I have heard artist-in -residencies described as a temporary paradise for artists. A space to work in, some time away from the other distractions of life to focus solely on creativity. In my case I hit the ground running, having completed the writing for my masters by research degree in Visual Art, the final step is an exhibition that relates to that writing.

I am participating in the residency at Spectrum Project Space at Edith Cowan University (where I am doing my Masters Degree). The obvious advantage of this is seeing how the artwork you have made relates to the space. These drawings I had completed before the residency, I had designed them to be transparent but I didn’t know exactly how they would look until I got the work up. I wanted to be able to see one work through the next.

And I was really happy with how they looked. I was then able to build the idea of the exhibition around these pieces. This is not going to be a conventional exhibition with 20 – 25 works all in the same media the same size. I never really liked that model. This exhibition is designed to surprise the viewer, with works of different media – etchings , linocuts, installation and artists books all working together to create a experience that feels a bit like Wonderland.

Each of the lables on these bottles are made from etchings, this necessitates writing them back to front on the copper plate, etching with Ferric Chloride and then printing.

As a way to make an image Etching is labour intensive and antiquated and I love it! For me there was no other choice for the bottle lables. I wrote drink me in different fonts because I am interested in the way the font effects the viewers reading. Some fonts suggest others demand.

My next task is going to be a large charcoal drawing on the wall. Please come to the exhibition or the opening on Thursday 11th February 2021 5 pm – 7 pm, Spectrum Project Space, Edith Cowan University. The exhibition continues till February 25th Gallery hours are Tuesday – Friday 10 am – 4 pm. The exhibition is titled Down the Rabbit Hole and is part of the Perth Fringe.