The Ramblings Of Linden Langdon

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The Niggling Design Discussion

Friday 26, October

Definitions in the world of fine art are constantly making incremental shifts as contemporary work takes up the challenge of seeking originality and becomes accepted into the folds of the appreciative public, under the attentive eye of the art critics. Boundaries become blurred, perhaps specific eras defined by time spans as much as by style, techiques altering gradually with small additions until they have their own definition.

Starting out in printmaking introduced the idea of working with previously developed images. There are a number of ways to trasfer images in printmaking. The risk of this is that it can be overused and the definition of fine art becomes very cloudy indeed. Design is a much more appropriate for works that have a number of previously developed images melded together, one would think. This is, after all, how design work is done. Magazines, newspapers etc have been using these techniques for a very long time. Advertising the driving force of course. So that is where it all comes ot a crashing point, in my eye, as the designed work does tend to have a commercial look to it - as if there should be a product logo somewhere, or advertising text.

Of course it is inevitable that the computer will impact on the development of art in this era, and that is without doubt going to be a defined kind of art in the future to look back on, and I'm sure that it will be looked back on, and considered for its contemporary value in its era. Not everyone embraces it, of course, and there are plenty of contempoary artists who avoid the modern and stick to the traditional. But what is contemporary art? Definitions on the internet suggest that all art work produced since the late 60's to the current day is contemporary, yet if you were to ask an art critic they would probably say something about it being art that challenges the ideas of what art is. Whatever that means. Surely art is essentially about presenting an idea in a visual form? So it comes back to it being about the form or technique and materials that are used. Painting that has lept from the street walls to the canvas, print that moves from paper to perspex, sculpture that shifts from marble to plastic bottle tops etc.

In the end it seems that a merge between graphic design and traditional fine art has become accepted as modern fine art and the appreciative public and heat seeking critics are as active in finding the next emerging artists boldly going where no other has been as the artists who are developing the new bodies of work that incorporate computer generated images, found objects of the human material world, reworked current and historical images or photos and of course text. Just a thought.

Cape Raoul

Thursday 25, October

Sometimes your heart seems to miss a beat when you see a picture of someone you love sitting on a cliff edge. My daughter reassures me that it is an illusion though, and that she really isn't right on the edge - ha! Abi is at Cape Raoul which is on the Tasman Peninsula. To her right is Shipstern Bluff where the waves present an amazing challenge to surfers with super honed skills. Behind her is Cape Raoul plateau. There are a few more photos on my Mountain page, thanks to Abi who snapped them with her mobile phone!

This is quite an old photo taken by my brother, but it shows the huge dolomite pillars that extend from the Cape Raoul plateau. It is all spectacular landscape on a grand scale, and certainly well worth a visit if your up to a walk.

Stitching And Beyond

Thursday 25, October

Stitching and Beyond is the exhibition title for a group of people working with contemporary textiles. It is another area where the once distinct line between predominantly womens crafts and art has becme blissfully blurred and recognition for the skill, time and creative effort that goes into these works is growing. The exhibition is on at the Moonah Arts Centre which has traditionally hosted shows that cover a really diverse range of artists and creative industries. Stitching and Beyond includes work from wearable art to contemporary quilts and 3D installations. The show opens on the 30th of October and runs until NOvember 7th. The Moonah Arts Centre is located at 65 Hopkins Street, Moonah.

Art From Central Arnhem Land

Saturday 13, October

Dick Bett has an interesting exhibition on at the moment. A collection of work by artists from the community of Ramingining in Central Arnhem Land that is tied together by the fabulous movie 'Ten Canoes'. The exhibition is on show until November 6th. You can also see the work online at the Dick Bett website. The opening would have been a an event to go to as well with some of the people involved with the movie in attendance - sometimes I wish I read my emails more thoroughly...

Gardening Patio Style

Tuesday 23, October

My print work is a bit frustrating at the moment - not enough hours in the day and space in the printroom as everyone works extra hard ot finish their work fo the year. But there have been some moments to try to address the lack of vegies in the garden. This has been a problem for a while for a number of reasons - some of them with four fury legs and some with feathers. The birds have been a big battle as the sparrows just love all the new shoots and young leaves and the blackbirds just love to dig up all the worms. So eventually last year I gave up the vegie patch space in the backyard.

