Exhibition deadline reached 😊

Raven World (Collage)

Another month has passed by. My deadline for works and amin for an exhibition reached. It is installed next week in the Hallway Gallery Wodonga Hyphen Library Gallery. A big thankyou to the panel and curatorial team for considering my application and taking on my idea of works reflecting the concept of Multiverse - somethings that’s not observable beyond our immediate world. 

My bio for the exhibition explains a bit more. 

Donna Caffrey is a local artist whose practice involves collage using paper, textiles and found images. The tactile, playful act of tearing, cutting and placement of papers underpins Donna’s love and connection to collage.

In this new body of work, Donna plays with the ideas of portals and the Multiverse, where all possibilities and probabilities become events somewhere. In this new series, Donna explores themes of portals and the Multiverse, envisioning a space where all possibilities and probabilities are events in different realms. Her work examines concepts of space, horizon, and distance, capturing moments often with humour and the idea of layered realities. 

...

PORTAL: A doorway, gate, or other entrance 

MULTIVERSE: A term that scientists use to describe the idea that beyond the observable universe, other universes may exist as well.

Hyphen is having a bit of a shin dig on 18 October 2024  from 6.00 pm at the ART BAR.  Not in the listing yet but you get the idea.  Hope to see some of you there.

MIA and back again

It pops in my calendar – every month – BLOG POST. I’m finally taking action and writing something. But I'm giving myself a bit of leeway. When I look back realise life has been full. I have been sort of busy each month. January took me to Sydney to see exhibitions and catch Covid. February was spent recovering.

I was away in March, exhausted in April, ran a collage workshop in May and have been madly cutting and pasting to get ahead for an exhibition commencing September at the Wodonga Hyphen Library Gallery. I am about to draw a line in the sand for the exhibition, I have more works than needed and they will be selected next week. Working on two more pieces and that’s it.

I have been tinkering with textiles and finally found my mojo in that regard. I wonder whether it’s the cooler weather. I had the oportnunity to share some design exercise workshops with other textile groupies. The top photo above is a collage using real leaves and adding stitch. This came out of the collage workshop in May and was inspired by the participants. The other is a stitch play on the word 'stitch'. I’ve picked a couple of unfinished pieces and changed my mind about what I want to do with them – especially all those small black and white hexagons. Perhaps next month I’ll have photo to post showing what I’ve actually done.

So what’s next? The Mayday Hills Artists Society has invited me to speak to them next week and I’m looking forward to sharing what I do. Grateful they think I’m of interest. I’m working on couple of collages and a textile piece for upcoming group exhibitions at Gateway Gallery. And, I get to share my love of collage and will be facilitating some collage events at Gateway in September. Keep creating. Donna

Project planning, exhibiting and art

April has flown by. It has been a busy month but not a lot to show for it in terms of artwork. I framed some works for the Albury Wodonga Branch of the Embroiderers Guild Victoria (including West Wind -shown above) and help set up the creative stitch and play group table. It was a wonderful event that showcsae a multitude of embroidered textiles. And I am facilitating a collage workshop at GIGS ARtists Studios in a fortnightr

My focus this coming month is to complete some small collaged and stitched booklets for an exhibition with RE-Create Collective. There has been a lot of behind the scenes work and we have an exhibition coming up and it will be on show in two venues. I am very happy to be able to tell you all that POLES APART will be opening in Creators Artspace Gallery on Gateway Island in Albury Wodonga on 5 July 2023 and then be travel to HR Gallop Gallery, Charles Sturt University Campus, Wagga Wagga in August. It features work done by Jnnie Munday and myself in residencies in October last year and the Collective and invited artists' responses to our blog. My works respond to the sandstone walls that surrounded me in Oatlands Tasmania where I undertook my residency. More details about the exhibition in my next post.

