Deborah Klein's Art Blog

Berlin Retrospective 1: The Filmmuseum Berlin

2012-02-02T08:37:00.007+11:00

Before my recent Berlin sojourn (in November 2011) becomes naught but a distant memory - at least until the next visit - here is the first of a short series of selected highlights. I’m starting with this fabulous museum, as it has helped rekindle my interest in silent cinema, which in turn appears to be infiltrating some of my current work.

Part of the Filmhaus, which also includes a film school and the Cinematheque-like Arsenal cinemas, Filmmuseum Berlin provides an immersive, hugely entertaining and exceptionally instructive journey through the history of German Cinema. I felt very much like Lewis Carroll’s Alice, particularly when walking the Caligari-like path that snakes through its dizzying mirrored multi-screened entrance hall - although for film buffs, Wonderland and Looking Glass World combined have nothing on this place.

From Berlin-born Marlene Dietrich’s estate the museum has inherited a vast holding that includes photographs, letters, items of personal clothing and, most notably, costumes from her films. These are regularly rotated. The installation view immediately following includes photographs of Dietrich and her mentor Josef von Sternberg, along with the top hat and other accessories and artifacts from her first Hollywood film Morocco (1930, dir. Josef von Sternberg). Pictured second below is the costume Dietrich wore as dance hall girl Frenchie in the comedy western Destry Rides Again (1939, dir. George Marshall). Cast completely against type, her droll, earthy performance (opposite James Stewart) is considered to be responsible for bailing out her sinking film career.

The exhibits that focused on German silent film and early talkies were especially captivating. These included posters, costumes, stills, film clips, and superbly crafted scale models of film sets, including (first and second directly below) The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1919, dir. Robert Wiene) and The Blue Angel (1930, dir. Josef von Sternberg). Among the costumes was a touchingly evocative facsimile of the doorman’s coat worn by Emil Jannings in the silent classic The Last Laugh (1924, dir. F. W. Murnau). But best of all were a series of film clips of silent movie actress Asta Nielsen, whose acting range (unlike that of the far better known Dietrich) appeared to be limitless. I knew little of her work, and have the Filmmuseum Berlin to thank for introducing me to it.

Our lengthy visit to this extraordinary place ended in the bar on the ground floor, named for legendary director Billy Wilder, whose own dazzling career began in Berlin. We drank a toast to him.

Tricking the eye at the Art Gallery of Ballarat

2012-01-19T10:07:00.014+11:00

Vorticist 2, 2004, Acrylic and oil on linen, 122 x 91 cm (installation view)

Purchased with funds from the Colin Hicks Caldwell Bequest, 2005

After quite a long hiatus, Vorticist 2 is again on view at the Art Gallery of Ballarat. (For part of that time it was on tour with the 2008 survey exhibition Deborah Klein - Out of the Past 1995-2007). This time around it has been placed in an entirely different context, as part of an exhibition focusing on Photorealist and Trompe l’oeil works from the gallery’s permanent collection.

Although figurative, Vorticist 2 is not based on a specific source, photographic or otherwise. The work is principally an invention, so it’s intriguing to see it placed in this company. But then recurrently my pictures of anonymous women are also classified erroneously as portraits, despite the fact that I refer to them collectively as Non-Portraits. Then again, I’ve always maintained that my work remains open to individual interpretation…

Two paintings by my partner Shane Jones, which unquestionably fit the Trompe l’oeil category, are also included in the exhibition.

The Ghost of Artworks Past

2012-01-07T16:21:00.038+11:00

Many moons ago, when my work was hovering uncertainly at a major crossroads, my Postgraduate Supervisor Euan Heng was both encouraging and perceptive. At this stage the new ideas were still mainly in my head; he also cautioned me that if I didn’t bring off what would be a radical change of direction, "Old work can come back to haunt you". For one who frequently suffers the torments of hell when an old work is exhumed, his warning hit home. But I knew I’d come as far as I could with the current imagery. I believed in my new ideas and change was inevitable, no matter what misgivings I might also have.

In fact what eventuated, namely the Pirate Jenny Prints suite of linocuts (1987) became a significant turning point, setting me on the path that, aside from the odd detour (and inevitable dead end) I tread with varying degrees of assurance to this day. I’m still rather proud of them.

1 Pirate Jenny at Luna Park, 1987

2 Pirate Jenny and Mack the Knife, 1987

3 Pirate Jenny in a Kimono, 1987

Admittedly there are other instances when I don’t feel like crawling under the covers when the Ghost of Artworks Past pays an unsolicited call. But occasionally I’m confronted with some abomination that in some cases would have been better off being humanely destroyed. I see nothing but glaring imperfections and think how much better the work would be had I made it today.

When I became a Master of Arts candidate in 1995 (once again under Euan Heng’s judicious supervision) my drawing style changed markedly. It was undoubtedly directed by my thesis, namely women in Film Noir and the Woman’s Picture. By mid 1996 the work had become less mannered and stylized as I gradually moved away from previous influences, including German Expressionism. As a result, it is mainly (although not exclusively) the pre-Film Noir and some early works from the series that have, for me at least, ‘dated’ and which have caused me the most grief. But I think it’s also fair to say that rather than existing solely as eternal testaments to my ineptitude, a few of these works have their good points, whether it’s the ideas behind them, or even isolated areas of technical competence.

Above left: 4 The Letter, 1995
Above right: 5 Mildred Pierce on St. Kilda Pier, 1995

A selection of my old pictures, including several from that vexed pre-1996 period, now grace the walls of the house at Ballarat, thus creating some sorely needed space in our storage area in Melbourne. Some deserved to once again see the light of day far more than others, and these were hung soon after we moved in. But those I felt more ambivalent about remained stacked against a wall for nearly a year. We finally hung them over the Christmas break. Several are in my studio. We are gradually learning to coexist and I realize that I might actually be able to learn something from them. It's starting to feel like it could be a positive place from which to begin a new year and a new body of work.

6 Studio view, January 2012

7 Studio view 2, January 2012

Pictured above (from top):

1 Pirate Jenny at Luna Park, 1987, linocut, 61.5 x 45.5 cm

2 Pirate Jenny and Mack the Knife, 1987, linocut, 61.5 x 45.5 cm

3 Pirate Jenny in a Kimono, 1987, linocut 61.5 x 46 cm
Pirate Jenny is a character in The Threepenny Opera, by Kurt Weill (music) and Bertolt Brecht (book and lyrics). Ostensibly set in London, its spiritual home was Berlin, where it premiered in 1928. I transplanted its original location to scruffy, pre-gentrified St. Kilda in Melbourne, where I was then living and working. The Pirate Jenny Prints were published by Port Jackson Press, Melbourne and subsequently toured nationally. Euan Heng wrote the introduction to the catalogue that accompanied the tour.

4 and 5 (see below)

6 Studio view, Ballarat, January 2012
Pictures from left:

Untitled, (c 1994) oil pastel, 76 x 56 cm
Unlike most of my work, this image is not connected to a thematically linked series. This sad but spirited wallflower was inspired by a poignant group of photographs from the 1950s, taken at a high school dance when American film legend James Dean paid a return visit to the small town where he was raised.

Mildred Pierce on St. Kilda Pier*, 1995, oil on canvas, 61 x 51 cm
The Letter, 1995, oil on canvas, 61 x 51 cm
These are linked to the Film Noir series of the mid 90s. They are two of the few surviving paintings from that period. As the series progressed, I found that the nocturnal world of film noir was best served by the linocut medium. In fact both images were subsequently developed into linocuts. They were included, along with the linocuts, in my second solo exhibition at Australian Galleries, Melbourne, in 1996. (*For more on Mildred Pierce, see Blog Post February 12, 2011.)

The Red Dress and the White Dress, 1992, oil pastel, 74.5 x 54.5 cm
This drawing takes its points of departure from two of Dorothy Parker’s poems. It was originally part of a 1992 solo exhibition, my first at Australian Galleries in Melbourne. The exhibition focused on the lives and work of writers Dorothy Parker, Zelda Fitzgerald and Virginia Woolf. The series was also exhibited at Solander Gallery in Canberra.

7 Studio View 2, January 2012
Pictures from left:

Snake Charmer, 1996, linocut, 36 x 37.5 cm
Fairgrounds and circuses often feature in Film Noir. This is one work I’ve always had a certain fondness for.

Night Drivers, 1996, oil pastel, 55 x 75 cm
The danger inherent when anyone gets behind of the wheel of a car was exploited regularly in Film Noir. When researching this work, I derived particular inspiration from the superb Nicholas Ray film In a Lonely Place (1950) and the Bette Davis camp classic Beyond the Forest (dir. King Vidor, 1949, in which she utters the celebrated line, long beloved by Davis impersonators, "What a Dump!") This drawing was transposed into a linocut, which in my opinion worked much better. Both versions also debuted at Australian Galleries, Melbourne in 1996.

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night (until 2012)

2011-12-24T20:59:00.016+11:00

And so what has been another hectic, fast paced year skids to a close. It brought one particularly significant change for me, a committed City Girl. Just over a year ago I bought a house in regional Victoria; from the beginning of this year, I’ve been dividing my life and practice between Ballarat and Melbourne. Several aspects of this, including my new studio, are still works in progress, but overall the change has been overwhelmingly positive.

2011 also included a residency and solo exhibition, Winged Women, at The Art Vault in Mildura in June and a second solo exhibition, Re-evolution at Woodbine Art Gallery in Malmsbury in September.

Re-Evolution at Woodbine Art Gallery, Malmsbury

I made several new zines during the year, most notably the Moth Woman Vigilantes (see Moth Woman Press). I'm thrilled that the State Library of Victoria has expressed interest in all of them.

Aside from several group exhibitions, I participated once again in some of Rona Green’s projects, including Familiar/Unfamiliar, an international portfolio exchange exhibition that will tour to Tweed River Art Gallery, NSW in 2012.

Looking Back to See, 2011, linocut, chine colle, featured
in Familiar/Unfamiliar

Days after it was launched at C3 contemporary art space in late September, I flew to London for a month, followed by a fortnight in Berlin. It was my first visit to the latter city and was a lifelong dream come true. I can hardly wait to go back again. (More about this in future blog posts).

In Suspense at Hand Held Gallery, curated by Megan Herring and Duality at Banyule Art Gallery, curated by Claire Watson, both opened when I was overseas, but I caught up with them when I returned. Both were terrific exhibitions that I was proud to be part of.

Making New Year Resolutions is sorely tempting fate. These might be Famous Last Words (I hope not) but I’ve earmarked 2012 as a year to be spent primarily in the studio, with as few outside distractions as possible. There are several projects I’m keen to pursue that have been put on the back burner for far too long.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy, creative and peaceful New Year.

Section of the Berlin Wall, October 2011

London Retrospective IV: The Courtauld Gallery

2011-12-21T11:14:00.001+11:00

London has some of the finest museums in the world, but for the unwary they are not without their perils. The vastness of some, for example, the British Museum, is overwhelming. You enter tormented with the knowledge that unless you have the strength of character to be brutally selective, you will only be able to see a fraction of their treasures before mental and physical fatigue set in. You can end up forgetting what you have been able to take in, but too exhausted even to care.

The Courtauld Gallery in the Strand block of Somerset House is relatively small by the standard of most London museums. It’s a joy to stroll through its elegant rooms, fully engage with its numerous gems and be spared the distracting, energy-draining impediment of sardine-like crowds that frequent most other institutions, even outside of the tourist season.

One of its many strengths is its Impressionist and Post Impressionist collection, some of which are featured here, along with an exquisite portrait by the early German Expressionist artist Paula Modersohn-Becker, on loan from a private collection.

From top:

Staircase from main gallery

From left: Paul Cezanne, Pot of Flowers and Pears, c 1888-90, oil on canvas and Still Life with Plaster Cupid, c 1894, oil on paper laid on board

Former Ante-Room of the Royal Society and the Society of Antiquities; painting in the ceiling cove: Biagio Rebecca: panel from The Four Elements (Earth, Air, Fire and Water); above mantle: Paul Cezanne: Man with a Pipe, c 1892-96, oil on canvas

Edgar Degas, Dancers, contre-jour

Edouard Manet, A Bar at the Follies Bergere, 1882, oil on canvas (on right: Shane Jones)

Georges Seurat, Young Woman Powdering Herself, c 1888-90, oil on canvas

Georges Seurat, The Bridge at Courbevoie, c 1886-87, oil on canvas

Vincent van Gogh, Peach Trees in Flower, 1889, oil on canvas

Paula Modersohn-Becker, Portrait of a Girl, 1906, oil on board

London Retrospective llI: The Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood

2011-12-16T08:29:00.009+11:00

For many years I’ve wanted to visit the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood, a branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum. But with so much on in London, and insufficient time to experience but a fraction of it on any one visit, this somehow got put off until the next time, and the next... It’s hard enough simply trying to reconnect with all the places you already know and love. And so the decades passed.

