Thursday, December 3, 2015

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

HILL END PRESS open their doors this Sunday 25th October 2015


OPEN HOUSE AND STUDIO DAY HILL END
                     HILL END PRESS will be opening their doors for this very special event.

As the blossom buds are bursting and colours start to appear it is time to once again head to Hill End's Open Day on Sunday 25th October 2015. A number of the villagers are throwing open their homes, their gardens, their Royal Hall, Court House, churches and studios to allow you to peek inside and see how they now live, work and play in an historic town.

Most of the buildings open for viewing were constructed in the 1870's and have seen generations of families through their doors. Some were almost in ruins when they were lovingly "adopted" by people with a passion and on Open Day they wish to share this with you. Many years of painstaking restoration and preservation (and never mind the dollars!) have gone into conserving these buildings as useful and comfortable dwellings. They are not museums, they are everyday buildings, still being used for their intended purposes and now all the more treasured for being so. Some have the "mod cons" but these are skilfully integrated into an eclectic environment where they seem right at home."Why didn't I think of that?" will be a constant comment.

Our court is now in session....2015 has heralded the inclusion of a new venue, rarely seen before by visitors to our town unless the long arm of the law was after you! The Hill End Court House has seen disputed mining claims, charges of "furious riding", matters relating to unlicensed dogs and the odd murder. These have all been dealt with here over the years. It will be open to hear your case, then head to St Paul's Church where you may repent..

The gardens promise to be in full bloom so bring your camera as Hill End in spring is a delight to behold. Artists, Donald Friend, Russell Drysdale and Margaret Olley found inspiration here and so will you. The unique light is still the same but the facilities are now so much better. Visit the artists who are now here and who have given up city life for a brief tree change to absorb the atmosphere.

A cottage with a bathroom "out the back" means that it is a place to escape to and relax in a lingering tub. Leave the mobile phone on the dining room table; it probably won't work out there anyway! View the family portraits in the Royal Hall and watch out as their eyes follow you around the room..

This is your opportunity to speak to these people, who are proud of their village, in a relaxed friendly atmosphere and ask them the questions that have surely arisen as you wander around the town. Volunteers will be available at all venues to guide you to your next place of exploration. C'mon in!

Bookings to experience this great day out on Sunday 25th October are essential and can be made by phoning 02 6337 8306 or email lapaloma@skymesh.com.au

Registration and payment is at the Royal Hall in Beyers Avenue (sorry no cash on the day) Cost: $25.00 per person/concession $18.00

Further information go to www.hillendartscouncil.blogspot.com.au





Supported by
Bathurst Regional Art Gallery
National Parks
Hill End Arts Council



Friday, October 9, 2015

All roads lead to Hill End - meeting Mikael Kihlman

Dogs Blues 111 x 109cm, six plates 1994

Hill End delivers.....what's that mean you say?

Well often, more than often one can wake up and think it's a regular day and out of the blue you are presented with a beautiful gift of a very interesting person.

They just seem to pop up out of nowhere!

Often this person has come a long way, which is not hard to do seeing we are a bit isolated, but this very special encounter was from Sweden.

Swedish artist Mikael Kihlman came for morning tea, twice to our delight. Hill End artist Danelle Bergstrom met Mikael during her time as ‘artist-in-residence’ at Konstepidemin Gothenburg, between July 2011 and July 2012, when she travelled to Stockholm to meet with her good friend, Adam Rish, for the opening of his joint exhibition with another friend of Danelles, Australian artist, Garry Shead, at The Graphic House.

A friendship was born, a cross pollination of artistic ideas and we were fortunate enough that Mikael had come out for his exhibition at Gallery SPOT81 in Chippendale Sydney.



Spot81 is delighted to present Swedish painter, printmaker and sculptor, Mikael Kihman’s first solo exhibition in Australia.
From his catalogue:

Kihlman has exhibited widely throughout Sweden and internationally and is particularly renowned for his exquisite black and white prints in drypoint and mezzotint. He has received numerous international printmaking awards from countries including Canada, Poland, China, Romania, Serbia, Spain and Japan and was awarded the Karlskoga Nobel Art Ward in 2001, the Swedish Printmakers Association’s Eric Wessel-Fougstedts Scholarship in 2004, and together with cultural journalist Karl Haske, received an honorary scholarship from the Nils G Stenqvists Memorial Fund in 2009. In 2015 he received the title of Doctoris Honoris Causa at the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wroclaw, Poland.

