Dawn Whitehand: Visual Artist
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An Afternoon in the Studio
I spent this afternoon in the studio making some new work for the Pop-Up Shop Collective happening in Ballarat from the 29 November till 8th December at Backspace Gallery, Ballarat. I will, of course, be making more …
As well as new work I will also be selling my Japanese inspired tapas sets and ceramic jewellery, as well as taking customised orders, and letting everyone know about my ClayMotion classes and workshops (which includes gift certificates).
So mark it in your diaries and happy Christmas shopping 🙂
My Book is Now Available for Pre Ordering
I have just found out my long awaited book Pit Firing Ceramics: Modern Methods, Ancient Traditions is available for pre order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble & the Book Depository.
It is due to be released in America on 28th November 2013 with other countries to follow.
But if you can’t wait, of course, order it online!
Am pretty excited – I have only seen a virtual copy of it for layout editing and the like, so it will be great to hold a hard copy in real life after such a long period of writing and proof reading.
I first submitted my proposal to Schiffer Publishing when I finished my PhD in 2009 – so it has been four years in the making.
I will keep you posted on hard copy release dates as they come to hand 🙂
Pinterest?
Are you a Pinterest pinner? Iam!
I think I began pinning about a year ago, or maybe a little more, and began pretty obsessively – as is my want, or does that just happen to everyone when a ‘new’ social media app is introduced!?
These days (coz I am so mature now) I try to pin on a more balanced regular basis- which is good for my sanity and my physical health. (I won’t introduce trying to keep up with my WordPress reader here – LOL)
Anyways…this afternoon I decided to ‘look’ at the collections on some of my boards – and I must say I was (surprisingly) impressed!
As some regular readers may know I love abstract art, this being the main genre I use to illustrate the poems on my ‘other’ blog. And on visiting my Abstract Art board on Pinterest I loved it! It was surprising because, as users of this social platform will know, you tend to to pin randomly and in isolation, so in hindsight I wondered about cohesion – but upon looking at the collection I was really loving all the work I pinned.
Another board I am loving is my Functional Ceramics Board. Again posted in isolation, they form a quirky cohesive body of contemporary innovative ceramic work. Pins range from Barry Stedman‘s use of the ceramic surface for abstract expression through to organic porcelain lightshades.
My next favourite is my Landscape board – though not portraying traditional landscapes- they all have an abstract element to them and there are even a couple of ceramic pieces thrown in!
I also have a Portraits board, which is, as you may have guessed, is not filled with ‘traditional ‘ portraiture!
So, I could keep going on forever about my 68 boards of ‘arty’ fun! But you would become bored with reading that much info… so you should just go look at all the pretty pictures I have collected!!
Weekly Photo Challenge: From Lines to Patterns
Usually when a creative prompt is given to me about ‘pattern’ I think of the the natural environment or the organic surfaces of my ceramics and how those two concepts blend together, but throw in the word ‘line’ and it adds a whole new dimension.
So, this weeks WordPress photo challenge immediately drew my mind to the urban environment which is quite often a combination of lines, patterns and textures – especially old and crumbling built landscapes.
I’d love to comb through my current and immediate environment for some inspiration, but am a bit flat chat at the moment, so after shuffling through some images I already have I decided to post some shots of gorgeous lines and patterns I collected while in Italy earlier this year.
I hope you think they are gorgeous too 🙂
Other entries in this weeks photo challenge can be seen here: http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/09/20/lines-patterns/
Weekly Photo Challenge: An Unusual POV
My POV involves looking ‘down’ a tree instead of ‘up’ a tree!
The image was taken along the shore line in Geelong – I am not sure what type of trees they are, but I love the textured bark on the trunks.
My other POV is of the same tree, but focusing in on one particular aspect of the papery bark.
This post is part of the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge and other posts can be viewed here:
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/09/06/unusual/
© Dawn Whitehand 2013
Weekly Photo Challenge: Sea
Hhmmmm… What do I visualise when I think “sea”?
Aahhh…the Mediterranean!!
The following images were taken while on a residency in France in 2010 and while exhibiting in Italy in 2012.
