Opening Night!

Last Friday night was opening night for the Workshop Wonders Exhibition at the Logan Art Gallery.  My piece - along with the other pieces - was there, and the gallery was packed!

I saw my script up on the wall with my photo and found my Mum had just arrived too.  It was a great success for us all to have so many people looking at everything we had done.

A few people thought we had been given the plaster casts and we worked on them, but I told them that we made them from scratch and how it was all done.  Quite a few of the parents were impressed at how brilliant and thought-provoking everyone's work was. 

One lady said that mine was very relaxing and she said she loved books the same way I did... and it was good that somebody out there enjoyed them as much as I did in the same way.

Before long, Mum and I were both off home.  It was 7:30pm.  The speeches had been made, the other exhibitions has been opened and I had a Dawn Service to attend the next day for Anzac Day, so an early night was called for for me. 

Opening Night

It was a great success.  The Workshop Wonders Exhibition will be in the Logan Art Gallery for 6 weeks before I can bring it home and find a place for it here in my home office.  Until my next post, keep creating!

Plaster Torso Workshop At the Logan Art Gallery

Over the last two weeks, I've been working hard on some workshop things... well, just one thing really.  It's a plaster cast torso - no, not of my own body, it's of a mannequin base with 3 layers of plaster on the inside of it, then we all cleaned it up, painted on a hardening resin and started our work on it... of a 3D piece of more plaster.

Well, it's day 3, and I'm up to my finishing touches.  I just need to get in and find some quotes and opening lines from famous writers to write onto the torso in paint after I finish up the flowers and make them look better, then glue on the bling and then?  Well, I gotta sign the thing!  

On 24th, April, there's an art opening at the gallery and my piece will be in it.  It's about my passion for books and how much it takes up my life, my mind and how far back it goes into my soul... and how much I find reading and writing like oxygen; and if I stop either one, it would destroy me, so to me it's like living in my own self-designed dreamworld where I hope I never wake from.

Well, that's kind of what I'm hoping to put across in my piece.  It's been fun doing it... and my 3D piece of a book is going to be hung in my office... well, somewhere here anyway... if I can find a place for it.  So, what have you been up to lately?  Until my next post, keep creating! 

Turning Your Hobby Into A Business

I've been busy lately.  Busy with my Crafty Pegs, busy with my house and busy painting bigger things too.  And on Saturday, I was busy at the Logan Art Gallery doing volunteer work - well, trying to, as I was rostered on, but I was also invited to attend a workshop about turning my hobby into a business.  This is something I'm definitely interested in!

There were three or four guest speakers from different areas of the business world.  John Kenny was a lawyer who worked in the music industry to begin with and is now in the arts and other industries.  Then, there were two ladies who had begun a business named 'Made of Australia' which was begun with almost no money, but they've gotten it off the ground.  Then, the last speaker was Brian Tucker who is an artist and art collector, but is an accountant by trade.  He gave us all the information we'd need about ABN's (Australian Business Numbers), tax returns and what to claim on them and what can't be claimed.  All our speakers made the change from our love of art - and making arty things - from a hobby into a business where we make money from it.
Brian made the line between a hobby and a business very clear.  He told us that if we enjoyed making our arty things but gave them away freely, it was just a hobby, nothing more.  However, if we are forever trying to sell it, trying to get people to buy them from us at any cost, we are seeing a bottom line and have turned that corner from being a hobbiest to being a person who wants our art to start making money for us.  
When he mentioned this, I knew that for a long time, I've been trying to sell my artworks; for over 10 years in fact.  Each time somebody looks at my paintings, I'm always trying to figure out a price for them to pay me and how much I'd be prepared to go down in price; even if we didn't talk money, I'd still have the prices  go through my head for about a minute.  

After the hour and half workshop, we all got to talk about our arts and how we wanted to work on making them a business with the people who talked.  It was wonderful.  I totally enjoyed being there; but knew that I also had to be at the front desk too.   

This was a great insight to seeing what goes into a business and how easy it was to know when people are ready to get their arts and craft turned into a business.  And honestly, I think I'm ready.  I've got my pegs and my ideas and really, all I need is a business plan a little help in marketing.  Well, until my next post, keep creating!  