Born in 1953 in Uppsala, Mikael Kihlman now lives and works in Stockholm. He is a member of the Swedish Printmkaers Association, Grafik (Gothenburg), Taidegraafikot, Finalnd and the Swedish Artist Union, KRO. Since 2002 Kihlman has been a board member of Grafikens Hus AB, Mariefred (International centre of Fine Art Printmaking) and since 2009 a board member (and Vice President from 2011) of Foreningen for Grafisk Konst, The Swedish Fine Art Print Society, National Museum, Stockholm.

Kihlman’s work is held in public collections including the British Museum, London; National Museum, Modern Museum, Malmo Art Museum, Norrkoping Art Museum, Boras Art Museum, Varmlands Museum Karlstad, the Swedish Art Council, as well as municipal and private collections throughout Sweden and International Biennale and Triennale collections.

My pictures are my way of trying to understand and orient myself in the world I live in. I am drawn to places with history and traces of human life, such as cities, villages and historical sites. The pictures are both a snapshot of the passing moment and a picture of an event stretched out in time. The key is the light that uncovers the darkness and gives a reflective and contemplative mode to the experience. The technique drypoint, an old copper graphical method suits the way I work very well and gives itself a patina and a feeling that adds a lot to the finished work. I'm basically a black and white graphic artist, one of many in a strong European tradition. That's my main reference point and a base for my work.

Mikael Kihlman, Stockholm 2015



The Graphic House (Grafikens Hus), situated in Mariefred, just outside of Stockholm, is a specialist exhibition centre and workshop and Mikael Kihlman, himself a renowned printmaker and sculptor, has been a member of the board since 2002. Mikael has previously visited and worked in Australia and has developed strong friendships and an affinity with the country and its people over the years. http://www.grafikenshus.se/

So we had this great opportunity to meet him. (let me tell his very cool)

It was a gorgeous meshing of printing, playing biscuit tin guitars and just getting to know each other.




We're hooked, we want to go to Sweden now.



To see more of Mikael Kihlman exquisite printmaking check out his exhibition at SPOT81 last days to see it.

SPOT81
81 Abercrombie Street, Chippendale, NSW, 2008
T 61 2 9690 0655  E info@spot81.com
W spot81.com

Gallery Hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 11am to 5pm
Or go to his website
http://www.kihlman.net/index.php/en/curriculum-vitae-en/short-cv-en










HILL END ARTS COUNCIL: HILL END ARTS COUNCIL: Genevieve Carroll and Hui S...

HILL END ARTS COUNCIL: HILL END ARTS COUNCIL: Genevieve Carroll and Hui S...: HILL END ARTS COUNCIL: Genevieve Carroll and Hui Selwood finalists in SCU... : For more information go to    www.sculpturesinthegarden.com...

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

#Winter/spring studio news





 #3 dumps of snow this winter #all the old orchard trees dotted around town are coming into full blossom #spotsanddots






THANK GOODNESS I say, we're through another winter, not that I want to wish time away but the frost, or those drafty vicious, drafty drafts,  or the masking tape on the door jams and keyholes, hotwater bottle between my legs (you may well ask!) and everything in between the too thin doorsnakes (that I promise myself every year I'm going to change) but recently I've noticed there's a slight vigor in me and more than likely a slight vigor in the locals and kangaroos.

I sometimes wish I was one that loved winter.

It's like every year a similar request, it's shut down in winter and friends decline in coming, saying other things are on that weekend, no it's too cold, but you'll be fine, just rug up, add a 3rd beanie!



BLOSSOMING REFUGEE - Sculpture by Genevieve Carroll www.genevievecarroll.hillendpress.com.au
 I try every year to look upon it's beauty, rather than the anxiety of it, my body in permanent limbo, imagining the poet Keats blissfully looking out his window marveling at a red robin in the white landscape, he always said colour was at it's best in winter. 

