The beat goes on...

The rhythm of printmaking that is... I am finding it interesting to observe the rhythms and repetitions of the printmaking process; discovering ways in which to simplify and streamline things, to make myself more efficient as I go along.

I spent today playing and fiddling again. In typical fashion, even tho we have to produce 10 prints each I find myself busy making more than 10 just because I keep wanting to explore, and I expect I may regret that decision when the time comes to choose.

One of the ways in which I have managed to streamline things is that I spent many hours and even days  though the week re-working and re-arranging the studio. Our friend Jeff moved his stuff from the top floor of our shed, so we have now created a gallery space up there and it looks grand. Which leaves me with the downstairs for a work area, and may I say I am revelling in that!  Barry helped me build furniture (love a flat pack) and together we heaved and moved furniture upstairs, downstairs, across to the house, from the house to the studio...and we now both have new improved work areas.

Amazing how when you clean up and clear out you find the dedicated spaces for cutting your paper, soaking your paper, blotting your paper, inking up, wiping down, drying...without any bother at all.

I'll do a studio tour and show you the new layout soon.

We spent a lovely today together today printing - Barry did the most amazing etching editions; whilst I prepared more plates, and did some double colour lino cuts, and a test-run or two on peace.

Some new plates and the left-over ink from Barry's print run...

And some proofs as I played.

I have resolved my dilemma of whether to do colour or black and white for my silhouette flowers by deciding to do 5 of each!  So here are the back colours printed - yellow for daffodils, red for poppies and blue for cornflowers.

As you can see I have left pink sticky notes to myself on all the new storage to remind me  what I have put in there! Hopefully I'll get accustomed to all the new hiding places soon.

And the silhouettes printed onto colour...

And as I said, I road-tested peace...in Payne's grey. I am intrigued by how sombre this looks; and yet somehow it seems to suit things as well. Peace isn't all flowers in the hair and happiness is it? It can be hard-won.  No idea if I'll use this yet, but it will be there to choose form.

And on another note...the Maleny Celebration of Books is on next weekend and tomorrow I set up a display in the Library, along with some great local children's authors.  So in line with the notion of celebrating books - here's a party in a box waiting to head on over!

Thursday Thoughts...

“Books, for me, are a home. Books don’t make a home – they are one, in the sense that just as you do with a door, you open a book, and you go inside. Inside there is a different kind of time and a different kind of space. There is warmth there too – a hearth. I sit down with a book and I am warm. I know that from the chilly nights on the doorstep.” 

Jeanette Winterson, from “Why be Happy When You Can be Normal”

This book is a remarkable memoir and as ever, written with honesty and passion.  Gritty is a good word, and she isn't joking about those chilly nights on the doorstep when she was locked outside.

The title is also a direct quote from her mother - and it was an honest query, when normal and average and just like everybody else was how it should be - no standing out from the crowd, no being different or drawing attention to yourself. Luckily for us, this difficult childhood produced the great writer...

But back to books... I think kindred book spirits find this sense of home in books; a feeling of being home, of wherever you are being a good place to be if you have a book with you that settles the space into a friendly, caring  and nurturing place.

I am convinced in my own weird way that having books, holding a book, reading anything changes my biochemistry and drops my blood pressure and sets me on the road to relaxation. For me it one of the best stress-reducing therapies ever.

Of course, some books are disturbing or challenging and you don't relax; but generally speaking having a book by me sets a totally different scene for me.

Which brings me to home and what it feels like and looks like...

I was working in the office this afternoon and ducked back into the dining room to grab something and the light! The western sun was sinking and streaming onto the dining table, illuminating our flowers in all their glory and decay...

Printing, printing, printing

My head is all over the shop, but I am still managing to get some arty things done as well as the bibs and bobs that are called 'life'.  Last Thursday as part of our efforts to support each other and prepare for the Maleny Printmakers exhibition, Susan and I went to Steph's studio where we focused on lino cutting and printing.

