Homo-insecta Portfolio: an update

Work for the Wonder Room exhibition is at last nearing completion. Every piece I’ve made for the show is multi-faceted, essentially a series of small collections, which will sit alongside contrasting works created by fellow Wonder Room artists Rona Green, Heather Shimmen, Paul Compton and Filomena Coppola. 

Last Tuesday I proofed the remaining linocuts for the Homo-insecta portfolio, my final work for the exhibition.

As objects the lino blocks are almost worthy of their own place in a Cabinet of Curiosities. They won't be making an appearance in our show, however. But I've singled out a small selection and grouped them together as if in a display cabinet (see above, top).

Immediately following this is a studio view, taken earlier this week at Ballarat, showing proofs of the complete set of eight Homo-insecta prints, plus cover art.

The next step is to hand colour the prints, finalise the text and finish assembling the portfolio.

Books for a Wonder Room Library: 'Quicksand' and 'Tall Poppies'

Quicksand and Tall Poppies, 2013, unique 

artist books, ink and acrylic on Khadi paper, each
80 x 15 cm (open). Photograph by Tim Gresham.

Pictured above are two of six newly completed vertical concertina books. They will be part of the group exhibition Wonder Room at Maroondah Art Gallery that opens on 17 October.

Two years in the making (and with much making still under way) the exhibition is a unique take on the notion of the Wunderkammer, or Cabinet of Curiosities. My fellow Wonder Room artists are Rona Green, Heather Shimmen, Paul Compton and Filomena Coppola.

Meanwhile, before Quicksand and Tall Poppies join forces with their sister books, they will be making a trip to the bookbinders.

To see the miniature paintings that were the basis for these books, click HERE.

Unnatural Histories Portfolio in progress

Working drawings and linocuts in progress for
Unnatural Histories Portfolio, Ballarat, 2013.
Photograph by Shane Jones

Now that the Hand Held Gallery show is over, I've had a big clear-up to make space in my studio - and my head - for the next project.

Pictured above are works in progress for a limited edition portfolio of "unnatural history" illustrations. The completed portfolio will contain between 6 to 8 hand-coloured A4 sized linocuts.

Left and right in the middle row are the proofs of linocuts that were part of the Goldfields Printmakers exhibition Crossing Borders at the Art Gallery of Ballarat. Although the show ended a week ago, it will soon travel to IMPACT 8, the International Printmaking Conference at the University of Dundee in Scotland on 28 August - 1 September.

The completed portfolio is intended for Wonder Room, a 5-person group exhibition at Maroondah Art Gallery, which opens on 17 October. My fellow artists are Rona Green, Paul Compton, Heather Shimmen and Filomena Coppola.

Emergent Cicada Woman lino block ready for printing
Photograph by DK

Emergent Cicada Woman, 2013, linocut, hand coloured
22 x 18.5 cm. Photograph by Tim Gresham