dig in the ribs

Experimenting with texture

2010-06-07T18:54:00.004+01:00

Working on the assignment looking at textures in images and around the home has meant rediscovering lots of books I'd forgotten about and indulging in some new ones!

I've also been seeing our house and garden in a new light, trying to find different textures. Discovering quite a few bits that have escaped the cleaning fairy as well.

Love using pastels, soft and oil on this but realised when I looked back through that I hadn't used and paints. Must go back and get some acrylics out. Also haven't used diferent papers to work on, I think I have a reluctance to do that though. It would be easy to use different papers to help show different textures. Part of the challenge is that of giving the idea of structure and textures just through making marks and colour. Not sure that I've achieved that yet though although I do love these ones.

The next task calls for using images from your sketchbook- mine is looking decidedly empty at the moment. Hopefully a trip to the v&a tomorrow will help.
Sent from my iPhone

More weaving

2010-06-03T12:35:00.000+01:00

I loved it so much I went back for more! I went back and did another
weekend with margo selby. A different group of people and different
working dynamic but still excellent.
I really wanted to understand how the set-up and structures worked and
whilst I spent a long tine drawing pictures and colouring in squares
of paper it's not the same as actually 'doing' and seeing the way the
cloth evolves.
More pictures below, the double cloth structure really appeals to me.
now I understand this a little better and how to make the colours and
pattern do what I envisage I ended up with a piece I really loved.
The end on end structure was still much more experimental, there is
just so much you can do with that one set up. I think the colours of
warps had something to do with my reservations in these pieces. They
weren't colours I would ever have chosen to work with but- it did make
me think about colour a lot more than I would have done otherwise ; it
was interesting to see how the weft colours changed depending where
and how they went through the warp.

I would love to get my hands on a loom and start doing my own pieces
but I think that will have to wait a while. It is quite a time
consuming work and not easily done sat in the living room with
everyone else, requires far too much concentration.
However, it has given me a new view on my own work and what I would
like to, and can, achieve.

something old and something new

2010-06-02T09:30:00.000+01:00

Well not really old but an old favourite.
Thinking about artist inspiration after visiting one of my favourites and discovering a new one.
We went to a new studio warming for printmaker and painter Anita Klein last week. Was great to see some of her huge paintings in real life rather than 3 inches high on a computer screen. One of them seems to have found it's way to our home, although it might take longer before it's hanging on the wall. Need to find some much bigger, stronger picture rail hooks, fortunately it didn't fall far and the only thing damaged was a big dent in the bench underneath!

Thinking about why I feel so drawn to her work sitting across the table from it today. The very personal nature of much of her work particularly the earlier prints, the humour, obvious love and affection for her girls and 'Nige', they all alow the viewer to connect very personally with the work. The simplicity of the line in her work, the portrayal of the face, often looking outward, looking out, but not at the viewer.

The new was Jilly Morris, who works with porcelain, enamelling, drawing, incorporating various other media.
I came across her looking for textural drawing work. She talks about herself as a markmaker rather than a skilled drawer. I struggle to get past the mental block of, 'but i can't draw and you have to be able to draw to be an artist'. and the idea of thinking of myself as a mark maker rather than having to 'try and draw' is very appealing. The blog of her current residency at the VARC - Visual Arts in Rural Communities - in Northumberland is worth a look through as well.

Batch of babies

2010-06-01T18:35:00.000+01:00

We've had three new babies arrive in the last month . Having read
the The Gentle Art of Quilt-Making by Jane Brocket after seeing it on the mason-dixon blog, I
was inspired to give it another go.
My previous attempts were a long long time ago and I got bogged down in making cardboard templates and never got to anywhere close to a finished object. I got the top pieces
done very quickly and having finally understood how to put the layers
together I thought the last bit would be easy!
Hand quilting I thought, easy, they're only small blankets won't take

long,

I can just do a bit in the evenings watching tv.

Several weeks later I finally got one finished! I ended up using an

old shirt to make the bias binding to go round the edge as I couldn't find anything else to match.

After the distraction of making birthday presents for several small girls
-lovely little bags with embroidered cut away felt letters- (none of
which I managed to take pictures of before they were given).
The second one is proving a little more challenging! I keep changing my mind on how to do the quilting and as the baby is now nearly 6 weeks old I really need to get a move on or he'll be too big for it!
Was great to get started thinking about sewing again and looking through lots of fabric bags has set off lots of ideas to try but they'll have to wait for now!

