When I've left it so long between posts, it becomes more and more difficult to do so.... Will I start with all my excuses...? Not, this time. So, I'll just wish all my bloggy friends a happy, productive and fulfilling 2013.
Haven't made much progress on work to show you, although I have seen a few exhibitions about which I could have written. I enjoyed
Elizabeth Banfield's solo exhibition at red gallery, and actually bought a print. Very happy to have it! Her work is very beautiful.
Also enjoyed
BAZE at Handheld Gallery which has work by a number of you. The gallery reopens next Wednesday, so you could pop in if you are in Melbourne, and catch the end of this - a fabulous exhibition of zines and artist's books.
I should also mention the highlight of my recent exhibition viewing experiences. I'm not sure whether I've mentioned before that I work in Visitor Services at Heide Museum of Modern Art. I am
so loving soaking up the fabulous Louise Bourgeois exhibitions - Late Works and Louise Bourgeois and Australian Artists - lots of fabric sculptures, fabric drawings, works on paper and the huge spider. Perhaps because I'm a printmaker and artist who loves working with text, my favourite work is a suite of prints called
What is the shape of this problem? - nine diptychs, letterpress text panels paired with abstract lithographs, intense doodling/patterning (like I do when I'm on the phone). 'The telephone call from the slammer' is the panel that still makes me wobbly just to think about. The first time I stood in front of the work I got very wobbly indeed! It's intensely emotive, for me, and quite beautiful. Text fragments from 'The papillion, the ray of hope' and 'To unravel a torment you must begin somewhere' to 'The hour is devoted to revenge'...all very powerful and moving. The exhibitions are highly recommended!
And just so as this post is not all text here are a couple of proofs of prints for my
BAO book, which is
very much a work in progress. I am making a book titled
A girl waiting. These are places that a girl might be waiting.... A tram stop in High Street, Northcote,
the waiting room at Tamworth Station.
 |
| And outside Westgarth cinema, Northcote. |
The girl and her reasons for waiting are to come.
I've had a couple of days off this week and so I've been able to make a start on an artist's book for the Linden postcard show. It's to be called Counting Crows...or Magpies, and is based on the counting rhyme...One for sorrow, two for joy. There are a number of variations... still have to decide which I'm going with. These are gelatin prints I've been making as a first layer. Hand-cut stamps of birds and text, as well as collaged elements to come. Here is a positive and the negative print of the same stencils.
I lined the scone-tray with clingwrap so that the gelatin would be easy to remove and love the printed effect of the wrinkled surface. 
Layering is always an experiment. Never really know whether it will work or ruin what you already have!