pen & paper issue 9

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SIXTOEIGHT ISSUE IX JUL & AUG 2011 INTERVIEWED ARTISTS TODD FU LLER NINA MASKIELL Exhibitions Review by JENNIFER O’ROURKE A PLANET CONTROLLED BY THE MEDIA CALLING FOR ARTISTS!! RATHER BE NAKED

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Free bi-monthly indie art-zine showcasing talented works from Aussie emerging artists. Featured Artists Todd Fuller, Nina Maskiell. Published by Whitespac3

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Pen & Paper Issue 9

SIXTOEIGHT

ISS

UE IX

JU

L &

AU

G 2

01

1

INTERVIEWED ARTISTS

TODD FULLERNINA MASKIELL

Exhibitions

Review by

JENNIFER O’ROURKE

A PLANET CONTROLLED BY THE MEDIA

CALLING FOR

ARTISTS!!RATHER BE NAKED

Page 2: Pen & Paper Issue 9

TODD FULLERNINA MASKIELL

JENNIFER O’ROURKE

SIXTOEIGHT

Page 3: Pen & Paper Issue 9

JUL & AUG2011

CONTACT US (GENERAL & ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES)

PUBLISHER

EDITOR / LAYOUT & DESIGN

JUST A THOUGHT

E [email protected] whitespac3.com.au

WhiteSpac3

Kathy Leung E [email protected]

Submissions & EnquiriesE [email protected]

FREE SUBSCRIPTIONSRegister @

whitespac3.com.au/pen-paper-form

Page 4: Pen & Paper Issue 9

Todd Fuller - Damo In A Dress ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

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Todd Fuller is a fat bald man in a bunny suit. Not really, he is actually a twenty two year old graduate of the National Art School who now works as a curator, teacher and artist.

Fuller works across multiple disciplines and has been exhibited nationally and internationally. His work has been shown at many venues including the National Portraiture Gallery, Deakin University Gallery, and Limner Gallery in New York. He was the winner of the Lloyd Rees Memorial Youth art prize (2009), Walker St Emerging artist award (2010) and re-cently, he spent the summer in Paris on the Storrier/Onslow residency at the Cité International Des Arts.

Todd Fuller ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

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Todd Fuller ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

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Todd Fuller - The Mascot ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

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1 What was your favourite thing to do when you were a kid?

Lets just say that sport and I did not find one another favourable. Instead, I remember spending a great deal of time doing similar things to what now constitutes my artist practice. I would construct worlds, characters and imaginative fantasies to keep myself amused (usually in the back of the family car at any number of my brothers sporting events). I would write and illustrate books as well as construct elaborate houses and cities for my toys. Most of all, there was always cartooning and drawing! You know that cool kid in the class who would dazzle everyone with a pencil? Well sadly I was not him, at least not to start with. But I was next to him, trying really really hard!

2 What/ Who is the biggest influence to your art practice?

I still remember encountering a William Kentridge documentary on the ABC when I was very young, I was entranced at his charcoal story of Johannesburg, although I did not comprehend the severity of what I was witnessing. I still find the works and writ-ings of Kentridge to be monumental and no matter how many times I experience them, I always find something new to contemplate within his marks. I am a complete disciple to Kentridge, but I am also making a point to find my own path in animation and bring my own voice to the medium. He has taught me about the process of draw-ing as well as how to be genuine in the content of the work you make. His work is driven by dedication and total commitment to a beautiful process. I cannot wait for the day when I get to meet him!

3 Tell us more about your art...

My work is a three fold integration of drawing, film and sculpture. It usually starts with a sketch, triggered by a dream, thought, phrase, experience or a chance encounter. I note it down in my diary immediately, desperate to not lose that fleeting idea or moment... My animations are created via stop gap through a continued application of drawing and painting a surface. Through photographing each mark or brush stroke, as well as constantly making changes, I am able to reveal the entire process of drawing and also simulate movement. It is a very physical and labour-intensive task which is achieved through low tech means, it is nothing more than a camera and a piece of paper or canvas with me dashing vigourously between the two. I do this to both celebrate drawing and to also create intricate, personal narratives that often evolve around a figure. On the other hand, my sculptures are these figures but liberated into the third dimension with there own sense of physicality. They are static and quite small, created from various clays. Once fired, I treat the surfaces in a number of unique ways–one of my favourites is the bright suede-like flocking applied to my men in bunny suits.

