Last week I posted my sketches from Melbourne Rare Book Week days 1-3 . And now it is all done for another year. I had planned a mid-week blog, but time got away.

I will feature some sketches here but the entire 30 sketches from the week will be on my Flickr site for you to look at. click HERE. Flickr is a photosharing website. All of my sketches go there and I have organised some of them into themes in Albums. There is one for each MRBW,

THE WEEK

Now We Are Ten : A book collector’s reflections on a decade of Melbourne Rare Book Week                                                                          

Speaker: Emeritus Professor Chris Browne

Since its inception in 2012, MRBW has become an important festival in Melbourne’s cultural life. The current Program Director will reflect on the evolution of MRBW from the original concept to this tenth iteration of the festival. He will take a book collector’s view of its importance, as well as its international significance as a model for similar festivals. Appropriately, the event is co-hosted by The Melbourne Athenaeum Library, one of the original, ongoing partners of MRBW.

It was so lovely that I was included in the talk as part of the history of MRBW. I have been with then officially as sketcher on location since 2106.

It’s Cold and Old and Rarer than Gold :  Collectables from the Heroic Era of Antarctic Exploration

Ephemera Society of Australia Speaker: Tony Shields

Tony Shields has been a stamp and coin dealer since 1970. Every day he handles wonderful pieces of history and art which he researches and loves. Since childhood, he has been fascinated by the stories of Scott and Mawson in the Antarctic and has sought stamps and other items depicting the experiences of these incredible explorers. Come and share Tony’s enthusiasm and knowledge of collectables from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, 1820-1921.

Rare Sports Books and Ephemera :   A panel discussion on interesting items from the MCC Library

Melbourne Cricket Club Library

Panelists: Gideon Haigh, Cheryl Critchley, Kasey Symons, Greg de Moore, David Studham and Trevor Ruddell

The panel of sports historians, journalists and librarians will present selected highlights from the Library in its 150th anniversary year and they will discuss their significance in the history of Australian sport. Learn about the variety of items held in the collection, which goes well beyond the boundary of cricket, even stepping over the boundary line of Australian Rules Football into other sporting arenas. The event will finish with a Q&A session.

Albrecht Dürer’s Innovations in Book Illustration  : Albrecht Dürer’s Innovations in Book Illustration  

National Gallery of Victoria Speakers: Dr. Petra Kayser, Hansen Associate Professor Jenny Spinks and Professor Charles Zika

This session focuses on illustrated books and related prints by German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528), drawn from the NGV’s rich holdings, including examples of his early work as a book illustrator, the Apocalypse in a Latin and a vernacular edition, a range of devotional books and illustrated scientific treatises. The speakers will discuss the technique and historical context of their production to highlight Dürer’s ambition and originality, as well as the breath of his knowledge.

THE RARE BOOK FAIR

The Melbourne Rare Book Fair is the major annual book fair of ANZAAB and one of only a few rare book fairs in the Southern hemisphere. Now in its 53rd Edition, the Melbourne Rare Book Fair again featured rare and wonderful books, manuscripts, ephemera, prints (and much more) from the best rare book and antiquarian dealers across Australia and New Zealand and from overseas. It was a gathering of buyers, sellers and lovers of books not to be missed.

I sketched Thursday night and on Friday. As I stood back and sketched I observed and listened. It was lovely to see a steady flow of all types of people exploring the Fair. For some, it was a curious or tentative first visit and others were regulars, greeting old friends and looking to add to their collections, big or small. I purchased a lovely book for the price of a dinner out.

And the BIGGEST surprise, when I entered the FAIR, my sketch from last year on the wall !!! I did not see them on Thursday night when I entered after the launch. So it was a big surprise to enter the door and see it. This is the cloakroom. Professional photos were taken with me in the photo, but this was on my phone.

It was a wonderful, amazing week of sketching and meeting new people and catching up with old friends. I am becoming a familiar face with the partner presenter orgnisations and the booksellers. See you all lnext year.

In the meantime, you can follow my daily sketches on Instagram alissaduke1 or Facebook Allissa Duke Art.

Melbourne Rare Book Week has begun for another year.

MRBW runs 18-27 July and it is a very special one as it is the 10th year. The culminating event of MRBW is always the Australian Antiquarian Book Fair, presented by The Australian and New Zealand Association of Antiquarian Booksellers (ANZAAB).

