Category / book binding

by Leonie Andrews

A bit of a diversion

Every weekend we have a Zoom call with some fellow artists in the UK. We meet for an hour to make art and chat. We started this during COVID, so its great that we continue to meet, both online, and now twice in person.

One of the sides, in book form

There’s no program, other than what we feel like doing. Before we start there’s always a discussion about what we will do tonight (our time).

The other side, in book form

I went back to some collage yesterday. I found a large envelope that I decided to turn into a small ‘maze’ book. Having cut the basic shape I started applying very random collage and marks.

One side as collaged

In the end it did take more than our one hour to complete, but by thar stage I was so engaged in the process that I kept going until I was done.

The other side as collage

For the first time in quite a few months I felt the stirrings of excitement, the potential to make new work. I can see several ways to proceed. While it is a ‘work’ in itself I see the possibility of using it as a springboard to new pieces, where they draw on the colours and marks in the book. There’s also the potential to work directly back into the book itself.

Random abstract collage
Marks made with watercolour pencils
There are endless options to work from

Who knows where this will lead.

by Leonie Andrews

Walks, Cafes etc

We have been doing a lot of walking since the pandemic started, originally prompted by restricted exercise periods for months at a time. Now walking is a regular activity and each week we try and do a slightly longer walk. We often break this up with a coffee, in our Thermos, or at one of the pop-up coffee carts that seem to be proliferating along popular walking tracks around the city.

Covered with a nice paperbag from a local bookshop

I hate carrying too much on these walks so I now carry this home made 10×14 cm sketchbook made of paper offcuts. Here are some of my recent sketches.

The sketches are adding up!
Late afternoon around Lake Tuggeranong
Coffee at the pop-up coffee cart Mt Taylor. In reality the Golden Retreiver wasn’t quite that long in the body!😄
A Thermos of coffee when we walked around the base of Mt Taylor
Patrons at the local coffee shop, a stop on our walk around Lake Tuggeranong
Bonus Black Swans with an almost fully grown cygnet.
by Leonie Andrews

Bound shadows

My collection of Loungeroom Residency photos is now flatter and comes with it’s own shadows!

Shadows from shadows, my newly bound photos

My inner ‘neat person’ (who knew I had such a thing) tried to tell me to cut off those wavy edges of paper. I told her to b*gger off.

It has also found a safe home in a box I recently received, which will now be re-purposed into a book case. Peeking through in this photo is a word from my very basic book ends – a recycled postcard glued on either end.

by Leonie Andrews

Residency following on

The first outcome of my loungeroom residency is this concertina book. As you can see it’s a work in progress.

A work in progress. All my shadow photos for the past 11 days.

I am assembling all the shadow photos l took over the past 11 days. There are quite a few which didn’t make it to Instagram. I have now wrestled this unwieldy dragon under several dictionaries. I’m not quite sure how long it will take to flatten properly.