It was quite challenging to see if we could get something happening; working out how thoughts and ideas translated into images, and then how those images could be expressed through lino.

There were moments of success and moments of "darn, after all that effort..."

Still it was great as ever to sit and work together, chat, ask each other questions as we went along and keep an eye on what each other was doing and how.

It confirmed for me that printmaking can be sociable! I'm not sure there is any way I could sit doing calligraphy and chat in the same way that we do as we print.

So I wanted to try some poppies. they are almost my favourite flower and they are blooming at the moment in our garden. I love bringing them inside and smiling at them as they do their wiggly stem dance up from the vase.

One of the best learnings for me from the day was - rub your lino cut with a graphite pencil to see where you might still need to chop and cut! So simple and so brilliant!  Maybe everybody already knew this but as a novice/faux printmaker I didn't and I am most chuffed that I now know. And in the end I loved the rubbings tremendously - totally fell in love with them.

So next, a proof print (may I say, I do sooooo many proof prints!) giving me the odd clue about where I might need to go back into the lino and chop some more.

One of my ideas for the poppies was that I wanted to print the silhouette onto a red square or background of some sort.  So I inked up some red ink and a square to see how that would go...a bit rough in places but enough to give me a sense of the the thing.

And the poppies over-printed onto the red.

The question now is - poppies on red or just poppies on white? I have cornflowers and daffodils to do as well...

A Letter a Week opens!

Saturday was a great day at Cooroy Butter Factory - quite a lot of folk gathered to celebrate the opening of A Letter a Week - Artistic Travels Through the Alphabet.

The exhibition has been a while in the making and our house looked very much like a Post Office over the past few months with parcels arriving and piling up. We delivered them all to Cooroy on Tuesday, and it wasn't until I walked through the door on Saturday morning and saw the exhibition in place for the first time that I really realised that we'd done it!

It was quite surreal in a way, to have lots of friends around smiling and happy to see their work together with artists from interstate and overseas. Best of all I think was seeing the works in the flesh - we have all watched their development on the blogs over the course of the past three years; but to actually see them and in some instances hold them, is an experience beyond belief.

Here area a few of the ALaW artists still there at the end - we missed Helen Irving in the shot which was sad. Elaine on the far right had travelled from Sydney with her husband Nick just to see it! L to R: Barry, Jo,Kim, moi, Christine and Elaine

Many of the works are hung; and many are displayed on plinths and a selection is available for handling and holding with gloves.  It was amazing to observe how intently people engaged with the books they could hold; how much they marvelled and how much they turned to others (often strangers) and spoke about how beautiful they were.  I was thrilled that so many people said they wanted to come back and that it would take them hours to fully explore the works.

That gives me hope for my Artist Talk on Friday 25th October.  I will be talking about the project, what I love about it and as many of the pieces as I can. I feel like the works are part of my family in a way and love to share and promote them!

If you are nearby it really is a beautiful exhibition for lovers of letters; but I think most folk will find something to enjoy. I have tried to grab a shot (not a professional one at all) of each of the overseas and interstate artist's work - at least one piece - so that they know they are here!  I think in the mad rush of it all I didn't get them all, but I will on later visits! I will be sending all the individual artists proper photos later on and also hope to make a Blurb book catalogue in the new year...fingers crossed.

I must thank all the artists for the patience and forbearance as I continued to email them and ask multiple questions and request extra information; but the end result has really been worth it. Patricia Stahl from Maleny Library also spoke beautifully about community, books, words, letters and collaboration which captured the essence of the blog and all it does.

Sue from South Africa

Laurence from France (and a snippet of Lyndell)

Linda from Sydney

 Lisa from Italy

 Lyndell from Canberra

Annik from France

Gemma from Tasmania

Julie and Anna from the US

Barry's Birds in Flight and Ken who is in France

 Marie-Helen's from France

Jeanette from Armidale and Jenny from Sydney - you are hanging on the left...