4 We LOVE your little men sculptures, are they the story tellers of your feelings and thoughts?

My little guys are many things, some are alter egos which I dare to let loose on the world, others are manifestations of memories or exaggerations of observations from

life. They are all male and tend to be bald and round in all the right places. They are all absurd. After all, it is not everyday you encounter a fat man in a bunny suit or tutu sneaking around a park. On the other hand they are very average and are just express-ing the implications of experiences which are quite regular and everyday. I want people to experience a whole plethora of emotions as they spy on my tiny fellas, they are funny and they are cute, but they are also trapped in moments that are designed to trigger contemplation and speculation. Most of all, they are just huggable, loveable blokes.

5 Congratulations to your success on your upcoming first solo show at Brenda May Gallery! Could you tell us more about the show?

The show is titled 'tense' and is an ambitious exhibition which will span both spaces at Brenda May Gallery. I don't want to give away to many surprises but this show will see a section of the gallery completely transformed into a quirky cinematic experience. For a few years I have been developing my own style of animation, but never before have my films been screened in this way. This show will be the premiere for some new films, story lines and characters but it will also see some old favourites used in a new manner. Apart from the screening area, the remainder of the space will be presenting my sculptures and drawings. These drawings are created through this process of anima-tion. while the sculptures are the leading men from my films in the third dimension. I have constructed this whole exhibition like a play or at the least, one of my films. It will be filled with moments of tension and melancholy and others of comic relief with protagonists and antagonists. It has been an exciting process pulling it all together.

Todd Fuller - Tin Man IV ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

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1 What was your favourite thing to do when you were a kid?

Lets just say that sport and I did not find one another favourable. Instead, I remember spending a great deal of time doing similar things to what now constitutes my artist practice. I would construct worlds, characters and imaginative fantasies to keep myself amused (usually in the back of the family car at any number of my brothers sporting events). I would write and illustrate books as well as construct elaborate houses and cities for my toys. Most of all, there was always cartooning and drawing! You know that cool kid in the class who would dazzle everyone with a pencil? Well sadly I was not him, at least not to start with. But I was next to him, trying really really hard!

2 What/ Who is the biggest influence to your art practice?

I still remember encountering a William Kentridge documentary on the ABC when I was very young, I was entranced at his charcoal story of Johannesburg, although I did not comprehend the severity of what I was witnessing. I still find the works and writ-ings of Kentridge to be monumental and no matter how many times I experience them, I always find something new to contemplate within his marks. I am a complete disciple to Kentridge, but I am also making a point to find my own path in animation and bring my own voice to the medium. He has taught me about the process of draw-ing as well as how to be genuine in the content of the work you make. His work is driven by dedication and total commitment to a beautiful process. I cannot wait for the day when I get to meet him!

3 Tell us more about your art...

My work is a three fold integration of drawing, film and sculpture. It usually starts with a sketch, triggered by a dream, thought, phrase, experience or a chance encounter. I note it down in my diary immediately, desperate to not lose that fleeting idea or moment... My animations are created via stop gap through a continued application of drawing and painting a surface. Through photographing each mark or brush stroke, as well as constantly making changes, I am able to reveal the entire process of drawing and also simulate movement. It is a very physical and labour-intensive task which is achieved through low tech means, it is nothing more than a camera and a piece of paper or canvas with me dashing vigourously between the two. I do this to both celebrate drawing and to also create intricate, personal narratives that often evolve around a figure. On the other hand, my sculptures are these figures but liberated into the third dimension with there own sense of physicality. They are static and quite small, created from various clays. Once fired, I treat the surfaces in a number of unique ways–one of my favourites is the bright suede-like flocking applied to my men in bunny suits.

4 We LOVE your little men sculptures, are they the story tellers of your feelings and thoughts?

My little guys are many things, some are alter egos which I dare to let loose on the world, others are manifestations of memories or exaggerations of observations from

life. They are all male and tend to be bald and round in all the right places. They are all absurd. After all, it is not everyday you encounter a fat man in a bunny suit or tutu sneaking around a park. On the other hand they are very average and are just express-ing the implications of experiences which are quite regular and everyday. I want people to experience a whole plethora of emotions as they spy on my tiny fellas, they are funny and they are cute, but they are also trapped in moments that are designed to trigger contemplation and speculation. Most of all, they are just huggable, loveable blokes.

5 Congratulations to your success on your upcoming first solo show at Brenda May Gallery! Could you tell us more about the show?

The show is titled 'tense' and is an ambitious exhibition which will span both spaces at Brenda May Gallery. I don't want to give away to many surprises but this show will see a section of the gallery completely transformed into a quirky cinematic experience. For a few years I have been developing my own style of animation, but never before have my films been screened in this way. This show will be the premiere for some new films, story lines and characters but it will also see some old favourites used in a new manner. Apart from the screening area, the remainder of the space will be presenting my sculptures and drawings. These drawings are created through this process of anima-tion. while the sculptures are the leading men from my films in the third dimension. I have constructed this whole exhibition like a play or at the least, one of my films. It will be filled with moments of tension and melancholy and others of comic relief with protagonists and antagonists. It has been an exciting process pulling it all together.