Now that I’ve finally made it there and discovered what a magical place it is, I’m trying to convince myself that it’s a case of better late than never, rather than berating myself for not going years earlier. Please indulge my lack of restraint regarding the number of pictures. Believe it or not, I did several edits; I could have posted dozens more.

Also on view was a temporary exhibit, My Giant Colouring Book, a suite of etchings by Jake and Dinos Chapman. To see a selection of the works, visit Moth Woman Press HERE.

(Pictured above: Quote by Carl Jung on Bethnal Green Museum blind. Click on image to enlarge.) The museum's website can be viewed HERE.

Pictured above:

Images 1 and 2: Exterior and interior views of the museum

Image 3: A Praxinoscope

Image 4: My companions Bev Murray and Shane Jones pose with Robbie the Robot

Image 5: Victorian clockwork monkeys

Image 6: 19^th century Pantins (Jumping Jacks)

Image 7: Struwwelpeter Jumping Jack, 1983

Images 8-9: Marionette puppets

Image 10: Background: marionnetes; foreground: Charlie Chaplin Jumping Jack

Image 11: Display case including Oriental dolls and silhouettes

Image 12: Detail from above: silhouettes with moving parts by German animation pioneer Lotte Reiniger; used in her film Papageno, 1935, based on Mozart’s The Magic Flute

Image 13: A selection of rag books, 1910-72

Image 14: One of many spectacular dolls houses that were on display

Image 15: The Royal Punch and Judy Show

Image 16: Punch and Judy detail

Image 17: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by John Tenniel, 1885 edition, with Mad Hatter’s Tea Party playset, 1900-20

Image 18: Elder Mother Tree, 1932 by Arthur Rackham, watercolour illustration (from Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales)

Image 19: Victorian novelty cards

Image 20: The glove puppet-magician Sooty and assorted magic tricks

Image 21: More magic tricks, including Der Kleiner Zauberer (The Little Conjurer) c 1910 and Maskelyne’s Mysteries, 1950-59

Image 22: Theatrical posters. Note the central poster advertising the magic act of Cleopatra, c 1900-30. To quote the museum’s label: A woman’s role in the world of magic is usually confined to that of assistant but there have been women magicians in their own right. These were usually magician’s wives, such as Adelaide Herrmann, The Queen of Magic, or daughters, such as Ionia The Enchantress. Cleopatra was probably French but is something of a mystery. Far right: photograph of Tommy Cooper.

Image 23: THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!

London Retrospective ll: Tate à Tate

2011-12-08T12:41:00.032+11:00

A standout at Tate Modern was Poetry and Dream – Dark Humour. Suites of Marcel Dzama’s drawings and Louise Bourgeois’s prints were included, along with works by David Shrigley and Jake and Dinos Chapman. The exhibition directly linked the artists’ singular brands of humour to the Surrealists, for whom dark humour was central. Anthology of Black Humour, edited by Surrealist leader Andre Breton (first published in 1940 and still in print) identified gallows humour as ‘the mortal enemy of sentimentality’. Dzama’s fragmented narratives, partly influenced by his voracious childhood consumption of comic books, typically incorporate hybridised animals and plants interacting with humans; Bourgeois characteristically used humour to undercut traumatic subject matter.

Above, from top:

Marcel Dzama: All works Untitled, 2000-2003, ink, pencil and watercolour on paper

Marcel Dzama: Untitled, 2003, ink, pencil and watercolour

Louise Bourgeois: From Autobiographical Series, 1994, Drypoints on paper

Top row, left to right: Sculptress; Sewing; Birth; Paternity; Children in a Tub; Woman in a Bathtub; Woman and Clock; Bottom row, left to right: Man, Keys, Phone, Clock; Sleeping Man; Empty Nest; Woman with Suitcase; Scissors; Toilette

Somewhat thematically connected to this exhibition were the photographs of Diane Arbus, whose work I’ve long admired. It’s been many years since I’ve seen such a substantial exhibition of her unnerving, powerful imagery.

Pictured above:

Diane Arbus, from A Box of Ten Photographs: Identical Twins, Roselle, NJ, 1967, 1967, photograph, gelatin silver print on paper

In complete contrast were the introspective, melancholic portraits of Gwen John, one of my favourite artists. In this context, John’s portraits also serve as a bridge from one Tate to the other.

Above, from top:

Gwen John at Tate Modern: Chloe Boughton-Leigh (with loose hair), 1905-08, oil on canvas

Gwen John at Tate Britain: Left to right: Nude Girl, 1909-10 and Self Portrait, 1902, both oil on canvas

The installation view at Tate Britain directly below includes several other well-loved paintings.

Second and third from top:

One of the pictures that over years has consistently captured my imagination:

British School, The Cholmondeley Ladies, c 1600-10, oil on wood

Marcus Gheeraerts ll, Portrait of an Unknown Lady, c 1595, oil on wood

Richard Hamilton is one of several very fine artists who sadly died this year. As a tribute, Tate Britain exhibited a handful of his key works, including these two:

From top: Ostensibly his most iconic image, Just what was it that made yesterday’s homes, so different, so appealing? 2004 (upgrade) Inkjet print on paper

Interior II, 1964, oil paint, cellulose paint and collage on board (with Shane Jones in foreground)

Another work with dark overtones (supposedly it is an anti-war protest) is Mark Gertler’s Merry-Go-Round, one of the paintings that I’ve most revered since my first visit in 1973 to what was then the one and only Tate Gallery. I used to hang out there a lot back in those days. As far as the London Tate Galleries go, for me it is still the one and only.

Pictured above: Mark Gertler, Merry-Go-Round, 1916, oil on canvas

London Retrospective: Room 55, The National Gallery

2011-12-03T09:52:00.004+11:00

Invariably The National Gallery is one of my first stops when in London. The Sainsbury Wing, added in 1991, focuses on early Renaissance Art. This facet of the collection has had a profound affect on my own work since my first visit in 1993.

Within the extensive Sainsbury Wing is the relatively miniscule Room 55. For my partner Shane and I it is the beating heart of the National Gallery. Its most famous inhabitant is Jan van Eyck’s The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434 - a fine picture to be sure. But these are my own favourites:

From top:

Robert Campin, A Man and a Woman, c 1435

Workshop of Rogier van der Weyden, A Man Reading, c 1450

Jan van Eyck, Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?) 1433

Workshop of Rogier van der Weyden, Portrait of a Lady, c 1464

Rogier van der Weyden, The Magdalen Reading, before 1438

A Guiding Hand at the Art Gallery of Ballarat

2011-12-02T01:05:00.006+11:00

My linocuts Ladies Glisten and Ex Votive Offerings are currently on show at the Art Gallery of Ballarat.

They are part of the ‘curator’s choice’ section of the recent exhibition (now concluded) A Guiding Hand – prints and directors 1967-2011 curated by Anne Rowlandson. It was timed to coincide with IMPACT 7, Monash University’s interdisciplinary print conference that was held back in September. A Guiding Hand celebrated the development of the gallery’s extensive print collection under its five Directors, beginning with James Mollison (1967-1968) through to Gordon Morrison (2004–present) under whose directorship several of my works were acquired in 2009. Other artists whose works are in the show include Raymond Arnold, Jessie Traill, Geoff La Gerche, Eric Thake and (pictured above) Noel Counihan.

On Sheridan Jones’s lively blog The Laundry Room Press and Studio there is a link to a review of A Guiding Hand recently published on Kent Wilson’s blog Golden ArtNet. To read the review, click HERE. Kent's blog focuses on the visual arts in the Western Central Highlands, including Ballarat and Bendigo. I thank Sheridan for drawing my attention to the review and to this informative blog, which, as a sometime regional artist, I’ll be following with keen interest.

Top: Installation view with Noel Counihan linocuts

Second from top (left) Ex-votive Offerings, 2002, screen print on sized Chinese silk, needle threaders, interfacing, hand stitching;

Second from top (right) ...Ladies Glisten, 2002, screen print on sized Chinese silk, artificial pearls, interfacing, hand stitching

The Wonderful Creative Things Fair

2011-11-21T11:14:00.004+11:00

This artists' fair, the second to be presented by Rona Green in association with St Heliers Street Store and Gallery, takes place this coming Sunday, November 27 from 11 am - 4pm. Although the event has been expanded to include a wider range of artist-made wares than the previous fair, our stall will continue to focus on book-related arts published by Moth Woman Press, including zines and book plates.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a one day only event. Click on the poster for TWCTF directly above for full details.

Unmasked at Banyule Arts Space

2011-11-16T14:36:00.008+11:00

Unmasked, 2011 Pencil and chinagraph, 76 x 56 cm

Photograph by Tim Gresham

Unmasked, 2011 (above) has been selected as one of 30 finalists in Duality - The 2011 Banyule Award for Works on Paper. The exhibition’s theme is one I have frequently explored in my own work. The drawing was developed during August/September in my studio at Ballarat. I also include some stages in its progress (see below). It’s been many years since I've used pencil as a medium, and plan to work with it some more. I was in Berlin when Duality opened on November 11, but look forward to calling in soon.

Duality – The 2011 Banyule Award for Works on Paper runs from 11 November – 14 December at:

Banyule Arts Space

14 Ivanhoe Parade

Ivanhoe VIC 3079

Visiting hours: Wednesday – Saturday 11 am – 5 pm

In Suspense/Goodbye to London

2011-11-01T17:55:00.005+11:00

Below is an invitation to a group exhibition at Hand Held Gallery that I have some work in. In Suspense was curated by Hand Held Gallery Director Megan Herring, and there are some wonderful artists in the show. I hope that those lucky enough to be in Melbourne on the evening of November 3 (sadly, this excludes me) will pop in and have a glass of wine with the artists, or call in during its run. To see the two zines I made for In Suspense and for full details of the show, visit Moth Woman Press HERE. (Scroll down to the 29 September Blog Post).

In the meantime, we leave London for Berlin this morning, which we are very much looking forward to. Fortunately we will still be back in Melbourne in plenty of to see In Suspense before it closes on November 26.

Felicity Powell at The Wellcome Collection

2011-10-31T21:06:00.009+11:00

'... wax gives rise to thoughts of mortality; it burns, it melts down, it suggests the vanity of the world, the weak candle flame of hope, the deliquescence of flesh. The material implies organic change ... Wax cheats death, it simulates life; it proves true and false ... " (Marina Warner, from Phantasmagoria: Spirit Visions, Metaphors, and Media (Oxford Universty Press, 2006).

On Saturday, along with our friends Barbara and Sue, we paid our very first visit to the Wellcome Collection in Euston Road. It certainly won't be our last. The current temporary exhibitions Mexican Miracle Paintings and Felicity Powell's Charmed Life - The Solace of Objects were both stunning, two of the most memorable we've seen here.

Powell's exquisite wax images on circular black glass (actually the backs of mirrors) are essentially her response to the Wellcome's collection of over 1400 amulets or charms that were amassed by amateur Edwardian folklorist Edward Lovett.

Her exhibition also incorporated an installation of a selection of these amulets grouped loosely into categories, including hearts, miniature shoes, horse shoes, etc. Some were beautiful, some like the dried mole's feet sheep's heart with pins and nails rather less so. Still, it was possible to sense the potency all of these much touched objects must have had for their original owners.

Images from top:
Water, Stars, Antlers, 2006
Tentacled, 2006
Spaghetti Head, 2006
All wax on glass, 5.9 cm/15 cm diameter

Leighton House

2011-10-23T19:37:00.008+11:00

In the 70s I lived for some years in the Holland Park area of Kensington. Nineteenth century Leighton House was a leisurely and scenic walk away, through beautiful Holland Park. It was (and still is) one of my favourite places. The house is named for its original owner, the Victorian artist Frederic, Lord Leighton (1830-1896). It was designed by George Aitchison, although Leighton added extensions and alterations over the next 30 years.

