Happy Halloween

In the spirit of if you can't beat them, join them, I give you my own Halloween Female Super Hero: St. Martha, the Patron Saint of Housewives (1993, oil on canvas, 1370 x 510, collection: the artist).

Centuries before Buffy, there was St. Martha, who was responsible for slaying a bloodthirsty dragon (AKA the Tarasque) that was laying waste to the countryside of Tarascon, an ancient town on the Rhône, situated between Avignon and Arles. According to legend, St. Martha succeeded in capturing and taming the dragon, which the townspeople subsequently destroyed. For more about St. Martha and the Tarasque, click HERE.

The work was made in 1993 as part of a three-month Australia Council Residency at the Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris. Its key point of departure was the superb painting, St. Michael by Piero della Francesca (1469). Originally a side panel of an altarpiece, it is now one of the gems of the Sainsbury Wing of London's National Gallery. You can view it HERE.

Cotton Harlequin Bug Woman #1

It's hard to believe that only this time last week I was heading to the Australian Print Workshop for the first day of the APW Print Fair.

Coincidentally, the project that followed closely on its heels (started pre-print fair but finished this week) is also for the APW: their biennial Impressions exhibition. Because I'm doing a residency at the Art Vault in Mildura from 24 November, I'll miss the opening of the show (this year it's on 28 November) an event I very much enjoy. It's also the reason I've had to get my edition done ahead of time.

Following are some key stages in the metamorphosis of my Impressions print, Cotton Harlequin Bug Woman, from lino block to completed edition, numbered, titled, signed and ready for delivery to the APW.

The Cotton Harlequin Bug is a member of the Jewel Beetle family. Like the linocut Jewel Beetle Woman made early this year in collaboration with APW Master Printer Simon White, I've used pigmented drawing inks to hand-colour the work. The inks have a marvellous transparent luminosity that captures the glowing colours of these glorious insects far more successfully than watercolours ever could.

Cotton Harlequin Bug Woman, 2014, hand coloured linocut,
20 x 15 cm, edition 10

APW Art Fair pics

A big thankyou to everyone involved in last weekend’s APW Print Fair. It has been pronounced a great success, with a new record set for visitor attendance. There was much lively conversation, both with visitors and exhibiting artists, and an overwhelmingly positive response to our work.

Fellow APW Print Fair artists were Elizabeth Barnett, Lauren Carter, Jazmina Cininas, Marisa Corral, Louise Donovan, Jonathan Guthmann, Kate Hudson, Kyoko Imazu, Nina Magee, Ellie Malin, Stephanie Rampton, Tom Sevil and Georgia Thorpe.

My stand at the APW Print Fair. Photograph by Shane Jones.

Pictured with my good friend, APW Print Fair Artist Jazmina Cininas. (Jazmina's amazing
Girlie Werewolf reduction linocuts can be glimpsed on the righthand side).
Photograph by Shane Jones. 

The print fair in full swing. Pictured far left: DK with APW Print Fair artist, Kate Hudson. Photo credit: APW.

APW Print Fair artists Marisa Corral and Georgia Thorpe share a quiet moment.
Photograph: DK.

Among the many visitors were three of my favourite people. From left to right: Euan Heng, Catherine Heng, and Shane Jones.
Artwork on the wall far left is by Jan Senbergs and background, right, by Andrew Browne.
Photograph: DK.

Your Invitation to the APW Print Fair

Top: Enchanted Hair Ornament #3, 2009,
hand coloured linocut, 30.5 x 23.5 cm, ed. 30

Apparently the cutting, mounting, wrapping and labelling that currently consumes my waking hours has become compulsive (see also Blog Post Saturday, 4 October). I've added several more works to those I'll be showing at this coming weekend's APW Print Fair. As a result, there will now be complete sets of the Winged Women, Moth Masks and Enchanted Hair Ornaments linocuts. Pictured above, atop the invitation, is Enchanted Hair Ornament #3 (2009) and directly below are five additional Winged Women (2010).

Winged Women, 2010, linocuts, 32 x 32 cm ed. 30

All of the prints, particularly the Moth Masks and Enchanted Hair Ornaments, have had relatively little exposure in Melbourne. Their first and last appearance was in the 2009 group exhibition I saw and heard of none like me, curated by the inimitable Rona Green, so it's likely that many who visit the Print Fair will be seeing them for the first time. 

I'll be there on both days and look forward to seeing you.

APW Print Fair
Australian Print Workshop

Fitzroy, 3065

T: 03 9419 5466

E: auspw@bigpond.com

www.australianprintworkshop.com

Hours: Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 October

10 am–5 pm each day.

Goldfields Printmakers opening event at Firestation Print Studio

Amidst the seemingly endless preparation for this weekend's APW Print Fair, I momentarily pause, catch my breath and recall the lively opening of Goldfields Printmakers last Saturday, 4 October at Firestation Print Studio. I'm very proud to be part of the GP group and this super show. It was fantastic to meet the Firestation Workshop Manager Edith May at long last, catch up again with many of the talented Goldfields Printmakers and see so many other faces, both familiar and unfamiliar.

Firestation Print Studio, Armadale

James Pasakos and fellow GP artist Jackie Gorring discuss James's work (far right)

Goldfields Printmaker and Treasurer David Pudney (centre). My two prints are on the far right, top row. Directly
underneath them are two superb prints by Loris Button

Firestation Print Studio Vice-President Myra Kaufman (in white shirt, third from left), James Pasakos
(fourth from right) and Antoinetta Covino-Beehre (third from right) were among the throng

Dr Carole Wilson delivers the opening address to an engaged and appreciative audience, including Annie Drum
(third from left)...

…Antoinetta Covino-Beehre (left) and (far right): Shane Jones, Jackie Gorring and David Pudnam

Fourth from left: GP artist Janette Wotherspoon, Nola with her sister GP artist Loris Button
and Antoinetta Covin-Beehre 

James Pasakos and DK

James Pasakos, Carole Wilson and DK

Far left: Firestation Print Studio Manager Edith May

It was an unexpected treat to see Geoff and Bronwyn LaGerche. Geoff was Head of Printmaking
at Chisholm Institute (now Monash University) in my undergraduate days. He hasn't changed a bit.

Thank you to the GP members who worked so hard towards this, with special thanks to our fearless leader, the tireless James Pasakos and to Dr. Carole Wilson for her terrific opening address. For those who haven't yet had a chance to see the show, Goldfields Printmakers runs until 18 October.

APW Print Fair - a preview

The Australian Print Workshop's APW Print Fair opens next weekend, 11-12 October. As one of the participating artists, much of my time of late has been spent mounting, packaging and labelling my work (see below).

I’ll be showing selected prints from 3 separate, but related bodies of work, namely the Enchanted Hair Ornaments (2009) the Moth Masks (2009) and the Winged Women linocuts (2010).

The Enchanted Hair Ornaments, 2009, hand coloured linocuts, 30.5 x 23.5 cm, ed. 30

Moth Masks, 2009, hand coloured linocuts, 15 x 15 cm, ed. 30

Winged Women, 2010, linocuts, 32 x 32 cm, ed. 30

The insect women wrapped and ready for the Print Fair

We have high hopes for fine weather and a swarm of visitors. I hope some of you will be among them. If you can make it, be sure to come up and say hello.

APW Print Fair

Australian Print Workshop

210 Gertrude Street

Fitzroy, 3065

T: 03 9419 5466

E: auspw@bigpond.com

www.australianprintworkshop.com

Hours: Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 October

10 am–5 pm each day.