Todd Fuller - Tin Man IV ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

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Todd Fuller - Untitled Bunnies ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

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Todd Fuller - Untitled Bunnies ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

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6 How do you manage the marketing side of your works? Any advise for other fellow artists?

All that cliché advice we hear all the time is overused for a reason.... because it works!

Start by silencing that voice that says you are selling out by engaging in marketing. At the end of the day you could be the best artist in the world but if nobody sees your work, then that's a complete shame. Not just for you, but also the greater art-interested public.

Be informed! Subscribe to NAVA, Arts Hub, and every mailing list you can find-regional, commercial and institutional galleries. Don't be afraid to look outside Australia as there are some international opportunities that are interested in Austral-ian talent. There are thousands of possibilities for art makers in this country and abroad, half the battle is positioning yourself to be aware of such openings.

Keep a goal in mind and work through a series of smaller obtainable steps to get there. You should always be thinking ahead and working one, or even two years in advance, after all exhibition calendars and events are planned many months in advance. When working towards an exhibition you should also be aware of what you want to happen after that exhibition. It is all about building and maintaining a momentum, when you achieve one of your goals (whether it be a successful show, winning a prize, getting a grant or publicity), savour the moment and use it as ammunition to help achieve your next goal.

Set aside regular time for writing and applications, there is an art to getting an opportunity that is just as necessary as art making itself.

Most of all, and apologies for the inevitable corniness that is to follow, never stop learning and questioning what you're doing. Everything that is thrown at you is an opportunity to grow (set backs and rejection letters are just some-thing to direct you towards the opportunity which is right for you). One of the best pieces of advice I have received for dealing with the Art world (and life) is to make sure you are the best person you can be, don't bad mouth anyone, be generous with your time and knowledge and be nice to everyone. Be honest and authentic, not just in the art you make but the life you lead, this is obviously not just for career purposes.

7 What are your upcoming plans for your artist career?

I am getting an increasing amount of curatorial work so I intend to pursue this as well as my art making and teaching. One of my curatorial projects opens in August at Cessnock Regional Art Gallery (the week after 'tense' opens at Brenda May Gallery). After this I will be working with the team at Sculpture in the Vineyards this year, and I will be Waverley Council's Artist in Residence for the second half of 2011. I maintain that it is a blessing to be busy in the Arts so I am looking forward to a pretty intense few months.

8 Five words to describe yourself...

Covered in clay and charcoal!

9 If you had to choose a song to represent your art,what would that be and why?

Well, I often wake up in the morning feeling like P Diddy, so I would have to say Kesha. But seriously, I don't think a single song summaries the work that I make. It's more like a karaoke night in Kings Cross, there's the tragic, the unfortunate, and the lonely, there are plenty of diva's and soul and of course there's a man in a dress sulking in the corner...

there is an art to gettinging itself.

ess that is to follow, never verything that is thrown at ion letters are just some-

h is right for you). One of g with the Art world on you can be, don't bad nowledge and be nice toart you make but the life

oses.

your artist career?

rk so I intend to pursue this curatorial projects opens in

week after 'tense' opens at ith the team at Sculpture in ncil's Artist in Residence for ng to be busy in the Arts sohs.

Five words

Covered in clay a

If you had twhat would

Well, I often wakBut seriously, I doa karaoke night inare plenty of divcorner...

Fuller’s first commercial solo show: ‘TENSE’

2nd - 27th AugustBrenda May Gallery 2 Danks Street Waterloo NSW

Todd Fuller - Thrust III ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

Page 13: Pen & Paper Issue 9

6 How do you manage the marketing side of your works? Any advise for other fellow artists?

All that cliché advice we hear all the time is overused for a reason.... because it works!

Start by silencing that voice that says you are selling out by engaging in marketing. At the end of the day you could be the best artist in the world but if nobody sees your work, then that's a complete shame. Not just for you, but also the greater art-interested public.

Be informed! Subscribe to NAVA, Arts Hub, and every mailing list you can find-regional, commercial and institutional galleries. Don't be afraid to look outside Australia as there are some international opportunities that are interested in Austral-ian talent. There are thousands of possibilities for art makers in this country and abroad, half the battle is positioning yourself to be aware of such openings.

