Introduction - Noela

Hi everyone.
I am a mixed media artist, living in beautiful Maleny on the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, Australia. My friends and family are a constant joy to me and my creativity keeps me fulfilled.
I paint, draw, make jewellery, design, sew, photograph, travel, and generally just have a jolly good life.
My work is generally abstract, in earthy colours and often combines rust paint or found objects. I find that old, worn, pre loved 'stuff' generates its own energy, which 'speaks' to the viewer. My work carries the essence of 'wabi sabi' - the Zen Buddhist philosophy of finding beauty in age and imperfection.
My blog site is http://wabisabiart.blogspot.com/
I am participating in this 'A Letter a week' project because it keeps me 'thinking outside the square'. I am not a calligrapher or a book maker but I have developed a love of book making as a form of consolidating samples and gorgeous bits too special to throw away.
I am looking forward to seeing all your wonderful creations throughout the year.



Introduction - Fiona

Hi all

I'm a calligraphic and book artist who lives in Maleny in Queensland, Australia. A couple of years ago I was chatting with my friend Gemma, about setting a small challenge or task for ourselves - to write a letter a week. Well it took off from there and became this lovely international exchange with artists of all sorts and styles.

I like it because it's not too hard, not too onerous and you can do it a little bit at a time.

I blog at paperponderings - and if you let me know your blog addresses; I'll add it to the "other places to find us" on the sidebar.

I just love letters, text, marks and books - on paper, metal or timber generally. We don't have a pet at the moment (we are away to much and any animal would be like an orphan) but we do grow our own coffee which we started drinking this week! Looking forward to sharing ALaW 2012 with you all,

Fiona

©2010 Fiona Dempster - "F" from my second alaw alphabet in 2010

polka dots

Hi everyone, I just had to share these pictures with you. After Fiona set the theme Polka Dots I've been seeing them everywhere!

A visit to Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) at the Queensland Art Gallery in Brisbane yesterday, I came across a room with an interactive component for the kids (& the big kid's) an all white room filled with white furniture. On entering the room you were given a coloured sheet of different size stickers to stick anywhere and everywhere. The room was full of all sorts of furniture; lounge chairs, cupboards, dinning table & chairs, it was so thick with dots you had to look twice to recognise them...

A wooden chair, it was so hard to see when photographing I chopped the bottom off not realising.

Two hats hung from a hat stand,

Child's table and chair and,

A piano and stool. I'm looking forward to seeing all the Polka Dot alphabets this year.

Sounds like another fun year.

Welcome to A Letter a Week 2012

Welcome to A Letter a Week 2012, a project that began in 2010 and is primarily about having fun, experimenting and having a regular, small project to focus on each week.

The aim is simply to:

• Write/create a letter a week
• Creating 52 letters
• Which must form 2 x alphabets (that is not 52 x the letter ‘A’)
• By the end of 2012

The main rule is that the letter must be presented on a piece of material measuring 7cm x 7cm

– this helps keep a sense of uniformity amongst the pieces which helps with exhibition coherence.

The other criterion for 2012 is that ONE alphabet has to meet the criteria of "Going dotty – polka dots and pixels”

– that means the alphabet uses dots or circles in some form, but is still presented on the square. It could mean dotted letters, dotted backgrounds, pixelated letters, nail heads into timber or letters within circles or…your imagination can have fun going dotty.

Each alphabet must be turned into a final piece which could be used for possible publication or exhibition.

– that is, you must put all the letters together into a final piece of art.

If you are interested in joining us, please contact me (Fiona Dempster) and I will get you set up.