Life Drawing Masterclass

Yesterday, I was off early in the day to attend a Life Drawing Masterclass.  It was a full day - from 10am until 2:30pm - of learning the basics of Life Drawing; with a model there as well.  
I arrived there about half and hour early because my bus was either going to make me early or late - depending on with one I caught.  This gave me a chance to walk around the 'Artwaves' exhibition and to vote on the one I loved the most (which was Identity by Chanel Tanent in Gallery 3).  By the time we all signed in and had picked our places, the teacher was ready and the model had arrived.
Kay Kane works at Griffith University teaching students how to draw with pencil and charcoal and she also teaches animators drawing as well.  The model we had was somebody known to me as I had drawn him before at Southbank last year.  The funny thing was that I didn't really know him until he disrobed and posed that his name popped into my head; just before the teacher told us his name.
We learned how to use the cloud technique with drawing people.  This is when you use the side of your charcoal to shade what you see of the model; starting at the centre of him, then going up and filling in where the arms are and legs.  It was a great exercise for us to do.  By the end of it, we had to draw a fixed line around the cloud with the pointed end of our charcoal and then fill out where the arms and legs would have been.  And believe me!  Mine didn't look anything like what he did!  It was a mess.  We had a break and I went and said hi to the model - seeing I knew him - and caught up with him.  Then, the teacher worked through until around midday - lunch time - and we worked for another hour or so and we had a few more exercises to do before going back to clouding again; but we found we had all improved on that morning.
Kay Kane then talked about her doctorate and what her main piece of work was and how long her current works took her to do, where there's other Life Drawing classes and asked if we'd like to attend another class like this one at the Logan Art Gallery.  Most of us wanted to know faces and heads - portraits - and she was pleased to see we wanted to get into the nitty-gritty of all; and said she'd love to do another workshop in the future.  This is something I will definitely be looking out for!  
I got home at around 3:30pm - when Dad picked me up - and as soon as I walked through the door, all I wanted to do was go to bed and sleep until this morning.  My feet hurt from standing in front of that easel for 5 hours.  My knees hurt from not being able to sit once in a while; and I was so very tired from looking at the model, then looking at my work, then looking back at the model again.  But you know?  I'd do it all again because it's the passion of working with the human body that keeps me wanting to learn more about how to paint it and draw it.  Until my next post, keep creating!  

Life Drawing Workshop 

Collector's Workshop - Week One

Yesterday was a long day for me.  I was out from around 9:30am until 4pm; as I had to work a morning shift at the Logan Art Gallery, and work it alone at that as my partner in crime at the desk was off with the flu (am I the only person who doesn't catch the darned thing?).  

Well, once we had only 11 adults and 6 children come through for the morning, ate lunch and answered a few phone calls, the workshop people showed up and I had to get my gear together to join in.  I packed up my knitting, and lunch bag and put those into the back office and grabbed my blue trolley and green Bookcrossing briefcase, and headed off into the workshop.

We all set up on one table and I put out my books - placing them onto the t-towels they came wrapped in.  I also put out a few pairs of gloves in case people wanted to look at them beforehand (but nobody did) and I had one pair out I wore already undone and ready to wear.

Pip from the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane sat and talked about what this project was about.  She was thrilled that there were 11 of us who had shown up to this first workshop to talk and brainstorm.  We were soon talking with a digital recorder going in the middle of the table, one by one chatting about what we collect, why we collect and how we come across our items.

As collectors, we collect for more or less the same reasons, however how we started and why are for different reasons totally.  For some of us, it was something that kept us connected to places, for others it was because it was because we didn't have money and it was a way to possess something permanent.  However, for one lady - who collected small containers - she told us that nobody in her family had anything in common; so she felt as though each family member's life was in a box of its own, yet they were close.  But her husband has never understood how she sees the family like this; and so doesn't understand her collection.  

When it came around to me, I felt I needed to stand up as I was the second to last person and had been sitting for over an hour.  Besides, I wanted to hold up my books to show everyone my books properly.  As I put on my gloves, I heard somebody quip:  "And for my next magical trick..." and I answered:  "...and with nothing up my sleeve..." everyone burst out laughing!  It was a good ice-breaker to start my talk.  I didn't start out the same way as everyone else, though, at the age of when I began collecting.  I started on my first book and where I found it and how old I was when I bought it; and how I accidentally found my first out-of-print book... and how exciting it was to have something so precious in my possession.  I went on from my first book ('The Letter of JRR Tolkien' in hardcover format) to the first edition of Alfred Einstein's book about Mozart I found at Mullimbimby's The Book Barn.  As I spoke, I found talking about my passion for the written works of any author - no matter who it was so long it was a first edition or signed book - was just as valuable in any language now as it will be in the future.  After I put down a little-known author who had signed her book very strangely, I then talked about how I found my passion for the written word; and how it was an escape for me when I was little as I was a sickly child with childhood Epilepsy and escaping into a book was the best way I knew to deal with it. However, as I grew out of it (as it sometimes does happen with the condition) and I was re-diagnosed with it aged 19, I didn't try escaping from it anymore, I just dealt with it and kept on reading as I found it moved from escapism to a passion... preserving the written word was something that kind of came with the territory of enjoying it.  And becoming an author was another aspect of it too.

