it's that time again....

Time for me to head south - for my annual pilgrimage to the Gippsland campus of Monash uni for the winter symposium. Each year I'm filled with a mix of excitement and dread..... I'm excited by the prospect of spending a few days with a wonderfully diverse bunch of artists from all over (but all of us undertaking a visual arts higher degree of some sort via distance studies) - this is my only face-to-face contact with uni staff and old arty/study friends (and potential new buddies) so it's an intense and tiring time!

But - given that I have to leave my two wee munchkins behind (and that I have to drive 7hrs through the creepy boonies to get to Churchill) ... oh and that I have to do the whole 'show and tell' with my work.... well I'm also feeling a tad dread-ful.

I've been working so intensely over the past few weeks - well you can see by the new banner up top I've been playing with books and fire - again....

This time I submerged a purpose-built metal table into one of our (presently full) dams here at sams creek.... arranged a small collection of funk & wagnall encyclopaedic volumes on top.....

then (with the help of my long-suffering partner....who had to wade nakedly into the freezing water..... ahhh THAT'S LOVE!) the collection was set ablaze.....

these are the shots that best capture what I wanted to achieve with this ephemeral/sculptural interaction

I wonder what the gang at Monash will say? (heck - I'm still wondering what I'm going to say about what I get up to..... well I've got a looooong drive to think about that)




** I'll show you some more stuff when I get back..... after I recover!

getting down to work....

I've had a strangely productive time of things lately - I say strangely because I've been almost overwhelmed by an avalanche of jobs and life stuff that in theory should mean that I'd have no time or space or energy for anything else...... so I have no idea how I've managed to get any artyworks completed.....

(I took advantage of some recent very wet weather
to make book-water-works in an ephemeral waterway....
this volume of funky-wagnalls is opened to the entry on the water cycle....
I suppose you could say I'm allowing the water to add it wisdom to the words....)

I spent all day Saturday helping set up for the living artist art auction in Bermagui (I've uploaded a couple of pics sent to me from the night on the fsclap facebook page and you can see some pics of the works on offer on the living artist blog). I've really enjoyed working with and getting to know local arty creatures - like Mister (Matt) Jones - a finalist in the previous living artist award.... and Poppy Benton - the inaugural award recipient and current president of fsclap.... (and all-round witty and wonderful human bean - Poppy also has a lovely hole-in-the-wall, gem of a gallery in Tathra)

But come Sunday it was time to get back to things in and out of the studio (its only 2 weeks until I have to make my annual pilgrimage to monash uni for the winter symposium..... gulp.... whilst it's my 4th journey, it's my first as a HDR student...)
I know that some of my booky-bloggy friends (and ALL of my family and other friends) have questioned my sanity in tackling HDR studies at this time and the arty-making that is emerging..... what can I say - I'm on a journey of sorts where the destination isn't totally in view (actually it's one where even the mode of transport is questionable!) but somehow I am compelled to continue making my booky-arty objects and interventions.......

(in a remnant puddle of the disappearing waterway

I opened an encyclopaedia year book to an entry on photosynthesis....

and then set the pages on fire.....

as you do....)

* and aside from these small book-works - some regular visitors to my little space here may have noticed the dramatic change to my blog header...... yes it's a sneak view of some larger works in progress.... but more about that another time....

living artist art auction

next weekend will be a biggo one - its time for the annual f.s.c living artist art auction - this year for the first time it will be held in Bermagui and I've somehow (?) been roped into a volunteer role (how does this happen I want to know!)

so I've been doing all manner of weird and wonderful things - last minute calligraphic bits and bobs.... volunteering poor FP for jobs he is SOOOO looking forward to..... setting up the fsclap blog and fb page.... preparing to create chalkboard artistic wonders....(don't ask) AND of course I've donated a piece for the art auction night (geez but I can't tell you how stressful it was trying to figure out WHAT to donate.... as I can't envisage a market for ANYTHING much that I'm presently making.....)


I decided to offer this....

it's 'Navigo' - a photographic print (from a series of 10) and its approx 45 x 60cm


now not everyone can make it to beautiful Bermagui next w.e. - but EVERYONE can participate in the art auction by registering as an absentee bidder (you know the drill - you sent in your highest bid prior to the auction and if luck is with you - you claim the prize) - if you email **info[at]livingartist.org.au** some shiny happy person will help you on your way! (oh and if you go to the fsclap website you can download the draft catalogue - it's a work in progress right now - but it will give you an idea of some of the lovelies on offer...... go on - I dare you to resist temptation!)


well - I've got to go to handwrite about 150 bidders cards right now (I am SURE I can't remember volunteering to do this... I SWEAR!!!!)

why university libraries are fantastic...

Ok I'm ready to admit it....

I'm in love...

and it's not just a fleeting flirtation... it's deep, abiding passion we are talking about here...

I love my university library

Indeed I think the library is the very best thing about undertaking any course of study at a university (or so I've constantly written in any 'unit evaluation' that I've had to complete!)

As an external student my only meaningful contact with my library is via the internet and I have been known to spend a dreadful amount of time trawling through the online library catalogue..... and when I discover a 'must have' treasure - I send in a request and my uni library pops the book in the post for me to have and hold - at any given time I have between 10 and 25 uni library books on loan - and over the last couple of years I've (apparently) come to be known by the Monash University library staff as 'the woman with all the books' (hee hee hee if only they could see my pile of books in the studio and shed......)

Right now I've got some fantastic titles out on loan that I think every booky person would love to get their hands on.....

* the Artists Book Year book 2010-2011 (a damn good resource I say - and nice to see so many Australian links...)


* I've just started looking through The Mysterious Marbler by James Sumner - originally printed in 1854, last year Oak Knoll issued a special reprint - with gorgeous handmarbled paper examples enclosed....


look....

purrty....

* then there's Fine Bookbinding - a technical guide by Jen Lindsay (again published last year by Oak Knoll.... they are fast becoming my favourite publishers....) This book isn't filled with photos and illustrations, but has detailed (and I do mean detailed!) instructions for leather codex binding - I like what I'm seeing/reading so far...

* I love love loved Alphabet Stories by Hermann Zapf - with many anecdotal tales by the man who developed the Palantino type family and created Zapf dingbats! (you don't have to be a calligraphic/typographic creature to enjoy the stories...)

* I've also just received 'perfect paper' by page one..... ooooo pretty (and again a heap of aussies included)!

* and earlier this week I had to endure an 8hr bus trip to Sydney (shudder).... lucky I had 'the book is dead (long live the book)' by Sherman Young to help keep me amused!


ahhhhh my university library - how do I love thee? let me count the ways...