desire lines

reworked figure studies

2011-02-13T23:45:00.000-08:00

I've started reworking some of my figure drawings and creating new works with some of the great papers I've collected over the years. After doing so much printmaking in the past year, it's really great to do something totally different. Initially I've taken ripped up parts of figure drawings - mostly quick sketches, and used them as the basis for a new image. I've been kind of making it up as I go along, and trying not to over think things.

As they are all charcoal images, I've been slightly touching them up where they are really smudgy, and then applying white acrylic to accentuate light areas, and pasting handmade paper to create shadow and depth.

I still have to master the amount of paste I use - some of the finished images are really wrinkly and I haven't figured out how to lessen that. I tried putting one in the press - it worked for a while then went back to it's bendy self. I also wonder how to 'finish' them - should I mount on card, or more paper or leave as is...

But what I'm really enjoying is the cutting! Give me an x-acto knife, some paper and I'm happy! Lots of ideas bubbling away...

meditation in glass

2010-11-11T06:47:00.000-08:00

I have neglected my blog for far too long...and now I'm going to make admends, lots of thoughts and ideas but the best thing is to dive in with a new post. Just write. Perhaps it's a bit early but I'm already reflecting on this year. One of the key things for me is getting myself organised, especially where my artwork is concerned. Buying a plan chest, though not cheap, has really been a key to getting me a lot more organised. It's been a great investment. I can keep all my artwork and paper safe - safe from cats, away from dust but most importantly it's in a temperature and humidity controlled environment. What this all means is that I just don't see my work much - it's all my work is carefully wrapped in acid free paper and carefully stored in drawers. That is fine by me, although eventually I'd like my work to find a 'proper' home somewhere.
I visited a friend's home a few months ago and was almost shocked to see one of my prints up on her wall. I guess I was taken aback as I'd forgotten she had this piece of work, but mostly it was just how different it looked in its new surroundings. It fitted in so well in her home, the subject matter and colours blended in really well - to be honest it was a real joy to see it there. And really when it comes down to it, art doesn't really belong in a drawer, does it?
Not all my work is paper based. A few years ago I did alot of stained glass, and it's something I am sure I'll return to. I made the 'meditating man' in the photo a few years ago and now it lives in my friend's glass studio in India. I am especially happy that it lives in another artist's studio! I took some classes with Anjali when she lived in Singapore and she's a real inspiration - totally committed arist who makes wonderful original glass work.
Here's a link to her website: http://www.anjalidesign.com/

Presentation at the National Geographic store

2010-04-19T03:04:00.000-07:00

Seems every day it rains torrentially in the late afternoon at the moment - the sky goes a deep grey, then all hell breaks loose. It's all very dramatic but it means it's almost impossible to get a taxi, especially at rush hour. We don't have a car at the moment and I would have got drenched even getting to any public transport from where I live. Anyway, last Friday I eventually got down to the National Geographic Store in Vivocity where the editor of ScubaDiver Australasia, Diego Garcia, was presenting the winning photographs and videos of the ADEX Voice of the Ocean competition. I only managed to catch him discussing the videos, but even so it was really interesting to hear his critiques.

All the winning photographs and artwork were on display in the store aswell and I'll go down later in the week to take a closer look. I really liked how they displayed my prints in a glass case - looks very classy!

And here's me (on the right) being presented with a certificate and bag of goodies from Laura, the Event and Marketing Manager for ADEX and Asian Geographic magazines. A great end to the week!

ADEX Ocean Artist of the Year!

2010-04-15T00:17:00.000-07:00

I am really thrilled – last weekend I won first prize for one of the prints I entered in the ADEX Ocean Artist of the Year Competition! I entered three original prints as a series, all inspired by the mandarin fish (Synchiropus splendidus). The prints combined two relief printmaking techniques which I will talk about later. This is the winning print.

I thought I'd tell you a bit about the background to this and the other two prints. As many divers (especially those diving in Asia) know, mandarin fish are quite shy, hard to spot and challenging to photograph. Although they seem to have a fairly wide distribution (Australia, tropical Indo-Pacific up to Japan), they are not the easiest fish to find. Their habitat is generally in shallow water in coral rubble, and they are quite skittish in their movements. I’ve seen them only a handful of times (all in Indonesia) at dusk when they come out to mate. I had always assumed that this is the only time you can really see them. Not so! There is a colony of mandarin fish who inhabit a rubbly slope in Ambon Bay who seem quite happy to hop in and around the rocks grazing, and are fairly willing photographic subjects.

Along with two friends, my husband and I were in Ambon over Christmas last year and visited this particular dive site two or three times. Marcel took many photographs of the mandarin fish and I used these as reference material. Here's one of Marcel's photos. These fish have the most wonderful faces - bulbous eyes which swivel around, and a little pointy mouth they suck food up with. They use their pelvic fins as a sort of balance when they hop around.

I was interested in the idea that for such a seemingly shy creature, they have such flamboyant colours and markings. Their body is predominately orange, with irregular turquoise blue band markings, their face and lower jaw area is yellow/green with blue stripes. (I have since discovered that the vibrant blue in the mandarin fish are caused by very unusual blue pigment-containing cells called cyanophores.) In contrast to the brightly coloured and bold designs on the body of the fish, the pectoral fins are delicate, and slightly transparent blue/green. They are really exquisite, though a little hard to appreciate the beautiful undulating movement with the naked eye.

I found out that their common name was due to the fact that their appearance was somewhat reminiscent of the robes of Imperial Mandarin court officials. I decided to use the robe motif as a ‘canvas’ to display the colours and patterns inherent in different parts of the mandarin fish. (The Mandarin court officials had different robes depending on the occasion and so I named each print after a different robe). I really wanted to incorporate the delicate pectoral fins in some way and in the end decided to emboss a design of the fins into the paper.

