Traditional Gesso

It bothers me when I ask people whether they are using tradtional gesso and they reply in the affirmative and then proceed to give me the name of the brand they are using. You cannot buy real traditional gesso only acrylic gesso. So I thought I would go through the steps for making good old fashioned real traditional gesso. Or at least the way I make it!!!

Above is a teaspoon of rabbitskin glue.

To this I add 13 teaspoons of water.

If you wish to make more just keep those ratios.

This must be left to soak for a minimum of 2 hours, when it will look nice and fluffy like this.

See, fluffy.

Then it needs to heated gently to disolve. I then add whiting (calcium carbonate) which is much cheaper bought from a pottery than an art supply. To this mix I add approx 2 1/2 heaped teaspoons. I know it seems to be an exhorbitant amount. Mix really well till it is all aborbed.

And it looks something like this. It needs to be used while it is warm. I usually turn the heat off but keep it in the hot water but do be aware that it will be thickening while it is cooling. I never make very much as while it can be reheated, it must be used within a couple of days as it will go off and boy does it stink.

And here are some painted pages awaiting being assembled into the next load of journals that will be off to Melbourne next month.

There is nothing nice, natural or environmentally friendly about this popular barnd.

Resin: Methylmethacrylate/butylacrylate copolymer dispersion polymer

High Praise indeed

Oh me oh my, for wonderful things all about me. Go see Fiona. Oh and totally check out her whole blog coz it's awesome.

Home Work

I do most of my stitching at home. Here are 3 book covers that I have been working on. The two at the bottom will be fro fabric wrapped journals and the stitching on those is finished. The top one is a cover for a larger paper journal which includes some of my prints. Normally on these I leave the spine exposed and have hard covers but this time for a change it will be covered and nice and soft.

We are settling in here in our first floor eerie with our view of Chickenfeed from our lounge room window. But it is a nice light bright apartment which is a necessity with the long winters we have down here. Thankfully not usually cold enough for snow though.

University starts up this week for Dan but I don't start till the week after. Yes I am going back to Uni. I will be doing a Masters Degree in Contemporary Art with a focus on Sustainability. Hopefully I will be able to spill info over to you.

Treasure from afar

Yesterday this arrived in the mail. Treasure indeed.

A little while ago I offered a trade to an artist whos work I have long admired from afar and it would appear that she quite liked my stuff as well. So an exchange was organised and I am well pleased with the result.

 

Don't you just love it when there are layers!!!

and here they are, a veritable tresure trove of lovlieness from the very wonderful lynne hoppe

You should so offer her a trade or just buy her lovely drawings. I am so glad I did. Now who else can I find....

A book has landed

If you pop over here there are some very nice words about, well, me. Or to be more precise one of my books. If I get permission I will let you know where more of my babies have gone. I am so looking forward to seeing what goes on inside!!!

Back Down South!!!!

It feels really weird to say that coz when we are in the West we live down south and here in Tassie it is the same thing, well when compared to Australia coz we aint in the south of Tasmania. Though i will be going more southerly on saturday when I will be doing The Barnmarket. Which is a really lovely market in Rosny Park accross the bridge from Hobart.

We are settling in here, coincidently we are back in the first flat we had when we moved over here. So it is a tad odd to be doing all the just got here stuff in a place that is so familiar. I spent about an hour in the studio yesterday boxing up the books that had been sold in my Etsy shop, which is now empty!!!!! Hopefully I will be able to get some more things ready next week.

Today I will be going in to the studio but mostly I will be organising what we need for the market tomorrow. Trying to locate where I stored tablecloths and bags and all the other assorted bits and pieces that go with a stall. And I will try to remember to take photos!!!!!

Fizzer

 The cyclone that I wrote about several days ago was not the monster currently savaging Queensland!!!! I am in the very south of the west coast of Australia about as far away as you can get from far North Queensland and still be in Oz. Our baby cyclone turned and crossed the coast way north of us we just got a bit of rain and some wind but no more than is usual down here. Above is a picture of our favourite beach a tiny little one which is only accessible by 4 wheel drive and then you have to walk down the rock face to get to it. But very worth it.

And this is saw wandering around on the rocks. I see a giant foot print but my partner says if you turn it on its side it is a almost perfect map of Australia and it even includes Tasmania which doesnt always happen.

But now onto business. My holiday is very nearly over, we leave our lovely home on saturday and make our way up to Perth we will visit the children and then Monday we jump on a plane and fly back to Tasmania. And on Saturday the 12th of Feb we will drive down to Hobart for the Barnmarket which should be a lot of fun. Then I am currently looking at flying up to Melbourne in March where I will hopefully get a place in the Heathen Bazaar at Beautiful Silks but that is yet to be confirmed. But you should so totally go anyway. There first market is Saturday Feb 12. It will be so great to have a textile focused market in Melbourne.