Hello team!
I have moved blogs! I was feeling like my internet presence was a bit scattered, but I’ve consolidated it all over at my website, which has also had a redesign.
Head over to my new blog here. I’d really love to know what you want me to write about and share too.
Hey friends! I’m in a really really fun group show this month, GREEN DEMON! It’s an appreciation/observation of pubs and drinking culture. It’ll take place at the Junky Comics x Phoebe Paradise pop up shop in Magic Johnston in Collingwood. Have a peek at the facebook event here!
Opening night is this Thursday, August 4, 6 – 9pm. And then bands and afterparty at The Tote!
And lucky me, I got to risograph print the whole show! I haven’t been riso printing for others as much as last year as I’m trying to focus on my own work, but printing a whole exhibition is REALLY fun.
I’ve put a few videos and photos of the printing process up here on the Helio Press instagram.
Other artists in the show include Steph Hughes, Yippywhippy, Carolyn Hawkins, Phoebe Paradise, Maddy Young, Merv Heers, Niqui Toldi, Sam McKenzie, Filthy Ratbag, Stella Leuna and Jonathan McBurnie.
Hey all, sorry I haven’t kept in touch. I should really update here at least when I have a zine fair on! Major zine fair season is over so it’ll be nice to unpack my suitcase and chill a bit.
Exciting news… I’ve booked a solo show for November! So I’m trying to block out plenty of time to research and then make all the artwork. I’ll try update my progress here, and post my reading list once I dive in. More details on the exhibition itself much closer to November!
I’ve been very lucky lately and have been able to work on some really exciting projects, my favourite would be this piece for Frankie about Gastronomy Astronomy! That was in the March/April issue so grab a peek if you have the mag. Also have a look in the issue that’s about to come out for a bit more of my work…
I’ve also been to Japan since we last spoke! Just Tokyo for two weeks, I had such a wonderful time. I made a zine about my trip which you can buy over at my etsy.
Hope to get back to you soon about progress!! You’re the best.
Ashley
Just wanted to let you Canberras know that I’ll be at Noted Festival this weekend! You can find the facebook event for the Publishing Fair on March 20 here. I haven’t been to a zine fair in Canberra since I lived there over five years ago so this is a treat. My little sister will be at my table with me too!
And then the very next Saturday I’ll be at Take It Easy market in Collingwood! This has been organised by the ever wonderful Gemma Patford and will be a huge treat. One of those markets where I spend the whole time looking at what I wanna buy for myself!
I had the wonderful pleasure of working with the incredible Gemma Patford Legge on a new rope vessel guide for her rope vessel diy kit and workshops. We met after making a sweet trade at a market we were both at, and then hit it off! I really like how our studios have a really similar vibe for people with such different practices.
Gemma kindly gave me a one on one workshop in which I made my own rope vessel, and then I worked on making an illustrated guide about the process.
Photography by the amazing Heather Lighton.
I have a few of the zines in my shop, Gemma has both the zines and the kit in her shop!
Hello team, nice to see you.
2016 has already been very busy for me, and I wanted to share with you the great events coming up where you’ll be able to track me down!
First of all, 6 days from now, is the best day of the year, Sticky Institute’s Festival of the Photocopier zine fair! It’s the biggest zine fair in Australia and there will be over 180 stallholders this year. Wow! It’ll be at Melbourne Town Hall, Feb 14, 12-5 pm. It’ll be the premier of my new comic, Closest Approach! I’ll also have studio mystery packs, riso prints, pins, patches and more.
The very next week, I’ll be hanging out in Guild of Objects, releasing the map that I was commissioned to make for them. They’ve told me all about their favourite North Melbourne shops, and I’ve created a risograph map that you can take away to the streets of North Melb. We’ll have a launch night on Wednesday the 17th of February 6-8, and then I’ll be holding a zine workshop on Saturday February 20! I won’t be holding many workshops this year, so if you have been wanting to go, this is a good chance. Book in over here.
I also wanna share with you my new side-project, Helio Press! Slow-burning engine room of Melbourne risograph/zine/DIY publications. I’ve published two zines by amazing artists Mel Stringer and Josh Simpson which you can find in the shop or at the zine fair! I’ve got big plans for the next few months which I’ll tell you about soon.
Hope you’re going well, reader.
Ashley
Hey pals! Hope all is well in your world. Busy busy times over here in my little studio!
Firstly, I am a part of the next year of Minicomic Of The Month!!! It’s a subscription to 12 months of minicomics, zooming their way into your mailbox. I signed up last year, and loved every single little piece of mini goodness! I was thrilled to be asked to be part of the next round. My comic will be a special limited edition, exclusive to subscribers, and won’t be released to the public til later on, in a less special second edition in less special colours. You can read a little bit about my feelings about mini comics here and subscribe here.