Woven

2010-05-29T15:49:00.002+01:00

I have had lots of inspiring things happen textiles-wise over the last month which I'm hoping should get me started and keep me going working on the course.

The first was the lovely Margo Selby. Having loved her fabrics since seeing them some years ago in selvedge, i was really pleased to see her work on the Mastercrafts programme earlier this year. Having been so inspired by it i booked onto one of her workshop weekends a few weeks ago and had a fantastic time.

We had the opportunity to work on 6 - 8 shaft - table looms set up with two different weave structures and different coloured warps.
It was a real eye opener to me, i had never thought i would love weaving, bit boring all that throwing yarn back and forth stuff - but i loved it.
The mathematical side of it - understanding how the structures and patterns are put together, how using different threads, combining different structures can give you completely different looking fabrics.
We all had the opportunity to work on four different looms over the course of the weekend; and when the pieces of fabric were finally cut from the loom late on sunday - a very emotional moment- you could really see how from the same warp and set up on the loom you could achieve completely different pieces of fabric depending on the structures you had used and the weft threads you had chosen.

These are some of the fabrics as they came off the loom and before we cut them up for people to take their own pieces home - i think everyone was amazed with what they achieved in a weekend.

my first piece of deflected double cloth

and my second - on the same loom the next day - i loved this piece - there are lots of purples in it as well - reminded me and others of heather.
i brought alot of my own yarns from home to use in the weft and this was a real revelation to me.
I have a huge stash of yarns - i love them when i buy them but i can't bring myself to knit or crochet with them. Sometimes because they feel too precious but often because they look nothing like they do in a skein or ball once they're knitted up and i often feel so disappointed!
But when you see them laid out across the fabric like in this piece they take on a whole different life and are exactly what i see in my head when i buy them. I've obviously been buying them all this time just waiting for me to discover weaving! Does that mean i have to buy more now that i know what i could use them for !

Thanks so much to Margo who was incredibly generous with her resources knowledge and time throughout the weekend.
More later with images of my pieces and what happened next!

new start

2010-05-29T15:19:00.000+01:00

Having had over a month, of nothing disastrous or distracting happening I finally got round to sitting and looking through my OCA Textiles 1 course.
I found that as I had been dormant for over 6 months my files should all have been returned to head office and I might not be able to carry on! My own fault for not letting her know the situation earlier and not asking for a deferment! However just this week she has sent me a- how are you getting on and how much have you done, reminder email. I replied straight away and am hopeful when I hear back that I will just be able to carry on although I will only have a year to complete — so I really need to get a move on.
hence starting to do my learning journal more online — its much easier to find time to write a quick email and send it up — can even do it from my phone with pictures straight away — much harder to find the time in my house to sit down and write, print out pictures. I will still keep a 'real life' learning journal as well but hope this will make it a lot easier for me to start being more consistent in recording my reflections and thoughts.

There will be a few posts catching up on all the things that have happened in the last month or so to start with and then hopefully it should get a little easier!

Hipstamatic

2010-05-26T20:21:00.001+01:00

New iPhone app for old stylee photos!
Lots of fun to be had, lots of disasters though, thank goodness for
digital cameras.

caitie in a back carry - finally!

2008-02-01T17:04:00.000Z

2007-11-21T16:54:00.000Z

photos for daddy as hes away in japan!!

catch up

2007-11-19T13:27:00.000Z

just a selection of photos from the last few weeks
out walking in london - no Kitcat has not grown extra arms - those are her leg warmers - it got really cold that day!
halloween, of course
phoebe being an intrepid reporter! for school book day

the whole family out for a special dinner - more on that later

and Kitcat eating spaghetti!! well throwing it around

half term week

2007-10-25T18:29:00.000+01:00

so this week we have been busy everyday and i have managed to forget the camera every single time - i have a single photo on my phone from brighton pier but no idea how i can transfer it onto the computer!

Tomorrow we're off to the london eye so i will remember and we can take lots of shots of london through a grey haze in the rain! bet you all can't wait!

tired and sleepy this am

2007-10-16T08:19:00.000+01:00

good morning- we just got up and all the others have gone to school but mummy made me a new toy!

still prefer a bit of paper though!!

sunday morning with the girls

2007-10-14T12:12:00.000+01:00

A 'quiet' sunday morning with the girls while the boys are off playing rugby.

2007-10-12T12:34:00.001+01:00

a sweet potato moment!!