Justifiably, it is best known for the extraordinary Arab Hall, which displays Leighton's astonishing collection of over a thousand Islamic tiles, most which he brought back from Damascus in Syria.

Other interiors incorporate equally opulent peacock feather-coloured tiles by William de Morgan. Leighton's impressive studio, with its huge northern facing window, dome and apse, are located on the first floor. Paintings and drawings, mostly by Lord Leighton, are on view throughout the house. It is several years since I last visited, and it was even more gorgeous than I remembered, with the added bonus of an additional room being open to the public: Leighton's pretty, but (compared to the rest of the house) small and relatively simply furnished bedroom.

Leighton was one of the leading High Victorian artists, and walking around his house is uncannily like stepping into one of those impossibly exotic paintings that typified the era. I'm not as much an admirer of his work as I am of this house, which in my opinion is his masterpiece. Never much of a minimalist myself, for me a visit there is always a sheer delight.

Pictured above, from top: Leighton House (exterior view) and two views of the Arab Hall.

London and a visit to Kenwood House

2011-10-19T18:20:00.003+11:00

Being back in London feels like being home. It's been wonderful reuniting with old friends with whom I share so many memories and revisiting old haunts, including the National Portrait Gallery, the National Gallery, the National Film Theatre, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Leighton House, the Dover Bookshop, London Graphics Centre (an amazing art supply shop in Covent Garden) and many other places. Visiting both Tate Galleries has included long walks along the Thames, still majestic, still enduring. It's as if I have never been away (even though I have, for far too long).

On October 10 my Australian friend Leigh Hobbs and I made our pilgrimage to Kenwood House to visit the William Larkin portraits that we both admire so much - it was a very special day. The photos shown here don't do them justice (not that reproductions ever do). Because of staff shortages, they can only be viewed between certain hours. Those hours can change on a daily basis, so calling Kenwood in advance is advised.

We still haven't toasted our good fortune with great champagne (see previous blog entry) but now that my partner Shane has arrived in London, the three of us have a date to do just that at the Savoy Hotel on Thursday evening.

Images from top:

Pilgrim's Progress: DK and Leigh outside Kenwood House (photographs 1 and 3 by Leigh Hobbs)

Leigh

Leigh and DK

Diana Cecil, Countess of Oxford (1614) by William Larkin

Isabella Rich (1614) by William Larkin

Dorothy Cary, later Viscountess Rochford (1614-18) by William Larkin

Leigh, lost in admiration among the Larkins

Leigh, Contre-jour

While I'm away...

2011-09-29T12:53:00.044+10:00

Before I head off to London on Friday, here is an advance notice of the group exhibition Exchange, which includes the two works directly below. Exchange is curated by Amanda van Gils.

Blue Triangle Winged Woman, 2010, linocut, 32 x 32 cm, ed. 30

Photographs by Tim Gresham

Ulysses Butterfly Winged Woman, 2010, linocut, 32 x 32 cm, ed. 30

For full details, click onto the poster.

Facebook members can click HERE for updates; to follow the show on Twitter, click HERE.

The group exhibition Familiar Unfamiliar at c3 contemporary art space opened yesterday evening and runs until 16 October. The exhibition celebrates the 45^th anniversary of the Print Council of Australia and was guest curated by Rona Green. It will tour to Tweed River Art Gallery, NSW in 2012 and Swan Hill Regional Gallery, Vic in 2013. To revisit the work I made for this show, see Blog Post Friday July 21.

I will also be participating in the group exhibition In Suspense at Hand Held Gallery, which will run from 3 – 30 November. I have made two new zines, including Girls in High Places #1: Rope Trick
(pictured below).

For full details and a preview of both works, visit Moth Woman Press HERE.

In the meantime, this is something I have to look forward to in London. I'll be meeting up with an Australian friend who loves the William Larkin paintings at Kenwood House just as much as I do. He has just sent me this Larkin reproduction, along with the message that if we both make it there with everything that's been going on lately (including the threat of further strikes at Qantas) "...we must toast our good fortune with some GREAT champagne." Right on, Leigh.

Richard Sackville, Earl of Dorset

by William Larkin

Saatchi Gallery in Adelaide

2011-09-27T10:36:00.010+10:00

Just before my exhibition at Woodbine Art opened, my partner Shane and I paid a flying visit to Adelaide, where we spent a day at the exhibition Saatchi Gallery in Adelaide – British Art Now at the Art Gallery of South Australia. Aside from Tracey Emin, whose poignant installation My Bed (1998) was also included, the remaining 41 artists are largely unknown in Australia. As with any show on such a large scale and with such a diverse range of work, some engaged me more than others. Of course this is all subjective. Overall, it was a fantastic exhibition. Because of time limitations – I’m flying to London on Friday - I’ve only included a handful of the artists whose work made an distinct impression on me, although there were a great many more.

From top:
Images 1-4 Sculptures by Jonathan Baldock, 2007, salt, dough, pins, ribbons, doll's eyes, polystyrene, colouring paint, synthetic hair. Collection Saatchi Gallery, London
Image 5: Artist Tessa Farmer
Images 6-9: Details from Swarm, 2004 by Tessa Farmer, mixed media, vitrine, 208.3 x 243.8 x 68.6 cm (entire installation.) Collection Saatchi Gallery, London
Image 10: Viewing Swarm (photograph by Shane Jones)
Images 11: A Joan Crawford Alphabet, 2007, by Donald Urqhuart, acrylic on canvas, 215 x 300 cm. Collection Saatchi Gallery, London
Image 12: Detail from A Joan Crawford Alphabet

Exhibition opening at Woodbine Art Gallery

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The last seven days have been incredibly busy, culminating last night in The Wonderful Printed Things Fair at the Abbotsford Convent. It's hard to believe that this time last week I was at the opening of Re-evolution, my solo exhibition at Woodbine Art Gallery. Thank you so much to everyone who came, with special thanks to Gallery Director Anita von Bibra, her partner Henry, their family, and last, but far from least Damian Kelly, General Manager of the Print Council of Australia, who so memorably launched the event.

As promised, I've selected some highlights from the opening:

Shane Jones, DK, Catherines Pilgrim and Heng, Austin Haywood;
in background: Jock Clutterbuck

From left: Patricia Gillard, Rosemarie Jones, James Taylor,
(centre;) on far right Damian Kelly and Jan Lancaster

Foreground: Ralph Moran and Shane Jones
Background RHS: Noela Stratford, James Taylor,
Anita von Bibra and Louise Taylor

From left: Henry and Anita von Bibra listen
attentively to Damian Kelly’s opening remarks

From left: Lisa Barmby, Catherine and Euan Heng

From left: Wendy Stavrianos, James and

Rosemarie Jones, Patricia Gillard

Jenny Nestor

DK with Craig Gough and a bouquet from
Jenny Nestor’s garden

From left, DK with Penny Peckham, who wrote the
catalogue essay, and Anita von Bibra

The Jones family: Rosemarie, James, Frank and Patricia Gillard

Woodbine Art Gallery and Re-evolution

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Top image: Woodbine Art Gallery, Malmsbury.

The remaining photographs were quickly snapped before the launch of Re-evolution. Selected highlights of the exhibition's lively opening will be posted shortly.

Re-evolution invitation

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Click on the invitation above for full details of the exhibition. Do call in if you are in the area at the time of the launch on Sunday 4 September, or during the show's run.

Dr. Penny Peckham's accompanying essay is reproduced below, with her kind permission.

Re-evolution

Deborah Klein’s art has long reflected an interest in narrative, in storytelling, particularly stories in which female characters are central. Early prints relate to stories of female saints; others portray scenes relating to film noir. From childhood she has been fascinated with fairy tales, folk tales and fables, particularly those dark and rich in symbolic motifs - the traditional and those given a contemporary twist by writers such as Angela Carter.

As early as 2000 Katherine McDonald drew a parallel between Klein’s female subjects and butterflies, observing that in ‘depicting women as anonymous specimen like creatures, Klein seems to be inviting us to view the decorated heads as a connoisseur/collector might study the outer wings of a pinned butterfly, with little regard for the inner being’.[1] To extend the metaphor, moths and butterflies are often seen as symbolic of the ephemeral nature of life – beautiful and fragile, fleeting – and so too female youth and beauty.

The general title of this recent body of work, Myth-Entomology, refers to Klein’s dual interests in story-telling and insects. Metamorphosis (from pupa to moth or butterfly, human to insect) and hybrid creatures often feature in the kind of tales that are of particular interest to Klein. The earliest of the works were created for the 2008-9 exhibition, The enchanted forest- new gothic story tellers. Curator Jazmina Cininas selected the earlier multi-panel painting, Swarm (from 2000), in which sixteen species of butterfly are paired with rear view ‘portraits’ of sixteen elegantly coiffured women. Participating artists were invited to also make new work and, partially inspired by her reading of A.S. Byatt’s Angels and Insects, Klein painted the first of the Moth Mask series.

But are her Moth Masks and Winged Women hybrid creatures – part human, part insect – or do the women wear the insects as adornment or disguise? Like many of Klein’s previous female subjects whose faces have been veiled by lace or tattooing, turned away or cropped from the picture frame, so the faces of the Moth Mask women are largely hidden by exquisitely-rendered moth species, mostly from the Indo-Australasian region. As the moths vary in size, shape, colour and patterning, so now each of the women are portrayed as distinct individuals. Klein has said that each moth was chosen to match each subject, not as fashion accessories, but as extensions of themselves. She sees the moth masks as ‘magical’. They are ‘real’ moths that in part perform the function of masks,[2] as well as being something like the daemons in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy.[3]

There is also something magical about the eight Enchanted Hair Ornaments prints, which link back to earlier works in that the women wear elaborate hair combs - in the form of various insects and one spider - in their intricately knotted hair. In the Winged Women linocut prints the protagonists also face away from the viewer and the focus is again upon their hairstyles – braids, rolls and chignons – and the delicately hand-coloured butterfly set high on the back of each.

The idea of artists as storytellers (as suggested by the full title of the Enchanted forest exhibition) was the catalyst for Klein to begin to write stories herself. The first of these - ‘The enchanted hair ornaments,’ ‘The Story of the Moth Masks’ and ‘Swarm’ were directly inspired by pre-existing works, while others are contemporary, feminist rewritings of traditional fairy tales. These stories, illustrated by works from her back catalogue, are collected in the book There was once…

Dr Penny Peckham

[1] This observation may well have been inspired by the painting Lace Butterfly 2000, in which the rear view of a woman’s elaborated coiffed head is teamed with a butterfly-shaped piece of lace. Katherine McDonald, ‘Woman’s Other Visage’, Private Collection, Australian Galleries exhibition catalogue, Melbourne, 2000.

[2] http://netsvictoria.org.au/deborah-klein/

[3] email to the author 27 July 2011. In Pullman’s series of books, a daemon is a manifestation of a person’s soul.

Silk Cut Finalist

2011-08-21T19:15:00.003+10:00

Chocolate Argus Winged Woman, 2010, 34 x 34 cm

Photograph by Tim Gresham

Chocolate Argus Winged Woman is a finalist in the 2011 Silk Cut Award for Linocut Prints.

The exhibition will be launched at the Glen Eira City Council Gallery on Friday 2 September and runs from 3-18 September. For full details, click on the invitation below.

COMING SOON:

2011-08-17T08:47:00.027+10:00

Two forthcoming events, both of them instigated by Melbourne artist Rona Green:

Below (top) is the flyer for the inaugural WONDERFUL PRINTED THINGS FAIR on Saturday, September 10 from 1 – 6 pm. The fair is on for ONE DAY ONLY and entry is free. I’m very much looking forward to being a part of it and rubbing shoulders with so many artists whose work I admire. If you are not familiar with the venue and its surrounds, the Abbotsford Convent Arts Precinct, its cafes and grounds and the adjacent Collingwood Children’s Farm are additional treats in store.

I will be previewing two new zines at this event. Further details can be found on my artist’s books and zines blog Moth Woman Press HERE.

Pictured below: invitation to Freak of Nature opening on Tuesday, September 6 at 5pm. Click on image to view exhibition details. (See also Blog Post Wednesday May 11.)

