Dyeing paper and fabric, and exploring Melbourne

 

I have been exploring Melbourne lately, and it is really a marvelous city.

 

I went to the city to have lunch with a friend and managed to fit in a few arty experiences.  The first was to Ian Potter Centre where I reacquainted myself with some old friends in the collection of Australian art - Ian Fairweather, Djiring,  Grahame King- and discovered some artists that I had not encountered before. My favourite was Inge King's works on paper.  I also visited the National Gallery of Victoria to see the William Hogarth exhibition.  It reaffirmed my view of him as a mad genius, in both his writing and his art.  There was a pop up craft market  in the foyer outside the Ian Potter Centre, but I was very good and only took business cards.

 

Another day, I took a trip down memory lane at La Trobe University , and rediscovered some rather interesting sculptures there.

 

Mr. Three was most impressed by the monument depicting Dante's Divine Comedy by Bart Sanciolo,  which was erected by the Italian community.

 

Another trip was to Yarraville to visit the wonderful gift shops there and specifically the pop up craft shop, Far Fetched Designs.

 

And of course, I have been enjoying the graffiti this city is famous for.

 

As well as cavorting all over the city, I have been working hard on my own creations.  I made three of these little brooches, which will soon be for sale of Etsy.

I have been boiling up onion skins with alum,

and dyeing watercolour paper:

 

 

as well as cotton.

 

 

They faded a fair bit when they dried, but my three research books turned up -Sasha Duerr's "The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes", Jenny Dean's" Wild Colour" and Rebecca Burgess' "Harvesting Color" - so  I am looking forward to lying on the couch and reading up on how to stop my colours fading in the future.

Lastly, my knitting goes on, and I am embroidering fish again.

 

I don't know how people can be bored living in Melbourne!  There is so much to do!