Artist village

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Nancy

Treasure Hill Artist Village in Taipei, is a little village that is built into the side of a hill, next to a temple and is a magical mix of old and new. There are residential artist studios, pop up exhibitions, sculptures. quirky community gardens, and installations. Walking around the village each day, with its maze of rooms and dwellings, it was always a surprise to see what was happening. A mural on the road, an artwork that lit up at night, quirky installations, new exhibitions. A vibrant living and growing art space. I stayed in the Attic Hostel, in a serene and minimal room with a view where I sketched in my journal, and went on a diametric hunt for treasure one morning with my camera, placing my little printed porcelain pieces among the broken tiles of the old village.

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Woodford unmasked

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Nancy

Another Woodford Folk Festival, and 2015 began with fire ceremony, music and the arts.

Woodford’ visiting artist this year was Wang Wen Chih from Taiwan who with a team of 30 people created the nest like bamboo entranceways to the festival and the amphitheatre.http://www.woodfordfolkfestival.com/programme/act.html?qs=399

My team: Juliet, Alison, Potts, Ilene and Jess helped with workshops in the Childrens festival and Visual Arts, kept my tent afloat through the drenching rain and burning sun, and helped my Woodford experience flow as hundreds of children printed their unmasked bags, and the shibori workshops unfolded a kaleidoscope of indigo designs, and colourful patterns on silk.

One of my most memorable moments this year was of storyteller Kate Day, who wove a mesmerising tale about a giant and a small brave girl that made me stop and listen right to the happily ever after. http://www.woodfordfolkfestival.com/programme/act.html?qs=79

woodford folk festival indigo pot Nancy Brown
Woodford Childrens screenprints 2015
Woodford 2014
Shibori workshop Woodford Folk Festival 2014
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Woodford Decor

Posted on December 24, 2014 by Nancy

This week I’ve been working with Penny Smith and the Decor team at the art studio at Woodford Folk festival making big screenprints for the dance venue. The decor shed has a seemingly endless flow of curiosities arriving and departing all day, and a crew of people who make wishes their command. The food at festival setup is scrumptious, and the evenings are relaxed with new festival lanterns, lit up trees and the sounds of  singing and night animals in the lush valleys.

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mural painting

Posted on December 21, 2014 by Nancy

Juliet, Jennifer and I have been painting a mural for a bush tucker garden at Logan Reserve State School. There is a water feature in the garden, and a long panel and totems painted by another artist. The garden is quiet and shady, even on a hot summer’s day. On the second day lots of people arrived in buses all dressed in beautiful white gowns and clothes to celebrate christmas. They were singing in harmony, and in the garden we enjoyed the voices as we painted.

The mural has a snake, a platypus a scrub turkey and a freshwater turtle. Still a little further to go yet, here are some photos of the mural in progress.

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Pop

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Nancy

http://nancybrownstudio.bigcartel.com/

Just a few weeks ago, two busy and dynamic people had an idea about a weekend shop for Brisbane designers, and set about making it real, as well as designing and making items for the collection themselves. Here are some photos of the pop up shop that opened for one night and one day only. Furniture, skincare, jewellery, Clare Poppi’s wearable gardens http://clarepoppi.com, a curious caravan serving coffee, and Kim’s amazing apple pies all made a very delicious and special event.  I printed and steamed silk scarves for the occasion, and launched some new paisley porcelain jewellery.  Dreams such as these…  are why I love our muddy city. Thank you Robyn Harding and Kim Amos

 

Nancy Brown printed silk scarves
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Popping up

Posted on December 6, 2014 by Nancy

All the porcelain jewellery in my collection begin as images in my journal, which I print, shape, glaze and fire to make into jewellery. After much making, my work is now in these shops:

Kickarts Gallery Cairns–  gallery of contemporary art shop

(behind the big jellybabies sculptures)

http://shop.kickarts.org.au/

Kazuyo’s collection– hand made treasures

195b Boundary st West End Brisbane 4101

https://www.facebook.com/kimonofrog

and

Brisbane Made Design pop up shop

 29A Smith St Holland Park, Corner of Raff  Avenue,

Friday 12 December 2014 5pm-9pm and Saturday 13th  December 9am-3pm

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indigo

Posted on November 29, 2014 by Nancy

I brewed up an indigo pot for my class at BIA last week, It’s always quite tricky and there is no point in rushing, Indigo transforms at it’s own pace, and if it isn’t ready all that happens is blue powdery water.

indigo resist prints Nancy Brown
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making things

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Nancy

It feels good to be home, and I’ve been making things. I began with some printed clay, and have been cutting and shaping it, smoothing it, polishing it.. I like looking at all the odd little printed circles and rectangles as they dry and change colour to a bone white mud. I spent some time assembling jewellery, then etched some silver. Lots of U turns and broken things, which only bother me a little.
I’ve been making work for Botanique at the Mt Cootha gardens, and for Kickarts Cairns.

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Scarborough

Posted on November 9, 2014 by Nancy

A visit to Scarborough, which I think is one of the loveliest places in Brisbane, and home to some of my favourite trees: the ‘tangly trees”. I’m not alone in loving these trees, when I stop to visit them, a small child is sobbing as she is taken from her branch to go home.

I was in Scarborough for a Flying Arts day of monoprinting and etching with grade 8 students. What struck me during the session was all the exquisite detail that the medium allows, the scribes are fine, and etch a deep rich line into the depth of the plate that holds a lot of ink relative to it’s width. The group were very enthusiastic, and learned quickly how to make monoprints, chine colle, and some transfer printing methods, then combined these techniques with a drypoint etching.

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Clermont in pictures

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Nancy

Clermont is a photographer’s dream, a small town where history is visible, and the subtle landscapes and clarity of light make my heart skip a beat. In the evening, the sky delivers it’s cosmic display of stars above the quiet streets.

It was my third visit to Clermont with Flying Arts over the past decade. It is drought again, the mines are closing. The town seems to be returning to its agricultural and historical past.  Nomads, with impressive caravans, and cattle trucks pass me on the highway, and I stop frequently just to look at the afternoon light setting over the golden fields.

At the workshop at Clermont showgrounds we talk about the history and the lifestyle, and the screenprints we do reflect the passing of time.

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