The Ramblings Of Linden Langdon

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Best Mad Sale Buy

Friday 30, December

I've spent hours trailing up and down the staircases, rummaging through bargain bins, flicking relentlessly through racks and yet "the bargain" was nothing to do with the frilly frocks or sparkly skirts - its a square. Yes, sad though it may be for many a shoppers moment when all havoc breaks out as the last 'can't live without it' little black dress floats breathlessly away on the fingers of someone a bit more astute than I, it was the flat steel square, 600mm x 400mm at a steal for just five dollars that captured my frenzy cash! Why a square? Well often its hard to get the paper to tear (this is in printmaking) with perfectly square edges, and we all know that dimensions are oh so important when sizing up the paper and printing the plate, so now with my very own square I will be able to rip away in confidence that my paper will be square! Is that sad? And now Steve can rest assured that this content shopper searches no more...(for the moment anyway).

Falls Festival

Thursday 29, December

My daughter headed off to the Falls Festival today, but it is a gradual creep to the site rather than a direct route. The traffic grinds to a virtual halt for an extensive bit of highway on the opening day, so they have an option for people to pay an extra $20 and arrive tonight and watch movies to take the pressure off the road. My daughter and friends are camping at a friends house close to the venue, then heading out in the wee hours of the morn to beat the bulk of the traffic tomorrow. The Falls Festival is a major event on the Tasmanain calendar these days, and seems to be running quite effectively with restricted numbers and adequate facilities. Great to know that the tradition of camping out and listening to music is still kicking along!

Print Exchange

Wednesday 28, December

I have been busy with a print exchange. Timed for the soltice, the exchange has 54 participants and the prints are still trickling in. Thats the fun part, opening up the letterbox each day and searching through the bills to find the windowless envelope with the treat inside! The exchange also has the benefit of being an exchange of information and ideas, a workshop of the prints we send out, and simply a friendly way to say hello to a wide range of people with a wide range of talents. The group operate the conversation about prinmaking through a yahoo group called SSNW which refers to the diverse spread of people north and south of the equator.

Anyway, this is my print which is titled "Living in Tasmania" and is a digital print with a lino overlay. The digital was originally a solar graph of some Tasmanian myrtle leaves, which is the only deciduous endemic tree in Tassie. The sun sensitve paper is used mostly in schools for kids, but I've always had a soft spot for it and especially when you play with the angle of the sun, depth of field of the item your exposing (eg have the leaves quite thick and don't press them with glass which gives varying degrees of exposure) and now using the computer to alter the colour as they are blue and white in the original form. Its about having fun with printmaking and experimenting with ideas!

Michael Schlitz

Wednesday 28, December

This one has to be my favourite Dockwork piece so far! The gentle little lamb (freeze dried perhaps?) perched up on the pier is just so poignant. You can't help but have mixed feelings of stress, care, wonder and lamb dinner when you first see it there as it is very close to being alive (if you know what I mean). I could almost hear it bleat a desperate bid to be rescued from its watery perch... Michael writes "Lamb ponders the early years of exploration in the southern ocean when shipwrecked sailors looked to seals as a food source, and they called seal 'lamb' as a reminder of home.". I should point out here that the lamb is looking towards a group of bronze sculptures depicting seals. Disturbingly cute Michael...

Derek Hart

Wednesday 28, December

Derek was in the process of setting up his Dockwork piece when I visited yesterday. "Fleet explores ideas of water bound groupings of vessles where the smooth white, reflective surfaces of ceramic sinks echo those of the white hulls of boats." writes Derek. This is quite an interesting analogy at this time of year when the Sydney to Hobart yacht race is at its peak and in the next few days the boats will be tieing up close to the installation. I can see a lot of yacht owners pondering the comparison of their rather expensive hulls to the bathroom snks - but it does have a resounding echo in appearance! Perhaps a recording of the yachties comments could be a side extension of the piece?

