SOLD

Now it's official. Special thanks to Terrence Morse and thanks to everyone for all your good wishes. Shane, Alice and I will miss this house, but are excited for the future.

Photos by Terrence Morse.

Alice in the collection of the State Library of Victoria

As the second weekend of house inspections approaches, Alice’s star continues to rise. The State Library of Victoria has added the real estate flyer to their permanent collection. SLV curator Madeleine Say found it refreshingly different to any other flyer she’d seen. She was drawn to the story of ‘Alice’s Wonderland in the heart of Golden Point’ and of course its heroine, Alice, even though, as the leaflet states, she is 'not included in the sale’. 

Huge thanks to our agent Terrence Morse for his creative vision and sense of fun, to photographer Angela Hayward and the team at Biggin Scott Ballarat. We couldn’t be more thrilled that an image of Alice is now held in such a venerable institution. Not bad for a two-year old.

To learn about the State Library of Victoria's extensive Ephemera collection, go HERE.

Alice's Wonderland

Alice occupies her favourite spot in our sunroom/outdoor entertaining area

Our home at 7 Bradshaw Street, Golden Point in Ballarat is now on the market. The agent describes it as ‘Alice’s Wonderland,’ which indeed it is. (See if you can spot her in the first view). 

For detailed views of the house, garden and my studio, click on the link directly below: 

https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-golden+point-132155998.*

*Please note the proviso following the property description: ‘Alice the cat not included in the sale'.

All photos by Angela Hayward, courtesy Biggin Scott, Ballarat.

Fighting back

Ecdysis, acrylic on linen, 50 x 40 cm (progress view)

Currently we’re living amongst debris from our recent move and still face a multitude of tasks before we move house again.

It has been all-consuming, so before it sucked the very life out of us, I determined to restore some much-needed balance.

As a card-carrying cinephile, the highlight of my year is the Melbourne International Film Festival. (See also previous post). However, the move has so dominated our lives, I simply didn’t think I’d have the necessary time or energy for MIFF 2019.

Having reached this low point several weeks back, I decided that no way was I giving up something that immeasurably enriches my life and work and that I look forward to all year. Over the ensuing weeks, I renewed my MIFF membership, organised budget accommodation in central Melbourne and booked a crazy number of films (so much so, I may need to do some culling).

The main thing was, I reclaimed a part of my life, and, more importantly, it didn’t end there. I was about to lose my studio, my work was on hold and its resumption seemed highly unlikely, at least any time soon. So, as previously posted, I staked my claim for a workspace in our third bedroom.

Progress has been slow - but steady progress there has been. The painting Ecdysis (pictured top and seen in its early stages HERE) now nears completion. It has been through numerous awkward transitional stages, and for some time, I despaired of ever bringing it to fruition. Due to constant interruptions, it sometimes hung in limbo for extended periods, which was variously frustrating and nerve wracking. I feel a rare sense of pride and satisfaction to have seen it through to this stage. 

In order to clear a pathway for the future, I'm also developing the makings of further works, with a particular focus on Illustrated Women. The burgeoning body decorations in the work below draw inspiration from William Morris.

Meanwhile, I’m doing my best to turn a blind eye to the disorder that surrounds us. Shane and I remain vigilant about retaining balance in our lives, in the form of films, theatre, music, favourite cafes, gallery visits, meals with friends and of course, games with the ever-effervescent Alice. Selected examples follow.

Come From Away, currently playing at the Comedy Theatre, Melbourne and earning standing ovations at every performance,
will restore your faith in human nature. It's also one of the finest pieces of theatre I've ever seen.

Last Thursday evening, in the basement of The Lost Ones, Ballarat, a superlative trio, Australian-born,
Paris-based jazz vocalist Hetty Kate, guitarist James Sherlock and bassist Ben Hanlon, presented
a selection of gems from the Great American Songbook. We could easily have been in a smoky bar
(but without the smoke) in 1920s, 30s, 40s or 50s Manhattan or Paris. What finer way to celebrate
settlement of the Abbotsford house and our permanent move to Ballarat?
By late October, we'll be living in a house dating from the same period as many of those songs.

Playmates and BFFs, Shane and Alice

I think we’re doing OK.

Re/settlement (with a little help from Alice)

Settlement of our former Abbotsford home was at 11.30 this morning. It's now officially a part of our past and we look forward to our future in Ballarat.

Heartfelt thanks to everyone who sent us encouraging messages and otherwise cheered us up along the way. It's undoubtedly the most complex and gruelling move we've ever undertaken. We didn't do it alone, however. Over the last few weeks, our stress levels regularly reached new heights and our morale hit some all time lows. But no matter how often we lost our sense of humour, Alice always showed us where to find it.

Pictured at various stages of our last days at Abbotsford: Alice and Shane Jones.

Full Moon in Abbotsford

‘He who has two women loses his soul. He who has two houses loses his mind.’

(Introductory proverb to Full Moon in Paris, Dir. Éric Rohmer, 1984)

Shane Jones and I still have a way to go before our respective houses are sold and we move full-time to Ballarat. I haven’t lost my mind yet, but have certainly misplaced it on several occasions. 

Meanwhile, Shane’s two-storey warehouse apartment in Abbotsford, our home for 21 years, has never looked neater or more clutter-free (for us) and is just about ready to go on the market. The last two views show part of his ground floor studio.

FESTIVAL OF THE PHOTOCOPIER ZINE FAIR 2018

The renowned Sticky Institute Festival of the Photocopier is currently under way and, as always, will culminate in a ginormous zine fair. In recent years it’s been held at Melbourne Town Hall, a venue well suited to accommodate the ever-growing number of stall holders. This year it’s anticipated that they'll number over two hundred.

Moth Woman Press will be among them, with three new zines made especially for the event, namely Fallen Women, The leaves, like women, interchange and Alice’s Wonderland (see below). We’ll also be carrying a a goodly selection of zines from our back catalogue.

Do join us if you can.

The complete list of FOTP2018 events is here: http://www.stickyinstitute.com/fotp2018

Festival of the Photocopier Zine Fair 2018
Melbourne Town Hall
Sunday, 11 February, 12 - 5 pm

Fallen Women, 2018, 16 pages, signed and numbered edition of 100

For more about Fallen Women, visit Moth Woman Press HERE.

The leaves, like women, interchange, 2018, eight page zine with poem by Emily Dickinson. Signed and numbered
edition of 100

For more about The Leaves, like women, interchange, visit Moth Woman Press HERE.

Alice's Wonderland, 2018, eight page zine, signed and numbered edition of 100

For more about Alice's Wonderland, visit Moth Woman Press HERE.