Upon a fold

'Family Traits - Proteaceae' (detail) 2009, Nicola Moss.

I have been reading the blog - Upon a fold - for some time now (you'll find it in my blog list on the side bar). Justine brings together a wonderful selection of artisan works, processes and craft made from and using paper. As she describes it - "you will find a curated collection of paper artistry from around the world". So I feel quite honoured to find my hand cut paper work featured in a post this week.
Thanks again Justine.

In the studio

Where did May go? It's been a month of solid work in the studio, with new pieces coming together for my upcoming exhibition at Redland Art Gallery. I started work on this project - 'With or without' towards the end of 2011. An art camp week at North Stradbroke Island in March last year provided a lot of source material in the form of frottage papers capturing the geology of coastal landscape forms; along with ideas around issues of biodiversity and sustainability in Moreton Bay.

At the time I had thought 2012 might be a quieter year, a time for studio work, but quite a few other projects, residencies and exhibitions filled the year....who am I kidding, it was flat out and provided a whole lot more inspiration and source material which will keep me creating for the next couple of years. (No complaints here.) So amidst this it has been interesting to have time now to return to a project begun a couple of years ago, to approach the papers and reference material with memories of the experiences and ideas. Without me realising it ideas for this project have continued percolating away in the back of my mind. It's been exciting to read back over my visual diaries and reignite the questions and thoughts that sparked my enthusiasm for this series in the first place. 'What is sustainability?'

Drawing a line at Caboolture RAG

'Life on the edge - Caught in the flow' ©2012. Nicola Moss. Acrylic, natural ochre, charcoal frottage, hand cut papers. Collection of Moreton Bay Regional Council.

Last weekend I attended the opening of 'Drawing a line' at Caboolture Regional Art Gallery. The exhibition presents works from the Moreton Bay Regional Council Art Collection featuring drawing as a medium, along with a selection of contemporary drawing works from artists around Australia. I really enjoyed this interesting show as line and various mediums have been interpreted in a broad sense of 'drawing'. From paper embossing, to sculpted ply and all manner of medium in between - biro, pastel, texta, charcoal, frottage, and ink. Artists on show include Lincoln Austin, Arlene Texta Queen, Godwin Bradbeer and Deb Mostert, along with works from the council collection by Carly Scoufos, Sharon Jewell and myself to name a few.

There are a number of artist talks being held in conjunction with the exhibition, Carly Scoufos will speak on the 8th May and I will be speaking about my processes and inspiration on the 29th May, both 10-11am. If you are in the area and feel like coming along it will be lovely to see you.
'Drawing a line' continues till 15th June.

Making home

'Making home - softening the edges (Hill End)' detail ©2013. Nicola Moss. Acrylic, natural ochre, charcoal frottage, rust stain, monoprint, canvas, interfacing, thread, hand cut papers. 300cm x 600cm variable. Courtesy of SGAR.

During my artist in residence at Hill End last year I stayed at Haefliger's cottage. The cottage belonged to Jean Bellette and her husband Paul Haefliger, who lived there in the 1940's and 50's. An award winning artist and tutor, Jean moved to Majorca with her husband in 1957 and never permanently returned to Australia. The cottage still holds many of her personal possessions. When Jean passed away in 1991, she bequeathed the cottage to NSW Parks and Wildlife service on the condition it become an artists' retreat. This generous bequest has contributed to an ongoing cultural heritage of artists visiting and working at Hill End.

Prior to the journey to Hill End my work focused on the ecology of landscapes, looking at contemporary issues of how communities shape environment through development and conservation. I went to Hill End thinking about the degradation of landscape I might see, over a century after the gold mining boom. It is there, still; but I found myself drawn to the cultural heritage that has adapted the ecology of Hill End over time.

When I arrived at the start of Spring, wattle was in full bloom and many fruit trees and remnant orchards throughout the town were bursting with spring blossom; making for a striking juxtaposition of native and exotic flower. Peach, pear, apricot, apple and quince are just a few of the fruiting varieties, many of them planted over 140 years ago. Some stand amongst the rubble of building that they once were planted next to.

My first exhibition of works from the residency focuses on this influence of culture and the idea of 'making home'. I am interested in the way this basic necessity of dwelling in a place, of making home and seeking comfort, the necessity of food and heritage of migration has shaped the ecology of Hill End.

'Making home - softening the edges' is a large paper cut installation I made to fit the gallery wall space at SGAR. This work features several exotic species which now contribute to the fabric of Hill End. Elements of 'making home' are interwoven with plant species reflecting on the adaption and shaping of landscape, and our relationship to it.

