I should be washing and ironing, preparing for my trip to Sydney tomorrow morning but I have just come home from Fiona's where me met briefly to hand over the papers we had prepared for the other to turn into our next collaborative book. I have been completely distracted from the 'must do's' (not sure about the punctuation there!) and absorbed by thinking about our next project. A gorgeous distraction indeed.
This is the stash I brought home. Some very subtle almost marbled papers in soft grey inks. Beautiful patterns emerging on these papers. A large sheet of Arches and a slightly smaller sheet of transparent paper over which Fiona has written - in some instances very loosely with thick graphite sticks and then also in her fine script. And there's more ........... some metallic ink, thread and a couple of metallic pens should I choose to work with these as well.
Once again there are few rules. We have swapped papers, given each other a starting point for the next books. We can choose the structure and the content of the books - we need not use all the paper we have been given. My first thought is that I want to work with everything Fiona has given me as that is part of the challenge, and the fun.
Driving home, I remembered the metal book covers I have been holding onto for a number of years and was able to lay my hands on them in the studio which in itself is a miracle. Using one of these may work well I think. I also have joss paper lying around and love the silver in that too ..... it may find a place in the book. I also found some gorgeous thread which works in very well with this bundle and it too may find its way into the book.
This time we have given our pages to each other a couple of weeks before we spend the day together working into the pages. I am glad as it means we have a chance to give more thought to various options in both structure and content.
Fiona has given me words to play with. Of course. They are beautiful. She has chosen words that reflect our working together - gifts, wonder, kindred spirit. Whether I choose to work with those words or leave them as a visual subtlety I have no idea yet. Plenty of time to wonder about that ......
Our next day working together, this time in my studio in Montville, will be on the 6th July and I am sure we will both be posting all the details of the day. I can't wait!
What a glorious stash you returned home with! No wonder you'd rather be pondering the possibilities it holds than doing laundry and packing for a trip. I would too!
ReplyDeleteYour metal book covers are delicious and will play well with the papers, threads, etc., but you know that already. I can't wait until July 6 to see what transpires during your day together.
Now...back to salivating over your stash...
Thanks Jennifer. I love that you are as excited as I am. Almost! It will be another fabulous day for sure. I am up early now, going to pack and leave for airport soon. Didn't think about ironing etc at all last night :-)
ReplyDeleteHave a great trip!
Deletelaundry can always be done later.. at night perhaps when you are not in your studio.. that is when I do laundry.. you have such a wonderful stash from Fiona I do not blame you for wanting to get right to work.
ReplyDeleteI love that you got distracted straight away - so did I! Your photos make the pages look more beautiful than they are already - I just want to reach out and touch them, even tho I made them. Laugh! Some truly beautiful still life shots. and those metal covers - to die for.
ReplyDeleteS-you and F are really having fun - it is so good to see what comes out of each stage of this collaboration. Go well. B
ReplyDeleteWhat fun to be working together like this - and quite a challenge - so look forward to seeing the results - happy pondering
ReplyDeleteOoo yum! Great to see what you are doing. The metal covers go so well with Fiona's pages. Can't wait to see the end result .... as well as any sneak peeks along the way.
ReplyDeleteYou were right Donna - left the laundry, grabbed some clothes and threw them in a bag in haste in the morning as I was flying off to Sydney. Studio time is way more important - especially when provided with a bunch of material from which you are going to make something ..... all sorts of ideas floating around. Want to start now, but will be making that start with Fiona on our work day.
ReplyDeleteThanks Fiona - I can see us both going to and fro our bundles - not only the real ones but the photos on our blogs as that seems to give an added dimension to the materials we have given each other. Thrilled to have remembered the metal covers and am already thinking of how I can introduce more metal into my work. I love the directions this collaborative work leads us into ....... often new corners, but even more often, corners we have passed through and are revisiting.
Thanks Barry. You have the benefit of not only reading about the fun the two of us have, but seeing us, and seeing it in our faces.
Hello Rosie. Yes we are so lucky to have found in each other someone with whom we can work jointly. We both love and respect each other's work and this is a good starting point. We are also very much on the same page, yet we approach things quite differently.
Hello Robyn - yes, I too love the metal covers. Am now thinking of how to make the covers integral to the work and not just a delicious add on. Have not worked with metal before other than with my etching and I am already thinking of other ways in which to use it as an on going thing in my books.