Taking Shape

The second week was an example of concentrated effort, no thanks to the weather. It's been rainy and cold and I haven't managed to do much/any drawing of my local neighbourhood. I'm glad I set myself a target of having the first work in its final form by the end of the second week. There are still bits to add on, but I feel I've achieved something. It is also the halfway mark and the emphasis will change as we head towards the open studio weekend.

There is alot to be resolved in something this big. It still seems to need more and also how to get it to hang right. It does sort of look like a big black blob! Would you want to live there?!

I'm being sustained (food and coffee) by the guys at the Bomb Cafe in Johnston street. It's nice to get out have a bit of a walk and grab a warming lunch.

Emerging shapes

Working on a large scale and the attending problems was one of the aims of my artists' residency at the Yarra Sculpture gallery. As my shape gets bigger, I have had to rig it up just to make it easier to handle. It also gives an idea of how it is going.

This week has been a bit tiring as it has been all about getting to the end of the first shape. At its largest part, it took half an hour to do one row. Today, I should be going in and getting close to finishing the basic shape. The major issue that seems to be emerging is how to get it to keep the shape and how much is needed to be added on, but that's for the ongoing weeks.

I've started my second shape and am glad I had a bit of a go. Hopefully some good photos today!

First week roundup

Well it's been an interesting first week of my artists' residency at the Yarra Sculpture Gallery, and I think I've learnt a few things:

Firstly, I like this! Going into your studio and working each day is a real luxury. Perhaps a little unsustainable in the very long term, already jobs are being put off till 'after June!'

Secondly, you get faster and faster at crocheting! Videotape is not the most forgiving medium to crochet with, it's sticky and awkward. I am glad I chose a larger crochet hook than I've worked with before.

Thirdly, you get time to think about other projects, problems are thought through and hopefully solved.

Fourthly, I do miss being at home when the boys get home. Not that much is said, or great problems solved, or they need me to, I just miss it.

And lastly, there is alot of bits and pieces in a videotape, many of which don't seem to be able to be used for anything else! I am playing with some of the bits and pieces, but even so glad they aren't used anymore.

So, on to week 2!

Abode

Abode was the theme for my work last year and relates to the structure we live in, not really referencing the idea of home, which is not necessarily a physical place. As I look back over the last twenty years and the journey that started with the Cerificate of Art in Studio Textiles at the Melbourne College of Textiles it's interesting that the theme crops up in a variety of work. (By the way neither the course or college existed when I finished the course and now the course also doesn't exist in any form..all a bit sad, really)

I've been pondering this, and have come to no conclusions. I've never been particularly attached to a house, even my parents' home which I grew up in and where my parents still are. 'Home is where the heart is' really rings true for me. My parents, husband, children, sisters, wherever they are, are the places in my heart. So this preoccupation with the physical reality of the home is interesting.

I'm now aware of it, so it comes into my drawing:

And what I'm working on:

The first day of work

I am intending to treat my month of Residency at the Yarra Sculpture Gallery as a full-time 'job', the first I've had in over 20 years! The family have been told, though already failing as no-one is taking ownership of the growing mountain of dishes! To that end, yesterday was my first big day! It did involve getting there late and a lunch with my husband, but nobodies perfect.


I did do some sampling. I have to try and work bigger than usual so brought in some big crochet hooks to work with and tried using the tape doubled.

I finally settled on which crochet hook felt and looked best. Unfortunately, not the biggest one, but big enough. I've already started on a rough circle for the bottom of my first 'nest'. It needs to be about the size I need to sit cross-legged on and is about the size of a seat....getting there.

I did my first drawing, it is tiny, but it is a nest! And I settled in a bit more.

Yarra Sculpture Gallery - Winter Residency

I was going to get all serious and talk about opportunity and risk, but....I'm just so excited....I am going to be a full-time artist for the month of June!

To explain...the Contemporary Sculptors Association runs residencies over the Summer months and Winter months at the Yarra Sculpture Gallery, in Collingwood. They've offered them again this Winter, the first being for June, and I'm one of the artists! You can see the previous residencies and see how much work they've done. Basically, you get 24 hour access to your studio/gallery space for the month. There is an open studio weekend and that's about it really. As I said, I get to be an artist for the month.

Here's my space:

 The aim of my project is to develop my High Rise works to life size. That's why I want the big space. I have no idea how much work I'm going to be able to get done in the time, but looking at the previous artists work, it seems quite alot.

I hope to get some drawing done, further explorations of ideas and materials and I hope to blog, more consistantly, about the whole experience.

And, here is my studio, ready to go!

3D Sustainability exhibition

After a break from the Contemporary Sculpture Association....through lack of attention, by myself!....I've rejoined and have been accepted into the 3D Sustainability exhibition.

The work I submitted is 'High Rise', my crocheted video tape work!

I'm looking forward to seeing it alongside other sculptures.

'ACE" - 2012 Diploma of Visual Arts graduate exhibition

I've been 'slightly' distracted over the recent weeks with my graduate exhibition, finishing off work, displaying it properly for assessment, taking it down and mounting it for the exhibition and generally revelling in the relative 'freedom'! I have actually finished my Diploma of Visual Arts from the CAE (now part of Box Hill Tafe) and I've majored in sculpture.

Majoring in sculpture was always the plan and I'm glad my plans have not come unstuck! It's been a really valuable year and I'm pleased with the body of work that I've created, along with the ongoing ideas that it has generated. Mila Faranov inspired us, pushed us, encouraged us and all the good things and some of the bad, a good teacher should do.

I ended up completing four pieces of work and all are exhibited along with the 30 odd fellow graduating students, most of whom are painters with only a few of us either sculptors or printmakers. The exhibition is 'ACE' and it's still on at the SmartArtz gallery in South Melbourne. It's on till Saturday. I've been taking friends in and am really pleased with the response. (AND I've sold some of the works!)

The theme for my work is 'Abode', inspired by birds and thier amazing nest building skills and structures. I'm trying to explore ideas around making, building our homes, and recycling materials that are no longer useful.

The four works are:

Empty Nests: spun paper, copper wire, made into 'abodes' using a basketry technique, sitting on cross-sections of trees from our garden, kindly cut up by Tony at A.A.Timbers in Eltham.

High Rise: crocheted video tape (thanks Catherine), oh, and I DON'T need any more!and cellophane leftovers from Reverse Art Truck.

Palace: handknit nylon wire and a bit of brass wire, mounted on a perspex mirror with lights.

Prefab: nylon wire woven on a weave-it loom, these 'abodes' are then manipulated and woven with bits of thread. I am in awe of the next building skills of birds, after attempting these!

And now it's on to the future! I've applied to Craft Victoria for an exhibition based around these works and am waiting to hear the result of my application, expected in the next couple of weeks. There are so few places available, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. This will determine, one way of the other, what I do next year.

End of term 1

It's been a very short term one, with term 2 looming as a long 11 weeks. What have I been doing? My sculpture major is being worked on partly with intent, I know the first thing I want to do, but there's a certain black hole for the next piece. I want three works for the end of year. This is not set in concrete, just an aim.

What have I been doing....crocheting video tape!

Here is the initial inspiration, based on the wonderful nests of the very appropriate weaver birds.

They've become more organically shaped, with me working to see what would happen. There wasn't much of a plan, just an overall shape. This is what happened:

Certainly looks weird in the photo! I'm intending a number of large and small ones, some with different materials included. Right now I'm just hoping it works!