I’ve also been looking to the future and done a heap of brainstorming for both continuing and new projects. It’s very satisfying to get the thoughts out of my head and into some semblance of order on a piece of butcher’s paper. (You know, those large sheets of white paper used to wrap (or once were) product in). The beauty of butcher’s paper is that its cheap. I can scribble, jot, mind map or list to my heart’s content and feel that nothing is fixed: ideas can still move,be fluid and grow according to what is happening in my life. This coming month is full. I’m running a collage workshop in a fortnight, need to be in Sydney for a couple of days, and have my usual meetups with art and craft friends and groups. And of course, working on those booklets.

Musings at the end of the month

Resting on the Rocky Shore  -  collage.
I don't much like cutting up artbooks but I had one on Titian's works which was water damaged

Well February has flown past! 

A lot of life admin done and not a lot of artwork. I posted a couple of collages on Instagram and have delivered some completed works for a joint members exhibition at GIGS Art Gallery, Wodonga. It will be an interesting exhibition with a prominent colour theme of orange responding to Harmony Day. 

Hive/Hover - mixed media collage.

 I set myself the task of responding to some calls for entry/expressions of interest. They take quite a bit of work (especially when you don’t save the online form after making entries) but well worth the effort as some deep thinking is required to respond to the questions. What did I learn? I work in response to the medium and elements about me. I need to be a little more thoughtful about the work and ask does it relate to some issue that I’m trying to give voice to, why I did it, and what pleases me about it. Or not. 

... and a frog jumped onto the page. 
Collage using papers woven seeking design inspiration for an earlier project.   Waste not ,,. 

I also started stitching again after a few months away from this practice. I realised that I was not achieving what I wanted as I hadn’t thought it through properly. And, I had veered away from the work and achievements I had made in my residency at Oatlands. I am revisiting rocks and stones with new works in textiles in mind for POLES APART, a joint exhibition at Creators Artspace in July 5 – 22, 2023. 

And exciting news, I had a collage work accepted for inclusion in an issue of Sonic Boom. It is a virtual magazine featuring prose and visual arts.   I will share more when the magazine is published.

Procastination, paying attention to intention and a bit of collage

Greeting card .... collage ... fish and chips?

 

January has been a bit of an odd month I’ve been regrouping and trying to focus on a couple of calls for entry.  And procrastination seems to have come into play.

I have at least managed to start working on some mixed media and paper collages – small items such as cards and A4 works for framing.  And I have come up with a potential series.   But, I haven’t progressed on the works for the call for entries ☹.   .   Time to reset intentions and pay attention to them!

Greeting Card - collage - Blue budgie and blossom

I propose to work harder on giving attention to my intentions and diarise studio days so that work gets done.   Everything returns to normal after the January break and I know I work better to timelines.

Small play collage -  Conversation with myself

 

So now to work...its the first day of February.  A precious day that will never come again.  I will take full advatage of this opportunity.

Story Telling through Collage

I had a fabulous day last Sunday.  I was invited to run a collage workshop at the Write Around the Murray Festival.   At the end of the day, I posted of FaceBook:

A fabulous day. A fabulous workshop. Fabulous people. Says it all.     Had a ball faciltating a collage workshop as part of the Write Around  the Murray festival.       

My fabulous workshop participants made it work. I thank them all for their enthusiasm, laughter and sharing with me and fellow participants.                                                                                                                                                                                                   I have been given permission to share their work and here are a couple of photos.  Every one was so engaged to the last minute I forgot to get a group shot and photos of all the works made.   (Please seek permission before resharing these images).

 

Here is what we had up on the white board - a tad neater and clearer than it was on the day

STORY TELLING WITH CREATIVE COLLAGE

Collage – torn and or/ cut paper and glue                         Paper – heavy enough to hold collage

Photo montage – magazine images& photos                    Cardboard                                           

Assemblage – above/orand found objects                         Timber                                                

Mixed media collage –  “the kitchen sink”                        What else ?  Natural substrates         

Booklets, postcards, concertina, scroll, min, maxi            Archival – acid fee                            

                                                                                            Found papers not archival               

 

How will you tell your story:                                             GLUES:                                              

-          Realist                                                          -  Glue Stick                                      

-          Surreal                                                          -  PVA (White Glue)                         

-          Cubist                                                           -  Aleene’s Tacky Glue (if heavy)    

-          Abstract                                                         -  Paper Cement - bookmakers glue

-          Fantasy                                                           -  Gel medium - glue and glaze     

-          Geometric                                                                                                             

-          What other style or format can you think of ?                                                      

What is your story?                 How do you want to tell it?             Be inspired by the image

TRUST THE PROCESS

Much metta  

Donna

Collage work on display - Public Art

I am thrilled to have had some work accepted as part of the public art program run by City of Wodonga.

