Preamble
For your convenience I have listed other posts in this series:
Intaglio Prints Created Using Solarplates[1] - Part I
Intaglio Prints Created Using Solarplates[1] - Part II
Intaglio Prints Created Using Solarplates[1] - Part III
Intaglio Prints Created Using Solarplates[1] - Part IV
Introduction
Just as a reminder, intaglio prints can be created using solarplates. Here UV light only penetrates the clear area of the transparency and hardens the polymer, whereas areas beneath the opaque lines of the drawing remains soluble [1] and so can be removed.
Intaglio Prints Created Using Solarplates[1] - Part IV
It is a good idea to keep a notebook with test transparencies, the exposure times, and development details with corresponding prints for future reference.
Creator: Eric Fischl.
Title: Jumprope (1992).
Print: Intaglio Print.
Size: 19 x 15 in (48 x 38 cm).
Comment [1]: This painterly print was created by working with ink on acetate.
Creator: Lynda Benglis.
Title: Hot Spots (1999).
Print: Intaglio Print.
Size: 15 x 22 in (38 x 56 cm).
Comment [1]: Double exposure intaglio print. Lynda Benglis found that painting watercolor on tracing paper caused the paper to crinkle, resulting in a subtle pattern in the final print.
Creator: Richard Mello.
Title: Untitled (1997).
Print: Intaglio Print.
Size: 7 x 10 in (17.5 x 25.5 cm).
Comment [1]: This is an example of a positive transparency. Artist Richard Mello is just putting the finishing touches to a drawing on acetate, which is now ready for exposure.
Creator: Meredith Perrin.
Title: Dragon Pot (1997).
Print: Intaglio Print.
Size: 8.5 x 6 in (21.5 x 15 cm).
Comment [1]: Meredith Perrin likes to develop several versions of the same image before selecting one for exposure on a plate. To create the image, she photocopied an original drawing onto a transparency and then worked it further with felt tip pen and scratching back techniques.
Creator: Carol Hunt.
Title: Solar Etching (from a Suite of 15) (1993).
Print: Intaglio Print.
Size: 8 x 6 in (20.5 x 15 cm).
Comment [1]: Carol Hunt uses repeated photocopying to alter and develop the image. This process also enriches the depth of black tones.
Creator: Janet Ayliffe.
Title: Kangarilla (1998).
Print: Single exposure two-plate intaglio print.
Size: 21 x 11.5 in (53.5 x 29 cm).
Comment [1]: Janet Ayliffe tells stories through her art. To create this print, she photocopied an original drawing onto a transarency and then used drawing and scraping techniques to further work the image. This transparency was used to make the key plate. The second plate was a traditional zinc etching plate. The final print was made by printing the etching plate first, then printing the key plate to give definition to the image.
Reference:
[1] D.Welden and P. Muir, Printmaking in the Sun, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York (1997)
Preamble
This is the forty-second post in a new Art Resource series that specifically focuses on techniques used in creating artworks. For your convenience I have listed all the posts in this new series below:
Drawing Art
Painting Art - Part I
Painting Art - Part II
Painting Art - Part III
Painting Art - Part IV
Painting Art - Part V
Painting Art - Part VI
Home-Made Painting Art Materials
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part I
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part II
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part I
Historical Notes on Art - Part II
Historical Notes on Art - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part IV
Historical Notes on Art - Part V
Tempera Painting
Oil Painting - Part I
Oil Painting - Part II
Oil Painting - Part III
Oil Painting - Part IV
Oil Painting - Part V
Oil Painting - Part VI
Pigments
Classification of Pigments - Part I
Classification of Pigments - Part II
Classification of Pigments - Part III
Pigments for Oil Painting
Pigments for Water Color
Pigments for Tempera Painting
Pigments for Pastel
Japanese Pigments
Pigments for Fresco Painting - Part I
Pigments for Fresco Painting - Part II
Selected Fresco Palette for Permanent Frescoes
Properties of Pigments in Common Use
Blue Pigments - Part I
Blue Pigments - Part II
Blue Pigments - Part III
Green Pigments - Part I
Green Pigments - Part II
Red Pigments - Part I
Red Pigments - Part I [1]
The wide range of effects which may easily be obtained with permanent reds and mixtures of them make it simple to match reds or reddish colors. For nearly all purposes, vermilion is perfectly replaced by the light cadmium reds; if these are too cold or chalky in comparison with it, a touch of toning color may be necessarily added.