I’m also really pleased that my prints will be shown at the National Geographic store (#01-19 VivoCity, Singapore) along with other winning photographs and videos of the ADEX Voice of the Ocean Competition until the end of the month!

margaret river cow parade

2010-04-06T01:38:00.000-07:00

Ah, the brilliance of the cow parade! Give a bunch of artists a blank canvas (or rather a blank cow), and set them free to create. You can find the results (all 85 of them) dotted all around the Margaret river region, in wineries, galleries, lighthouses, outside shops, all sorts of places, even the airport (yes, I know not technically the Margaret river). This is such a joyful project, full of humour, creativity and I love that these cows are all in public places. Bad cow puns abound (there's plenty you can do with 'moo', 'cow', 'herd' and 'milk') and they provided some of the inspiration for the cow designs.

Left to my own devices, I would probably have gone out of my way to see all the cows. Not wanting this as a reason for divorce I contented myself by seeing the occasional cow we stumbled across on the way somewhere, and just one or two we’ve gone out of the way to see.

What I love about this idea is that so many of the cows are so associated with ‘place’. I could write an essay here. But I love that about this regional exhibition, I learnt quite a bit more about the area. Anyway, here are some of the cows I came across.

SW Australia has a rich history of cattle farming and that came out in some of the works such as the one at Redgate Wines by artist Sue Codee who grew up on a cattle farm near Albany. It's called Cow in Transit.

Margaret River is a mecca for surfing and at least three cows paid homage to a surfing. I love this cow by Rod Egerton on top of the Settlers Tavern in Margaret River. It's called Cowabunga - Hang a Hoof!

I particularly liked this cow (Karta Warra Cow) by Matriarchal elder Ms Vivian Webb-Brockman at Moss Brothers Wines.

I admit we did go out of our way to see Jacques Cowsteau (see what I mean about bad puns!). Created by Geographe Marine Engineering, it was outside a cafe at Port Geographe Marina. Quite a lot of the dive gear looked real to me - apart from the oversized mask!

A few cows paid tribute to other artists. Dreams of the Daliesque Bovine was fabulous. Made by Suzanne Horton, it was on the main street in Augusta.

Also in Augusta was the cow below created by the AMR Shire Team. Being slightly obsessed by maps and all things aerial, this one really appealed to me. Called In the Scheme of Things, it shows a bird's eye view of some of the areas around Margaret River.

Last but by no means least, artist friend Graham Stove’s cow ‘Constance’ at Gulyuyp galleries. Love it!

fremantle doctor

2010-04-06T01:10:00.000-07:00

I am really having my fill of perfect days this month (oh and last month too). I started writing this a few days ago when I was down in the Margaret River, it started: "I’m sitting here with a glass of zinfandel, listening to the new album by the sublime Swell Season who I saw playing live last weekend - one of the most amazing acts I’ve seen for a long time, after a day clambering over huge granite boulders, (getting more than a bit scared) watching massive waves on the Leewin Naturaliste National Park in SW Australia." Honestly, there aren't many days so perfect for me! Then I stopped. Just wanted to live the moment and could not write anymore...

Now I'm back to thinking and writing, and on my way to Singapore less than 24 hours, so a bit of time for reflection. What I love about being in Australia is that there is art everywhere. I am going to miss the sculpture that's just across the road from the apartment (on the quayside in Fremantle), a sculpture honouring the famous Fremantle Doctor, the south-westerly wind that blows inland.

In some ways it is quite unassuming, an old sea buoy with metal seagulls on top, a little quirky, with a strange string arrangement on top. This sculpture really takes off when the wind starts up – the wind ‘plays’ the strings. This sculpture was designed by Tony James (assisted by Pierre Caponi), and the wind harp designed by Alan Lamb. I love the fact that this sculpture responds directly to nature. It doesn't move, but it responds.

I stayed long enough to witness quite a few weather (and wind) changes. Some times when the wind was really blowing you could hear the wind harp from the other side of the road! Other times, there was barely a sound. What's nice about this sculpture is you can get really close and put your head between a static kind of pair of earphones which amplifies the sound. Yet again, I'm reminded that I want to get some sound recording gear! This sculpture really became part of my landscape for a few weeks, I will miss it.

more sea tales

2010-03-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

Here are some more test prints for my 'sea tales' series. The first one has a slightly sinister story behind it. As a child in the 60's and 70's there was a strange little character on the TV, and to this day I don't know if it was a programme or a film. Anyway, this small male leprachaun like character lived in a whelk shell. For some reason I found him very scary indeed and recall having more than one nightmare about him. I have created a much more benign character in this print, my hermit is quietly reading. The spanish dancer is my interpretation of the largest type of nudibranc (or sea slug). I've been lucky enough to see a few of these whilst diving, and they are quite exquisite. Free swimming in open water, I can understand how they got their colloquial name.

The next print is of a frog fish and an unsuspecting victim. These really are clever fish - they have a lure somewhere above their eyes which they wave around to attract 'food'. They are also known as anglerfish, which is a better description. They don't tend to move around a lot, although I have seen some swimming. They usually wedge themselves between rocks using their pectoral fins for balance and wait.
Years ago I got to learn alot about seahorses as I designed a website for a seahorse charity. I've got quite good at spotting them now underwater - they don't often look this 'perky'! For the most part they cling onto a piece of sea grass and sort of flop, oh and turn the other way if you try to look at them carefully or take a photo! I had the idea of a sort of yin/yang pair of seahorses - I thought it might work graphically with lino. I also checked with Marcel - have we ever seen seahorses use each other to cling on to instead of just sea grass? Apparently yes... and there is a photo somewhere which I'll see if we can find.

My late father was very keen for his eldest daughter to be inducted into the world of science. I have a clear memory of one of the experients he set up one on more than one occasion. In a large glass jar, there was a diver which would slowly rise and fall. Sadly my Dad is no longer around to ask what scientific experiment he had set up here. I don't think it is a Cartesian diver as that involves a plastic bottle. I will do some investigating... I wonder if in some subtle way this got me interested in the world of diving.

mini prints

2010-03-25T16:04:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a mini print series for the Pameran Poskad show in Singapore. Perhaps because I'm staying right on the quayside in Fremantle that I've beccome preoccupied with all things marine (but all things marine are not usually far from my mind anyway). I've called the series 'sea tales'.