There are many more events this year, so many that I can’t sketch at them all, and had to make some decisions about what I can get to. I am sketching t 23 of the 44 evtns. Most events are in Melbourne CBD, but some are a few suburbs away, a few even further afield. I take the week off work and document each event. sketching on location. The talks usually go for 45 minutes to one hour. In most cases, it involves people sitting and listening. I sit in the back row and sketch – sometimes the people in front of me are the feature and sometimes the building itself. It is not all about expensive, high-end collectables, but also the sharing of stories behind the books in interesting collections of organisations and individuals.

THURSDAY

Noted Donations to the Melbourne Public Library The C J LaTrobe Society
Speaker: Shane Carmody

From its beginning the Melbourne Public Library supplemented its book stock with donations. In 1873, the library published a catalogue of these gifts, listing an array of donors from emperors and kings to more humble colonists. In part a celebration, in part an appeal for more gifts, the catalogue provides an insight into the literary culture of the time. Historian Shane Carmody will discuss book culture in the early years of the Colony of Victoria, featuring eminent donors and their fascinating donations to the Melbourne Public Library collection.

FRIDAY

The Oldest Book in the Supreme Court Library
The Law Library Victoria
Statham’s Abridgement (1491) and its place in law reporting today Speaker: Alissa Duke

I could not sketch my own event ! so here are some photos!

Sit amongst the books and shelves of the magnificent Supreme Court Library and learn about the oldest book in the Library, Statham’s Abridgment, which was printed in 1491. Discover what it is, and how this book came to be in the Library. Hear about its place in the history of law reports and how this five-hundred-year-old book relates to law reporting in Victoria today.

My Life in Readings An interview with Mark Rubbo Interviewer: Jane Sullivan Melbourne Athenaeum Library, Legendary Melbourne bookseller Mark Rubbo spent almost 50 years in the business until he retired as Readings managing director last year. From his days with one Readings outlet in Carlton to presiding over a chain of eight shops, he nurtured new Australian writers, worked to extend Melbourne’s cultural influence, and fought off a challenge from the Borders behemoth. Text publisher Michael Heyward calls him one of the world’s great independent booksellers. He talks about his career and 50 years of Australian writing to author and literary columnist Jane Sullivan.

Sectarian Riot? Coverup?
Royal United Services Institute of Victoria
The literature of the Battle of Fromelles 1916Speaker: Major General (Ret’d) Michael O’Brien CSC, MDA, BSc (Mil)

Australia’s disastrous Battle of Fromelles has generated a large volume of literature over the last 100 years. It has caused a riotous assembly in Bendigo and accusations of a coverup. Mike will review the writings from his intimate experience with the twenty-first century re-burial and identification of Australia’s lost soldiers from this battle.

SATURDAY

A Viewing of Rare Bird Books Museums Victoria
Guides: Haley Webster, Olga Hionis and Shae Graham.Rose Bollen

Fly into the museum to see a selection of beautiful ornithology books from our Rare Book Collection, presented by the museum’s librarians. Groups of 20 people will be shown some stunning and beautiful images of the world’s most spectacular birds in a selection from some of the most desirable and collectable books in the collection.

The attendees moved around the tables to view the books and be told about their creation and art and how they came into the collection.

SUNDAY

An Evening with Elizabeth David & Friends
Books for Cooks
A talk with tastes Speaker: Tim White

An intimate conversation about Elizabeth David, celebrating the importance and collectability of her books, her influence on mid-century food writing and cookery, her books, her friends and her legacy, presented by a specialist culinary bookseller, whose favourite author to cook from is, of course, Elizabeth David. Tastes from several of her books will be served and various editions and versions of her books will be on display and for sale.

I am honored that my sketches from previous years feature on the bookmark this year and throughout the program. It is lovely to have a printed program.

AND my sketches are on the posters for the Rare Book Fair . I have been sent photos of them on walls around the city, but have not seen one yet. I want to take a selfie and maybe take it down and home with me after the event. !!! I will post a photo if I get to do that !

I may post again during the week , as well as again on Sunday,

Today’s blog post has this week’s sketches. Once again – a variety of styles, medium and themes. Some in ink, others watercolour pencil and some both.

The first are at Emporium Food court with sketching friends. Food courts can be a great place to sketch as you don’t have to move on.

