Dear Gaby
general, my art, prints :: posted on October 27th, 2009
When you asked me “hows the printing going” I had to stop and think for a minute. Printing? So please excuse my slow reply to your question? Yes I have been doing some printing, but I’m not sure what it is yet. So this is why I have found it hard to answer your question, and perhaps if I tell you what I have been doing the answer will unfold from its disguise.
I have been teaching lithography at Tafe two days a week, so some of my printing is happening there. I’m trying to allow my current theme of women travellers to emerge from the method, as well as creating lessons for the class. Here is an example of that, with a stone that has a few different sorts of washes on it and then a chine colle in the second image. This Lady Traveller was very fast to appear, and is a sign of what I have been trying to do – allowing the images to manifest rather than controlling them.
But of course I am a woman of contradiction – as I’m sure you know well!
So here is a lithograph plate ready to etch which I created using an ink pen method. This was introduced to me by a student who bought some lithograph tusche especially for working with an ink pen – new to me! Would this have changed how I approached my MFA? Lets not dwell on the past, because this is about the future – isn’t it? Anyway, I didn’t have the tusche so I made one up with the rubbing ink which is a lot thinner, so it may not be such a success when all is said and done.
I hear that there is a new edition of the Tamarind in the book shops now – how great is that!
Is it all looking too gloomy do you think? Anyway, I decided that I needed to develop my love of the naturally dyed paper, but with a significant link to the image that I’m working on. So here is a picture of Koonya, where i lived for a number of years. Of course you may not recognise this view, as the trees fill the paddocks now, and reach up to three stories at least. I lived in this tent while building the little studio that was never to be a studio, but became the house instead.
But back to the dye. So I collected some plant material here and then prepared the paper.
The leaves I plucked from the tree I planted all those years ago – must be 25 – created a gentle green/gold stain on the paper, ready to receive the lithograph later this week.
So yes I am printing Gaby, but am I really printing? I think it is all a matter of moving through the moment and finding feet and direction from within. It won’t happen from the outside, that’s for sure!
See you soon,
Linden
October 27th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Oh, she is lovely.A tent eh? I lived in a bus for a while. I am fascinated by this process with the leaves.I look forward to seeing you at lunchtime on thursday
October 28th, 2009 at 2:58 am
Thanks Kim – yes the tent was an upgrade… Hopefully the sun will be shining and we will be able to enjoy a breath of fresh air!
October 28th, 2009 at 4:30 am
Wow you have been busy. How beautiful that you are using those leaves from the trees planted to stain your paper all these years later – that seems like a great metaphor for your own travelling. I really love the image of the woman with and without the chine colle. Love the marks. All that experimentation makes me look forward to finishing study and starting next project. See you soon!
October 31st, 2009 at 3:01 am
Hi Gaby, Thanks so much for the kind words – very uplifting! I think your right about the metaphor – I guess no matter what we do we always bring a little or a lot of ourselves into the work otherwise the hand of the artist would be absent? Be good to catch up for a chat