Over the past two weeks I've been doing a Summer school unit at my art school. I've been really looking forward to going back to uni to finish my degree - next semester I'll be going three days a week for three hours. Summer school units are great because you can do one whole university unit in two weeks, intensively. Two Summers ago I took a book making unit which I loved (posted about here and here). This Summer I took a subject called 'The New Woodcut'. Our teacher, printmaking artist David Marsden, was a lot of fun and I got a lot out of the unit. I had taken one of his printmaking units in 2012 and this subject was similar but more focused. I didn't really come up with a theme for my work until the end of the first week but had fun playing around in the meantime. Our student contribution for the subject was $100* which I thought was a bit steep at first, but it covered access to the laser cutter in the architecture building which would usually cost at least $100 per hour to use (one of my boards took 76 minutes to cut alone!).




I decided I wanted to make a zine and for it to have a supermarket theme, based around the hundreds of shopping lists I had collected while working at my old job. I wrote 2 dozen haikus based on my experiences working there (I used to write down notes when interesting things happened). I illustrated some of the shopping lists in Photoshop and then printed them out and transferred the images to my MDF blocks and carved them by hand. I found that my carving got a lot better as the class went on - initially I would try to make really big, deep cuts, which ended up being quite messy and imprecise and would slip. I watched a video of American artist Thomas Shahan's process and noticed his really lovely, light, shallow cuts and the way that he holds his tools with two hands - his left low down on the tool to direct it and the right hand high on the tool pushing up and down.





I used the laser to cut a couple of images and the text for the zine - however because they were so intensely detailed, it was very difficult to ink them without ink getting on parts of the boards I didn't want inked. The interference from the ink ended up being something I kind of liked in the end - giving it a smudgey, DIY, ziney style.

I was so happy to make another zine - it has been 4 years since I last made one! I made this one pretty quickly and I'm pretty happy with it but I'm going to keep trying to develop it a bit more before I put them online to sell. If you'd like to buy a copy (should only be a couple of bucks), leave me your email address in a comment and when they're finished I'll let you know :)


+ I used a sewing machine in the textiles studio to sew some colourful binding.


+ Some extra prints that didn't end up in the zine.




+ My work set up for marking. Right at the end I decided to try making a tea towel, which I really liked the idea of, but I think I'd probably screen print if I made some more in the future.


+ These two photos were taken by Linda Riseley.

At the end of the subject we had our work marked and today we had our exhibition with all of the other Summer school units. My uni has some pretty awesome summer school units like furniture making, jewellery, metalwork, painting, textiles, drawing and theatre - which anyone can take (uni students have the fees deferred, but anyone can sign up and pay the course fees). I'll do another post with some pictures of the exhibition.

*NB. For those wondering, the $100 is a consumables fee for materials we use during the course. The actual course fees are something like $500 - $800, but in Australia, most people defer their university education fees and eventually pay them off incrementally (something like 4% of your earnings to begin with) once you start earning over $51,000 dollars a year (which for most people I know, including my mum, they still haven't had to start paying theirs off yet, or pay a very small amount each year with their tax). And of course, if you pass away, your debt is cancelled and doesn't get passed on to anyone. This system means that finances should never be a deterrent for anyone seeking out an education in Australia. I know that without this system, it's very likely I might not have been able to go to university.

A week ago Isis and Holly accompanied me on a little road trip up North to go opshopping. We left by 9am and took our time and managed to visit a handful of opshops in Deloraine, Latrobe and Devonport. Apart from a raging migraine, I had a lovely day and it was great to spend time with Isis and Holly, not to mention, picking up some goodies.


Holly is cute as pie.





Sunny's Antiques & Collectibles in Deloraine is one of my very favourite second hand shops and was a must-visit on our travels. It's the kind of shop where you want to buy everything, but walk in and feel totally overwhelmed by all of the beautiful things and end up only buying one thing. It's hard to pull the items away from their beautiful displays. Libbi, one of the ladies who runs it, is a total delight to talk to and you can see how much enjoyment she gets from curating her beautiful shop.








Libbi makes these beautiful handmade skirts from tablecloths.



We stopped at Laneway Cafe in Devonport for lunch and I had an enormous breakfast.


I loved the decor in their bathroom.





