Looking to use an image of my artwork, in your next book, game, album, magazine cover, advertisement, film, prints and merchandise, then you’ll need to request a image license.
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International requests contact the artist directly info@outlook8studio.com
The first phase of Artaviso ‘s Door to Door project is now live! An evolving virtual exhibition that will culminate in a physical exhibition in November 2020 at No Vacancy Gallery in Melbourne.
Here’s the image of my entry showing the finished artwork followed by the page from Newnes’ Pictorial Knowledge 1950s Encyclopedia (edited by Enid Blyton) which, selected at random, formed the basis of the artwork.
Check out my a mixed media artwork, Iso Charging Machine here
Check out the virtual exhibition “Door to Door” exhibition here
For sales enquiries please contact Hayley at @novacancygallery info@no-vacancy.com.au
Iso Charging Machine. Jenny Davis Being ripped from our natural normal states, during unprecedented times, this machine collects our thoughts, ideas, emotions and turns them into ingots. A kind of sorting machine for making sense of thoughts and the human state. Using as a sorting machine we may then see the bigger picture.
Once filled, each ingot is ejected from the mould and left to simmer and collate. Upon settling, thoughts, ideas and emotions disperse into smaller sections. Once, we can identify and describe our own emotions, action, can then be taken, to sort, keep, or delete. Some gold, some less important.
Too hot to go to the studio today (43 C – 110 F) so I’m working in the house studio. Messing up the the large table, workbench, I just painted for Xmas dinner. It will now become stained and marked until, I paint it for the next event, or next lot of visitors.
Making collage with vintage and rust papers.
The process of tearing and pasting helps me to slow down and be in the moment. Something I need right now after the rush of appointments and Christmas.
I’m using lots of old paper and pages from antique French magazines disintegrated from age and torn from the long trip back in my luggage, from Paris.
So, I have been using them in my mixed media and collage projects.
On one trip to France I bought home a heap of middle eastern cake papers. I think they were $1 a pack. So I got a mix of colours. They are great for adding pattern and texture.
The inside of window envelopes have great patterns for collage. I often use envelopes to make little books and peepholes in the book pages.
A small selection of artworks available from my studio. To see the artworks below and more, please go to the Art section in the menu on the left.
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It’s a chilly weekend in Melbourne, hope you are all keeping warm xox
Exploring objects and textiles is keeping me away from painting in the studio at the moment, but that’s ok, because I’m not just a painter…..
Today, I have been working with time and nature but, now it’s too hot to do anything much, as the temp in the valley has reached 39 Celsius and getting hotter.
I get torn between contemporary and lush, extravagant. Old bones, textiles, rusted wires, watch faces, bits of stick with moss , vintage cosmetic bottles and handmade French influenced, embellishments are on my bench.
Memories and feelings keep flooding back from my times spent in France. Especially touched by Versailles palace and other places in Europe and England. Old history feeds my creativity.
Old rusted wire and found textiles are twisted and sewn with gold threads and remind me of couture and Versailles decadent history.
Formed into fragments that will probably be part of something else.
This one looks like a weird kind of bird.
I’ve also had the de-clutter bug lately so its feels liberating to use up stuff Ive been hoarding for ever.
Art and recycling goes hand-in-hand in the textile and mixed- media side of my arts practice.
My artworks are often
created from old, discarded clothing, vintage and antique textiles,
papers and found objects. I enjoy making use of stuff that has had a
life already; a life that is often purely functional and as far
removed from ‘art’ as you can imagine.
I’ve been recycling all my life to make art. As a child, I pulled apart, old clothing and nylon stockings “I used to collect fabric waste from mum’s sewing and knitting basket, making wall hangings out of that.” Nowadays, I cut up my own clothing and others, antique quilts, vintage linens, fancywork and men’s suits.
The process of searching and collecting materials, is also, a very important part of my art’s making. It may take weeks, months, even years, to find a piece that talks to me. Most of the time though, a fragment of fabric, clothing or object, will trigger off the idea. I collect and document many of the pieces I find, by labeling or remembering, its history of when & where it was found. This gives me another layer to work with.
The search for
materials has taken me to many weird and wonderful places over the
years.
The sometimes, dodgy, back streets of cities, in Barcelona, Italy and France. Markets and charity shops in Australia, France and England. Underground spaces, abandoned buildings, coast lines and vacant beaches. Friends, family and strangers, have also, donated materials to use in my work.
By transforming old,
recycled and reused materials, it enriches the stories I like to tell
in my contemporary art and gives a new life, to materials destined to
be wasted and thrown away.
3 New mixed- media collages on 300gsm watercolour paper (Unframed).
I like to create new visions, by recycling and dissecting vintage papers that I may, or not hand paint with acrylic paints and inks.
Process – On a background of strong 350gsm artist water- colour paper, I add layers of acrylic paints, fragments of vintage papers and random marks, using French ink pens.
New paintings available in my gallery. “Rustmatter” series. I want to capture the “beauty & hope” in decline, before its gone and continues my investigation into the disintegration and decay of the environment, of life and the human psyche.
