Lesson 11 Can I ask your advice?

Nora had her back to the doorway. She wasn’t expecting any visitors. When she was in the studio, everyone knew not to interrupt. Everyone except Hannah. Hannah didn’t think rules applied to her after all. The first time Nora was aware of her presence was when the volume on the music suddenly decreased. Nora turned her head quickly in the direction of the old CD player.

‘Hannah,’ she said. ‘What are you doing here?’
It wasn’t warm. A mix of surprise and irritation. Nora was just about to ink up her plate for printing. The part of the process that needed her complete attention. And on a warm day, the ink would need to be applied quickly.

‘Hey, babe. Sorry for not calling first. I hope you won’t mind, but I really need your advice.’

Nora held the brayer in her hand, hovering over the inking station, the lino waiting to receive its first coat and reveal the intricately carved image she had spent hours carving. She couldn’t wait. Nora rolled the brayer over the well of ink and backward and forward across the glass until she could hear the tacky texture she needed. The brayer fully loaded, she finally responded.

‘I have to get this down,’ she said waving the ink-laden roller toward Hannah. ‘Just stand over there, will you, while I do this.’

‘Of course, of course, don’t let me interrupt.’

But you already have.

Nora could barely disguise her annoyance.

This had better be important.

Nora was pushing to get her prints done for her upcoming exhibition. It was the last thing she needed today. She rolled the brayer over the lino, starting in the centre and moving out to the edges. She squatted down to look at the coverage and rolled again trying to even out the ink.

‘I have just been asked to do a show at the Gallery on the Wharf, for January,’ Hannah said, leaving the statement begging for a response. Nora was waiting for a question. The silence was broken only by a further loading of the ink from the ink station and a few more covers of the lino until she was happy it was ready to print.

‘Yes, well… I know you had an exhibition there last year.’

Another statement. Get to the point, why don’t you? Nora was reluctant to lay the Japanese Maple paper onto the lino, until she knew why Hannah was here at this time. She held the paper by the corner and then placed it back down. Maybe I should do a test print, she thought, not use the good stuff just yet.

Had she not been interrupted, Nora was confident about the image, but now her concentration was thrown. She placed the Japanese paper down on the bench and reached for the practice sheets.

‘I wanted to know if you think that would be a good venue for me, for my works. I mean, what kind of exposure did you get there ¬– isn’t it mostly tourist trade?’

This is what Hannah urgently needed to ask? Nora felt her pulse in her neck pound. She took a deep breath and smoothed the test paper over the lino, running her hands across with care. She stood back.

‘Any exposure is good exposure, wouldn’t you say?’ Nora said, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice.

‘Well, yes… but…’

Nora placed the felt on top of the paper and pulled the lever of her Woodzilla block printer, down and leaned on it for extra measure.

‘But, what?’

‘You don’t think there’s a reputational risk, going so low brow?’

‘What? You know I showed there…. What are you saying exactly?’

Nora pulled the lever back to the open position and carefully removed the felt buffer. She scanned the page to check that it had been evenly pressed, before lifting one corner of the paper to see the result. It took well. She lifted the paper from the lino and held it at arm’s length the check the details. A small bit of chatter in the image. She was glad she did the test run. She could clean that up a little with some further carving. She placed the test print down and turned to look directly at Hannah.

‘Oh, no. I didn’t mean. It’s just I was hoping for a showing at the Manning this year. I was worried they might think I’m not their league if I show downtown.’

‘Hannah, show… don’t show. You really didn’t come here for advice, now did you?’

Nora walked over to the CD and turned the volume back up. Hannah had been a good friend up until the time that Nora’s work started receiving more attention that her own. The façade of friendship was being eroded by professional jealousy.

‘No, you’re right,’ said Hannah. ‘I’m sorry. Of course, any exposure is good exposure. I mean look at you. You’re really killing it these days.’

Nora just gave a half-hearted smile and returned her attention to the fast-drying ink left on the station. She covered it with plastic and walked to the sink to wash off the plate.

‘Is there anything else, Hannah?’ she said, with her back to her old friend.

‘No, no. I can see you’re busy, babe. I’ll just let myself out.’

‘Hann,’ Nora called after her, softening at the memory of how they once were. ‘Your time will come, you know. We’re not competitors, – we’re supposed to be friends remember?’

Hannah’s face flushed crimson at the truth in that moment.

‘Will you come to my opening at the Wharf, babe?’

‘You know I will.’