And it's done!

The residency is over.  I’ve packed up and left the park.

However since my last post I’ve done lots of things.  I taught a repeat of the workshop to 5 ladies - 4 of whom were total papercraft beginners.  We had a glorious time.  They were all very enthusiastic and chatty.

Back at the park I made 4 new collages and cut 2 gel prints to put on a page but haven’t decided what to collage onto them.

I tried the sea water wash again.  At home I may print out some of my photos of the park on tissue paper and glue them onto the concertina books.  Or I may not!

I didn’t like the piece I made that was about my Australian Connections.  However I saw a painting on Instagram which gave me an idea for a hanging.  I printed papers on the gel plate using cling film to make the papers look more like breakdown printing.  Then I cut them up into rectangles to represent the patchwork of fields you can see when you fly over England.  I collaged them back together with a small brown section to represent Australia.  I don’t usually do mockups.  I just think of what a hanging might look like and dye the fabrics.  Becca has suggested I make a reverse one too - so mostly brown fabrics with the green patch.

I’ve also made a triangle book, a 2 rectangular Masu boxes - one with a lid - and made a hinged box where the lid isn’t the same depth as the base.  This is because I have an idea fermenting about suitcases.  More about that in the future.  While I’ve been making all these books I’ve been trying to think how they will work in fabric.  That’s a project for the next few months at home.

I had thought this would be the last blog post about the residency but it won’t be.  Next week I’ll post my thoughts about the whole experience. 

I hope you will join me for that.

Bernice

PS. Sadly I am unable to reply to your comments here at the moment as Blogger has blocked replies.  I cannot sort it out until I get home in a couple of weeks.

The Countdown Has Begun

The last few days here in the park!

In the last couple of days I’ve made more 15cm square collages.  I’ve made 24 altogether so far this residency.  Still time to make some more!

The next one isn’t really a collage.  It’s a gel plate print I made on wet strength tissue.  Currently I don’t want to add anything to it but you never know what will happen in the future.

I made another blizzard book using the left overs from image transfer prints.  The originals were on a really good quality paper and with the addition of the acrylic paint became quite leathery.  I have kept the outer cards from various ready meals I’ve eaten and used those to make tags which I covered in gel prints.  They all have a blue colour print on one side and yellow on the other.

10cms tall

This blizzard book has given me ideas for a textile piece when I get home - providing I can think of a way to stiffen the fabric for the spine.

I did some paper weaving with a couple of the b&w prints I brought with me.  One was the emblem on Andy’s Australian Citizenship Certificate and the other was a map of Bulimba where my Dad was born.

I also made 3 little boxes from gel prints. They fit inside each other. The largest is 6.7 cms square.

I have started some more sea washed pieces but I’ll leave that for Saturday’s post.  This one is already a bit too long.

Well done for getting to the end.  See you next time.

Bernice 

Week 3 in a nutshell

It's hard to believe that this is the end of week three - only one more week to go!

I tried a technique I’d seen on Instagram which is hard to do at home since I live so far from the sea.  It’s on my doorstep here.  I used Artgraf soluble graphite on a Khadi paper concertina book.  After each line was drawn - I only have 3 colours I let the sea wash over the paper.  The result isn’t bad for a first go.  I’ll have another go next week.

I made a new concertina book using the opener from a wet wipes packet.

I made 7 collages

I learned how to make a blizzard book.  I used a brown paper carrier bag from the supermarket.

The I made a tiny one which reminded me of a Banksia flower. It’s 8cms tall.

I stencilled and painted some paper green and red to make a representation of the Banksia. And made a container for the book to look like the ‘cone’ of the Banksia.  It isn’t a cone and it looks more like a nut.

10cms tall

The book hidden inside

The ‘flower’ is 7 cms tall

The tube cover isn’t completely finished.  I’m trying to find a better way of doing the ‘eyes’!

I think that’s enough for today.  Well done if you stuck with this blog post right to the end.

See you on Tuesday

Bernice