Experiments with layers of rust, paint, iron shavings and salt. Finally, surfaces emerged, worn , weathered and sometimes ancient. I then sealed the paintings to keep stable and lock in the layers.
Each painting is a visual and textural descent into the abandoned, the derelict, the vacant and the forgotten. Curator & Arts Writer,Dr. Ewen Jarvis.
I grew up in a “make do and mend” family, where nothing much was thrown away and would be mended or, re-purposed into something else, therefore, many of my textile pieces are hand- made, created from antique & vintage sourced materials and may include, discarded, abandoned, found objects. I have been working with textiles all my life. My mother was a dressmaker and as a child, I would collect the fabric scraps and make wall hangings and soft sculpture.
“TurkRedghost” series
Sometimes the antique textiles I work with, seem to yell at me, but mostly, they lay silent, as I make my own marks alongside, others gone before. Ragged bits, old and new stitching, tracing marks left behind on old textiles are a reminder, of a time when women, had many obligations and few choices. I feel comfortable, as I stitch, tear, dye and reinforce the fragmented pieces. Somehow, I hope, in a small way, by reclaiming and reworking the textiles, I can give a voice to those women.
My next exhibition,”Spaces Below” is an installation of new & older paintings, linking to found, instantaneous marks, surfaces and fragments. Subconscious notes and messages, snatched from urban and rustic environments when passing through. Also includes, a series of framed images, shot in the city and outer suburbs of Paris, France.
(Please see details of “Spaces Below” exhibition in the sidebar)
I’m still amused and amazed, how one little idea can consume, inspire and provide enough fodder, leading to many forms of expression.
Abstract art strips away the narrative, the real and expected visual story. It requires us to resolve a problem. We want to impose a rational explanation – or see something in abstract art so we feel comfortable. It makes our brains work harder and in a different way – at a subconscious level.
Maybe that’s why some people find abstract art more intimidating and are quick to dismiss it.
If you are interested in learning more about abstract art and how to create abstract paintings, I am in the process of creating my first online course. “Pure Abstract Painting”
This is something I have been wanting to do for many years and will let you know when my course is ready for enrollment.
A few abstract paintings I’ve been working on today. I love the continual changes when working this way.
For the past decade or so, I have worked with an amazing group of women artists at the old schoolhouse in Badger Crk. Victoria. We meet up weekly to paint, throw around ideas, experiment and play with new, unusual, materials and techniques. This time is invaluable to me, as it, gives me a break from the usual, business side of making art and gets me out of the studio. We chat about our work, share ideas and discuss what’s happening in the world and our lives. Mostly, it’s just a whole lot of fun, mucking around with good friends who happen to love making art.
Lately at the schoolhouse I have been working on some mixed media pieces with paint paper, cloth and thread.
I use thread and needle to make marks through the artwork.
Each stitch leads onto the next, weaving over the painting.
Found papers intermingle with rotted and rusted cloth.
I like to use off- cuts of textile, paper and patterns and throw it against slabs of paint and marks.
In the above artwork I am enjoying the contrast of the piece of vintage cross stitch, I found in an op shop once.
The stitches wander around and find their own place in their own time. I’m not in control and use the thread, as another tool to make marks.
I don want to make embroidery’s and my mistakes can be my jewels.
All these artworks are in progress and not yet finished. Some may just be experiments for fun and to learn from.
As, mentioned in an earlier post , (Vintage Pulp Fiction Collages) here are some photos of my published article last year, in “Sew Somerset Summer 2016” magazine. (Now Sold Out) I have also included below, how you can to make your own mixed – media collage and drawings from damaged books. I get really addicted to making these little artworks and love reclaiming, tattered books, destined for the garbage, giving them a new life.
Supplies:
Supplies: Damaged vintage “Pulp Fiction” books, or any other book Acrylic gesso paint. Coloured pencils, pens, inks, crayons etc. (I wouldn’t use felt pens as they might seep through) Vintage fabric. (Damaged, stained, vintage tablecloths, tea towels, even old doilies) Glue stick Needle Threads (any colour)
Equipment Cutting mat Box knife or scalpel Scissors Sewing machine (Optional) Small cheap paint brush or, sponge brush A few rags for wiping paint or glue
Instructions Carefully cut or tear out a page from the book. This will be used for your artwork base.
To stabilize the delicate book page, paint each side with acrylic Gesso paint, leaving sections of text, and images showing.
Now for the fun part. Once the Gesso paint is dry, draw, paint, scribble and smudge, onto one side of the paper only. You can use paint, coloured pencils, ink, pens etc. Start gluing on bits of found text and images, cut from other pages in the book. It doesn’t have to make sense. It’s fun creating nonsense “gibber jabber”
Next, cut a piece of vintage cloth, about 1 inch – 2cm. larger, than the book page.
Leaving the edges of the cloth raw, hand or machine stitch the cloth to the page, on all 4 sides. Without being too precious, make random marks, by stitching and detouring across and through the piece, as you like.