Being away from home my challenge was to create something that didn't require a press and would be relatively easy to make and transport. I bought with me a small roller, a couple of perspex plates, already torn printmaking paper and just one small pot of printmaking ink. Here are my test prints, not great inking and some on lined paper but it's just to give the idea.

My first print fell onto my sketchbook easily - a tiny mermaid baby in a sac. I have to explain right now I am a lifelong beachcomber, addicted since a child (I could write a book about beachcombing...) but to keep things short, it was always magical finding a 'mermaid's purse washed up on the beach. They are in fact egg capsules holding the eggs of a species of dogfish. But what if they lived up to their name in some way?

My second print is related to a story my sister posted to me recently about hundreds of starfish washing up on a beach in the UK. The link to the story is here. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/devon/8572741.stm The image of hundreds of starfish on the beach stayed with me. The moon gazing character? Up to you...

Ahh... sea angels. What a lovely name. There is a tiny illuminated display at Underwater World in Singapore with some sea angels (Clione limacima) and next time I go I will take some photographs. They are swimming sea slugs and live in the Arctic and Antartic Oceans, so not much chance I'll be seeing them anytime soon in their natural habitat. They are almost transparent and have that ethereal quality like jellyfish - except they really do look like little angels with their 'wings' beating. One thing I love about them is that they have little 'horns' (head tentacles) so they are little angels but a bit devilish too! More images to come...

new website

2010-03-22T01:51:00.000-07:00

phew! It's been a long time coming but finally my website is up and running! Here's the link: http://www.alison-wilson.com/
The majority of work in the site has been made in the last two or three years, but I did put in some old favourites like the batik pieces. My intention is to update with new work, and either take older work down or archive it. Think I need to link my blog to the website next update I do aswell... Either way, I hope it'll be a site that's worth returning to.
Big big thank you to Marcel, my ever supportive husband in so many ways :)
And thank you to my mac for making it easy.

the business of being an artist

2010-01-05T17:51:00.000-08:00

Last year I met a woman who was halfway through an arts degree. The programme she was following had already given her many of the practical tools she would need as a professional artist. She knew how and where to look for funding (and had already done so), she had a polished artist's statement, business cards and so on. I sincerely hope that her experience is the norm in art colleges today.

My own experience was very different. Admittedly it was a long time ago now, it was the mid 80's, but even so - there was absolutely no career guidance. No discussion about how to approach galleries, how to sell work, how to support yourself. Nothing at all! I was ill-equipped for the workforce to say the least. The underlying message was that if you were good enough you'd make it (no matter what). I felt defeated before I even started and eventually turned my back on art and started a whole new career. I am thankful for that as it took me around the world and opened up many new doors. However....it's taken me years to get back on track where my artwork is concerned.

I would say I've spent the past ten years gradually stepping back into making art again. At first very tentative steps, regaining lost confidence, getting angry about 'what might have been', finding my own voice, learning new skills. I'm still not quite at the place I would like to be but I'm working on it - the business side of being an artist.

nudibranc

2009-11-13T06:34:00.000-08:00

I dug up these two small batik pieces today - I hadn't seen them for a very long time. They are based on a species of nudibranc (sea slug) called Chromodoris magnifica - quite a common nudibranc but still very beautiful. I am not sure why I didn't do more of these... I like the idea taking a small area to examine the colour, patterns and textures, rather than the whole thing.

taking stock

2009-11-12T00:38:00.000-08:00

literally and mentally....

I have amassed a lot of artwork these past few years and little by little it's been stored in the spare room, crept into my room, into cupboards, wardrobes, drawers. I've collected gorgeous paper from various travels and that is scattered all over too. I decided a week ago that things just can't go on like this - and so I've ordered a large plan chest and have embarked on sorting out all my artwork.

Well, I thought it might at a stretch take me an afternoon - how wrong could I be?! I have photographed the majority of my work now, but that took me a whole day. Now I am going through everything section by section - deciding what to do with it all. I just cannot hang on to all this artwork. Apart from anything else, I'd like other people to see it! Also, I think it is time to reflect on what I've done, and move some of my work to new homes and move on... I reckon it will take me a week or so to really figure things out. In the meantime, here are two monotype prints I made about three years ago.

batik baby

2009-08-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

My niece is a fan of my batik! I made a wall hanging for her a few months ago - I intended it to be mainly primary colours. In the end it turned out to be mainly burgundy red and deep autumn colours - hardly traditional 'baby' colours! But my sister assures me my niece is entranced by it! I loved the little turtle tjap (stamp) I used in this piece. I used it over and over again - I was thinking of the urgent run baby turtles make to the sea after they hatch.

north sea coast

2009-08-24T08:47:00.000-07:00

I started a long windy description of Kijkduin, Scheveningen and the harbour, but have decided to let my photos do the talking instead… Here are my eight favourite and inspiring things about this lovely stretch of coastline in Holland:

1. strolling along the beach watching seagulls, oyster catchers and terns on the breakwaters

2. walking over the dunes at Kijkduin

3. watching the sunset over the North Sea

4. looking at coastal paintings by the Haagse school of painters and ‘seeing’ the coast a hundred years ago

5. eating pannekoken (pancakes) and steaming hot chocolate after a walk on a cold day at a pancake house in Kijkduin

6. buying fresh fish and seafood at Scheveningen harbour

7. eating fresh fish and seafood at one of the harbour’s restaurants

8. seeing hundreds bikes line the paths leading to the beach

celestial vault

2009-08-20T08:57:00.000-07:00

This August I'm here in The Hague. Last Sunday we walked through the woods at Oxenburgh to the Kijkduin dunes, a few kilometres from the city. A leisurely stroll, we stopped now and again to take photos of ducks slicing through the weed covered canals, water reflections and rose hips at their fullest.