Keep a goal in mind and work through a series of smaller obtainable steps to get there. You should always be thinking ahead and working one, or even two years in advance, after all exhibition calendars and events are planned many months in advance. When working towards an exhibition you should also be aware of what you want to happen after that exhibition. It is all about building and maintaining a momentum, when you achieve one of your goals (whether it be a successful show, winning a prize, getting a grant or publicity), savour the moment and use it as ammunition to help achieve your next goal.

Set aside regular time for writing and applications, there is an art to getting an opportunity that is just as necessary as art making itself.

Most of all, and apologies for the inevitable corniness that is to follow, never stop learning and questioning what you're doing. Everything that is thrown at you is an opportunity to grow (set backs and rejection letters are just some-thing to direct you towards the opportunity which is right for you). One of the best pieces of advice I have received for dealing with the Art world (and life) is to make sure you are the best person you can be, don't bad mouth anyone, be generous with your time and knowledge and be nice to everyone. Be honest and authentic, not just in the art you make but the life you lead, this is obviously not just for career purposes.

7 What are your upcoming plans for your artist career?

I am getting an increasing amount of curatorial work so I intend to pursue this as well as my art making and teaching. One of my curatorial projects opens in August at Cessnock Regional Art Gallery (the week after 'tense' opens at Brenda May Gallery). After this I will be working with the team at Sculpture in the Vineyards this year, and I will be Waverley Council's Artist in Residence for the second half of 2011. I maintain that it is a blessing to be busy in the Arts so I am looking forward to a pretty intense few months.

8 Five words to describe yourself...

Covered in clay and charcoal!

9 If you had to choose a song to represent your art,what would that be and why?

Well, I often wake up in the morning feeling like P Diddy, so I would have to say Kesha. But seriously, I don't think a single song summaries the work that I make. It's more like a karaoke night in Kings Cross, there's the tragic, the unfortunate, and the lonely, there are plenty of diva's and soul and of course there's a man in a dress sulking in the corner...

there is an art to gettinging itself.

ess that is to follow, never verything that is thrown at ion letters are just some-

h is right for you). One of g with the Art world on you can be, don't bad nowledge and be nice toart you make but the life

oses.

your artist career?

rk so I intend to pursue this curatorial projects opens in

week after 'tense' opens at ith the team at Sculpture in ncil's Artist in Residence for ng to be busy in the Arts sohs.

Five words

Covered in clay a

If you had twhat would

Well, I often wakBut seriously, I doa karaoke night inare plenty of divcorner...

Fuller’s first commercial solo show: ‘TENSE’

2nd - 27th AugustBrenda May Gallery 2 Danks Street Waterloo NSW

Todd Fuller - Thrust III ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

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Todd Fuller - Tin Man II ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

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Todd Fuller - Genesis Construct ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

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Todd Fuller ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

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Todd Fuller - Turbulent (Summer’s end) ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

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RATHER BE

an art exhibition of exposing emerging talents 6:30 - 9 pm | 31 Princes Highway St Peters

presented by:

whitespac3whitespac3.com.au tortugastudios.org.au

exhibition continues until 20th AUG

CALL FOR ARTISTS

Rather Be Naked is an annual exhibition showcasing some of the amazing works from talented emerging artists, proudly presented by Whitespac3, this year is set to kick off on the 13th Aug @ Tortuga Studios. This exhibition is opened to artists nation wide, all themes and mediums are welcomed.

For more info or to enter, simply go to:http://whitespac3.com.au/next-exhibition

A.PLANET.C

ONTROLLED

.BY.THE.MED

IA

WRITTEN.BY/JENNIFER.OROURKE

Illustration: all rights reserved by Julia Goerkewww.io-home.de

presents:

Page 19: Pen & Paper Issue 9

A.PLANET.C

ONTROLLED

.BY.THE.MED

IA

WRITTEN.BY/JENNIFER.OROURKE

Illustration: all rights reserved by Julia Goerkewww.io-home.de

presents:

Page 20: Pen & Paper Issue 9

Soon the shopping centres are going to be a scene out of Dawn of the Dead. They’re going to be lifeless and empty, with maybe the oc-casional zombie. These zombies are those unwilling to conform to the expectations now set on planet earth, which is currently located somewhere in cyber space.

So why have we all relocated to cyber space? Was there a memo sent out? Was there a newsletter distributed advising that our ad-dress had changed? If so, I must have had a cross on my door that day, because my house was skipped.

We have all traded in our green Coles bags for an online shopping cart. We no longer carry cash, but a visual imprint of our credit card details. We’ve also resorted to communicating electronically as op-posed to verbally.

So why the sudden shift in the alignment of planets and why have we been booted off to another area within the Universe? It all has a lot to do with how the world is evolving and growing and how it is relayed to us via the media. You see we live in a world controlled by the media. The media is our ticket to the rest of the world. If it wasn’t for the media we wouldn’t know which Politician was in-volved in a scandal, which celebrity was admitted to rehab, which town was hit with a natural disaster or which supermarkets are ripping us off?

