Scanner Story

For the Scanner Story assignment in Graphic Pre Press lll we were required to gather 9 objects that represent our story and scan them on the flat bed of a scanner to make a jpg.   The objects that I chose have been a significant part of my journey and will tell you a little bit more about me.  My family is not included here because that is a bigger  story to tell....

1               Jenny Kee jumper

2               Botanic hair colour

3               Raymond Arnold printed paper

4               Brooch collection

5               Japanese handkerchief

6               Taiko bachi

7               Fabric

8               Rake

9               Craspedia globosa

Jenny Kee jumper

In the 1970s Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson had a shop in Sydney in the Strand Arcade called Flamingo Park.  I loved their clothes because their designs were the first fashion label to create a truly Australia feel through their use of aboriginal motifs, landscape features and native flora in their fabric designs. I went to Sydney especially to visit their shop.  Their clothes were handmade and one-off, and consequently expensive, but I just had to own a Jenny Kee.  I wore this jumper a lot, but now it needs some TLC to preserve it, as it is now a collector’s item.  I also have an opal silk scarf, bought from the Australian National Gallery shop a few years later.

Botanic hair colour

I had my first gray hair in my late teens and at that time I admired the French writer Collette, whose henna dyed hair was symbolic of a European artistic generation that I wanted to copy.  I had very dark, thick hair, but the henna gave my hair a beautiful red sheen, which was frequently admired....and I have been colouring my hair with organic products ever since...although now the colour dynamics have changed with the dominance of  naturally occurring gray hair.

Raymond Arnold printed paper

In the 1970’s I specialised in Printmaking when I was a student at the Tasmanian School of Art.   Having an appreciation of the technique, and being attracted to its visual qualities I could not resist a large work called Transcend the Dripping Rock by Tasmanian printmaker Raymond, which I saw in an exhibition called South of No North at Bett Gallery in the early 1990s.  This was to be the beginning of a modest art collection, which inadvertently has became dominated by Raymond’s work.  We now have 8...7 prints and 1 painting.  I obviously must like his work!  Raymond sent me a package some years ago that was wrapped in this remnant print....the printed paper is hidden in the shadow of the rake...but I will post my collection of his work at a later date.

Brooch collection

An interest in native plants, gardening and the Tasmanian landscape has been dominant part of my life since my early 20s and my brooch collection is focused on designs inspired by creatures that reside in it.  I love our native skinks, which are a common sight in every garden and bush landscape.  The first collectable brooch I bought was Ruth Waterhouse’s skink in the 1980s.  This brooch is so finely detailed that it almost looks real! Another much admired brooch is the cicada, which is a replica of an original vintage French design....and the trilobite was made from parts of a typewriter by local steam punk artist Jon Williamson. 

Japanese handkerchief

I first visited Japan in 1999 when my eldest daughter was on exchange for a year when she was 16.  I already had an interest in Japanese culture and aesthetics and it was then that I first discovered beautiful Japanese designed handkerchiefs that were sold at nearly every tourist outlet.  They were of a quality and design that could not be bought in Australia.  I have been to Japan five times now and every time I collect a new range of handkerchiefs to use.  It is nearly time to replenish the supply!

Taiko bachi

The first time I saw taiko played was when I saw Sydney based group Synergy perform at the Stanley Burbury Theatre at the University of Tasmania in the 1990s.  It impressed me so much that when a Taiko Society was formed at UTAS in 2002 I wanted to learn.  It was the beginning of a passionate10 year involvement in the group, combining administrative roles with training and performing.  It was a wonderful way to keep fit and was great fun!  It took up a lot of time, which I now need for other things....like renovating, gardening and studying!

Fabric

I learned to sew when I was a teenager and have always had an interest in beautiful textiles.  I just can’t resist them.   I rarely leave a fabric shop without another piece of fabric......and consequently I can always find a piece of fine cloth if I want to make something.

Garden rake

I am an obsessive raker!  Our house and garden is dominated by large gum trees, which shed leaves on a regular basis, especially in summer when there is a long dry period without rain.  It is not only a cleaning and tidying activity, but it is also meditative as well as being the method by which I reduce the fuel load around the house.  Maintaining this leaf litter free zone is an important fire safety measure and part of living in the bush.

  

Craspedia globosa (Billy Buttons or Drumsticks)

Craspedia globosa flowers are one of my favourite flowers.  Although our garden is planted with mostly Tasmanian species, there are a few mainland Australian species in the mix.   I have a group planting of Billy Buttons because it grows on very tall stems and its solid round head floats above other low plantings around it adding solid spots of bright yellow to the garden between November and February. It is a fantastic dried flower, which I used in the bouquets and on the reception tables for my daughter’s wedding in August several years ago.