True Colours

2011-08-12T07:33:00.009+10:00

Presenting for the first time more hybrid creatures in living colour. Like Swarm*, the fairy tale that spawned them, the Winged Women are in part a fanciful reflection on insect taxonomy and the skilled, but largely overlooked work of Australian female colonial naturalists and artists, including Mary Morton Allport, Annabella Boswell, Georgiana McCrae and two of my favourites, South Australian sisters Martha Berkeley and Theresa Walker.

It was my original intention to hand colour the series in the manner of natural history illustrations. But at the time of proofing I felt the images worked equally well in their virginal state; I wondered if the addition of colour might appear superfluous. At their debut in the exhibition Natural Histories at Chrysalis Gallery last October, the black and white Winged Women provided a necessary counterbalance to the numerous coloured pastel drawings and paintings that made up the rest of the show. Within the entirely different context of Re-evolution, it’s time for them to show their true colours.

*From There was once…The collected fairy tales (2009).

Blue Triangle Winged Woman, 2011, hand coloured, linocut,

34 x 34 cm, ed. 15. Photograph by Tim Gresham

Clearwing Butterfly Woman, 2011, hand coloured linocut, 34 x 34 cm,

ed. 15. Photograph by Tim Gresham

Monarch Butterfly Winged Woman, 2011, hand coloured linocut,

34 x 34 cm, ed. 15. Photograph by Tim Gresham

Great Eggfly Winged Woman, 2011, hand coloured linocut, 34 x 34 cm,

ed. 15. Photograph by Tim Gresham

Re-evolution preview

2011-08-05T00:17:00.035+10:00

On 4 September my solo exhibition Re-evolution opens at Woodbine Art Gallery in Malmsbury. It has given me the opportunity to gather together a selection of work from the past couple of years, including The Moth Masks, The Enchanted Hair Ornaments and the Winged Women series. This will be the first time it has been shown collectively, albeit in an edited form.

Recently I began preparing special hand coloured editions of eight of the Winged Women prints especially for Re-evolution. During the process I became more than ever drawn to watercolour, and given the direction in which the work is currently heading, anticipate using it as a medium in its own right in the future.

As previously mentioned, Re-evolution is another of the Month of Print events connected to the IMPACT 7 print symposium. Full details of the exhibition will be posted shortly. Meanwhile, here is a preview of two of the works:

Moth Butterfly Winged Woman, 2011, hand coloured linocut,
34 x 34 cm, ed. 15. Photograph by Tim Gresham

Ulysses Butterfly Winged Woman, 2011, hand coloured linocut,
34 x 34 cm, ed. 15. Photograph by Tim Gresham

Lucian Freud

2011-07-28T18:25:00.032+10:00

Later in the same day my previous blog entry was posted, I learned that Lucian Freud had died on 20 July.

In that entry I mentioned the determining influence of my years in 1970s London. A particularly significant event was my first visit in 1974 to the Hayward Gallery on the South Bank. Exhibiting there was artist I hadn’t heard of: Lucian Freud. His quietly powerful, unsettling images were quite unlike anything I had seen before. I didn’t walk out of the gallery feeling my life had been changed in some way, although it had. I can’t even remember the actual day when I realized that I couldn’t get those paintings out of my head. They had captured me by stealth and have held me ever since.

My partner Shane Jones is an even greater admirer of Freud than I am (which is saying something.) Shane is especially drawn to the later more painterly works. It is the earlier works that have been most significant to me. For those who are familiar with my work and Shane’s, this is not exactly surprising. I have carted a reproduction of Girl With a Cat from studio to studio for years. And I cannot look at Interior in Paddington without picturing it where I first saw it: on a wall in the Hayward Gallery.

Interior in Paddington, 1951, oil on canvas,

152 x 114.3 cm, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

Freud was 88 when he died (a ‘good innings,' as people used to say) and he was still painting. Selfishly, we are left to ponder on all the works of which we will now be deprived. Not only was Freud in full command of his powers to the end, he also retained the ability to surprise, and occasionally even incite a little controversy. A Lucian Freud solo exhibition was always a major event, and I count myself extremely fortunate to have seen a few.

Lucian Freud is survived by his work. We are his beneficiaries and he has left us a priceless legacy.

Pictured top left: Girl with Kitten, 1947, oil on canvas, 39.5 x 29.5 cm, private collection

To read Freud's obituary and related links in the Guardian click HERE.

Looking back to see...

2011-07-22T07:47:00.036+10:00

Looking back to see... 2011, linocut with chine colle, 38 x 28 cm

Here is a preview of my most recent print, made especially for Familiar/Unfamiliar, curated by Rona Green. The project was initiated by the Print Council of Australia to celebrate its 45^th anniversary. The exhibition, comprising 45 printmakers, will be held in conjunction with IMPACT 7, the International Printmaking conference to be hosted by Monash University in late September.

Looking back to see… is a personal response to Familiar/Unfamilar's central brief, namely to explore perspectives on people and place. It is essentially about looking back across time from one place with which I was once familiar towards another to which I was equally, if not more, attached, namely the St. Kilda of my childhood and adolescence, and London, where I lived for several years in the 1970s. Many people look upon the 70s with disdain, but that time in London was seminal for me both personally and as a fledgling artist. As we know, familiarity can also breed contempt; by comparison, my feelings towards St. Kilda are more ambivalent. But both places profoundly affected my life and work.

I first crossed paths with the black and white cat and during my first year in London. It was a blessed, predestined alliance that would last many years - for the rest of her life, in fact. She is another kind of familiar, usually associated with witches. In the 1980s Mimi came to live in Australia with me, initially in St. Kilda. She is both a vital link between the two cities and the first and best loved of all the memorable cats that have shared my life.

Most of the drawing for Looking back to see… was developed in June 2011, during a residency at the Art Vault in Mildura. Being geographically removed and in neutral territory gave me a clearer perspective on the recollections that led me to this point in time.

Work in progress at the Art Vault and some reference material, June 2011

As I mined my memories, I was also incited to revisit past imagery, iconography and printmaking techniques. This is the first work for many years to incorporate a background. Mimi appeared in several of my linocuts of the 1980s, including some of the first I ever made. The steamer and the Westgate Bridge on the horizon line, both personal symbols of escape, were appropriated from my linocut St. Kilda Warrior (1996). The Westgate Bridge also appeared in an earlier linocut Sometimes Jenny Took Long and Lonely Walks Along the Long and Lonely Beach (1987.) The arts and crafts movement- inspired rose is another emblem that has featured many times in my work. It is incorporated here, also not for the first time, in the form of a tattoo. (An early example is Rose Tattoos, 1995.) The rich crimson of the rose and hair ribbon were applied via chine colle, a collage-based technique that I haven’t used in many years.

She Who Must be Obeyed, 1987, linocut on Japanese

paper, 75 x 53 cm

St Kilda Warrior, 1996, linocut, 61.2 x 45.3 cm

Sometimes Jenny Took Long and Lonely Walks Along

the Long and Lonely Beach, 1987, 61.5 x 45.5 cm

(from The Pirate Jenny Prints, 1986-87)

Rose Tattoos, 1995, linocut, hand coloured,

46 x 30 cm (from the Tattooed Faces and Figures

series, 1995-1997)

Ironically, given that I am based in Australia, I tend to revisit London more often than I do St Kilda. Not surprisingly, both places contain elements of the familiar and unfamiliar. Like all cities they are only impervious to change when carefully preserved in our memories.

Pictured below are selected stages in the development of Looking back to see...

Two of many developmental sketches

Lino block in progress, with tattoos still to be resolved

Final stage of drawing on lino block ready for cutting

Proofing at Ballarat. It was only at this stage
that I noticed the picture directly outside,

an early portrait of Mimi (see below)

Cat on a Mat, 1986, linocut

Bon a tirer without chine colle

Familiar/Unfamiliar will be exhibited from 28 September - 16 October at

c3 contemporary artspace

The Abbotstford Convent

1 St. Heliers Street

Abbotsford Vic

It will tour to Tweed River Regional Art Gallery, NSW from 11 May - 24 June, 2012 and Swan Hill Regional Gallery in 2013 - dates to be confirmed. I will post full details, including a list of exhibiting artists, nearer the time of the exhibition's launch in September.

Contemporary + Collectable Australian Printmakers 2011

2011-07-12T16:26:00.007+10:00

Chequered Swallowtail Winged Woman, 2010,

linocut, 32 x 32 cm

Photograph by Tim Gresham

Chequered Swallowtail Winged Woman is one of 8 Winged Women that are included in the exhibition Contemporary + Collectable Australian Printmakers at Metropolis Gallery in Geelong.

Participating artists are:

Anna Austin, Dean Bowen, Jazmina Cininas, Robert Clinch, Madeleine Goodwolf, Nicholas Goodwolf, Graham Fransella, David Frazer, Rew Hanks, Deborah Klein, Damon Kowarsky, Clare Whitney and Deborah Williams.

The opening is from 5-7 pm, Saturday, 16 July. Jackie Hocking, Gallery Manager, Australian Print Workshop, Melbourne will launch the show.

Exhibition dates are 16 – 30 July.

Metropolis Gallery

64 Ryrie Street

Geelong Vic 3220

Telephone 5221 6505

Gallery Hours:

9 am - 5.30 pm weekdays

10 am – 4 pm Saturday

Works can be viewed online at

www.metropolisgallery.com

New Acquisitions, City of Yarra

2011-07-09T12:53:00.014+10:00

On the evening of Thursday 7 July the City of Yarra officially unveiled the new acquisitions in the Art and Heritage Collection. In 2011 the key criteria for acquisition was contemporary fine art created by artists currently living or with a studio practice in Yarra.

The reception was held at
Richmond Town Hall
33 Bridge Road
Richmond Vic 3121

These works were among those acquired:

From top:
Red Lacewinged Woman, 2010, linocut, hand coloured. Image: (irregular) approx 36 x 32.5 cm, paper size: 45 x 38 cm
Digama marmorea Moth Mask, linocut, hand coloured, 15 x 15 cm, 2009
Scoliocma bioclora Moth Mask, linocut, hand coloured, 15 x 15 cm, 2009

Playtime at the Art Vault and a trip to Adelaide

2011-06-28T18:10:00.027+10:00

I came to the Art Vault with specific projects firmly in mind; first and foremost of these was resolving the drawing for my linocut intended for Familiar/ Unfamiliar, a forthcoming exhibition to be guest curated by Rona Green for the Print Council of Australia. (More of this in later posts.) The linocut in progress (tentatively titled She was looking back to sea…) led my work in an unexpected direction. Consequently the majority of remaining studio time was spent at play (a healthy, pleasurable, vitally essential activity for all artists that should be practiced with dedicated regularity.)

On this occasion playtime took the form of materializing in simple form germs of ideas that may well be the basis for a future project. Although this was slightly jumping the gun when I have obligations and a genuine commitment to the current work, once the ideas began to flow, the process became somewhat addictive. Everything was drawn freehand and freely onto small blocks (off-cuts, actually) of lino. Although they will eventually become linocuts, they are essentially preparatory drawings.

All of my current work is reliant on painstaking research, so this approach was incredibly liberating. It’s way too soon to show any of my embryonic efforts. In the meantime, here are a mixed assortment of shots taken during the residency. Although I posted some photographs of my apartment and studio at the Art Vault back in 2009, these serve as reminder of what a stunning place it is. The works pinned to the studio wall are predominantly a combination of sketches for my original project and reference material for She was looking back to sea…

My apartment

Studio 1 from the back stairs

Artist in Residence Studio 1, overlooking the apartment

Work in progress

Work in progress (detail)

During my stay I paid a brief visit to my uncle in South Australia. He generously treated me to a performance by Broadway legend Chita Rivera at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival on Friday June 17. (She was fabulous.) The following evening he took me to a concert by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra at Adelaide Town Hall. On Sunday afternoon we went to the Palace Cinema for a screening of the Paris Opera Ballet’s film of Coppelia, a treat on every level.

My sojourn also included a day at the Art Gallery of South Australia, one of my favourite galleries. As luck would have it, the Elder Wing, which for some time had been closed for extensive refurbishment, re-opened that day. It looks extremely handsome, and shows the gallery’s superb permanent collection to absolute perfection.

The highlight of my visit there was the dazzling Patricia Piccinini exhibition, which was nearing the end of its run. I called in twice during the day. It was a superbly curated show – Piccinini’s work and ideas were mind-blowing. As I contemplate the concept of the post-Darwinian body in regard to my own imagery, the timing of the exhibition couldn’t have been better. I flew back to Mildura (narrowly escaping the return of the dread volcanic ash clouds) feeling doubly inspired.

