starting out

Felt 3

2012-02-14T13:27:00.000-08:00

Mosaic felt; the pink wavy sections were cut out of a second half-felted piece, and then inserted into the cut-out sections of the grey half-felted piece. I spent hours and hours stitching the pink and grey together.....extremely tedious! As I told Christine, the tutor, 'I'll never use the mosaic technique again!'
After then half-felting the two pieces of felt; then cutting out the sections to insert, and stitching them together; I then had to complete the felting process on the whole piece.
It seems a very faffy way of inserting a second section of felt onto another piece. I think there are easier methods. And to add insult to injury, I have to re-felt this piece, as it's not completely felted. Ah well; steep learning curve and all that.

Hari-Kuyo

2012-02-09T11:39:00.000-08:00

The 8th of February is Hari-Kuyo, the Japanese Festival of the Broken Needles. Broken needles are collected throughout the year, and then on the 8th of February, taken to the local shrine, and stuck into a piece of tofu; then thrown into the nearest water-course, or river, or sea, and the water God asked for blessings.
My needles aren't broken; or piercing tofu; but put out of harms' way, in a pincushion!

Isle of Islay; drawing with stitch

2012-02-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

The snow has arrived! It began to fall yesterday afternoon, and just kept coming....
I'm guessing it will freeze tonight. Though there doesn't seem to be enough to cause major disruptions here in Wakefield.
However, the days are starting to stretch out and we're enjoying lengthening daylight. Today has been bright and sunny, as the white snow has reflected the light. Cold, but lovely.

Looking back to last summer and a holiday spent on the Isle of Islay, here is the second 'sewn drawing' based on a pencil sketch I did in August 2011. It's from our visit to the nature reserve at Loch Gruinart, an RSPB site.
We had a walk round, through woods, and fields, and generally enjoyed ourselves.
I'm enjoying the challenge of recreating a pencil drawing onto fabric, using thread as the 'line'. For these 2 sewn drawings, I've used sashiko thread; which is quite like embroidery thread, though slightly 'fluffier', and with a more matte quality.

Plant Dyed Fabric

2012-02-03T14:25:00.000-08:00

Another of my dye-ing experiments.

I love how this has turned out. It's almost an abstract 'painting'! The colours are very sludgy and almost monochrome, the brown giving a subtle addition. I take no ownership of it; the whole dye-ing work I'm doing, is completely experimental. Things come out unexpectedly when I remove them from the dye-bath.
I've just taken out the organic cotton from the onion skin dyebath that's mentioned in an earlier post. Compared with some earlier dyed work, that piece is a very rich colour; which I'd hoped for.
I think I'm still wrapping the bundles too tightly though. I'm getting a fading of colour of the fabric wrapped in the centre of the bundle, furthest away from the liquid. Haven't cracked that yet.
Maybe the answer is to leave the fabric loose in the liquid? Hmmmm. That may be my next experiment? Got to save up onion skins again. The land is too bare to go out foraging for potential dye experiments.

Felt 2

2012-01-31T04:04:00.000-08:00

The second piece of felt I made for the City and Guilds course. It's a piece of 'Grid Felt'.
We made the felt piece, and then cut out sections of it, to create the 'grid'. I would've liked to make the grid from strips of wool that are then felted, but the tutor, Christine said this took longer and was trickier to do! So I did the 'easier' version.
I've used undyed wool; the colour comes from the natural shades of the sheep fleece. I've added some inserts of transfer hand-dyed organzie, and embroidery using space-dyed thread.
It's based on the limestone pavements that are found in North Yorkshire, and in Ireland.

Hare Stone

2012-01-27T04:48:00.000-08:00

At Lime Tree Farm in North Yorkshire, stands a stone circle, erected by willing helpers at the end of last century. Each of the stones was put in place at specific points throughout the year, situated in particular directions.
When I went there a few years ago, I was struck by the patterns of quartz, running through the rock.
To me, it created a Hare. I was seeing a number of Hares during the late 1990's, at lots of different locations. Once you've seen a Hare, you can never mistake them for rabbits! I've seen some huge ones, the size of a medium-sized dog! And they have a very particular way of looking at you; as if they're seeing right into you, and through you. Very magical, are Hares. So it's not surprising that I saw the Hare in the quartz of this stone.

