Playing with paint, ink and paper

Yesterday I went to Gordon Base Studio for the day, a get together of a few artists initiated some time ago by Alison Gordon who provided this venue for a monthly meeting of art students from Wellington art school, The Learning Connexion. It is a very relaxing and enjoyable day, Alison has a large studio, lots of space and work surfaces, and we find our space and do whatever we like, and chat, and have a yummy lunch). and I took along a box of materials and continued with the collaging of antique text onto printmaking paper, and then painting acrylic glazes and paints onto the surface, and adding indian ink marks. I still have the idea of using these as bases for drawing onto.

The other photograph is of a double page spread in one of the A4 size collaborative journals that had circulated around last year. We're not continuing with the project, so I'll just have to fill the book up myself. I gessoed the pages with grey gesso then painted this image titled "There's no point in looking in different directions" (acrylic Atelier interactives, and pen).

Travelling journal

More than a year ago six journals set off travelling around New Zealand to six artists who were to complete a double page spread and send each one on to the next artist. The project turned out to be more of an undertaking than some of us expected, and some journals were lost for a time. Mine arrived home yesterday...what a thrill! One journal is still lost and I hope that it one day returns to it's owner - Amanda.
A group of us worked in a journal for one artist initially, and by the time each of us had created at least two pages of artwork in it, the journal really was a thing of beauty. Some of us enjoyed it so much we decided to repeat the process with each of us having a journal. 2006 was a pretty tough year for some and yet beautiful work was created and I'm sharing pages from my journal here. It will take two postings as blogger only permits 5 pictures per posting. These three are:

1. My own pages that I started the journal with: "Woman under construction is the text in the portrait, around the edge is a quote from Carmen ('Harbanera') which, in English, translates to: Love is a rebellious bird that nobody can tame and it's all in vain to call it if it chooses to refuse. Nothing helps, not threats nor prayers. One man is smooth tongued, another silent and he's the one that I prefer. He says nothing but he pleases me." The printed page is from a very old book ..." Edith opened her window to see if there was any hope in the distance; but the mist was full, and the world ended at the first terrace. She dressed, putting on her oldest skirt, for she knew there would be walking that day, went down shivering as she touched the damp woodwork, looked out of the dining room window. The clump of monk's-hood had not been disturbed; the spikes of bloom nodded reassuringly. It was strange, thought Edith, that so much beauty should arise from the roots of a deadly poison. She was calm and strong again; and as she stood at the window, an idea occurred, she could..."

Make of it what you will!

The orange pages with deadly looking flowers was from Ali:
2. The text reads "but Edith, isn't it odd that so much poison should arise from the root of such beauty. There are layers of art paper beneath paint glazes, and beautifully delicate text among and around the painted flowers and foliage.
The next spread after Ali's is from Denise:

3. Created in, I think, paint, collage, ink and the text reads:
Truth not seen
Truth not spoke
Under roof
Or out
No sweet poison fruit
to living death
condemned
but bitter poison
sprung in
labyrinthe hearts
took as mother's milk
in broken hope
alone
truth not seen
truth not spoke
under roof or out
And the words" Open your Eyes" and "it's just a fairytale".