Thursday Thoughts...

"I have a real need to express elation at how interesting and beautiful things are and to see them arranged…I work with things I rather like and move them about until they recall the feeling of an actual moment in the landscape; then I’ve won". 

Rosalie Gascoigne

I do find Rosalie's words often reflect my way of thinking or an experience I have had.  With this one, it was the notion of arranging things I like until they recall a feeling.  Mine may not be so directly related to a moment in the landscape; but the arrangement of them does oftentimes re-create a sensational or feeling. And at that point, I know.

The other element I love about these words is the real need to express elation at how beautiful things are.  How uplifting is the word elation?!? What a glorious sentiment and emotion; what a fabulous feeling to express.

My elation at seeing how beautiful simple things can become when arranged is often a quiet heart-lift rather than an expressed trumpet of joy.  But I do love that quiet moment of recognising and responding to the beauty in their simplicity, and the tug on my heart as I gaze at them.

And so it is with my pegs of threads...

Apron update and a warning

The rescued aprons are done!

It has been so long since we have had any rain that it slipped my mind to move them inside until they were rather damp from an unexpected yet welcome shower.  I worried that the dampening may have made the ink run, but no, it held.

So I dried them off for another few days (a week all up probably), then cured them by ironing.

A few days later that pumpkin vine had grown into the typewriter a wee bit...

I decided to sew the tie on at this point in case of overwhelming fraying and that was a good decision.

Then into the washing machine and lo, they held again, and then a good iron and they are done!

They make me very happy.

 And now to the warning bit. Avert your eyes if snake skins concern you.

As I went out the door to exercises early one morning I looked across to the veggie patch and wondered what's that?  Without glasses, always a bit tricky, but I figured I knew the answer...

 Sure enough, on closer examination it turned out to be the BIGGEST shed python skin I have ever seen.  Rather pleased I have not met its former inhabitant.

Here it is in parts... the belly in comparison to a regular garden hose.

Right the way across...

And down...

Astonishing. We retrieved it and measured and it was 3.3m long. Impressive.

Perfection from the tip of its head to its tail - it was utterly intact and it must have just finished. Look at that jaw!

There's always something happening on the block - and this was pretty special. Pythons are relatively harmless to humans and do keep things like rats and mice at bay so we are happy enough to have one, as long as we don't run into it ourselves too often.

A real blast from the past.

As we continue with our annual clean up, sort, and divestment of stuff, we came across this blast from the past.

Way back in 2006, I quite my senior executive role and went to CIT in Canberra (a technical college) to do my one and only art qualification - a six month Certificate III in Design Fundamentals, just before we moved to our shed in Maleny.  It was a hoot of a time - I scrambled out of work to attend the Introductory briefing in my suit and high heels with my mobile going off; all of my classmates had just left school.

I had a fabulous time hanging out with 18 year olds and learnt so much.  I was introduced to printmaking, drawing, theory, ceramics and sculpture.  I was hungry and lapped it all up.

Our final project was a sculptural piece with a brief: take two things that have movement; and re-work them to create a new thing with movement.

I chose a domestic tool - an egg beater; and a writing tool - a typewriter.

I took as my theme the women codebreakers of the Second World War. How they had been plucked from domesticity and transported to important jobs and roles, and then after the War, basically told to go home and pop their aprons on again.

Of course, I had the help of Barry even then, and whilst I came up with all the ideas and movement, when I got stuck he could suggest how to attach something to something, how to make the thing come to life as I envisaged.

I gutted the typewriter and used it as a base for the work.  I removed the roller and made it stand vertically.  I took apart the egg beater and created the silhouette forms of two women.

One was the before and after woman - the woman in a 40s frock and with an apron.

The second one was the in-between woman - in a service uniform and jaunty cap.

The idea was that as you applied pressure to the return handle of the typewriter; the women would move between the two worlds.  Starting in the domestic sphere, moving to the important professional sphere then being returned to the domestic world again.

