Paper and Books

Today was filled with paper and books and all the lovely people involved with them.

After doing some mudcloth with Sue last night (great red and decent tan from local muds),  I packed up, bade a fond farewell to Sue and Andrew and the Dandenongs, and loaded into Tricia’s car this morning.

Along the way we made a stop at a local art center – really a cool place(even though I can’t remember the name right now. Built specifically for making and exhibiting art of all sorts, the spaces were large and open and full of light. They used art all over to decorate the place, from leaf tiles in the sidewalks to the wooden fence tops carved in whimsical figures.

While gazing through the windows at a large hooked wall hanging in one painting room, we were literally pulled into the space by the instructor who asked me to show off my scrumbled vest that I was wearing. Too funny! Nice bunch  of ladies who had been painting together for 13 years.  From there we visited a $2 store in Box Hill on the way to a lovely lunch at Gail’s home with seven members of the papermakers group.

A number of scrumptious dishes (topped off by fresh watermelon and homemade baklava) comprised our feast.  Gail then shared lots of pictures of some super paper pieces from various exhibits she had seen. She also pulled out books that the group had made in the past and there was some sharing of really cool work that various people had done. The papers were gorgeous and the ideas and skill of the makers was top-notch. What a pleasure to soak it all in!

Tricia and I then had the fun of checking out Gail’s backyard where the ‘monster’ pumpkin was overtaking the lemon tree!  A HUGE pumpkin vine was literally swamping a good-sized lemon tree which was filled with ripening fruit. And in the midst of it all there was a basketball sized pumpkin being propped up by stakes so it wouldn’t break the lemon tree limbs. Gail also had papyrus growing along with a number of other good papermaking plants.

We did a bit of clean-up at Gail’s and then the three of us headed off to a BBQ being held as a joint meeting of the basketmakers and the bookmakers. Another round of delicious salads and desserts (fiber people REALLY know how to cook and eat!) along with some wine and sausages/hamburgers/veggie burgers.

To fill out the evening and provide something to do, they had four vats working for marbling paper. Everyone was invited to do some marbled sheets (I’ve got one drying out downstairs at the moment) and I think pretty much everyone marbled at least one sheet.

Bags got transferred to Anne’s car. After she made sure all was cleaned up (such are the duties of the group president!), we headed off to her home in the city proper (Melbourne) where I am staying for the next several days. I was met by Boris, an imperial and egotistical  Russian blue cat, and Tim Tim, a more sedate tiger.

All in all a good one.  Time to  tuck in – feeling bushed for the day.