Friday night at the Melbourne Athenaeum Library at a different sort of event – and a documentary film and music.

On Saturday I held classes of Nature Sketching with Watercolour Pencils with Friends of Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. It was held indoors this time. The Winter day was crisp, but a bit chilly to be outside the whole session.

Sundays was a sketch catchup with locals at Kere Kere Cafe. Two hours of chatting and sketching. I brought along some feathers, nuts, berries and snails.

Barry gave us a wonderful explanation of perspective and vanishing points. Somehow I applied this to my snails…

Next Saturday I am holding two, two-hour classes at the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria.”Nature Sketching with Watercolour Pencil”.

It has been organised by their Friends Group. I visited to look at the garden around the Plant Cottage, where they hold the classes. I have held classes in Summer and Autumn, and this is my first Winter class. We were fortunate to be able to sit in the courtyard outside for the last two Seasons.

These next events will be indoors, no matter how sunny it is There is still a chill in the air and a bit of rain.

I also looked around the garden surrounding the cottage to see what was in bloom. There was more colour than I thought! I will bring some leaves and gumnuts inside to sketch. I also have permission to cut some flowers. There are 10 students around two tables, so I will spread out what I collect.

The class is for anyone who is interested in looking at nature and getting some pencil marks down on the page. Watercolour pencils are such fun to play with.

All of the above sketches were mainly done on location, until the rain got heavier. I completed them at home. I started this sketch from a photo and will finish it before next week’s class.

Sometimes my weekly blog post involves a project, a technique or an event.

And sometimes it is just my sketches this week. Here they are:

an afternoon at Kere Kere Cafe, outside and inside views.

On the tram – watercolour pencil, but no water added.

At home with a cold. The first sketch is a box of tissues and tissues. The second in my Ginger & Apple tea.

some yellow and green fruits. Grapes, Stewed Apples and Kiwi Fruit.

Let’s see what next week brings !

Friday night music at the Melbourne Athenaeum Library. A step outside of my usual string quartet sketching.

Djoliba Rattler is a collaboration involving Aboubacar Djéliké Kouyate, who was born and raised within the ‘griot’ musical tradition of his homeland Mali, and three renowned Melbourne musicians: George Butrumlis on accordian, percussionist Ray Pereira OAM and bassist Mark Ferrie.

The group presented selections from their recently released album ‘Malibourne’ which fuses Kouyate’s interpretations of traditional Malian musical themes with the distinctly Melbourne musical sensibilities of George, Mark and Ray.

This was a challenge with different instruments and music, rhythms and lighting.

However there was some familiarity as I still stood in the same shelves to sketch and had the backgrounds of shelves and the audience in the same place. AND I sketched with my watercolour pencils and Lamy Safari Ink pen.

I sketched many more pages on the night.

Three of the audience danced in the aisle

Thanks to the Melbourne Athenaeum Library for all of their wonderful events . Free to Members and $20 to Non Members .

International Nature Journaling Week was 1-7th June 2024
This year we are exploring the natural processes within the cycle of life. It is winter in Melbourne, so I had to look harder or think broadly about some of the interpretations. As usual I used my wonderful Faber Castell watercolour pencils as usual to create these. I used the colours in my usual sketchkit for these.

It was a wonderful week to explore what is around me.

There is an amazing International Nature Journaling Week team behind this. They are from different parts of the world but are connected by a shared love of nature and creativity.

They had a theme for each day during the week to guide everyone’s focus.

• Germination and emergence
• Growth and development
• Metamorphosis and transformation
• Reproduction and replication
• Fruiting and dispersal
• Decay and decomposition
• Renewal and regeneration

If you are curious here is an excerpt form their website with links to all sorts of wonderful things

Explore the website – there is lots to discover! You can Start Here and then find out How to Participate in the week. There is a page for Parents & Teachers, one for the Reluctant Artist and a page on sharing the Written Word in our nature journal pages. On the Blog you will find posts from nature journalers around the world, sharing ideas and knowledge on different aspects of journaling. The Books & Inspiration page will point you to books and websites where you can learn more about nature journaling and nature connection. Sign-up to the newsletter to receive updates and ideas.

There were all sorts of interpretation and styles and knowledge from around the world shared online during this time. It was fascinating to read about different parts of the world and their plants and animals.