Wiltshire; Avebury; 2011

2012-01-23T12:59:00.000-08:00

When I went to Avebury last October, I took this photo of a couple of the stones. I had to take a photograph of the stone on the left; it just looked like the face of a sheep, seen from the side!
As I'm busy thinking and dreaming about felt (!) because of this course I'm doing, I thought this image fitted rather well here.

When I went to The Hepworth last week to hear Clare Woods 'In Conversation', I was interested to hear she was a big fan of Paul Nash, John Piper, Graham Sutherland, Barbara Hepworth. Though not surprised, as she had curated a mini-exhibition of a selection of their work in one of the rooms of The Hepworth at the entrance of her exhibition.
When I saw the exhibition, I was really pleased to see the work in that small room; I've had a particular interest in such artists since I was an art student back in the 1980's. There's something about their concern with landscape in the shadow of WW2; almost a sense of what might be lost. Clare Woods articulated that this fear may have a similar resonance at the moment, with the economic 'austerity' we face, and current ecological worries.....though to be fair, there have been ecological anxieties at least since the 1960's, that I'm aware of....and they probably go back further that that.

Journey Through the Past; Core Sampler

2012-01-21T13:33:00.000-08:00

So at last 'Journey Through the Past; Core Sampler' is finished. It's taken me a long,long time to complete it. The starting point for me, was visiting York Art Gallery, and seeing the exhibition there of Sashiko sewing. It inspired me to think about using fabric, sewing, stitching, and textiles as a medium for artwork. Initially it was the idea of creating 3 dimensional work using textiles and stitch; and I've not really followed up on that idea at all!
Instead I got started on this massive piece; it stands approximately 5 feet high, and approx 2.5 feet wide. And incorporates; hand stitching, transfers, hand painting, machine stitch, hand-dyed fabric, embroidery, silk-paper making. It's been a real 'Journey' for me.

Felt 1

2012-01-20T13:36:00.000-08:00

My first felt sample piece for the City and Guilds course. The red flecks, are from sheep fleece I collected in Shropshire last year, and dyed with procian dyes. I wanted to include some fleece that I'd worked on; though this isn't the Islay fleece. That piece has been in the onion skin dye-bath and is now out and drying, ready for carding. I hope to use that in one of my felt sample pieces, over the next few weeks.

I've been up at the studio today, sewing with mono-filament.....blimey! I couldn't see where I'd stitched! I'm sewing it onto some solufleece, water-soluble 'fabric' that I bought from Harrogate. My eyes were aching after a few rows. I'm using it on my second felt sample for the C&G course, where we created holes.

We have to have a theme for our work; mine is 'natural forms'. Though when I thought about it more, I also realised that I was using a limited palette, which is a change from my usual work practise. Doing textile/fabric work, is informing my painting and drawing work. There are changes coming through; which is interesting, and exciting; and also challenging.

Starry Starry Night

2012-01-17T02:58:00.000-08:00

It's STARGAZING LIVE this week.

The BBC is encouraging people to watch the skies. I blame Brian Cox!

Though actually I need little encouragement to go outside and look at the stars.

Jon and I went over to Carleton Observatory at Pontefract; where the members had set up a series of telescopes outside, to use in conjunction with the huge telescope up on the roof, which has limited access.

It was a cold clear night, and therefore freezing! But of course, perfect for looking at the skies. I saw Jupiter, with the coloured bands, and its' 4 moons; the Orion nebula, which is normally only perceptible as a fuzziness without the aid of a telescope; and Sirius, the dog star. Sirius was beautiful! Twinkling like white fire, with blazes of red and orange. A jewel in the black night. I also saw a stunning shooting star.

