A discussion with Deborah Williams

Posted: 23 August 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Artists | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Deborah Williams is an artist who is based in Melbourne, Australia.

Working with intaglio printmaking, she lovingly explores the world of the canine.

Please enjoy my dialogue with Deborah about her art and interests.

Deborah Williams, Looking in from the outside, 2012, etching, engraving and roulette intaglio, 58 x 77.5 cm, edition 20

Rona: Please describe your art for us.

Deborah: When I look at dogs in and around me, I question whether dogs are seen for what they are, as separate beings. I observe that while we do not objectify our dogs per se, our feelings are frequently filtered through human perspectives; these dogs are therefore anthropomorphized, brought unwittingly into our worlds.

I strive to challenge the anthropomorphizing of dogs even though I acknowledge that my work, in common with historical and contemporary contexts of the representation of dogs, is none the less filtered through my own perspectives and brought into our world.

I aim to depict the dog not as a breed above, apart or beyond, but of its own, captured in a moment.

Deborah Williams, Alternative view, 2012, etching, engraving and roulette intaglio, 36 x 89 cm, edition 20

R: Why is the dog as subject matter so special to you?

D: I did not consciously set out to make images of dogs. It just seemed to evolve organically. In 1992 I adopted a Blue Heeler x from the pound. Ruby accompanied me often to the studio and I drew her in those moments when I felt at a complete loss or creatively uninspired. This seemed to happen often.

I began to look at the dog as a potent marker for the fragility of the world we live in. And they represent the qualities we advocate but cannot sustain – unquestioning love, inner peace, inexhaustible spirit. They educate, intrigue and amuse me.

Deborah Williams, A point of view II, 2012, etching, roulette and engraving intaglio, 69 x 43 cm, edition 20

R: Who has been an inspiration to you art wise?

D: Noel Counihan. I was fortunate to grow up with his linocut print The Hunger, 1959. Counihan believed printmaking was a Socialist art form, easier to disseminate to the masses. This philosophy had a direct impact on my decision to study Printmaking and has continually inspired me. His images keep me grounded. They challenge me to keep reflecting and I believe, always will.

R: Which of your art making tools is the favourite?

D: Roulette wheels.

Deborah Williams, Projection, 2011, engraving and roulette, 21 x 19 cm, edition 20

R: When you are working what do you listen to?

D: RRR or music ranging from Joan as Policewoman, Gil Scott-Heron and Beethoven.

R: What is your all time favourite book, and are you currently reading anything interesting?

D: All time favourite book would have to be The Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger and I’m currently reading Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean.

R: Where do you like to visit for relaxation when not making art?

D: Somewhere warm with an amazing beach and great food. If that’s not possible, walking the parks around the Merri Creek or Yarra with my dog Kish.

R: Thanks for chatting with me Deb!

If you would like to see Deborah’s work in the flesh run along to her exhibition Sense of Self at Australian Galleries, 50 Smith Street, Collingwood, VIC, 3066. The show is on now and continues until Sunday 16 September 2012.

You can also check out more of Deb’s delightful work by clicking here to visit her website.

In conversation with Paul Compton

Posted: 2 July 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Artists | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

 

Black Horse of Sutton by Paul Compton

 

Paul Compton is a visual artist who lives and works in Melbourne, Australia.

Through his art Paul creates a magically haunting world for us in which to dwell.

This week I had a chat with Paul and this is what we nattered about…

 

The Phantom Limb by Paul Compton

 

Rona: Please describe your art for us.

Paul: I make drawings, prints, books and zines. I’m intrigued by the curious and dark aspects of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. I am continually interested in the occult, literature, folk lore and outsiders. I tend to suggest narratives in my work that blend sad and grim elements of life with humour.

 

R: Which of your art making tools is the favourite?

P: My old-fashioned dip pen.

 

The Parlour by Paul Compton

 

R: When you are making art what do you like to listen to?

P: I love listening to music / musicians that are either obscure or largely forgotten. It feels special to know that I might be the only person in the world playing their song at that exact moment. I adore folk, 80’s & 90’s New Wave and Goth Bands, theatre musicals, bluegrass, classical (Scriabin is my favourite), 1970’s Glam Rock and any obscure German Chamber music I can get my hands on.

 

R: Who has influenced or inspired you art wise?

P: Odilon Redon, Gustave Dore, Edward Gorey, Peter Blake, James Ensor, Paula Rego, Vilhelm Hammershøi and more recently Grayson Perry. The most inspiring artists are the ones I see exhibiting regularly in Melbourne. I see their work progressing and they inspire me to keep going and attempt to get better at what I do each time. They have truly unique and personal styles which I find very encouraging. These artists include Deborah Klein, Shane Jones, Petr Herel, Steve Cox, Rona Green, Sheridan Jones and Jazmina Cininas to name just a few.

 

To Possess You With by Paul Compton

 

R: Where do you like to go to see some art?

