, here are a few of them to date...

These are envelope made of paste paper, with cards using paste paper cut-outs, sealed with a little black velcro dot.

These are a couple of sets of rusty-tea cards, with hand decoration.

And here are some rusty tea washer cards.

It is good to have few little projects on the go, so that when I have a spare few moments I can sit down and cut, paste, draw or stitch and feel as if I am contributing to the 'for sale' options when we open.

Thursday Thoughts...

“I carry silence with me the way others carry snapshots of loved ones. I offer it and wait for a response.” 

 Stephen Dunn

When I ponder on life I realise that life and art can get beautifully intertwined.  This is supposed to be about life, but my head also jumped to my art, but in today's post I'll try to stick to life.

What I liked most about this thought was that it gave strength to the notion that holding onto silence and being quiet is a strength and maybe a gift. At the very least it is an OK way to be and for this confirmation I am grateful.

We had a good discussion at Book Group the other day and I mentioned I had just bought "Quiet - the Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking"(TED talk here).  Nobody at Book Group really believed me when I said I was an introvert.  They looked at me, the one who happily talks about books, who queries and questions and will always add something to the conversation, who will debate or disagree with other views; and they thought 'no way'.

But silence and quietness and solitude are my place and my way of being.  I can always do the other things - speak in front of people, circulate at a party and make people feel welcome if needed; but that always seems to cost me so much. I am exhausted by it. I can do it, but it costs me.

The quietness of the mountain top, my studio and our home offers me so much. When I am away I long for the silence and stillness and quiet that I find here. Even when I move about and travel, I take silence along with me for most of the ride.

I like the notion of walking thru the world with silence in my wallet or my pocket, and offering it to folk. Letting them spend time without words and in peacefulness and reflection.

I guess some people can feel uncomfortable with that silence, but I think its good to learn that silence can be OK.

©2009 Fiona Dempster - Temple garden, Kyoto

A booky distraction

I cannot lay claim to creating any of this bookishness, but I did so want to share these images.

We recently had a few days away (well maybe 5 weeks ago...) and we stayed near a place called Maroochydore, and very nearby us was this book shop.

It sells secondhand books, stacked in general selections of "biographies" or "sport" or "romance"; and it just always makes me smile. Total chaos reigns but books are simply everywhere...

The front counter is hidden behind this stack...

Arrows direct you through the maze...

Turn a corner and try to find your way past this pile...

Sidle sideways along this row...

 Even the windows are filled with books...

The Duporth Book Exchange is always a must-visit on our trips to the coast - we always find something we need to read and want to buy.

Modern Romans in Brisbane

Well I am just back from a great day in Brisbane, teaching the Calligraphy group down there my version of Modern Romans.  The title makes perfect sense to calligraphers who work with Roman Capital letters all the time; but may sound odd to others who could be inclined to think we were talking about fashionable young Italians visiting Queensland!

©2012 Fiona Dempster - Donnie's ink, pen and brush

The full day (and full-on) workshop looked at a style of writing (a hand) that I had developed to write on David Linton's log.  We explored together what I had done to 'modernise' the traditional Roman Capitals.  It was great to be able to describe the things that made it look more informal, and made it more flowing to write, and it helped people see how to make that transformation.

This hand is really well suited to weight variations, and the group seemed to enjoy testing the different nib widths and heights of the letters.  People felt it was easy to write, it flowed and showed spontaneity. All the things I had been hoping to achieve.

Jenny's practice

Susan's practice

Barbara's practice 

Anna's practice

To finish off the morning session we made a quick folded pocket puzzle - perfect for gifts and greetings - written in a Modern Roman hand of course!

After lunch we spent time looking at a few other pieces where something like a Modern Roman had been used.  We talked about the things people had done to modernise the hand and how they all differed from one another, and then people began to explore if they could create their own style of Modern Roman.  Thinking about the principles they wanted to apply - write on a slant, high cross-bars, low-crossbars, wide letters, compressed letters, different serifs, loops and twirls, exaggerated diagonals, strokes not joining the letter fully, letters dropping below the baseline and a myriad of other options.