Art Gallery of South Australia: newly

refurbished entrance with Napier Waller mural

The Elder Wing

String quartet Skyline perform in the Elder Wing against a
backdrop of Sydney Nolan paintings

Opening night at the Art Vault

2011-06-21T14:31:00.070+10:00

As promised, here are some snapshots of the launch of Winged Women. It was great to see some familiar faces and chat with a number of people, many of whom I first met during my previous residency.

A highlight of the evening was Donata Carrazza’s opening address. (I am sure that fellow exhibiting artist Brenda Runnegar would agree with me). We both felt that Donata truly got to the essence of our work, and were doubly grateful that she agreed to share her responses and insights with the opening night audience. Donata has kindly given me permission to reproduce her introduction to Winged Women. Here it is in part:

In taking time to think about the works here I was yet again convinced about how lucky we are in this regional town to have the Art Vault. Its visionary founders Julie and Kevin have created a space for us to dream, to get lost in the images and narratives of artists dealing with those endless questions about why we are here, and what it all means to be human. The end results of hours of research, observation, thinking and doing by artists from a range of visual disciplines can delight or confront us, but rarely leave us indifferent. Equally important is that artists in residence have the sorely needed time to further develop their work, or even engage with this place, and present it to us so that it is new again or so that it reveals secrets we may have overlooked.

I’m really thrilled to be opening Deborah and Brenda’s shows, two women I admire greatly, and want to thank you Julie for the opportunity.

…… Deborah Klein, like Brenda, has a Master of Arts from Monash University. She’s been a practicing artist for over 20 years with an impressive CV and output that reflects her professionalism and great passion for what she does. Women are often the central subjects of her work, ornately decorated with tattoos, lace, moth or buttlerfly masks, with twisted, combed, and knotted tresses.

It was a great pleasure in 2009 to open Deborah’s show here at the Art Vault, Introduced Species and to launch her book: There was once – the collected fairy tales. These 13 stories accompanied by images are essential reading for those of us who love the subversive and seek new ways for the traditional archetypes to be turned on their head.

A particular favourite of mine is the re-telling of the Rapunzel fairytale. In Deborah’s version, Rapunzel has been locked in a tower by her father who has left her provisions but won’t be coming back to get her. Many years pass and she ponders about what she will do when she is free of this tower. A charming prince turns up one day, having heard of her beauty and her long gorgeous locks. He uses her long braid to climb into the tower. They really connect, talking late into the night. He about his great adventures, the battles he’s won and the women he’s wooed and the kindgoms he’s conquered. She begs him to take her with him, stating she’ll need to cut her hair as it will get in the way. He says she couldn’t possibly cut her hair; it’s what makes her so alluring. Eventually they fall asleep. The next day he wakes up and finds that Rapunzel has disappeared. All that is left is her long tail of plaited hair tied to a table and hanging outside the window. He sees her on the ground below about to ride off on his trusty steed, but not before she’s tugged the tail of hair and watched it drop to her feet. He also notices she’s got short hair, like a lowly page boy. She must have used his sword in the night to cut her locks. He screams to her: “How will I get down?” To which she replies: “Grow your own hair”.

Back in 2009, Deborah was working on the lino cuts of winged women that you see here tonight. It’s really fitting we see them here, hung as Deborah envisioned. These hybrid creatures are delicate, feminine, alluring and mysterious. The images invite us to be voyeurs, lingering on the gently turned necks, wondering about their faces, their eyes and what they could be thinking and how long it will be before they fly away.

The oil pastel drawings and acrylics on canvas turn her subjects towards us, but they are still impenetrable, elusive. These captivating creatures, like the characters in Deborah’s stories, are using their masks for self-protection, but there is a knowing look in their eyes, perhaps an acceptance that self-transformation while painful, is essential to live freely, and is the responsibility of each individual soul.

With that said, I’d like to congratulate Brenda and Deborah and declare their shows officially opened.

Pictured above:
Top image: (on left hand side) Donata Carrazza, Julie Chambers
Centre image: Donata Carrazza
Base: (from left) Kate Kotching, Deborah Klein (photograph
by Filomena Coppola)

Winged Women reunited at the Art Vault

2011-06-09T10:23:00.012+10:00

Shane and I arrived at the Art Vault on Monday afternoon, the first day of my residency. Robert, Andrew, Trace and Julie gave us a great welcome - it felt very much like coming home.

My first priority was to place the work in the gallery prior to installation. Although I was prepared to pull some work out if necessary, it all fitted the space perfectly. Each piece found its place quickly; in fact it was the easiest hang I've ever experienced.

I 'm particularly thrilled with the wall of Winged Women linocuts. It was always my intention for them to be together, much like a swarm. But this is the first time a gallery space has allowed for it. Shane has a great eye for hanging artwork. He spent ages rearranging the linocuts once we’d grouped them in two rows of nine, and I gratefully give credit for the final configuration to him.

The following day Andrew, with his customary forbearance, spent long hours hanging the Winged Women. Robert and Trace also took extraordinary care to see that everything was just right for the opening the following night.

In the next couple of weeks I’ll post some shots of the launch. In the meantime, these installation views will hopefully give some idea of the look of the show.

Images above: Moth Masks and Winged Women. Click on images to enlarge.

Invitation to the Art Vault

2011-06-04T12:45:00.011+10:00

I'm really delighted that my show will once again be opened by Donata Carrazza, who will also launch Brenda Runnegar's exhibition Mandrakes and Miracles in the Small Gallery.

Winged Women will comprise recent prints, paintings and drawings. For further details, click onto image. (See also Blog Post Monday, May 30.)

Proust Questionnaire on Corporate Cannibal

2011-06-02T12:36:00.019+10:00

This brief post is by way of directing you to one of my favourite blog sites, started earlier this year by writer and editor Dmetri Kakmi. Recently Dmetri sent me a copy of the Proust Questionnaire, which he originally sourced from Vanity Fair. I got a great deal of fun and satisfaction from answering the questions. You can click onto Corporate Cannibal HERE. My contribution appears at the bottom of Dmetri’s Blog Post of June 1. But as you scroll down to check out my scintillating responses, I strongly recommend you stop and read Dmetri’s other entries, especially his illuminating review of Born To Kill (1947) one of the finest, but inexplicably neglected examples of film noir, starring my absolute favourite femme fatale Claire Trevor. Her portrayal of Helen Grayle in the earlier Murder My Sweet (1944) was a huge influence on the characters I created in the Film Noir series of the mid 1990s.

Residency at the Art Vault

2011-05-30T16:26:00.017+10:00

In less than a week I will be heading off to The Art Vault in Mildura for a second term as Artist in Residence. (See Blog Post Thursday July 9, 2009.)

The residency will include the solo exhibition Winged Women. I worked on the linocuts of the same name during my first residency in 2009, so it is entirely appropriate that they have now come full flight. The exhibition will also include a selection of Moth Masks drawings and paintings, including Ethmia clytodoxa, 2009, oil pastel, 112 x 76 cm (pictured above).

Below are some linocuts in progress from the ongoing Myth-entomology series that will be further developed in the Artist in Residence Studio during my three week long stay. If you are in the area, do pop in and say hello.

The Art Vault

43 Deakin Avenue
Mildura VIC 3502
www.theartvault.com.au
Phone: 03 5022 0013

Winged Women exhibition dates: 8-27 June

Gallery hours:
Sunday-Monday 10 am-2pm
Wednesday-Saturday 10 am-5pm
Closed Tuesdays

Freak of Nature

2011-05-11T17:03:00.007+10:00

The last two weekends in Ballarat have been spent printing and hand colouring the linocut Red bodied Swallowtail Winged Woman (ed. 49) for Freak of Nature, a folio exchange and group exhibition curated by Rona Green. It is the first print to come out of my temporary workspaces (see previous Blog Post.) Both spaces have proved to be a pleasure to work in.

Freak of Nature will be exhibited at Switchback Gallery at Monash University, Gippsland in September 2011 as part of IMPACT 7, the international print symposium hosted by Monash University. In Janurary 2012 it will travel to the US, where it will be exhibited at King Family Exhibition Space at University of Colorado, Boulder.

Images from top:

Red Bodied Swallowtail butterfly specimen
Research material and developmental drawings
Lino block in progress
Finished edition ready for signing

Another place, another space

2011-05-08T20:13:00.012+10:00

Late last year I purchased a modest 1970s house at Ballarat in regional Victoria. Although still a steadfast Melbourne girl, my weekends (and sometimes some extra days besides) are now happily spent there.

I decided to start looking for a place in Ballarat, a town I’ve long been fond of, relatively spontaneously. And as if it were meant to be, the aforementioned house was the very first - indeed, only one - that we looked at. It helped enormously to meet an amazingly astute real estate agent, who recognized the needs of a couple of crazy artists better than we did ourselves (thanks heaps, Steve.) Ironically it was the huge garage in the back garden that primarily attracted us. Potentially it is an ideal space for a studio, particularly a printmaking workshop. Currently my partner Shane is in the process of insulating the walls and lining them with plasterboard.

In the meantime, I’ve set up a temporary studio in the third bedroom. It has excellent natural light, and is least twice the size of my space at Abbotsford (see previous blog post). An inbuilt cupboard efficiently stores a mountain of books and other reference material, ensuring the space remains relatively uncluttered. It is conveniently adjacent to the tiny laundry where I have set up my press. My pint-sized print workshop similarly benefits from inbuilt storage. It overlooks the garden and our print studio-in-progress.

... and another door opens

2011-04-25T14:50:00.017+10:00

Here are some photos of the cosy area, newly set up on the ground floor of our place in Abbotsford that will serve as my Melbourne workspace for the immediate future. Although it is significantly smaller in scale than the studio I’ve just vacated, I think it will be quite serviceable, especially as most of my current work is also relatively small in scale.

Pictured from top:

My fantastic desk, acquired from the local op shop.

Sketchbook detail.

Small plan cabinet purchased many years ago in Balaclava, topped by some of the combs and hairpins from my extensive collection. The carved screen, another recent acquisition, gives me some privacy, whilst still letting in some light. It also lends a touch of the exotic; at least I like to think so.

Transferred from my previous studio, these meticulously labeled and ordered drawers (see, I really am trying to mend my ways) contain all the paraphernalia that I need for my zine making activities.

A door closes...

2011-04-07T06:32:00.030+10:00

In 2007 I took over a large room in the city of Melbourne that was to be my studio for over four years. Despite the frustration of persistent leaks (how many artists through the ages have had to endure those?) some of the most productively happy times of my life were spent there. Once I was inside, all else but the work fell away. The saga of the mysterious Moth Women, who first saw the light of day in my Abbotsford studio, continued here, and flourished. And here I created The enchanted hair ornaments, the multi-panelled painting which morphed into the fairy tale of the same name - the first story I ever wrote. More recently it was where the Winged Women linocuts and paintings were hatched.

So now it ends. Notice has been given and although I have not quite vacated my studio, it is close to empty and my head and heart are already elsewhere. Last weekend on iPhoto I trawled through some of the umpteen photographs I have taken there over the years, and found I had tears in my eyes. There’s no denying the time is right to move on, but I will take a great many memories with me. I will also be taking the gargantuan spider plant from my little balcony – a living monument to survival against the odds. It was there when I moved in, puny and barely alive. The room had been vacant for some time, and because of the ongoing drought, the plant couldn’t even depend on rain water for sustenance. I’m not known for my green thumb, but having nurtured it back to life (it particularly seems to thrive on washing up water) there’s no way I’m leaving it behind.

Here are some before, during and after shots. As the pictures show, the walls I inherited were in dire need of repainting. I took over the studio in the full heat of summer. My partner Shane (who I can never thank enough, both then and now) came in at night and worked late with me. Hard, sweaty work, but more happy memories. After working for hours in seclusion, stepping out into the buzz of the city on a summer night always gave us a startling, but not unpleasant jolt. Sometimes we’d stop for a cooling beer at an outdoor café on Federation Square to relax and unwind before heading off home.

An old friend is taking over the studio. It’s a solace to know I can still drop in occasionally to visit her, the other artists on my floor, Francine in the office, who has been such a good friend to us all, and my old studio. It’s a shame the owners of this fine old building don’t care about it as much as its tenants do.

