Preparing to etch

Barry and I have been working towards a "big etch day". Barry had built an etching bath that could accommodate large sheets of aluminium (80cm x60cm). He had salvaged some aluminium sheets and cut them to size for three standing aluminium books we planned to make for the Compassion exhibition. We had decided on words and imagery, and then it was over to me to bring them onto the 'pages'.

And then, we could make up the big bath and etch them.

So here they are standing ready for me to begin work on them.

I had to work out how much of the 'page' would be seen, and thus how large the writing could be. Would the words be the same size? or some larger/smaller? Where would I position the words? How would the position relate to the cover imagery?

I started drafting using two lead pencils taped to gather.  I always like how this approach shows you the building blocks of the letter - where the lines really go.

You can see a hint of the cover image on the reverse of this page.

At first I outlined the words in a thick pen; planning to rub and trace them onto the metal.  

Then in a light bulb moment I wondered if they would transfer using carbon paper? So much quicker, cleaner and easier than having to create a tracing.

And they did!

I had originally planned to use shellac as a block out; but remembered Barry had successfully used these paint pens before and wanted to see if I could maintain accurate lettering with the pens, and I was pretty pleased. It somehow feels far more natural for me to use a pen than a brush.

And of course, once you have an etching bath going you really want to etch everything in sight, so I created a few small, fun plates as well.

We also needed to etch a reference plate for a piece of work Barry had done a year and a bit ago, so I wrote out the details and we etched that as well.

It worked out well, as did my wee fun plates!

We have been cleaning and preparing the bookplates and they are edging closer to being 'bound'.  I really love some of the detail on them.

Thursday Thoughts...

“There are two things I wanted to do. I wanted to show the things that had to be corrected. I wanted to show the things that had to be appreciated”. 

Lewis Hine

I liked this quote because it felt to me like somebody (Mr Hine) had sat down and had a think bout what he was trying to achieve with his art, and then summarised it succinctly.

In fact he was clearly very thoughtful about the direction and impact of his work as a photographer and used his skills and his profile to document and promote child labourers in the early 20th Century in America.

I think I also responded because in a small way,  I felt my work is a little about these two things as well.  I want to draw attention to things that need to change and I want to celebrate the beauty and wonderfulness of some things.

In particular I like the balance in his thinking - he sought to point out things that were in need of correction; but didn't simply whinge or moan or depress everybody with  the awfulness of it all. His counterpoint was to balance these issues with things that should be appreciated, that raised our spirits and showed us good things.

I like this notion of balance and will no doubt ponder how to develop a proper sense of it in my own work.

Celebrating the lives of little birds and their amazing nests...

A bit of this and that

Autumn is arriving and after wet and misty times, the sun is back and the blue sky is big.

Dawn on Monday morning from our back deck.

It was a really a busy weekend here on the mountain as our Celebration of Books team hosted live streaming events from the Sydney Writers Festival.

We are really happy that our small town is one of only about 40 places in the entire country who get to stream sessions from this major literary festival.

We began with Leigh Sales on Any Ordinary Day.

Followed up with Ben Quilty and his book HOME - drawing by Syrian refugee children.

I texted in a question and they asked it!!

Sunday saw Annabel Crabb talking to Nikki Sava, Samantha Maiden, and Sharri Markson about politics and journalism - fascinating stuff!!!

You really felt as if you were there.

And when we got home one morning, the sun was shining through the rear brake light of our car and illuminated this leaf - amazing.

 A mixed weekend of technology, books and nature.

Pockets

As many of you know I have begun to focus (some may say obsess) on pockets and their availability and accessibility within women's clothes.

I have been reading about fashion history, how pockets have evolved and why as women we find it so hard in the 21st century to purchase clothes with reasonable and decent pockets.

For me, pockets have become a feminist issue; and a site of gender politics.

For too long, women's clothing has been viewed as decorative, not participative. It is made to be looked at; but not to be used. It is for women to admired within, not for women to be able or active.
It's about form, not function.

Pockets are the perfect metaphor for privilege - taken for granted by those who have them.

Women sometimes get no pockets. Or women get non pockets - sewn up pockets. Is there anything more frustrating than realising too late that your pockets are sewn closed, bound shut and their potential for functionality made frivolous and simply decorative again?!?!?!

When we do get pockets they are smaller and narrower than the equivalent pockets in men's clothing and they are inadequate and non functional. Large smart phones do not fit in the pockets designed for women.

I'll stop there but a full essay is blooming in my mind!

And so to making art.

I recently prepared and printed a bunch of small posters (40cm high x 30cm wide).

Printed and incorporating the feminist/suffragette colours of purple green and white, I loved the strength of the purple here!

Once printed, I traced designs for three pockets below the printing.

And went and threaded up my faithful sewing machine and got stitchin'.

From behind.

In the end, there was an edition of 10 plus 3 artists proofs.

It was pretty funny - I had to work out a stitching template to remember where to start each line of stitching, as it was quite the job to roll the paper up gently enough to get through the space between the needle and the body of the sewing machine without damaging it.

I will be entering the work in a show so I used my own mark rather than decklededgepress'.

I tied all the back threads off, but left the front threads dangling a bit - a touch subversive and unruly.

And here is the finished poster.

You can find the posters for sale here - $50.00 each with FREE postage anywhere in the world.

Thursday Thoughts...

“The existence of the text is a silent existence, silent until the moment in which a reader reads it. Only when the able eye makes contact with the marking on the tablet does the text come to active life. All writing depends on the generosity of the reader “. 