Valerie from Sydney

Terrie from the US

Deb from Adelaide

Eithna from Ireland, Meg from Sydney, and Jane from the US your work is here I promise!

And local artists - Susan, Noela, Mieke, Christine, Kim, Jo, Barry, Helen (and Eileen you're an honorary local today), you have seen or will see your work there at some point! And I know I saw mine somewhere...

Thursday Thoughts...

“The long silences need to be loved, perhaps more than the words which arrive to describe them in time.” 

Franz Wright

Silence can take so many forms can't it? The silence as you sit by yourself; the awkward silence; the silence at the end of the phone when you have to share bad news...but I do think the good silences are the special ones. The silence of companionship; the silence of your own world simply taking place without the rest of the world interrupting.

I like the silence of early mornings - altho of course they are also accompanied by bird chatter and calls; but they are still and silent to my ear.  As a student, I liked the city silence after lights were out, trains and buses had stopped running and most had gone to bed and you could wander along the harbour and it was quiet...

Spending time with silence can be hard; but I think it is good if you can learn to spend some time there each day; a few minutes or a few moments, and to be mindful of them.  Silence helps me centre myself, and to listen to the quiet inner voice that guides me. So hard to do when there is chatter, noise and distraction.

The eloquence of silence.

Celebration of Books 2013

It's almost that time of the year again when our town turns it's love of books, reading and writing into a fabulous weekend of activities as we celebrate books! Maleny Celebration of Books runs from
24-28 October this year - you can see the full programme here and there will be a variety of different things to do.

On Friday we have some great storytelling workshops with children; and later in the day our young and emerging writers from the High School present their creative works. It was great last year to hear them read their own work - or have friends do it for the shy ones. There is also a haiku workshop that I am hoping to attend...

Saturday begins with a burst of fun decorating the Book Swap Tree at the top of town - adults come along and drop off a book; or swap a book; then down to the Library park where we do a Book Swap Bush for children; have a Treasure Hunt based on clues found in books; and where I will do another book-making workshop with children. Barry has once again been enlisted as my helper...

Some of last year's books...I have a different book in mind to make this time - but still lots of colour!

Meanwhile about 30 local authors are gathered in the Community centre with an antiquarian book display as well; and then there's the Big Book Club. This year the book is The Dinner, by Herman Koch which is aptly described as 'riveting, compelling and deliciously uncomfortable' by Christos Tsiolkas, author of The Slap and other books (who is also visiting on the Monday night!!). Small groups meet and chat and then we are having a big get-together, facilitated by an ethicist to discuss the book - it's that kind of book.

There are films based on books - a children's film and a night-time adult film; and a performance based on Queensland writer's and their characters. Throughout the day, local shops are creating spaces within them for children to sit and read - and be read to which will be great.

On Sunday we finish with a fabulous forum about how non-fiction writers make facts interesting...with some wonderful panellists. I really enjoyed the discussion last year and am sure this year will be equally engaging.

I am also preparing some work for the wall in the Library, and local children's authors are doing a display of their books in development - behind the covers I think it's the called.

All in all a great, community-based and run weekend where we all get to celebrate books!

And today, another milestone...we delivered the works to the Butter Factory in Cooroy for the A Letter a Week exhibition which opens this week!  The official opening is at 10am this Saturday, 12 October.

The car was full to its brim, but they all made it safely - phew. I can hardly wait to see the works, all on together and displayed beautifully. Stay tuned!

Printmaking with friends

Through the week, Susan, Steph, Barry and I got together at our place to practice the copper sulphate etching on aluminium plates that we had tested out back in July. All of us are members of Maleny Printmakers and all of us are feeling under the pump with regard to preparing the plates and prints necessary to make it to the exhibition in November!

Making art is often a solitary process; yet I have really found that printmaking is one form that lends itself to being with others as you go along.

Certainly for me, having the others around inspired me, challenged me and encouraged me. We talk about things, chat about life, ask questions about what each other is doing and what we are trying to achieve and look over each other's shoulders as we etch or print, picking up nuggets of gold for next time...

