SPRING FLING

Jewel Beetle Woman, 2014, hand coloured linocut, 56.5 x 38 cm
Printed by Simon White at the Australian Print Workshop, Melbourne
Photo credit: Tim Gresham

My linocut, Jewel Beetle Woman, is part of SPRING FEAST, an exhibition at the Australian Print Workshop celebrating the essence of Spring. (Sometimes, as on a cold, grey, wintry morning like the one today, we do need a reminder that Spring has actually sprung).

I have fond memories of creating the work back in 2014 as a special guest artist at the APW Summer school. The linocut was editioned by master printer Simon White.

It's in distinguished company. Also in the show are works by Janangoo Butcher Cherel, Kyoko Imazu, Tim Maguire, Ngarralja Tommy May, Melissa Smith and Louise Weaver.

SPRING FEAST runs until November 11.

I hand coloured the edition in my Ballarat studio using pigmented drawing inks
The stencil prevented unwanted splashes.

Numbering, titling and signing the finished edition upstairs at the APW in 2014
Photo credit: APW

Installation view of SPRING FEAST at the Australian Print Workshop Gallery, current until November 11
From left: works by Janangoo Butcher Cherel, Melissa Smith, Ngarralja Tommy May and Deborah Klein

Christmas Beetle Woman

My latest unnatural history painting (pictured above) introduces Christmas Beetle Woman, a recently discovered homo-insecta which evolved from Anoplognathus chloropyrus, one of Australia’s most striking Christmas beetles. As their name implies, these beetles are most prevalent around Christmas time. This particular species and sub-species flourishes in the Murray-Darling basin, the Great Dividing Range and coastal areas of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

Christmas Beetle Woman may have emerged a tad early for Christmas, but was completed in the nick of time for Christmas in July. It’s taken until now to post these images, however, as late July also marked the beginning of the 2016 Melbourne International Film Festival, which I’ve been attending a daily basis. (In fact, this was posted in between screenings).

Pictured top: fully evolved Christmas Beetle Woman (2016, acrylic on wood panel, 32 x 30 cm).

Pictured below: selected stages in the painting's development.

Below, a layer of thin protective varnish is applied before adding final details to the work:

The work nearing completion (Ballarat studio, July, 2016):

Something familiar, something peculiar, something for everyone - MODERN MYTH tonight*

Pictured above: Stigmodera Jewel Beetle Woman (2014, watercolour on Khadi paper, 41.91 x 29.72 cm), one of my works in the group exhibition 'Modern Myth'. The opening event is 6-8 tonight at Counihan Gallery In Brunswick and you're all invited. For those who can make it, we look forward to seeing you there.

MODERN MYTH

5 February – 6 March

EDDY CARROLL / JAZMINA CININAS  / PAUL COMPTON / DEBORAH KLEIN / MINELA KRUPIC / ALESH MACAK / ANNETTE PHILLIPS / DEAR PLASTIC / CARMEL SEYMOUR / LINDA STUDENA / DOMENICA VAVALA

CURATED BY DOMENICA VAVALA

OPENING REMARKS BY JAZMINA CININAS 

Opening Event: Thursday 4 February, 6-8 pm

Artist Talks: Saturday 13 February, 2.30 pm

Counihan Gallery In Brunswick

233 Sydney Road, Brunswick VIC 3056  

Phone: 03 9389 8622

Hours: Wednesday - Saturday 11 am - 5 pm | Sunday 1 - 5 
Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/169670160067202/

*Paraphrased with humble apologies to Stephen Sondheim

A Box of Beetles and a Line of Insect Women

A Box of Beetles was a recent lucky find in Horton Books, a favourite Melbourne bookstore. Located in Smith Street, Collingwood, it’s fairly local to our Melbourne place. Sadly, after 15 years in the area, Horton Books will close its doors in July. It’s a great shame to see the demise of another independent bookshop, particularly when it’s as special as this one.

Meanwhile, the diminutive treasure chest pictured below will provide me with rich and varied source material for a long time to come.

The Box of Beetles yields some of its treasures

As I research my next Homo-insecta works, here is the story so far, at least for the paintings on wood:

The first nine Homo-insecta paintings (acrylic on wood panels, 2015). Studio view, late June.