Vermilion versus light Cadmium Reds.
Alizarin will substitute for all transparent lakes.
Alizarin.
Note: Alizarin crimson is a shade of red that is biased slightly more towards purple than towards orange on the color wheel and has a blue undertone. It is named after the organic dye alizarin, found in the madder plant, and the related synthetic lake pigment alizarin crimson (PR83 in the Color Index).
The brilliant geranium reds, magentas, and rose pinks of the past were synthetic organic pigments of poor fade-resistance and were employed for illustration and other work done for reproduction rather than for creative easel paintings. Today such hues are available in pigments with permanence.
Geranium Reds.
Magenta is a purplish-red color. On color wheels of the RGB (additive) and CMYK (subtractive) color models, it is located precisely midway between blue and red.
Rose Pink.
The Earth Reds (Venetian Red etc.) should be replaced whenever possible by their artificial counterparts; i.e., the Mars colors and the bright red oxides.
Venetian Red.
Red Oxide.
Except in fresco painting, however, this is not a seriously important precaution; and it is fortunate, since nomenclature for these colors was such as to bewilder persons not thoroughly familiar with their properties.
In the color trade the impure native oxide of bluish tone is mainly known as Spanish Red, and the scarlet shade as Venetian Red (see above).
Spanish Red.
The pure varieties are called Indian Red (bluish shade) and light red or bright red oxide.
Indian Red.
However, special trade names or numbers for various grades are widely used in the paint industry, thereby eliminating much confusion.
The principle distinction can be made in that one brand is brighter and more scarlet in mass tone, and when reduced with white produces salmon pinks.
Salmon Pink.
Mars Violets and highly burned Indian Reds, produce Lavenders, when reduced with white.
Lavender.
Reference:
[1] The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques, R. Mayer (ed. E. Smith) 4th Edition, Faber and Faber, London (1981).
Preamble
For your convenience I have listed below other posts in this series:
Diversity of African Textiles
African Textiles: West Africa
Stripweaves (West Africa) - Part I
Stripweaves (West Africa) - Part II
Stripweaves (West Africa) - Part III
Stripweaves (West Africa) - Part IV
Djerma Weaving of Niger and Burkina-Faso
Woolen Stripweaves of the Niger Bend
Nigerian Horizontal - Loom Weaving
Yoruba Lace Weave
Nigerian Women's Vertical Looms
The Supplementary Weft Cloths of Ijebu-Ode and Akwete
African Tie and Dye
Tie and Dye of the Dida, Ivory Coast
African Stitch Resist
Yoruba Stitch Resist
Yoruba: Machine-Stitched Resist Indigo-Dyed Cloth
Yoruba and Baulé Warp Ikat [1]
Nigerian Starch-Resist (by hand)
Nigerian Starch-Resist (by hand).
In towns of Yorubaland, Nigeria - Ibadan, Ilorin, Owo, Oshogbo - there was a fashion amongst women for making adire eleko (starch-resist) cloths. They were worn in pairs by Yoruba women. These cloths had a cassava starch-resist applied to them before they were dyed in indigo. Unlike the stencilled cloths of Abeokuta, they had patterns drawn by hand, featuring birds, lizards and well-known landmarks, such as the Ibadan town hall.
After 1929, production went into steep decline. It was only revived in the 1960s and 1970s, partly to cater for a large expatriate market attracted by Nigeria's burgeoning oil wealth. Since then, the starch-resist method has again suffered, as Nigeria has spiralled downwards in a cycle of corruption, inter-ethnic rivalry and ensuing poverty. The expatriate market has disappeared and there is now very little local demand.
Using this technique, a woman dips a sharpened quill of a large bird into a paste of cassava flour mixed with copper sulfate and water, known as lafun. She draws on one side of the cloth only. First, she folds the new mill cloth so that, upon opening it out, it forms a square grid. (A typical adire eleco of the 1960s consisted of a central section of twenty squares surrounded by thirty-two smaller rectangles.) Second, she outlines the grid in lafun and then proceeds to fill the squares with bold designs. The motifs within each square (such as birds or the sun) have a proverbial meaning. Moreover, the whole cloth is given a name that is recognized in the marketplace, such as "I am getting myself together." Within the overall design, the squares are repeated, at least twice.