Out of the woods and near the dunes, we climbed a short flight of steps to reach what looked eerily like some kind of tomb. Apparently we’d been there before, some years ago. How had I missed this? There was no inscription, it was puzzling. Marcel said it was an art piece – oh, ok. It was slick and monumental, and did not move me particularly. I stood and looked at the view in front of the tomb - it was impressive – to the left you could see all the way to the Hook of Holland and to thee right the beach resort of Sheveningen.

Further on was a short tunnel leading to a wide bowl with an identical tomb like structure in the middle. A man sat on the rim of the bowl pulling out weeds while his dog looked on. Was he the guardian of this place? It seemed strange to be pulling out weeds when all around the ‘tomb’ were shards of glass.

Then it all clicked into place. Not so much sculptures, these are places to gaze at the sky and experience changing light and colour. These two pieces are ‘The Celestial Vault’ created by one of my favourite artists, James Turrell. Lying with your head resting on the stone plinth, your view is shaped by the manmade landscape in the 'bowl', and the restriction of your head - your field of vision is severely limited. We were there with the sunlight drilling into us so we didn’t stay too long on the plinths. From the top plinth you could see the horizon to horizon view and upside down the sky became more magnified and majestic. With blood slowly traveling to my head, the focus was not what was on land and tangible, but what was in the sky - intangible and ever moving. In the bowl, the angle of the plinth was parallel to the coast and the sun directly in my eyes made it impossible to experience the full effect. The plinth resting in the bowl shape gives the illusion you are looking at the sky as if it were indeed a dome. Given less harsh sunlight, I can imagine this being a wonderfully meditative place. My field of vision was somewhat wider than the photo below, but this gives some idea of my view from the top plinth.

marbling

2009-05-27T15:47:00.000-07:00

Lucky me - I am spending a week in Melbourne, one of my favourite cities! There's always so much going on and around just about every corner you can find something interesting from the fabulous street art to offbeat little shops.
Yesterday I was on a mission to find a new photo album - sadly the leather cover of our lovely wedding album has fallen victim to Singapore's humidity and kind of gone mouldy. At least the photos are alright. I headed up to Brunswick Street in Fitzroy where there are loads of interesting shops - in fact I had already planned to visit Kami, a shop specialising in Japanese paper, specifically Chiyogami (decorative designs which are silk screeened onto strong mulberry paper). They sell fabulous albums, photo frames, notebooks - I could spent hours in there, and I found our new album there. Then made a fantastic discovery.
Just next to the checkout was a pile of papers - I took a closer look - marbled paper! This was not the usual psychedelic swirls of colour, but a limited palette of blues, greys and golds on white. It was exquisite. Organic, earthy, otherworldly, this marbled paper contained so many elements I love - especially the contoured lines, I ended up buying two (A1 size) sheets. I have no idea what I will do with them - they look great behind a light (though you lose some of the colour), and look lovely just loosely hanging on a wall...I found out that the paper is not Japanese at all, it was made probably near Chiang Mai in Thailand.
One of the joys of the inner CBD are the laneways of Melbourne - Desgraves Street is the first one I ever discovered. Just as you turn the corner it's like being transported into Europe. Little cafes line the street, the smell of coffee permeates the air and there is Il Papiro! This tiny shop sells Italian marbled paper products, notecards, notebooks, photo albums, you name it. The marbling couldn't be more different from my Thai paper. The swirling designs are far more controlled, intricate and colourful yet also very beautiful. I have to admit seeing all this marbled paper has made me want to try it out myself - and find out more about its history.

natural orange

2009-05-19T03:25:00.001-07:00

Wow! My first attempt at natural dyeing produced an amazing orange! It's quite incredible. I don't know how 'fast' it is (time will tell), but even when I rinsed the fabric very little colour washed out. I am very excited about this and hopefully this will make its way onto paper in a short while. This orange came from the seeds of the Annatto tree (Bixa Orellano), which apparently is used as a food colouring agent for margarine amongst other things. It certainly is pretty orange - I haven't tried to use any mordants with it yet, just keeping it simple for now.
I am also experimenting with eucalyptus and mango leaves - let's see where this takes me! I've go the fans on full but even so there's quite a strong smell of eucalptus...

ship building

2009-05-19T03:14:00.000-07:00

One afternoon last week I spent making some paper boats with a couple of friends for a fundraising event in Scotland ( http://www.joannebkaarpaperboats.blogspot.com/ ). I might make a couple more before mailing them off... Mine were made from banana fibre paper I bought in Yogjakarta, a bohdi leaf, and also some paper with a tjap of a wayang kulit (traditional Indonesian puppet). I knew all that practise paper with wax stamps on would come in useful one day... I covered one of my boats with hot wax - this boat is seriously heavy! There's a few months to go before the deadline and if I get time I'll make a boat with fibres from the garden - I have a long list of experiments to do!

sandstone

2009-04-28T03:02:00.000-07:00

I had looked forward to seeing and being on those long beaches that seem to go on forever and yet it was a fairly modest beach that stole my heart in Tasmania. The 'big' beaches were certainly impressive and all consuming - and yes, I could have walked for hours and hours. I guess I like beaches where I can stop often, pick things up, scrabble around in rock pools. I can't remember the name of the beach we found down a dirt track. The tide was out and we watched tiny crabs burying themselves in the sand and found fresh oysters hanging on to rocks. We started noticing the sandstone - pebbles turning into rocks, into boulders, into a cliff face. Sheer beauty.

fruit of the fish tail palm

2009-03-07T19:05:00.000-08:00

I passed by a wonderful fish tail palm yesterday - along the length of its trunk were fruits in various stages of development. Luckily I had my camera with me - a habit I am trying to cultivate as much as possible. There's something really pleasing about these great bundles.

hot wax

2009-03-01T02:02:00.000-08:00

Last week I got to go to my favourite country around here, Indonesia. This time I went alone for an intensive batik course in Yogjakarta - something I've been meaning to do for several years. Although there are batik courses in Singapore, I've never managed to find anyone to teach me about dyeing and so have only really learnt 'faux' batik techniques which are more akin to silk painting. I was really excited to have the opportunity to learn about dyeing in particular and also using 'caps' (pronounced 'chaps'), the batik stamps. Possibly the best part was getting this new input from wonderful husband and wife team Nia Fliam and Agus Ismoyo who run Brahma Tirta Sari batik studio. They and their team produce exquisite fine art textiles - my heart just melts when I see them.