I'm sure the more correct term is 'meteorite', but I prefer shooting star. This one fell quite slowly, leaving a trail of greeny-gold. I've never seen one quite like it. There was time to point it out to each other, and turn to see it, which is rarely the case. Usually there is a quick flash, and it's over.

A wonderful night. Hot chocolate when once home, to thaw me out!

For more info; bbc.co.uk/stargazing

Dye-Pot

2012-01-15T04:38:00.000-08:00

The onion skins dye-pot.
In which I have 2 bundles, and one chunk of sheep-fleece immersed. The colour that has come from the onion skins, is a lovely orange; so I'm feeling very hopeful of the results.

Yesterday we went to Leeds, and visited the Art Gallery, where there is an exhibition at the Henry Moore Institute, called 'United Enemies', subtitled 'The problem of sculpture in Britain in the 1960's and 1970's'. I enjoyed the exhibition; and came out smiling.

There's also an exhibition of Sheila Cluett sculptures, which is taken from the Henry Moore collection, who have just acquired Cluett's archives.
I was very taken by Cluett's work. The drawings were exquisite; light, delicate, flexible, and flexing, expressing subtlety and either motion, or stillness. The pencil drawings were almost architectural - often depicting designs for installations within rooms, or without-side in the natural world. They were economical, expressive, and clean. Her pastel drawings were expressive, and successful in capturing the essential qualities of line, and shape.
Her sculptures on show at Leeds were structures rising from the floor, and leaning, finely balanced against the walls. They are lit mostly from above, and so shadows are cast against the white walls, adding depth, and space to them.
Although the sculptures are quite simple in the first place, once I looked at them more carefully, I began to appreciate the complexity of them. They are tall, bound structures, standing on one point, finely balanced. Made up of various materials, including wood, wax, rope, wire, bamboo, plaster, resin, and metals. Some are straight, like 'arrow-shafts'. Others incorporate curves, curls, circles and spirals. I haven't done justice to the beauty of her sculptures; so all I can say is, go to the gallery, and see them for yourselves. The exhibition is on till 11 March 2012; and there is a gallery discussion on Wednesday 22 February, which I'm hoping to go to.

Drawings and Designs

2012-01-13T03:11:00.000-08:00

Looking back through a sketchbook I've had for about 6 years, I found this sketch; one done fairly recently, but I'd then forgotten all about it.
I love new sketchbooks; whenever I go anywhere that sells art materials, I have to go over to the sketchbook/paper section, and have a look at their stock. I'm a real bibliophile; love books in all their forms! I always want to start work in a new sketchbook; but the promise of its pages seems so very intimidating. Will the work be 'good enough' to fill these pages? The ever-present doubt of the artist...'will it be good enough'?????
This sketch was done with pencils; small marks; a tiny sketch, in an A5 book. I was trying out some ideas for working with textiles, and threads. And influenced by a Shell poster from the 1930's; 'Mousehole, Penzanze', by Anthony Stewart. He'd created a sea, from flat areas of pure tone, stripes of white, black, and blue. I was wondering how I might use that idea to create a textile piece. I'm wondering still!

Studios and Snow

2012-01-08T12:17:00.000-08:00

Strange to think that this time last year we were covered with snow! This was the view from my first studio at Westgate Studios in Wakefield. Across the fire escape, and over the roofs of the old brick and slate tiled buildings. Emley Moor mast in the far distance.....though not to be seen in this photograph! I love the way that photos of the snow create this blueness. There is a special quality of light in snow; and although my digital camera allows me to alter the setting, I like the resulting blue. I used to love the skies from this window; their ever-changing light.

On another note; I've begun my City and Guilds course in Feltmaking. My first piece was a bit of an anti-climax. A lovely piece of felt, said Christine, the tutor; but too small. All the pieces we make have to be A4 size, and this wasn't. I took it back to the studio, and proceeded to gently pull at the felt to try and make it the right size! I await Christine's verdict; but not the greatest start!