Now Shane and I are just about back where we begun, living and working in our place at Abbotsford. But more of this and other developments once I am settled and sorted.

Green-Spotted Triangle Winged Woman lands at Montsalvat

2011-03-28T09:58:00.021+11:00

Green-Spotted Triangle Winged Woman, formerly a vital part of the eighteen-strong Winged Women sister act (See Blog Post February 17) has gone solo. She has been selected as a finalist in the inaugural Rick Amor Print Prize, to be held at the Barn Gallery, Montsalvat.

The exhibition will be launched at 6 – 8 pm on Friday 8 April and runs until Sunday 22 May.

The Rick Amor Print Prize aside, Monsalvat's magnificent buildings and grounds are also worth a visit. Founded in the mid 1930s by Justus Jorgensen, it is Australia's oldest artist's colony. First time visitors can find directions on Melway Map 22 A8. For those without wheels, Montsalvat can be reached by bus 582 from Eltham Station. Further information can be found on their website HERE.

Montsalvat

7 Hillcrest Avenue

Eltham

Victoria 3095

Phone: 03 9439 7712

Montsalvat opening hours: Monday – Sunday 9am – 5 pm

Pictured above:

Green-Spotted Triangle Winged Woman, 2010

Linocut

32 x 32 cm
Photograph by Tim Gresham

Artists' Ink exhibition at Bundoora Homestead

2011-03-15T13:16:00.023+11:00

This touring exhibition (see also Blog Post 18 April 2010) spans 3 decades of Australian printmaking. It was curated by Anne Virgo, Director, Victorian Print Workshop, Melbourne. The prints were selected from the permanent collection of Warrnambool Art Gallery. Exhibiting artists include Dean Bowen, Yvonne Boag, Tim Jones, Geoffrey Ricardo, John Coburn, Deborah Walker, Rona Green and Graeme Peebles.

My work Untitled, 1999 (relief print, brown and white ink on interfacing overlaid onto brown oriental paper, 73 x 62 cm) pictured above, is also in the show.

Exhibition Dates: 18 March 2011 – 15 May 2011

Bundoora Homestead Art Centre
7-27 Snake Gully Drive
Bundoora
Victoria 3083

Website: http://bundoorahomestead.com/
Email: bundoorahomstead@darebin.vic.gov.au
Telephone: 03 9496 1060

Re-enchantment

2011-02-28T06:27:00.105+11:00

My work can soon be glimpsed in Re-enchantment, an immersive journey into the meaning of fairy tales that will screen on ABC television. The works shown here are those that were originally chosen, but I have no idea if they all made the final cut. Even if they don't, I thought it was an interesting selection, and show them here in their entirety. Hair has been a prominent symbol in my work for well over a decade. The Long, Long Braid, 2001 (pictured left) also illustrates my own fairy tale The Girl in the Tower, the opening story in my book There was once… The collected fairy tales (published by Moth Woman Press, 2009).

Re-enchantment is written and directed by Sarah Gibson and produced by Sue Maslin. It will be officially launched on Wednesday 2 March at 5pm at the Palace Cinema 3, Adelaide as part of the Adelaide Film Festival. Further details are on the Adelaide Film Festival website: http://tix.adelaidefilmfestival.org/session3.asp?sn=Re-enchantment

The Re-enchantment website will also be launched on March 2:  http://www.abc.net.au/tv/re-enchantment/

For those in Melbourne, ACMI are hosting a two-day Symposium called Fairy Tales Re-Imagined on the 10 and 11 March:

http://www.acmi.net.au/fairy-tales-reimagined.aspx

The Sydney launch will be on the evening of Thursday 24 March at the Surry Hills Library.

Re-enchantment will go live on Wednesday 2 March in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada and the UK:

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/re-enchantment/

The television interstitials and radio programs will be broadcast on ABC TV and ABC Radio National throughout the month of March.

Re-enchantment’s regular updates can be followed on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Re-enchantment/125219870872528

And on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/reenchantment

Pictured above:
The Long, Long Braid, 2001, acrylic on canvas 141 x 40.5 cm. Private collection

Swaddle, 2001, acrylic on canvas,

136 x 40.5 cm. Private collection

Column, 2000, acrylic on canvas,

20 x 15 cm. Private collection

Enough Rope, 1999, acrylic on canvas,
30 x 17.5 cm.

Private collection

Scheherazade, 2004, oil pastel, 55.5 x 57.5 cm.

Private collection

Witness, 2004, oil pastel, 122 x 76.5 cm
Private collection

Vorticist 2, 2004, oil and acrylic on canvas,

122 x 91 cm. Collection: Art Gallery of Ballarat

The Art Vault Exhibition at Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery

2011-02-17T18:29:00.049+11:00

Winged Women, 2010, linocuts, individual works 30 x 30 cm

Collection: The Art Vault. Photograph by Tim Gresham

Ian Tully, Director of Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery, has curated an exhibition focusing on artists who have worked at The Art Vault. Included in the exhibition are the Winged Women linocuts, the blocks of which I worked on during my first residency at The Art Vault in July 2009. Other artists in the show include ex de Medici, Rosalind Atkins, Mike Parr, John Cattapan, Martin King, Shane Jones and John Young.

It's good news that Swan Hill Gallery has re-opened its doors. Recently it was forced to close temporarily due to concerns about rising floodwater from Little Murray River.

The exhibition opened on 12 February and concludes on 27 March.

The Art Vault Exhibition

SWAN HILL REGIONAL ART GALLERY  

Horseshoe Bend

Swan Hill

Victoria 3585 Australia  

Telephone: 03 5036 2430

Facsimile: 03 5036 2465 

artgal@swanhill.vic.gov.au

Gallery hours: Tues - Fri 10 am - 5 pm; Sat - Sun 11 am - 5 pm

Mildred Pierce in the Art Gallery of New South Wales

2011-02-12T08:58:00.076+11:00

As I continue grappling with fledgling imagery in the studio, a work from the increasingly distant past has reappeared:

Mildred Pierce on St. Kilda Pier, 1995,
linocut, 65 x 45 cm

Only recently I learned that Mildred Pierce on St. Kilda Pier, a key work from the Film Noir linocuts of the mid 1990s, has been in the permanent collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales since 2009.

Its primary inspiration was the film Mildred Pierce (1945, directed by Michael Curtiz) which in turn was based on the novel by James M. Cain. The setting has been transposed from its original locale of Glendale in Southern California to my home town of St. Kilda, where I was living when I worked on the series.

Mildred Pierce on St. Kilda Pier is also in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Australia, Deakin University and the Art Gallery of Ballarat. It was included in the 2008 touring Survey Exhibition Deborah Klein - Out of the Past 1995-2007 which was curated by Diane Soumilas.

My affection for Film Noir has never wavered. (See February 12 post More Moth Woman Vigilantes on Moth Woman Press Artist's Books and Zines Blog.)

Sketchbook stuff

2011-02-05T09:18:00.022+11:00

Myth-entomology: some fresh ideas and new directions...

Orchard Swallowtail Winged Woman

Cicada Winged Woman

Shield-backed Katydid Winged Woman

Spider Hunting Wasp Woman

Red-bodied Swallowtail Winged Woman

Magpie Moth Winged Woman

Hover fly Winged Woman

All works pencil in A4 sized sketch book (21.0 × 29.7 cm)

A visit to Melbourne Museum

2011-01-26T08:59:00.016+11:00

Last week I spent a day at the Melbourne Museum, mainly at Bugs Alive! doing some photographic research for my Myth-entomology project. Bugs Alive! is unquestionably my favourite exhibit in the museum. These pictures are a heavily edited selection from the dozens I took that day.

I was particularly entranced by the bewitching Rainforest Mantis pictured directly above, and returned several times to admire her. She was guarding a tiny egg case, called an ootheca (see photograph second from base.) It was well camouflaged, and if not for the small label on her enclosure, I doubt I would have spotted it half hidden amongst the leaves of a branch. Incredibly, an ootheca can hold up to 100 eggs.

January Brainstorming

2011-01-20T17:29:00.016+11:00

It feels good to be back in the studio after a short break. The only time I ventured in over the Christmas period was to have a thorough clear up, which has certainly made the slightly daunting process of beginning afresh in the New Year go much more smoothly.

Currently the infamous Moth Woman Vigilantes seem to be dominating my sketch book.

Ring out the old, ring in the new...

2010-12-23T06:32:00.111+11:00

Digama marmorea Moth Mask, 2009, linocut, hand coloured, 15 x 15 cm
and Cyana mericki Moth Mask, 2009, linocut, hand coloured, 15 x 15 cm

Lately I’ve been preparing selected linocuts from the Moth Masks and Enchanted Hair Ornaments series for Metropolis Gallery in Geelong - a pleasant, relatively relaxing task to undertake as the old year draws to a close.

It’s been a busy year, but with many highlights. Despite the untimely closure of Gallery 101, where I was booked for a solo exhibition in September, I was able to find a superb alternative venue in Chrysalis Gallery. The show, which ran throughout October, was a singularly happy experience.

I was one of the selected artists for the 2010 Print Council of Australia Member Print Commission. The entire edition of Red Lacewinged Woman, 2010, linocut, hand coloured) has now sold out.

Moth Woman Vigilante #9, 2010, linocut, 15 x15 cm

Participating in Rona Green’s projects is always hugely rewarding. Her 2010 print exchange portfolio Fair and Square, which will be exhibited at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga in April 2011, was no exception. When a project such as this one comes along, it can present artists with a priceless opportunity to push imagery and ideas just that much further. Moth Woman Vigilante #9, made especially for Fair and Square, introduced a new direction for the Moth Masks imagery, which will be developed into a suite and possibly an artist’s book in 2011.

Moth Woman Vigilantes (blocks) 15 x 15 cm

Similarly, The Exquisite Palette at St. Luke Artist Colourmen also encourages experimentation and play. As usual, the participating artists rose to the challenge. This year saw the introduction of the Exquisite Palette Award. With so many outstanding entries, it was a privilege to have my palette Behind the Mask judged Most Exquisite.

Behind the Mask, 2010, Acrylic on wooden palette
(Photograph by Tim Gresham)

In the coming year I’m particularly looking forward to participating in Freak of Nature, also curated by Rona Green, a print exchange folio and exhibition project involving artists from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. During September the collected works will be exhibited at Switchback Gallery, Monash University, Gippsland, in conjunction with IMPACT 7, the international printmaking conference at Monash University. The prints will also be exhibited at the King Family Exhibition Space, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA in January 2012.

Metropolis Gallery has invited me for the second year running to exhibit in Contemporary and Collectable, which will open on 9 July 2011.

Two solo shows are scheduled for next year. The first will coincide with my second stint as Artist in Residence at The Art Vault in Mildura throughout June. The second, in September at Woodbine Art in Malmsbury, Victoria, is also one of the Month of Print events connected to IMPACT 7.

Exterior view of my studio building in Melbourne

(my room is on the top floor, far right)

Much as I look forward to these projects, I’m aiming for a less hectic year than this one has been, with some travel plans and a bit more time out for coffees with friends, balanced, of course, with much quality time in the studio.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.

One show ends and another begins

2010-12-16T06:40:00.033+11:00

LAST DAY, LORD MAYOR'S EXHIBITION

This was snapped on Saturday, December 11, the final day of the Lord Mayor’s Exhibition at Maroondah Art Gallery. Because of work commitments, it was the earliest I could make it there. Printmakers Jazmina Cininas and Marco Luccio won acquisition awards. The Lord Mayor’s Exhibition ran from 11 November - 11 December.

Above, left to right:

Campylotes desgodsini, Moth Mask, 2007, oil pastel, 112 x 76 cm and

Anthela Oressarcha Moth Mask, 2007, oil pastel, 76 x 57 cm

ARTISTS' PARTY AT THE AUSTRALIAN PRINT WORKSHOP

On the evening of the same day the Australian Print Workshop threw an Artist’s Party to thank the artists who had donated work to IMPRESSIONS 2010, the fundraising exhibition that opened on December 3.

The response at the opening the week before had been overwhelming, beginning with a long queue that started forming over 2 hours before the APW’s doors opened. I was amazed to see that my entire print edition had sold out within the first hour.

A highlight of the party was the one and only appearance of a disparate (and prodigiously talented) band of musicians comprising printmakers and APW staff.