Anthony Johnson

Wednesday 28, December

Anthony was also busy setting up when I wandered by. His hands would appear now and then inside the van, tucking the fabrics down tightly and rolling them into place. It was kind of an interesting effect! Anyway, Anthony writes "Too much of a good thing" offers an absurd imitation of the density of people, activities and consumption we usually associate with summer holidays and festivals in Australia." Yes its true. the great Aussie dream of going camping so often ends up with a car so overloaded with goods fromt he house that every window is obscured and everyone inside cramped up with all those 'needed' items! It blows me away on a regular basis when I see one if these ladden vehicles cruising by - bouncing along the road as the springs struggle to carry the load. Surely the idea of having a break, is to - have a break? Leave the mountains of useful but un-essential 'stuff' at home and live a material free life for the briefest moment in our earthly time here...

Christmas Over

Wednesday 28, December

Its so sad to see Craig and Averill head back to Sydney, and back to work today! Thanks for giving the best gift of all - your time and company! We had a busy few days feasting catching up on life gossip and the time went all too fast. Hopefully the uni art campus will be open again and I can go back to work with renewed energy and warm and fuzzy thoughts of family.

Dockworks And Stuff

Monday 26, December

Dockworks is the work of five artists. They have five installation sites around the Hobart docks and they will be set up from the 28th of December till January 8th. Derek Harts, Alicia King, Elizabeth Day, Anthony Johnson and Michael Schiltz are the participants.

Here's a few links to gallery sites from the Salamanca area. There are plenty more galleries, but I couldn't find anymore links.

• Salamanca Arts Centre
• Art Mob Pty Ltd
• Carnegie Gallery
• Hammer and Hand
• Handmark Gallery

And here's an insteresting site for a browse. Aimed at offering printmakers internationally the opportunity to participate in exchanges and have their work on the net, Print Zero Studio has a broad range of artists prints to look through.

So This Is Christmas

Saturday 24, December

The lights at night are just stunning down at the wharf. The Cartela cruising into the dock, daughter Abi on board for her end of primary school leavers dinner, was just perfect on a calm night. The weather, of course, is a constant source of conversation at the best of times, but when visitors arrive from the warmer more stable parts of Australia the conversation heats up to a fever pitch. So with the rain pouring outside with breakouts of hail, the cake, pudding, biscuits, meats and all other odds cooked and waiting; the xmas tree flashing its lights in the lounge and presents wrapped and propped up under it; it must be time to kick back with a glass of... well you get the picture, enjoy the moment, it passes soon enough!

Why Do I Blog?

Friday 23, December

But why??? As the year comes closer to its inevitable end in the cycle of the calandar the questions of balancing the year to come on the evidence of the past surface and bubble. So of course the blog has to come into the limelight and be examined for its worth. It is, after all, a monster so far as time consumption and dedication go, a bit like a child who hasn't yet reached an age where they are displaying some signs independance and out of your hair at school for half the day, or a bugger of a pimple that just won't go away but keeps oozing at a persistent pace.

Justification dear blog - justification! (post?)

• Despite the fact that I do it entirely as a no pay - interest only task, it is my way of keeping in touch with the Tasmanian art community, and hopefully the internet will become more familiar to people in the art community through seeing the benefits of blogging.
• I love that it is also a way of being involved (in some weird communications way) with the international arts community.
• It keeps me in the white books rather than the black books so far as how I spend my free time (?).
• It is actually a fantastic reference resource for me - I often troll back through my pages to find links etc.
• People I know get to see bits of me they wouldn't normally (and maybe they don't want to either).
• I don't think its about ego - its not like anyone recognises me or acknowledges what I do - but it is about forming some sort of persona that is relevant.
• Did I say that it keeps me out of the gutter...
• Where else would I put all those happy snaps?
• Its also a great place to workshop my printmaking efforts - after all, if you can put it up on a wall or on the net and still be able to live with yourself then it must at least passable.
• And of course I get to play with the code a bit, which keeps my interest simmering and hopefully the skills maintaining if not developing.

OK blog, you can stay..

