Champagne with the western suburbs lawn tennis association!!

Great job to all those who gave up their usual weekend to stick down interesting stuff and then play with messy inks to produce intaglio collagraph prints.  Jane and Emma had scrapbooking collage pieces as well as chinese stencils. 

Jane and Emma.. fun over the press!!

Fran, Nikki, and Jo

And if you don't believe me how messy these guys got just check out this pic!!  I came along to sort out a few things... dont let that put you off however, these collagraph textures make for some amazing results...

and afterwards I got to partake in a glass of bubbly with the Western Suburbs Lawn Tennis Association.... such a dedicated bunch... they really are this was later :)

Foraging and enquiry!



Monarch pen drawings


Patiently... working on etching plates... Beginning an offshoot project to stir up the creative juices..... About the female protagonist as butterfly woman and exploring her through collagraphs. Research began on some local butterflies and ones that I have found and seen on their particular erratic path... I have began drawing on a collagraph block after doing a test block to see how various fabrics could work... it was the first print off the press in my residency studio...



collagraph test block

First Ashfield weekend workshop alot of fun!

15 participants and everyone worked really hard and patiently and got some lovely successes!  Thank you to all who came along and made it such a successful first workshop in Sydney!  Lots of interesting textures and fine results accomplished in such a short time. 

Stephan and Nikki hard at work wiping collagraph blocks!

Stamping my presence on the studio

I've made this space quite cosy with lots of artwork on the walls, and there are plenty of tables to work on, which I've set up for community workshops.  It was definitely worth bringing down my press and I look forward to working on my etchings :)



Intaglio go girl!!

 I've set up some trestle tables and took down the hot plates, though just could not fit in the glass slabs, so a mirror has replaced it for ease of cleaning and working....


Drawings on wall, and photoetching on plinth.

out back in the courtyard at thirning villa

This villa is the only Georgian residence left in Ashfield, built in 1868.  There is a lovely courtyard with out buildings and I decided to work on my 2 plate etching Nestle on Monday reblocking out to tweak a couple of the tones. 

Courtyard Thirning Villa

I am making full use of every room in Thirning Villa for art work... the kitchen was useful for staining rice paper for chin colle to add textural and colour effects for Nestle.

Kitchen upstairs

Thirning Villa in Sydney

This is the Thirning Villa, a lovely home to stay in and make work for 3 months.  I share the area with the Western Suburbs lawn tennis on the left, and an oval at the back, Lawn bowls to the right and the historical society downstairs on the right.  Living quarters are upstairs (Ive set up photography studio in one of the rooms) and have an etching studio set up dwonstairs.  Spacious and green for a very rural acclimatized though orginally city girl....

Rochelle at Thirning Villa Artist in Residence Jan 2012

View from bedroom/ photography studio window!

Road trip to sydney Wednesday 4 Jan 2012



Richard and very packed car!

 What an upheaval!  cleaning and cleaning and more cleaning my home and now sort of jobless and houseless but heading to sydney for a new adventure.... for 3 months in Ashfield Sydney and working as artist in residence. 

Fitted so much more in car with Richard's superb packing!!


Me in front, equipment, artwork in back...