Pictured above: Lead singer (and APW Manager) Tilly Morris’s spectacular rendition of the Johnny Cash classic Ring of Fire.

Installation view of IMPRESSIONS 2010

Foreground left: The epitome of cool, artist and APW Band member Graeme Drendel leans nonchalantly on the bar. Far right: artists Brian Pieper and Ruth Johnstone

Centre: artists Michael Fitzgerald and the versatile Adrian Kellett, who was also the APW Band's drummer. Right hand side: Artist Wayne Viney with Roger Butler, Senior Curator of Australian Prints and Drawings at the National Gallery of Australia, who officially launched the evening’s festivities.

Following his opening address APW Director Anne Virgo announced that a complete set of the exhibiting artists’ APW Artists Proofs (APW A/P 2) has been gifted to the National Gallery of Australia.

The exhibition runs until February 12, 2011.

For full details of IMPRESSIONS 2010, including participating artists and opening hours, scroll down to Blog Post Saturday, November 20.

Young Women with Wings

2010-12-09T06:47:00.023+11:00

Alice Li

Georgia Sinclair

Isobel Caldwell

Jieshu Li

Julia Bell

Julienne Soo

Maddie Clark

Shervene Tan

Ellen Soust

Recently I received a wonderful surprise in my email inbox. Kate Murray, who teaches Art and Visual Communication at Lauriston Girls' School in Armadale, wrote to tell me that she had taken her Year 8 students to see my exhibition Natural Histories at Chrysalis Gallery . Back at their school the students were invited to create their own interpretations of the Winged Women paintings.

Three of her students’ drawings were attached to Kate’s email. I loved them, and was delighted when Kate offered to send some more examples. These arrived yesterday, and all are now reproduced above.

Acknowledgements (and warm thanks) to Kate Walker and the gifted young artists Alice Li, Ellen Soust, Georgia Sinclair, Isobel Caldwell, Jieshu Li, Julia Bell, Julienne Soo, Maddie Clark and Shervene Tan for giving me permission to publish their work on my blog.

Wattle Blue Butterfly Winged Woman

2010-11-30T08:44:00.076+11:00

This newly completed painting is a commission that came out of my recent exhibition at Chrysalis Gallery - I'm just about to deliver it, and hope their client will like it.

The Wattle Blue is a South Australian butterfly, so called because of its favourite habitat, the glorious Australian Wattle Tree. For me its personal significance is twofold. I have just returned from a short trip to Quorn and Adelaide in SA, reuniting with family members, and wattle is one of my favourite flowers. The butterfly was sourced from an excellent textbook on South Australian butterflies purchased from the South Australian Museum.

So ends my last project for 2010, as the countdown to Christmas, already well under way, continues….

Pictured above: Wattle Blue Winged Woman, 2010, 36 x 36 cm, acrylic on linen. Completed work and some developmental stages. Top image by Tim Gresham.

IMPRESSIONS 2010

2010-11-20T09:43:00.034+11:00

Stages in the development of Unmasked, 2010, hand coloured linocut, 20 x 15 cm, edition 10. It was created for the Australian Print Workshop exhibition IMPRESSIONS 2010 limited edition prints by contemporary artists

Images from top:

Work in progress
Completed block
Proofing finished work
Participating artists

(Click on images to enlarge)

The exhibition will be launched on Friday 3 December from 6-8 pm and continues until 12 February 2011

Australian Print Workshop Gallery

210 Gertrude Street

Fitzroy Vic 3065

Phone: 03 9419 5466

Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10 am - 5pm

Gallery closed for Christmas and New Year 25 December 2010 - 10 January 2011

A Blast from the Past

2010-11-15T07:51:00.041+11:00

Castlemaine Art Gallery and Historical Museum have just done an extensive rehang. We called into the gallery yesterday and enjoyed revisiting some of the collection's many highlights.

In conjunction with this, their latest exhibition (which opened on Saturday) focuses on artists from the Castlemaine region whose works are held in the gallery's permanent collection.

My own work, Femme Fatale, 1996, linocut with chine colle, is currently on view in the Benefactor's Gallery. It was acquired at the conclusion of the touring survey exhibition Deborah Klein - Out of the Past 1995-2007, which was guest curated by Diane Soumilas. The work originates from the Film Noir series (1995-1997.)

View their website HERE.

To see other works from the Film Noir series visit the Portfolio Page on my website.

From top:

Femme Fatale, 1996 pictured with works by Rick Amor, Paul Boromeno, Albert Tucker and Petra Reece

Installation detail: Femme Fatale, 1996

Click on images to enlarge

Natural Histories - final days

2010-11-02T22:39:00.016+11:00

From top:

Gallery entrance
Last day visitors: Leigh Hobbs, Deborah Klein, Dmitri Kakmi, Robert Heather, Edwina Bach
Chrysalis Gallery Director Delwyn Freestone with Shane Jones
Shirley Murdoch, Deborah Klein, Sue, Peg Johnston
Shane Jones, Deborah Klein, Kim McDonald

'Natural Histories' Launch

2010-10-19T06:56:00.019+11:00

Here are a few shots, taken mostly during the early stages of the opening night. My partner Shane Jones was delegated photographer and took all but one of them. Thanks to Deborah Bradbury for the last photograph (directly above) of Shane and I with artist Hannah Bertram. Later it became too crowded and we got too distracted by the countless conversations that occur at a busy opening. It was fantastic to see so many people, including friends and fellow artists. Thank you to everyone who came and made it such a memorable evening for me.

Special thanks to Delwyn Freestone, Director of Chrysalis Gallery, who has taken so much care with every aspect of the exhibition. Warm thanks also to Andrew Gunnell of Chrysalis Gallery.

From top:

Deborah Walker, Craig Gough, Wendy Stavrianos and James Griffin
Bartender extraordinaire John Ryrie
Marian Crawford and Valerie Sparks
Doug Willis and Andrew Gunnell; in background: Chris Cochius and Joy Smith
Brian Pieper, Deborah Bradbury, Richard Morrison, Carolyn Goldberg
Diane Soumilas, John Hinde, Jane Burton
Background, left: Ralph Moran, Deborah Bradbury; foreground: Paul Compton and Priscilla Ambrosini
Deborah Klein and Martina Copley
Jazmina Cininas, Lisa Barmby, Lisa Sassella, Bill Reid (with back to camera) and Elyss McCleary
Shane Jones, Hannah Bertram and I (photograph by Deborah Bradbury)

Natural Histories installation views

2010-10-17T23:25:00.022+11:00

Selected shots of the exhibition, room by room.

Final works for Natural Histories solo exhibition

2010-09-25T09:00:00.023+10:00

The work is all done for Natural Histories. It is a huge relief, although there is still a lot of pre-exhibition preparation to do.

Pictured above, the last three works completed for the show.

Second from top: Common Rose Swallowtail Winged Woman, 2010, acrylic on linen, 36 x 36 cm (Photograph by Tim Gresham)

Base: Urolitha bibuntifera and Aitcis erythrozona, 2010, acrylic on miniature plaster masks, dimensions (H x W x D) 8.3 x 5.8 x 3.5 cm and 13.5 x 9 x 6 cm

Natural Histories
Paintings Linocuts Drawings Mixed Media

Opening: Thursday 7th October 6.00-8.00 pm

Exhibition dates: 7th - 30th October

Chrysalis Gallery is conveniently located just 15 minute's walk from the City CBD (opposite the old Mercy Hospital site).

Hours:

Tuesday-Friday 9.30-5.30; Saturday 11.00-5.00;
Monday by appointment - please call 9415 1977 or 0418 324 651.

Contact Details:

Chrysalis Gallery & Studio:
Director: Delwyn Freestone
179 Gipps Street East Melbourne VIC 3002
Phone: 61 3 9415 1977
Fax: 61 3 9415 1966
Email: prints@chrysalis.com.au

The complete works can be previewed on the Chrysalis website in about a week's time. To view their website, click HERE.

2010 Print Council of Australia Member Print Edition

2010-09-10T09:28:00.016+10:00

Above (from top)

Red Lacewinged Woman 2010, linocut, hand coloured. Image: (irregular) approx 36 x 32.5 cm, Paper size: 45 x 38 cm
Photograph by Tim Gresham

Printing Red Lacewinged Woman, the artist's studio, September 2010

The following (slightly edited) information and list of venues appears courtesy of Damian Kelly, General Manager, Print Council of Australia Inc.

"Each year the PCA calls for nominations and independently selects artists to produce a commissioned edition of high quality prints especially for our members. This year's judges were Thomas Middlemost, Curator, Charles Sturt University and Linda Elliott, Curator of Public Programmes, Wagga Wagga Art Gallery. The prints are purchased in advance, through a mail order system.

Details of the prints are released in the September issue of IMPRINT magazine. The artist proofs of all editions are on display at venues in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne and Sydney. Order Forms are made available in the September issue of IMPRINT, and members select their print (or prints) in preference order. In total there are some 300 prints for subscribers, these are allocated in order of Order Forms being received. Allocated prints are posted to subscribers at the end of November.

Numerous public art museums, schools and galleries have been long time participants of the program, and many individual collectors are now also joining. This means that it's possible to buy prints that are also being purchased by many of Australia’s well known state and regional galleries."

Each commissioned artist has produced 6 artist's proofs which were forwarded to each of the venues below on 30 August. It is recommended to check individual galleries for hours and viewing times, but the works should be on show somewhere between 10 September and 24 October. The ten prints will initially be launched at Handmark Gallery in Hobart on Friday 10th September 2010.

Megalo Print Studio + Gallery
Canberra Technology Park
49 Phillip Avenue,
Watson, Canberra, ACT 2602
alisonalder@megalo.org

Grahame Galleries + Editions
1 Fernberg Road
Milton Qld 4064
editions@pacific.net.au

Tin Sheds Gallery & Art Workshops
Faculty of Architecture
University of Sydney
148 City Road
SYDNEY NSW 2000
lever_a@arch.usyd.edu.au

Port Jackson Press Print Room
61 Smith Street
Fitzroy, Melbourne VIC 3065
info@portjacksonpress.com.au

Handmark Gallery
77 Salamanca Place
HOBART TAS 7000
Flinders University
GPO Box 2100
Adelaide SA 5001
info@handmarkgallery.com

Flinders University
GPO Box 2100
Adelaide SA 5001
celia.dottore@flinders.edu.au

Artist and Author Talk, The Melbourne Athenaeum Library, 22 September at 1 pm

2010-09-02T22:33:00.019+10:00

For further information, click on flyer to enlarge.

I hope to meet some of you at the Athenaeum on the 22nd. For those of you who haven't visited before, it is one of Melbourne's gems. Check out their website HERE.

Premature Primavera

2010-08-31T14:32:00.028+10:00

Purple Azure Winged Woman emerged on the very last day of winter - a harbinger of springtime and some warmer weather (at least let us hope so.)

Image above:
Purple Azure Winged Woman, 2010, acrylic on linen, 36 x 36 cm
Photograph by Tim Gresham

Newly Hatched

2010-08-14T11:35:00.026+10:00

Although butterflies typically hatch in spring, this example of recently discovered hybrid subspecies Macleay's Swallowtail Winged Woman has just emerged from her chrysalis cocoon, boldly defying the current Melbourne cold spell.

Image above:

Macleay's Swallowtail Winged Woman, 2010, acrylic on linen, 36 x 36 cm

More Exquisite Palettes

2010-08-05T12:44:00.026+10:00

I was thrilled (and also humbled, given the extremely high standard of this year's entries) to learn that my palette (see Blog Entry below) has just been awarded the 'The Most Exquisite Palette Prize'. Pictured above are just some of over 200 extraordinarily diverse artists' palettes that make up this year's show. Despite my best photographic efforts, these shots simply don't do them justice. If you are in the area, do call in and have a look for yourself. The address and opening hours of St. Luke are also detailed in my previous Blog Entry.

A selection of palettes and a list of participating artists can also be viewed on St. Luke Artists Colourmen Blog.

Images from top:
Window display, St. Luke Artist Colourmen
Interior view with exhibiting Exquisite Palette artist Shane Jones pictured with Exquisite Palette visionary and founder Louise Blyton.
Click on images to enlarge.

Warm thanks to Louise and everyone at St. Luke for the endless enthusiasm and incredible organizational skills that helped make this the best Exquisite Palette show yet.

