a great match

Another little zine to share while the work on larger work is developing (also called procrastination). I will let you know if the "serious" works make the short list.

This zine uses images and collage of scraps of paper from an old exercise book of my mother's school days which I was using for another book that didn't make it. The writing was in pomegranate ink I made from a recipe online. It has a walnut colour which looks ancient and works well on the old paper. 

 As usual, if you are interested I can send you a jpg to print or post you a real copy by mail if you send your details.

Found text allows you to frame your imagination and make your own stories.

new zine

If you enjoy very small books that tease your mind this may be of interest to you. This little 8 page zine of found images and text has been put together so that each page is a separate narrative for you to unravel. There are no correct answers or solutions and you are encouraged to use your imagination. Maybe even make your own and bounce it back to me on line. 
If you would like a copy leave a comment and an email (above right) and I can send you the whole book to print on an A4 sheet and assemble yourself. Too easy!

Artists' Book Fair

a couple of pages inside the zine

The Siganto sponsored week-end run by the SLQ was a great success. I can't believe I forgot my camera and don't have any photos to post. There was plenty to photograph but sorry I can't show you a thing so I've put in a shot of the inside of the zine I made specially for the day. Have a close look at the stamps I managed to find to help me make a point. (You may have to click and enlarge the image to see properly). Luckily Doug Spowat, who would never be without his camera, has covered both the seminar and Fair in detail.

On the Saturday, the seminar was very inspiring and I'm so glad I went along. Initially, I thought it might be a bit academic and formal but was pleasantly surprised. The State Library of Qld and Siganto Foundation need to be congratulated for running a great week-end.

On the Sunday, the Artists' Book Fair was also very enjoyable and quite productive for us. Helen Malone and I shared a table and met lots of very interesting and committed artist's book enthusiasts and collectors. 

However, there was not a lot of passing traffic and our clientelle were mainly people who had also attended the seminar the day before. Although the number of artists who had tables was quite small, and there was only one zinester, the quality of most of the work was very high. There really were not a lot of books for people to purchase, particularly at the less expensive end of the range. Still, I think that with more promotion, this event could become a regular annual event so that Brisbane can offer more in this area like some of our other capital cities. I am so glad we have a State Library and the Siganto Foundation that supports and promotes this area of the Arts.

"NOT A FAIR GO"

"Not a Fair Go"  - Zine

Next week-end should be a very interesting one for book artists in Brisbane. "The Siganto Artists' Book Seminar 2015" at the State Library of Queensland on the Saturday 20th June and an Artist Book Fair on the Sunday 21st June are being held. I will be there with some of the little books I've blogged about in the past and will also bring along some of my zines. 

I had made this little zine "Not a fair go" specially for the day not knowing that our infamous "sovereign border policies" would again be foremost in our news. Helen Malone, my collaborative partner and I are currently working on a book around the same topic which we hoped we would have ready for the fair but that wasn't possible this time. Looks like I might have to revisit this topic again , it makes me so ashamed to be an Australian.

Helen Malone  will also be there on the week-end  and we will have some of our joint books there as well our own works. I'm sure it will be a very enjoyable day and look forward to catching up with lots of fellow artists.

an event

"an event" front cover

I don't know how many of you are interested in synchronicity but there are times when almost everything that happens to me is linked to so many other chance events it can't be just coincidence. Even if it is only coincidence, linking these disparate events and choosing to play with them in my exploration of ideas and images in my work is an exciting way to see the world. When you start looking, there are connections everywhere.

Recently, I attended one of the most exhilarating lectures I have been to for a long time. The talk was organised by the State Library of Qld. and involved two collaborating German book artists, Ulrike Stoltz and Uta Schneider (USUS). There were just so many uncanny different coincidences that flowed from this one lecture, it is amazing.The friend I was with, was also excited by these inspirational women and we discovered later, inspired to do some work that evening after the talk. We both had difficulty sleeping that night. I was busy on my train ride home working on the back of a GOMA information sheet and jotting ideas in my diary to work from when I got home. 

I did finish that evening's work as a little zine  "an event"which I made in a small edition of 10, today. I haven't put anything into my Etsy shop, Microbooks for a while so will put it on the shelf there.

We both worked on different ideas canvassed by the artists in our own way that night and later decided it might be a good idea to do some collaborations ourselves. We have started working on a few projects together, it's a bit early to give you any details but the work does play with ideas of chance and synchronicity. 

The zine is done on the "Rules of Play" published as an information sheet at GOMA for a yellow painted score painting on paper, which a dancer Brooke Stamp, interpreted for her dance performance.
The score had a design, scientific, objective feeling and involved collage. 
"At the time I was interested in some pseudo-psychological personality tests, and took on the role of an amateur and half-baked Jungian. I believed that each shape I painted, each image I collaged, had a meaning to both the interpreter of the score and myself. Nothing was random:everything arrived in my hand via a series of synchronous events moving forward and backwards in time."

My collage and images in the zine mean to continue this feeling.

back cover

witch hat?

Finally I've managed to get back to finish a little projectsI started a while ago after a short trip to Japan. 
I had posted many of the different "hat" photos which I found interesting but have now got back to them to edit some and make them into a small zine to share with others. I have been interested in watching witches hats in different situations here for quite a while and  they often appear in my mixed media drawings. 

"nagano set" from visual diary 2013

"earthquake and tsunami" from V. Diary 2013

Although we see these useful control apparatus all over the world , usually associated with road works or construction, they seemed much more popular in Japan especially used in more domestic situations. They come in many more colours and are easily available at hardware stores. 
"Witch Hat? shows some of these hats in different locations for you to ponder over but also refers to the well known problem solver and parallel thinker Dr Edward De Bono and one of his famous role playing games of wearing different hats.

I hope these images trigger some imaginative narratives you may like to share. The cover image I think was the most remarkable, almost surreal, particularly in the uncropped version.



You may also wish to revisit:

more obedient

page 2

page 8

There are still a few more free copies left if you are interested in taking part in * Pay It Forward Art-making Project for 2014 * . Please see the last post for details. I've had a few questions regarding the content of this little zine so I hope this sketch will give you a rough idea. The work is quite open - ended and can be "read" in other ways.

"Obedience”  is a tiny zine, (70 x 100mm). 

A sweet fantasy about a mysterious couple who migrate from London to Sydney, Australia. They amuse themselves with music and drink and lose some clothing. A dark shadow of a man keeps score beneath a blue moon. 

This limited edition zine is laser printed on Clairefontaine 120gsm digital paper  numbered and signed by myself.

I look forward to sending you a copy but will need your mailing address which you can send me via my email jackoudyn@bigpond.com once I've replied to the comment box. 

birds of a feather

birds of a feather

Hello again, haven't posted for a while as I've been away travelling in the Red Centre and Top End. Magic parts of Australia I hadn't experienced before. Quite a bit to digest visually and I'm in the process of trying to make some work that takes me back there. But as usual, tend to get a bit side-tracked.


I'm still working on my BAO book and waxed a few more pages today. Shouldn't be too long before I start getting my addresses to post to. My group (group 1 )seems fairly quiet at the moment but that's probably because they too are all busy getting their books together.


Just sent off a few of my new zines "birds of a feather" and thought you might like to see one.  It's a little folded page of 8 collaged drawings rather that hint at how we sometimes take on the attributes of our favourite animals. 


Send me your postal address and I'll send you one, that will give them a small audience to make them feel as though somebody cares.