30 Years Ago Exhibition

Thursday 22, December

The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery have rummaged about and put togethr a wonderful exhibition of works from the 70's and 80's. Their pamphlet reads "The 1970's and 1980's is a ttime where old values and systems that had sustained the worlds were challenged and exploded. It was a tough and sometimes contentious period. However artists were still motivated about possibilities of creating the new. 30 years ago is an exhibition that explores the visual languages that were developed to make sense of a world in tumult". Its on until February 19th, whcih is great because I will have to go back to take in more of the works on show. George Baldessin's prints caught my eye yesterday, and having long been a fan of his prints it was a treat to see two live! I was also very inspried by Bea Maddock's "Terra Spiritus" which comfortably occupies one room on its own and impressively details the Tasmanian coastline - landscape in profile. So if your in the vicinity of the Museum, there are two great exhibitions to see in close proximity!

Also, sorry for the slack posting - telstra has been busy reconnecting cables again I think - no phone (internet) for a few days!

The Tower Of Babel

Thursday 22, December

Yesterday I went along to the Carnegie Gallery to check out this fabulous exhibition. It is a collabortion between four artists, producing works on or with paper and with the same inspiration. Milan Milojevic, Barbie Kjar, Jennifer Marshall and Jackie Parry have each delved into the writings of Jorges Luis Borges to inspire their interpretation. The results are as far from each other has could be, with techniques swinging from traditional dry point etching to digital. The scale of the works is also impressive, each artist commanding the space they have with a powerful presence, rather than a soft approach. I'm not wanting to give away too much about the work here, so if you can check out the exhibition which is on until Sunday the 22nd of January at the Carnegie Gallery which is located at 16 Argyle Street, Hobart.

Papier Mache

Monday 19, December

I couldn't believe the amazing critters the kids in my daughters class have made from papier mache! My attempts as a child resembled something slightly similar to a bike helmet after a severe accident turned upside down and pretending to be a bowl! I guess someone out there must have seen the potential and got to work on the methodology of glue and paper creating form...

Bundanon And The Boyds

Monday 19, December

The name Boyd has been synonymous with the Australian art scene for several generations. When I was last in Sydneny I had the opportunity to see a family collection on show which really accentuated the artistic lineage and huge variety of work the various members of the family have developed their skills in. The exhibition had works of painting, etching and pottery to name a few. Arthur Boyd died in 1999 as a well known and highly respected Australian artist. Before he died he gifted his two properties on the Shoalhaven River to the nation to be used for artists residencies and art education. His generous gift was borne out of Arthur Boyd's often stated belief that 'you can't own a landscape' and the deeply felt wish that others might draw inspiration from Bundanon as he did. The residencies are advertised for applications in the Weekend Australian in June, so its off to the shop today to finally buy the much needed calendar for 2006 so that I can clearly mark the weekends as being essential purchasing of the paper!

What Is A Print?

Friday 15, December

A printmaking list I am a member of has been actively discussing the rumbling debate about what a print really is. Its a big issue in modern times as we are so clever at reproductions. Thats the first layer, the problem of the terminolgy - a print is the name given for a reproduction as well as an original work of art. This is something that needs to be addressed by all artists and art sellers as the general public who are looking at the work can be excused for not knowing, just by looking, exactly what it is they are looking at! Labelling the work with its method, such as etching, seems to be the best way to deal with the confusion despite its cumbersome nature when there are a number of methods used for one print.

So, if a print is an art work that can be reproduced, what is the difference between the reproduction and the original? The original, despite being able to be reproduced, will nearly always have charactereistics which are unique to the single print. On the other hand, the reproduction is just a copy of one print which is then reproduced, digitally for example. So that then brings in the digital, and the question as to whether this is a print. Well again it seems to come down to all methods of creating an image on paper being called a print - one banner for so many techniques! So why is it important to distinguish the traditional techniques, such as etching, lithograph, screenprint, lino and woodblock cutting from the emerging art forms, such as digital print? Traditionalists will say that a true print will bear the mark of its maker, be tactile and perhaps reveal something about the artist, but do you get the same information from a digital print?

I don't think its a matter of taking sides, but I do think there is an important need to determine the future of printmaking as modern artisans comes up with all manner of creating images. In describing the print by its method of creation the viewer can be enlightened and the historical link to its cultural roots can be maintained. This is important. It doesn't deny the place of modern methods, which are after all chosen by the art buyers and appreciators, and also establishes a means of identifying the print form. And in the end, it is the word 'original' and the description of method that distinguishes the print from the mass production.