Continue working on the collage with more stitching, marks and text, until satisfied.
Note: On the underside of the collage the stitching will have left some very interesting marks. Two artworks in one!
Displaying your artwork
The finished artwork could be displayed in a conventional frame, or in a double sided, glass or acrylic frame. As an installation, hang a piece of string from the ceiling and peg the artwork to the string. Both sides can be viewed when it swings around. Several collages could be used for journal pages, book making, or just as a piece of artwork to sit on a shelf in a special place.
Tips
Using damaged vintage books and vintage fabrics, adds to the character of the artwork and saves it from landfill.
Collect found papers, textile scraps and text to make collage.
Old books can be found cheaply, from second-hand shops, flea markets and library throw outs.
A sharp scalpel is very good for cutting close to the book spine.
Add a tiny amount of water to your Gesso paint to make it more translucent.
To give your page a more aged appearance, stain with a tea dye. Put any amount of tea bags in a sink, 1/4 filled with hot water. Plunge and leave until stained, then bake the page in a low oven for around 10 minutes.
I started this blog back in the early 2000’s as a sort of diary, to document my work and creative life and to give something back to others.
Going through some of my old posts recently, I was able to pin point, some pivotal moments in my life, of where my ideas and artworks originally came from, why my work and arts practice has changed and how, it’s evolved over the years, to where it is today.
After visits to Europe, UK and an arts residency in Spain, in 2005, I especially noticed some changes in the way I was working. Though I have always worked between disciplines, painting was always my main form of expression. I was becoming more dissatisfied with just painting and found it hard to do any creative work for awhile. Then, after a 3 month stay in France 2007, I realized I could no longer, only use paint, to express my ideas.
This led to a series of experimental installations, videos and a book of photographs. Touched by Dada and Surrealist ideas, I had to re-access what I was doing as an artist.
The installation and video below “Parisgrit” was shown at Tilt Gallery, in Melbourne in 2006. I can see quite a few interesting elements in it, but it’s way too long and very noisy. Maybe someday, I will get around to re-working it and revamping it into something else.
https://youtu.be/qUp3r-oEa-I
By looking back over my old blog posts or (diary entries) I find it helpful, to reflect on the areas, where I can make improvements and expand on previous ideas. I can also see where, my ideas have come from. I get a glimpse of how & why, my artwork, techniques and materials have changed over time and maybe where I could be heading in my arts practice.
In the media we are bombarded with images relating to the massive global refugee problem. Links to the landscape, tracing the inhuman, nomadic chaos of the exiled, wandering the earth at this time in history. Each painting has been created, using acrylic paints and oil pigment on stretched canvas. Varies sizes.
I found an old army blanket from my childhood and couldn’t resist it’s raggedy worn, loveliness and further rusted it. Leaving it in the elements outside for a few weeks.
It can take ages moving pieces around to get the right composition.
then sometimes it just happens straight away.
Adding more marks…
The good thing about using a stretched canvas as a base, I can stitch right into it.
The process of transformation. Time, change, erosion and decay are qualities I like to celebrate. I examine and explore, the properties and possibilities, of my material and want to push the boundaries of something to get a deeper understanding.
In my latest project, I’m working with textiles over a 100 years old. I want to work with the worn and deteriorated textiles and collaborate alongside those, who in the past, so carefully stitched, mended and created, the pieces for comfort and warmth.
Each piece was once, carefully hand -stitched and now, breaking down and worn. I have very selectivity pulled apart and unpicked areas, and kept some intact.
Some areas of fabric, are so badly worn it breaks in my hands, so I have to reinforce it. Most pieces though are just left in their original state.
I then, like to push the process further with, natural & rust dying methods, mark making, hand stitching and painting with caste iron, botanical paints.
Numerous times, I expose the materials to the elements to experience the changes.
Getting to the essence of my material helps me to translate and describe its being. I rarely know the outcome of my projects and just go with the flow.
Sometimes, when I’m stuck for ideas making artwork and it’s just not happening, I like to throw a heap of things together and arrange them near my work.
The items, may relate in colour, texture and type or be opposing which, I find much more exciting. Your brain will automatically try to come up with solutions. Expanding your ideas and creating new ones.
The flow on of ideas is sometimes amazing. It can lead to, resolving the artwork in front of you, as well as, give you ideas for a whole new body of work.
Juxtaposition and connections of items together seems to work for me.
I believe there is a creative force that is connected to everything we do.
When making my art, I rarely follow rules. Not knowing, techniques, materials and technology, doesn’t bother me and can be a blessing. It gives me more freedom to play around and discover things, that wouldn’t otherwise, be found.
A few images of recent experiments in Photoshop and other programs using my own artworks.
To construct my 3D objects, I have used various methods: eco rust and Japanese Shibori dyeing, molding, casting, curing, sanding, chiselling, engraving, embedding, propagating, tearing, burning, sealing and finishing. To create the pieces, I combine hard and soft materials: industrial concrete, found packaging, lichen, moss, seaweed, vintage glass, cloth fragments and rusted found objects.
