Goldfields Printmakers at Firestation Print Studio

Artist/educator James Pasakos founded Goldfields Printmakers in 2012 as a point of connection for printmakers whose practice is based in the Goldfields region of Victoria. In recent times the group has exhibited at the Art Gallery of Ballarat, Art at Wharepuke, Kerikeri Bay of Islands, Northland, New Zealand, and IMPACT 8, the International Print Conference in Dundee, Scotland.

On Saturday, October 4, the Goldfields Printmakers will make their Melbourne debut in an eponymous group exhibition at the Firestation Print Studio in Armadale.

Also making her Melbourne debut, if only in linocut form, is Moth Woman Vigilante #1 (pictured below).

Deborah Klein, Moth Woman Vigilante #1 (second state) hand coloured linocut, 15 x 15 cm, 2014

Exhibiting artists are:

Anne Langdon

Barbara Semler

David Pudney

Deborah Klein

Dianne Longley

Jackie Gorring

James Pasakos

Janette Wotherspoon

Josephine Walsh

Kim Barter

Loris Button

Melissa Proposch

Val McCann

Rosemary Eagle 

The exhibition will be launched by Dr. Carole Wilson, Honours and Research Degrees Co-ordinator – Creative Arts, Federation University, Ballarat.

Please join us at the opening event:

Firestation Print Studio

Saturday 4 October 3 – 5 pm,

2 Willis Street

Armadale Vic

Gallery hours: Wednesday-Saturday 11 am – 5 pm

The exhibition runs until 18 October.

Chrysochroa buqueti Beetle Woman

The Buprestidae family of Jewel beetles is named for their spectacular iridescent colours. In my opinion, Chrysochroa buqueti is one of the finest. This is no mean claim, as to date, over 15,000 of the species are known.

Rather less is known about the recently discovered hybrid pictured here, one of two homo-insecta that I managed to capture on paper in between attending screenings at the recent Melbourne International Film Fesitval. (See also blog post Tuesday, August 19).

Despite her flamboyant colours, the Chrysochroa buqueti Beetle Woman proved to be very reticent; she was hard to pin down, metaphorically speaking. Several additional sightings were required before an accurate likeness could be captured and the image finally published.

Pictured above: Chrysochroa buqueti Beetle Woman, 2014, watercolour, 41.91 x 29.72 cm. 

Pictured below: a sequence of developmental images, followed by the homo-insecta's not-so-distant forbear, the Malaysian Chrysochroa buqueti beetle. 

Stigmodera jewel beetle woman

It seems like a year, rather than just a couple of weeks, since Shane and I were in Adelaide and longer still since Stigmodera jewel beetle woman first saw the light of day. In fact, the work was completed just before we left for South Australia. It was only after we returned that I remembered the species of jewel beetle (Classification: Coleoptera: Buprestidae) from which the Stigmodera jewel beetle woman evolved is from the Adelaide Hills, where Carrick Hill House is located. (See previous post and scroll down). It's very likely that clusters of Stigmodera beetles were observing us (at least, if they had nothing better to do) as we explored its sweeping garden. Most adult jewel beetles feed on the nectar from flowers and those at Carrick Hill are currently blooming in all their springtime glory.

Pictured below: completed Stigmodera jewel beetle woman, 2014, watercolour and pigmented drawing ink, 41.91x 29.72 cm, followed by two images of the work in progress:

A visit to Adelaide, Part 2

Following are more pictorial highlights of our recent sojourn in Adelaide.

Shane in the Morgan Thomas Gallery of the magnificent Art Gallery of South Australia

DK admiring the J. W. Waterhouse painting Circe Invidosa, 1892, oil on canvas

The Arts and Crafts movement is showcased in the Art Gallery of South Australia's basement,
including the Morris & Co. tapestry The Adoration of the Magi, purchased by the gallery in 1917 

The original State Library of South Australia

Some of the library's treasures

Shane admires the view from the first floor level of the State Library of South Australia

Back in bayside Brighton, their art deco cinema seems to have a more secure future than our Astor Cinema in Melbourne

Shane and wooden companion awaiting coffee outside one of Brighton's delightful cafes
that have sprung up in recent years

One of our favourite places in South Australia is the historic property Carrick Hill, located at the foot of the Adelaide Hills in suburban Springfield. Carrick Hill House was completed in 1939. It was the home of Sir Edward Hayward and his wife Lady Ursula (née Barr-Smith). The house, its contents and grounds remain largely intact. For me, Carrick Hill’s greatest draw card is its extraordinary permanent collection, especially the twentieth century British art, including works by Stanley Spencer, Augustus John, Gwen John and Jacob Epstein. After Sir Edward Hayward’s death in 1983 (his wife had predeceased him) the house was bequeathed to the state. You can read about the property HERE and its collection HERE.

Part of Carrick Hill's superb garden

Robin Rogers and Shane Jones approaching Carrick Hill house

Carrick Hill entrance hall

Paintings by Stanley Spencer: Monkey Puzzle Tree and Sunflowers

Bust of George Bernard Shaw, 1934, by Jacob Epstein

Albert Einstein sculpture captured in a linocut by Australian artist Eric Thake
paired with the original work (1933) by British sculptor Jacob Epstein 

Robin and Shane viewed from Carrick Hill's fine oak staircase

Setting off to explore Carrick Hill's garden 

On the way home from Carrick Hill my uncle was keen to show us the grave of composer Percy Grainger. I’ve always found old cemeteries fascinating, but had never before visited Adelaide Cemetery. By sheer accident, I discovered the grave of Adelaide born writer and artist Barbara Hanrahan. Back in the 1980s I met her on a couple of occasions, once at the Print Council of Australia, where I worked as an administrative assistant, and some time later when I was printing in the access workshop of the former premises of the Australian Print Workshop in Fitzroy. She was a warm gentle, person, and it was a thrill to meet her. I’m a longtime admirer of her books and artwork, which had a considerable influence on my early work so coming upon her grave was especially poignant.