This years experiment is the patio pots idea. So far so good, with plenty of plants popping up quickly under the nets. They need plenty of attention to make sure the water level is right and the soil needs regular doses of liquid nutrients, but the control I have means that there are already leaves ready to harvest on the little lettuce plants after only a few weeks. Of course my garden looks a bit like a jumble yard sale with the odd collection of benches and tables, but if all goes well then perhaps some precious dollars could be invested in some trestle benches to tidy things up and make it all a bit more efficient. I guess the story goes - keep at it and you'll find a way. Now all I have to do is apply that to the printing...

A Metal Story

Thursday 18, October

Copper is so expensive, but in the long run I think it is worth the initial outlay. One of the best things about using copper is that it has very good resale value to a scrap metal dealer. So when all the printing is done and the plates are as exhausted as I am of the images, then it will be off to the scrap yard for some cash to buy some fresh shiny new copper! Seems like a good deal to me! Other benefits of using copper are to do with the way that it behaves in the etch. Both steel and aluminium have a tendancy to allow the etch to work out from the marks - creating wider etch lines than you started with. Copper keeps the etch working straight down. It is also much easier to have a super smoooth surface that can be wiped super clean to prevent plate tone influencing your image. Being one for trying to have all the marks I want on my print to be etched, rather than relying on plate tone, this is a very important part fo the selection of metal. Now all I have to do is get to the studio in a quiet moment to print...

Some Comps

Tuesday 16, October

Browsing the desktop and the Arts at Work website I discovered that there is a new batch of competitions and opportunities coming up. One interesting one is the Office of the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner competition for youth. The outline says, "This is a competition from which entries will be used to produce a unique publication to showcase the views of Tasmanian youth. Our future is in the hands of our youth, and awareness is the first step to understanding. All entries included in the publication will receive a certificate of merit and appreciation.". There are two age groups, 12 - 16 and 17 - 23. The theme covers a wide range of issues - the future, social issues – health, environment and employment, discrimination, friendship/harmony. Entries can be posted directly to the office at Level 1, 54 Victoria Street, Hobart 7000, GPO Box 197, Hobart 7001 and can be in written form or painting or drawing. I suspect that they aren't too fussy about what the medium is really, but I guess 3d is out as they are looking at a publication. The closing date is the 15th of December.

There are a number of other competitions, so here are a few...

• photography Wilderness Gallery Prize
• poetry Melbourne Poets Union
• international womens day She - who explores
• annual competition Linden Postcard
• landscape painting The Glover Prize
• for the young ones again Youth Portraiture Prize
• inspired Australian landscape painting The Paddington Art Prize

Check the Arts at Work website for more competitions and opportunities.

Richard Wastell

Saturday 13, October

If your in Sydney there is an exhibition at the Depot Gallery (2 Danks street, Waterloo) that is well worth making the effort to see. Richard Wastell has a superb exhibtion of works on paper on show until October 20th. If your not familiar with his work, the Dick Bett Gallery has this current exhibition, "Whalers' Camp", online. The catalogue essay is also well worth reading as it really introduces you to what makes these works so poignant.

House Painting

Friday 12, October

Each year I get to do just a few things to make the house feel fresh and renewed. Painting is the obvious first choice, despite the hard labour! The dining room and little middle room (that seems to have no purpose beyond having numerous doors meeting there) were in desperate need of a face lift and finally the time came. Partly because new carpet for the dining room is almost becoming a viable plan and it is always best to paint the walls and ceiling before you put the new carpet down!

So, the first task was to remove all the furniture that doesn't get used everyday, which of course meant a juggling act in the rest of the house. Then, with a mostly empty room and tin of paint made up of odds and ends from the remnants of previous painting journey's, it was a matter of coating the walls to bring the tone up a notch as the dark walls would have taken several layers to cover. Then the architraves and doors - some hads never been painted before and the transformation was very uplifting! Finally came the colour of choice...

Now the story goes that with every choice of paint colour there are more than a few moments of feeling somewhat concerned about how it would be received. The very first stroke of the brush with my new wasabi room made me wilt a bit. "Oh dear" was one of the many thoughts. So as I worked I thought of a few nice things that people could say when they arrived home to their newlook dining room.

• oh it's like being in a cool forest!
• it's so light and cheery!
• gee plants will look good in this room!
• it's such a friendly colour!
• how many years before we change the colour again?