Alberto Manguel

One of the things I loved about this quote was how it made me think reading, such a solitary pursuit, was perhaps a social one or one at least that requires two participants.  The sense of group or gathering came for me by thinking about all of the folk who have read the book I am reading all over the world at different times.

I guess like some enormous virtual Book Group.

My mind's eye image of it was like one of those photographs at night from space looking down and seeing the lights come on over the world popping on, then off...and they symbolised the book being read, put down, opened again, finished, returned or passed on.

I also love how it describes the realisation of the work being given by the reader. How the wholeness of the book is made by virtue of the reader/s engaging with it. Without readers what is writing?

Of course writing without readers is what most of us do all the time - but from a book and literary perspective - the reader completes it.

I didn't have a picture from space, but this is looking up at some street lights in Stanthorpe in March!

Fragments of a whole plus talking!

Barry and I printed some posters for a conference a while backs and had a lot of fun continuing to print on all sorts of paper after the major print run was concluded.

In preparation for the Compassion exhibition in June, we decided to see if we could create an artists' book using these various papers, that would overlap and overlay the message.

Here are some images from within the book - such delightful layering!

A few more tweaks are needed - trim a bit here; trim a bit there, and then the book can be shown in all of its glory so to speak.

I promised to try and find a way to load the videos Barry took at the In Conversation session at the University of the Sunshine Coast on the weekend, and link to them.

After much faffing around I have come up with a link to Dropbox, where you can find a couple of short videos.

One talks about the book wall at our place; two talk about the work in the exhibition Learning My Lines and the other three about how my art responds to social issues.

He did an amazing job and, if you pop over, I hope you enjoy.

Please find them here...

Preparations and the block

We have made it through a week constant grey. Of intermittent downpours, persistent rain, mist and drizzle.  It was a soaking time and everything everywhere felt saturated and damp. The sort of rain at times where you have to turn the volume of the tv up to maximum as you can't hear a thing above the rain on the roof.

So it was a delight to have the sun appear on Thursday for a bit, and stream at our front door.

Around the block wee toadstools and fungi abounded - all sorts and everywhere.  These tiny wee ones were on a post outside the studio. They are so fleeting - there in the morning and gone by afternoon.

The first time we saw the colours of sunset in ages - a pink haze above Mt Beerwah, whilst the clouds seemed to have had sunken into the valley.

The garden is however loving the moisture and things are glowing green and growing.  From the back deck you can see all the bridges and paths across the rock river now. And a few of the sculptures.

And despite having that enormous valley view; we are only responsible for up to the fenceline! The camellias are blooming and creating their petal carpet along the terraces.

However back in the studio I spent time on new works that are coming along, but also doing preparation for teaching in June In Toowoomba.

I am teaching two course; one of which is Black Beauty which I have taught before.  One of my favourite things about the sampler book we make is that it doesn't wast much paper - only a few trimmings here and there.  So my notes were all based around how to get the best out of a piece of Canson Mi-Teintes.  Which used to be 75cm x 55cm but is now made at 65cm x50cm!

So it was back to the drawing book on the instructions.

I also came across a slightly cheaper black paper and thought I'd try it as well - it being 63.5cm x 51cm so I did someone instructions for it as well.

I am not a fan of people putting stickers on their paper.  They can be hard to get off, and often leave a residue of gum. Luckily in this instance I could make the sticker part of the trimmings.

In preparation I also tested how the new paper would respond to various media.

And was able to use the scrap as a practice sheet for comparison.

I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the watercolour pigment with his paper - perhaps it sits on top more rather than soaks in.

And I added to one of my sample books.  I always include a notes page at the back cover - for keeping key info in the one spot.  However this time I was able to add in a new medium I had recently purchased, the Pilot Color Eno mechanical pencils (thanks to Gemma!)

And on Saturday I gave my talk at the University Gallery.  This is the before shot!  It was nice to have my piece close by and we spoke.  Barry took some great mini videos so if I can work out how to get them visible to the world somehow I shall share them soon.

  

Thursday Thoughts...

"If you want peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies". 

Desmond Tutu

Today in Australia is ANZAC Day, where we stop and remember war, and loss. Where we sometimes mythologies those young men who signed up, crossed the world to be a part of something, who died in foreign fields, and who left behind grieving families and friends for whom life never returned to normal.

It is always a tough day. How do we remember without glorifying? How do we pay respects and acknowledge the huge losses and damage, without appearing to promote war as something to celebrate?

This quote however goes to modern and contemporary times I think.  It suggests to us that we can't simply achieve peace if we only talk amongst ourselves. If we only ever converse and acknowledge those who think the same as us; how will we ever build empathy, understanding or bridges? If we only gather information to ourselves that reflects our own views, what hope compassion?

I think it asks us to consider the other. Consider attempting to understand the other, and to find some small corner of common ground from where we can begin.

And I think this is hard.  When the world turns so ugly at times we cannot bear to spend time with those who think so vastly differently to us. We turn off the television, we screen comments or commentators; we choose not to share difficult conversations with those we think will ridicule us or become aggressive.

And yet in small ways I think we must try. In safe settings or with escape plans we need to say some things, we need to let others know there is another way, another view, And of course, we need to listen and work out if there is something, anything in what is said by others.  It's hard, and I probably need to do it more, but I can't sit quietly working and hoping for peace by myself.

But I reckon I need to pick my battles well.

A peace dove in a concrete pathway at Walcha.