A game changer has arrived in my studio!
The timing was completely wrong (I won’t bore you with the details) but it became crucial for me to source a printing press of my own, sooner rather than much later, as I’d originally planned.
Thanks to generous friends (and money lenders who break knees) I’ve been able to bring my dream to life 
Now she’s here I knew straight away that such an important piece of studio equipment needed a name. I pondered options with the girls for a weekend.
And suddenly in a moment of peaceful contemplation whilst sipping a cup of tea, it hit me out of nowhere. I am where I am right now partly because 5 years ago I read a short work of fiction by Liezel Graham called “The Decison“, and that snippet of writing was so powerful, it was part of a sequence of events that ‘woke me up’ & led to my having the courage to bring my girls to a place of safety, after 17 yrs of living in fear.
It led to what became our Freedom Day.
And then last year when I was working on my Photo Essay – for my unit The Photo Essay, whilst completing my Diploma of Creative Arts & Health at UTas – I reached out to Liezel and we had a back & forth via email, and shared a beautiful exchange 
And so I have decided to name my first printing press after my long-distance friend Liezel. Every print I make is a beautiful reminder that she is part of my art-life journey in a very special way. How wonderful to know that the writings of one person can empower the life of another so boldy, and change its direction so radically in the most amazing way
I wish Liezel had a grander studio to be housed in but that’s a vision for another year (decade). For now this is the best I can do, and she fits in the space beautifully and test prints are looking fine
Below you can see the print of Dhenny the Dhu fish – that my lecturer Stephen Spurrier printed for me during Semester One of 2024 – on the right, and my test print of Dhenny on Liezel, printed just after the end of Semester One, on the left. The main difference between the two prints is the textured paper used for Stephens’ print.
I’m so very excited to see what not only I, but what my daughters can create in the future, now that Liezel has joined our studio ♥
