A sneak peak at my new website

My life plays out as such a crazy pace that I never seem to find enough spare time to write about the exciting projects that swallow so much of my attention.

My personal projects are all too often abandoned, sometimes when oh-so-close to being finished, due to the need to direct my full attention to some worthy cause or other.  I love worthy-cause projects.  They inspire and stimulate me.  However, I do sometimes regret my inability to better balance my commitments.

Nearly two years ago I built myself a new website, but it has sat there unlaunched ever since.  All because I didn't make the time to find the key person to walk me through the complexities of changing my domain name and associated emails across to the new platform.

I was unwilling to make the website visible until it had the correct domain address, but now it already needs updating and of course I am too busy with my current project to do that.  So here is a sneak preview of my new (2 year old) website, still awaiting transfer to my correct domain name, but in the meantime available for viewing at its (hopefully) temporary address!

wendylugg.wordpress.com         

Let me know what you think.
In my next post I'll tell you about my current worthy cause...

exhibition preparation

The Telling Stories exhibition opened last Friday, with an appeciative audience in attendance to enjoy the wonderful work of the six artists I invited to join me in telling stories about things that matter to us.   

The opening was a great finish to a very busy few days working alongside City of Wanneroo exhibition officer Murray and his team at the gallery, installing the exhibition.  Here is what the gallery looked like a few days earlier.  

Rolls of quilts on the table, walls awaiting adornment, and in the background trolleys full of light fixtures awaiting placement.

 Murray had worked out a floor plan and built the space, arranging the portable wall panels to accommodate the artists' works.

 Here I am with Pam Annesley, receiving her beautiful jewellery.

Textile works were carefully unrolled and spread out on drop sheets on the floor in readiness for positioning.

Laying them out like this in the space is a useful way of finalising the hanging arrangement, as they can be seen together and easily moved around on their plastic dropsheets.

 Once the works were hung, Murray set up the lights using his state of the art moving platform.

Here I am on opening night introducing artists (left to right) Marjorie Coleman, Pam Annesley, Elizabeth McCaig and Angie Beck. Karen McClurkin and Michele Eastwood were unable to be with us, but their artworks were a powerful presence.

I'll show some images of the exhibition itself in my next post, but I hope you enjoyed this glimpse behind the scene.

TELLING STORIES exhibition invitation

In August 2011 I commenced a six month arts residency exploring the museum collection and local history of the City of Wanneroo, on the northern outskirts of the Perth. 

Three years later, I've been invited to return to mount a major exhibition in the City's wonderful large Gallery space.  I have invited six other artists to join me, both from within the City of Wanneroo and from further afield.  We will all share stories of people and places important to us, with over 100 works on display in a variety of media including painting, cyanotype, jewellery, digital print and textiles.

 

After two busy months of finalising arrangements as exhibition curator and administrator, as well as finishing my own artworks (well, I admit, I'm still stitching and printing!) the show is about to be installed.  I am very excited by the wonderful work being shared by Angie Beck, Pam Annesley, Marjorie Colemen, Michele Eastwood, Elizabeth McCaig and Karen McClurkin.      

TELLING STORIES of People and Place opens on Friday 1st August at 6pm, at the Gallery, Wanneroo Library and Cultural Centre, cnr Dundebar Rd and Rocca Way, Wanneroo.  If you live close enough, I'd love to see you at the opening.  The exhibition is only on for just over a week, from Saturday August 2 to Sunday August 10.  Gallery hours are 10am - 4pm Tuesday to Friday and 12noon - 4pm Saturday and Sunday.  Please note that the gallery is closed on Mondays. 

Tully

Yesterday I headed up the coast to Yanchep, for a lovely catch-up with artist friends I'd not seen since my residency last November.  It turned out to be an auspicious choice of days to visit.  Angie Beck, who made a number of sock dolls during the residency, was about to send one of them off on a world trip.  

With passport and bag all prepared, and an international itinerary set in place, Tully was about to embark on his journey.  

 

Tully was made from a Qantas travel sock that travelled from England to Australia about ten years ago.  Worn by Angie in the cooler months, the sock had stretched a bit, so Angie decided to recycle it and send it back out to travel the globe in the form of Tully (who is wearing a shirt made from another old sock donated by a friend).   

First stop Hong Kong!  Tully is certainly NOT travelling first class, but he did make the local paper, which will be following his travels via its blog - yanchepnews.blogspot.com.au

final exhibition

The month is at an end, and so is my residency.  The exhibition of work produced by the community members who joined me in activities throughout the residency is installed and being enjoyed, not only by those who contributed, but also by others who've come to see what we've been up to. 

Pop-up museum of historical home-made toys in the foreground, and photo essays depicting Yanchep stories on the walls behind.

Another view of the exhibition.

Puppets made by the talented children in Miss Spowart's Year 3 Class at Two Rocks Primary School.

The community of socks dolls made by Angie, Merryl, Helen and myself

Monoprints and collagraphs printed by Merryl, Pam, Suzie and Angie with Karen in her studio.

Postcards and printed fabric by Merryl, printed fabric by Ann and Pam, with Pam's used to create several wonderfully inventive bags.

Printed fabric by Angie, and our young visitor Molly.  That's Molly's fabric on the left, specially impressive because this was her first ever printing session!    
Everyone who has visited the exhibition (approx 40 visitors so far) has been impressed by the amount and the quality of work produced by these talented locals.  Well done everyone!  Last chance to see the work is 11am - 4pm Sunday Dec 1st, at Capricorn Community House, 73 Lindsay Beach Bvd, Yanchep. 

collections

I've been collecting stuff throughout my residency - beach detritus, socks....

With my residency rapidly drawing to a close, I decided it was time to wash the ever-growing pile of beach finds

 It's quite an assortment - rope, shells, a float, containers, a wonderful block of drift wood (which has since been commandeered by a chap who thought "that piece of rubbish would make a great chock for my trailer!"  I bowed to his greater need.........

This is the first thing I collected at the lagoon.  I had to squeeze behind the roadworks fence to retrieve it, but at 6am there was no danger of getting in the way of the workers who were yet to arrive.  A broken plastic wheel trim or similar, it just begs to be turned into the base of a container.

 

These treasures, drying on the line, were found at the Two Rocks Primary School fete - great piles of children's used socks at 20 cents per pair!  I invested $2.20 and left the rest for others to enjoy, but suggested that any not sold be delivered to Renae for use in her classroom.  (See an earlier post for the sock and peg treasures Renae's class produced last week).   

Collagraphs

On Friday Angie, Pam and I had the good fortune to spend a few hours with Karen McGlurkin in her studio, creating and printing collagraphs.  Here Karen is winding a plate through the press.

Karen removing the excess etching ink from the plate.

Angie watches intently as Karen refines the ink removal process 

Pam with her frog print

Angie compares her plates and the resulting prints

Some of the results of our labours.  Thanks, Karen!