Print Exchange

Wednesday 14, December

I have been doing a bit of printing! Amazingly I managed to get 60 odd prints done for an exchange I am involved in (hence the small picture so that there is only a hint at what the print is in case anyone from the exchange happens to wander by this blog). I've been a bit brave and I'm experimenting with combining digital print with lino. The first thing I discovered is that good tools are probably the most basic thing you need to get a good cut. My cheapy $5 ones fell down in the fine line and sharp edge department, but overall they did the job! Mostly it was just so good to get back into the print studio and do a bit of work! It is so quiet there at the moment, with only the postgrad students, that you can just get into it without the stress of ducking and weaving. It was a good warm up for whats to come...

Images Of Tasmania

Wednesday 14, December

Each year a bunch of artists are invited to show their work in the Images of Tasmania exhibition. There is a number of printmakers amongst the group and judging by the name son the list it would be good show to pay a visit to. At the Long Gallery in Salamanca Arts Centre, the exhibition opens with a breakfast do on MOnday the 19th at 8am and continues until January 4th. Open daily from 10am to 6pm, the galllery is even going to be open on Xmas day and New Years Day! Personally I just enjoy the oppportunity to wander around the Long Gallery - love its big old floors and view out over Salamanca.

Chrysalis Publishing

Monday 12, December

This has to be my favourite site for printmaking at the moment. I think it will take quite a while to pour through each artists collection and really soak in what they up to. The aim of the studio is based on promoting the value of printmaking as an outstanding art. They write "It aims to give artists greater access to printmaking as part of their regular artistic output by providing the studio facility and the very best printers for the artist to work with.". It seems that having all the right equipment and studio space can be a challenge at any time during an artists life. Chrysalis Publishing currently have an exhibition of the years work which is online as well. The exhibition runs until December 24.

Oh and I harassed the receptionist at the doctors for the results of my bone scan and she said I'm going to live! Nice news I reckon!

Christmas Cake

Saturday 10, December

I've made the same Christmas cake nearly every year since I was 18 and my baby had his first xmas! I guess you could call it a ritual. Its from a Ruth Morgan cook book. She is an English cook (I believe) and I have used her book endlessly over the last 26 years.

• Christmas Cake
• 4oz (125g) glace cherries
• 4oz stoned dates
• 4oz blanched almonds
• 3-4oz candies peel
• 1lb (450g) plain flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
• 12oz (375g) butter
• 12oz brown sugar
• grated rind 1 lemon
• 6 eggs
• 12oz currants
• 12oz sultanas
• 12oz raisons
• 2 tabs black treacle
• 3 tabs fruit juice, sherry or brandy

Grease and line a 9 inch tin with a double layer of greaseproof paper. Halve the cherries, chop the dates and almonds (I always blanch my own almonds by pouring boiling water over them, allowing to cool and repeating. The skins come away really easily then). Shred the candied peel (I don't usually put it in, but thats a personal choice). Sift the flour with salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cream the butter and brown sugar and lemon rind until really light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Fold in sifted flour, fruit, nuts, sherry (or whatever you choose) and treacle.

Turn the mixture into the prepared tin ( I usually decorate the top with stacks more almonds, blanched and whole, to form a pattern on top). Bake on the cetre shelf of a very slow oven (275 deg. F - 140 deg. C but I usually have it on 150!) for up to 5 or 6 hours. Cover with a piece of greaseproof paper after about 2 1/2 hours. I find that it takes 4 hours at 150 all up. I always pour over about half a cup of sherry (or whatever) as soon as the cake comes out of the oven too.. yum!

So What Is A Bone Scan?

