Circus of the Imperishable Star by Deborah McMillion

Deborah McMillion, Circus of the Imperishable Star, 2014,
artist book, 11.43 x 50.8 cm (open).  Click on images to enlarge.

Deborah McMillion, Circus of the Imperishable Star, 2014 (verso)

Probably it was inevitable that growing up in 1950s-60s St. Kilda, just a few blocks from Luna Park and not one, but two, motion picture palaces would have an indelible effect on my life. It spawned an enduring fascination with fun fairs, carnivals, sideshows, circuses (I saw my first circus at St Kilda) and particularly movies.

I was very young when my mother took me to see Forbidden Planet (1956) at the Victory Theatre on the corner of Carlisle and Barkley Streets. Scary (to a young child) but mesmerizing with its remarkable visuals, memorable characters and glorious saturated colours, it stayed with me forever and fostered a lifelong love of science fiction movies from the 1950s.

I am very aware that my friend, iPad artist Deborah McMillion, shares my passion for the above – one would think – diametrically opposed forms of entertainment, particularly the latter; it’s reflected far more overtly in her imagery than in mine. In Deborah’s work the worlds do not collide, they combine seamlessly, loaded with galaxies full of wit, style and intelligence, borne of a lifetime love and prodigious knowledge of the Golden Age of science fiction movies. This is particularly well demonstrated in her new artist book, Circus of the Imperishable Star. To my delight, Deborah has generously sent me a copy. Snail mail is well named; it took awhile to get here, but the stars finally aligned. The book was waiting for me in my mailbox when I returned from the Art Vault residency. With Deborah’s permission, it is reproduced above. Due to the limitations of this blog's template, it's essential to click on the images to enlarge.

The book was something of a first for Deborah. It was made with the aid of an ipad app called Felt, which, as she recognized, also has a great deal of potential for my own book art. So I am doubly grateful to her and look forward to experimenting with this exciting new app in the New Year.

Dorothy Parker Comic

This week I’m continuing work on the unique artist books mentioned in my previous post. It’s proving to be a particularly satisfying, but challenging project.

So I have sought occasional light relief by playing with other book forms. Advised and encouraged by iPad artist Deborah McMillion Nering (see Blog Post December 24, 2012) I’ve made my first experiments with comic strips, one of which is reproduced above.

The Dorothy Parker comic was made using Strip Design, Etchings and Halftone iPad apps. The latter app offers an impressively varied selection of picturesquely aged ‘papers’. The comic's title comes from the opening line of Cole Porter’s song lyric Just One of Those Things (1935). The text, of course, is by the inimitable Dorothy Parker.

Click on the comic to enlarge.

Xmoth Greetings

Down Under Books, 2012, by Deborah McMillion Nering
Made in Sketchbook Pro. CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE.

For Moth Woman Press, 2012 has ended on a very positive note. We are very proud to be part of BAZE, the current book and zine show at Hand Held Gallery. The opening was a huge success, with lots of visitors and sales.

Our most exotic visitor flew in all the way from Arizona in the US (see above). This glamourous moth-winged emissary was sent by my long distance friend Deborah McMillion Nering, an artist who creates extraordinary paintings on her iPad. Deborah is also remarkably well-versed in Australian literature and film, as evidenced by the names on the book spines, all witty moth-plays on their original titles. Over the last few months, Deborah and I have discovered that we have much in common, not the least of which is our mutual love of Lepidoptera. As Deborah signed off her first email to me in late July 2012, “I speak Moth.”

BAZE installation view. Photograph by Megan Herring

Des Cowley, Curator of Rare Books at the State Library of Victoria also dropped by and acquired our new zines Poker Faces and The Moth Woman Vigilantes UNMASKED for the permanent collection, as well as acquiring works from several other book artists. And Susan Millard from the University of Melbourne, Special Collections, also acquired work from a number of artists, including our Poker Faces and two older zines, Material Girls and The Little Black Hair Book.

Since my last post, there has been a change to the opening hours at Hand Held. The gallery will now be closing for a short break between Christmas and mid January. I’ve accordingly amended the hours listed in my previous post and elsewhere on MWP Blog.

And so another year draws to a close. Following a family Christmas in Melbourne, we’ll be having a short break at Ballarat. After that, I’ll be working in earnest towards my first solo artist’s book exhibition at Hand Held Gallery.

Moth Woman Press extends the Compliments of the Season to everyone who has dropped in during the year. We hope to see you again in 2013.