While I was sitting on my chair......

 An artist does a lot of pondering. There is a lot of sitting around on a chair thinking about how a piece relates to another fragment. I can really drive myself crazy. 

 The tree you see below has been living in an artwork for almost a year now and well I just didn't like it anymore. So I moved the tree to this scene and I recently moved it to another scene where it is now juxtaposed with another print.









Little Abstracts - New Editions available on my shop!


'Little paper egg' - a limited edition of ten miniature prints with an archival glassline pocket. The Glassline pockets are great to store photographs or treasured paper keepsakes in. 


 'Little bird la luna' is part of our new 'Little - Abstracts' body of work. Each piece is a short description of the natural environment. 


'Little paper egg' is a humble celebration of new beginnings, new life and hope. 


 The bird represents our spirit or soul resting in peace on a branch under a full moon before it will fly into the unknown natural world. 

Some of the 'Little paper egg' prints were bush dyed then printed with the seed pod collograph using a Sepia ink. 

The various hand-coloured collograph prints signify the earth, the wider universe of micro and marco worlds, the circle as a soul or the cycle of the seasons and the seed the giver of new life. 


The seed is also a symbol of growth, new cycles and therefore new life blossoming in abundance even though new life can sometimes spring from chaos.


Packaging for the miniature prints: each print comes with an archival glassline pocket, is wrapped with hemp string and machine stitched into a cello bag.


 All work is signed by me, dated, with title and edition number on the back.

Collecting, doilies, mulberries & lace for the Crochet Bird Limited Edition

There is something rather special about the veil or veils we all hide behind. Sometimes there are many layers that need to be unraveled before we can begin to see the world for what it really is and more importantly, see ourselves for what we are.

Therefore under the veil or multitude of veils we can find our true essence. The pre-loved doilies represent the sacred geometry of a feminine kind, one that has been passed down for generations. These doilies are like universal stories told by our ancestors within the weaving of a fine cotton thread. 

The bird represents our spirit or soul resting in peace on a branch before it takes flight into the unknown natural world. The various hand-coloured intaglio prints signify the earth, the wider universe and the seed the giver of new life. 


 Crochet Bird 3/20, 2012, Collograph, mulberry dyed paper and pre-loved doily and paper cut,  Katie Alleva for Little Paper Tree


Detail: Doily shadows


Doilies on the clothesline

  
Detail: light shinning through the doilies, the veils, sacred geometry passed down from our female ancestors.

Detail: mulberries, collected off the massive tree in the back paddock


Detail: dying doilies with a natural mulberry dye

 Detail: Mulberry dyed Hahnemuhle 300 gram paper


Detail: french lace

  
Drying the natural mulberry dyed doilies...


Detail: Tie dye doily


'Crochet Bird' Limited Edition of 20 birds - coming soon - November 1st 2012 

The birds have flown in!


The mind wanders around and within many thoughts and therefore ideas spring into the foreground. I find most advances in my practice come about from spontaneous play and the unexpected. 


I love the freedom and uncorrupted visual aesthetic of this painting and drawing by my 16 month old. It's so precious.


A little bird waits and watches as the artworks emerge. Which one will I land in?


With the advent of Spring, my senses become greedy thinking of long hot summer nights, searing heat in the day, a yellow sun and a shady tree to seek solace under.


The winter bird waits for Spring to arrive.


The cold mysticism of winter slowly dissipates as days become longer and  flowers bud on trees.

  
The first day of Spring and the tree is in full bloom!


The birds fly around and sing their songs - it's a peaceful afternoon of drawing and water colour painting.  The red breasted bird flew in today. She traveled all the way from Melbourne, on a card for my son's first birthday. Quit fitting that she flew onto this piece which is a collaboration between my son and I.


A special work calls for special materials. The last few drop of rose petal ink were used on the red breast. I bought this wonderfully scented ink from a Medieval looking shop near the Golden Gates of Ghiberti at the Duomo, Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (English: Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower) Florence in 1998. 


'Birda' based on one of Oliver's first words. Mixed media on Fabriano 600 gram paper.

the accidental day


Trees of knowledge.

'A room without books is like a body without soul.'  Cicero

Little Paper Tree prints on canvas absorbing the knowledge from the books as they are being pressed. 







A segue.

 
Something to do while I watch my son play. Cut and rip fabric strips.

Ripped fabric mobile I made today for my son.

 Little sterling silver skiing man.

 An old key chain with beads and bell.

 An old bracelet I made using a guitar sting and sterling silver beads.

 An old Tibetan Buddhist charm I bought in Bangalow.

 A jade pendant from NZ.


Stacks on.


'Stacks on' is a sneak peak of new work emerging from layered moments of chaos and peace. The discovery of 'stacking' these small 'blocks' has lead to these quirky wall arrangements. Perhaps there is potential in exhibiting my new work in this way? Also as free-standing 'blocks' along side objects. The works themselves forming a 'still-life.'

Thematically my focus is 'bird, nest, tree, sun, planet, stars, space, garden, nature, earth and moon'. These elements signify 'soul' or an aspect of the spiritual or connectedness to life in identifying the relationship humans have with existence and particularly with nature. 

Each piece imbues a sense of stillness as if capturing a calm but fleeting and potentially entropic moment. There is a quality of solitude in the 'singular' canvas but as they are combined or stacked together they form a solidarity or metaphysical pluralism.




tourquoise, tumeric, beetroot and trees


Playgroup in the morning. Baby fast asleep. Fire coals sit out on a ledge in the sun ready for tomorrow.

Proofing, experimenting and trying to find the best way to print this plate.


Finally a small success after 8 prints!  - the black silhouette of the tree on a lighter background. I have always been a fan of roughly wiped back plates or leaving ghosted wisps of ink. I love the black velvet like embossed tree. I can't wait to complete a little printed edition of this tree.


I found it tricky to get a nice even black tone in the indentation part of the tree, but quite like the yellow 'turmeric' dyed paper.

 

Hand colouring prints with ink is one of my favourite things to do. It's not dissimilar to meditation. It's just me and a whole lot of turquoise and space to fill. Love it.

Album artwork - WHERE THE OWL WAS


This is Little paper Tree's first commission to create artwork for an album. 

I was very excited to be asked to create artwork for Shelly Hughes' newly released album, 'Where the Owl Was'. Shelly asked me in mid 2011 when my baby was around 4 - 5 months old. I was quite busy being a full-time mum at that stage but took on the challenge of creating artwork using the theme left by Shelly - 'twig bird'. I had just dreamed up Little Paper Tree during all those long twilight hours of breastfeeding so having this goal ignited my creativity and sparked a new series of artwork.



I received 'Where the Owl Was' in the mail today! How exciting it was to rip open the envelope and see the beautifully printed CD and album booklet. 


You can get a hold of one of these fine albums from Vitamin records.