Three collages from my series lost in time and space have been blown up and placed in light boxes an entrance to The Cube theatre.   Absolutely chuffed :-)

Here is a link here to the online article  and pics of my wok

Resolutions, my word of the year and whats happening in 2020

Celestial spheres - Once on earth

Inspired by Linda Matthews  I didn’t go through the process of making New Year resolutions but, rather, chose a word to try and use as a pivot for my art practice.  Last year it was process.

This year I am struggling to choose a word. I keep returning to  process .   I mind mapped and came up with a selection of words which are, in reality, synonyms of process.

growth   advance  

action  trial  movement   

routine evolution development

I'm thinking I might put them all on the wall!

  

Toward the end of 2019 I made some decisions about  what I wanted to do more textile work.  I also want to continue to make dolls both traditional (cloth style and art dolls) and  to explore assemblage. I am drawn to and  fascinated by faces and wish to include them in my work.  Factor into this is the desire to be part of the creative community at large, to enter calls for entries and exhibit.

Celestial spheres  - Orbiting in the galaxy WIP

I am mindful that focusing on one medium/technique/style leads to some of the outcomes above.  But I get bored doing just one thing and need to work to several outcomes.  I will try to be a little more controlled this year but suspect I am failing already.    The reality is that I do the work for myself.  I hope someone will like it and buy it but I haven’t really gone down that rabbit hole.  (My etsy shop has been under development a couple of years now. )

However, I have a couple of exciting events happening.   I have been accepted as a stall holder and to run drop in workshops at the Sunday of Curious Things.   This eclectic styled makers fest and market is being held on the banks of the Murray River on Sunday 8 March next.   It has motivated me to play with assemblage and create works.  

I am again contributing to a textile exhibition in May next and have been slowly making things for it. 

I want to enter two juried exhibitions early this year and have the works underway. 

Its going to be a good year.  😊

BEE happy - exhibition up

Still Life with Bee - Collage

Its finally up.  :-)   I will tweak a little bit today but it is now open. 

Eucalyprus Blossom detail - Textile Work

Cuckoo Bee Embroidery

Honeycomb - Collage

My exhibition essay (or artists statement) is up on the wall: 
BEE Happy – A mixed media art exhibition

Bees make me smile. A warm day you can hear them in the garden. They can be so loud. And yet almost invisible. And there are so many of them – both honey bees and the native bees.

My play with ideas about bees came about when I discovered that there was a stingless bee that could be kept in a hive and its honey judiciously collected. I lived in Sydney then where the climate suits that sort of bee.

Since moving to Albury in 2015 I have continued to think about bees. And noticed different bees in my garden.

Did you know our region has three identified species of blue banded bees?
There are about 1,700 different types of bee in Australia. They can be super tiny to quite large (for a bee).

Photo courtesy of www.aussiebee.com

Most native bees are solitary. The female makes a nest in a small opening in a tree or fibrous plant stem or makes a burrow. The bees live only one season and their eggs are sealed in the nest and the next generation of bees emerge when the weather is warm enough.

I am more mindful in my garden now. I am aware that the blue banded be may be in a burrow in certain areas and that reed bees may be in canes of old plants. I understand that a messy area of foliage and ground cover can be a home to many insects including bees. I now don’t feel bad that I love daisies and I have learnt that most bees love daisies too.

I discovered that some bees are buzz pollinators and others collect pollen on their chest and legs. Bees are hairy. It’s a feature that distinguishes them from wasps.

A few native bees collect pollen by eating it. They then return to the nest and regurgitate it.
Aussie Bee has an online site with a huge number of photos and lots of information. I have them to thank for informing and fostering my interest.

