This website uses cookies to improve your experience navigating our site. By continuing to browse, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
OK, I understand
Australian houses, from architectural masterpieces to suburban family homes, Victorian terraces, mid-century marvels, coastal shacks, city apartments, and everything in between.
Award-winning Australian architecture, inspiring homes, and interviews with Australia’s top architects.
Award-winning Australian interior design, inspiring homes, and interviews with Australia’s top designers.
In depth features on Australia’s most beautiful gardens and landscape design.
Studio visits with Australia’s most talented creatives, from artists to architects, ceramicists to stylists, furniture makers to lighting designers.
Studio visits with Australia’s top artists, and unmissable art exhibitions in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and beyond.
Weekly recipes and meal ideas from our favourite cooks, authors and foodies.
Unique travel destinations, design-led accomodation and day trip ideas in Australia and New Zealand.
Australian houses, from architectural masterpieces to suburban family homes, Victorian terraces, mid-century marvels, coastal shacks, city apartments, and everything in between.
Award-winning Australian architecture, inspiring homes, and interviews with Australia’s top architects.
Award-winning Australian interior design, inspiring homes, and interviews with Australia’s top designers.
In depth features on Australia’s most beautiful gardens and landscape design.
Studio visits with Australia’s most talented creatives, from artists to architects, ceramicists to stylists, furniture makers to lighting designers.
Studio visits with Australia’s top artists, and unmissable art exhibitions in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and beyond.
Weekly recipes and meal ideas from our favourite cooks, authors and foodies.
Unique travel destinations, design-led accomodation and day trip ideas in Australia and New Zealand.
Today Liz Jones is profiling one of Australia's pioneers of reusing linoleum, Rosalie Gascoigne. Don't forget that Liz is giving away a custom cuckoo clock to one lucky TDF reader, just leave a comment before 10pm on Thursday. And be sure to visit the Betty Jo Designs store to see Liz's full range of lino clocks! - Jenny x
When you think of visual art and Linoleum, the first thing that comes to mind is most likely linocut prints. But although lino is a very useful material for carving and printing, it is also used as a decorative medium in itself by several Australian artists.
We can’t look at contemporary Australian artists without first exploring the brilliant work of the late Rosalie Gascoigne.
I was lucky enough to visit the Rosalie Gascoigne Retrospective at the Ian Potter Gallery in 2009 and she has become my number one inspiration.
Entering the Australian art scene in 1974 at the age of fifty-seven with a solo show at The Macquarie Galleries in Canberra, her quirky and creative use of discarded and salvaged domestic debris was unique and unparalleled at the time.
Rosalie Gascoigne’s imaginative manipulation of salvaged pieces of Lino evokes nostalgic memories of kitchen past and a women’s place in the home (even though Ms. Gascoigne denied this was a reference in her work and disliked housework intently!).
I like to imagine Rosalie getting her hands dirty fossicking at the local dump for old lino and other discarded treasures, loading them into the back of her car and then working her magic in the studio!
Literally tearing the Lino into workable pieces, Gascoigne used the lino’s decorative designs as a work in themselves, or else created mosaic like collages that shimmer with colour.
By combining vintage Lino with other discarded household items such as lemonade crates and advertising signage, Rosalie Gascoigne created iconic assemblages that have become snapshots of Australian culture.
- Liz x
The Design Files acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we work, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.
First Nations artists, designers, makers, and creative business owners are encouraged to submit their projects for coverage on The Design Files. Please email bea@thedesignfiles.net
The Design Files’ original content and photos are copyright protected. Please email us before reposting our content on other publications, personal websites, or Instagram. Feel free to share our images on Pinterest using the credit ‘via thedesignfiles.net’. Thank you!