SHORT CURRICULUM VITAE: 
Background
Gail has been making paper since 1984 and books since approximately 1990. She has explored most aspects of handpapermaking and specialises in pulp painting and casting. She has had several solo exhibitions and participated in many group shows.

Selected solo exhibitions
2006 ‘Passion for Paper’ Studio500, 500 Trentham road Trentham
2006 ‘Journeys continued’ Women’s Health Information Centre, Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne.
2005 ‘Journeys’ C-Cubed contemporary artspace, 237 Whitehorse Road, Balwyn
2002 ‘Natural Connections’ with Ann Parry, Dragon Papers, Windsor, Victoria and at Meeniyan Art Gallery, Meeniyan, Victoria
2001 ‘Paperworks 2’, Dragon Papers, High St., Prahran, Victoria
2001 ‘Paperworks’, Leongatha ACS Gallery, Leongatha, Victoria 
1998 ‘Paper in the Park’ , The Stables, Wattle Park, Victoria
1997 ‘Summer Dreams’, Maenad Art, Bellair Street, Kensington, Victoria 

Selected group exhibitions
2006 ‘Red/read Books’ Artisan Books, Fitzroy
2006 ‘Libris Awards’ Artspace Mackay, Queensland
2006 ‘IAPMA Paper Art’ Jeonju Sth Korea
2005 ‘Black and White Books’ Fitzroy & Geelong
2005 ‘Seoul Artists Book Fair’ Seoul Korea
2005 ‘Not a Guitar’ Frankston Art Centre, Frankston, Victoria (invited)
2005 ‘Collectors Exhibition’ Contemporary Arts Society, Steps Gallery, Melbourne
2001 – 2005 ‘Books, Works of Imagination’ Noosa Regional Art Gallery, Noosa, Qld
2004 ‘Paper Road Heading East’ Sori Art Centre, Jeonju, Korea
2004 ‘Genetics’ Horti Hall Gallery, Melbourne
2003 ‘A is for Art’ USA, Argentina, Austria, Australia (traveling)
2003 ‘Alice Craft Acquisition’ Alice Springs, NT
2002 ‘Paper and String’ Redcliffe City Gallery, Redcliffe, Qld
2002 ‘Broken Hill Works on/of Paper Prize’, Broken Hill, NSW
2001 ‘Paper Bound’, Maroondah Art Gallery, Ringwood, Victoria
2000 ‘Paper Road’ Santa Maria Della Scalla, Sienna, Italy
2000 ‘Confluence’ Ryrie street Gallery, Geelong
1999-2001 ‘Scissors, Paper, Stone’, Noosa Regional Gallery and Touring Qld., NSW and Vic., Curated by Fiona Marshall

Curatorial Experience
2005 ‘Black and White Books’ Fitzroy & Geelong
2003 ‘A is For Art’ International postcard exchange. Exhibitions in Troy, NY, USA, Vienna, Austria, Buenos Aires, Argentina and Box Hill, Mittagong, Mandurah, Canberra, Hobart, Broken Hill & Sydney, Australia
2000 ‘Confluence’ Ryrie street Gallery, Geelong

Public collections/awards/commissions
Collections of the Pan Asia Paper Museum, Jeonju, Korea, the State Library of Victoria, the Cities of Whitehorse and Broken Hill and many private collectors
2001& 2004 Artist in Schools grant (Arts Victoria)
2005 First and second prizes, ‘Traditional non-European binding’;, second prize ‘Design Binding’  third prize ‘Book Arts’
2002 Melbourne Water Prize The Gallery at ‘Werribee South’, Werribee South, Victoria

Selected bibliography
2005 ‘Textile Fibre Forum’ Volume Twenty Four, issue 2, No. 78
2003 ‘Letters’ Bulletin of IAPMA (International Association of Papermakers and Paper Artists.
2003 ‘Australian Paper Arts’ magazine, Designing Australians feature 
2002 ‘The Encyclopedia of Papermaking & Bookbinding’ H. Reimer-Epp & M. Reimer Publisher Quarto Inc.
2002 ‘Craft’ – Paper, Magazine of Craft Victoria Volume 33 No. 242 1/2002
1999 ‘Textile Fibre Forum’ Volume eighteen, issue 2, No. 55
1999 ‘Edible Paper’ Newsletter of IAPMA, international paper arts association
1999 ‘Women’s Art Register Bulletin’ Number 29
1998 ‘Somerset Studio’ Volume two, issue 4

Teaching and Demonstrating Experience
2005 Year 7 orientation program Korowa Anglican Girls College
2004 Year 12 and year 7 Korowa Anglican Girls College
2003 Year 12 Korowa Anglican Girls College three sessions on papermaking & bookbinding
2002 Year 10 Loyola College end of year activity, three sessions on one day.
2002 Sessions with Hawthorn pre school students half a day for each of four groups
2001 Year 11 Sophia Mundi Steiner School papermaking and bookbinding 
2001 prep-grade 6 'Artist in Schools Project' supported by Arts Victoria at Thomas Chirnside Primary School
1991-Present Tutor with Council of Adult Education, running 3-4 basic papermaking   workshops per year.
1994-Present Tutor at Monash University Short Courses Centre teaching basic papermaking, advanced papermaking, plant fibre papermaking and introduction to simple bookbinding.
2004-5  Holmesglen TAFE Shortcourses Program Bookbinding & Paper Decoration and Papermaking
1987-Present Various demonstrations and workshops at Community Centres, Shopping Centres , Schools and Hospitals.
1970-72 Maths Science Lilydale & University High Schools

Membership of Professional Organizations
1999-Present Women’s Art Register - Convenor
1998-2004 Papermakers of Victoria inc.  President 
2004-5 International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists 
(IAPMA) vice-president
Victorian Bookbinders Guild member 
Craft Victoria member
Craft Australia member 

Artist Statement:
My love affair with paper began many years ago when I first learned to make my own. I love all the many things you can do with paper. I love to make pulp paintings, cast paper, installations, books and cards. I love to make paper from plants and see what surprises are in store. I love to recycle because I care for the environment. I love to make something valuable out of something that would otherwise be thrown away. Most of all I love the fact that even although I’ve been making paper for over twenty years, I’m still experimenting and learning new techniques. 

Gail Stiffe with basket art

Materials: paper clay, hemp paper, lino etching, inkjet prints, bookcloth, card & hand-dyed linen thread 

Description: coptic binding paper clay and hemp paper in a box. 
Artist Statement: Just as in life, in nature there is no such thing as true black and white. This book was inspired by a beach on the East coast of King Island. 'Black' and 'white' sands made wonderful patterns on the shoreline. 

‘Red Books’ made from overbeaten strelitzia fibre dyed with black and red Cartesol dyes watermarks and cast vessels.
 

'Naracoopa 2' Pulp painting inspired by the sea and rocks of King Island.  Sent to Jeonju, Korea for exhibition
 

Fragment 1

Fragment 2

Statement about Fragment 1 and Fragment 2: 
These works evoke a sense of past cultures and art - of the loss of past civilizations and of the endeavor to re-find those treasures albeit imperfectly and only in fragments. At the same time the works demonstrate one of the many characteristics of handmade paper - its' ability to take many forms - here the appearance of low relief metal work - of tarnished copper and of pewter or lead.