THANK YOU

I'd like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who visited our Exhibition and to everyone who has left comments on my blog re the Exhibition. With my workshop last week I haven't had time to thank everyone individually. It was lovely to see so many familiar faces, and Patsy and I thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. This one finishes on Thursday but we are already making plans for another one next year.
Now to the Keith Lo Bue workshop. What a talented man is Mr Lo Bue, he's a brilliant teacher giving so much to his students a big THANK YOU goes out to Keith, I finally learnt what so many of the attachments are for that came with my Dremel. I also learnt how to stop my wire from rusting, how to make my own flat and tubular rivets, how to think outside the square, when it comes to creating jewellery. This list goes on.
Jen and I had many ahhhhhh, revelation moments, when Keith revealed the secrets of transferring text and polishing wire, some very simple procedures that had eluded us until last week.


Here are some of the photos from class.




The great Jen Crossley in action being watched by Alison




The days class begins




The three musketeers, Jen, Chris and me. Chris bought the beautiful ring she's wearing from Keith, she was over the moon.




The fabulous class, such lovely people.




Me with the guru himself.




Finally the piece that I'm working on, it came together on the last day and I still have to work out how I'm going to attach it as the back section is a steel plate. I want to make some chain to add to the base. I still have more things to attach to it. I think this will end up on the wall and not around my neck or I could end up shrinking in height and have a permanent stoop.





I need to thank Julia too for awarding me the 'I love your blog' award. Thanks so much Julia, I'm sorry it's taken me a couple of weeks to mention it. I'm hoping I can return to more regular blogging now the rush is over, for this week anyway.

What an Opening Night

This is my room at the gallery around about 4.00pm Friday night. It took most of the day and the previous night to set up. Patsy had another room very similar. It's a lovely gallery with a great atmosphere and lighting.



We invited lots of people but were amazed at the number who turned up on the night it was fabulous, thanks to all you lovely people, they were spilling out the door at one stage. The lovely actress Beverley Dunn from 'Shine', 'Underbelly', 'Flying Doctors' and many more shows, officially opened it for us. It was a great success and we've had quite a few sales which is also wonderful.



More of the wonderful people.



The images on the left are some of my pieces and the ones on the right are Patsy's. Patsy makes these wonderful chairs, some are painted others are appliqued. It was too difficult to show the paintings as they are under glass and the reflections played havoc with the photos.

I've taken this week off as I'm doing a week long workshop here in Melbourne with the amazing Keith Lo Bue. Today was the first class and he really stretches you, but you see things in a different light. I'll post images when the class is over.

Lucky me

What a lovely surprise I received in the mail last week. Elizabeth from Elizabeth creates blog send me these beautiful beads. The glass ones are from Tanzania and are made by HIV/TB patients trying to support themselves. They are amazing, so beautiful in their individual shapes, they remind me of well worn lifesaver lollies. I'm really looking forward to using them with my fabric beads.
The other beautiful beads are hand made by Elizabeth from her decorated papers, they're so smooth and shiny they look like glass. These will be kept for very special projects, and finally there are some lovely tiger eye beads which again will go well with the fabric beads. Thanks so much Elizabeth.



These are more of my fabric beads, this necklace will be called Persian nights.



Another canvas for the show.



This is a fairly large journal that I've made using my decorated papers, pieces of art and blank papers. I've added paper and fabric collage to some of the pages. I have another one almost completed. These will go in the show too.
The photos below are some of the pages.






Finally I've been very lucky and asked to teach again at Artsistic Journey retreat next year. This time it will be held in Sydney. I'm teaching a jewellery workshop and possibly another class still to be confirmed. The other tutors will be Keith Lo Bue, Judy Wilkenfeld, LK Ludwig, Mary Jo Koch and other Aussies Nic Hohn, Rebecca Vavic and Keron Lee. It should be a great event.

Invitation and Fabric beads

Above is the official invitation to our exhibition here. We'd love to see you all, I'm amazed at how prolific Patsy is with her work, every time I see her she has more wonderful show and tell. I'm in panic mode now, trying to make sure I get everything done.



This is a huge ball of cotton jersey fabric that I bought at a garden centre of all places. They were selling it to tie up plants to stakes. Well, never being one to use something for it's original purpose I had to buy it. I love stripes. I didn't know what I would use it for, then I remembered years ago I used to make fabric beads. Guess what the garden tie now is used for. I became so engrossed in the bead making, I was finding all sorts of fabric scraps, buttons and trims to use. I now have enough for three necklaces. I see endless possibilities for decorating these humble little beads. I'm going to make some from my hand decorated fabrics too.





Finally take a look at Seth's blog, he has the Pulse happening again, where he asks artists questions about their art and has some wonderful photos of people's collections. Workspaces are coming up soon. It's well worth a visit. Thanks again Seth.

Stamps and paintings

This is another canvas collage I've just completed. I cut the flowers from two different pieces of my decorated papers. There's lots of layers built up on the canvas first. I never know what the finished piece will end up like. I just keep building the layers to see where it takes me. I think it's finished now, maybe.



I'm making an altered book to see how that goes in the exhibition. It's funny when I make one for myself it just happens, but when it's for someone else it never flows easily, maybe it's trying to create for someone else.



These are some Indian wooden blocks I bought just recently. The are very difficult to use with stamp pads. This is where the 'blue blocks' come in handy. I heated one up and used the blocks on both sides. One block gives you two stamps.
I used paint to stamp with this block.








I used stamp pads with the blue blocks.



This is the results of the painted wood block and the two below are the results of the reversed images on the blue blocks, used with a stamp pad.

Paste papers

A few people have asked me over the past few months if I've ever made paste papers, never one to knock back a challenge, I decided to give it a try. The recipe I had called for three parts water to one part flour. You mix the water and flour together so that there are no lumps, then gently heat it in a saucepan on the hot plate until it thickens, being careful not to let it burn.

Well, I thought, I'm sure I can do this easier than that. So, I mixed cornflour with the water and cooked it in the microwave for one minute, stirred it, then cooked it for another minute, voila, flour paste.

I then added three different colours of acrylic paints, applied it to the paper with a brush and then gave it some texture with cardboard tubes, wooden skewers, anything that was on my table top. These are the results. It takes at least twenty four hours to dry completely.

You can keep any that's left over in the fridge for a few days. I added a few drops of water to it as I worked to keep it to the consistency of thick paint.






I also managed to squeeze in some time to finish this 'chunky' necklace. I now have to get back to finishing the invitations for the show, by the way you're all invited to the opening night.

Bits and bobs

I'm making a new journal out of recycled manila folders and the green heavy card folders that are used in metal filling cabinets. I've cut them to size but have to assemble them. I'm not sure if I will spiral bind them or come up with some other process. The black lacy background is actually a paper napkin, it looks so much like lace and even has a texture to it. The pink rectangle is the inside of an envelope and the Lulu/Diva 1 is a paint swatch. The flowers are cut out of my decorated paper scraps.




This necklace is made from found objects.





The close up bead is one I made from Polymer clay and an old washer. I bought some old African beads many years ago and couldn't find anymore so thought I'd have a go at making some. I was quite pleased with the results.






I cut a hole in a metal tag, then cut up an old wooden carpenter's ruler. I riveted the metal to the ruler.






Finally this is one of the pastel paintings for my exhibition, I'll have pastel and acrylic paintings in the show, it's just a case of getting them finished and framed.

I also have to thank Toni for nominating me for the Arty Pico award again. I again thank everyone for their awards.

Don't forget to visit Monica's site for the Pink Artist fabulous doll competition to support breast cancer. Thats' open until the 15th October.