New Year's Day

2012-01-01T08:22:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Jon made this lovely wreath for us this year; very 'holly and Ivy', with lots of berries. Evergreens the symbol of life in the depths of winter.
I'm currently reading Richard Mabey's book, 'Weeds'. And on page 192 he asks the question, 'what are weeds for?' The answer comes in his following sentence;
'I have not seen three-quarters of these species, (of moths) but the list of moths that feeds on that governmentally scheduled weed, the dock, reads like a found poem:
bearded chestnut, black rustic, blood-vein, brown-spot pinion, chestnut, common marbled carpet, cream wave, dark-barred twin-spot carpet, dark chestnut, feathered ranunculus, garden tiger, gem, green arches, grey chi, Isle of Wight wave, large ranunculus, large twin-spot carpet, Lewes wave, mottled beauty, muslin moth, nutmeg, pale pinion Portland ribbon wave, red sword-grass, riband wave, ruby tiger, satin wave, striped hawk-moth, sword-grass, twin-spot carpet, white-marked, wood tiger, yellow shell.'

Textiles Day

2011-12-29T11:38:00.000-08:00

Today has been a 'textiles day'! I've been sewing using these organic cotton threads (from Greenfibres) and boiling up some onion skins to make a dye-pot. There are 2 pieces currently 'stewing' in the pot; one is a length of organic white cotton; the other is a bundle of mistletoe leaves wrapped in organic cotton. When these are ready to be removed from the pot, I'll pop some of the washed Islay fleece into it, and see if that picks up any remaining colour. I'll card that later.

The bundle had been pre-mordanted with soya-milk, so I'm hoping for a good result! The length of cotton will have the left-over onion skins wrapped in it, and 'bundled', then dunked again into a dye-pot.

Winter Solstice

2011-12-21T12:13:00.000-08:00

Winter Solstice 2011
The tree is up, and decorated; we light up the dark!
Tonight is the longest night; the shortest day. And three days remaining till Xmas.
This years tree is massive! I always have a real tree; and as our house is very small, I try to get a tree that will fit comfortably into it. But it's funny how a tree that seems a reasonable size in the garden centre, is huge when it's standing in the living room! Still, it does look beautiful. And the sweet resinous scent that greets us when we open the door in the mornings, is so evocative. Once the tree is up, I feel Xmas has really arrived.

13 Moons

2011-12-18T12:49:00.000-08:00

At Westgate Studios recent Members Exhibition, I showed one of my giclee prints, '13 Moons'.
As the title suggests, it has 13 small paintings of my observations of the Moon, over a lunar year (hence 13 moons), and runs from January, to January. This photo shows the first 3 months, January, February, and March, with April just to the right. It has a lovely reflection of the room where the exhibition was held! In the past, I would have dismissed a photo which had lots of reflection/s on it. But I'm coming round to think that sometimes reflections make something else out of the image in the lens.

Plant Dye-ing

2011-12-10T03:17:00.001-08:00

Linen painted with soya milk, then dyed in an oak-leaf dye bath.

I think I have cracked this plant-dyeing! Not being a chemist, the processes involved in creating dyes using plants is a bit of a mystery to me. But after reading, and experimenting, I think I've learned how to get good results.
As I've been using cottons and linens, because I don't want to use silk, I'm working with cellulose, and plant dyes don't tend to be as effective on these. They work best on 'proteins'...which are the wool and silk materials; basically materials that come from animals. Which leaves me working with materials that are difficult to use plant dyes on. Hmm, talk about making things hard for myself! Well, that's a common thread!
BUT; using soya milk, creates a 'protein' on the surface of the linen/cotton, and allows the plant dye to adhere to the fabric better. And I've seen the result of that in the piece above. It's a massive step forward in the dyeing I've done since August.