The cloth is dip-dyed in an indigo bath as many times as is necessary to achieve the deep blue-black so prized by the Yoruba. In between dippings, the cloth is laid out on racks to dry. Great care is taken not to crack the lafun paste, which is only applied to one side of the cloth. As the starch does not resist the dye completely, the cloth takes on a light-blue pattern against a dark-blue background, when the dried paste is removed. The adire worker often adds her maker's mark.
A starched, but undyed, Yoruba adire eleko. The resist paste of cassava flour will be scraped or flaked off after dyeing.
Indigo-dyed starch-resist adire eleko cloth from 1960s in Ibadan Dun pattern.
Indigo-dyed starch-resist adire eleko cloth from 1960s in the olukun or Sea-Goddess pattern.
Adire eleko from Nigeria with pattern created by applying a resist-paste of cassava flour by hand. This pattern, made up of two particular motifs, conveys the message, "I'm getting myself together."
Indigo-dyed starch-resist adire eleko cloth with a pattern of banana trees and plantains. This cloth is unusual in that it is not really symmetrical.
Indigo-dyed starch-resist adire eleko cloth from the 1960s with a pattern of birds. The bird at the bottom is the maker's mark.
Hand-drawn starch resist adire imitating the stencilled King George V and Queen Mary pattern.
Reference:
[1] J. Gillow, African Textiles, Thames & Hudson Ltd, London (2003).
Preamble
For your interest, I have listed below, other posts on this blogspot that centers on the use of Batik to create artworks:
Nothing Is The Same I & II (Els van Baarle, The Netherlands)
Batik ArtCloth from South-East Asia
Batiks from Kintore
Batiks From Warlpiri
Historical Israeli Batik ArtWorks
A Brief History of Batik
Introduction [1]
What is batik? It is one of the many resist techniques that is available to decorate cloth. In particular, Batik refers to the dyeing process during which certain parts of the weaving yarn or woven cloth are blocked out so that no dye can penetrate into it. Generally, in batik, hot liquid bees wax is used as a resist agent. After application the bees wax cools rapidly on the cloth and hardens. Because the liquid cannot penetrate the wax, the area that has been covered retains its original color when dipped into the dyebath. As a result, several dye processes can follow, one after the other, during which further areas are blocked out to retain their color. The fine fissures of wax is a characteristic of batik.
The cloth (above) was found in an old Peruvian grave of the post classical period (800-1532) of the pre-Columbian culture. The stylized bird, fish and dog motifs on this strip of patterned cotton cloth were probably achieved using a paste resist, as there is no evidence of cracking, which is typical of a waxed batik.
A cotton batik fragment dyed with indigo, found in Fostat near Cairo. Probably from between 1230-1350 A.D. Thousands of textile remnants from the Coptic and early Islamic period have been preserved, thanks to the dry climate and sandy soil.
Note: The continuous border of this fragment points in its wave-like vine to an Indian influence. It is not certain whether such materials were batiked in India or by Indians in Cairo. The white lines broken by fine veins seem to indicate that wax was used as the resist agent.
A Brief History of Batik [1]
The origin and age of the batik technique cannot be pinpointed with absolute certainty. The lack of durability of textiles makes an exact location in time and place very difficult. Some experts believe that batik originated in Asia and spread from there to the islands to the south, to Arabia, and eventually to the western world. On the other hand, other researchers are of the opinion that it spread in the reverse direction, from the Malay archipelago to the mainland.
13th Century stone carving (East Java) displaying batik patterns.
It is of course also possible that the batik technique developed quite independently in different countries in the world, without outside influence, as has happened with other techniques. After all, very old batik fragments have been discovered in Peru, in South America, as well as in Japan. The oldest specimens extant were found in Egypt, dating from the 5th and 6th century A.D. Many pieces of woven cloth of a later date, proabably from 12th century, have been dug up near Cario. Because these show Indian motifs it is assumed that they originate from India. Even at that time batiked cloth was exported via the east coast. Old batik areas like Armenia, Georgia, Turkestan and Persia, which lay along the important caravan routes were influenced by India.
Armenian linen wax batik from about 1759. Probably made in Armenia itself, but could also come from the Coromandel coast or from north west India. Such cloths were produced there for Christian Armenians living there or abroad.