Should have mentioned this earlier, but Golden The Exhibition happened last week, raising money and awareness for Headspace. They do amazing things for youth mental health in Australia, a cause that will always mean a lot to me. My piece, and the work of other artists involved, were available as digital prints on the night. Stay tuned to the Golden website, they may be available later. I’ll update here if I find out!
Secret Garden exhibition is this week!!! I am so excited, I have already planned my outfit, and I can’t wait to meet some of the other artists involved who I haven’t met yet. So grateful to be in a beautiful show with so many people I admire. We got some love on the Frankie blog today. My piece is the image above, I think I’ll write a bit about it here, as it’s hard to sneak so many words under the piece itself in the exhibition.
Voyage Complete depicts a serene, still scene. A spacecraft has crashed, the force breaking it apart and scattering its appendages across a clearing. The spacecraft in question is Voyager 2, a feat of human invention, sent into the universe with the purpose of collecting data about space, and perhaps the slim chance of making contact with other forms of life beyond our solar system. On board is a golden record, containing select sounds and images from planet Earth.
The spacecraft has crash landed in an undefined location. We are unsure if Voyager 2 has in fact landed on a planet that can support plant life, and perhaps sentient, intelligent life, in which case the mission is a success and we have made contact. Or the alternative, the craft has made its way back to earth, beyond repair, and with the golden record unseen.
The exhibition opens this Thursday at 6pm, at Schoolhouse Studios Collingwood.
And lastly, Sarah and I have a workshop on tomorrow just for teens at Work Shop! We would love to see you there. Anyone from ages 12 – 20 is very welcome. Lets make some zines!!
I released a new zine this week! It’s called Satsuma-imo and it’s a collection of illustrations based on sketches and photos from my recent trip to Japan. I found it to be super inspiring and I’ve got so much more creative energy inside me than when I left. If you’d like a copy head over to my etsy. I’ve also dropped some copies off at Sticky Institute, and some are on the way to Quimby’s in Chicago and Reading Frenzy in Portland. Are there any zine stores you’d like me to add to my list?
Also the wonderful people at Cuckoo Magazine have published an interview with me, how nice!
Hello everyone! Something I wanna work on is writing on this blog some more. Hopefully I can get myself to at least write some posts about other artists I love, but for now it’s just a little update!
Lots of fun stuff coming up in the next few months!
Next week on May 15, I am on the speaker lineup of AGDA’s First Five Out event. The theme is Free Agent, and I’ll be speaking a little about what I did once I finished design school and what I do every day as an illustrator and printer. There are some more details over here, and in the days leading up to the event there will be a blog post about each speaker.
A few days after this I will be flying up to Sydney! First on the agenda is a one-of-a-kind-zine workshop on May 21 at rad space Work Shop. We’ll be gold foiling, binding, collaging, and all sorts of other tricks that will make your zine a special unique gem. Book your place over at the Work Shop website.
Following that, we have a super fun-filled weekend at Other Worlds zine fair. How amazing is this poster by Lee Lai?? We will be at the zine fair on Saturday May 23, and then we will have an 8 page zine workshop on Sunday May 24. Other Worlds was incredible and full of amazingly talented people last year, and I’m sure that will be multiplied by a billion this year. Check out the facebook event here and keep an eye out for workshop times from us.
I’ll be going to Canberra for a few days after that just to hang out with my family and have a relax, and then I’ll be back in Melbourne for the Voiceworks #100 launch!
This is a special issue, because it will have another magazine launched along with it called To & Fro, with pieces by Voiceworks writer alumni, pieces by young writers edited by the alumni, and illustrations by me!! It was a really fun project to work on, and the launch will be on May 29 as part of the Emerging Writers Festival so come and join in on the party!
A few days to rest up and staple some zines, and then I’m off to Hobart for Her Majesty’s Favourite Really Great Graphical Festival. It’s on June 3 – 6, with a zine fair on June 6. Keep up with updates on the festival tumblr.
And we have a few more details to work out but soon we will be announcing…. Caldera Press’ official launch party! Sarah and I will be launching our risograph printing studio and unveiling a new project we have been working on. I’ll blog about it here when I have more to say.
Thanks for reading, maybe see you somewhere in Australia!
Ashley
Look at this rad show I’m in, so many amazing artists! I’m feeling pretty lucky. If you exist over that side of Australia, you should rep for me! Should be a great night.
Ashley Ronning 