The week was certainly intensive - learning how to use the tjanting (the wax filled tool used mainly to create lines), learning how to use the caps, learning about Indonesian batiks, learning about dyeing... there was a lot of learning. There was also a lot of doing. As my main interest was in the dyeing process, I worked mainly on four pieces which were loosely based on the four elements: Earth (Tanah), Fire (Api), Water (Air - mmm, that became a bit confusing - the word for water is 'air' in bahasa), and Air/Sky (langit). All four pieces had about 4 different colours layered on top of each other - using two different dye systems. I used some caps but just as simple reminders / additions to reinforce the themes (eg leaves for earth, turtles for the sea etc). In the end two turned out well in my opinion, if not that pleasing to me on an aesthetic level, the other two not so good and need more work. But hey, first time doing this so I was very pleased to have achieved it at all. Of course I have to give 99% of the credit to the guys who mixed the dyes - they really know what they are doing.

So, back home I am wondering where do I go with all this new input...I still want to incorporate batik into papermaking somehow - not sure which aspect - perhaps the dyeing, perhaps the stamping. Guess it's time to play some more!

aquatint

2009-02-21T02:38:00.000-08:00

Spent today doing some aquatint printmaking and am beginning to get the hang of the possibilities. I decided to use one of my life drawings as the basis for a print - quite suitable as it was done in charcoal and was tonal. My first print was OK (bottom image) but not as much contrast as I wanted so I etched the shadow behind the figure more. After that I decided to etch more lines in the figure. Given more time, I might have stretched things a bit more but have decided to leave it at that and when I have time in the studio to play around with colours. I just love the process of printmaking. The possibilities are endless...
The print studio is windowless so I had no idea what the weather was doing. As I was coming home I noticed there'd been a huge downpour - it's been dry for so long so very welcome to have some rain. When I got out of the car, it was positively steaming outside. One of my cats had been inside all day, the other outside. It must have been some storm. When he finally appeared this black and white cat was mainly brown. Guess he'd been hiding in a drain somewhere. A battle ensued to get him into the shower and wash him - he was that bad. Even now his underside is beige not white. He's not best pleased with me.

mapping the landscape

2009-02-19T03:44:00.000-08:00

I've had this idea for ages to map where I live. I sense this may be long project and have no idea where it's going yet and yesterday decided to actually act on it, start it, get some ideas going. So, I spent an hour or so tracking the land behind our house - taking notes, adding things to a diagram - reading the landscape. Where I live has a definite identity and I'm intending to chart it piece by piece and see what emerges. Who knows where this will go. What's interesting to me is how the land is used (OK there's the latent geographer in me...), how people claim the land and what they do with it. I'm also really interested in the flora and fauna and in the contours of the land - probably on an aesthetic level more than anything else. Here are some of my photos.

sketches of frank gehry

2009-02-17T22:54:00.000-08:00

I watched the documentary 'Sketches of Frank Gehry' last night - it was a wonderful insight into the work of such a creative architect and to hear some of the things that both he, and the director (Sydney Pollack) had to say about creativity and the creative process. One thing that particularly stuck in my mind was Gehry talking about how difficult it can be to actually start work. He describes cleaning his desk, making stupid appointments, avoidance, delay, denial - and admitting that he's scared he won't know what to do. But when he does actually start, he realises it wasn't so bad after all. Think I know how that feels! - waiting for everything to be just 'right' before starting anything, and clearing everything up first. Of course this is fear disguised as procrastination! There will never be the perfect time to start...Quite comforting in some ways to know that this affliction is not just my domain..

Seeing him at work with his assistants was an eye opener for me. I am very ignorant about the world of architects, and somehow assumed they worked in neat clean offices with computers - perhaps many do but not so Gehry. His studio had the feel of a sculptor's studio with 3D models everywhere. Scissors and card to hand, he and his colleagues played with shapes and forms, putting them together with sticky tape. It looked really fun. At one point Pollack asks Gehry, 'Do you think of architectural shapes unrelated to a job'? To which he fetches a Bosch reproduction he had on the wall and points out the compositional elements of the painting and then shows the floor plan of a building he is working on. Quite an insight. Although this was 'high art' influencing a design, he says later that you can look anywhere and find inspiration, citing an example of looking at the contents of a bin and noticing the shapes and forms. The other thing that was interesting was his drawings - mad squiggly sketches. Somewhere down the line some of these drawings, or ideas of drawings become buildings. Hurray for the scribble!

dancing shoes

2009-02-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

Here are my new flamenco shoes direct from Spain! I love the fact they have metal in the heel and toe - they sound great on against the dancefloor. If I can just get the hang of Sevillanas, or some basic hand clapping (palmas) in the next few months, I'd be really happy. I'm not the quickest at picking up these things... Kind of hoping this will help my posture too... You don't see many flamenco dancers slouching. I have no big aspirations, just a desire to be challenged in a way I don't usually let myself be challenged. It's fun. I don't care about making mistakes (which is just as well).