They all asked me so many questions about books, first editions, the Life Line Bookfest and publishing and writing that I found it fun!  I could answer all their queries and they were amazed I knew so much about my collection and how young I was when I began collecting these kinds of books - 23 years old - and what will happen to my books if nobody in my family wants them in the end.

Well, this first Collector's Workshop was a blast!  Next Saturday, we are meeting up at the Logan Art Gallery again to take off into the city via a bus to look at art spaces and how they are used around the place.  I'll be taking plenty of photos and uploading them onto links for you look at here.  Until my next post, keep creating!

Photo to look for:  Collector's Workshop - Week One 16/6/2012

Tomorrow

Well!  Tomorrow is the day of the first workshop at the Logan Art Gallery for the Collections Exhibition.  I can hardly wait.  I was so excited about it that I packed my blue shopping trolley yesterday afternoon!  Yep, I'm that eager.  The books I have chosen are wrapped up in t-towels, I've put in 3 pairs of cotton gloves and included my knitting bag - as I'm working the morning shift at the gallery.  Then, I packed my Bookcrossing Briefcase to take with me.  

This afternoon, I made a gorgeous Ratatouille to eat for lunch while I'm there so I have something in my stomach.  I'll also take along some other food for morning tea and my drink too so I don't go hungry; as doing workshops exhaust me.

I'll be back tomorrow night, letting you in on what went on there.  I promise.  I'm just looking forward to what will be happening.  Wish me luck!  Until my next post, keep creating!

Collections Exhibition

A few posts back, I talked to you all about an invitation that was forwarded to me about my own collections and how I could display them in an exhibition.  I've got a few collections I could pick from and thought to go with my rare book collection.  

Now, I have got more information about this and found out there's 5 workshops and this Saturday is the first of them.  I'm going to take along my most valued books and - seeing it's a first workshop - we'll be brainstorming on what is needed to be done.

I can't wait to get this working and enjoying the processes of it all as we bounce ideas off each other each week or so at the Logan Art Gallery.  There's even a bus trip involved (and yes, I'll be taking photos if I'm permitted to).  I'll end up making a photo album via a link to photobucket so you can all have a good look at what I've been doing with my exhibition; and I'll keep it on the sidebar as well as a permanent exhibition well after it's been and gone as well.

Now, rest assured, my books are not going on display.  I'm not going to put them as risk of being stolen or destroyed.  Instead I may photocopy them or some pages from them and use those as an art project to show something about them and their assets in the exhibition; this is the idea of the collections exhibition - to preserve the original pieces and show what we can do as artists.  I'll keep you all posted about this exciting project as each workshop comes and goes... until my next post, keep creating!

What Do You Collect?

Last week, I was at the Logan Art Gallery doing my volunteering shift on my own.  My partner in crime at the desk had come down with a stomach bug; how unfortunate.  I hope she's feeling better.  

Well, on my rounds around the place I noticed a pamphlet on the counter about collections.  The GoMA in correlation with the Logan Art Gallery are doing a few workshops where people with strange and wonderful collections can show them off at Kangaroo Point; and I thought to take part, seeing I collect a few different things.

The collection I'm going to show off - as I have about 4 completely different collections that are growing and I'm perfecting right now, and I'm only allowed to pick one - is my collection of rare and out-of-print books.  I began my collections of these by pure accident at the age of 23.  When I found my first out-of-print/rare book, it didn't cross my mind that a young person was allowed to have something as fine or as collectable as this in their possession.  It just wasn't something that I didn't think about at that time in my life.

Now, I'm almost 40 and I have been hunting down these particular types of books for 15 years now; and I'm not about to stop.  This collection of books I'm going to display is going to be something I've never let out of my house, let alone shown any of my friends.  So, this will be an absolute first for me to do with my collection:  letting the public see something of mine that has been hidden from everyone in my life except me.

So, do you collect something specific?  What is it?  Do you show off your collection or hide it to preserve it - like I do?  Until my next post, keep creating.

Knitting Workshop a Creative Blast!

Today, I went to the Logan Art Gallery to attend a knitting Master Class put on by Chris Zantis; who has an exhibition there (it's in the first gallery; and is absolutely brilliant).  On arrival, there were some ladies who had all brought along their knitting bags and goodies with them (something I had thought of bringing; but decided against it). Anyway, the Gallery was late in opening and we were all out the front for a few minutes introducing ourselves for a little while.

