Illustrators Australia 9X5 Exhibition 'Untold stories'

The Illustrator's Australia 9X5 exhibition is upon us. I've just completed and sent my artwork off to Melbourne. It is the 15th annual exhibition and is at Space 39, Level 2, 39 Little Collins St Melbourne 3000. opening night is Friday 17th September @6pm. This show will also travel to Brisbane but I do not know the dates so keep an eye on the IA website.
illustratorsaustralia.com/9X5 2010
This years theme is 'Untold Stories'. My piece is entitled "the forest said, 'don't tell anyone.'
It is in a scraperboard/ woodcut style. I had the image that I wanted to do but did not just want to glue a piece of scraperboard onto the wood. So I played around with some concoctions of gesso and polyfilla to come up with a white ground I could work with. I then experimented with various black coatings, finally using a combination of matt spray coating and a thin dusting of taggers spray paint.

The end process was a lot more laborious than store bought scraperboard but I think the raised surface which is now part of the board gives the piece a bit more soul.

The other artwork is one entitled 'Melchrist' done for the 2005 IA 9X5 exhibition. This one is oil on wood and inspired by Mel Gibson's 'thrashy' Jesus biopic.