During the France residency I made artworks based on the natural environment – it was the first time I had been to Europe! The final image in the photo mosaic is a series of pieces I made based on some sea pebbles I found whilst walking along the shoreline.
Enjoy 🙂
This post is part of the Weekly Photo Challenge : Sea – more entries can be viewed here
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/08/30/weekly-photo-challenge-sea/
Evolving: Mixed Media on Canvas
This painting is being entered into the Art Is… Gallery in Geelong 12 x 12 canvas exhibition, which opens this Friday 6th September.
Entitled Evolving it is a mixed media piece built up with string, kitchen plastic wrap, onion bag netting and wood, finished with several layers of acrylic paint.
I am really happy with the built up tones in this painting and really enjoyed making this piece, so plan to make more art using this method.
Hand Drawn Gift Cards
Way back in April I posted about the blank gift cards I sell on Etsy to accompany my handmade sculpture, jewellery and functional tableware – or any other gifts purchased on Etsy or anywhere…
The cards are designed on commercial card stock and feature images of my artwork, images of ephemeral artworks or original hand drawn images – not pictures of them, the actual drawings.
Many of the drawings have been inspired by my other blog which features poetry and drawings.
The cards are blank so they are ideal to compliment any gift on any occasion for any gender – as well as being a unique gift within themselves, because they are unique works of art and are frameable.
While I have sold other items in my Etsy store I have not sold any cards…. so the question begs WHY?
Are they too expensive, especially compared to some other cards on Etsy?
I guess to answer this some facts need to be stated and questions need to be answered…
- the photography cards are all $9.50 and are limited editions
- the drawn cards are all 11.50 and are one off
- the photography based cards capture ephemeral artworks that no longer exist, and are in limited editions, and are hand signed
- the drawn cards are one off never to be repeated – being hand drawn they can’t be repeated, and so are unique works of art, and are hand signed
Are these prices too expensive? I don’t think so when considering the intellectual work/property that goes into them – we think nothing of paying this amount for a mass produced card in a newsagent.
Or are they just crappy images that no-one likes? well not according to the likes, shares and treasuries that have been made from them – or is this just due to the politics of Etsy? (like me and I will like you)
So, I am going to plunge in at the deep end and ask you to vote in a poll to let me know the future of my cards…
The following images are the cards that feature in my Etsy Shop. PS… Fathers Day is approaching…
Collage: Wax and Paper
Do you think I need new Pastels?
As followers of this blog will now it was my birthday a few months ago, and as well as receiving some charcoal pencils I also received a set of Derwent wax artbars from my partner. Most of the time when drawing I use pastels, and they were (and still are) looking pretty sorry for themselves, so to receive a new medium was a welcome challenge.
I found that I really enjoy the texture of the wax bars, they are so different to pastel. These bars are also water soluble, but I haven’t experimented with this quality much as yet. The texture of the wax, as I was playing with them, seemed to lend itself to creating collages – in my head anyway, so that is what I began creating.
I also have a second blog dedicated to poetry and accompanying interpretive drawings, so I began making collages to sit beside my poems, which you can view here. If you click on the collage category you will be able to view the poems that are linked to each drawing.
In the meantime, below are some of the collages created so far using my wax bars and paper – mainly containing text.
My next task is to explore the water soluble properties of the wax bars – so stay tuned 🙂
Open Studio Weekend
This weekend is the Australian Ceramics Association “Unearth Your Local Potter” open studio showcase weekend. Australia wide potters are opening their studios to the public from 10am till 4pm on Saturday and Sunday, so that you can observe them in their natural habitat! Some potters will also have their wares for sale, so you can buy something handmade and unique directly.
Finding a potter near you is as easy as visiting the Australian Ceramics Association’s website.
If you are in Victoria you can visit my studio also. I am not sure what I will be doing as yet – glazing, throwing or firing my kiln, or a combination. I do need to make some work for the Lorne Sculpture Biennale in March next year where I am participating in the Sculpturescape section. I am performing a pit firing on the beach, so need to make work to fire in the pit.
I will also have some tableware, sculpture and jewellery for sale.
So, maybe I will see on the weekend 🙂
This work by Dawn Whitehand is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.