The media plays a big part in influencing the decisions we make in our everyday lives. They also keep us up to date with the current global trends, from fashion, to technology, to ‘guaranteed to work or your money back’ diets, to music and much more. Without the

media, I wonder how we would be made aware of current trends around the world. Before a world of technology, how did we know what was ‘in fashion’?

I imagine a note was put in a bottle and sent out to sea, to notify those on the other side of the world. The note would have read like so, ‘Dear Reader, I am glad you found my note. Please find en-closed a sketch of a dress that I have designed, along with a colour swatch. This is in fashion at the moment in my homeland. I thought you should be updated with this current trend. Since it is my de-sign, you will be required to give me 50% of your profits. Please note: I do not accept payment in the form of livestock. I will how-ever, accept anything that can fit in this bottle. Upon return, please submerge bottle in water at high tide as this has a better chance of getting back to me. Regards’.

Nowadays we don’t have to send messages in bottles, telegrams or pigeons with notes in their beak. We can just pick up a newspaper or go online to be ‘in the know’. So what trends is everyone latch-ing onto right now?

The Duchess of Cambridge is big news at the moment. She has become a global phenomenon since marrying Prince William. She first turned heads with her Alexander McQueen wedding dress, which was designed by Sarah Burton. Those who dreamed of being a Princess feel that they will get their chance to be one on their special day if they had a dress like Kate Middleton’s. But it hasn’t stopped there! She stepped out in a caramel Reiss ‘Shola’ dress when she met Barrack and Michelle Obama. Desperate to get their hands on one, consumers caused the retailers website to crash

Jennifer O’Rourke - A Planet Controlled By The Media ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

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due to ‘unprecedented traffic’. It seems we have the Princess fever! Kate has been on the cover of almost every Australian Magazine since the Royal Wedding on the 29th of April this year, and I can’t see the hype cooling down anytime soon.

A trend that should have cooled down is the infamous plank. What was once an act of ‘mimicking a wooden plank’ in random places to attract attention, has since turned deadly. A plank was taken too far earlier this year, which resulted in a young man falling from a bal-cony on the seventh floor of a Brisbane unit. The plank started as a light-hearted Internet craze where fellow plankers would upload a photo of themselves performing a random plank. It has since led to plankers performing their planks in very precarious positions, and in turn putting themselves at risk. Planking has now been described as a trend gone wrong.

But the biggest trend of all, which has resulted in our unexpected move to cyber space; is technol-ogy. Technology is a trend that is increasing, upgrading and taking over at a rapid rate. But what implications do these remarkable functions have on our everyday life? Has technology changed our lives for better or for worse?

For better: Technology has done wonders when it comes to simplifying tasks, as well as assisting us when our daily demands are taking all of our

focus and energy. Amidst controversy in the media about supermar-kets taking advantage of our hard earned dollars, we have turned to shopping online and buying goods from overseas. The iPhone has exceeded our expectations of what we want and need in a mobile phone. At the ‘touch’ of a button, you can download music, games, do your internet banking, shop, search, read a book, take and edit photos, and of course text and call friends and loved ones. It serves as a portal to access content, and the limitations are miniscule. Post The Global Financial Crisis a large majority of the world have been forced to re-think their living patterns. Having our daily needs met with a few clicks, has served many well. Many businesses have caught onto this trend and have reverted to focusing on ensuring con-

sumers are receiving a rewarding, cheaper online service and that their needs are met at rapid cy-ber speed. Careers in cyber and digital worlds are booming be-cause of this technological trend.

For worse:Mobile phones have now become items that we cannot live without, especially with the iPhone, who

needs anything else? You can pretty much do anything you want on these savvy little contraptions. But we’ve taken it too far when we can’t do anything without them being attached to our ears or fin-gertips, especially a task that requires our undivided attention like driving. The amount of deaths on the road involving mobile phones has increased significantly, forcing Police to crack down. I think it’s time we reassess how these trends are affecting us and how they

...we live in a world controlled by the media. The media is our ticket to the rest of the world.

Jennifer O’Rourke - A Planet Controlled By The Media ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

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have manipulated our way of living. With everything so readily avail-able from the comfort of our chairs, desks, or even beds, we are becoming lazy and for some obese. We have limited ourselves, and in turn become dependent on technology. While it may be cheaper to do everything online, other industries are suffering. Musicians, as-piring actors and writers are suffering because we’re no longer buy-ing CDs, DVDs and books. Instead we’re downloading it all off the Internet. Those in the art world are forced to produce digitalised versions of their art and trade in their paintbrushes for a mouse.