I felt so good at the end of the day - I had reinforced some things about the printing process; had pushed myself into places I didn't originally think I would go - or at least places I had only ever dreamed about going - and had probably three plates I could really work with. Contented sigh.

This is the first proof I made - I have gone on to print ten of these - it is called Secrets

©2013 Fiona Dempster - Secrets, etching proof and plate

Another one that has gone on to be printed x 10 - called Temple Posts

©2013 Fiona Dempster - Temple Posts, etching plate and proof

I was really happy with this simple peace symbol. On the back of the plate I have the reverse - with a light symbol coming out of a dark background, very happy! I just keep seeing rainbow colours with this one and haven't yet managed to print any - but they are in my mind's eye!

©2013 Fiona Dempster - Peace etching plate and proof

And then the cleaned up plates - artworks in their own right...

©2013 Fiona Dempster Temple Posts etching plates

©2013 Fiona Dempster Secrets etching plate

A bundle of proofs - proof of a good day in the studio I say!

Thursday Thoughts...

“The British psychoanalyst D. W. Winnicott believed artists were people driven by the tension between the desire to communicate and the desire to hide.” 

Mary Ruefle, “On Fear”

I think that this probably originated many years ago, well before the world discovered the inter web and social media and a multiplicity of communication type options.

I often think that life as an artist is a dichotomy - and this is one example of that. The tension between wishing to communicate and wishing to be hidden. Of wanting to be alone to create; and yet to share your work with the world. Of having something to say, yet not wanting to have to stand up in front of people and tell them or show them yourself.

I don't know too many artists who don't feel stressed or worried about having to do the opening of their show; who don't fear putting their work out there for the world to view and consider and having to be present whist it is considered. Sometimes I think we are tentative, and maybe sometimes keen, to put the work up for consideration (or acclaim!) but would rather be anywhere else in the world but in the spotlight when the show begins.

Which brings me to blogging and why I think it's a great platform for artists to use. I think it helps us work through this dilemma. Blogging still somehow allows us to be the quiet, introverted folk we are, who like our own company and solitude; yet at the same time it  allows us to share our work, our thoughts, and our works in progress with potentially the world, without having to front up. We can sit and type by ourselves, and yet feel connected to people all over the place.

Somehow it also seems to filter the world so that often times the right folk end up at your place; or you find the right folk at their place, which just couldn't have happened in any other time or place except this one.

It allows us to communicate whilst we hide. Perfect!

A wee piece I bought from Patti- another artist I found through blogging; hiding but communicating on the web...

Eco-Editions in Portland OR

In amongst the busy-ness of life, I was hoping to get a wee book made to enter into the Eco-Edition exhibition being hosted by 23 Sandy Gallery in Portland, Oregon from 15 November to 28 December 2013.

It is a juried exhibition so I was really into hope - hoping to get one done in time to enter; and hoping that it might get selected.

I got the good news last week that my wee book "We have bee-n warned" was selected to be shown with 39 other books.

I based it on a quote by Albert Einstein

"If the bee disappeared off the face of the earth, man would only have 4 years left to live".

As a short descriptor I wrote:

"I worry about bees. Bees are critical to our food chain and their role in harvesting pollen from blossoms is at risk in different parts of the world. Albert Einstein’s wise words act as a reminder to us and this book presents his warning with the warmth of beeswax, and the chill of a ransom note".

I have made an edition of 15. The covers are individually dipped in beeswax and the scent is divine. I keep walking past them, picking them up and inhaling the wonderful honey smell.

I am really happy with the translucency of the cover and the way the words appear to hang in mid air.

I rummaged through my collection of wood type and have hand-stamped or hand-printed every page of every book. You have to do that when you don't have access to a letter press...

Albert Einstein's name is hand written in each book as well.

 Detail of one page.

I think the ransom note idea also adds a sense of urgency to the book. We need bees to survive and we need to protect them!