About Studio 13 Paper

I live on the Northern Tablelands of NSW and over the last thirty five years I have been acquiring a spectrum of media and techniques I use in exhibition work and teaching. As an art educator I have a great time introducing others to the joy of "if it works use it" and I certainly follow that mantra in my own work.

I usually work with paper, my own plant fibre product as well as commercially made, but I will stitch, print, draw, paint, dye, glue, rivet or construct to communicate the idea I am working on. This can also include found objects, metal, fabric and fibre.

The process of making paper from plant fibre is labour intensive and can include exciting adventures in harvesting (braving spiders, snakes and curious council workers), washing fibre in my trusty twin tub, beating (a baseball bat is useful when the Hollander Beater is acting up) and finally forming sheets. It is immensely rewarding and is one of the many things I love to teach.

Paper makers often become book binders and I am no exception. I make Artists Book as I pursue an idea, usually with much research, but I also make books just for the joy of the materials I can mix and for fun with the form. My repertoire includes traditional forms taken with a twist, altered books changed in all sorts of ways, three dimensional and action books, and generally stretching the definition of the book.

Three dimensional construction is a natural partner with books and paper but can of course be pursued in its own right. I combine my papers with mixed media and push the idea of container as far as it will go. The ‘boxes’ may unfold into segments, expand or collapse, have drawers doors and compartments, contain other books, modelling and casting elements, combined with found objects and fibre, and be all sorts of forms from satchels to suitcases.

The range of media I work with feeds into my ‘palette’ which is in effect the walls of my studio. I may not have a specific idea in mind but I rarely throw any experiments away and eventually everything gets used. All this adds up to a wide experience in mixed media forms. Coupled with my broad experience as an art educator I am able to offer workshops for beginners and the more experienced in a variety of techniques. Click Workshop at the top of this page for an overview and more details.

It has also meant the production of a diverse body of work for exhibition but my work always has a basis of research at its core and an abiding interest in history and science, often combined. I am deeply interested in looking at the history of an idea, the growth of human knowledge and how it affects our interpretations of the world. Click Gallery tab at the top of this page for an overview.

I like to be busy which is fortunate. Click Events at the top of this page for an overview of what’s coming up in my diary.

For further information call Liz on 0434 246 524 or Click Here to contact us online.