Note: The scenes depicted above are: Adam and Eve; the Annunciation, the Adoration of The Three Wise Men, the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, the Crucifixion, St. George and the Dragon, Abraham sacrificing Isaac, an unknown Saint, the Transfiguration and the Ascension.
In the 13th Century batik was carried out in Java as well. Future posts in this series will deal with the development of Javanese batik. In Europe, this technique was used for decoration of Easter eggs, a tradition which is retained in Eastern Europe to this day. Blue printing, which became known in Europe in the 18th century, is a variation of batik.
Batik pen of the Miao. A triangular copper or brass pen is fixed to a bamboo rod with a metal strip. Both triangular areas are bent together so that a small container is formed. With this pen, lines of 1 mm can be drawn. The pen is held in such a way that the wax container held in the hand is level with the wrist. The edge of the hand rests on the cloth.
With respect to the European process, the cloth is printed with a resist substance before being dyed in an indigo bath. Another process was printing the cloth with the desired pattern by using a discharge agent so that the blue dye disappeared there. The batik technique probably also penetrated Africa two or three hundred years later through immigration. The best-known areas lie in Senegal and Nigeria, where paste and wax are still used as resist agents. Today, the old Asian batik wax methods are only used by the Miao tribe. This tribe lives in the upper Tonking area in North Thailand and on the Chinese island of Hainen.
Beside Java, North Thailand and Hainan, the tradional method of batik is still carried out in Malaysia, Singapore and Sri Lanka.
Distribution of batik technique across Asia to Africa, including important batik centres which are shaded.
Reference:
[1] M. Spée, Traditional and Modern Batik, Kangaroo Press, Kenthurst (1982).
Preamble:
For your convenience I have listed below all the posts in this series:
Street Graphics of Tokyo - Part I
Street Graphics of Tokyo - Part II
Street Graphics of Tokyo - Part II [1]
There are a number of observations that Europeans have made when visiting Tokyo that encaptulates the feeling of the city. Donald Richie, in 'Tokyo - A Review of the City' (1999), observed that: 'Tokyo's streets do not speak in measured accents of Europe's capitals.' How true!
Who would have thought that the following poster represents the speed and care embodied in the cat logos of their country's courier services. The more you look at the poster the more sense that it makes. The transport company (the mother cat) views its cargo as precious as if it was one of her children. Who wouldn't trust this company with your household goods!
Poster for a Japanese transport company.
Another observation made in 1897 by American Reverend R.B. Perry was that, 'The Japanese are really without any sense of sin, and have no word in their language to express the idea exactly.'
I wonder if his views would have changed on sighting the poster below. I guess not!
Poster for a street comic store.
Most of the other posters below are more self-evident, even though some stretch the imagination to its limits.
Poster for a foot massage.
Poster for clean water.
Restaurant posters, highlighting plastic menu display under each.
Poster for Cake Store (Asakusa Market).
Cake packaging (Asakusa Market).
Posters (Asakusa Market).
Reference:
[1] B. Dawson, Street Graphics Tokyo, Thames & Hudson Ltd, London.
Preamble
This is the fourty-first post in a new Art Resource series that specifically focuses on techniques used in creating artworks. For your convenience I have listed all the posts in this new series below:
Drawing Art
Painting Art - Part I
Painting Art - Part II
Painting Art - Part III
Painting Art - Part IV
Painting Art - Part V
Painting Art - Part VI
Home-Made Painting Art Materials
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part I
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part II
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part I
Historical Notes on Art - Part II
Historical Notes on Art - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part IV
Historical Notes on Art - Part V
Tempera Painting
Oil Painting - Part I
Oil Painting - Part II
Oil Painting - Part III
Oil Painting - Part IV
Oil Painting - Part V
Oil Painting - Part VI
Pigments
Classification of Pigments - Part I
Classification of Pigments - Part II
Classification of Pigments - Part III
Pigments for Oil Painting
Pigments for Water Color
Pigments for Tempera Painting
Pigments for Pastel
Japanese Pigments
Pigments for Fresco Painting - Part I
Pigments for Fresco Painting - Part II
Selected Fresco Palette for Permanent Frescoes
Properties of Pigments in Common Use
Blue Pigments - Part I
Blue Pigments - Part II
Blue Pigments - Part III
Green Pigments - Part I
Green Pigments - Part II
Red Pigments - Part I
There have been another one hundred and thirteen posts in a previous Art Resource series that have focused on the following topics:
(i) Units used in dyeing and printing of fabrics;
(ii) Occupational, health & safety issues in an art studio;
(iii) Color theories and color schemes;
(iv) Optical properties of fiber materials;
(v) General properties of fiber polymers and fibers - Part I to Part V;
(vi) Protein fibers;
(vii) Natural and man-made cellulosic fibers;
(viii) Fiber blends and melt spun fibers;
(ix) Fabric construction;
(x) Techniques and woven fibers;
(xi) Basic and figured weaves;
(xii) Pile, woven and knot pile fabrics;
(xiii) Durable press and wash-and-wear finishes;
(xvi) Classification of dyes and dye blends;
(xv) The general theory of printing.