While we have officially moved to our new address in cyber space, it is important to keep in mind what affect technology and the me-dia have and how easily influenced we are when it comes to follow-ing new trends. Whilst technology is a great thing, true beauty lies beyond these electronically charged devices. However, I suppose we do have two options at the end of the day. We can choose to settle in, hang on and enjoy the ride. Or we can reject this new way of living and refuse to succumb to this reality and spend our last days wandering aimlessly like zombies.

- Jennifer O’Rourke

JUST A THOUGHT PRESENTS:Jennifer O’Rouke

Jennifer O’Rourke is an aspiring writer. She was born in England and migrated to Australia as a toddler in the late 80s. Whilst her primary school life was filled with reading novels and writing short stories, it wasn’t until three years ago that she realised her true passion was writing. Since then she has slowly, but surely, started to make this dream a reality. In view of this revelation, she has enrolled at University to study the art of writing.

Her writing reflects what she loves and is passionate about. She loves travelling, photography, spontaneity, giving unto others, and witnessing the beauty that unfolds everyday. Once described as a ‘deep thinker’ by her Father, Jennifer has turned her thoughts into words, and hopes to inspire and enlighten any-one who reads them. Combined with her love of art, Jennifer has decided to put pen to paper and contribute her writing to this magazine.

Jennifer O’Rourke - A Planet Controlled By The Media ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

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Now calling for...submissions

‘Just A Thought’ is our brand new art blogging section @ Pen & Paper. We are now calling for any art bloggers and writers to submit their “thoughts” to us. There are no limitation on

topic selections as long as it is related to arts (of course!). This is an on-going call so any interested bloggers

can keep on contributing to our upcoming issues!

Selected writers will also have the opportunities to become our permanent column writers. Submit your work today!

Please email your piece to [email protected] (subject to: Just A Thought Submission)

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‘I haven’t quite figured out where my art comes from or what it really is. Each work is a fragment of a larger whole, my imagination or perhaps another world. When I draw I am tapping into this world and there is no predicting what might come out of it. I find predicting or planning just spoils the adventure and it is through a more intuitive, spontaneous process that the magic flows and the images emerge. Inspired by the interconnected web of all living things, I draw images of plants and animals with an unearthly twist, morphing them together to depict the extraordinary. I like exploring the possibilities of forgotten species from the past; strange creatures yet to be discovered; alien landscapes or dis-tant planets. Each piece has a life of its own; a living, breathing organism floating around on the page.’

Nina Maskiell ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

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Nina Maskiell ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

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Nina Maskiell ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

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1 How do you describe your childhood?

Looking back I would say I had a great childhood. I grew up in the suburbs of Sydney with my parents, two bothers and my sister. We are all really close and had lots of fun together when we were young. It’s nice to have brothers and sisters to hang out with. I remember going on lots of family holidays. When I was about twelve we went on a ten-week road trip along the Queensland coast, all the way to the Daintree Rainforest. It was awesome!

2 When did you mo ve to Melbourne from Sydney? Do you think ther e is a dif ference betw een Sydney a nd Melbourne a rt scenes?

Well I moved to Melbourne about 8 months ago so I have not been here that long. From my experience so far I would say there is a bit of a difference between the two scenes. There is a great artistic community here, real eclectic, and you can really feel it bubbling away. People seem really motivated and interested to connect with other creative beings. Not to say Sydney isn’t like that, I guess just personally I didn't notice it so much. It also seems like there is more of Visionary art scene here in Melbourne compared to Sydney, which I really like.

3 Tell us more about your art...

I find it really hard to explain my art and I feel like sometimes I don't even understand it myself. I like to think of it as each drawing is a fragment of a larger whole, another world perhaps, and when I draw I am tapping into this world. I love drawing plants and animals and making connections between the shapes and forms by morphing the images together. Ambiguity also plays an important role in my work. I like people to be able to explore the work and wonder what is really going on, encouraging them to come up with their own interpretations. I love it when someone looks at my art and tells me what they see, and it is something I never noticed or thought of before.

4 How long have you been developing this drawing style? What medium do you normally use?

I started developing this style a few years ago. During high school I was not that inter-ested in illustration. I did a lot of painting with acrylics and oils. Any illustration I did was just scribbling in the back of my schoolbooks. That's where I think the style began. Towards the end of high school I started drawing eyeballs and little monsters and then this developed into more organic forms and drawing inspiration from nature. One thing that hasn't changed is my intricate line work and obsession with detail. Even when I painted I was always obsessed with detail, fine lines and using the tiniest of brushes. Now I use the tiniest, fine liner black pens.

