This collection of artist's books was exhibited as part of my solo exhibition
WAYMARKERS ~ Into the Unknown.
Please visit my earlier post to view a tour of the full exhibition.
Kawakawa
Monoprint on sumi-e paper, hand-cut.
The simplicity and natural beauty of this piece shone out to many visitors to my exhibition and it was the first piece to sell within minutes of the doors opening. I could have sold it many times over.
It was created by monoprinting directly from pressed foliage on my etching press. The changing shadows and the gentle fluttering of the paper added to it's intrigue and appeal.
Where Shall We Go Today?
Repurposed board book, hand-printed papers, found ephemera, stitching, ribbon.
The title and theme for this
book evolved when I was given a folder of old maps and brochures, dating from
the travels in the 1950s, of a deceased family member.
Visit an earlier post to view HERE
to view my behind-the-scenes process of making these upcycled board books.
SOLD
Purchased by Auckland Libraries for the Angela Morton Room special collection.
Manawa Seedlings, various
Drypoint, watercolour, Hahnemuhle paper.
My fascination for seed
pods, especially the native mangrove, Manawa, was the starting point for this
series of drypoint images created for an earlier body of work. I developed
sketches I had made of seeds washed up on my local beach and was much amused by
their characterful poses.
These images have also
appeared in an earlier edition of artist books I created in 2019 called Field
Notes, one of which now resides in the Auckland Museum special
collection, and one in the Auckland Libraries’ special collection.
These are the last of the prints, each individually coloured and embellished ready to prop on a shelf or to float mount in a frame. More can be seen in my Coastal inspired collection.
MARK MAKING
MAKING WAY
WAY MARKING
Hand printed papers including rejects,
Initial ideas for my WAY MARKERS exhibition evolved out of the play with words of the title of this book. It is made from long-accumulated papers, kept for their aesthetic and tactile appeal.
The sounds of turning the pages are a feature too.
This book was one of the last pieces created for my WAYMARKERS exhibition and in returning to these words I was reminded of an ongoing goal for the exhibition and residency,
I have an incurable love for MARK MAKING and always want to make the most of opportunities to explore, experiment and continue to evolve my own vocabulary of mark making.
In the process of experimentation and simply playing with mark making, particularly in a new and unfamiliar environment, I foresaw the potential that my old and familiar ways of working may hopefully MAKE WAY for new and, in turn, be a means to MAKING WAY
Simultaneously, I am eternally curious about ways of representing connections to place especially though the choice of mark making, materials and processes used. Through my experience, in residence, I anticipated that this condensation of time and focus on my art making may be a WAY MARKER in the progression of my practice (which it most certainly was, in more ways than I could have imagined.)
Watercolour Landscape Sketchbooks
Watercolour on watercolour paper, collagraph, book board.
these sketchbooks were inspired by a road trip to Rotorua,
in-between Auckland’s lockdowns, during the covid pandemic.
Hamurana Inspired Landscape Book 1
Hamurana Inspired Landscape Book 2
Thought Keeper
Woven paper kete filled with “thoughts” of place.
Hand-coloured Hahnemuhle
sumi-e paper, vintage dictionary pages, found shell.
that we could rummage through when needed, sort them into some sort of order,
add to, revise, share and generally just ponder, rather than trying
to hold them all, unseen, in our head?
Handmade Paper Pieces
Ginger Tea
Long-stitch book.
from handmade ginger paper by Judith Graveson, thread, natural fibre string.
Onion Skins
Circle book.
Handmade paper with embedded
onion skins.
Loose Threads
Circular book with red and
yellow threads.
Handmade paper structure with
embedded threads, fabric scraps, stitching, vintage glass beads.
Folly
Globe book structure
Handmade paper pages,
collagraph, wooden base, dowel, skewers, copper wire & found fittings.
Now Is All
Circular book with toggle.
by Judith Graveson and paper toggle.
It’s just all about the textures.
That is all.
Simple pleasures.
Making Dioramas and Mini Worlds
Dioramas
and folded paper toys spark the nostalgia of childhood memories for me, of the
magic of creating a three dimensional "world" in miniature scale to
allow the imagination to wander.