We spoke about not choosing every option, and also having some consistency applied throughout the alphabet.  Some simply stunning alphabets appeared.

Greg's explorations and designs

I really think if people have created something they are comfortable with, where they like each letter and are familiar with its form and its rhythms, then they will use it  and they will enjoy writing with it.

The last little while we extended the modernising of Romans to Skeleton Romans with ligatures (serious calligraphy speak for mono-line letters and connections). We referenced some of Jo Miller's work and people worked on monograms, their own names and words, and also then tried to work within a square or a circle.  This work really showed that as soon as you try to join things up, you make the letters more lively, they dance and move away from a straight baseline.

I think I could have played with these for a lot longer!

Perhaps a tad too much to cram into a single day, but I always like folk to get a lot out of workshop. I was too busy to take shots of the afternoon sessions which is a shame...

A final big thank you to the GCSEQ Calligraphy Group - who made me feel so welcome and who always show such enthusiasm and willingness to explore and play. Go well.

Thursday Thoughts...

"In this there is no measuring with time, 
a year doesn’t matter, and ten years are nothing. Being an artist means: not numbering and counting, 
but ripening like a tree, 
which doesn’t force its sap, 
and stands confidently in the storms of spring, 
not afraid that afterward summer may not come. It does come. 
But it comes only to those who are patient, 
who are there as if eternity lay before them, 
so unconcernedly silent and vast. I learn it every day of my life, 
learn it with pain I am grateful for: 
patience is everything!" 

Letters to a young poet
 Rainer Maria Rilke Letter 3, Viareggio (near Pisa Italy) 
April 23 1903 (
Stephen Mitchell translation)

I think I am getting better at not being in a hurry. I was pretty bad in my twenties; for some unknown reason I thought I had to do it all before I turned 30. I've done heaps since then and enjoyed it. And to be perfectly honest I don't have much of anything on a bucket list now - I'm in no mad rush to see this or do that.

In terms of my art I think in some ways the quote means trying to have less angst about the future.  I understand better now how art things unfold, how they have their time and that rushing them isn't going to necessarily help make them better or make them great.

Rilke seems to say that patience is everything - that letting things take their time, trying to put things into the perspective of a lifetime is a good way of being, and possibly for him the only way his art of poetry and writing could unfold...

I really like the idea that having confidence in your work is like a tree withstanding storms, never fearing that the warmth of summer will follow.

Interesting words to read a century or so later when we are all consumed by instantism and immediate responses to things.  Perhaps we could all do with a little more patience; even tho being keen and decisive and action-oriented is also a good thing!

Once again I am taking part in Jennifer's search for Roy G. Biv (aka the rainbow...). This month we are up to green in case you couldn't guess. We saw this gorgeous summer greenery in the Japanese Gardens in Portland, Oregon, during a visit there back in 2010. Probably not the trees Rilke thought about or wrote about, but still they speak of patience.

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!

Open Studio preparations

There are only four more weekends until the month-long celebration of artists and their studios begins here in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

Most of us are getting our studios tidied and cleaned, making sure we have lots of interesting pieces around for people to look at and buy, and also working out what activities we'll be doing when people drop by.

For me that is one of the really fun parts of opening our studio - letting people in to watch what we do and how we do it. It's always fabulous to be able to hear an artist talk about their work, what it means to them and the like, but it is even better to watch somebody at play (or work) I think!

As part of the lead-up to the studios being opened, all the participating artists are contributing works to an exhibition at Main Street Gallery in Montville.  The exhibition is open from next Wednesday 15 August until 29 August.  The official champagne opening is on Friday 17 August from 4pm - 6pm. It is a really great opportunity to see work from each of the artists in one place.

I'll be sending along one of my favourites - Learning my Lines...