There are many unique qualities to Hill End. One is the opportunity to see stages of settlement in a place over several generations and the resulting impact of this on environment. The cultural heritage of adaption and introduction. Looking at the past has enabled me to reflect on the present. The choices we make today in shaping and adapting environments around us determines the heritage we leave for future generations. In ecology everything is connected....including time.

'Making home - softening the edges(Hill End)' ©2013. Nicola Moss. Acrylic, natural ochre, charcoal frottage, rust stain, monoprint, canvas, interfacing, thread, hand cut papers. 300 x 600cm variable. Installed at SGAR.

Developing...a little look back

'Making home 2 (Hill End)' ©2013. Nicola Moss. Acrylic, natural ochre, charcoal frottage, rust stain, hand cut papers.

I had a wonderful time at my exhibition opening on Friday night, speaking with many friends and guests who have seen my work develop over many years. Thanks so much to everyone who came along, it was great to see you there.

Today I was looking through my archived artworks for some collages I made twenty years ago. I am facilitating a collage workshop at Redland Art Gallery later this month and I thought they could be an interesting reference. Well I found them and of course a whole lot of other pieces I haven't looked at in a long time. So I thought I would share some of what I came across with you and take a little bit of a look at some of the stages of development in my work.

Nothing happens overnight as you know, so the first piece below is a paper cut from 1984, my high school fine art days, eeek! That's almost 30 years.

'untitled' ©1984. Nicola Moss. Hand cut paper.

'The Garden' ©1999. Nicola Moss. Collagraph chine-colle.

Between 1997 and 2001 I studied part time at the Brisbane Institute of Art, majoring in printmaking and painting. I absolutely loved the printmaking medium, in particular collagraphs. Most of these were made with layers of hand cut paper stencils glued onto board. I didn't do a lot of editioning in the traditional sense of printmaking. Many of the works developed as monoprints, each unique and at times printed on hand woven paper supports, such as the work pictured below. This individual quality of each print held true for me, just as each plant and animal is an individual life.
I also began working with silhouettes and ideas of  recognising species by their form. For me silhouette is one of the key ways that I identify and recognise various species of fauna and flora.

'Choko' ©2000. Nicola Moss. Collagraph monoprint on woven papers.

In 2005 I began work on the theme of ecology, initially looking at the microcosm of life in my own garden. I incorporated several aspects of my printmaking studies into my paintings. Developing textural layered background surfaces on which I could overlay tonal silhouettes that featured forms of plant and animal. Layering became an important element in the process of my work. Landscapes are densely layered, I wanted to capture a sense of the interwoven layers of life that make up ecologies. This is still a very strong component of my work today.
'Grass Dwellers' below, features a motif of snake skin and a small fungi.

'Grass Dwellers' ©2006. Nicola Moss. Acrylic and pigmented ink on canvas.

'Layers of life collection' (detail) ©2007. Nicola Moss. Acrylic and pigmented ink on canvas. Mater Hospital Brisbane collection.

In 2009 I was fortunate to have a one year artist residency at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt.Coot-tha. I focused on the Australian Plant Communities area of the gardens, working outdoors on site throughout the year. I chose to work on paper during the residency as there was no studio space available at the gardens and paper provided a very portable and practical medium. I returned to cutting silhouette forms of plant species. This time the paper cuts were artworks in themselves rather than stencils to be used for printmaking. The medium was ideal for conveying my ideas of unique identity and identifying species by the shape/silhouette of their form and leaves. I developed a series featuring members of the Proteaceae family, layering branch and leaf forms of various species. I began this blog to keep a record of my residency at the Botanic Gardens, it's all there in the archives if you feel like having a look.

'Family traits - Proteacea 6' ©2010. Nicola Moss. Acrylic, hand cut papers.

There have been many, many more works along the way, but I found it interesting to see connections throughout these works. Hope you enjoy the look back as much as I have.

Making home - ecology (Hill End)

'Making home - ecology (Hill End)' ©2013. Nicola Moss. Acrylic on hand cut paper. Courtesy of SGAR.

I spent a day last week installing my show at SGAR, it was great to see it all up on the walls, and now it's just a short wait for the opening on Friday.

During my residency at Hill End I was aware that not only are all species connected in an ecology - time is also connected. The town of Hill End presents an intriguing place where the heritage of land use, migration and settlement can be seen clearly. From the gold rush boom of the 1870's and subsequent decline in population, to the interest of artists in the 1940's and 50's to today. My exhibition features works that reflect the influence of cultural heritage on environment. I have focused on the activity of making home, of dwelling in a place, and how this alters and adapts the surrounding ecology.