To access any of the above resources, please click on the following link - Units Used in Dyeing and Printing of Fabrics. This link will highlight all of the one hundred and thirteen posts in the previous a are eight data bases on this blogspot, namely, the Glossary of Cultural and Architectural Terms, Timelines of Fabrics, Dyes and Other Stuff, A Fashion Data Base, the Glossary of Colors, Dyes, Inks, Pigments and Resins, the Glossary of Fabrics, Fibers, Finishes, Garments and Yarns, Glossary of Art, Artists, Art Motifs and Art Movements, Glossary of Paper, Photography, Printing, Prints and Publication Terms and the Glossary of Scientific Terms. All data bases in the future will be updated from time-to-time.
If you find any post on this blog site useful, you can save it or copy and paste it into your own "Word" document for your future reference. For example, Safari allows you to save a post (e.g. click on "File", click on "Print" and release, click on "PDF" and then click on "Save As" and release - and a PDF should appear where you have stored it). Safari also allows you to mail a post to a friend (click on "File", and then point cursor to "Mail Contents On This Page" and release). Either way, this or other posts on this site may be a useful Art Resource for you.
The new Art Resource series will be the first post in each calendar month. Remember - these Art Resource posts span information that will be useful for a home hobbyist to that required by a final year University Fine-Art student and so undoubtedly, some parts of any Art Resource post may appear far too technical for your needs (skip those mind boggling parts) and in other parts, it may be too simplistic with respect to your level of knowledge (ditto the skip). The trade-off between these two extremes will mean that Art Resource posts will be hopefully useful in parts to most, but unfortunately may not be satisfying to all!
Green Pigments - Part II [1]
Viridian, which is equally durable for all artistic and industrial pigments purposes, except in high temperature work, is a valuable artists' color. The inferior grades sometimes contain impurities in the form of complex mixtures of chromates and borates; while these are water-soluble, they are quite difficult for manufacturers to wash out. Their presence is highly undesirable, and therefore only viridian of the highest color quality should be used.
Viridian of the highest color quality (with its Hex code).
The best American dry color is usually cleaner and cooler in shade compared to the European product, which by comparison, tends toward yellowish or muddy tones; it should therefore be preferred by fresco painters. When viewed under a microscope, viridian resembles small broken fragments of emeralds.
Viridian viewed under a microscope.
Its color effect when used in transparent films is a brilliant transparent green, but when it is used in full strength in thick pasty layers it will exhibit a duller, more blackish body color or mass tone, because of the build up of a thick layer of pigment particles which impede and absorb transmitted light rays, thus producing an opaque coating.
Viridian used in transparent films.
Viridian used in full strength thick pasty layers.
Phthalocyanine green is a more intense clear tinting color than viridian, and will produce somewhat smaller shades in mixtures with other pigments. Some artists prefer it to viridian; others consider it too raw or garish, and so prefer the somewhat more subtle effect of the older color.
Phthalocyanine Green.
Many sea-green hues as well as clear, deep olive geeens, ranging from intense darks to pale tints, were produced by the older painters with mixture of Vandyke brown and Prussian blue, sometimes toned with a little yellow, by substituting the more reliable burnt sienna and phthalocyanine blue as a starting point, a whole series of unique hues was added to the palette of the artist whose previous experience had been limited to the mixtures available with ultramarine and cobalt. Phthalocyanine green will not give the same result.
