Documenting the Documentation

An important part of being an artist is getting your work professionally documented. My partner Shane Jones and I have been using the services of photographer Tim Gresham for many years, in my case, for nigh on three decades. Fortunately for us, Tim also moved to Ballarat in recent years, although he still has numerous clients in Melbourne. 

In the first two shots, Tim prepares to photograph my reworked drawing Visible Mending in his Ballarat studio. My protagonist’s body decoration is based on an embroidery design by May Morris, doyenne of the British Arts and Crafts movement.

Tim Gresham is also one of Australia’s most accomplished tapestry weavers and he still works part-time at the renowned Australian Tapestry Workshop. To the left of my drawing (third view below) is one of Tim’s exquisite woven tapestries. At the photo session I was struck by the remarkable synchronicity between our two works. Their connection is purely serendipitous, yet it’s almost as if one was made in response to the other.