Moth Woman Press at the APW 2020-2022 George Collie Memorial Award

 

Pictured above and below are some book-related highlights from last Saturday’s 2020-22 APW George Collie Award Exhibition + Presentation at The Australian Print Workshop. My heartfelt thanks to APW Artistic Director and CEO, Anne Virgo (pictured below, right) for her support and encouragement over the past two years. 

It was Anne’s idea to include Moth Woman Press books and zines in the exhibition. A selection of these are displayed in the APW’s front window and the remainder are on display in the gallery space. Click on images for enlarged views.

For additional snapshots of the opening event, visit Deborah Klein’s Art Blog HERE.

The exhibition is current to October 1.

A Gentle Reminder

Opening Saturday: 

APW George Collie Memorial Award Exhibition + Presentation 

2020 - 2022 APW George Collie Memorial Award Recipients:

Barbara Hanrahan / Deborah Klein / Hertha Kluge-Pott / Ann Newmarch OAM

Exhibition Opening and Award Presentation 

2 - 4 pm Saturday 6 August

Australian Print Workshop Gallery

A selection of Moth Woman Press publications, including our new zines, Rückenfigur, The turned figure, Volumes 1-3, will be included in the exhibition.

I do hope you’ll join us.

Pictured top, right: I Wished on the Moon, 2022, hand-coloured linocut, 34.5 x 26.8 cm, edition: 20. Printed by Simon White at the Australian Print Workshop, Melbourne. 

APW George Collie Memorial Award Exhibition + Presentation

 

You are warmly invited to the Exhibition Opening and Award Presentation of the 2020-2022 APW George Collie Memorial Award at the Australian Print Workshop Gallery, Melbourne.

Click on the invitation to enlarge. 

As part of the Award (which I am privileged to share with Barbara Hanrahan, Hertha Kluge-Pott and Ann Newmarch OAM), I was invited by the APW to create a special print edition, a hand coloured linocut printed by APW Master Printer, Simon White. It will be included in the exhibition, along with several earlier works, the majority of them from the APW archives. A selection of Moth Woman Press artist books and zines will also be on exhibit. 

APW George Collie Memorial Award Exhibition Opening + Presentation

2 - 4 pm, Saturday, 6 August

Australian Print Workshop Gallery

210 Gertrude Street,

Fitzroy, Victoria 3065, AUSTRALIA

Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10 am - 5 pm

T: (03) 9419 5466

E: contact@australianprintworkshop.com

W: www.australianprintworkshop.com 

The exhibition runs to Saturday 1 October. 

Pictured top:

At the Australian Print Workshop in July 2022, signing the edition of my hand-coloured linocut, I Wished on the Moon, printed at the APW by Simon White. Photo credit: Shane Jones.

RÜCKENFIGUR - the turned figure, Volumes 1 - 3

 

RÜCKENFIGUR - the turned figure, Volumes 1 - 3, pictured above, is a trilogy of new zines that will be part of the upcoming APW George Collie Memorial Award Exhibition at The Australian Print Workshop, Melbourne, along with other Moth Woman Press publications. 

The zines are illustrated with paintings from Rückenfigur, my recent solo show at Queenscliff Gallery, Queenscliff, Vic. There is an article about Rückenfigur and a link to the gallery in the online edition of Artist Profile HERE.

Pictured below: Volumes 1 and 2 of  RÜCKENFIGUR - the turned figure zines under construction. Click on individual images to enlarge.

For more about the APW George Collie Memorial Award Exhibition and my part in it, visit Deborah Klein’s Art Blog HERE. 

The exhibition opens on Saturday August 6 and runs to Saturday October 1. Full details will be published in our next post. 

Residency at Geelong Grammar School

From 23 May - 3 June 2022 I was artist-in-residence at the Corio campus of Geelong Grammar School, a richly rewarding experience I’ll long remember. 

During my residency I developed designs for three linocuts that will be included in a forthcoming artist book. My protagonists’ body decorations are based on compositional elements from the works of prolific British Arts and Crafts designer May Morris.

 

The two works below will also be part of The Artist’s Garden, a Goldfield Printmakers exhibition travelling to Bristol, UK in September 2022 for IMPACT 12, a biennial international printmaking conference. The tattoos on these figures are based on motifs in The heavens declare…, a panel designed and embroidered by May Morris in the 1910s (reproduced third from top).