Hopefully the video LINK HERE shows it in action. Blogger doesn't let me upload videos that work anymore, so I have made a youtube video which hopefully you can link to.

The work has been in a cupboard since we moved here (13.5 years ago) but now seemed the right time to take it out and pop it along the sculpture paths below, nestled in the bush to be a nice reminder for me  when I wander there. 

And here, with Barry's help, is the video in the bush (I hope)! Again this is a youtube video and I have all my fingers crossed that the link works...

Thursday Thoughts...

“…we don’t just respond to fiction (as might be implied by the idea of reader response), or receive it (as might be implied by reception studies), or appreciate it (as in art appreciation), or seek its correct interpretation (as seems sometimes to be suggested by the New Critics). We create our own version of the piece of fiction, or own dream, our own enactment. 

 Keith Oatley

I have pondered quotes like this one before; and I seem to regularly respond to them in part because I still live with that utter amazement of how differently we all perceive a work of fiction.  So often I am caught by the way in which somebody whose reading tastes/habits I thought I knew well, will delight in and devour a book which I resent for taking taken my time and giving me nothing.

Or when I fall deeply for a book, and find that my emotional investment and response is not shared! How!?!!?

With this one in particular, I like that he suggests that despite notions of reader response, reception studies and art appreciation, we still, in our own minds and imaginations, create a marvellous panoramic, cinematic, evocative rendering of the lives and worlds contained within the covers of a book that is unique.

What this tells me about how we bring experience, education, understanding, empathy and all manner of things to bear as we attempt to understand events, is that we, and our brains, are amazing!

Different ways of reading...

Rescuing aprons

A long time ago I bought a couple of cheap calico aprons with the plan of printing on them sometime. Having done my tests and trials about printing on fabric, I thought the time was right to finally print.

So, paying attention to my new rules, I washed them first.  This proved disastrous and the entire binding fell apart and pulled holes in all sorts of places.

Did I mention they were cheap?

I put them aside sadly thinking oh well, but then decided there was an option to attempt a rescue mission.  I removed the binding and cut them in half, turning them into half aprons that would tie around the waist.  They had this great set of pockets on the front for pens and brushes and things so I was lucky that stayed intact and it definitely made them worth saving.

I set some large Italian type in the bed of a proofing press and did some proofs.

It felt like I spent so long proofing for just two aprons, but I wanted to give them the best chance.

It took a bit of fiddling to get the letters printing relatively evenly - every time I attempted an adaptation it shifted something else ink wise, so in the end I did a fair job and decided to print anyway. Life is too short, especially when I didn't even know if it would work!

In a way, I just love that the type has been used so much or hand hewn that it isn't perfect.  It tells a story and shows the hand made nature of it all.

Modifications first with some card, then later with some paper.

The new proofing press allows for variable pressure which is great, as Italian type is a different height to regular type.  Here I have a pre-loved piece of 300gsm paper to provide a tiny touch of pressure.  Heavier card made it impossible to roll through.

The calico apron went down and I was happy wth the pressure achieved when I saw this on lifting the  protection paper.

The reveal - photo courtesy of Barry. See the fab little pockets on the front?

And so to drying and curing.  Still hot and dry here so plenty of drying opportunities.  Once again outside the studio in the gravel seemed perfect.

Using gravel in the corners to keep them from being carried away if the wind blows.

It looks kinda cute with them, the rusting typewriter and the creeping pumpkin vine...

After they have dried, cured and been washed again, then the binding sewn back on as the waistband tape for tying I'll show you them gain. Fingers are crossed.

2020 cards

We were busy between Christmas and New Year with guests and family and friends; but managed to get down and print our New Year cards on New Year's Day.  Spending time in the studio felt good.

These wee cards always offer me a chance to test out an idea or try something I haven't done before and this year it was printing within a shape.  In amongst a bunch of letterpress and type bibs and bobs we bought a few months ago was this beautiful brass ring.  The outside edge is raised and will print, then the trick is to get type to fit inside it.