Which makes perfectly good sense, but one has to have that mindset, that the desires of winter chills are sublime.

New mindset.

My own winter mindset is of tin eyelids.


Drawing by artist Richard Lewer Sydney contemporary, tin type by Bill Moseley


I try it every year, it's a serious mental uphill mindset to look upon this distinct change in the seasons as a gift, a gem really, something to be treasured. Maybe with our future climate I'll be hankering for a really cold winter, for more icing over, maybe the future will bring water lapping at my feet and lakes instead of paddocks will be the order of the day, and the sun will be too hot to go out into, while preparing for cyclonic conditions.

 I must be grateful I say to myself, all this wishing away is no good for the soul and besides it gives me the opportunity to have the best beanie collection.



Bill Moseley - Wanderer - tin type Wet plate collodion                          "We just want to throw flowers at the world"         Letterpress by  Genevieve Carroll

  Plus without the cold there would be no blossoms, no fruit.





But here we are again, dreaming of Yayoi Kusama's dahlias and blossoms on the fruit trees.

A side step here....There's the most curious bird in the block next door, sits up high and breathes like a blow over a beer bottle, it's on its own and starts in the morning, has a break at lunch and then starts at twilight again. Curious thing and we can't work out what it is, some sort of pigeon we think.

Casting chook poo is such an exciting thought for me at the moment, simple pleasures incubating in the forefront of my mind, what to plant is getting a jig a long and I'm madly in love with the wild gardens of Miranda Brooks and Arne Maynard for gardening inspire.

but guess what?


Our little red robin this winter was we went as invited artists with The Corridor Project which is run by Pheobe Cowdery and Dylan Gower on a very cool road trip to Cape York for the "COOL BURN"  yes we went in the middle of winter, bliss, camping with crocs and beyond. 

'COOL BURN" is an environmentally responsive dialogue base on traditional fire management in NSW and Cape York, involving both indigenous and non indigenous artists, from the Central West in regional  NSW and the Mapoon community in Cape York. Our trip was supported by the Kanangra Boyd to Wyangala Link Corridor Grant.

but I will tell more of this extraordinary time in the next blog.






We've been work shopping our little hearts out and meeting some gorgeous people that I'm happy to say have become friends on the way, we've taught tin type and photogravure to  artist in residence Angela Coombs and a second visit from Rochelle Staples for the tin type workshop and bringing along with her, her own 8 x 10 camera.

They are absolute honies/honey's these two and always invigorating in our studio to get such enthusiasm for antiquarian photography. They're both hooked.

Photographer Rochelle Staples and artist in residence Angela Coombs.

Tin types from the workshop by Angela Coombs and a photograph of Bill Moseley by Rochelle Staples
Then we were on the road!

We visited Bathurst Regional Art Gallery to do a demo on Tin Type photography with their current exhibition on the Holtermann Collection, from the NSW State Library. All images that documented the Gold Rush era on show.

We used our little portable hydroponic tent, the one dope growers love and we had descendants of the Holtermann family come, what a hoot and took a tin type portrait of the one the family members. Just like Holtermann would have done in the 1870's. Then that afternoon off to Sydney contemporary for a demo on letterpress printmaking which turned out to be a really happy vibe going on there.

Then on to Canberra for teaching Tin Type photography at Photo Access, all eager antiquarian beavers and all came up with some really great results. They learned portraiture and landscape in tin type format, mixing the chemicals and how to varnish a plate with lavender oil!

We had 2 cameras from around 1910 plus we managed to get a nice small tintype out of an old box brownie. As a first for Bill, he used the studio flash set up to do some tintype portraits, and it worked really well. Usually it's a 15 second hold for the sitter with not blinking or moving an eyelid.

Another first, was running out of developer and making our own up out of iron supplement tablets from the chemist! Worked even better than the proper stuff, we think it was the sugar coating that made the difference!

