Some details of Pebbles, Stones & Rocks

 Despite appalling weather on the Sunday, the exhibition's first weekend was a real success.  There are so many lovely moments in the show - where you come upon a piece, and angle or a glimpse that is restful or intriguing. I like the way these two pieces of mine show up...

These two paintings of Tory's are both so evocative - the moodiness of the top one; the way the bottom one appears as if lit from within...

Details from Susan's largest work - soft drawings on drafting paper...

This piece of Steph's tells the story of the phrase "Stone the crows..."

And it is now sold...

And this one of Susan's from the Noosa hinterland is as well.

And these two prints of Tory's, along with several of her editions of each of them, are also sold.

And much of my pebble jewellery has also found new homes. Along with a few solace stones and one poetry book-et.

Which is all very gratifying!

The show is open until Sunday 12 May,  Fridays-Sundays from 10am to 4pm, at Deckled Edge Press studio in Maleny.

Pebbles, Stones and Rocks is open!

 After a really busy week doing all the last minute things that need doing, we successfully completed the set up of the exhibition and were thrilled to open it on Saturday.

We had each approached the theme so differently, and as ever it was a joy to see how well the work held together.

Susan's soft drawing and collage and layering are sublime. Two pieces which were previously small artists' books have been laid down and attached to make a delightful and restful grid - with threads catching your eye here and there.

Steph's work follows her travels and her wanderings from the Moeraki boulders in New Zealand, to flying north to Broome, dust storms in Doha and beyond!

Tory's recent trip to Antarctica inspired her majestic oil paintings, whilst the stories of the penguins who offer love tokens of stones to there partners was the impetus for her four etchings.

My Grief is a stone works on paper are in their own bookshelf...

And my jewellery flows along a cabinet near the door.

The four friends on Saturday: Fiona, Susan, Steph and Tory.

 

And scenes from the opening afternoon - lots of friends and family gathered.

It was  such a joy to reach this point and to see so many happy faces, to talk about our creativity and to see folk enjoying the work, and purchasing some.

Thursday Thoughts...

"My concerns are as much with my materials as with the work I make of it. They both have to satisfy me … I look for things that have been somewhere, done something. Second-hand materials aren’t deliberate; they have had sun and wind on them…"

Rosalie Gascoigne

The older I get, the further into this life of art and making I get, the more I know for sure how important thinking about the materials is. 

Materiality matters.

That could absolutely be a tag line for me and my making.

Rosalie's re-use of discarded materials; of materials that have lived a life; that have come from a place; haven been handled or used by folk was such an integral part of her story-telling and the universality of her work.

For me, as I make and decide what to include, what to use and what to involve; my decisions always come back to what the materials are saying. What does it mean to use a thread dyed in particular place? What does it convey to use rough or sharp covers for a book? What story do the materials tell; what ideas do they express without words?

I love considering materials and how they are an important part of telling a story with my work. They add integrity.

Stitching together fragments of paper with rubbings from the cottage, and rubbings from near the front door in Maleny; exploring notions of home...

The grief side of Pebbles, Stones & Rocks...

 As mentioned, for the show which opens on Saturday, I have explored the connections between grief and stones.

I wrote three small poems about grief and what it can feel like as you travel along with such a confronting companion. They are called Grief is a Stone I, II & II, with hopefully some sense of movement  over time.

My sense of it is, that they may act as small reminders when your are in the midst of the worst of it, that you are not alone and what you feel is real. Perhaps they can then offer a pathway forward as well - with a sense that whilst things are so awful now, the hurt may ease and there may be a time when you feel differently. And perhaps too they can remind us when we have travelled further, of how far we have come.

I created three small book-ets,  with the poem on the centre page, each in an edition of 15. Hand set and hand printed with traditional letterpress and metal type. Covers are blind-embossed with pebble forms.

I also printed and hand-illustrated an edition of 10 cards with each poem on the reverse.

And stitched beautiful pouches to hold them. 

I like the way the pouches offer the poem a secret place. They allow it to be tucked away and drawn out when it feels right, rather thanking on permanent display. The book-ets offer a similar approach - you have to actively engage with them to find the words.

