I’ve been reading quite a lot about ‘legacy’ recently. You know the stuff – what legacy are you going to leave the world? Sometimes it’s hard to read, especially if you think you aren’t leaving much behind, and we all probably think that way, me included.

So it’s been with great delight that I’ve watched the International Society of Scratchboard Artists take shape. In a way I can claim a small part of this as a legacy item.

About a year or so ago, I was hearing a lot of scratchboard artists complain that there was never any category for us to enter our art into in exhibitions and competitions around the world. We were always lumped in with something else like ‘works on paper’ or ‘paintings’ or ‘drawing’, and even occasionally told that scratchboard would be better off being entered into a craft show. Now I’m not having a go at crafts here but scratchboard needed to take its rightful place as a fine art medium.

I spent a short time thinking about this problem and about one hour writing a basic manifesto of why we should create a society. That was it. I had no idea how to start from that point, other than asking people for help.

Well, what happened next? Stacks of scratchboard artists agreed with me and a group of seven from around the world put their hands up to help me do the donkey work. This involved some very clever artists writing by-laws, a policy manual, setting up a website, working out levels and fee structures, getting the whole thing incorporated and pursuing non profit status, organizing bank accounts and writing newsletters.

What has happened as a result? Well, we have a whole host of members now. This is not a Facebook group which you can join, or someone joins you without even asking you (grrr), this is serious! This involves someone applying, paying money and being juried into the society. We also have an exhibition venue and date for 2012 which is very exciting. It will be at the Arthouse Gallery in Glen Ellen, California. The show opening will be July 7, 2012. This is in the heart of wine country in California and I will be making the trip from Australia for this with my family.

So how did all this happen? The people who really made all this happen were Lorna Hannett our president, Cathy Sheeter our exhibition director, Ken Mcfarlane the man who made the lawyers bend over backwards for us, Sue Rhodes our webmaster, Sandra Willard our secretary, and Diana Lee who pulled off the coup of locating our inaugural exhibition and who has promised to show me around her home state (I never forget a promise hint hint). Also Natalie Langkopf edited the first issue of our member newsletter and it was an absolute ripper! All of these good people have volunteered hours and hours of time, effort and passion, along with being fine artists themselves.

So, if you have a chance, come along to the exhibition. If I’m flying in from Australia, anyone can get there from anywhere. Better still, apply to be a member and then have a go at exhibiting in the show.

Either way, think about your own legacy. Every little, or big, thing you do is part of your legacy. Who do you touch?

This article below was published in the November edition of Fine Art and Decorative Painting magazine. One of our master scratchboard artists Judith Edwards-White wrote the article and it contains one of her images, one of our president’s (Lorna) and one of Diana’s, and also includes two of mine (though technically ten, since “The Birdy Bunch” is a montage of nine individual scratchboards).

A few days ago, after many months of hard, behind the scenes work, we now have a society to represent scratchboard artists all over the world. We are taking members at ‘associate’ (open to all) and ‘active’ (juried) levels now, and in March of every year current ‘active’ members may choose to apply for ‘signature’ or ‘master’ levels. All information you need about the membership levels, goals of ISSA and other information about scratchboard are on our website at www.scratchboardsociety.com

Happy scratching!!

I have a new zebra scratchboard from my time at Etosha National Park in Namibia. The last one was a commission so I don’t have it anymore but it seemed to be quite popular with people on the internet that I wanted to do another similar one, although with a different composition, and keep hold of it to enter into shows. This is larger at 20″ x 16″ and took a long time to finish. It’s done entirely with the fibreglass brush and washes of diluted ink.

I’ve titled it “The Lifeblood of Etosha”, referring to the permanent waterhole they are drinking at, and also the zebras themselves which keep the tourists coming back, keeping Etosha a viable and magnificent park.

Here’s a commission I’ve recently finished. It’s from some of my references when I was in Etosha National Park a couple of years ago. This particular waterhole, the famous Okaukuejo in Namibia, is permanent and that’s like gold in a dry park such as Etosha. Thus you don’t have to try hard at all to get great shots of animals in huge numbers coming to drink. In fact, they even built an ampitheatre of viewing seats around the hole and they light it up at night. It kind of annoys me, kind of gladdens me. Annoys in the fact that people like me who are prepared to work for their experiences see other people who can get the same viewing experince without raising a sweat at all. However, it gladdens me in the fact that these very people get to experience animals in such an environment and their lives must be richer for the experience, and they must surely become more educated in the need to look after these last remaining wildlife havens. However, it does it feel a bit unreal, sitting there with a few hundred people in comfort looking over a fence at life at its toughest for the animals, seeing a giraffe take two hours to walk one hundred metres, constantly checking for predators along the way, hearing lions roaring in the distance whilst sitting next to people drinking chilled wine with their attention on their latest gadgets. Still, not far from here it is dry and barren and as a result, you can get away from the throngs instantly because the heat keeps most people under the verandahs.

This is a scratchboard, 11″ x 14″ . I call it “Wall for Stripes” for obvious reasons. Zebras are great for the artist in that they present us with fabulous compositional opportunities and potential for drama. The main problem is keeping your eyes from going crossed as you work out where to put all the stripes! I’ve tried hard to show the hot African sun on the backs of the zebras, hopefully giving you the feeling of actually being there watching it all unfold.

I don’t tend to do landscapes so much but I thought I really should try and push myself a little more in that direction, still with wildlife at the heart of what I do. In 2009 I was in Zimbabwe and Zambia where I saw the falls and these lovely birds. I’ve tried to show the lushness of Victoria Falls, a magnificent icon of Africa, with a hint of a rainbow, juxtaposed against the harshness of the tough life of the inhabitants, represented by the weavers’ natural habitat, this thornbush. It’s scratchboard coloured with Mastisse inks, 11″ x 14″ and I’ve used my fibreglass brush for the birds and a scalpel for the landscape done in my trusty squiggly style.

Victoria Falls is the most amazing place with it’s booming noise of the falls, spray, rainbows and a surprising lack of people wandering all over it, a far cry from that other amazing place, Niagara, where you literally have to fight to get a good view. That’s the thing with Africa, if you do some work you can see the most amazing places and still get away from people (if you wish to) as evidenced by Africa’s version of the Grand Canyon, Fish River Canyon in Namibia. It even looks like the Grand Canyon but I would have seen a maximum of ten other people all day (other than the group with me).

Having said that, I hope to visit the US next year to coincide with the first exhibition held by the International Society of Scratchboard Artists (more info on that later) and I can’t wait to see more of America’s natural wonderland. I’ve been over three times before and absolutely love the place.