Paper Ponderings
FIONA DEMPSTER - MAKER WITH WORDS
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Thursday Thoughts...
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Working cubes out...
For one of my remaining pieces for the Scottish exhibition I am trying to work out how to create artwork on fabric and cover two cement cubes. I know right?
This was the play that made me think about it and how they might be positioned if I ever make them, but first things first...
Before working too hard on the printing/creating imagery and artwork on calico explorations, I thought I'd better see whether I could even wrap a cube so to speak.
I found a video tutorial about creating a cube that you could stuff with foam and make into a squeeze and fiddle type object and followed along with that.
Unfortunately I took no photos of the preparation phase, just the almost complete object. However there were 6 squares of calico, stitching four of them into single row and then adding one either of the second square in the row - making a 't'. Then some clever joining seams and voila as they say in the classics.
I am now about to go discover if there are real patterns for sewing an ottoman cover which also needs the full cube popped into it; and of course, am now wondering if in fact I should hand sew all the seams! Laugh.
First up I have to make sure I know what sort of story I am trying to tell with these cubes and what sort of imagery and details they will each have. Then I need to work out of in fact I can achieve that. Do I work on each cube square separately before joining? Or do I wait until I have the 't' and design the work onto that? As ever a myriad of questions wait to be answered, but the only way to find out is to give it a go, so here we go!
Sunday, March 24, 2024
Exhibition Activity
For my exhibition later in the year in Scotland, I will be undertaking a weekly activity within the gallery space.
Because the exhibition explores ideas around home I have prepared four questions.
I am printing each question on a postcard sized page, and will have them in the gallery space for people to fill in, answer and complete.
I will then collect them all and stitch them into a book at the end of each week; then deliver the second week's questions, then the third and then the fourth. At the end of each week I will pop the now-stitched book back in the gallery space for visitors to flick through as they ponder the next week's question. By the end of the show there will be four hand-stitched books that have gathered people's thoughts about home.
So I have covered the covers - each week will be a different but complementary colour.
I have managed to set the second question and cut an extra 40 pages, so I will good to go whenever I next get to the studio.
Thursday, March 21, 2024
Thursday Thoughts...
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Visiting my work at All Stitched Up in Gympie
We finally managed to head north to Gympie to see this show, where I had three pieces display. As anticipated it was beautifully presented and curated, and in fact, when I walked in and saw my work on display it took my breath away a bit.
It looked so serene within the space.
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Completing the pegs
And here we are, with the work completed.
I had done so much to get this work this far, but there were still plenty of moments that needed to be worked through in order to get it done. I had managed to do the stitching lines, and to attach the pegs with wire. But now the challenge was to attach the paper to the canvas.
As Barry had looked at my design earlier, he had said - maybe the Xs could be how you attach the paper to the canvas. And I was so excited as it sure beat trying to line up the pegs and poke holes in the canvas and tie the wire through the canvas!
First up I wanted to secure the paper to the canvas so it didn't slip and slide - I had cut it to fit perfectly so there was not a lot of margin for error. Bull dog clips and some grey board to protect the paper did the job. It felt really secure.
And so it is done, This labour of love and pondering over years. It will head to Scotland to be shown in my exhibition "Hame" in September. It explores how I feel about having two homes, both beautiful, and how somehow, across the many miles, they connect and are one in my heart. Beautiful threads from here, and from there, connect.
I am still deciding on a title, but it is somehow about threads connecting...
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Thursday Thoughts...
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Grief is a Stone in sandstone
I have had two of my Grief is a Stone metal calligraphy pieces cut into Corten steel, which should weather and rust.
My plan is for them to be outdoor sculptures that might sit in a garden, tucked away and folk might come upon them quietly.
So I have popped them outside to get the rusting action happening a bit more quickly - we have had a fair bit of rain! I got one of each style cut.
Sunday, March 10, 2024
Attaching pegs and other bits
The moment of truth arrived and I had to attach the pegs to the paper. I had fiddled with some different wires, and found that some of them cut and sliced my finger tips quite a bit and the risk of blood on the work was too great.
In then end I went with some wire with a beautiful history. I received from a friend in the village where we live, some fine wire used in her husband's musical instrument making business. He had died last year, and it is just so lovely to be able to include little bit of him in this piece.
It didn't cut my fingertips, but they were very tender for a day or two afterwards.
Each peg needed six holes pierced and three lengths of wire cut. I worked out the best way to attach the pegs was to place them, then pierce the holes. Remove the peg, pop the two leg wires in, then slip the legs of the peg through, hold it tight in place and turn the paper over. Then tighten and twist the wire.
What it looks like underneath.
I need to attach the paper to the canvas and the long lengths of excess wire made a snug fit impossible, so I snipped them all back to about 1cm in length.
And created a lovely shimmery pile of off cuts.
All in all, the attachment went pretty well, with just a few minor adjusmtents needed here and there.
It was very focussed and intense work so I had a bit of a break and went playing with what if?
I had blind embossed these pebble forms and I was wondering if stitching might add to them, make them more interesting?