Exhibition at Arc Yinnar; Morning Walks in the Pandemic

 I meant to post on my blog much earlier than this but October got fiendishly busy with all sorts of things and also with  things taking up time that were rescheduled because of the Covid restrictions and lockdowns in Victoria. So this is a catch up on all the work I made for my small exhibition  in the SpArc gallery at Arc Yinnar. The work has been inspired by my morning walks in the Crinigan Bushland Reserve which is close to my home, and which saved my sanity these last two years and is now a big factor in recovering my health after my heart attack.  The exhibition finishes this Sunday the 31st of October- and I am very grateful to the visitors that have visited despite the difficulties of travel at the moment.The gallery has a window as one wall so I created some new gum leaves to hang across the  window space. This piece is constructed from hand dyed fabric and hand painted vilene with each leaf individually stitched and cut out by hand and then sewn together to create a cascade of gumleaves, like you would encounter walking through the bush from low hanging eucalypt brances. The piece is for sale for $800AUD.

I also created another forrest piece which has already been sold ( in fact it was sold before the exhibition was hung). I have made these pieces in the past , but this one has been printed with found things from things I found in the Bushland reserve which included bracken and gum leaves.

                                                                          

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The other pieces were all monoprinted with the cold press laminator I purchased last year ( but which I only unpacked out of its box about 3 months ago- it just seemed like one more daunting thing to deal with at the time- but since I have unpacked it I have had a lot of fun with it- and it is still a learning curve for some things). The next two pieces have a central panel which was monoprinted and was then surrounded with hand dyed fabric and free motion stitching with Aurifil Mako threads ( which I love- I use the 30 weight so the thread is slightly thicker because you can get such a good line)

                                                                  

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Both of these pieces have sold to someone who is collecting some of my work and told me that she  shows some of my work to her students at school to inspire them- which is a huge compliment!

The next three pieces measure approx 25 cm x 60 cm and are also  monoprinted with found things from the bushland reserve. They are for sale for $200AUD. I found that when I picked some fo the gumleaves they needed a longer piece of fabric to express their elegance and  despite the fact that gumleaves usually hang down, i liked the effect when I pointed them upwards ( you can defy gravity when monoprinting). I also like the shadow print that happens when you make a second print with this type of monoprinting. And I am in love with Kangaroo grass- it makes such a smashing whispy print.

I also made a series of smaller pieces, some hand stitched and some machine stitched. The intention was to make eight but I got five done and am still working on the sixth- I guess it won't get done in time after all. These measure 22 cm x 32 cm

For sale $180AUD- this piece is monoprinted and hand stitched-  faced  binding

 

               For sale $180AUD- this piece is monoprinted and hand stitched-  faced  binding

The next three have all been mono-printed and machine stitched and are $100AUD each.

                                                                         

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                                                                          For Sale

                                                                              Sold

The last piece was monoprinted onto a previously hand printed ( with a linocut) hand dyed khadi fabric and then machine stitched.

Sold

I am thrilled with the sales thus far. It has felt like a huge affirmation for working in this way , which is sort of new for me. I have used prinintg in the past in my work but have not really used monoprinting before. Working with the cold press laminator has made those prints come out in a much more interesting way than by simply hand pressing. I also accompanied the exhibition with a booklet which I mentioned in my previous post which also contains a poem of sorts. I still have a few of those for sale if interested ( see my previous post). Some other random photos of my exhibition. I included pods and pockets I had made over the past months. You can sign up for the Pods, Pods, Pods Class ( also in my previous blog post)- i send otu the notes and vidoe immediately and will be organising a zoom question and answer in mid November.

And of course I had to include one of the Sentinelles to watch over all this bush inspired work. If you are interested in any of the pieces that are still for sale please email me. I am also available to make commission pieces. Some of the smaller pieces would make great Christmas gift. I am also selling the little printed panels (  they are unstitched  and they are a little bit bigger than A4) which have been monoprinted . They are monoprinted on hand dyed fabric with found foliage from the bushland reserve. They are $20 inclusive of postage. In the image below are four separate prints.

And let me encourage you to buy the work of artists and artisans in this difficult time but to also buy local and things that are made with love and passion, weather it be art , crafted objects or home grown foods. I can't tell you how grateful I am that so many pieces in this exhibition have sold. Like many artists I survive off the sales from what I make- there is no siginificant other or other support, so it means the world to me that you have supported my work, it enables me to live and to continue making. A number of pieces I have sold in this exhibition have sold to people I have known over the years and that means a lot to me. It is an affirmation that my work is enjoyed, that I am not creating in a vacuum and that what I am trying to say strikes a chord. So thank you!