Artist Catherine Mc Cue Boes

Dusty and neglected, hidden behind lots of other garage stuff, my great iron printing press sat waiting. Given that its only one hundred and seventy years old, a few more years resting in my garage would not be such along time. Heavy with great iron feet, moving it across the patch of grass seem impossible.  The only thing to do was to take her apart, bit by bit until only the main frame stood alone in the garage. Remembering how to put it back would be another problem. My first step was to take as many pictures of the various  parts that made up this great press, my Hopkinson & Cope. It was love at first sight, standing proud in the main hall of a private museum belonging to Rasmussen Boyd. Boyd's Antiquatorium was a huge building containing  many fine collectables one of which was my Hopkinson & Cope. On arriving in Bundaberg Queensland I approached Mr Boyd about the press  and  asked if he wanted to sell it, the answer was  a stern no. Twenty years later and lots of vi

Artist books 3.0 #13 'Anything'. 'A Garden' by Klaus von Mirbach (Germany) 2014 A beautifully drawn, painted  and collaged artist book.

Artist books 3.0 #13 'Anything'. Vessels in Dispute 9The Hidden Pate-sur-pate) by Cheryl Penn (South Africa) Book made for an encyclopaedia of everything part of the series documenting the myth of the Bhubezi women- The women who hold up the world. Mixed media, painting, and text, concertina type artist book.

Artist books 3.0 #13 'Anything'. Imagine by Anete Ulmane (Latvia) A delicate artist book loosed stitched, paper collaged, torn and burned.

'A Hangman Tells of his Love', artist book, by Catherine Mc Cue Boes. Reproduced monoprints, lithographs, text and poem by B Dawe. Made for the National and International 3.0 artist book exchange 2014, 'Anything'. Pamphlet stitch, hard back. 

There is something very sad about the end of an exhibition that you have worked on for two years. there is no fan fair just get it packed up and out.  Now what, back in the drawers, under the bed, maybe not I an resolved to spent some time finding other venues to take the work and maybe tour it, I just feel it has more work to do. Having said I met the most remarkable photographers and book artist, a few days before the work was to come down, and their interest in the exhibition was well appreciated. Image by Doug Spowart & Victoria Cooper

Images reprinted from the New Book of Shields, rococo ornamental designs on show at BRAG Book As Art exhibition.

Latest work for the Artist Books 3.0 international exchange. Artist book for the National and International book exchange 'Anything" 2014 Leda and the Swan, by Catherine Mc Cue Boes. Images, reproduced etchings, watercolour, text and poem by William Butler Yeats. Concertina style book, hard back.

Book As Art opening night BRAG 6th June 2014 was a great turn out, with a good crowd of art lovers, book enthusiasts, printmakers, photographers turned out for the music, food and wine, great opening talk by Jen Mcduff , artist writer and educator.  Nine pieces were sold and a lot of interested in the Artist Books 3.0 international exchange as well as the rococo designs for the 1750's. Big thank you to the staff and volunteers of BRAG for making the night a great success.

Book as Art opening Night BRAG 6th June 2014

Artist book, by Catherine Mc Cue

Catherine Mc Cue Boes Book as art: 30 years in the making Gallery One Bundaberg Regional Gallery Exhibition Dates: 14/05/2014 - 29/06/14 Exhibition opening: Friday 6 June, 5:30pm to 7:30pm 

In Brief  Bundaberg-based artist Catherine McCue Boes will show a retrospective of 30 years of producing handmade artist books that cover a wide range of inspirational points such as literature, poetry, stories, science, travel, environment and biography.  Often produced as small editions or as unique, these works are narrative driven others whimsical and playful and still others are dark and moody.      Forty plus handmade artist books will be on display, alongside selected images from within the pages of the books and in addition a selection of artists books form Catherine’s private  collection will be displayed.

Artist books What makes an artist book? Artist books are an expressive medium, often in a great variety of forms these books take time to produce and for some, even longer to appreciate.   Some may find artists’ books hard to comprehend as a work of art, the artist book, after all, is at a disadvantage when compared to other art forms, for example a painting.  The artists’ book by its very nature usually has to be opened or even handled to be appreciated, other art forms may be displayed in their entirety, whereas the artist book contains many aspects that are neither easy to display nor value. Artist books are not a unique idea, the practice of incorporating images and text stems back to William Blake (1757 -1827) .     Many modern masters, such as Picasso, Leger and Kokoschka to name only a few, presented and participated in the making of artist books.  Artist books over the past century have become more than a collection of pages in sequence, with or without text, ar

Pioneers Flag Book

Artist: Catherine Mc Cue Boes Australian: Title : Fragments Publisher: The Red Shoes Press Date: 2013 Leaves: 24 images, Japanese and handmade paper, collaged elements, solar plate images in blue, red, Yellow and B/W, blind embossing. Size: Images: 17 x 13 cm open 172 long Housing: Hard cover in red & black book cloth, concertina book form, Edition: Unique Printer: The artist. Typeface: References: Part of the flood series, Fragments incorporates the torn elements and proofs from the Floating etchings.

Mrs Attenborough  Phyllis is a long time friend who I met thirty years ago, she taught me Japanese calligraphy and was responsible for my eventual entrance into university. Phyllis’s art work is detailed (unbelievably so!) and very traditional in style, she works mostly in water color and pen & ink, but loves new approaches to art, including etching. Now in a nursing home, and very frail, she kindly gave me permission to include some reproductions of her work in this book, she also gave me a music book from the 1950’s that she owned and would glue pictures into. She is a very generous woman so I was very surprised to learn though the sticker book that she loved boxing, particularly Australian. This book is dedicated to her.

Artist: Catherine Mc Cue Boes Australian: Title : Red Shoes monoprints Publisher: The Red Shoes Press Date:  Leaves: 8 lose images in B/W with Chine Colle and gold paint Size: Images: 16 x 12cm paper size 33 x 26cm Housing: Hard cover, envelope style folio in red end paper with red book cloth 3 red ties Edition:  Printer: The artist. Typeface: References: