Open Studio Day Saturday 25th November from 10am 'till 4pm at 131 Were Street, Brighton
Gift vouchers will also be available for workshops in either gelliprinting on fabric or lino block printing on fabric.
See you then!
Yes! It is on again. Open Studio Day Saturday 25th November from 10am 'till 4pm at 131 Were Street, Brighton Come and see what goes on in the studio. Gelliprinting demonstrations and printed works for sale, including tea towels, cards, t-shirts and of course handprinted fabric.
Gift vouchers will also be available for workshops in either gelliprinting on fabric or lino block printing on fabric. See you then!
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Very excited recently to have seen the Hokusai Exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria. I've been a fan of 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa' for a long time but it was quite inspiring to actually see some of Hokusai's original woodcut prints in the flesh! 'The Great Wave' (aka Kanagawa oki namiura) is probably his most well known but it is just one from a series called The thirty-six views of Mt Fuji and were printed 1830-1834.
The artist's books were particularly amazing to see as well - so many with so much detail and all with stitched binding - couldn't help but think of all those hours it would have taken to make! Hard to believe some of these works, like Deep Sea Creatures (last pic) were dated 1815! So many beautiful works featured birds and flowers too - it was well worth seeing! At a recent meet of my quilting group, I was fascinated by our guest speaker Susan Webster from the Needlework Tool Collectors Society. A knowledgeable and enthusiastic speaker, Susan is also an avid collector of the historical bits and bobs herself! It was so interesting to learn how far our tools have developed, especially in the last 50-60 years! So many items that were once part of everyday life are now almost forgotten. Her haul included some rare and wonderful wartime needlecases and pincushions; button threaders used for buttoning all those little buttons on boots and jackets even 'ends' for knitting needles made from bullet casings! So frugal and inventive!!
I had no idea what some of the items Susan showed us were until she explained a lot of them were only possible during harder times. Truly amazing! Yay, some new signage to pop in the studio window and to remind peeps that these sessions are ongoing. Ideally for those who have already participated in a lino block printing workshop or Gelliprinting on fabric and want some more studio time to create extra fabric for a particular project, whether it be for a special somebody or themselves. Ten hours in total - to plan, carve a lino block to print on your fabric if you wish or Gelliprint the lot. Or both! If interested, click on the workshops tab and scroll down to Printing Sessions for Quilting for more info or contact me to discuss on 0412 927 303
Inspiration can come from anywhere. Recently I was exploring a few different ideas for a work based on a photograph of holding hands. The piece in the middle, I named Helping Hands and it was to represent human nature and the instinct to help each other, especially in times of need. I suppose I was trying to channel the positive emotions of sharing and caring. I was hoping to achieve 'connectedness'. The other piece Hope and Healing was meant to represent faith in the future, again channeling positivity. The background on this one had a lino cut image of paper cranes ghosted on a gelliprint. An echo of the Japanese legend of the 1000 cranes and the story of the young girl Sadako, a Hiroshima victim.
Art is subjective and a single piece can have a million different meanings for just as many people. I was aiming for a positive expression in these works and hope it conveys this to others. How wonderful to have artist Angela Cavalieri at the Firestation Print Studio! Her large, unique lino prints have been much admired at FPS gallery but I think what impressed me most is how generous this artist was, sharing her skills, techniques and information BIG time! Angela was artist-in-residence at Firestation Print Studio which was made possible through a grant from Stonnington Council. Her works explore 'the art of writing in visual form' as she re-works fragments of text sourced from poetry, music and even inscriptions on public buildings! So huge and so bold! Very inspiring stuff!
It's no secret I love my little studio, with my own space to work on what I want, when I want and how I want! The thing is though, that whilst it really is a wonderful way to work it's also good to step out of one's comfort zone and be challenged by others.
One way to do this is by being a member of a group. Not that it has to be too serious! No, it's good to be able to enjoy a change and embrace a different perspective. I'm fortunate to be involved in two such groups. Both are quite different and yet there are some definite similarities! My quilting group for example is often exploring different techniques and offering challenges that I probably wouldn't bother with if left to my own devices. I'd probably have it on a list for 'one day'. However, the women in this particular group are big sharers and it's almost impossible not to get involved when they are all so encouraging and have become firm friends over the years! The same goes for my little lino club group which is part of a much bigger print studio. Again, it's not just a social monthly catchup, although I do love that aspect. It's that interest of like-minded people that helps push boundaries and ideas that boil and bubble till they ferment into a beautiful piece of work. I love that they have exhibitions in the adjoining gallery open to its members and 'wee workshops' to refresh skills or learn new ones. It's also that interaction with others that over time become like extended family and look out for one another. It's unavoidable really to be part of a group, any group and not care about the others in it. Whilst the original intent may have been to improve skills, be challenged, get excited about creating something unique, I for one am very grateful for all the other benefits and advantages that make my life richer for them. So, if you've managed to read this far -well done! Time now to get busy - why not try a collaboration? Enter a challenge or exhibition. Feel free to comment! Had a lovely day yesterday with a Gelliprinting on Fabric workshop. A group of friends made it to the studio for a fun get-together for one of their birthday's. After a demo and some techniques explained, a busy time was had by all! I love seeing people embrace the whole process and not be afraid of the ink or that there are very few rules! Thanks again ladies! It was good to be reminded how fun Gelliprinting can be!
...And Happy Birthday Wendy Yesterday I had a workshop in the studio, sharing space and some lino carving skills. It is what I'd normally do anyway but this time it was through an organisation called Sisterworks Inc. I have to say, there are a lot of organisations out there that do good things but I was really chuffed to be part of what Sisterworks Inc do. Their non-profit social enterprise "handmade with love in Melbourne" is a support for women who also happen to be migrants, asylum seekers or refugees and help them to become financially independent and happily settled in Australia. You don't need to be an artist to know the positive effects art brings into our lives. I was really glad to be involved even for a few hours and I think everyone else must have enjoyed themselves too, since we went a bit over time when my alarm didn't go off! Thanks ladies for a fun day. Loved all the prints and hope to see more! Well done
A few weeks ago I hosted another Gelliprinting on Fabric workshop at the studio. These are some of the progress shots. Very Inspirational Alicia!
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VBI fabricsVivian prints on fabric using a Gelatine Plate background and layers this with Lino Cut prints to create unique Fat Quarters and Feature Panels for Patchwork and Quilting. |