Biennale! Biennale! Biennale!

The Biennale of Sydney calls and I must answer.

*sings* *dances* *cheers* *screams* *dances* *sings*

Usually I don't get all that excited by the Biennale but this year I am! And I'm going for a week! And I head off tomorrow!

But why so much excitement this year? Well, there is Marchel Duchamp and Alexander Calder. Really that is almost enough. But there is also Joseph Beuys and even some living artists! But actually even this doesn't require this level of excitement.
What I am really excited about is seeing the William Kentridge exhibition at Annandale Galleries and on Cockatoo Island. Now, straight away, click over onto the Annandale Galleries site and have a really good look. Yep, that's what you will be missing out on if you don't get away from this screen and get there! Just because I know how hard it is to actually leave the internet at times, I've put some images of the Kentridge exhibition here to start your blood pumping.
Isn't he brilliant! My guess is you can see why he is my favourite living artist!

Two for Taking

In a recent post about my progress on my artist book I mentioned that I layered the lino prints over gocco prints. The gocco print I've titled Thoughts.

I've printed it alone onto these Moleskine Cahiers. The busy drawings in the Gocco print look fabulous printed in soft grey ink against the black covers. I printed each one with a different section of the screen so each one is unique.
And now it seems I just can't leave lino alone. I've been printing away with my new handpress. I originally made his particular lino block for another artist book. Naked, I also discovered, looks great on Moleskine covers.
I've only printed two of these and both of them I also used a different part of the block, so each one these is unique too. (I'll have to show you the other one another day.)
Both of these are available in my Etsy shop now.

Two for Tea

I know I've shown my cup prints before, but I have such a lot of fun changing each one a little when I hand colour them, and this is the first Cards and Cup Converge print that I've coloured with these colours, caramel, cream and strawberry.
These two cup images vie for my number one favourite position. It usually comes down to do you like cards or pattern best? I don't know. I think I've just chosen the cards over the fabric patterns simply because they have faces and therefore make a better avatar.
This is also the first time I've used this colour scheme on Fabric and Cup Converge. Purple and indigo - ahh, how nice. I've been building up my shop lately, adding more as often as I can. These two prints are listed now. And I've got more newies to add soon.

5 Favourites

Jenn (ninox) tagged me! I haven't done a tag for a long time, but it is always a lot of fun, and when I saw it was to list 5 favourite things, well... of course!

Also it is a coincidence because last night I finished my entry into Clare's Moleskine as part of Moly_x_25, and she has set the Moly's theme as "a few of my favourite things!" In my drawing I just drew 4 favourites - my dog Roly, my coffee, my books and pattern.

For Jenn I think I might have to add another. I guess it would have to be...
this is hard...
Ok, I have it...
One of my favourite things is saying "I don't believe in favourites!"

I usually say this just before I say what my favourite for that split second is. I change my mind a lot.

Do I have to tag someone else? I don't think it's a law, so I'm going to let it slide.

Artist book emerging slowly

I've done the printing for my marquette for the artist book I'm working on. I am not sure about some aspects of the prints and will definitely do some more tests. But these ones will be good to sew into a book form, experimenting with how it might be.
I played around with ghost prints of the lino prints. I used my handpress again. I'm getting used to it. Actually, I don't need to press very hard at all, which is great, although I have actually bent one of the bars when I was thinking I needed to put some real effort into it. I didn't think it would be possible. I guess it shows just how powerful a lever can be. These prints also have some underprinting with Gocco.

And speaking of sewing it together - look what my very generous, supportive and talented man made for me! A sewing frame!
I've never used one, so this will be interesting. He used the plan of Keith Smiths in his books.
He made some slight alterations to Smiths plans and I think it will work very well... assuming I can work it that is.

Did you know I love books?

Probably you did. I love making them, reading them, hoarding them, collecting them and looking at the pretty pictures in them. For quite some time now I've been enjoying another aspect of books - bookplates. I've been hanging out in bookplate groups here and there and visiting the link you may have noted here Confessions of a Bookplate Junkie.
I've been dreaming of making bookplates for most of my life. One day I'll...
Now with my trusty Gocco available, I came face to face with the means to make them. That's when the stress began - what will I put on them?
I especially love the old bookplates on the Bookplate Junkie site, but I just don't create in that style.
Then I recently disclosed my intention to a friend and fellow book junkie. She confessed to me that she has bought some bookplates recently. "What's on them," I asked? Star Trek on one lot and Celtic designs on the other! That is so her!
Well, if she gets bookplates that scream of her taste, then that made me think I can simply put images on mine that scream me.
And here they all are. I think they would be perfect for those how-to art books we all collect, because they all have a how-to vibe. I've printed this lot on high quality bright white acid free paper. Other sets are on parchment paper. I've made them easy to use by making them self-adhesive - acid free of course. They come in packs of 12 (2 of each design)and I've designed a cute little pouch for them to be safe in until the right book comes along. Available now in my Etsy shop.

What's been happening in my shop

Well firstly, I've changed my banner. I've had such lovely feedback about my 'Suppertime' print that I've used those eyes in my banner. I've sold one of these prints to Clare who is also an artist I'm collaborating with in a Moly exchange. I wonder whose home my next puppy will go to?
I have been seduced by how-to images for years and how-to-dance charts have been something I return to again and again. And this time they come in cards. I gave Mallory one of these for her graduation, but I think I could use these cards for just about any occasion.
And for the first time I've added some ACEO's to my shop. Above is A Very Happy Unbirthday. Below is Beware of Black Balloons.
One of the things I've loved most about using my Gocco printer is the layering of prints, the test prints and the just plain old playing. With lots of unfinished prints lying around I just couldn't resist turning them into something unique.
It is the unique nature of each Gocco print that was part of the reason I originally became interested. But now that I can play with this quality, add other snips of paintings and ephemera and layer colour with both simple and complex techniques I'm having a ball! Above is Playing Games. Tiny little artworks - what a great idea whoever first thought this up had!

Handpress Update

Once I had my studio in a decent state again I was quick to try out my new handpress.

I experimented with different papers, both soaked and not.
I printed some lino cuts I've been working on. I played around with different amounts of pressure.

I discovered that it works well, even creating some embossing and that I actually don't need to exert all my force on it at all. A simple press down on the lever (thanks to the glory of physics) creates equal pressure as pressing as hard as I can and hurting my hand, arm and shoulder (or no visible difference anyway).

I think it is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

EDITED 27th June
For those interested in my handpress - it has no brand on the press itself. It came with a single photocopied instruction sheet which also doesn't have a brand on it. The sheet does have an owl logo and 'ABIG' (I'm not sure, it might be 'A BIG') on the bottom but it is not clear if this is the manufacturer or the distributor. When I purchased it from Parkers I was told it was imported from Germany.