The Birds have flown....

The birds have flown down to PAPER PEAR on Gurwood Street, Wagga Wagga! Yey! They are now in the hands of the talented Stephanie Day and her gorgeous gallery.

It took an entire day of flying to get there. It was one of the roughest flights 

ever so the birds and I took a pit stop at Three Chefs (aka the Tourist) to 

refuel. 

The birds also brought a colourful series of funky hand-printed button earrings 

and brooches. All unique and made up on the Northern Rivers of Australia in an 

outside studio, just inland from Byron Bay, in a little village called Kyogle. 

Alleva printmaker is very excited to launch these pieces into the world. It was 

hard to let them go as they are loved so much but we know Stephanie Day, the 

owner of Paper Pear will take good care of them as she sets each bird off to a 

new home.

This is an example of what you will find at PAPER PEAR - a unique 57mm 

hand printed GALAXY brooch.

These are the birds (see above) that traveled from the North Coast to inland  

Wagga Wagga. A most special series of birds. Why? Because almost all of the 

birds are unique state prints containing an array of techniques. Below is a 

rather large blurb about how they were made.

Paper, Print & mixed Media Techniques

Katie Alleva has been machine stitching on paper and specifically her prints for 

fifteen years. It has become her trademark. Katie is also known to create 

timeless imagery where the space around the central shape is considered to be 

just as important as the central image.

Black bird: embossed retro doily on Fabriano Printmaking paper – creates a 

luscious textural quality to the work. The blackbirds have been hand cut and 

consist of the same emboss but have been hand painted using ink. The bird has 

been machine stitched onto the embossed paper. These pieces are ‘unique 

state’ prints -only three made but they are all different.

Rainbow bird: The background is an embossed doily collograph print with a 

machine stitched bird and twig cut out. The bird has been hand screen printed 

with original designs by Katie Alleva onto reclaimed linen fabric. This is a 

‘unique state’ print or artist’s proof. Only one made, (A/P means artist’s proof 

and is the most collectable print of any limited edition).

Landscape Bird:  An original photograph digitally printed on 300 gram 

Hahnemuhle Paper (known as one of the highest quality printmaking papers). 

The bird is a hand paper cut from an original lino cut emboss. The bird is 

adhered to the landscape image and floats perfectly as if suspended in time. 

This piece is a ‘unique state’ print – only one made.

Blackbird Singing (red dot): Katie Alleva has hand screen printed the red 

dots onto 300 gram (heavy weight) Hahnemuehle printmaking paper. Then a 

hand cut image of the bird was hand screen printed on top. This print is part of 

a limited edition of 5 prints.

Crochet Bird – Essence Series: Katie Alleva’s love of cloth, paper and print 

fuse to create these stunning works on paper. The bird is a timeless symbol 

that reminds us to take time to slow down and find quiet in our busy lives. The 

doily reminds us of stories told of a feminine kind passed down from our female 

ancestors. 

The work consists of a collograph print a hand cut bird, reclaimed doily, and 

machine stitch on high quality Hahnemuehle paper.

Only 5 made in a limited Edition called Crochet Bird – Essence edition. 

Limited Edition Jewellery & Accessories

This year Katie Alleva has launched a new series of hand printed cloth brooches 

and button earrings. Her love of collected cloth and all things 'textiles' ignited 

here in Wagga Wagga in her second year of university, (at Charles Sturt 

University) when Katie completed two years of textile subjects with lecturer 

Julie Montgarrett. 

Katie found herself immersed in dying fabrics utilizing Japanese Shibori 

techniques, screen-printing onto cloth, machine stitching onto her prints and 

papers and even onto goat’s skin.

After a burst of creativity Katie Alleva now offers a unique range of colourful 

hand printed fabric button earrings both stud and drop options presented on a 

hand printed embossed dot circle tag. The earrings are hand assembled in her 

North Coast studio by Katie herself.

The above image, is the 'Tree of Life' original illustration brooch and drop earring set, by Katie Alleva. The fabric has been digitally printed onto 100% cotton fabric.

The 57mm hand printed fabric brooches or badges are a stunning and funky 

way to brighten up a neutral top or dress. Each one is unique. Printed with 

water based ecofriendly inks by hand in her outdoor North Coast studio in 

Kyogle NSW. A small range of digitally printed original illustrations is

also available (see above). More stock, (images printed on silk and cotton) is

being made and will be available in early March.

Katie utilizes her original designs to create simple prints on collected cloth 

surfaces. She often layers a multitude of screens in different colours creating 

an interesting interplay of depth with vivid colours.

Each brooch is hand pressed using a badge maker and then attached to a 

handmade embossed card.

Quite a lot of thought, time and practice goes into making these special one off 

pieces. Next on the list is a collaboration with an Australian silversmith, hand 

printed silk scarves and cloth necklaces. Stay tuned for their release in Winter.