Emerald Green is a highly poisonous substance, which will turn black when mixed with any of several other pigments, as well when in contact with metals, and when exposed to air, its use should be avoided. It produces the most vivid and brilliant greens that could not be matched by mixtures, which is the sole reason for this dangerous pigment's survival.
Emerald Green with Hex Code.
A close approximation to Emerald Green can now be made by mixing phthalocyanine green with modern synthetic yellow, such as Hansa yellow, green gold etc. Formerly, some painters who realize that its indiscriminate use led to darkening and other bad results, believe it was safe if used straight or mixed only with the most inert, non-reactive pigments and well locked in with oil and varnish, and they made the occasional use of it; for example, a brilliant starboard light can be depicted by the touch of emerald green with a highlight of titanium on it.
Stunning engagement ring highlights a crisp green emerald in a tension setting.
Emerald Green must never be used in pastel or water color. A 'poisonous green,' comes through association with Paris Green.
Paris Green (with Hex number).
Reference:
[1] The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques, R. Mayer (ed. E. Smith) 4th Edition, Faber and Faber, London (1981).
Preamble [1]
'Melbourne Now' was an art exhibition mounted by the National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne, Australia) in 2014. It took as its premise the idea that a city is significantly shaped by the artists, designers, architects, choreographers, intellectuals, and community groups that lived and worked in the midsts of this multi-cultural city. The aim was to explore how Melbourne's visual artists and creative practitioners contributed to the dynamic cultural identity of this city. The result was an exhibition that celebrates what was unique about Melbourne's art, design, and architectural collectives.
The intention of the exhibition was to encourage and inspire everyone to discover some of the best of Melbourne's culture. To help achieve this, family-friendly activities, dance and music performances, inspiring talks from creative practitioner's, city walks and ephemeral installations and events made up the public program.
This and other posts in this series concentrate on the participating artists, rather than on other features of the exhibition event such as the family-friendly commissions developed especially for children and young audiences that was aimed to encourage participatory learning for children and their families in general.
For your convenience I have listed below other posts on thie blogspot that features Melbourne Now exhibitions:
Melbourne Now - Part I
Melbourne Now - Part II
Melbourne Now - Part III
Melbourne Now - Part IV
Melbourne Now - Part V
Melbourne Now - Part VI
Melbourne Now - Part VI [1]
Designer Thinking
'Designer Thinking' is a show within a show wihin the framework of 'Melbourne Now,' which highlights the importance of independent fashion design as a vehicle for original creative expression. All of the designers represented, worked out of small studios in the inner-city of Melbourne (Australia) and prioritised local manufacturing. Their ranges remain small and innovative, pushing the boundaries of design possibilities via collaborations with visual artists, new fabric technologies and methods of making.
Eight labels have been selected for 'Melbourne Now,' each represented by two outfits, in order to highlight the energy, diversity and talent of designers working at an independent level. Grouped en masse, the inventive installation featured works by 'Above' (Alexi Freeman), 'From Britten' (Kinoak Lui Hon, Pageant, Strateas Carlucci and Verner). Contrasting aesthetics, construction methodologies, easons and genders, 'Design Thinking' charts a plethora of conceptual and practical design approaches. Whether their emphasis is on print and texture, minimalist tailoring principles, utilitarian or wardrobe fundamentals, sculptural drape or fabric technology, each designer has developed a distinctive vocabulary that resonates singularly within Melbourne's rich fashion landscape.
Fashion House: Kinoak, Melbourne.
Designer: Annie Kohane.
Apparrel: Kiwaa dress (2013).
Sponsor: The project for 'Melbourne Now' is supported by MECCA Cosmetica.
Julia deVille
Julia deVille was born in New Zealand in 1982 and moved to Melbourne in 2001. While studying gold and silversmithing at RMIT, she completed a mentorship with expert taxidermist Rudy Mineur, and this preservation technique has become a major feature of her work. deVille believes that taxidermy is a celebration of life, a preservation of something beautiful and a powerful exemplar of the visual language of death.
Informed by a facination with death, memento mori and Victorian jewllery design, deVille's work relies on traditional techniques and involves a broad range of animals, precious and semiprecious metals and gems. The artist is a vegan and a passionate advocate for fair and just treatment of animals, and only uses animals that have died of natural causes in her work. By examining death in this distinctive way, deVille urges us to consider our own mortality and the beauty of death and rememberance. For 'Melbourne Now' she has created an installation titled 'Degustation (2013),' which invokes an ornate Victorian-style dining room, filled with her sculptural pieces and works from the NGV collection.
