Revelling in reading

credits to Sweets workshop blog

This short holiday (from uni) is of course dreary and wet, a rather grey contrast to the brilliantly sunny weeks that preceded it. However today was a "real' day off, no work of any sort. I checked out 'Sweets workshop' a two room gallery / shop just across the road from Summerhill train station. The window display had caught my eye the week before on the way to uni. Since paper cutting is in my sphere at the moment I braved the rain to go visit Nina May's 'Paper and the Blade' exhibition. The main wall in the gallery space showed a cluster of framed works with a range of themes. Some had fairytale origins, others portrayed a whimsical quirkiness that at times was humorous and lighthearted or otherwise a little melancholy. If  I could I would have 'Hills hoist girl'.

The remainder of my afternoon was spent searching for a second book in the opp shop so I could sit in a comfy chair in the cafe on the corner opposite the station drinking hot coffee, reading and eating pear and almond tart.

Once the rain had ceased sufficiently to walk home, I left one cozy spot to visit Ashfield library, which I haven't visited since the latest refurb. I got out more books, picked up some extra supplies for dinner and went home to read some more.

Projection

 A quick test to see how the projection will look over the glass pieces. Better than I thought!

Postmodern reinterpretations of Fairytales

Postmodern Reinterpretations of Fairy Tales: How Applying New Methods Generates New Meanings edited by Anna Kerchy..blogged about by Surlalune, I really think this would be a good book for me to read in readyness for next year..but without seeing a copy, US$147.50 is a bit much....maybe I can suggest the library get a copy?

Glass elective with Susie Peck: 9

Rayzist, raaaaaaaaaaaaayzist!
Out of the hot shop this week, to experiment with Rayzist SSR3000. The Australian supplier is Problast.
Rayzist photomask is a self adhesive photo resist film that you can use for applying a detailed resist to glass for sandblasting. You can use it on other materials too.

Happy Birthday Harry!

My best friends little boy turned one today....there was a lovely party and I made a cut paper mobile for his room featuring the animals they have at home; Snowy the pony, Jasper the Border Collie and chickens (i don't know their names). It ended up so cute I almost didn't want to give it away.

Ai Weiwei Fairy tale links

China Daily Article

Interview with Ai Weiwei By Nataline Colonnello

Institute of Modern Art (short description)

Immaterials: Light painting WiFi

Immaterials: Light painting WiFi from Timo on Vimeo.

Making the unseen seen...

My first millisecond of animation

Blowing with Tegan and then Kate

Tegan had the wonderful idea of making mini bubble nets for brooches. Smaller does not mean easier, amazing how often we forget that!

Understanding professional practice with Karin: 6

Knowing the business part 2: Today's class began with a presentation from Donna and Georgette? from Viscopy. I was charging the furnace today so I had a short reprieve while I sprinted back to the glass studio to lob batch into the furnace.
The second half of the lesson waaaaaas about selling: Consignment/Retail/Wholesale and deciding who was going to present when.

Leaves and trees (more of)

Shaping up a new clay mould, trying out forms that are raised and incised.

Into the kiln

Sharing two Kilns, I put my 'leaf inclusions' in with Sarah's teacup tests and in with Nadine some furnace glass for flattening. The leaf inclusions are going into one of my hot cast moulds, so the colour is gaffa glass. Red hot chilli and Ruby gold.

Glass prac 6: Goblets

Andrew runs out of floor.....

Studio day

A very botanical investing session. Tegan and I invested her 'seed pods' and I made an open faced mould for the leaf inclusions. We both had to quit at 12.30, Tegan for work and myself for a pre visitor tidy up at home.

Ravens

Here's a collection of photo's of ravens from the web, thanks to all those photographers.

I love this one! So typical

Understanding professional practice with Karin: 5

Knowing the business:
Homework: Research project opportunities relevant to your practice- residencies, mentorships, exhibitions etc plus funding that could support this....

Northlands
Canberra Glass Works ,
Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass
Corning Museum of Glass CMOG
Resartists

Ok there are hundreds, but I kind of fancy Emma Ricklunds stiftelse in "Saxnäs, southern Lapland. 

"It is the crossroads where two cultures meet: the indigenous Lapps and the settlers. This is the place where mythology and folklore mix; it is where many artists, such as Asger Jorn, have sought and found their inspiration and energy."

So...I need some of these!

In hot sculpting blown glass there are times when you need to shape the glass from the inside. That's where these kind of tools come in handy. These ones are made by Jasen Johnsen.

My first millisecond of animation

The first bit is a paper cut wolf and the next part is a water-colour filling up Cinderella in rags.

Artist of the day: Su Blackwell

Su Blackwell is an artist and art director, working predominantly within the realm of paper. Her sculptures realise in tangible form the reading experience where small words create large worlds, the page literally jumps out of the book into fantastic ethereal woods, figures and landscapes.

Below are excerpts from her profile.
”I often work within the realm of fairy-tales and folk-lore. I began making a series of book-sculpture, cutting-out images from old books to create three-dimensional diorama’s, and displaying them inside wooden boxes”.
”For the cut-out illustrations, I tend to lean towards young-girl characters, placing them in haunting, fragile settings, expressing the vulnerability of childhood, while also conveying a sense of childhood anxiety and wonder. There is a quiet melancholy in the work, depicted in the material used, and choice of subtle colour.”

After looking at her blog, I realise that I have missed out on a paper workshop course run by the V&A: Fairy tales and fables, Paper art, Sold out! Not that I could go any way..living on the other side of the world..but I would have loved to have done it.

Wildflowers

I would love a dress with butterflies!

Slash: paper under the knife

MAD's 2010 exhibition "Slash: paper under the knife" is a great resource of artists working in paper. In conjunction with this exhibition MAD ran "Moving paper" international paper film festival. 'Going west' (shown a few posts ago) was one of the winners of the competition.

Andreas Kocks