P: I love the NGV International, Hand Held Gallery, Australian Galleries, Sophie Gannon Gallery, c3 contemporary art space, Craft Victoria and Bundoora Homestead.

 

R: What are your favourite horror film and ghost story?

P: My favourite horror films aren’t gory ones, more subtle and quietly disturbing. The Omen and Rosemary’s Baby are my favourite bedtime flicks. My favourite ghost story involves the Black Shuck which is a fierce, ghostly black dog that famously appeared to a church congregation in Blythburg, England in 1577. It killed two people, caused the church steeple to collapse through the roof and as it fled into the mist it left scorch marks on the northern door which can be seen at the church to this day!

 

Bat / Saint by Paul Compton

 

R: Why did you become an artist, and what do you enjoy most about the artistic life?

P: It is the only thing that gives me a true sense of an identity. When you put on an item of clothing it is designed by someone else and someone else in the world might be wearing it too but with making art it is purely the amalgamation of all the things that interest, inspire and scare me most. I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment when I finish an exhibition because then I can move on to my next one!

 

 

If you would like to view Paul’s art in the flesh go see his exhibition Domestic Disturbance at Hand Held Gallery, Suite 18 Paramount Arcade, 108 Bourke Street, Melbourne, running from 28 June til 21 July 2012.

You can check out more of Paul’s wonderful work by clicking on these links to his redbubble profile and blog.

 

Who do you love?

Posted: 26 February 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Artists, Rona | Tags: , , , , , , | 12 Comments

 

Jean Dubuffet, Self Portrait, 1966, marker pen on paper

 

‘For a very long time I was too humble […] and lacking in confidence and composure; and I suffered cruelly because of this, appearing in my own eyes to be nothing more than the most abject dog turd. It was only at a late stage – when in the end I had resigned myself to living like a dog turd without shame or regret and making the best of the situation – that it dawned on me that everyone else was also a dog turd.’

– Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985)

 

Portrait of Jean Dubuffet by Marc Trivier

 

I love Jean Dubuffet.

While studying at university, one afternoon in the library when flipping through books in the art section, I turned a page and saw a reproduction of Man Eating a Small Stone by Dubuffet.

It turned my world upside down.

 

Jean Dubuffet, Man Eating a Small Stone, 1944, lithograph

 

Early in his life, Dubuffet was influenced by the German psychiatrist and art historian Hans Prinzhorn, and his book Bildnerei der Geisteskranken (Artistry of the Mentally Ill) published in 1922.

 

Hans Prinzhorn 1886-1933

 

Dubuffet collected an enormous amount of work by psychiatric patients, prisoners and children. He invented the term Art Brut (raw art) for the work produced by these non-professional artists. The collection is now housed at the Musée de l’Art Brut in Lausanne, Switzerland.

 

Heinrich Anton Müller, Man with flies and snake, c 1920s, crayon drawing

 

Adolf Wölfli, Saint Adolf wearing glasses, 1924, pencil on paper

 

Dubuffet once declared ‘For me, insanity is super sanity. The normal is psychotic. Normal means lack of imagination, lack of creativity.’

 

Jean Dubuffet, Pisser at the wall, 1945, lithograph

 

Jean Dubuffet, Bertelé Mondain, 1946, oil on canvas

 

Jean Dubuffet, La belle encornée, 1954, oil on canvas

 

Jean Dubuffet, Le deviseur II, 1969-1970, epoxy resin and polyurethane paints

 

Jean Dubuffet, Cabinet Logologique, 1967-1969, epoxy resin and concrete with polyurethane paints

 

Jean Dubuffet, Closerie Falbala, 1971-1973, epoxy resin and concrete with polyurethane paints

 

Jean Dubuffet, Portrait d'homme, 1974, mixed media on paper

 

Jean Dubuffet, Mêle moments, 1976, mixed media on canvas

 

Jean Dubuffet, Jardin d'émail, 1974, epoxy resin and concrete with polyurethane paints

 

One of my most ecstatic art moments was visiting the Kröller-Müller Museum when in the Netherlands and encountering Dubuffet’s Jardin d’émail. Indescribable.

 

Rona Green atop Jardin d'émail

 

Dubuffet expressed that ‘Art should always make us laugh a little and frighten us a little, but never bore us.’

 

Jean Dubuffet driving some hot wheels

 

Put simply the guy is mind-blowing and his effect upon me has been profound.

 

Rona Green, party, 1995, lithograph

 

So, who do you love?

 

Allow me to introduce myself

Posted: 3 January 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Rona | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

 

Rona circa 1976

 

Greetings!

My name is Rona Green and I am an artist.

 

Rona (left) freaking out over dead fish circa 1976

 

I am also a herbivore and my habitat is Melbourne, Australia.

 

Rona a bit happier on a pony circa 1977

 

The idea behind this blog is to document my inspiration, work and activities.

If you would like to know more about me and my work right now check out ronagreen.com.

Thanks for visiting!