Recent acquisitions by the State Library of Queensland Part 1

 

2025 is certainly off to a fine start for Moth Woman Press. As I write, Firebrand, 2017, our one-of-a-kind concertina book, is en route to the State Library of Queensland. The library has just acquired it for their permanent collection, along with a selection of MWP zines. Details of the latter will follow in our next post. 

The following is a list of Moth Woman Press publications already held in the Library’s collection:

There was once…the collected fairy tales, 2009, stories and pictures by Deborah Klein. (See previous post).

2 copies of Women with wings, both from the Support Association for the Women of Afghanistan, 2010 project: 

Women with wings [1] Linocuts by Deborah Klein; text by Majabeen

Women with wings [2] Linocuts by Deborah Klein; text by Mahjan

Eve's apple, 2013, from the Tall Tales series of unique vertical concertina books

Card Sharps, 2013, zine, colour photocopy, 10.5 x 7.5 cm, ed. 100

Pictured top: Firebrand, 2017, unique artist book, pigmented drawing ink and acrylic paint on Khadi paper, cloth cover with debossed text, 15.5 x 16.5 cm (closed). Collection: State Library of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD.

Last days of BETWEEN THE SHEETS

Progeny, 2018, one-of-a-kind artist book; pigmented drawing ink,
gouache and hand stitching with cloth binding, 16.5 x 91 cm (open)

If you happen to be in Perth, WA, you have until next Saturday, 21 September, to see BETWEEN THE SHEETS 2019 before it ends its run. In this exhibition, 70 works by 59 artists from 7 countries challenge notions of the traditional book. Makers include printmakers, photographers, architects, wordsmiths, textile artists, painters, sculptors, digital artists, and a glass artist.

Two of my artist books are included in the show, both of them one-of-a-kind: Progeny, 2018 (pictured top) and Firebrand, 2017.

In this extract from the catalogue essay, Paul Uhlmann, Senior Lecturer at Edith Cowan University describes ‘... the endless list of classifications; altered books; the book as unopenable object; livre de peintre (the beautiful painter’s book); the book as performance; the book as skin and body; the book as memory object; the book as archive; the book as concept and many more. Since my initial encounter, artists’ books have grown exponentially and become an international phenomenon; many attempts have been made to define the characteristics of an artist’s book; to tame it, to give it shape but an artist’s book – a book made by an artist – will defy classification, just as all artists strive to develop their own unique voice.’

To view individual works, accompanied by statements from the artists, go HERE.

BETWEEN THE SHEETS: ARTISTS BOOKS EXHIBITION 2019
Gallery Central,
12 Aberdeen Street,
Perth WA
Hours: 10 am - 4.45 pm weekdays
11 am- 4 pm Saturday
The exhibition runs until Saturday 21 September 2019

Firebrand in BETWEEN THE SHEETS 2019

Firebrand, 2017, one-of-a-kind artist book, pigmented drawing ink

and gouache with cloth binding, 16.5 x 91 cm (open)

Photo credit: Tim Gresham

Firebrand, 2017, is one of two of my artist books to be selected for BETWEEN THE SHEETS – ARTISTS’ BOOK EXHIBITION 2019. (The other is Progeny, 2018). 

Pictured below: detailed views of Firebrand, followed by silhouetted back views of both books in the studio of photographer, Tim Gresham.

BETWEEN THE SHEETS 2019 

Gallery Central

Aberdeen Street

Perth WA 6000

The show runs from 29 August - 21 September.

For further information, go HERE.

BETWEEN THE SHEETS 2019

Progeny, 2018, one-of-a-kind artist book, pigmented drawing ink,
gouache and hand stitching with cloth binding, 16.5 x 91 cm (open)
Photo credit: Tim Gresham

I'm delighted to announce that for the third time running, my work will be part of the biennial artist book exhibition, BETWEEN THE SHEETS. This time round, Progeny (pictured top) and Firebrand, two of my one-of-a-kind artist books, have been selected.

BETWEEN THE SHEETS - Artists' Books Exhibition 2019 is presented by Gallery East in conjunction with Gallery Central (North Metropolitan TAFE) in Perth, Western Australia. 