So that was the challenge which I really enjoyed. Different spacers and different size type to make it firm seems to be the trick.

I played around with how to do upside down or reversed lines of twenty twenty and did some proofs using carbon paper. As ever, yay for that discovery.

I chose the one I thought looked best and then selected the colour - Rubine by Australian company Fine Arts Ink.  What can I say, it looks delicious on the press!

And off we went, after quite a while setting up and sorting out the options the printing happened relatively quickly.  And in this heat of course, it dried pretty well too.

I daresay lots of optometrists will have advertising around 20-20 vision this year. So I quite liked he way this looked when I overprinted to get the registration right.  Afterwards I realised that in fact the oval shape of the brass ring almost looks like an eye as well. Spooky.

As I printed I realised that parts of the ring weren't printing properly and tried a few things like hand inking those spots, but when I headed in for a closer examination it was apparent that the ring was worn/damaged and nothing I did was ever going to get those bits to ink. So I accepted this evidence of a hard working life and kept on.

When you look closely the damage is there for all to see. Maybe just worn, but whatever the cause it is there and I hope adds character!

So the cards are getting written on and posted places as we speak; and will hopefully land in their new homes soon.

Thursday Thoughts...

"So, on this first day of 2020, I am saying 'Hopeful New Year' - hope for survival, for recovery, for rain, for leadership, for kindness, for change, for love, for our children's futures". 

 Dr Helen Edwards

I came across this quote on a friend's FB page and felt it was perfect for me, on 01 01 2020.

The devastating bushfires have meant that I have no party instinct, no celebratory notions and not a 'woo-hoo here we go' thought in my body.  I have no desire to see another firework go up and create more smoke in places where smoke is causing so much havoc.  I can barely envisage what a 'happy' year would like for so many who have lost so much.

It felt callous to even consider wishing folk a Happy New Year when we are all grieving the massive losses - of life, of homes, of cars, or wildlife of vegetation...the losses are beyond belief.

And yet somehow these words helped me find a way through.  A way to kindle and ignite hope where there feels like there is none; and to not pretend that happy is what we need; what we all really need is hope. And she says it so simply and so well.

So for all of us, I send wishes for a hopeful new year; one that can take us from our places of sadness to places where we can see what might be.  Where we are safe; where we are cared for and where folk are kind; where love shines and where beauty is bright.

That's the kind of 2020 I hope for.

Looking back...

We end this year in the toughest of times; and look to the next one for some relief, and some good moments for so many who are suffering these fires that keep our country burning.

Each year I use the time between Christmas and New year to ponder, reflect, celebrate achievements and plan. Part of that is looking back over the year and the work I have made and pulling together the ones that I love the most; or the ones that made me smile or meant something to me.

It may simply be that by the end of the year it feels like it was a  pretty patchy year (I probably say that every year) and that I am not sure that I achieved much at all; but then I start to wander through the works and realise there were some good things in there, so here we go, in no particular order as ever - just alphabetical.

My year in review:

1. Botanical Dyeing

Teaching and attending workshops brings you into contact with people with marvellous ideas and resources to share, and the story of a book that a student brought to class which then inspired me to have a go at botanical dyeing both here and in Scotland was a revelation - and I do so love the threads and their pegs!

2. Coasters

Planning ahead for a lengthy stay in the Scottish Highlands meant I was able to prepare some fabric and take some thread and sit and stitch some coasters for the cottage. I love that these are now part of our life over there...

3. Grief Cards

I have been so happy that folk 'get' the idea of my grief cards and purchase them and share them with others.  It has been a real joy to make these simply illustrated cards, with tender words and thoughts for when words are hard to find.