A 2
dimensional image can hold the viewer at arm's length, as a spectator, viewing
the work from a single perspective, often separated by a plane of glass.
Transforming the image into 3 dimensions, the viewer's perception and
involvement changes. It becomes easier perhaps, for the viewer, to cross the
divide between impartial spectator to engaged participant as they alter
position to peer into the depths to see what is hidden and to view the vista
from different vantage points.
And
so, my love for creating dioramas has, if anything, grown with my exploration
into developing printmaking into sculptural realms and the world of creating
artist’s books.
I
enjoy making use of found materials to include in my pieces. Reimagining an
off-cut of a piece of driftwood as an off-shore island or the use of tin-cans
or unusual boxes as a receptacle, can be a starting point.
A
ready supply of printmaking cast-offs and scraps is excellent fodder, as is a
keen eye for interesting ephemera or found objects.
A key ingredient for creating dioramas is patience, lots of!
and good, strong glasses!
Guiding Light ~ I Whisper to my Past
coloured pencil, plywood, polyurethane, wood wax.
seeking a safe anchorage for the night, is sparked by this piece.
As the lowering sun bathes the
hills in gold, a harbour entrance is discernible and a safe passage is
manoeuvred. Being guided by the charts of my grandfather, who was intimately
familiar with this coastline, links us to his presence, and his detailed charts
guide us to our evening’s rest.
Tethered ~ When We Fall Asleep Where Do We Go?
Floating island diorama box.
nail, plywood, polyurethane, wood wax.
The “island” is the off-cut of the driftwood from making
the header for Chorographia II and was the starting inspiration. Any scrap has potential!
A love for cruising off the coast of Northland, and of the
many beautiful off-shore islands, was an inspiration for this piece. Coming
from a sea-faring family, with old photographs aplenty of scenes of the
Northland coast, this little setting feels like a link or a tether to my past.
Its familiarity sparks fond memories of days spent at sea with vast skies and
infinite horizons. A place of dreams.
My imagination was also ignited when I remembered a comment
I heard of a person on a charter trip asking the skipper if the islands were
attached to the sea floor or could they swim beneath them…! This conjured up wondrous
scenes and made me ponder, where do we go when we fall asleep, when our
imaginations are set free and anything is possible?
The Raine it Raineth Every Day
foam board, plywood, polyurethane, wax.
the definitions for “Rain” from a page from an old dictionary.
Quote: “The raine it raineth everyday” Twelfth Night,
Shakespeare.
AND/OR every day we are faced with trials and hardships that may dampen our spirit.
Sacred Grove
fabric, repurposed found frame, foam board, glue.
The tiny image of trees is a scrap from a print I created several years ago to highlight the plight of the Ngunguru Sandspit which was being threatened by full-scale development. The sandspit is an area of significant cultural and ecological value and this small grove of pohutukawa is a particularly sacred site. As my brother lives in Ngunguru I have become very familiar with, and fond of, the river and sandspit and hope that, for generations to come, it is honoured and treasured.
SOLD
Found Treasures
Included in my exhibition were a selection of my collected treasures. Pieces were collected over many years, savoured for their aesthetic qualities and often saved to mark a particular place or time.
These curiosities were often a starting point for many interesting conversations with visitors to my show. Pieces triggered memories and stories were shared.
Excerpt from my exhibition statement:
"Through the
course of creating and collating my WAYMARKERS exhibition, I came to think of
WAYMAKERS as being not just specific, tactile objects but also as ephemeral
experiences, senses or memories that we collect and hold on to for a variety of reasons. It also got me
thinking about what WAYMARKERS could
be and about the many ways that specific things in our lives – people, places,
events or experiences - could be marked or remembered, by found or created
objects or mementoes.
How often do
we pick up a pebble, a scrap of driftwood… a curiosity that catches our eye? We
pocket it, take it home and add it to our “collection of treasures.” And, so
often, these objects will reignite the memories of that time, that place, those
people you were with, and perhaps, even more vividly than a photograph."
Thanks for visiting!
