Gail Stiffe
Fitzroy Library Exhibition Space
28 May - 31 July 2009
Paper Travels
Pulp paintings and other works inspired by travels in Asia, the Pacific & Australia
Mt Arapiles, cast pulp painting, 48 x 56cm, 1998
Gail Stiffe has been making paper since 1984 and is still exploring the many aspects of making papers by hand. She specialises in pulp painting and casting. Her 17 works in Fitzroy Library included 10 pulp paintings. Many of these were textural works, the images formed in cast and moulded coloured papers. I was delighted and intrigued by Mt Arapiles, in which the hard mountain range with trees in cast pulp looked, to me, almost soft and cuddly. Gail used papers of different kinds and textures to create earth, sky and foliage. Korea Bowl 1, inspired by an overseas trip, showed a striking dark blue bowl, the tonal ranges formed in darker and lighter papers, against o soft background of mauve and white papers. In Wagga Wagga, a digital photo of trees and water was accompanied by a very pleasing interpretation of the tree forms and reflections in shades-of-greens pulp against white handmade paper.
Other works included handmade papers with digital images on Hanemuhle art paper.
Wagga Wagga, digital image & pulp painting, 52 x 42cm, 2005
In Korea Bowl Collage, the blue bowl reappeared in different format and on fibrous paper, accompanied by dark abstract images. In Coorong Barrages Collage, more mysterious abstract forms appeared, which could be rock face, fortress or forest. Very different again, Tesselations was an installation of 12 pieces - small screen prints on handmade & ginger lily papers, each bearing a little cushion-like form.
Of her work, Gail wrote: “My love affair with paper began many years ago when I first learned to make my own. What do I like about working with paper? I like all the many things you can do with paper. I like to make pulp paintings, cast paper, installations books and cards. I like to make paper from plants and see what surprises are in store. I like to recycle because I care for the environment. I like to make something valuable out of something that would otherwise be thrown away. Most of all I love the fact that even although I’ve been making paper for over fifteen years, I’m still experimenting.”
Review by Cressida Fox