Donna Caffrey

Foraging for Pollen - Collage

Collage with lace

I have been playing quite a bit with lace collages of late.   It is very satifying to put the peices down and move them around until  find a composition that satifies me.

I have been trying to declutter and finding all those little lovelies that I thought would be good for something - that something is collage of course and now I am in the mood they have been wonderful to find and revisit.   Sadly the decluttering is not progressing all that well.   I have moved bits and pieces out of my work space and they are now in the lounge - lounging across a couch and its arms whilst I work on a few pieces at the same time.

After a look at the ribbon work catalogue in the Antique patter library and have been inspired to experiment with ribbon flowers,  Now I have graduated to using those men's ties I have been collecting for some time.  I had been wanting to something with a clay face I made some time ago and had been thinking of something Elizabethan in style.  Now I have changed my mind and think that ribbon and fabric flowers will do the trick - along with some embroidery and stamping on the background.

Hello Hello

Working with the embroidered letter project inspired me to play with felt applique for a display at our local Library.  The Concord and Five Dock Libraries have regularly hosted an exhibition of works made by Embroiderers; Guild NSW members to a challenge.  This year the theme was "Say it with Words" and some interesting works were received.  Not many this year but it has been a busy year for many of the members what with the embroidered letter project, many group (and other  exhibitions and the Margaret Oppen Competition.

The original piece that I made for the challenge itself is the first collage I put up in my last post.  I am still exploring this sort of collage - a wonderful reason to play with laces and beads and buttons that I have been squirreling away for that special project.

more collage

more collage

Still reading Gerald Brommer's book and being inspired to play with bits of paper and glue ... it is now officially confirmed that I am a bit of a hoarder ... I used papers that I painted at a workshop a couple of years ago  for the little fish below - the paper has been tucked away since then.  

I also collect postcards/flyers that come out for exhibitions and have added a couple of elements from that source to create 'Tom peeping' below:

I am having fun :-)

collage exercises cont.

collage exercises

Following on from my new years resolution I have been reading through Gerald Brommer's book and making notes.  I am trying to teach myself to see more critically.  I took the book with me on holidays and made notes and now am anxious to be home with my paints and papers and play a bit.  In the interim I bought a glue stick and stuck down some papers torn from a tourist info mag and had a small play with colour and line.  A bit later on I tore up a card I had made (acrylic on watercolour paper) and some Christmas wrapping paper and worked on a flower collage. 

paper collage

POSTCARDS

After a week or two of very little sewing I have finally put a needle and thread into action and created this little fabric collage - 'reflecting on a rock pool'.

I used had dyed perle, cottons and silk ribbon plus a little bit of silk facric on vilene. It is backed with el cheapo commercial felt. I had painted the vilene in a playday earlier in the year.

The rings were made using an enormous version of tool similar to that used by lacemakers and buttonholed washers.

fabric collage

A dragonfly - hand dyed silk and cotton, silk paper and a few gold threads. Photo is a bit dull but the blue grey silk paper really drains the colours. I stitched through in various blues and blue greens which come forward in good light.

what are you trying to say?

I have been busy but not much embroidery in the last month. Happy to say there has been a bit in the back of the brain which has been thinking about what I have been doing and where I have been going.

Have been doing quite a bit of drawing and also started a journal ling/book making type class with Gillian Hand at the Ashfield Artist in residence program. We had a play with collage last week. Not easy for me at the best of times. I have been seduced by and purchased a number of books on artists books, journal and mixed media collage and have rarely been happy with what I have produced.

As I was saying, last week we played with collage. I tore pictures out of various magazines that attracted me and laid them down ... I was not prepared so it was material from old mags that were available to me at the time. Whilst we were playing with these pictures Gillian talked about the elements of design. Something which I have read about but hadn't really clicked. I wasn't happy with what I had done and Gllian asked the sixty-four dollar question - What are you trying to say?

Here is what I came up with on the night:

I had a play at home a bit later in the week. I had palyed with an ink wash ages ago and the page was waiting for something - the result is the eagle at the beginning at this post.