The Fremantle Arts Centre Bazaar 2012 is over, it looked great! Thanks to all those people who came and saw my work please email me if you would like further information or for purchaces. Here are some pictures of my stall.
“In Place” concertina Artists’ book by Shana James
Mini artists books on display at bazaar.
So happy with the way things are coming together for the Bazaar. Here is a sneak peak at these cute little concertina books I have made.
The Bazaar is on at the Fremantle Arts Centre – Friday 30th November night market 5-10pm. Saturday 1st Dec & Sunday 2nd Dec 9am – 5pm. Hope to see you there.
Printed Etchings and the Handmade Plates
There is something about the organic process of being a printmaker and making original prints using techniques which have been used for centuries.
The process of creating an etching plate is integral to the work. There is an inherent difference in a line that is drawn on a page compared to a line that is etched into copper, filled with ink, polished with tissue paper and printed on a hand turned press. The etched line has a rich textured quality. In this digital age where we are saturated with images daily, the physical nature of these hand-made etchings stands out; the way the edge of the plate is embossed into the paper, the scratchy-ness of the drawn line indented into the plate.
It’s the physicality of this process which sometimes takes me down a different path of making. When I lift the paper from the plate I am never quite sure how it will turn out. Like walking in a darkened room, you can see enough to know where you are going, but there is an inherent uncertainty which makes you mindful of each step.
Inking up The Handmade Etching Plate
Intuition thrives in this uncertainty and the artwork lives as a by-product of this process.
Wiping Back the Etching Plate
I will have etchings on display for sale at the Fremantle Arts Centre Bazaar
1 Finnerty Street Fremantle
Fri 30th Nov 5pm-10pm, Sat 1st Dec 9am – 5pm, Sun 2nd Dec 9am-5pm. Come along and say hello……… until that time I will be printing 
Printing the Etching
Original Prints by Shana James
The reason I haven’t posted on my blog for a while is that I have been working so hard to create the best artwork I can to sell at the Bazaar – coming up very soon at the Fremantle Arts Centre.
It’s on for just one weekend Friday 30th November (5pm – 10pm), Saturday 1st December (9am – 5pm), Sunday 2nd December (9am – 5pm). Entry is just $2 (children under 12 free).
Set under the trees in the gardens of the Fremantle Arts Centre, its great to wander through and see all the beautiful art, design, jewellery, ceramics and textiles. To have this much art homewares and fashion by local designers in one venue is a great time saver; to see this range normally you would need to travel all over Perth.
I will have etchings, linocuts and drypoint handmade limited edition prints for sale. Everything from cards to small pieces framed or unframed up to larger pieces. With prices ranging from $6 to one piece at $700, and everything in between. Those of you who know my work will recognise the story telling style of the artwork I have made “exploring an imaginary world where the mysterious and visionary are every day events.”
This is one of the special series of etchings I have made for bazaar.
“Window Girl” etching by Shana James
Editioned to only 50 prints this small etching is only 5cm square and hand printed on cotton paper.
This is one of 4 images I will be selling at the bazaar for only $52 – a never to be repeated special. I have made these at a special price for the Bazaar so I wont be able to reserve or pre-sell these etchings.
If you are looking for something before November 30 other images on my etsy page are available for pre-sale.
Hope to see you at Bazaar, now for me its back to work……..
Click here to go to my website.
Bazaar Fremantle Arts Centre, 1 Finnerty Street Fremantle
I first heard about artists’ books more than 20 years ago; I was at art school and I wrote an essay about them. It was about 6 years later when I made one for the first time. I love books that are beautifully designed objects that you just want to hold. I love beautiful papers and I love printmaking. So it is not surprising that recently I have been making more artist’s books.
My most recently made Artist’s Book
Artists’ books don’t have to have a story although they can, they are books which are artworks. One of my favourite examples of artist’s books (although nothing like the work I make) is called Twenty six Gas Stationsby Ed Ruscha. The book documents all the petrol stations on a boring journey between the artist’s home in LA and his parents’ house in Oklahoma.[19]
My books are not so documentary in nature, they are more poetic. When I make the linocuts for these books I feel connected to the medieval woodcut printers of the past who illustrated and handprinted books with the only technology available to reproduce an image. (Click here to see the lino blocks for this book.)
The Space Within – Artis’s Book by Shana James
The first books I made were images only, more recently I have started to include text. In my last book I printed the words digitally, onto acetate with the handmade linocut print next to it, old and new side by side.
Its the tactile quality I enjoy most; the embossed surface, the slight imperfections of a handmade object, the series of images that go together. The way the images and the text or other images relate to each other. It’s all these elements working together that make a good artists’ book more than the sum of its parts.
The Space Within – Artists’ Book by Shana James Linocut on Cotton Paper and Digital Print Text on Acetate
Read the text that goes on each page on my etsy page
Click here for previous post What is an artists book?
Click here to see artists books on my website.
I also teach a printmaking class where you can make an artists’ book at the Fremantle Arts Centre.
This December I will be participating in Bazaar.
Bazaar at Fremantle Arts Centre is an upmarket Art and Craft Fair. Not anybody can go in it you have to apply to be chosen and it is quite compeditive for stallholders. Which means the quality of the artwork and design is very high. Everything is locally made from jewelery to locally designed and printed clothing and homewares. Taking place on the first weekend of December it is in perfect timing for pressy shopping.
It opens on Friday night and continues throughout the days on Saturday and Sunday.
Its just fabulous and I will be showing printmaking cards and other artwork. I’m so excited to get my work out and about again
Some of my prints
Lino Blocks by Shana James
As I said in my last post, I’m moving in a new direction with my artwork. This will be the start of a series of drypoints. The image size is A2 and it printed onto full size sheet of cotton paper. I love the rich fury line you get with drypoint it is so tacktile, so scribble-ly so hand drawn. There is an immediacy about the process of making the plate, and I’m happy with the looseness of the image.
Here comes the Print
I’m not into extreme sport, but I do enjoy the buzz when you lift the paper off the plate and its worked just the way you wanted it to.
…and here it is
So as the series progresses I’ll post each piece. I think this is the start of something good
Finished Drypoint by Shana James
Hi I am Shana, I'm a visual artist working from a home studio near Fremantle Western Australia. You can see more of my work at www.shanajames.com or click on the image above
In addition to making art I am also a tutor at the Fremantle Arts Centre, my website has more info about that too.