Barbara Hanrahan's family grave, Adelaide Cemetery

A small selection of Barbara Hanrahan’s work can be viewed HERE and there is a short biography HERE. To hear Hanrahan herself speak about her work, click HERE.

A visit to Adelaide

Left-right: Godwin Bradbeer and Shane Jones at Melbourne Airport

We are not long back from four eventful days in Adelaide, South Australia. My Uncle Robin, with whom we stayed, had been urging us to fly over for the exhibition Dorrit Black: Unseen Forces, at the Art Gallery of South Australia. Due to unusually heavy fog, our Melbourne departure was delayed and we grumpily prepared ourselves for a long wait, trying hard not to think of how much this would cut into our precious time in Adelaide. It was at this point we discovered fellow artist Godwin Bradbeer (a friend and former colleague from my teaching days in the RMIT University Drawing Department) was also Adelaide-bound. We hadn't seen him in ages and the extended waiting time (thankfully, in the end it was only an hour and a half) flew by as if t'were mere seconds.

At Adelaide Airport my uncle was patiently awaiting our arrival. Robin lives in the seaside suburb of South Brighton, an area that has been a constant in my life. I’ve been coming here since I was a child, when my late grandparents lived around the corner in Lewis Street. (Their house has only recently been demolished). A long walk on the beach a block from Uncle Robin’s house is a prerequisite and always opens a floodgate of memories.

Shane on Brighton Beach

Robin and Shane on Brighton Pier

The following morning Shane and I set off for the Art Gallery of South Australia and the exhibition we'd flown all this way to see.

Adelaide-born Dorrit Black (23 December 1891 - 13 September 1951) is one of the finest modernist painters and printmakers this country has produced, a key figure often unjustly overlooked in the history of Australian art. She was one of the artists whose distinctive prints I studied when teaching myself lino cutting in the early 1980s, so I was very much aware of her work. But until seeing this stunning exhibition, which comprised over 200 works, I had no idea of its extraordinary range and scope. Its evolution continued right up to her untimely death in a car accident in 1951. Based on the evidence of her last paintings, Shane and I are convinced that still finer work would have been ahead of her.

Dorrit Black, Mirmande, c.1928, Mirmande, France, oil on canvas, 60 x 73.8 cm, Elder Bequest Fund 1940. 

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide. 

Dorrit Black The Bridge, 1930, Sydney, oil on canvas on board, 60.0 x 81.0 cm, Bequest of the artist, 1951. 

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide. 

Dorrit Black, Music, 1927/8, colour linocut, London or Paris.  

Dorrit Black, The acrobats, 1927-1928, colour linocut, printed in colour from 

four blocks on thin cream paper, 25.1 x 17.7 cm image; 25.8 x 23.8 cm sheet (irreg.)

editon no: 7/50

Four linoblocks for The acrobats. Lino blocks mounted on hardboard with Perspex, 

25.4 x 21.6 x 0.3 cm each block, collection Art Gallery of NSW,

gift of the artist's sister, Mrs Helen Finlayson 1967

Dorrit Black, The mountain lake, c. 1935, colour linocut on Japanese paper, 

29.7 x 20.7 cm (comp.) 35.6 x 26.5 cm irreg. (sheet). Edition 6/50

Dorrit Black, Argentina (The Spanish dancer) c. 1929, colour linocut, 

18.8 x 16.0 cm (image) 23.9 x 21.2 cm irreg. (sheet)

Such is the shameful state of neglect of this artist I found it difficult to find images to download here. The Art Gallery of SA has published an excellent, extensive catalogue, which I understand will soon be viewable online. Once it becomes available, I’ll add a link to this post. Meanwhile, you can read a little about the Dorrit Black exhibition HERE and about Dorrit Black herself HERE.

The Sun Whose Rays Are All Ablaze

The sun, whose rays

Are all ablaze

With ever-living glory,

Does not deny

His majesty —

He scorns to tell a story!

He don't exclaim,

"I blush for shame,

So kindly be indulgent."

But, fierce and bold,

In fiery gold,

He glories all effulgent!

I mean to rule the earth,

As he the sky —

We really know our worth,

The sun and I!

I mean to rule the earth,

As he the sky —

We really know our worth,

The sun and I!

Observe his flame,

That placid dame,

The moon's Celestial Highness;

There's not a trace

Upon her face

Of diffidence or shyness:

She borrows light

That, through the night,

Mankind may all acclaim her!

And, truth to tell,

She lights up well,

So I, for one, don't blame her!

Ah, pray make no mistake,

We are not shy;

We're very wide-awake,

The moon and I!

Ah, pray make no mistake,

We are not shy;

We're very wide-awake,

The moon and I!

The Sun Whose Rays Are All Ablaze, by W. S. Gilbert.

From The Mikado, 1885, music by Sir Arthur Sullivan, lyrics and libretto by W.S. Gilbert.*

Illustration: Deborah Klein, Untitled, 1992, woodcut on oriental paper

*To hear this glorious song (performed by Shirley Henderson as Leonora Braham
 in the movie Topsy-Turvy, 1999, directed by Mike Leigh) click HERE.