Situated like a small enclave within a rugged Australian landscape, Hill End is characterised by paling fences, remnant orchards and grand avenue trees. There is a blurring at the edges of this enclave, where coppiced forests cut for firewood and eroded mining gullies blend the adaption of native species and altered geology. Exploring the adaption of environment at Hill End has incorporated ideas of comfort, cycles of life and death, and the heritage of introduced exotic species. In a way simple needs - making home, necessity of food and softening the edges of living have shaped the cultural ecology of Hill End.

'Making home - ecology (Hill End)' 2013, features exotic species which contribute to the fabric of Hill End. The mandala like form was inspired by several needlework doily pieces I viewed while at Haefligers cottage.

My special thanks go to Bathurst Regional Art Gallery and staff for their support of the Hill End Artist in Residence Program and for funding the 2012 residency. Thank you.

I would like to extend you a warm invitation to the opening of Culture Ecology at SGAR: Spiro Grace Art Rooms, 255 Gregory Terrace, Spring Hill, Brisbane; on Friday 15th March, 6-8pm.

It will be lovely to see you if you can make it.

Details

I've been putting finishing touches on the artworks for my upcoming exhibition - Culture Ecology. With a week left to go till installation, it's a good feeling to be getting to the final details. I am excitedly looking forward to seeing the works on show unframed in the new project space at SGAR: Spiro Grace Art Rooms.

Culture Ecology presents new works developed from my artist in residence experiences at Hill End. Historical and contemporary influences of making home and the shaping of Hill End's ecology are explored in a silhouette series and large wall installation.

Invitations and more details coming soon....in the mean time I'm contemplating what to make with all the off-cuts.

In the studio

It's been all action in the studio for the past couple of months with completion of works for my upcoming solo show - Culture Ecology at SGAR: Spiro Grace Art Rooms.
The exhibition will feature new work and ideas developed from my residency at Haefliger's Cottage, Hill End last year. I'm excited to see how the installation of works will look in the stunning new project space at SGAR..... In the meantime it's back to the cutting board!

Collection and Place at Redland Art Gallery

'A new leaf, Restore - Reuse (Hill End, Spring 2012)' ©2012. Nicola Moss. Acrylic, natural ochre, charcoal frottage and rust stain on hand cut papers. Courtesy of SGAR.

Tomorrow night I am heading along to the official opening of Collection and Place - A Decade On at Redland Art Gallery. The commemorative exhibition marks the tenth anniversary of Redland Art Gallery. The exhibition is presented simultaneously in both the Cleveland and Capalaba galleries and features the work of ten artists held in the Redland Art Gallery Collection. Selected by guest curator Ross Searle, the exhibition reveals how artists respond to the environment and sense of place locally or further afield. Artists include Leigh Camilleri, Belinda Close, Lawrence Daws, Fiona Foley, Noel McKenna, Luke Roberts, Julie Shepherd, Carl Warner, Judy Watson and myself.

I am looking forward to seeing the show and each artists work. Collection and Place continues to the 26th March 2013.

There is a floor talk at 12 noon by guest curator Ross Searle on Tuesday 19th February if you can get along to the Cleveland area.

Connecting

I headed down to Queenscliff in Victoria this weekend for the official opening drinks and artist conversation for my exhibition at Salt Contemporary Art.

Fiona asked me some interesting questions during our 'artist conversation', and as happens in contemplation afterwards, I think of what I would like to have added to my responses. Her first question asked about the title of the exhibition 'Breathing in Mountains' and what meaning this had for me. The exhibition features paintings that reflect on my experiences of the World Heritage listed environment of Cradle Mountain in Tasmania, which I visited this year in February. The landscape of Cradle Mountain is incredibly pristine, there is almost no 'built' environment, with some board walk paths protecting fragile vegetation, but this is the extent of man made features. In landscapes like this I am aware of being in a place that is completely alive, landscapes are living, I am surrounded by communities of lives. There is no concrete, no hum of machinery or bling of an iphone. As I walked each day through the striking environments at Cradle Mountain I felt all of my senses were engaged, awakened to the sounds, smells, textures and sights. I feel a sense of connection to the lives around me, I am alive in a place which is full of life, and in essence these days spent in natural landscapes are the ones when I feel most alive. My title 'Breathing in Mountains' encapsulates this feeling of breathing in the natural world, it is a feeling of recharging for me, even elation at times.

I would like to thank Fiona and Salt Contemporary Art for hosting my exhibition and doing a great job of hanging the works. Thank you to all my family and friends, along with visitors to the gallery who came along for the afternoon, it was great to see and meet you. Also thank you to Deirdre Carmichael who writes the Artin' Geelong blog for a great post about the works in my exhibition; it was lovely to catch up with you again Deirdre. And to those who couldn't make it on the day but sent me good wishes, Thank you.