threat

2009-02-13T03:38:00.000-08:00

It's a real joy to have so much wildlife, especially in a city that is constantly building and renovating. I still haven't done it, but want to record the amazing sounds we hear every morning and evening - over and above the building that's going on just opposite us... Our daily visitors and residents include orioles, kingfishers, woodpeckers, bulbuls, toads and frogs, geckoes, lizards, squirrels, occasional harmless green whip snakes. But there's one visitor (hopefully it was only visiting) I'm not so keen on.
I was on the phone to my mother in the UK yesterday when I spotted something slithering across the lawn towards the house. 'Sorry Mum, I've gotta go. There's a cobra heading towards the house." Perhaps not the best thing to say to your mum half way across the world...Oh well, too late. What to do? I know my husband, who only hours ago got on a plane, would have grabbed his SLR and be exclaiming 'What a beauty!' and shot away to his heart's content. Talking of which, I could already feel my heart pounding faster than usual. I opened the back door and wishing it no harm picked up a mop and shook it in its direction. Thankfully it backed off (and didn't rear up). I watched it move towards our back gate. Ten minutes later though it was back and heading towards the house. This time I managed to gather up the cats, and call pest control.
The pest control guys duly came, and spent a good half an hour prodding in and under plants, trees, the washing machine, plant pots and so on, but the snake was either lying low or long since disappeared. I was sort of relieved. The threat from this snake was mostly in my mind. The guys explained to me (which I sort of knew anyway), that they are shy creatures. It was probably out hunting. They are not 'out to get me'. I am sure like so many other wild creatures they are more fearful of me. I want to embrace the diversity of life we have in our little patch of green - why can't I be a bit more laid back about a snake who's in all likelihood 'passing through'? I never did ask the pest guys what they do with the snakes they catch - I hope they drop them off somewhere where they can go about their snakey business in peace.

a visitor

2009-02-04T07:19:00.000-08:00

It's been weeks here without any 'real' rain - just one or two occasional showers. Grass is dying, bird's nests ferns look like they are going to drop off the trees, even bouganvillea which usually thrive in dry conditions look very sad. I've never known Singapore so dry. The large tree in our garden has been shedding huge amounts of leaves.

This afternoon though, the rain came - finally! It lasted a good half an hour - our drains quickly filled up and I was a bit worried that they would be blocked but this wasn't an all day downpour so we were safe.

Often when there is a big downpour, the bull frogs come out in force, or rather they vocalise in no uncertain terms. They are loud. A different frog put in an appearance tonight - a tree frog! About 10 months ago one jumped onto our study window at night and just as quickly sprang off again - and that was the only time we've seen one. This time, I came home quite late and one of the cats was playing with something - I assumed it was a gecko. (Sometimes we do find frogs in the house as our front and back doors have very large gaps at the bottom - it can be quite disconcerting sometimes when you are watching the TV and suddenly get an awareness that something else is in the room!) On closer inspection I saw it was a tiny frog - about the size of my thumb nail, with a very distinctive stripe along its body. I watched it jump around the study - it could jump a good 100 times its body length! I managed to scoop it up and take a couple of photos and took it outside where it leapt to freedom. It really made my day... I'm going to see if I can find out what it is.

touchstones

2009-02-02T06:33:00.000-08:00

Some of the exercises in The Artist's Way touch nerves, some are downright difficult, some I ignore (perhaps those are ones I need to do most - something to think about there), some are pure fun. Tonight I made a list of the things I love, something that Julia Cameron calls 'happiness touchstones'. I ended up trawling through old photos and making a separate file whenever I came across an image or a memory which I consider one of my personal touchstones. I'm thinking of putting them together and making a slide show one of these days...At random, in no particular order, here are some of my personal touchstones:

late afternoon sun

rock formations

rock pools

aerial views

shells

Japanese gardens

volcanoes

ceramics

spanish films

long deserted beaches

gnarled twisted trees

deep blues and purples

really good olives

craft markets

live music

drumming

sound of breaking waves

stroking and playing with cats

smell of eucalyptus

interesting contemporary architecture

queso manchego

paella

sunsets

.... there are many more but these came up tonight. A fun list to add to.

life classes

2009-01-31T01:15:00.000-08:00

Only a few weeks into the New Year and I already have one of my wishes! I've started a new life drawing class. What a great way to start the weekend. I've really missed going to life classes - I used to go regularly for a couple of years. It was a permanent fixture in my diary on a Wednesday evening, and I really did produce alot. But things change and that class is no more. I'm really happy though that I have found a new class, and better still - it's in walking distance from my house.

I love the challenge of life drawing - dealing with foreshortening, getting proportions right, capturing gesture. I love the fact that these classes are going to stretch me aswell. I pretty much always use charcoal, and in a few weeks we will be painting - I can't remember the last time I painted the human form. It's good to be pushed ...

accidental

2009-01-27T03:33:00.000-08:00

I took these photos this morning as I was doing a bit of printmaking. I opened a tube of printing ink I haven't used for ages and a lot of water squirted out creating these really nice bubbles - how I love digital cameras! I doubt I would ever have taken a picture if I it meant using film...

tembusu

2009-01-27T03:27:00.000-08:00

Here's the finished piece. I want to get the post tomorrow morning so the lighting's a bit off. The five at the top left hand corner alludes to the $5 dollar bill. Yet again the photo is the wrong way round! I will try and fix this...

my paper my land

2009-01-25T06:50:00.000-08:00

I am working on a postcard to submit to a show entitled My Paper, My Land which will be held to coincide with the IAPMA (International Association of Papermaking Artists) Congress in Tasmania this March. The exhibition will be held from 2 March until 14 April at Creative Paper's Gallery in Burnie.
The works are supposed to reflect where you come from which put me at a bit of a dilemna - where am I from?! I often feel rather disconnected from the UK as I have lived so many of my adult years abroad. So, instead of delving into the personal issue of where I think I am from, I've chosen to see this as a more literal question of where I come from right now.
The other condition was that the postcard had to be at least 80% paper. I deliberated a bit over using Chinese joss paper in my piece, and collaging this with an embossed drawing or even creating some kind of relief map of the island. I decided in the end to make my own paper from cotton linters and emboss it.
I deliberated over various ideas - and then settled on an image which in many ways sums up one of the best things about Singapore to me - the wonderful trees. I love the fact that a tree (the Tembusu) is honoured in the back of the Singapore $5 bill. It is actually one of Singapore's heritage trees and you can find this one with its distinctive lower branch in the Singapore Botanic Gardens. So I decided to use this iconic tree as the basis of my piece. http://www.sbg.org.sg/tanglincore/tembusutree.asp
I went to the Botanic Gardens today to make a quick sketch . This tree really has a personality - and is so used by people. Although I only sketched the tree, I think another time I will go and sketch people interacting with the tree. The lower branch has two supports and I cannot begin to estimate how many people per week sit on that branch to have their photo taken.