I have just received a sample chart/s from Greenfibres of organic cottons, linens, silks, and hemps; organic wool/s (plant dyed!); and organic cotton threads. Their silks are 'wild harvested'......so maybe I could experiment with them? Of course, they are very expensive, certainly compared with fabrics I can buy locally. But I'll be looking into their products in the future.
www.greenfibres.com

Wentworth Verdigris

2011-12-03T13:06:00.001-08:00

On a recent visit to Wentworth, Rotherham, in order to look round Wingham Woolworks, I noticed this ironwork in one of the gardens. The sun was bright, and caught the highlighted metal and brickwork.

Knitting and Stitch at Harrogate

2011-11-27T12:37:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I went to Harrogate to the Knitting and Stitching Show at the conference centre. It's the first time I've been. I bought some 'stuff'; and saw some amazing creations, made from wool and textiles.
There were some wonderful objects on display, some notable ones were;-
Beryl Dean's ecclesiastical embroideries. Huge bishops copes etc, laid out as works of art.
Valerie Huggins' altarpiece based on her inspirations of Mexico. Her e.mail is; -
http://v.huggins962@btinternet.com
Linda Sadler's knitted work and felted fabrics, based on corals, seen through a microscope. Her blogspot is at: -
http://lindasadler.blogspot.com

Been up to the studio today, using some of the new materials I bought; and organising myself for what I need to do for the final session of the textiles course on Tuesday.
I've also had an idea for a textile piece using the plant-dyed fabrics I've been making since August!

Talks and ArtWalks

2011-11-23T13:17:00.000-08:00

I gave a talk at Chantry Chapel last Monday, 21st November, based on my M.A. dissertation. Called 'The Sacred Landscape', it explored the influence of the landscape upon twentieth, and twenty-first century artists; including Barbara Hepworth, Paul Nash, Chris Drury, Aaron Watson, Berenice Henson et al.

I'm just reading a book about John Piper, and realised I missed him out of my research completely!

I've put some work into the exhibition of resident artists work at Westgate Studios for the next Artwalk on November 30th November 2011.

Islay; drawing with stitch

2011-11-14T13:11:00.000-08:00

The east side of Islay, seen from the campsite on the western side of the Loch. Here was where Jon and I watched the moonrise on consecutive evenings. The moon was waning, so we only got to see it for a couple of evenings. This sewing is based on a pencil sketch I did whilst we were there. The foreground, the sea; the low hills on the horizon.

I'm working on a second drawing with stitch, based on another pencil drawing I did on Islay.

'Silk' paints; and ethics

2011-11-13T12:31:00.000-08:00

'Silk' painting....or, not actual silk; taffeta in fact. It lacks the vibrancy of painting on silk. The colours don't sing out as much. But I don't use silk as a fabric, as I try not to use any (obvious, at least!) killed animal by-products in my work. I realise this is a loaded issue, as I use oil paints and art materials which have most likely been tested on animals to 'ensure' their safety, and non-toxicity to humans. It's not an easy subject. The more I consider it, the more problematic it is! I just try my best; tiptoe-ing through all the ethical issues. The other students' work looked much better than this taffeta painted with silk-paints; the paint is designed to work best with silk, after all. I do keep a look-out for white/pale silk fabric in the second hand shops. Somehow it feel it might be alright to use second hand silk. But I don't buy it new; and in courses, I choose not to use it.

Wiltshire; Tipi

2011-11-08T12:45:00.000-08:00

We stayed on a campsite just down the road from the Uffington White Horse, and near to the Ridgeway. Sharon, Stanny and Eli stayed in the tipi, whilst Jon and I stayed in Blanche. We had a wonderful time, and had a roaring fire on the Sunday night. We let off fireworks, and danced around with sparklers.....well Sharon and I did! It stayed dry, and sunny, and I would have loved more time to spend with our friends.

