Wet prints drying of rusted papers with cyanotype prints
Like Alice discovering wonderland, I have dropped down the rabbit hole of research into alternative photographic processes. Shocked at my ignorance relating to silver extraction for the photographic industry, I am discovering ‘kitchen compounds’ and botanical processes that promise to be an alternative method of image production.
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Detail of a cyanotype print using blackberry leaves as a stencil
Pest or Passion? I’ve had both reactions to the humble blackberry. But never would I have thought it could lead me down an interesting path of discovery about alternative photographic practices. Yet I now find myself regarding this plant with new eyes.
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Experimenting in style - cyanotype workshop participants showing off their creations
I never wanted to be a teacher as I was considered a ‘disruptive’ student even in primary school. So holding a workshop is really a ‘once in a blue moon’ event for me. Yet I did hold one this week as part of my mini artist residency in Mornington, Victoria. I learnt so much from the participants’ creative experiments that I have discovered new techniques for making cyanotype prints.
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Altered book inside page with morning pages and photogram collage
Liberation comes in many forms. Mine came from tearing up years of my Morning Pages journals and immersing them in a vat of water ready to turn into paper. Not only the start of a new project but also a new way to look at the impermanence of life. That when things feel too hard to bear, “this too shall pass”.
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The stress/rest images of my heart 2022
The heart in stress or at rest? When we feel engulfed in chaos, we are challenged to ‘take heart’. On this Australia/Invasion Day in Australia, I am remembering all the protests of the past decades which have resulted in changing government policies or mainstream attitudes. The pictures of my heart remind me of the beating heart of Planet Earth, connecting us all on our one world.
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Not quite Sydney Harbour - ferries in the harbour at Istanbul, Türkiye, 2011.
Taking yourself on an artist date is one of the best activities you can do to nourish and nurture your inner artist. I love travelling on ferries so I’m off to Manly to jump aboard the MFF Manly Fast Ferry and fill my sails with salt air. It’s an excuse to deliver my artist book Post Operative to the Manly Library in person as well as share my love of ferry travel with my granddaughter.
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The Cat’s Pyjamas (detail) 2025 - 40x40cm. mixed medium collaged papers on board
What do silk pyjamas have to do with a 17th century royal decree in France and how does creating art in artist residencies expand your art practice? I’m talking art and how the stories you tell can connect your artworks with an appreciative audience.
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The black hole as time on the phone expands and shrinks. (Photo created in 2012)
What is it like to be addicted? I’m worried that my brain cells are permanently affected. A short attention span and an insatiable appetitive for more. My phone has me in thrall. It’s in my pocket and its calling out to me, come and watch my Reels. Come and loose yourself in my stories. What to do?
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Eat the Road collage 2024
There’s anticipation and excitement in getting ready to ‘eat the road’ as Australians head off for the summer holidays between Christmas and New Year. I love consulting maps to plot all the road stops where we will break open the thermos and left over Christmas cake, stretch our legs and change drivers for the next leg of the journey.
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Cyanotype blue was the signature colour for 2024
How to encapsulate a year that started with a bang then abruptly skidded to a stop half way through as I struggled to overcome post surgery pain. Learning to be still, rest and recover was a huge challenge. Through all these months good and not so good, I kept writing and making art to document my journey. An epic year to share in this Year in Review 2024 blogpost.
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