I am now working on a lino cut to emboss onto paper. I've decided to put in a few additions aswell which I'll post when it's complete.

fallen

2009-01-25T02:56:00.000-08:00

I was sad to see another fallen tree near my house this week - in fact two. The larger one looked healthy enough to me, but then I figured if you have a strangling fig growing around you then your chances of living to a ripe age decrease significantly - so the fig stands proud while the beautiful gum tree lies in where it fell, and may well remain there to decay. The leaves have already turned brown (and retain their wonderful aroma), but the bark is as it was last week - beautiful colours and textures - finer than I imagined. I might do some bark rubbings later this week...

chinese gardens

2009-01-22T23:43:00.001-08:00

The weather's been amazing this week - cool, and quite breezy - quite uncharacteristic for the rainy season. Out on Clarke Quay on Wednesday night I wore a sleeveless top and was actually cold!! It hasn't rained all week and everything is wilting and dying in the garden. There are way too many leaves to rake up. For once, I'd be really happy for a really heavy downpour. Anyway, it seemed like a great time to go out to the Chinese Gardens and draw with my friend Jane.

But today both the heat and humidity have gone up a few notches. I think we stayed for a couple of hours and decided that we couldn't take it anymore. We found a spot in the shade to draw a round entrance, and then later a pagoda. My oil pastels were melting nicely in the heat, and so was I. By the time I'd fnished my pagoda sketch sweat was just dripping off me - yep, time to stop. Not to be defeated, we'll go back another time (err...earlier in the day might be better!), and bring our own picnic. As we left we saw two huge monitor lizards swimming across the lake - we've decided to go to Sungei Buloh (a mangrove area to the north of the island, which also has monitor lizards as well as kingfishers and wetland species) - so we're not totally put off by the weather, which can be debilitating. I really liked the fact that my oil pastels came out in sympathy with me and reacted the same way I did!

my real home

2009-01-17T16:52:00.000-08:00

My true 'home' is by the sea. I had a long think about this the other day - it's not next to the sea (even though I love coastal walks), and it's not in the sea (although I love diving), and not on the sea (at best I am a fair weather sailor). Nope, none of these. Where I truly feel at home is the seashore, strolling on long stretch of beach, preferably deserted. I could be rock pooling or beachcombing or photographing the patterns that sand makes. I put my love of the seashore down to my father and the holidays we spent by the sea with a trusty Collins Guide to the Seashore. My Dad was never much for enjoying the sea, in fact I only saw him in the water once in my life. I now wonder why we had beach holidays when he seemed to really dislike the water. But we would spend hours pacing beaches picking up and identifying shells, or clambering over rocks and then rock pooling for shrimps.

Somewhere in my Mum's attic are some of the reminders of these holidays. I delved into this treasure trove of goodies a while back and found something that instantly brought a flood of memories back - a couple of British cowrie shells. These tiny ridged pink shells symbolise my childhood, well at least a part of it - the happy times on Cornish beaches. I don't think we found them anywhere else - or if we did I only associate them with Cornwall. In Asia they are far grander and have the most incredible markings, colouration and shiny texture. I've seen them many times now underwater with their mantle covering the shell and seen them feeding, and seen them washed up empty on beaches, scratched by coral and sand. But I don't think any other cowrie, or shell for that matter, will have so much resonance for me as the humble British cowrie.

Much of my past is stored in a couple of attics in Europe, there's a lot of 'stuff' up there too but to me that doesn't count. The things that really matter to me are old letters and cards, photos and little mementoes of happy times. Sometimes I long for them as I long for that deserted beach - but not in a nostalgic way, yearning for the past kind of way. Just as a way of putting some of the pieces of the puzzle back together - what makes me today, where my passions have come from...

pameran poskad

2009-01-15T02:38:00.000-08:00

Last week I went to pick up the artwork I bought at Pameran Poskad '08 - I was so excited! In all I bought nine pieces. This was one of the most fun exhibitions I've been to - there were around 2000 postcard sized artworks, all for sale, created by 228 artists ranging from some big names to art students. There were photographs, prints, paintings, paperworks - all sorts of media, at very reasonable prices. The opening party was fun too - and a bit frantic as people eagerly bought up their favourites. It was also great to bump into artist friends I haven't seen for ages - so it turned out to be a bit of a reunion. Hopefully next time I'll get to know about this in time to put some work in! Anyway, for now I am enjoying my purchases...One of my favourites is by Li Sze - 'Wanna the frog out my mind!' - a really fun piece. Another that I love is by Yuri, entitled 'Sakura 4' - an inspired piece - simple yet very elegant - handmade paper created to resemble blossom petals.

just do it

2009-01-09T17:46:00.000-08:00

It's quite timely that one of the tasks in The Artist's Way is listing creative goals for the year. It's nice to start the year thinking about my creative goals rather than what I am going to give up (which usually doesn't last very long!) - it definitely feels a much more positive and dynamic way to go. Most of my goals are very concrete like learning how to use my new digital SLR or going on a botanical illustration course (if I can find one). Right up there at the top is my intention to draw every day - even if it's just a quick 15 minute sketch, and draw without judgement. If I can't manage it for whatever reason, then so be it - I'll just start again the next day. Here's one of this week's drawings. One my cats often curls up in a ball with his head tucked in - perfect for a quick sketch!

filling the well

2008-12-30T04:16:00.000-08:00

I really needed a bit of time out and took myself to see the Korean Art exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum yesterday - this was my artist's date for this week. I really had no expectations, I knew none of the artists, nonetheless I hoped there would be one or two pieces that I liked or moved me in some way. I was pleasantly surprised to discover three artists work that I particularly liked; two on an asethetic/emotional level, the other conceptually. It's always wonderful to discover some new contemporary artists, and then realise that my preferences are fairly well established - for example I know I gravitate towards nature, natural forms and materials and particularly admire artwork which is executed skillfully.

