In Silhouette: Hand/Eye Magazine and Clunes Booktown

Tall Tales, 2013 unique concertina books, 80 x 15 cm (open). Installation view, Maroondah Art Gallery, November 2013
 Photograph by Tim Gresham.

Scott Rothstein, who profiled my work last year on his excellent blog Art Found Out, has just published a short piece about my silhouette imagery for the online arts journal Hand/Eye. His article focuses particularly on the one-of-a-kind artist books, including the series Tall Tales. Scott's article, In Silhouette - Deborah Klein's diverse and eclectic paper art, can be read HERE.

The publication of the article is timely, as I have been invited to exhibit a selection of these and other book art in Biblio, the artist book section of this year's Clunes Booktown on the weekend of 3-4 May.

Over the past few weeks I've been doing a great deal of advance preparation, because on Friday my partner Shane Jones and I will be winging our way to London for a month. We are scheduled to return just three days before Booktown begins.

I've made four new zines for Booktown, using iPad apps as a basis for the layout and design. These are three of the four:

The Shadow Women, The Shadow Women 2 and Shadowomen 3, 2014, zines, laser printed, 10.5 x 7.5 cm (closed). 
Edition: 100. Photograph: DK

For more detailed information about Clunes Booktown and the new zines, visit Moth Woman Press HERE. 

A Short Time to see Tall Tales

Join me on the last day of TALL TALES at Hand Held Gallery, next Saturday, July 6, between 2.30 - 5pm
CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

As Tall Tales enters its final week, we are experiencing very mixed feelings: thrilled that the show has had such a fantastic response, but equally saddened that this will be Hand Held Gallery's very last exhibition.

Although I've been regularly popping into the gallery, Megan tells me that a lot of visitors to the show have been disappointed not to see me there. I'm very sorry to have missed you. To try and make up for it, I'll be in the gallery on the final day, Saturday, July 6, between 2.30 and 5 pm. Your invitation (not that you need one!) is above. If you are free, we'd love you to join us.

For those countless others who are sad to be losing this unique gallery, find about about Megan's post-Hand Held plans HERE. 

Turbulent Times

Weather Girl, 2013, acrylic on canvas, 9 x 7 cm
Photographer: Tim Gresham

Megan Herring of Hand Held Gallery told me that on the opening night of Tall Tales many people were taken with this miniature silhouette, apparently amused by the way it paralleled the veritable tempest that was raging outside at the time. (As the cliché beloved of hoary old melodramas goes, it was a dark and stormy night).

On Wednesday afternoon Tim Gresham took some installation views of the exhibition. He also photographed this work, which had somehow slipped through the net when he documented the rest of the series prior to the show. Tim promised to email me the images later that afternoon. In fact, they were waiting for me when I got home. It was then that I first learned of the extraordinary political upheaval that was taking place. As we know all too well, it resulted in the disgraceful ousting of our Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Viewed in this context, the painting now seems to be about an entirely different kind of tempest. But this storm won't blow over so readily. And this time there is nothing to be amused about.

Tall Tales: Installation Views

Tall Tales is now very much up and running. We've already had an impressive number of visitors, including groups of secondary and university students. 

The artist book The Maiden Flight (below, third from left) has been acquired by the University of Melbourne's Baillieu Library, Tree House (below, sixth from right) was acquired by the State Library of Victoria and the State Library of Queensland has acquired Eve's Apple (pictured fourth from right).  

In addition, the State Library of Victoria and Baillieu Library have each acquired a copy of the limited edition mini-zine Card Sharps for their permanent collections.

For more about the exhibition, visit Moth Woman Press HERE.

 

 

Pictured from top:

Artist's books: installation view

Artist's books (detail)

Shadow Women miniature paintings. Photographer: Tim Gresham

Shadow Women (detail). Photographer: Tim Gresham

Tall Tales at Long Last

It was quite extraordinary watching Hand Held Gallery Director Megan Herring hang the Tall Tales exhibition. Never in my exhibiting history have I known an exhibition hang to come together so smoothly.

Now, after a marvellously buzzy and crowded opening night on Thursday, June 13, Tall Tales is up and running.

Pictured below are some snapshots of the installation in progress. For more detailed information about the exhibition visit Moth Woman Press HERE.

Miniature silhouettes: installation in progress. With Megan Herring.

A very happy DK pictured with Megan Herring directly after the installation of the miniature silhouettes. Photograph by Shane Jones.

Megan completing the installation of the Tall Tales artist's books

Final paintings for Tall Tales show

Pictured below are the last of the Shadow Women paintings destined for Tall Tales, my forthcoming exhibition at Hand Held Gallery.

From top:
Predator, 2013, acrylic on canvas, 9 x 7 cm; and
Homarsupial, 2013, acrylic on canvas, 9 x 7 cm
Photographs by Tim Gresham

Homarsupial was also the basis for a unique artist's book of the same name. To preview the book, visit Moth Woman Press HERE.

Two Tall Tales

Although I’m currently juggling several projects, my primary focus remains on Tall Tales, an ongoing suite of one-of-a-kind artist’s books. Here are the first two, The Maiden Flight and A Tall Tale. To learn more about the project, visit my books and zines blog Moth Woman Press HERE.

Pictured above: The Maiden Flight and A Tall Tale, each 2013, unique concertina books, ink and acrylic paint on Khadi paper, 80 x 15 cm (open). Photograph by Tim Gresham.