Thursday 8, December

The long drawn out ordeal of trying to heal from my car accident last month reached its peak in scanning technology today. My ct scan came back with warnings about a dark line in one vertebrae and mention of the word 'lucency' (I googled it and it isn't pretty) in amongst suggestion that it was just a fluke of the moment and nothing to worry about. But lets have a bone scan anyway. So there I was sitting in the doctors office expressing desire to jump off this merry-go-round of doctors recommendations, but he wouldn't hear any of it. Yes, you need a bone scan. So what is a bone scan Dr? 'Well', he says gazing directly at me to ensure he has my full attention, 'they will give you an injection of radioactive material that will make your bones glow'. Mmmm, I'm thinking. sounds charming, and after all these years of trying to keep away from beastly chemicals and nasty materials produced in our modern era, I'm going to have it injected straight into my body! 'No fear', he says, smiling at my alarm, 'Its no more radiation than you would get traveling from Hobart to Melbourne by plane'. Ok, you got me there, but it still isn't being injected straight into my body when I fly to Melbourne.

So another week passes and finally I can rock up to my appointment - 9.30 am at the nuclear medicine department. After a brief wait I'm called into a cubicle with a nurse of grand stature. I'm sure you've all met one, towering above us with a stern expression and firm grasp. sit down she says, 'no not in my chair'...ok bad start. She grabs my arm straps me up with a tourniquet before I have time to settle then starts to prepare her needle. Ouch, this is way too tight I think, 'Its a little tight' I squeak. 'Oh sorry' she says, with no attempt to loosen it as she goes about her business. I'm sure I will have a bruise posing as a black arm band by tomorrow. Over I think, but no, she informs me that I have to go away for 3 hours, drink several cups of fluid and flush my body. Having been previously warmed not to pee on anyone just in case my nuclear waste could cause harm, I resolve to drink as much as possible and flush as much as possible, avoiding all pedestrians.

Back for the scan and what has to be one of the weirdest experiences I've had in medical realms. I was striaght into the scan room to meet my machine, a spacy looking beast with a narrow bench to lie on and a circular frame where all the scanning happens. 'Could you put this on for me?' asks the Dr bloke holding out a soft collar of the sort I have been avoiding for the last month. I strap it on and confirm in my still functioning head that I really hate having things strapped around my neck. Lie down he says with indifference to my restricted movments. I stretch out on the skinny mattress and swiflty he raises my arms then lowers them and binds them up with a velcro screech. 'Just so your arms don't move' he says adding another one to my upper body. Now I know what restraint is all about, and I wonder how people cope for extended periods like this; physical and mental torment. And some people even like it! But this is only for a few minutes. Isn't it? After about five minutes of lying still so the scan will be good, I hear a sharp ladies voice asking me my name etc. Briefly she tells me what they are doing, then just as sharply as she began she disappears with a parting shot of 'It will take about 45 minutes'. 45 MINUTES! And it hasn't started yet! I can't see anything but the grey plates that will magically take images of my bones, so I close my eyes and make lists, plan the afternoon and decide that bondage is definately out for me...

Time passes, the scans are done, I'm freed from my restraints and even get assistance lifting off the table! After plenty of shuffling about and secret conferring, the doc's hand over my old scans, tell me the new ones will be on the way to my GP and thank I can go now. So until Monday I have a few options to ponder...

• A) The scans will show that all is clear and I'm just intolerant of pain (whinger)
• B) There is a bit of damage to the bone and some displacement that will be healed through physio etc
• C) That dark line really is something sinister and the bone has decided to pack it in for moment thank you very much

So its back to waiting and trying to maintain some sort of constructive existence, and trying not to try family and friends too much with my occasional (uncharacteristic) snappy mood (thanks for hangin' in there - I'll get better promise) and putting plenty of energy into option A).

Gayatri Gamuz And Mandy Renard

Monday 5, December

There are a couple of openings happening. Gamuz, an artist from South India, has set up his exhibition of paintings at the Republic bar until Saturday the 10th of January. I will definately make this a show not to miss, and maybe have a top shelf drop to celebrate the silly season at the same time! His invite is called "Nothing like a good friend" and is pen on paper.

Also having a bit of a show is Mandy Renard. She is joining in with the Cygnet Printmakers at the Morning Toast Gallery, 156 Graces Road, Glaziers Bay. The gallery is open from 10 - 4.30 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and the opening is at 2pm on Sunday the 11th of December unitl January 29th.