Click on images for a clearer view. For more about the Geelong Grammar School residency, visit my Art Blog HERE, HERE and HERE. 

BOOKISH Artist Talk at Melbourne Athenaeum Library

Pictured above and below are selected highlights from the artist talk Bronwyn Rees and I gave on Wednesday evening, March 23, in celebration of all things BOOKISH, the Print Council of Australia artist book exhibition at Melbourne Athenaeum Library. Additional photographs are on my Art Blog HERE.

Thanks a million to the library for having us and to each and everyone who came to the talk, including the numerous BOOKISH artists who attended. 

BOOKISH concluded its run on Saturday March 26. In her opening address, the library’s General Manager Sue Westwood (pictured right in the first and last photos above) said she hoped this would be the first of other collaborations with the Print Council of Australia. I certainly echo those sentiments.

Reminder: BOOKISH Artist Talk at Melbourne Athenaeum Library

From the Melbourne Athenaeum Library’s latest newsletter, a gentle reminder of the talk Bronwyn Rees and I are presenting in conjunction with the artist book exhibition, BOOKISH:

ARTIST TALK, THIS WEDNESDAY 23 MARCH AT 6PM

To gain a deeper understanding of the art of artist book making, former artist-in-residence Deborah Klein and printmaker Bronwyn Rees will speak about the art form's rich history and their own practice on Wednesday 23rd March from 6pm. 

It's a free event, but RSVPs are required.  Phone the library on 9650 3100 or email library@melbourneathenaeum.org.au to book your seats.

Bronwyn and Deborah's talk, and the Bookish Exhibition are part of the 8th Melbourne Art Book Fair.  Bookish is an exhibition of contemporary artists' book by members of the Print Council of Australia and is being held in the library from 17 - 26 during normal opening hours.

BOOKISH:  March 17 - 26 in the library

Proudly presented by the Print Council of Australia 

and the Melbourne Athenaeum Incorporated

To illuminate our presentation, Bronwyn and I will bring along some examples of our own book art. In my case, this will include Progeny, 2018, the unique concertina book I made during my residency at the library for Melbourne Rare Book Week 2018 (pictured top).

My artist book, Leaves of Absence, 2017, launched at the library in 2017 and subsequently acquired for its permanent collection, will also be on display. I’m pictured below at the 2017 book launch with Marguerite Brown, Manager, Print Council of Australia, who officially launched the book. (Click on images to enlarge).

The talk will be followed by celebratory drinks. We look forward to seeing you this coming Wednesday evening, 6 - 8 pm. 

For further information about the BOOKISH talk and exhibition, scroll down to Blog Post Friday February 18. 

PLAYING IN THE ATTIC relocates to Talbot

This coming Friday, 4 March, Playing in the Attic, a longtime stockist of Moth Woman Press publications, reopens in the Victorian Goldfields town of Talbot. The shop was formerly based in Sturt Street, Ballarat, in the space now occupied by the Ballarat Imaginarium. (See previous post). 

The Facebook Page for Playing in the Attic is HERE.

We can’t wait to revisit when the doors are officially open, and wish its Proprietor Trudy McLaughlin continued success. 

Some previews of Playing in the Attic’s new premises are below. Click on images to enlarge. 

Playing in the Attic 

13 Ballaarat Street

Talbot VIC Australia 3371

Phone: 0428580309

Email: trudymac@bigpond.com.au

Opening hours:  Friday - Monday, 10 - 4pm.

 

MWP publications at THE BALLARAT IMAGINARIUM

As of this week, MWP books There was once…The collected fairy tales and Fallen Women are available at the splendid Ballarat Imaginarium. 

Adjacent to historic Ballarat Mechanic’s Institute Library in centrally located Sturt Street, Ballarat (pictured top), this new kid on the block is set to be the go-to gallery and retail outlet for locals and visitors alike. What sets it aside from the rest is that it’s the only retailer in Ballarat that exclusively carries works by local makers, including visual artists, sculptors, ceramicists, jewellers, clothing designers, musicians, writers and more. 

The Ballarat Imaginarium is the result of the remarkable vision of local artist, Melinda Muscat, pictured above. 

The previous occupant of the shop was another notable MWP stockist, Playing in the Attic, which still carries our books and zines, but has relocated to nearby Talbot. It is due to reopen in March. (More about this in a future post). 