5 Where do the inspir ations come fr om in gener al?

Inspiration is everywhere and in everything. People and places inspire me as well as little things like the bark on a tree or the shape of a flower. I am inspired all the time by experiences I have and things I see and feel. It all has an effect.

6 What is the biggest challenge of being a n artist these days?

I would say time. My work takes so long and I have so many ideas running around in my head and not enough time to get it all out.

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1 How do you describe your childhood?

Looking back I would say I had a great childhood. I grew up in the suburbs of Sydney with my parents, two bothers and my sister. We are all really close and had lots of fun together when we were young. It’s nice to have brothers and sisters to hang out with. I remember going on lots of family holidays. When I was about twelve we went on a ten-week road trip along the Queensland coast, all the way to the Daintree Rainforest. It was awesome!

2 When did you mo ve to Melbourne from Sydney? Do you think ther e is a dif ference betw een Sydney a nd Melbourne a rt scenes?

Well I moved to Melbourne about 8 months ago so I have not been here that long. From my experience so far I would say there is a bit of a difference between the two scenes. There is a great artistic community here, real eclectic, and you can really feel it bubbling away. People seem really motivated and interested to connect with other creative beings. Not to say Sydney isn’t like that, I guess just personally I didn't notice it so much. It also seems like there is more of Visionary art scene here in Melbourne compared to Sydney, which I really like.

3 Tell us more about your art...

I find it really hard to explain my art and I feel like sometimes I don't even understand it myself. I like to think of it as each drawing is a fragment of a larger whole, another world perhaps, and when I draw I am tapping into this world. I love drawing plants and animals and making connections between the shapes and forms by morphing the images together. Ambiguity also plays an important role in my work. I like people to be able to explore the work and wonder what is really going on, encouraging them to come up with their own interpretations. I love it when someone looks at my art and tells me what they see, and it is something I never noticed or thought of before.

4 How long have you been developing this drawing style? What medium do you normally use?

I started developing this style a few years ago. During high school I was not that inter-ested in illustration. I did a lot of painting with acrylics and oils. Any illustration I did was just scribbling in the back of my schoolbooks. That's where I think the style began. Towards the end of high school I started drawing eyeballs and little monsters and then this developed into more organic forms and drawing inspiration from nature. One thing that hasn't changed is my intricate line work and obsession with detail. Even when I painted I was always obsessed with detail, fine lines and using the tiniest of brushes. Now I use the tiniest, fine liner black pens.

5 Where do the inspir ations come fr om in gener al?

Inspiration is everywhere and in everything. People and places inspire me as well as little things like the bark on a tree or the shape of a flower. I am inspired all the time by experiences I have and things I see and feel. It all has an effect.

6 What is the biggest challenge of being a n artist these days?

I would say time. My work takes so long and I have so many ideas running around in my head and not enough time to get it all out.

Nina Maskiell ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

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7 What a re your upcoming plans for your artistic career?

At the moment I am working on new stuff to enter in some art prizes. Then maybe take a bit of a break; go travelling and get inspired.

8 Five words to describe yourself...

Scatterbrain. Forgetful. Ambitious. Perfectionist. Excited.

9 If you had to choose a cocktail to represent your art, what would that be and why?

I’m not much of a cocktail drinker although I do love Pina Coladas. But my art is noth-ing like a Pina Colada. I think it would be any cocktail that makes you sick because my art is kind of like my imagination just threw up on the page .

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Fleur MacDonald has been exhibiting since 1985 with 11 Solos and over 50 Group shows under her belt, has work in private and commercial collections all over the world... Hung in the Gallipoli Art Prize, (3 times), Mosman Art Prize, BBC and the Churchie Emerging Art Award... Working mainly in oils as a landscape painter, her last show in August 2010 was of objects in Gouache... A passionate art collector and consid-ers herself to be an Ambassador to the Arts...

What you can expect is an honest look at what's happening. A casual look at the art and

at the people who look at it. While our opinion will always show through, it is our mission

to just look at openings ... to chat to some people and have a nice time.

We try not to do reviews ... we do have opinions though ...

openings review

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The Gallipoli Memorial Club - The Gallipoli Art Prize 201143 finalists made it onto the walls of the tiny city club with a selection of landscapes, portraits and still life’s of family history. I was honored and privileged to have been hung 4 times in this prize including this year and like so many others will endeavor to do so for the next 4 years until the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign in 2015.

James Dorahy Project Space - Sarah NewallIt truely is a thing of beauty!!! Faux Harp is magical, like a magical far away place where you can go to and sit back and dream, Sarahʼs attention to detail is to be praised, this is why we wait with bated breath for her work. For every flower is a lovingly crafted jewel.