Wiltshire; The Vale of the White Horse

2011-11-08T12:40:00.000-08:00

To the right of this photograph is the Uffington White Horse. To be honest, it's best seen from the air. I was particularly fascinated by the chalk hills. Like ribs, rippling under the green. There are some interpretations that the White Horse is in fact a dragon; that's what these hills looked like to me. The bones under the skin.

Wiltshire; Avebury

2011-11-08T12:31:00.001-08:00

Avebury; the village in the henge. Walking round Avebury, we were struck by the 'trig-points', the concrete posts which indicated the positions of stones that were no longer in existence. We wondered about this wall.....was it made up of broken bits of ancient stones that had been removed from their original spots? Beyond it though, was the contrasting textures of a thatched roof; and in the garden, a tree, with some apples remaining.

Between them, they seemed to tell one of the stories of Britain.

Wiltshire; Wayland's Smithy

2011-11-08T12:16:00.000-08:00

Wayland's Smithy in the autumn light. The leaves collecting in the entrance. The dappled sun shining through the trees create shadows; and darkness to the passage tomb's entrance. It looks a bit artificial, this light. But it's how the day was. I like the golden path of leaves; a carpet to soften the walk to death. Hmmm; very seasonal.

Of course, the information boards say that it's been 'reconstructed', as many stone circles/ rows, and standing stones are. This 'front' part had fallen down in the 1920's, so what we see is a modern construct.

Core Sampler; Journey Through The Past

2011-11-02T12:42:00.000-07:00

This is a section of a large textile piece I'm working on; and have been working on for longer than I intended!

It incorporates hand sewing; machine sewing; fabric painting; transfer printing; hand-dyed fabric; and currently, I'm working using the silk papers I made on my textiles course. I'm hoping that the work I'm doing now, is the final part of the jigsaw. It's hanging on my studio wall, and I keep taking it down, to work on, to do more hand sewing. Then I pin it back up, till I get back into the studio to work upon it again. I'm hand sewing small leaf shapes (fossil leaf shapes to be exact) onto the silk papers, which I'll then attach to the cotton fabric.

There are quite a few to sew; 13 or 14, depending on my final decision. I am so looking forward to completing this! I can then clear the decks....at least in my head!.....and think about my next textile piece, which I have photos and ideas for.

hAPpY HaLLoWe'EN

2011-10-31T13:19:00.000-07:00

greetings from the place where the veil between the worlds is thin!

The night of All Soul's, or Samhain in the Celtic year.

We've carved our pumpkins, and frightened the local children who've called round 'trick or treating'. I've been acting like Tom Waits! With a big top hat, full of sweets and chocolate, which I doff with a flourish, and offer to let the children take a piece of 'magic' chocolate! Some of the teenagers were in hysterics. So were we!

'The Big Draw'

2011-10-25T12:49:00.000-07:00

As October rolls round once more, the Big Draw is upon us.

A couple of years ago I went into a local primary school and did a few afternoons with a class to publicise 'The Big Draw'.We used big sticks, and pots/saucers of ink. Deliberately, so that there would be no worries about 'getting it right'. There were lots of blobs and blotches, which all added to the effects.

I took in lots of feathers too, so the children could have a go with ink and quill pens. It made quite a change using such ancient technology!

Living in the Material World

2011-10-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to Bradford Media Museum to see the Martin Scorsese film about George Harrison, 'Living in the Material World'. It's a long one; including the interval, it lasts 4 hours. Scorsese has form for making films about musicians, there's his famous 'The Last Waltz', about the final concert of The Band, and of course he did the Bob Dylan Anthology film, plus the Rolling Stones film.

Scorcese films are always worth a looksee, whatever the subject; but as a Beatles fan from decades ago, I had a particular interest in this one. I wasn't disappointed. It's as though George has just popped out the room, and he's still present.

The interview with his wife, Olivia, telling us about the night they were invaded by a man who attacked George with a knife, was particularly chilling. I found myself shifting uncomfortably in my seat; it was so visceral. Olivia did well to hit the assailant hard enough that he didn't kill George. She saved his life.