Click on images to enlarge. 

For regular updates, visit the Ballarat Imaginarium’s Instagram page HERE and on Facebook HERE.

The Ballarat Imaginarium

119A Sturt Street, BALLARAT, VIC 3550

Open Tuesday to Friday 10 am - 5 pm

Saturday 10 am - 5 pm

Sunday by appointment 

For further information about The Ballarat Imaginarium and views of its luscious interior, visit my Art Blog HERE.

BOOKISH Exhibition and Artist Talk

From March 17, Melbourne Athenaeum Library will play host to Bookish, an extensive exhibition of contemporary artist books by members of the Print Council of Australia. Among them are my one-of-a-kind book, Cat’s Cradle. 

The library’s collaboration with the Print Council of Australia is part of the 8th Melbourne Art Book Fair at the National Gallery of Victoria. 

From the Melbourne Athenaeum Library website:

As part of Bookish, the library will also host an artist talk with former artist-in-residence Deborah Klein, and printmaker Bronwyn Rees. Deborah and Bronwyn will speak about the art of making artist books on Wednesday 23rd March at 6pm. The event is FREE but RSVPs are required on 96503100 or 

library@melbourneathenaeum.org.au.

The exhibition is open from March 17 - 19 and March 22 - 26 during the library's 

opening hours. 

Melbourne Athenaeum Library 

Level 1

188 Collins Street

Melbourne, Victoria 3000

Australia

Pictured top: Deborah Klein, front and back covers of Cat’s Cradle, 2019, hand-painted and lettered in acrylic on MDF. 

Pictured second: Artist book on PCA invitation: Bridget Hillebrand, Ascent ll, 2020 (detail).

Click on images for enlarged views. 

Foreign Flora - a work in progress

  

Presenting Foreign Flora, 15 x 11.5 cm, a newly carved lino block intended for Illustrated Women, an artist book that’s slowly, but surely, in the making. 

The subject’s floral tattoo is a motif from Australia, circa 1888, an embroidered table cover designed in Britain by the remarkable May Morris (1862 - 1938). In fact, none of the flowers depicted in her textile are native to Australia. The table cover, reproduced (not to scale) in the first developmental  view below, was commissioned by a Scottish-born couple residing in Adelaide, South Australia, which I assume is how it acquired its title. Australia is now held in the permanent collection of the Art Gallery of South Australia.

Following are four sequential progress views of Foreign Flora.

May Flowers

Pictured top: the competed lino block for May Flowers, another work that will eventually take its place in the forthcoming artist book, Illustrated Women. The block measures 15 x 11.5 cm.

Below are a couple of progress views. Lately I’ve been further prepping my drawn up blocks with a coating of transparent drawing ink in order to see the areas I’ve cut away with greater clarity. It works a treat. As you can see, no pink areas remain in the final image.  

My protagonist’s tattoo is loosely based on a detail from Maids of Honour, a needlework design by May Morris. 

Click on images for considerably enlarged views. 

 

Yuletide Greetings

As demonstrated by the climbing molluscs in the lino block pictured below, this year has certainly had its ups and downs. That’s life, I guess - and even more so than usual over the past couple of years. 

The block, which measures 15 x 11.5 cm, is a work in progress for a forthcoming linocut, Snail Trails. The linocut will be part of an artist book, Illustrated Women, which I’ll be working on during 2022. (See also Blog Post Saturday, December 11, 2021). Click on images for a clearer view.

Enjoy the holidays, everyone, and here’s hoping for a safer, healthier, happier year ahead. 

Stocking Fillers

Like it or not, the Festive Season is well and truly upon us and if, like me, you’re determined to remain in denial for as long as is humanly possible, here is a modest suggestion for some last minute stocking fillers.

Today I delivered extra copies of my books, There was once… and Fallen Women, together with a selection  of limited edition Moth Woman Press mini-zines, to Playing in the Attic, Ballarat (see above and below, in situ). Click on images for an enlarged view. 

Helmed by the lovely Trudy McLaughlin, this “curious extraordinarium of papery delights”  is currently open every day until Christmas. 

Playing in the Attic

119a Sturt Street

Ballarat

Victoria 3350

Australia 

Christmas hours: 10 am - 4pm daily 

Phone: 0428580309

Email: trudymac@bigpond.com.au