Once inside, Chris introduced herself and we put our bags inside the workroom and were shown around her exhibit in the first gallery.  

She explained how each piece came about and what materials she used; and where she arrived to have them.  The talk went for about an hour or so before we all went into the workroom and Chris showed us how she did some of the stitches she has been doing in her works; and a few of us took notes; then we tried it out.  I stuffed one lot up, but improvised (as we're encouraged to do so).  Anyway, we learned how to do a cord, make a skirt with the wool and adding on was a lot easier than I thought it was.  She made it a more fun than knitting has been in the past. 

 

Then, came the imaginative part.  We were invited to try out making a piece from what we've learnt that told a story about our lives right now.  I began knitting with really bulky wool made a little piece with different stitches.  Then I grabbed some wool and made a cord; and then, I worked on stitching it to a grater... part of attaching it to it was stitching pearls on it and tying bows of yarn onto it as well!  I had a ball with it; calling it: 'Chained to the Sink!'.  And Chris saw it and loved it immediately crying out that she needed a camera; which Judy (or Leslie, I don't know who as I was concentrating on my work) took a few photos of it.  Chris asked why it was called that and I said I live alone and it's all I seem to be doing:  washing up all the time, and they all laughed.

I loved working with knitting and yarn in the different ways and integrating the kitchen materials with it all; it made knitting a lot more interesting and fun.  We got to take home our work too.  There are still some finishing touches on my grater I've got to do, but I'm happy with my work otherwise.  Until my next post, keep creating! 

Exchanging of Gifts at a Glassworks

I was out and about today to a friend's house in Logan Central.  I bussed it to Doug Cartwright's place to help him with starting up a blog for an artist who needed something that was easy to maintain and was in the public light enough that people would find it.  So, of course, I insisted he uses Blogger because it will show up on Google.

On the way over, I found that there was more graffiti tags than art all over the footbridge; but they were very colourful.  So, I took photos of them.  However, his house was full of arty things; and Doug isn't just a glassworks guy.  he's an oil painter too and has had many exhibitions around the place; including the Logan Art Gallery.

Once lunch was, Doug showed me his studio downstairs where there was so much work he had done, glass sitting around in containers for his famous jewelry boxes that are sold at the LAG and much larger pieces standing up in tall slots waiting to be used in other larger pieces of work.  He began working on a small box when I looked on and began working on it my self.

Over the afternoon, I worked on getting the pieces of glass

together and soldering them, then worked on the sides and mirrored bottom.  After each piece, there was the copper sulfate, washing and polishing to do then more soldering.  It was a slow process; not one for the impatient type (which fortunately for me, I can have a lot of patience when it's required).  Doug found that I picked up the glass work very quickly and was impressed that once I put my mind to something like this, I could do it under

supervision.  I had a few problems, but nothing that Doug couldn't fix.  And now, I have a lovely little jewelry box that I had been meaning to purchase from the Logan Art Gallery Store.  Isn't it just lovely?

Doug's boxes come in three sizes and he also makes business card holders and other arty things out of broken mobile phones and stained glass too.  

Art Workshop at the Logan Art Gallery

Yesterday afternoon, Mum and I took off to the Logan Art Gallery to take part in a workshop to make our own book covers.  The great thing was that the artist who was showing there was also giving the class.  So, we got to talk to her.  Sandy Johnson told us how she was inspired to work with mixed media and an old set of books her children could no longer use thanks to the internet.

Then, we had our chance to have a go at doing this great artistic fun ourselves.  She showed us how to make our piece of calico into a 4-layered backdrop of what would turn into our book cover, wall-hanging or whatever we thought it would be.  But instead of making us wait for two days for it to cure/dry, she had some ready-made ones for us to finish off.  And we all had our own idea of how

things were supposed to look.  

My phase one (piece of calico with the 4-layered backdrop) looked really great until I put some tissue paper on it.  For some reason it looked very gooey and messy after that.  Otherwise, I was thrilled with my phase two piece that I simply put some bookcrossing notes, ribbon and stamps on; and then to finish it off, I gave it a light blue wash.  Very nice.  I look forward to using it on a journal at some point.  However, I'm still trying to figure out what can be done about the first phase piece I've got still drying downstairs which looks like it's falling apart; but it may not yet.

I'll keep you posted about it and if it's a failure, I'll see what I can do about it; and see if I can improve upon it and make it better.  If not, well, Sandy might be doing something differently to what we did yesterday.