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS

Australia

New South Wales: 

Lee Bethel; Caelli Jo Brooker; Lisa Giles; Avril Makula; Jane Simon; Yvette Sullivan; Marama Warren

Queensland: 

Dr. Rhi Johnson; Lorraine Lamothe; Sue Poggioli

South Australia:

Beth Evans

Victoria: 

Lyn Ashby; Alex Hamilton; Petr Herel; Debbie Hill; Deborah Klein; Lesley O'Gorman: Peter Ward

Western Australia: 

Gabriela Antonini; Susanna Castleden; Christopher Crouch;  Claire Davenhall; Martin Dickie; Robyn Foster; Shanti Gelmi; Louise Grimshaw; Chloe Henderson; Penny Hudson; Shana James;  Pam Langdon; Lesley Le Grove; Monica Lukowska; Elisa Markes-Young; Cherish Marrington; Jacky McFarlane; Clyde McGill; Shona McGregor; Melanie McKee; Dragicia Milunovic; Jánis Nedéla; Annette Nykiel; Marcella Polain; Layli Rakhsha; Sherry Paddon; Judy Rogers; Anne Shilo; Catherine Shultz;  Annette Seeman; Lydia Trethewey; Paul Uhlmann; Vanessa Wallace; Gera Woltjer

Brazil: 

Grupo Gralha Azul

Germany: 

Dorothea Fleiss

Italy: 

Virginia Milici

Latvia: 

Anda Munkevica

Lithunania: 

Kęstutis Vasiliūnas

United States of America: 

Cristina de Almeida

BETWEEN THE SHEETS – Artists' Books Exhibition 2019 

Gallery Central

Aberdeen Street

Perth WA 6000

The exhibition runs from 29 August – 21 September. 

Further details (including the possibility of touring to a second venue) will be provided nearer the time.

FIREBRAND and GORGON: more progress views

As regular visitors to Moth Woman Press blog will be aware, lately I've been working concurrently on two one-of-a-kind artist books, Firebrand and Gorgon (see centre photo below).

Hand-lettering the title page of the former is now complete and it's ready for the next step, namely the cover art. As with my previous book, Cat's Cradle, the front and back covers will be hand painted and lettered on prepared MDF boards. (The boards can be seen on the top left in the first two photos directly below).

Back in 1993 I was awarded a three-month Australia Council for the Arts Visual Arts Board Residency in Paris. One of the high points was a glorious exhibition of illuminated manuscripts at the Bibliothèque Nationale, the most extensive I've ever seen. I've long been drawn to hand written and painted manuscripts, but as is sometimes the case in my work, the period of gestation has been a slow one. It's only comparatively recently that I've begun to make some versions of my own. 

Click on individual images for a clearer view.

Hand-lettering in progress on Firebrand

Further progress views of Gorgon and Firebrand

First stage of Firebrand completed

FIREBRAND - an artist book in progress

Further to our post of Thursday, 22 December, directly below are further progress views of Firebrand, our latest one-of-a-kind artist book. Click on individual images to enlarge. 

Firebrand, artist book in progress, pencil and pigmented drawing ink
on Khaki paper, 16.5 x 15.5 cm

Artist books in progress

Two more Moth Woman Press books are currently on the drawing board. Pictured directly below in early developmental stages are Gorgon (top) and Firebrand (bottom). 

I'm still battling with the unruly snakes on the head of the Gorgon, but have plowed ahead with Firebrand. Below are three detailed views, followed by the first stage of the inking up process.

In 2012, I made a smaller version of this work for an artist's book exhibition at Hand Held Gallery in Melbourne. (The original book can be seen to the right of the tubes of paint below). I was never entirely happy with the end result, which I felt didn't quite reach its full potential; however, I've used it as working model for the current artist book. It's one of a new, ongoing series of concertina books collectively titled Tail End.

Vignette/Vitrine

Firebrand, the newly completed book featured here, was made especially for Vignette/Vitrine, a group exhibition curated by Megan Herring, which opens at Hand Held Gallery, Melbourne, on Thursday, 20 September. Other exhibiting artists are Paul Compton, Priscilla Ambrosini, Sheridan Jones, Bonnie Hanlon and Megan Herring.

Like the small paintings I've made for the same show, the illustrations are all silhouettes. The front and back covers are gessoed mdf panels, hand painted and lettered with acrylic paint and pigmented ink. In the past I've used mdf as a support for small paintings, so already knew what a sympathetic surface it provides, particularly for finely detailed work. The illustration inside the book is pigmented drawing ink on handmade Khadi paper.

The making of this modest work has been something of a voyage of discovery; essentially it’s painting and drawing presented in book form. I’ve found the whole process so engaging and satisfying that similar books are already planned.

For more about Vignette/Vitrine, visit Deborah Klein's Art Blog, Posts 8 and 16 September HERE.

Pictured above: Firebrand, 2012, unique concertina book, pigmented ink, acrylic paint, Khadi paper, gessoed mdf and bookbinding tape, 8.5 x 9 cm (closed); 8.5 x 45 cm (open). Photography by Shane Jones. CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE.

Vignette/Vitrine

Hand Held Gallery

Suite 18 first floor, Paramount Arcade

108 Bourke Street

Melbourne Vic 3000

Telephone: (03) 9654 4006

Email: littleredfishy@yahoo.com.au

Web: http://handheldgallery.blogspot.com.au/

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 12-5 pm

The exhibition will run from 20 September - 20 October.