A film with lots of dark shadows, as well as the light and excitement of 'the sixties'.

George was described by Ringo as having 'a bag of love, and a bag of anger'; but the final words that stayed with me, were from Jackie Stewart, the racing driver, who George befriended through his love of fast cars and motor racing.

Jackie said that it was the most intense bereavement he'd ever had, and he felt the loss more that any others. Despite the fact that he didn't think he knew George that well, and didn't feel that he was particularly close to him. It's a testament to how George made people feel.

Went home and put on a George Harrison cd that my brother bought me when George died.

And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make.

Wasps

2011-10-16T12:20:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Jon brought this wasp nest home from his allotment. It's now rotted away sadly; but the nest was beautiful to look at. A creamy ball of feathery 'paper'.

Herb Robert Dyed Fabric

2011-10-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

This is the result of my experiments using Herb Robert to dye linen fabric. It's come out a very pale, washed out grey-pink colour. The black marks come from the small bull-dog clips I used to hold together the folded cloth.

Quite nice effects I think.

Here is a close up of the pattern from the clips.

Cotton Dyed with Onionskins

2011-10-11T11:19:00.000-07:00

My first experiment with eco-dyeing.
A bundle wrapped in onion skins, and steeped in the 'dyepot' for weeks and weeks!
The darker patches are where the cotton has taken up the pattern and colour of the onions.
A modest success I'd say; now to think about how to use it?

Home Grown

2011-10-09T05:11:00.000-07:00

Some rather eccentrically coloured purple potatoes, that Jon grew this year. They were very small, but gorgeous to look at. Unfortunately the colour drained away once I'd cooked them. Shame.

More home grown produce. And apples, apples, apples! We have a surfeit of apples this year, both in our garden at home, and at Jon's garden. We're eating apple crumble, and Jon's wrapping them up in newspaper, for storage.

Sheep Fleece & Felt

2011-10-04T12:21:00.000-07:00

On holiday on the Isle Of Islay, back in August, I collected some sheep fleece from Finlaggan.....which is the site of where the Lords of The Isles had their headquarters.

I'm currently reading a book I got whilst on Islay, by Alistair Moffat called 'The Sea Kingdoms; The History of Celtic Britain & Ireland'. It's giving me a fantastic background on Welsh and Scots history.

The creative textiles course has begun again, and I'm 3 weeks into it. So taking on some of Christine's suggestions, I went and bought 2 metal toothed dog-brushes. They are a pretty good imitation carding combs!

And so have started to 'card' the fleece from Islay, using said dog-brushes! I've got quite a nice little pile so far, but there's a LOT of fleece left! It was lovely last Saturday, sitting in the hot sun in my garden, carding through the fleece. I did think though, it was a good job I wasn't doing it on piecework rates! I'd never make a living at it.

Funnily enough, I did once work in a wool factory, decades back, in the 1970's. Not in the carding shop though; I worked on the wool-spinning machines. Very noisy, and dust-full.

Saturday was quite a different experience from the wool-factory.

Richard Hamilton R.I.P.

2011-09-14T07:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I caught the news that Richard Hamilton had died.
Famous for the collages he created back in the 1960's which ushered in the 'Pop Art' movement. Famous for the paintings he did depicting the dirty protest, and the IRA hunger strikers of the 1980's.
And famous for the cover of The Beatles album (that became known as) The White Album.
In the interview the played on Front Row last night, he said that he wanted to just have reference numbers on the plain white cover, and not include the embossed name of 'The Beatles'.
Minimal indeed!
It would still have sold as many copies though!
I have a numbered White Album; though the condition is atrocious! I went out and bought a replacement vinyl copy, it was just about unlistenable. Obviously I put the new vinyl into the old cover though!

Dyed Paper

2011-09-14T07:10:00.000-07:00

This is some paper I dyed by steeping it in rainwater with onion skins. The paper is hand made Indian paper, from a lovely sketchbook/notebook I was bought a few xmases ago.
The black edgings are from the small metallic bulldog clips I used to hold the folded paper together in the dye-pot.
My very first go with dye-ing using plants!