Before we headed home we checked out the Devonport Antique Emporium, which was pretty incredible, jam-packed full of antiques on their top floor. We spent quite a long time checking out all of its nooks and crannies, though after we left the three of us discussed how we kind of prefer 'the thrill of the chase' when it comes to second hand things, and like to uncover them ourselves in opshops rather than curated in an antique shop (with antique shop prices).

These were some items I came home with.

This cute backpack from The Black Hen.


Some little toys for Theo.


This little toy caught my eye at the Antique Emporium and the lady at the counter told me that it was American and from the 50s. You pull it along and the little bear hits the xylophone and plays a different combination of notes with each turn of the wheels. It was one of my more expensive purchases of the day ($15) but I just couldn't part with it.



I thought the graphics on these dominoes were really beautiful, from Vinnies in Latrobe.



I found an overabundance of baby girls clothes, but nothing for my boy. And, no, we're not having another baby any time soon, just collecting for the future!


I found this child's Tintin shirt, which I knew C would love (it will be a few years before Theo will fit into it) and Isis picked out a nice cropped, short-sleeved cardigan which I would have worn all this week except for this ridiculous heat wave (Tasmania is NEVER this hot).



Shops we visited:
+ Salvos, Deloraine
+ Vinnies, Deloraine
+ Sunny's Antiques & Collectibles, Deloraine
+ Golden Opportunity, Deloraine
+ The 2nd Hand Shed, Deloraine
+ The Black Hen, Deloraine
+ Deloraine Secondhand
+ Lifeline, Latrobe
+ Vinnies, Latrobe
+ City Mission, Devonport
+ Antique Emporium, Devonport

Next time we'll try to make it a little further and get to Ulverstone, Penguin, Burnie and Wynyard. I'd also like to plan out some Hobart opshops to visit when we next visit. Have you had any thrifting wins lately?

Dear internet provider,
Please hasten reconnecting my service - I feel disconnected from the world (but really, I'm kind of enjoying the internet down-time)!
Yours, I've-used-up-all-my-data Jagoe.

Dear teenage boy at the burger shop,
When you accidentally dropped my debit card and I said it was karma because I snapped my husband's card by accident and you said that it was 'card-ma', it pleased me greatly.
Yours truly, burger and pun fan ("would you like puns with that?").

Dear Theo,
You make me so excited for the future.  I am so impressed by your oh-so-nearly crawling and your exceptional hand-eye-coordination. You love trying new foods and your favourite at the moment is Greek yoghurt.  You are sleeping mostly in your own room now but I do miss being close to you all the time. I'm about to go back to university so I won't get to spend as much time with you, but you and your dad are going to have such good times together. You are such a sweet,  happy boy and you make me feel like the richest person alive. You have the best smile I've ever seen.
I love you very much,
From your mum.

Dear UNHCR telephone man,
It made me laugh so much when you were waiting for me to tell you my details and I thought you were logging something in your computer,  so we both sat in silence for 30 seconds waiting for the other. I liked how funny you found it too.  Also, thanks for chatting with me for 15 minutes about world events before asking me for money.
Yours, happy I could make a small contribution.

Dear Zooey Deschanel,
How do you get your fringe so perfect? Tips?
Yours, bang-jealous.

Dear Isis and Holly,
Thanks so much for accompanying me on an opshopping adventure - I hope you'll join me for round two later in the year. I really enjoyed your company.
Yours, opshop-obsessed.

Dear Bianca a year ago,
Don't cut your lovely, long hair. You will regret it!
Yours, impatiently waiting for it to grow back.

Dear C,
Thank you for all the work you put in for our little family and especially for all of the sleep- ins you let me have even when I know you've had less sleep than me. I know you'll be so much happier now that you've quit your job and you can be the stay-at-home dad you've always wanted to be. It will make me so happier to see you happy again and doing what you enjoy.
Lots of love, your wife.

Dear Launceston drivers,
Please learn how to use indicators and stop speeding. You make me feel unsafe.
Yours, self-proclaimed excellent driver.

Dear family,
Please come and live in Tasmania immediately. You'll really like it here,  I promise.
Love, your daughter/sister/aunty who misses you greatly.

Who do you need to write a letter to?

