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.

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.

Artist residencey - Refection - Goal setting

 

Small mixed media booklet. It is a work in progress that sits on my table. 

When the right scrap comes along I add to it.

  The sheet music opens out to reveal the words - BE THE REASON.

It is clear from my blog that I am all over the shop when it comes to what I like to create.  Focus and narrowing down is difficult.   I’m wondering whether I need to?   Do I have to give it all up?

On reflection, these days I am project driven and tend to work primarily in one/technique/style in that project.   When I throw in too many different mediums my project falters.   Having said that, I think that this relates more to solo shows than group shows.

In the Re-create Collective's exhibition From where I sit: Stories from within I worked across a couple of mediums.  Focal points in my installations Fine Dining and I don’t hold a hose were largely embroidered but had other elements.  For Fine Dining I learnt to reupholster chairs, located vintage items such as a tea service, table cloths and napkins in op shops (and my stash) and embroidered a wall hanging.   It was the wall hanging that had the message but the table and chair which provoked many memories and comments.   On the other hand, I don’t hold a hose comprised a deck chair and items that reflected the statement upon which the title of the work was based; a direct quote from our PM of the time.   The deck chair is heavily embroidered depicting fires in Australia in 2019/20120 and was the statement piece.  The other bits of the installation including a lei, a fancy cocktail and an embroidery were context.

My other works in the exhibition include a series interpreting a poem and a series inspired by lockdowns and limited travel.  In the former I created seven textile panels (30 cm X 30 cm) interpreting a poem Blue and Green by Australian poet Lesbia Harford.  I had been exploring thoughts of how to translate text to textile and looking at work of  colour field artist Helen Frankenthaler.   Arm chair travel is a number of whimsical collages (14 cm X 14 cm) made for the joy of it andgrouped together in salon style.

Even though each of these sets of works are in different mediums they were not discordant in the exhibition.  I’m thinking this is so as the quality of all the works in the exhibition was high, the ideas explored different and presented with information available for those who wished to read it. The Collective’s members works were all different but all held together well. And importantly, the layout and curation of the exhibition was fabulous thanks to the team at the Albury LibraryMuseum.  

This bit of navel gazing arises out of an online residency I’m undertaking with the Enso Circle.  It is structured to cover questions and issues which relate to our individual art practises.  Week one was goal setting for the 12 weeks of the residency.   And I need to decide what my focus will be (groan  - I have to make a choice!!!) 

I thought about what I wanted to explore/learn, and what outcome I want out of these 12 weeks.   And I want to make sure my continued learning supports and dovetails into my current long-term plans - though they may change again after this residency.   This is what I came up with as part of the what when I was considering the 5 W's (who, what, when, where and how)  :

·       Distal what I want to keep, let go of others and learn new techniques.

·       Have a serious approach to studio practice - turn up every day

·       Look at other artists

·       Build up a resource folio

·       Aim for a small series of mixed media textile works in postcard, book, scroll and/or hanging format

No doubt something will change along the way 😊

May you stay creative,  well and  safe

Much metta 

Donna