Title: Peter (2012).
Designer: Julia deVille.
The Donkey's Tail
The Donkey's Tail JNR.
Formed in 2007 by artist John Nixon, The Donkey's Tail is an experimental art-music ensemble featuring a diverse array of artists, musicians and amateur collaborators, who perform Nixon's unconvential musical compositions. The group has been prolific in the experimental music scene, releasing more than sixty-five recordings on CD and playing regularly in Melbourne (Australia) galleries and music venues. Known for their use of homemade instruments constructed from found objects, and for playing orthodox instruments in unorthodox ways, The Donkey's Tail's improvised performances make for engaging and unexpected events. Their recorded material traverses noise instrumentals to songs written by Nixon in folk, spoken word and operatic idioms.
For 'Melbourne Now' Nixon's group has conceived an installation encompassing homemade instruments, CDs, photos, paintings, graphic scores, sheet music cover designs, flyers and posters and abstract kinetic videos, all of which invite the audience to explore and discover the group's experimental approach to musical composition, graphic design, instrument-making and performance. The Donkey's Tail Jnr, that 'Melbourne Now' has commissioned for chldren, encourages particpants to experiment with sound and create, perform and record their own improvised scores using various musical and sound-making instruments and found objects.
Designers: Donkey Tail.
Technique (Date): Graphic score (21 May, 2013).
Designers: Donkey Tail.
Title: White Guitar (2010).
Note: The above was commission for 'Melbourne Now' by 'Melbourne Now Champions' - The Dewhurst family.
Drawing Now
'Drawing Now' presents drawings from a cross-section of Melbourne (Australia) artists. These drawings have been gathered from personal and professional networks and so should be seen from a subjective viewpoint.
The selection process was organic, but guided by certain principles. They were selected on artists whom drawing is an allied field for propositions within their work as a whole. Both abstract and realist art was chosen from a wide demographic of artists at different stages of their careers. The works came from artist's studios and are not the kind usually offered by them for exhibition, or prioritised in the gallery world. Rather than displaying the work in thematic groupings, they were presented alphabetically, according to their surnames, with a view of emphasizing the individuality of each artist's drawing and diversity of approaches overall. Spectators are therefore forced to find their own links between the works.
Participating Artists in "A Constructed World."
J. Andrews, J. Aslanidis, D. Bertoli, S. Bram, N. Christensen, R. Cosgrave, P. Cripps, D. de Clario, L. Eastman, A. Finlayson, E. Floyd, M. Fusinato, M. Gilligan, J. Gorman, N. Gray, M. Harper, R. Haskings, B. Hester, R. Ishak, J. Lynch, T. Mackenzie, A. McLuckie, A. McQualter, D. Martorell, A-M. May, V. Meertens, V. Miller, C. Morton, E. Newman, R. Nolan, R. Owen, D. Palliser, R. Piggot, K. Poliness, B. Spier, M. Takasaka, K. Temin, R. Vinnecombe, K. Wiebke, P. Yore, and J. Young.
Artist and Title (Date): Byran Spier, Untitled (2012).
George Egerton-Warburton
George Egerton-Warburton's works operate in the realm of chance and unpredictability. Working across video, sculpture, painting, events, performance and installation, Egerton-Warburton often sets up the conditions for an uncontrollable reaction to take place. He has exhibited widely in Australia and New Zealand in recent years, and was a studio resident at Gertrude Contemporary, Melbourne.
In Egerton-Warburton's single-take film, 'Why are you wearing athletic gear if you're not playing any sport today?' (Melbourne: Run Artist Run, 2013), viewers are escorted past landmarks of Melbourne's artist-run community. Glimpses of the protangist's shoes in the footage reflect contemporary trends in Melbourne's artistic community which conflate urban fashion, criminality, yoga culture and post-London riot footware to articulate radical chic. The film concludes with the camera being placed on a tripod in the space where it is later installed. Completing a cycle from three-dimensional space and back again, the resulting work is an examination of the awkward moral balance in nature and the expanded notion of video as well as structuralist filmmaking technique.
Artist and Title (Date): George Egerton-Warburton, Streaming Ties (2013).
Reference:
[1] T. Ellwood, Director, National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne, Australia).
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