4. I would have loved a sunburnt country

This was special.  It grew from feeling helpless about our government's refugee policy of detention; and sorrow that so many find their incarceration unbearable and take their own life. But also, that our health and security systems fail them and they die unnecessarily.  The State Library of Queensland purchased it and understood that artists need to bear witness to atrocities, and as a society, we need to keep and protect what they say as part of the public record.

5. Justice

I was delighted to be asked to repeat this commission in a variable way.  The organisation does such grand work, and these words capture the experience of women who are victims of domestic abuse and how the service helps them, empowers them and encourages them.

6. Light and Love

Once more, in response to tragedy, I made these wee books.  After the Mosque attack in New Zealand that killed so many, Jacinda Ardern showed great leadership, compassions and courage and I used words from Martin Luther King to remind us how light overcomes darkness and that Love overcomes hate. I sent one of the books to Jacinda to say thank you.

7. Ode to Stones

In last year's review I hoped that I might be able to include these in this year's; and I just made it! They were problematic in a few ways, but really helped me focus on solving problems and resolving issues satisfactorily. I am pleased they are here this year!

8. Overwintering 5

These wee books feel precious in the hand. They work with poetic words and images and I love how I managed to pull a bunch of things together and make them work.

9. Pockets are Political

My obsession with pockets and the lack thereof in women's clothing persists; and I like this poster and the words that accompany it.  I have had lots of good responses to it from people who have read the words or heard them spoken - I am pretty sure all women get the need for more and better pockets!!!

10. Sometimes the Soul...

Once again I was honoured to work on theSophia Nugent-Siegal Prize, this time with the words of
MTC Cronin. My main contribution here was the original calligraphic rendering of the title followed by the hand stitching and numbering of the booklets.  I was happy with how the calligraphy worked out and also to be able to provide a hand-stitched option for the final book.

Looking back it was a  lovely year with some nice pieces that gave me and others joy.

Thanks for wandering down ye olde memory lane with me for a bit; but more importantly for stopping by through the year; for leaving thoughts or words in response to what I do and for generally just being a nice part of the interweb to spend time in.

Wishing you all good things, happier days, and a bright and safe new year where I hope we all find time for making, creating and sharing beauty.

Thursday Thoughts...

“I thought that outdoor sculpture was usually big and durable, but that seemed very dumb. Because its already very nice outside, with trees and fields, and I didn’t want to put something there and change it all. So I thought I’d make something which fell apart after a while – which would return to nature like dirt or paper”. 

Bruce Nauman

Being unfamiliar with Nauman and this work, I went away and googled and found he is a contemporary artist, with an eclectic approach and body of work.  The first things I saw were lots of neon and I thought to myself, well he must have done this ephemeral work a reasonable time ago, because he now seems to be very much about things NOT going away, but I digress.

It is more the idea behind his words that caught my eye/brain.

I quite liked his apparently simple approach - that the outdoors/nature is already pretty gorgeous and why would we choose to sully that with imposed sculptures?  And logically that leads you to ephemeral art which returns, goes back into the atmosphere or the earth and leaves barely a trace of its time there.

I must say I do love ephemeral art, and I am very fond of things being left to decay, disappear, decline, deteriorate and decompose.

Which is not to say I am not equally fond of wandering around outside and coming across sculptures and artwork that are permanent, and which utterly enhance and transform an otherwise unremarkable walk. It always give me joy to discover art along the way!

Whilst not ephemeral, this piece has rusted beautifully (shown here in 2010). These are the letters, cut out from the steel panel piece that sits above them. The words are seen each time the owner comes home, and I love the idea of the letters becoming subsumed by the forest floor...returning.

Peace on earth

As Christmas arrives and we turn towards family, friends, community, rituals, and gentle remembering, I wish for peace.

 Peace within, peace between us and peace between nations.

 To all my blogging friends who share so much and support each other so much, thank you for another year of magic.

 Wherever you may be, and however you may spend the time, may your Christmas be bright and beautiful, may you be safe, and may you find and celebrate moments of peace.