The Exquisite Palette 2010

2010-07-27T06:36:00.012+10:00

Image above: Recent studio view of my 2010 entry Behind the Mask, 2010, acrylic on wooden palette

The Exquisite Palette exhibition never ceases to delight, surprise and dazzle. For many artists it provides an opportunity for play, experimentation or to test drive some new ideas. One of the challenges I most enjoy is finding a way of incorporating that oval hole into my composition.

The opening night celebration of this eagerly anticipated biennial event is this coming Friday, 30 July, from 6 - 7.30 pm.

St Luke Artists Colourmen
32 Smith Street
Collingwood Vic 3066
Phone 03 9486 9992
info@stlukeart.com

Opening hours: Monday-Friday 10 am - 6 pm
Saturday 10 am - 5 pm

The exhibition continues until 1 September.

Contemporary Australian Printmaking Exhibition at Metropolis Gallery, Geelong

2010-07-18T10:03:00.021+10:00

Image above: courtesy The Age A2, Melbourne, Saturday, July 17, 2010

Contemporary and Collectable Australian Printmakers opened on Saturday, 17 July. The exhibition was launched by Anne Virgo, Director of the Australian Print Workshop, Melbourne.

The artists in the exhibition are Tony Ameneiro, Graham Fransella, David Frazer, Rona Green, Greg Harrison, Robyn Hassall, Kate Hudson, Anita Iacovella, Deborah Klein, Debra Luccio, Marco Luccio, Marion Manifold, Jenny Peterson, Margie Sheppard, Heather Shimmen, Sally Smart, Sophia Szilagyi and Joel Wolter.

View the exhibition online here: www.metropolisgallery.com.au

Better still, call into see the show if you are in the area:

Metropolis Gallery
Director Robert Avitabile
64 Ryrie Street
Geelong Vic

(03) 5221 6505

Hours: 10-5.30 weekdays
10-4 Saturday

The exhibition runs until 31 July.

Return to the Art Vault

2010-07-04T11:14:00.020+10:00

On June 24 I flew to Mildura to join my partner Shane Jones for the last days of his busy and productive month as Artist in Residence at the Art Vault in Mildura, which also included a successful solo exhibition and 2 day painting workshop.

It was wonderful to catch up with old friends, and to meet some new ones. We were privileged to be in the audience of over 300 people at the Sett, Mildura on 26 June for the presentation of the prestigious 2010 Powercor/PRIME Mildura Business Excellence Awards, when first time entrant the Art Vault won the Retail Category Award.

Images (from top):
Art Vault Director Julie Chambers accepting the Retail Award at the 2010 Powercor/PRIME Mildura Business Excellence Awards on June 26. To her right: Master of Ceremonies Mark Beretta

Centre:
During my brief stay I presented a set of Swarm linocuts (see previous blog entry) to the Art Vault Archive. Pictured from left: work experience student Michelle, Art Vault staff member Andrew Svrta, Art Vault Director Julie Chambers, Art Vault staff member Robert Watson, Art Vault studio artist Anjelie Beyer, Art Vault volunteer Darcy Mulaney, and Artist in Residence and exhibiting artist Shane Jones. Background: works from Shane's solo exhibition, which concluded on 29 June

Base:
Shane Jones (at right) pictured with Mildura-based artists Kate Cotching, Filomena Coppola, Mia Kolpin and Mia's handsome new son Fletcher at Gallery 25. Background: a group exhibition of prints from the Art Vault

Taking Flight

2010-06-12T11:26:00.029+10:00

This week I began editioning the 18 lino blocks for the forthcoming installation and artist book Swarm. It has been a long process - the project had its genesis at the Art Vault in Mildura where I undertook a month-long residency just under a year ago. The printing is going remarkably well, although with such a large project, I am feeling the need for drying racks more than ever before. The finished works will form part of the solo exhibition Natural Selection at Chrysalis Gallery in October, and will also be exhibited at the Art Vault in June, 2011.

Metamorphosis of a Moth Woman

2010-06-03T00:33:00.007+10:00

Pictured above: The evolution of Dysphania cuprina Moth Woman, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 25 x 20 cm

New works in progress

2010-05-20T09:58:00.010+10:00

My studio building was badly damaged during the recent hail storm, but some good has come out of it, as long overdue repairs are currently being carried out. In the meantime, I've been working on some small linocuts (some of which are pictured above). Now that my room is nearly finished (and looking its best ever - the builders have done a fantastic job) I am looking forward to editioning a back-log of work in an environment that is completely dry and leak-free for the first time since I moved into the building.

Pictured above: Moth Woman Vigilantes # 1 and 2 (blocks) each 15 x 15 cm

Contemporary Woven Tapestries from the Victorian Tapestry Workshop at Walker Street Gallery

2010-05-04T12:48:00.014+10:00

The exhibition features tapestries designed by Australian contemporary artists, including Peter Atkins, Jon Cattapan, Peggy Napangardi Jones, Tim Jones, Deborah Klein and Stephen Wickham.

Images above, from top:

Red Comb # 1, 2007 (from 8 Women series by Deborah Klein) 39 x 39 cm
Woven by Rebecca Moulton

Red Comb #2, 2007 (from 8 Women series by Deborah Klein) 15.5 x 16 cm
Woven by Cheryl Thornton

Photography by Viki Petherbridge

Opening night: 6 May, 6.30 – 8.30 pm
Opening address by Joe Pascoe, CEO and Artistic Director, Craft Victoria

Walker Street Gallery,
Cnr. Walker & Robinson Streets,
Dandenong, VIC, 3175 

Phone: 9706 8441 
Fax: 9706 7651
Email: walkerstgallery@cgd.vic.gov.au

Open: Monday to Friday: 11am – 5pm 
Saturday: 11am – 3pm 
Closed Public Holidays  

The exhibition runs from 1 - 26 May, 2010

New Work

2010-04-24T06:56:00.019+10:00

Sword-grass Brown Winged Woman, 2010, acrylic on linen, 36 x 36 cm

This work will be included in the forthcoming solo exhibition Natural Histories at Chrysalis Gallery, which will run from 7 - 30 October, 2010.

Photograph by Tim Gresham. Click on image to enlarge.

Artists’ Ink: Printmaking from the Warrnambool Art Gallery Collection 1970–2001

2010-04-18T10:17:00.014+10:00

Curated by Anne Virgo, Director, Australian Print Workshop, this selection of prints is drawn from the collection of the Warrnambool Art Gallery and documents thirty years of Australian printmaking. Over 170 printmaking artists are represented in the Warrnambool Art Gallery Collection. The works selected for the exhibition at Deakin University represent a diversity of styles and approaches to the print medium. Also included in the exhibition are works by Yvonne Boag, Dean Bowen, John Coburn, Tim Jones, Graeme Peebles, Geoff Ricardo, Deborah Williams, Marion Manifold, Deborah Walker, Rona Green and many others.

The exhibition runs from 14 April to 22 May.

Deakin Art Collection and Galleries
221 Burwood Highway Burwood, Victoria 3125 Australia
General enquiries: +61 3 9244 5344

Images from top:

Deborah Klein, Untitled, 1999, relief print, 73 x 62 cm

Installation view: works by Guan Wei, Rona Green, Hertha Kluge-Pott, Tate Adams and Deborah Klein

Pictured with participating artist Deborah Walker (centre) and Artist's Ink curator Anne Virgo (on right.) In background: triptych by Marion Manifold)

Professional Development Day at Camberwell Grammar

2010-04-18T09:57:00.013+10:00

Pictured (on far right) at lunch with some of the Camberwell Grammar Art Department following my presentation as part of the school's Professional Development Day on Monday 12 April.

From left to right: art teacher Marita Kelly, unidentified Camberwell Grammar staff member, ceramics teacher Kevin Boyd, art teacher Anne Walters, Art Department technician Brian McManus, and David Williamson, Director of Art, Camberwell Grammar School. Photograph by Shane Jones.

Contemporary Australian Drawings 1

2010-04-08T07:45:00.011+10:00

The exhibition, which opened yesterday evening, focuses on the artists whose works appear in the forthcoming publication Contemporary Australian Drawing Volume 1 by Dr Janet McKenzie. It is held in conjunction with the 2010 International Drawing Out Conference at RMIT University.

Artists include: Godwin Bradbeer, Mike Parr, Mandy Martin, Bernard Sachs, Jon Cattapan, Hilarie Mais, Alan Mitelman, Pam Hallendal, Euan Heng, Helen Maudsley, Phillip Hunter, Jenny Watson, Deborah Klein, Wilma Tabacco and Jan Senbergs.

RMIT Gallery
RMIT, Storey Hall,
344 Swanston Street
Melbourne, 3000
Monday - Friday 11 - 5
Saturday 12 - 5.

The exhibition continues until Saturday, 26 June.

Image above:
Far left: Drawing by Jenny Watson; centre: participating artist Pam Hallandal; far right: Anonyme, 1998, linocut, 73 x 62 cm by Deborah Klein

One Cup Exhibition at Hand Held Gallery

2010-04-06T04:43:00.019+10:00

Come along to Hand Held Gallery this Thursday (April 8th) between 6 and 8 pm for the opening of

One Cup
an exhibition of 48 teaspoons

by Melissa Cameron (Vic), Sandra Winkworth (Vic), Rachel Bell (N.Z), Jenny Meier (U.S.A/Guam), Lyndsay Reine (N.Z), Victoria Mason (Vic), Penny Peckham (Vic), Jill Hermans (Vic), Victoria McIntosh (N.Z), Soxy Flemming (Vic), Deborah Klein (Vic), Kate Wheeler (Vic), Anna Varendorff (Vic), Chloe Vallance (Vic) and Megan Herring (Vic).

Click HERE for a sneak peek. (Invitation designed by Megan Herring).

48 teaspoons measure one cup. My own two contributions to One Cup are pictured above. The images reflect my longtime interest in Elizabethan miniature portraiture and Victorian mourning and sentimental jewellery.

Top spoon: Eye, synthetic polymer paint on found teaspoon, 2010
Below: Braid, synthetic polymer paint on found teaspoon, 2010

The exhibition will continue throughout April.

Hand Held Gallery
Suite 18 (upstairs) Paramount Arcade
108 Bourke Street Melbourne, 3000
(03)9654 4006
www.handheldgallery.blogspot.com

Linocut in progress 18-19 March

2010-03-20T13:02:00.009+11:00

Genesis of Chenuala heliaspis Moth Mask linocut, 30.5 x 30.5 cm.

Closing Drinks, Gallery 101 Melbourne

2010-03-08T20:05:00.011+11:00

On Friday, 5 March, Gallery 101 held its final celebration after nearly 20 years of being a vital part of Melbourne's cultural life. Director Dianna Gold, Gallery Manager Martina Copley and Gallery Assistant and Media Liaison Officer Cate Massola were all a pleasure to work with, and I hope our paths will cross again one day. Many artists whose work I admire enormously, including Judy Holding, Heather Shimmen, Tim Gresham, Christopher Heathcote, Deborah Walker, and Angela Cavalieri, were exhibiting artists at Gallery 101. A number of us are also old friends, which added very much to the feeling of being part of a family. The Gallery will close its doors on March 13.

Images above:
Top: Director of Gallery 101 Dianna Gold with Vincent Alessi, Artistic Director Latrobe Museum of Art.
Lower: Angela Cavalieri, Martina Copley, Steven Kafkarisos, Lisa Barmby, Tim Gresham, and Grace with her mother Heather Shimmen.

New Work - Monarch Butterfly Winged Woman

2010-03-02T08:42:00.013+11:00

The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae), in the family Nymphalidae. Although it originated in the US, it has been found in New Zealand, and in Australia since 1871, where it is called the Wanderer. In Europe it is resident in the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Madeira, and is found as an occasional migrant in Western Europe. Its wings feature an easily recognizable orange and black pattern, with a wingspan of 8.9–10.2 centimetres (3½–4 in). (The Viceroy butterfly has a similar size, color, and pattern, but can be distinguished by an extra black stripe across the hind wing.) Female Monarchs have darker veins on their wings, and the males have a spot called the "androconium" in the center of each hind wing from which pheromones are released. Males are also slightly larger.

The Monarch is famous for its southward migration and northward return in summer in the Americas which spans the life of three to four generations of the butterfly.

Image above: Monarch Butterfly Winged Woman 2010, acrylic on linen, 36 x 36 cm.
The artist's studio, March, 2010.