My focus is always the drawing, however, other write, or create more scientific pages.

Germination and emergence.

These Chestnut conkers were given to me a few years ago to draw. There were six in an egg carton. I wonder … would they germinate if I planted them now??? I live in an apartment, so I won’t be testing that theory.

Growth and development

In the middle of a Melbourne winter there is growth on the end of some bunya pine trees in nearby Fitzroy Gardens.

Metamorphasis and transformation

Cicada skins I have in my collection

Reproduction and replication

Quail eggs from my collection.

Fruiting and dispersal

A beautiful gerbera in a bunch of flowers I was given. I cut one in half to show the seed head and how they disperse when dry.

Decay and decomposition

 These are bones of a short-tailed shearwater (muttonbird) from Port Fairy beach , Victoria, Australia. Thousands migrate every year and some die on the beaches there from exhaustion. I found these desiccated bones a few years ago in the sand.

Renewal and Regeneration

I was looking for Winter inspiration. Found ! in a local front yard where someone had done some heavy winter pruning and these small shoots were emerging

I would like to thank the organisers for the time, thought and passion that they put into making this such a successful event once again !

When you sketch, you look and observe nature, it is astonishing !

I have been chatting to a few friends and sketchers about travel sketching recently.

Today I am showing how to start and maintain your excitement before you go.

I often sketch many pages before I even land on the ground at my holiday destination.

Here are some ideas I have taken from my previous UK holidays.

I hope that this gives you some inspiration and ideas.

Happy and safe travels everyone. Enjoy sketching as you go.

Melbourne Rare Book Week 2024 (MRBW) was launched on Thursday night at Tonic House! The participating partners were invited for drinks and conversation before a fascinating talk by Wallace Kirsop about the beginnings of his book life. It was a wonderful opportunity to catch up with MRBW from the past year, as well as others I see more often.

As the Official sketcher for MRBW I started with launch night.

AND here is the program – https://rarebooksmelbourne.com/events-2/ Have a look and book if in you are local or planning a visit. Some events have limited seating depending on the size of the organisation and building it is in, so you might want to book in and put it into your calendar now!

All events are free. Have a browse through the program. It is not all about expensive, high-end collectables, but also the sharing of stories behind the books in interesting collections of organisations and individuals.

MRBW runs 18-27 July and it is a very special one as it is the 10th year. The culminating event of MRBW is always the Australian Antiquarian Book Fair, presented by The Australian and New Zealand Association of Antiquarian Booksellers (ANZAAB).

There are many more events this year, so many that I can’t sketch at them all, and will have to make some decisions about what I can get to. Most events are in Melbourne CBD, but some are a few suburbs away, a few even further afield. I take the week off work and document each event. sketching on location. The talks usually go for 45 minutes to one hour. In most cases, it involves people sitting and listening. I sit in the back row and sketch – sometimes the people in front of me are the feature and sometimes the building itself.

I am honored that my sketches from previous years feature on the bookmark this year and throughout the program. It is lovely to have a printed program. They are available throughout Melbourne at the partner organisations who are hosting events, and also in coffee shops and other places. Just contact me, if you would like one.

I am also giving a talk, (which I will not be sketching at) on “The Oldest Book in the Supreme Court Library: Statham’s Abridgement (1491) and its place in law reporting today”.

I have been sketching at MRBW since I moved to Melbourne and have been the official sketcher since 2015. I value the friendships I have made through this event and the connections and reconnections that I make every year.

I hope to see you there. Please introduce yourself if you are there and see me sketching.

I was not sure what I was going to write about this week, Hoerver a few hours in the beautiful Autumnal Melbourne weather produced a few sketches that encompassed the day.

Each sketch is just an impression of the moment, but together they capture the time I spent there.

I sketched the tree, which I later found out is a pin oak. I took a leaf home and drew it later, I like the combination of a sketch and more detail of part of the subject,

There was an intense blue sky and the tree tops shapes were clearly defined.

I have sketched magpies before. I know they don’t mind if you get close, but won’t necessarily stay around for long. I can follow them around, I start with their beak and head. I have to closely observe which feathers are white, blank or grey, Getting the eye in position is important, My wonderful watercolour pencils allow me to capture the shape and body in linework and add water to the pencil on the page to get the black colour, I decided not to add water to the whole page. My style is the unfinished look.

and then it got chilly and I headed home,