Thursday, October 29, 2009

...on working in a kind of ordered chaos



No, this is not my place, but you'd be surprised at how similar it is to my own ordered chaos.
Folk walking into my studio tend to note how incredibly organised it is ....... or how incredibly messy it is! .....and nothing in between.
If you are creating all the time, where are you supposed to put everything?
The artworks, the art materials,
the really cool box of books that you may one day turn into something great,
and the pile of magazines full of images that you have to keep for inspiration,
and the box of little plastic toys that you got for $2 at the opp shop that will one day be incorporated into a sculpture
........ and in Max's case, the mountain of mountains of corrugated iron
and the buckets full of shells
and the trailer load of steel
and .......

Yes, that was Max's house above.



and the kitchen....



and Max himself.



Now I must tell you about our little ragamuffin group of local artists.
We call ourselves "Book Club"
Not because we discuss books ..... but because we cut and tear and add to and change and remake books.

..... and dolls.

As well as lounging around each others studios and imbibing in too much red wine,
we do a kind of round robin art project each month.

Books.

Sculptures.

....and dolls. Max has no problem finding new dolls to burn and paint and remake.
He's got them by the box full alongside the steel and the wood and the wire and the trees.



and a walk among the garden through winding paths is a delight of discoveries.



Hmmm.... if only I could produce as profusely as Max.

I'm madly preparing for an upcoming exhibition and I'm not even really sure what its all about.

I'm thinking along the lines of a title.... "in the beginning" and maybe a bunch of frivolous dioramas ..... mmmm .... here's a peak at a couple of bits in progress.



and of course there are the dolls. My bread and butter items.
... all for sale on etsy






Etsy is a huge, overwhelmingly USA based online store with an awful lot of junk.... but boy are there some treasures to be found!

I bought this zine from "the juzzard" check out her shop.

Monday, October 5, 2009

..... on being in all places at all times

Introducing you to...

"PAPER CUTS"
An upcoming exhibition in Melbourne


Here is the lovely young lady curating the show,
Kelly-Dee Knight.



Featuring:
Ahmararnya Price - ahmarnyaprice.blogspot.com
Elyss McCleary - elyssmccleary.wordpress.com
Jonathon Oxlade - jonnyapplehead.blogspot.com
Joy Serwylo.... thats me ..... and this blog
Nicholas Jones - www.bibliopath.org
Kelly-Dee Knight
Lotte Lille
Nikita Burt

If you are in the vicinity during October, come and check it out.
The Nicholas building, for those not familiar with it, is a wonderful multi story historical bunch of artists studios and galleries and best of all its located right next to Flinders St station .

Not all the books and artworks pictured below are in the exhibition, but this will give you a taste of the drawing and tearing and pasting that I am currently dabbling in.

This is titled "Amid the confusion of the dayshadows"



This is a larger paper collage made from drawings on torn pieces from children's encyclopedias



"Dictionary of the daintree"



A bible butterfly.... the soft thin pages of revered books, torn and remade into an artwork to held and revered.....



A little torn booklet called "far, far away"







The other place to see me and my makings is


Rose St Fitzroy (Melbourne)
Open Saturdays and Sundays 11 am to 5pm.
Crammed with wonderful, strange and odd artworks and their creators.

I'm just there on Sundays, in case you quickly plan on hopping into your car to come and see me.



Mostly, I'm showing "The little Cabinets of Curiosity" and teeny weeny dolls.

Here are a few more of my latest creations.

This one is housed in a book called "I Find Australia"


A little french apothecary box.



..... and a book on Africa.