Bondi Pavilion Gallery - Fiona EdmeadesI could really relate to this show, as the first 11 years of my own art career was spent on chairs. 100+ series of other peoples chairs, mixed media on canvas are wonderful snippets into other peoples lives and taking the banal object and making it stand alone.

@ The Gallipoli Memorial Club

@ James Doraphy Project Space

@ Bondi Pavilion Gallery

Six To Eight - Exhibitions Review ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

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TIGHT Projects - Julie BurkeHas anyone ever tried that test where you write your name on a piece of paper using both hands, well I have and it’s hard work. So much control is needed to create a mirror image by one hand. Julie Burke’s work is a little mind boggling in that same way, it’s intense to say the least but it has the enormous power to engage the viewer.

At The Vanishing Point - HEAD ON: A Shadow Of It’s Former SelfI may just have to add a few more names to my current ‘favourite photog-rapher’ list as after seeing the works in this show I’m a little blown away. It was brilliant! Rowan Conroy, Rachael Everitt, Alexander James, Kurt Sorensen, Marieka Walsh and Alex Wisser.

Flinders Street Gallery - Kurt SchranzerThis work is very beautiful, his attention to detail is immense, it’s sensual and quietly spoken but as loud as jet engine. They are intimate still life’s and self portraits, intensely private reflections of the artist himself.

King Street Gallery on William - Amanda Penrose Hart and John TurierYou had to be prepared for melodic farts and banana stuffed gnomes. These 2 shows were funny with works that made you interact and smirk.

@ TIGHT Projects

@ King Street Gallery on William

@ Flinders Street Gallery

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@ King Street Gallery on William

Chalk Horse - Jasper KnightI’d heard about ‘Sydney Boat Show’ for awhile now and was get-ting excited about finally seeing it and I wasn’t disappointed, those electric bold colours, broad brush strokes and dripping paint like incessant rain. Also love how the support is not just wood but a mix up of perspex and masonite which gives the works an added edge..

Barometer Gallery - October 1953Paul Ogier and Catherine Rogers have both photographed this dead land, this radioactive land, giving it an awakening and awak-ening something in themselves at the same time, these works are emotional and you are left wondering ‘are they safe from harm’!

Damien Minton Gallery - Elaine CampanerI just fell in love with them the moment I saw them, brilliant repre-sentations of historical moments, the use of everyday and iconic objects and antiques is just wonderful, they are funny and serious and to the point and if you miss the point then you need to open your eyes.

Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery - Group Show - Destiny Deacon, Fiona Hall, Bill Henson, TraceyMoffatt, TV Moore, Julie Rrap and Anne Zahalka.

With the Head On Photography Festival in full close up and so many galleries getting involved it was great to see this selection of ‘greats’ since I missed the opening.

Gallery 9 - Michael TaylorMichael Taylor has developed a much more freer approach, more lively and less constrained in these newer works and his glorious use of colour obviously shows us he is so not afraid to use it.

James Dorahy Project Space - Tracey ClementThese works are a distorted view, a bit like some of Tracey’s ear-lier works, changing the way we see an object and an image, playing with what our eyes really perceive. Be it a work made of paper, metal, plastic or these embroidered pieces. It’s also what we want to see, what evokes a happy memory from our childhood, if your feeling blue than this is the show to put a smile on your dial, it of-fers up many happy childhood memories.

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King Street Gallery on William - Elisabeth CummingsEveryone’s expression was the same ‘Wow’! This collection of new work is amazing, wildly expressive, in tune with her surroundings and in touch with her emotions.

Damien Minton Gallery - Louise Tuckwell & William RoseLouise is now one of my favourite artists and seeing her work hanging in the same space as another great Abstractionist William Rose, I could say and will say ‘Perfect Harmony’.

TIGHT Projects - Matthew AllenFrom the first time I saw one of Matthew’s paintings I sensed the beginning of a beautifulrelationship between him and minimal abstract expression-ism. Monochrome paintings, no composition, reminds me a little of Rein-hardt’s black paintings, the dullness and richness of one colour.

@ Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery

@ Damien Minton Gallery

Six To Eight - Exhibitions Review ISSUE IX/ PEN & PAPER

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INTERVIEWED ARTISTS

DANIEL WITHEYHANNAH SMITH

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Pen & Paper is a free online magazine available to all art galleries, collectors, artists and art-loving indi-viduals.

Proudly presented by newly launched independent arts community site - Whitespac3.com.au. Our aim is to discover and promote new, emerging and up-and-coming Australian artists, provide them great opportunities to showcase their talents to the art world!

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Special Thanks:All contributed artists & writers and their

amazing works.

ISSUE IX