e x 13 .....

Thirteen Envelopes - which is the title of this collaborative project until we find its name.  At last I have begun to think about how to fill, create, rationalise this project.  Actually to be quite honest, I have just started into the work and have decided the rationalisation will have to come later.  I could not find a story line or thread to bind the ideas together so leapt in head first and started printing and embossing and will see where this leads.  Then I will think of the story line!  Certainly not the best way to work but I claim artistic licence to forge ahead blindly .....

The work seems a little like rehashing ideas that I have had already but I realised that in Fiona's and my collaborative work, these ideas have not yet been used.  Our play date was yesterday but we decided to work in our own studios as neither of us at that point had any idea what to bundle together to take to the other's studio.  We both felt we needed all our 'stuff' around us - to grab and inspire.

Yesterday afternoon we spent an hour together for show and tell, and in the actual showing to Fiona I realised that a story line in my work was starting to take shape.  Fiona has begun with a story and her work is coming along beautifully.  I decided not to take photographs of hers knowing that I would post only on her images and not include mine.  She can show hers off.

I must add, that it was a real shot in the arm just to get together and chat about the work.  How lucky are we to have this happy collaboration.  Sometimes when working always alone, I find it difficult to move onto the next thought.  Not quite true - I seem to have a thousand thoughts, but sometimes I just seem frozen.

some of the materials I am working with

the introduction of some etching marks

leather and paper embossing

more small etchings

beautiful small sheets of soft paper - delicious for embossing

gorgeous brown deckled paper bought years ago

this envelope story almost resolved

my favourite so far - you can't quite see my scratching marks on the transparent envelope

This project will be complete during the following week and Fiona and I will get the 'books' together.  There was a quote on an artist's blog, one who had been to see the exhibition in Brisbane a week ago, saying that my 'standing stories' pushed the boundaries of bookmaking.  I rather think that calling our collection of envelopes pushes those boundaries too but am reminded that a book, essentially, tells a story.  And as such in my mind, anything then that tells a story can be called a book.  When Fiona and I visited the 'Cover To Cover' exhibition a month ago, the curator had written 

                                              BOOKS ARE ANYTHING THAT CAN BE IMAGINED.