But, as the day wore on and after two coats on the ceilings and walls and finding the bottom of the ten litre tin I decided that maybe all would be ok. It was hard to really see a the colour does some shifting with the changing light through the day. Anyway, as it turns out everyone is happy and I didn't even need to use my prompts, so well rehearsed! Oh how everything aches though...

Tulip Festival

Saturday 6, October

Today was tulip festival day in the Botanical Gardens. This is a good fundraiser for the gardens, so it is always a good day to head in have a look at the spring flowers. The tulips are surprisingly intact after the horrendous weather we have been having all week and showed off plenty of colour. There were a number of live acts and international bands playing as well as the navy band and taiko drummers.

Food is a big drawcard at any event, and there was a range of international food available too. Mostly we spent the day taking pictures of flowers and walking around the gardens, which was a good space to be in on a relaxing Saturday!

A Story Of Marmalade

Friday 5, October

Each year my mum goes on a trip in winter to avoid the harshness and confinement of the cold. Each year I have a few tasks to keep things running in her absence. One task is to buy the seville oranges. Seems like a simple request really! The catch is that you first have to catch the moment that they appear in the fruit and vegetable shops. Then you have to actually remember to buy them. It's the last bit that I seem to have trouble with. This year I had a letter from mum with an extra special mention of the seville oranges, just in case I forgot. But that didn't help either! In a frantic ring around today I found one shop that had some seville oranges left. It was a bit of drive, but he has said they were plump and juicy. The orange on the left is what I found, a dozen shrivelled up and sadly neglected pieces of fruit bagged up and reduced to $2. But I bought them anyway, what else could I do when no one else seemed to have any? Deflated I drove back to town and dreamt up a number of excuses for not buying the fruit earlier in the season as requested. Then I thought of one more shop that may have some.

The Hill Street Grocer is a fabulous little deli that is just packed ot the rafters with all sorts of extremely yummy foods to suit any taste. No sevilles on the shelves. But I'll ask anyway... "ahhhh yes we have some out the back - last ones!" That's the orange on the right. Now that's a seville orange!

• Oxford Marmalade
• 1.5kg (3lb) seville oranges
• 3.6 litres (6 pints) water
• 3kg (6lb) sugar

Wash and peel the oranges. Cut the peel into strips and the fruit into small pieces, reserving the pips. Put the pips into a small bowl and the strips of peel and fruit into a large one, or the preserving pot your going to use. Bring the water to the boil and pour 600ml (1 pint) over the pips and the remainder over the fruit. Soak overnight.

Lift the pips out of the water with a slotted spoon and put them into a nylon seive. Pour the water the pips were soaking in over the pips into the fruit. Repeat with water from the fruit mix and then discard the pips. This just ensures you get as much of setting qualities of the pips as you can.

Boil the oranges gently until the peel is soft - about 2 hours. Add sugar and stir to dissolve. Boil the marmalade gently until it is a good colour - as dark as you want it to be - then boil rapidly for 15 minutes until setting point is reached.

Take the pan off the heat and remove any scum that floats on top. Allow th emarmalade to sit for at least 15 minutes and then stir to distribute the peel throughout. Pot into warm jars and seal immediately.

Inflight

Thursday 4, October

This exhibition looks interesting. Inflight is an artist run space located behind the Kaos Cafe in 237 Elizabeth street, Hobart. The exhibition is an exchange between the Launceston artist run space Arts Alive an the Inflight board members. The show runs until the 27th of October with an opening on Friday 5th at 6pm.

Lino Problems

Tuesday 2, October

For a while I have been trying to work out a way to solve a problem of unwanted ink in lino printing. The problem arises when I have a broad area of lino that has been cut away as it isn't in the image, but the pressure of the roller will push into broad areas and the ink marks are transferred to the print. So today I tried a method of sealing the lino block with shellac before printing. It seems to work ok, but obviously I need to make sure the shellac reaches into the first cut lino where the pressure will still be enough to pick up the scrappy lino marks.

This is the first test for a print in an international exchange co-ordinated by Melanie Yazzie who is the Associate Professor of Art at Boulder, Colorado. There is a bit more work to go on it yet, and colours to choose. It's good to see people in such positions of power being innovative about maintaining a broad outlook on the approach to art. I'm excited to be a part of that! Mmmm... maybe I need another layer on my print...