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

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.  😊

Rabbits on Exhibtion - Tempetuous Nature

Last night the exhibition Tempestuous Nature was officially opened at Creators Artspace, Lincoln Causeway, Wodonga.  

I was invited to join the exhibition by fibre artists Cathy Upton and Leanne O'Toole.  Cathy has on display results of eco dying on silk, cotton and wool cotton mixes.  Leanne's works are in the form of bags - cloth, felted and both.  Also on display were two felted wearable art dresses on which Cathy and Leanne had collaborated. One of the dresses was a winner at the Wool Fashion Awards in 2014.  Their work is amazing and I was really chuffed to be asked to contribute work - but rabbits?   Well it worked. 

Henrietta is the bunny that started this journey.    Leanne had seen Henrietta and thought that rabbits would fit the eclectic mix of fibre art.in the exhibition.

Henrietta is a true mixed media creation.  I wanted to try clay over cloth which is how her face came about.  Her ears are florists wire and papier-mâché made from tissue that came with a new pair of shows. Henrietta’s little jacket was a failed felting experiment.  The felt came up a treat in its new guise.  Pants were made from a scrap left over from some long forgotten project.  

Bunnies in the buff posing with One of Leanne O'Toole's Cloth bags
and two of Cathy Upton's eco-dyed scarves

 Bunnies in the Buff

These little fellows are made from a test scrap of cotton fabric that Cathy eco dyed.    I just loved the colour and the bunnies have such an exuberant feel about them that I couldn’t clothe them.   

I just gave them simple  embroidered faces and lovely fluffy tails made from unspun sheep wool.

 The Border Mail gave us a nice write up.  You can find it here.

In making my bunnies I have tried to imbibe them with something of a tempestuous nature.  If you look you may find that they are have elements that are emotional, passionate, intense, impassioned, fiery, unrestrained, temperamental, volatile, excitable, mercurial or unpredictable.

I have endeavoured to stick to the principle of not buying anything in making the bunnies. Remembering where lots of the bits came from has added to the fun I have had in making bunnies for this exhibition.

 

As adults, we often eschew childhood toys and forget the joy they gave us.   These bunnies are toys for adults and can be hung on the wall or sit on a shelf.  I  will post more photos over the next couple of weeks.  I hope my bunnies give you as much pleasure as they do me.

mixed media and themes

Well, I have procrastinated enough about making/stitching/writing.   It is February and I have no more excuses. House sold. Moved to new house. Unpacked just about everything.   Still sorting fabric threads etc. but I know what I have.

My resolution this year (which I started to visit in December last) was to allow myself to play in any medium, explore and have fun.

I have also tried to theme it – and this year will try to build my exploration around “eyes”.  I have had heaps of fun punning - e.g.  the ayes have it, green eyed monster, almond eyes.  And letting explorarion take me where ever.

So far I have

•     sketched and doodled

•     stitched eyelets.  Visit Sharon Boggins on line stitch dictionary for the low down on how to.   She is a fantastic on line resource.

•     and explored on the web looking at how eyes are portrayed.  I came across a blog page featuring sculptor Alfred Parades and this image of his work Side by Side Cylcops.  Just love it :-).                                                       Take time to read the full article here.  

Of course already I have gone off theme already as I have been playing with clay a bit

but I keep returning to it with doodles.  

In between playing with eyes I will work on my pieces for a collaborative exhibition next year with five other textiles artists .   Our group name is temporarily “ Six Running Feet”   - a play on the wall space we each need to fill.  

ARTY PARTY PHOTOS :-)

A fortnight late but here are a few smiling faces which tell it all.  Click here to see the post which tells what we did on the day.

Again - lots of thanks to Wilma Simmons of Empress Wu Designs for lending us her message stick doll tutorial.  Take time to visit Wilma's blog - she is generous in what she shares and her work is fantastic.

wonderful messy creation happening here

Guest of honour with her hand puppet

I think there's a needle in my hand!

I really coverted this bit of hand dyed gauze - then realised it was almost the same colours as the dress I was wearing.

Right into the swing of it - 2 stick dolls each :-)

I have more photos on my phone which someone kindly sent me... I will post them when I work out how to get them from there to here.

Have a great week everyone... I am starting on my first round of Christmas breakups today with lunch and laughter guaranteed at Stitchers Plus.

Donna

Arty party & workshop

Had two fantastic weekends in a row – too much enjoyment left me exhausted and I have only got round to writing.     On Saturday 2 November I hosted a fund raising arty party.  We all had a ball!   It was quite a warm day but thankfully our venue was fairly cool.

 Wilma Simmons of Empress Wu Designs gave permission to use her Message Stick Doll tutorial as an activity.   Whilst we were waiting for people to arrive we all made a name tag.   Some were more exotic than others but it got us doing something whilst waiting for everyone to arrive;

Then we moved on to making the doll.  First we played with air drying clay to make a face.  Most of us opted to use molds in the first instance and then had a bash at working a face in our fingers – everyone made great faces - all looked different by the time they had paint/hair/other adornments.

Once the faces were made we set about making a body.  Sticks were selected and wrapped to give a bit of padding and then wrapped with cloth and adorned by their makers J.   Here is a photo of one of Wilma's dolls:

Sadly my camera played up and I am hoping to get a few photos of the event soon.

And of course there was afternoon tea laid on my nearests and dearests (husband, son & daughter).   We were spoilt for choice with banana cake, ricotta cake, exotic chocolate patty pans, cheese, fruit and sandwiches (not to mention the odd party pie and sausage roll).

The day came to an end with a massive subtropical downpour – thunder claps directly overhead made the iron roof in the hall shake, lots of lightening and rain that came down at such an angle it drove itself up the paving in waves. 

Sundaywas a much cooler day after the storm & I instructed at a garden art workshop at Azures Den.    It is a café/gift shop/gallery which has a lovely art space at the rear and that’s where the class was held.    It is inspiring to be sitting in a room with original art works all around you and getting to do your own.

A fantastic group of ladies came and had a go at something which was not the norm for them.   We started with the idea that we would make a small garden statute - here is the sample we had:

By the time the ladies variously decided to make their statutes very well endowed (boobs), make it pregnant, ditch the turban, play with hair concepts or use little fabric hardener we had a wonderful and eclectic array of statues.  Even though we started out with the same concept and material everyone made something different which reflected their personality.   They were outstanding pieces.  Sadly, my camera played up & I couldn’t take photos.  Here are some that Taryn took for me:

Of course the day included afternoon tea.   Azures Den offers high teas so we were in for a treat.   Amongst the treats was a vanilla slice which was to die for!