Cheong Kwang Ho's work really impressed me. He makes exquisite copper wire sculptures - large, transparent pieces. My favourites were a large (around 4 ft across), four petalled flower, the other a multi-lobed leaf. Each piece was beautifully handcrafted - the leaf and flower literally stripped to their bare bones.

I lost myself in Kim Hong Joo's paintings. These were subtle aerial typographies of imagined landscapes, with paths or rivers running through them. Up very close you could see an incredible attention to detail, with very fine brush stokes of different colours blending together. According to the blurb, it takes him months to complete one painting. I loved the ambiguity of these landscapes - these could be microscopic or large scale.

Ik Joong Kang artwork intrigued me and I will certainly find out more about him. 'Happy World' dominated a large part of a wall and consisted of (hundreds?) of 3 x 3 miniature canvases. According to the brochure, 'Kang describes himself a s a collector of dreams, dreams of people.' I really like the idea of all these (possibly) random images and thoughts coming together to create a one large completed piece. It got me thinking - what if I did a small drawing or artwork every day? Something really small - even a doodle. Mmmm, that might be an interesting project...

christmas paper

2008-12-17T19:17:00.000-08:00

Here's me signing off now until after Christmas. Try as I might I never feel particularly Christmassy in the tropics - though I do try! Here's something I made a few days ago. The paper is very thin, and glistens ever so slightly with glitter. Now I haven't got time to figure this out, but the paper is horizontal so you have to turn your head to see it as it was intended. Anyway, wishing you Happy Christmas!

a gift to myself

2008-12-17T00:23:00.000-08:00

Bliss. I have just bought the winter issue of KIE magazine http://int.kateigaho.com/ I am an unashamed admirer of Japanese aethetics and culture. It's a truly luscious magazine and I'm never disappointed. I've mourned other magazines I've loved in the past when they've changed their paper, their format, their direction. KIE gets it just right - the focus is tight - Japanese arts and culture. Large format, high quality paper, exquisite photography, intelligent articles - it's pure pleasure. This is one magazine I cannot imagine ever tearing up for scrapbook images!

duxton hill

2008-12-15T23:23:00.000-08:00

Went out drawing today to Duxton Hill in Chinatown today with Jane. Meant to use my chalk pastels but couldn't find them - that spring clean I keep thinking about is getting more necessary! There are some lovely old shophouses, most of which have been restored and the area is quite gentrified - lots of bars and restaurants. Felt I was doodling a bit rather than doing any serious studies. Bauhinia trees line the street and found one or two whole flowers. Thought next time I'm here I'll pick up some of the petals to incorporate into paper... Oh, and next time I will bring some colours.

luz casal

2008-12-13T23:46:00.000-08:00

Spent a bit of time yesterday going through our CDs - and listening to some I haven't put on for a while. If anyone's voice can melt my heart, it's Luz Casal's. Sublime voice, sends shivers down my spine. I think I first came across her when I saw Almodovar's film Tacones Lejanos (High Heels), at least twelve years ago. This song brings back so many memories. She sings a couple of songs for the film, both are just beautiful. I think I might have to see if I can find the film and watch it again sometime... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83b_KNcduOk

pigeon orchids

2008-12-13T02:28:00.000-08:00

As I was coming out of our supermarket yesterday, II suddenly started noticing pigeon orchids up in the trees. They only bloom when there is a drop in temperature of about five degrees - and that happened a few days ago.

after the downpour

2008-12-08T23:05:00.000-08:00

Well the downpour seems to have stopped, at least for today. I've been a bit frustrated as it's been so wet lately that I couldn't get to draw outside. It was actually cool (by Singapore standards) and a little breezy, really nice. Anyway, I grabbed the chance and did a couple of drawings of what I think is some kind of fig species - I've no idea which. There was a fish tail palm in the middle of it all, but I don't think this was the host tree. It was pretty hard to draw, roots all over the place and hard to follow. If my drawing looks confusing, it's because it was! I'm now wondering about recording some of the sounds I hear - they were incredible today - high pitched whine of cicadas (which is pretty standard), warbling orioles, hooting sounds from a drongo, and the funny clicking sounds of squirrels...

paper

2008-12-05T17:10:00.000-08:00

This morning I was sorting through some old files and came across this photo taken sometime in June. I'd happened to be in a shop in Bras Basah complex which sells an amazing range of chinese brushes and paper, and lucky for me a Chinese calligrapher was there buying some materials. He agreed to write the Chinese character for 'paper' for me in ink. He did several versions and I have since used one of them for my business card. It is embossed in white. I specifically chose to put this character on my business card to acknowledge where paper originated from - and that's a whole story in itself!

saga seeds

2008-12-03T19:50:00.000-08:00

Around where I live there are lots of Saga trees (Adenanthera pavonia). I have a mental map of their location as they drop the most gorgeous little red seeds. They are pretty irresistible. After I’d finished drawing tree roots (see previous post), I rewarded myself by picking up exactly 100 seeds. I’ve put them in an empty olive oil bottle we picked up a couple of years ago in Australia. 100 seeds doesn’t really look much – I wonder how many it will take to fill the bottle?! I can’t compete with the Singapore Science Centre which apparently has the largest collection of saga seeds in the world – I’ll have to check that out – they’re aiming to collect one million!

saga trees

2008-12-03T18:47:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week I took myself off to draw tree roots. On a practical level they are easier to draw than branches – no neck strain! I just love tree root forms - how they contort, and grow around and over obstacles. They really are a delight to draw. I am planning to use these drawings as the basis for a some embossed paper images.

welcome to my blog!

2008-12-03T18:30:00.000-08:00

I’ve been thinking for a while about setting up a blog focussing on my artwork and finally here it is! I’m planning to update regularly with new drawings, paper creations, prints and any other pieces I’m currently working on. I also want to tell you a bit about where I get my ideas and inspiration from - I know for myself that I’m always interested to see how other artists work and they connections they make. And talking of which, I may add one or two exhibition reviews.

Oh, and it would be great to hear any feedback on my blog and comments on my work!