Its Human Nature To Nurture

Monday 5, December

Is this only pointing out the obvious? Probably. So then the discussion is more about what consitutes acceptable behaviour within society and especially in consideration of environmental issues. As the world of people wakes up to the environmental impact that many material practices are making on the earth, the social morals and ethical practices bend and reshape to suit to ideal. So, in consideration of nurturing, where do we stand now? Looking at the Australian position, with a growing population of people in their later years, is it any wonder that people have turned to nurturing domestic pets to replace the children or grand-children they would have had in previous generations?

As a person who is concerned with environmental issues, I am torn by the current pressing of debates about dog ownership. I am completely understanding of the issues - in a city environment there is noise, pollution and the risk of physical harm - but on the other hand there is a trade off for people who have no other means of keeping the natural urge to nurture alive? I fear a society that doesn't know how to. Is this why there is a breakdown in our social order - the lack of defining the need for a mutually supportive family and community structure? There seems to be far too much emphasis on the progression of the 'me' factor and material gain. I'm sorry, but a computer game, tv show, mobile phone or any other 'must have' device of entertainment just doesn't replace the need for contact with living creatures. The interaction we have enjoyed in the past with the natural environment is also reduced as we become aware of the long term damage and interferance to the natural order. If we want to enjoy a pristine environment in the wilderness, then surely there needs to be compromise in the built environment.

And from where I'm sitting, I see the relationship between the dog and the human has grown from being confined and restricted to one that has allowed for more interaction and intelligent growth. It was only a generation ago that a person who devoted more than a sprinkle of devotion onto a pet was considered a bit batty, but look at the huge trade that is made in pet care now! Some people see it as just another extension of materialism, I see it as an expression of the human nature and the need to nurture.

HIP BBQ

Sunday 4, December

Today the sun shone long enough for the Hunter Island Press barbeque to go ahead at the Cascade Gardens. Its a beautiful spot to hang out for a while, with the Cascade Brewery overlooking the gardens and Mount Wellington forming a backdrop. The gardens were developed with Cascade Creek flowing through the middle and there is something a bit quiet and special about the location. Perhaps it is because you drop down a bit so the sound of the city and cars is not so dominant. Anyway, the HIP group enjoyed the day and it looks like the barbeque will be an annual event to allow people to get to know other members and wind up the year with a bit of fun.

Derwent Entertainment Centre

Saturday 3, December

Abi joined in with a crowd of over 1,000 students performing at the DEC. Bringing together a number of primary schools, the students played in bands, a choir and then in an amazing feat of co-ordination they played together! It is such a valuable experience for the kids to stand up in front of a crowd which was at least 2,500 under lights and do their bit. Schools these days seem to work ahrd to make sure that students arn't afraid of public performance.

Barbie Kjar

Saturday 3, December

The Dick Bett Gallery in North Hobart is currently exhibiting the latest work of Barbie Kjar. And it is a fabulous show. Barbie has turned her drawing skills to pastels and a number of the works on paper are a sublte combination of tone and line creating superbly expressive pieces. Also present are the drypoint etchings that are so instantly recognisable as being a Barbie Kjar. Scale, being large and dramatic, is also a recurring (and successful) theme. The exhibition is also online at the Dick Bett Gallery website. the show is gracing the walls of the gallery until December 31st.

Transplanted To Tasmania

Friday 2, December

An exhibition at the State Library in Hobart at the moment features some well known names in the historic scientific study of plants. Ferdinand Bauer, William Gould, Sydney Parkinson and Louisa Anne Meriedith are a few of the works that study the flora of Tasmania. The works include engraving, waterclour painting and coloured lithographics prints. Louisa Meredith (1812-1895) is renowned for her documentation of the Tasmania flora, with a beautiful style reflects her love of the plants.

Also in the print room at the back of the Allport Library (part of the State library) is a selection of Banks' Florilegium. The engraved plates were produced during the late 1700's voyages that took the scientist to a range of countires including Australia. The botanical studies shown are just a few of the 738 plates that were printed between 1980 and 1990 as a full collection. The exhibition continues until April 21, 2006, so there is plenty of time to check out the display. The Allport Library is home to some fine examples of antique furniture and household items, and is located at the back of the foyer in the State Library.