I spent the first half of the year preparing for and growing Theodore and the second half adjusting to the whirlwind experience of parenthood. We had some lovely trips and spent time with lots of people we love and I'll remember it fondly. Here is a little recount, more for jogging my own memory than anything else.


In January: We rang in the new year by attempting to eat a pomegranate, we found out we were having a boy, I spent a couple of days in Newcastle and attended my friends' wedding, I met my newborn nephew Moby and had a belated Christmas feast with my family, I got home and there was a sweet little black cat in my house named Atticus, our friends Chris and AJ came to stay, I started work on Theo's nursery - painting every piece of furniture I got my hands on.


In February: C and I celebrated our 4th year of being together, I went opshopping and to the markets a lot and started making a ridiculous amount of felt balls while watching Twin Peaks.


In March: I started 3rd trimester, I celebrated my 23rd birthday, C's brother came down to Tassie, C's dad went into hospital for a major operation, we went for a lovely drive to Devonport and swam at the beach, I started my maternity leave from my job, we went for a drive to the Bothwell Spin-In and I bought new art supplies and started making some things for friends.


In April: We started pregnancy classes, I made a whole bunch of paper packs, we went to see Q&A being filmed in Launceston, I learnt how to knit, I went opshopping with Holly, I painted a lot and we got a new kitty named Tin Tin.


In May: We waited patiently for Theo to arrive but he was late to the party, my parents arrived, C started his leave from work, we went to look at a house we wished we could have bought, we went to see They Might Be Giants 10 days before my due date and I basically finished the nursery.


In June: That baby boy of ours was finally born and we had a hard time adjusting to the whole rolldercoaster ride, but by the end of June we had a bit of a better handle on things, my parents went home and my sister came to visit, we started going out for lunch a couple of times a week despite how chilly it was outside, we moved our bed into the lounge room and stayed up late feeding baby and watching Le Tour.


In July: Baby smiles! I bought a really great baby carrier that made taking Theo places so much easier, we had our first outing without Theo to see Anna Karenina, we celebrated our first wedding anniversary, C went back to work, I went to a rally for asylum seekers, had a crafternoon with Isis and went to a couple of markets.


In August: I joined a gym, our friend Mel came to stay, we went to Hobart for a few days, we spent a week in Melbourne and visited my sister and her cute baby, Theo met one of his Great Grandmas and hung out with my friend Sophie.


In September: I got a new camera and started taking lots of photos, the front of our house started to be renovated, C started work on a short film, I went to Sarah & Holly's exhibition & zine workshop, I started doing more art, we had a picnic at Punchbowl Reserve with C's parents and we made a trip to Hobart to see a soccer game and stay with our friend Mel.


In October: My sister and her boyfriend came to visit, I started my Project Life album (still catching up), our friend Mel visited for a swing dancing event and we watched lots of dancing, I did lots of sketchbook doodling, renovating work finally finished on our house, Theo started eating solid food & we flew to Newcastle for two weeks.


In November: We spent the first week or two in Newcastle catching up with family and friends, went to a soccer game, spent some time in Forster, Dungog and Maitland and Theo met his Great Nanna and we went for a sweet day trip to Deloraine.


In December: We watched the Launceston Cycling Classic, Theo turned 6 months old, I started painting my traffic controller box, we were visited by our friends Sophie & Kaska and we took them to Hobart, Mona, Lilydale & Cataract Gorge, we had an early Christmas lunch with C's parents, took a drive on Christmas Day to Low Head and we started moving into our new house.

Music I enjoyed this year: Rodriguez, Rufus Wainwright, Peter, Bjorn & John, Paul Kelly, They Might Be Giants, Ed Sheeran, Alt J, Big Scary, Brightly, Willie Mason, Liane La Havas, Gravenhurst & The National.
Good books I read this year: Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick & Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.
Shows I enjoyed this year: Twin Peaks, Bedlam, Breaking Bad, Fresh Meat & The Killing.
Movies I enjoyed this year: Anna Karenina, Silver Linings Playbook, A Royal Affair, Monsieur Lazhar & Searching For Sugarman.

Some little resolves for the new year:
+ Write 52 Lists
+ See more bits of Tasmania
+ Go back to university and do my best to finish my degree
+ Spend more quality time with C
+ Treat my body better
+ Start making things to sell at markets
+ Purge my hoards of miscellany & organise

Happy new year to you!