Photo Access at Manuka is a great asset to the arts community in Canberra. Great people, curator Claire and technical assistant Robert made us feel very welcome and their knowledge was far and wide in photography, highly recommend for any keen photographer in Canberra to check it out.
Curator of photo access Claire Capel-Stanley and student behind the lights waiting for his portrait moment Jay Cronans.




One very proud mama, my daughter Parris Dewhurst had her very beautiful installation exhibition Feral State of Mind at NANA contemporary Newcastle, still on till this Saturday so if you are in that neck of the woods check it out. Exhibition in the old David Jones windows.

NANA'S current exhibition: Feral State Of Mind by Parris Dewhurst looks best by nightfall when the reflections of the sun cease and the interior gallery lights cast shadows over her skeletons and sculptures. Radiating with mystery, Dewhurst's works pull the gaze of the passer by into the den of the gallery space. Throughout three windows Feral State Of Mind depicts soft sculpture amidst an installation of nature: Trees, branches, skeletons and more. The carefully articulated sculptures maintain a reverence for the passing of life in the rawness of natural materials and relics of skeletons, paired with minimal stitching, cushions of fabric and props of wood. We witness an interference between man and nature that is charming, alluring, pretty even, but with a sinter undertone. The signs and symbols in this installation unite as a system of warning, there is a suggestion to prepare and take care for the future. It serves as a reminder that not all appearances run deep and that in nature actions create consequences.
- Madeleine Cruise

Feral State Of Mind closes on the 26th of September 2015


If  all this art, printing and photography tickles your fancy, for more information on our antiquarian photographic and printmaking workshops go to our website.
www.hillendpress.com.au

warm blossoming for you all

Genevieve




Thursday, September 10, 2015

Hill End Press is off to Dubbo for printmaking workshops.

Jessie Traill images courtesy of State Library of Victoria collection.






 For further information go to the Western Plains Cultural Centre http://www.westernplainsculturalcentre.org/

 

Winning entry by Hill End artist Genevieve Carroll, winner of Arts U...

HILL END ARTS COUNCIL: Hill End artist Genevieve Carroll winner of Arts U...: A “joyous and exuberant” work by artist Genevieve Carroll has won the Pro Hart Prize for Hanging Art in the 2015 Art Unlimited competiti...

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

HILL END PRESS at SYDNEY CONTEMPORARY, Carriageworks

HILL END ARTS COUNCIL: HILL END PRESS at SYDNEY CONTEMPORARY, CARRIAGEWOR...:    Come and meet award winning artists, master printer Bill Moseley and artist Genevieve Carroll of Hill End Press.  ...read more


No time for sitting around


We've been busy in the studio printing out these little gems of letterpress stationery to hand out at Sydney Contemporary, come along and meet us for a chat about all antiquarian printmaking and photographic processes.

For more details on this very exciting event go to  SYDNEY CONTEMPORARY  http://sydneycontemporary.com.au/

Friday, February 27, 2015

The Studio School Workshops are open for bookings!


T H E   S T U D I O   S C H O O L   W O R K S H O P   P R O G R A M   F O R   2 0 1 5

C O P P E R P L A T E   P H O T O G R A V U R E

L E T T E R P R E S S   P R I N T M A K I N G

L E T T E R P R E S S   U S I N G   P H O T O P O L Y M E R   P L A T E S

 T I N  T Y P E    P H O T O G R A P H Y




WORKSHOPS INCLUDE:

Qualified and award winning art & photography teachers Bill Moseley & Genevieve Carroll .

Basic terminology and history of antiquarian  processes combined with contemporary technology.

Printing with our presses - Gordon Platen Press, Adana, Farley and etching press.

Darkroom facilities.

A unique Hill End creative environment.

Large studio with underfloor heating.

Lunches, morning and afternoon tea.

For further information on processes, costs and the ongoings of Hill End Press go to  www.hillendpress.com.au



H O W   T O   H A V E   L U X U R Y   L E T T E R P R E S S   
W E D D I N G   S T A T I O N E R Y 
( w i t h o u t   s p e n d i n g   a  t o n ). 

See all the new luxury letterpress designs on the Hill End Press website, inspired by our beautiful wild garden www.hillendpress.com.au