Bookbinding and Boxmaking – Glen Skien
Level of competence – beginners welcome
Duration of workshop – 3 days
Cost – $210 + materials and equipment
Biographical Details
Glen Skien has spent the major part of his exhibiting life as a printmaker and author of objects in the Central Queensland coastal city of Mackay. After completing a four year sign-writing apprenticeship and a year travelling and working in Europe he returned to study a diploma of Fine Arts in Townsville, graduating in 1988. Since 1990 he has exhibited consistently throughout regional Queensland with a major survey exhibition “Palimpest The Art of Glen Skien” touring throughout regional Australia including Icon Gallery in Melbourne. In the mid 90s he worked as a set designer with Crossroad Arts, a Mackay based deaf theatre ensemble. This experience was to be influential with the discovery of how objects and surfaces contain the possibility of revealing their own narratives. Several years later Skien established Silent Parrot Press with a focus on creating limited edition prints and artists’ books. In 2007 he relocated to Brisbane to complete post graduate studies at Griffith University Queensland College of Art. The continual thread existing in the prints and assemblage box works of Glen Skien is one of illumination of experience and emotion but not descriptively, always with intuition at its heart. Ultimately, intuition here is about the relationship between the creation of meaning and art.
Workshop Details
Glen will use the first half of this three day workshop to instruct students in Japanese and journal stich book-binding methods. The second part of the workshop will focus on the creation of unique individual box pieces which combine elements of collage and assemblage. Participants will be encouraged to create individual box structures which explore narratives relating to their own history through the use of their own resource materials.
Materials and Equipment Required for Workshop
Book Binding:-
1. 3 full sheets of any print or watercolour paper no heavier than 250gsm two sheets of light weight Canson coloured pastel paper or similar (free colour choice)
2. sewing needle, roll of linen or wax thread (black or white in colour) bone folder (optional) small tube of PVA glue (Aquadhere recommended) 1 & 2 flat paint brushes
3. masking tape, 2 bull-dog paper clips, pocket Stanley knife, HB pencil, 60cm steel ruler, cutting board
Box Assemblage Materials:-
- 2 full size sheets of coloured or decorative rice paper (approx. size:70x50cm) Unrushie brand recommended but not essential. Any light weight papers are fine. Mount board off cut 30x30cm
- Personal ephemera material to be used in box assemblage work. This may include copies of photographs (or originals), postcards, memorabilia, recycled prints, small personal objects.
