I have been very busy this month at the Firestation. I have just completed a collagraph for the Firestation Print Studio exhibition "After Image",for which artists have been asked to create work inspired by a particular artist, style or school of painting.  Having travelled in India earlier this year, my inspiration for this piece has been the paintings of Rajasthan (in particular those from the Royal Court of Jodhpur). In my print titled "Garden of Eden" I have tried to recreate the stylized, flat shapes of the trees and plants which typically appear in the Jodhpur paintings. I have also tried to incorporate the vibrant green colours used by those artists.I have made a number of tree/plant stencils from cardboard and have also used coloured tissue paper as chin colle in some parts of the image. As a first attempt at this style, I'm quite pleased with the result.There are a few technical issues that I would deal with differently if I were to make another print. I think I'll probably attempt a couple more in this style as part of a series on the Garden of Eden.
Also, this month, as part of our Open Studios and exhibition  "The Artful Line", I gave a talk titled "Printmaking Demystified". My idea was to pitch the talk at people, who are not artists, but who are  interested in understanding the broad range of printmaking techniques. The talk was held in our print workshop and so as I was talking, fellow artist, Margaret Manchee was able to demonstrate pulling a linocut image as well as the inking up and printing of an etching. The exhibited prints in the gallery also gave people the opportunity to view different types of printmaking. The talk was really well patronised and from the feedback it seems that those attending came away with a better understanding of what's involved in printmaking.
After the talk, all the artists in residence opened their studios to visitors this was also well patronised. We hope to repeat both the talk and open studios later this year.

My travels in South India and Japan

I have recently returned from a month away travelling in South India and Japan. Kerala, South India was a gentle way of easing into the experience of travelling in India. The South is very lush, humid and exotic. The colours of the South are really vibrant. Although, not as heavily populated as other parts of India, there was so much to take in visually. I particularly loved the drive though the tea and spice plantations up in the hills around Munnar. Passing through towns and villages, seeing the local s going about their everyday activities was fascinating. The last few days were spent in in the noisy chaos of Delhi. Throughout our trip, I loved visiting the markets. The assault of vibrant colours was truly inspiring. In particular, I loved handling the magnificant, fabrics, saris, silks, scarves and shawls that are made and sold everywhere. I know that my art is going to be influenced by what I have experienced there.

We left the chaos of Delhi and flew to the eery , misty, snow covered expanse of Hokkaido, Japan for some skiing. The freezing weather, the sparsely populated countryside and the Japanese obsession with cleanliness were a total contrast to the previous weeks in India! However, we quickly adapted to our new pristine environment. I did not ski but managed some strenuous snowshoeing. I also managed to find a calligraphy class to attend. I wrongly assumed that I would have an advantage, being an artist. Actually, I found the brush technique for kanji quite difficult to grasp.
The trip ended with 5 days in Tokyo. I love the Japanese sensibilty for balance and design. I visited the Tokyo National Museum and saw the most beautiful kimonos, calligraphy and woodblock prints.I also bought some beautiful hand printed Washi paper Now that I am home in Australia again, I am sorting through my photos and am already feeling inspired to take a new direction with my art.