I also think the pouches suggest that the feelings and emotions are precious, and that they have a special place to dwell.

I also took the title of the poem and did some calligraphy with it to get cut in steel (and corten steel) and here is how a couple of them are looking in sandstone and in stones...

And last but not least, some small solace stones to hold in your hand, to carry in your pocket, to feel the weight and warmth of memory.

What I like about these as well is that they can be turned over. That the words can be private and  hidden from view. They can sit by the computer or on the coffee table, the bedside locker...and you can know the feelings are there, but you don't have to publicise it.

These are smaller than previous solace stone, and will really fit in pocket so well.

Pebbles, Stones & Rocks opens soon...

 Our lovely wee showing "Pebbles, Stones & Rocks" opens next Saturday and runs until Sunday 12 May, open Friday-Sunday, 10am - 4pm.

This weekend has been very much about cleaning up and clearing out the studio space to make it lovely for the work as it arrives and as we begin to hang and display it. Once again I am showing with my three friends - Tory Richards, Susan Bowers and Stephanie McLennan. Together we did the Red Thread exhibition back in 2021.

For this showing I pondered pebbles and stones, and explored how grief has so many connections to them. The way grief feels heavy and burden to be carried; how its rough and raw edges can cut nad tear; and how over time the edges are smoothes, and the weight becomes bearable.

I also celebrated the beauty of pebbles and their role as memory holders, part of our collections of travel and place, and the joy that is sparked when we hold them in our hands and remember. My first steps in silver jewellery making have been taken, with the series of pebble-inspired pendants and earrings called "recollections".

Today I will show my jewellery selection and on Tuesday I will show the final grief work. I have been working on this series since returning from Scotland, and learning much and finessing my skills over time.

The silver jewellery comes in lovely boxes with a wrap and a tag which on the underneath side shows the jewellery inside.

The earrings sit nestled in a black insert. All of the shapes are pebble-like, nothing perfect, nothing fully circular, all allowing a little bit of movement and play. I like the layering of the pebbles and the movement; and also the delicacy and lightness.

The pendants come in the same boxes, just larger, and again have layers of pebbles forms and differing finishes.

I also created silver stud earrings for folk and placed them in some lovely old tins, alongside a pebble for memory, and some words on warm beeswax-infused paper. There are 6 pairs of studs, and one single stud - seven tins all up.

Because I am a collector of pebbles of all sorts, I rummaged through the collections and tried to find seven matching pairs, which I thought could become tactile and warm pebble studs. Set with sterling silver findings, here they are in their smart black boxes!

And then I wondered about having real pebbles as drops, and with some help from B to drill the tiniest of holes and set the findings in; these are what I am calling sibling stone earrings - where the pebbles are not perfectly matched (or twinned) but rather are definitely related...

I have made a few pairs as clip ons, and all the silver earrings can also be turned into clip ons. The studs not so much!

I really do love the pebble form and have been thrilled to have the opportunity to develop work and develop my skills in this new way.

Thursday Thoughts...

"Reading is one of the most individual things that happens. So every reader is going to read a piece in a slightly different way, sometimes a radically different way". 

Margaret Atwood

I have pondered thoughts like this before; but I love being reminded of just how individual we are as we read a book.

I think that for an author that must be incredibly tricky. Not only are we all bringing different things to the book; but as an individual I know I can read the same book in different ways depending on my age, circumstances and mood.

When reviewing or describing a book for friends, I am really conscious of how my personal experiences or circumstances might have influenced how I read the book and my level of annoyance or enjoyment of it.   Sometimes a book is just the third or fourth in a row we have read that has an annoying male character so we get cranky with it for that - whereas if it was the first book in ages with an annoying male character we may tolerate it better and see it as interesting. 

Sometimes our reading of a book is fragmented because we are time-poor and we never feel like we can really get into it; whereas if we have time to invest and can dive in deep for extended periods, we may enjoy a book more. So many things!

Just a lovely reminder that no two people ever read this me book.

We are off to hear the author talk about this book on Friday - I am yet to read it so it will be interesting to see if hearing about it before I read it changes my thoughts about it!