Spinning the Whorl

2011-09-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

It's been such a busy summer. I've not had a chance to write up all the things that have been happening. And now here's September again, and things are cranking up back into action with work.

A while ago, Jon and I went to East Yorkshire when it was Archaeology Week, and visited a farm near Driffield where they were holding a display and activities to be part of the celebrations.

They have a replica of the 'Wetwang Chariot' on display, and a video of it being pulled by a horse, and a woman riding/steering it. It's an amazing reproduction, and I was reminded of the Ferrybridge Chariot which was dug up when the the 'new' M62/A1 connection road was being built. I saw it when it was on display at Pontefract Museum. Sadly it's now in storage, as there isn't enough space to keep it on permanent display.
These finds make me wonder what is beneath our feet that we know nothing about; mysteries which only turn up when roadbuilding occurrs.

Still; the day out in East Yorkshire was fun. And I got to see a replica Anglo-Saxon loom, with loom-weights made from the holed stones found on the east Yorkshire beaches. I had a go on that.

I also found someone to demonstrate how to spin using a drop-spindle. We had a real laugh as we experimented! It's harder than it looks! And those women using the drop-spindles would do it at the same time as they were doing something else!
I have utter respect for them!

Dye-ing; and Wool

2011-09-07T07:04:00.000-07:00

Some fabric l ironed on transfers l'd initially painted on paper. An interesting process, though l did think...'well why not simply paint directly onto the fabric?' I still do ask myself that question.

Meantime, after the onion skin infusion, I've got 2 bundles soaking that I made whilst in Scotland, plus one I put in a jar with beeroot juice (India Flint's Solar-Dyeing, as she calls it), and another steeping in the Herb Robert.

Whilst in Scotland I also 'collected' a big bundle of sheep sheared wool.....it was just lying on the ground, honest guv!
That's soaking in a box in the garden; awaiting my action on what to do with it. It does need washing; and it also needs teasing apart somehow, to make it possible to work with.

When I start the textiles course again, I'll have access to some carding combs to help me with that....hurrah!

Fabric Dye-ing, and Herb Robert

2011-09-05T12:54:00.000-07:00

Herb Robert turns from green to red in the leaves. I've read that this can produce a red dye, so have picked some, and steeped some fabric in the liquid.
Unfortunately this plant has a disgusting smell (!) so the house has reeked, whilst I've been working with it. I'm soaking a linen/cotton blend fabric, so it will be interesting to see the difference between this and the thicker cotton fabric I've been using so far.

Autumn and Holidays

2011-09-05T11:21:00.000-07:00

Who knows where the time goes? as Sandy Denny once asked!

Jon and I went to the Isle of Islay in Scotland, in the middle of August; so that was exciting, as well as very restful. Campervan Blanche did us proud.

Finlaggan is the place on Islay known as the site where 'The Lord Of The Isles' were based, though they moved around their kingdom, rather like the Medieval and Tudor kings did in England. Above is the standing stone at Finlaggan, which overlooks the visitors centre. Growing on it, is some remarkable lichen. Around here is where I found the sheep-fleece.

Finlaggan sits out in the loch, an ancient site built on man-made islands (crannogs). Like all the islands in Scotland, sky and water dominate. In gullies white froth sits atop peat coloured water, creating patterns.

And the crannog reaches further into the water, where once there was a pavement from one island to the next. Now underwater, you can glimpse the rocks falling away into the depths.

I found another of those neolithic carved balls that I keep finding in various museums (Museum of Islay Life). We camped on the beach and watched fantastic sunsets; and also saw a couple of gorgeous moon-rises!

We walked round the magical Walled Garden, where we bought some seasonal veg.

I did quite a few drawings, that I'm now looking at re-making into textile pieces; AND I took some fabric, which I made bundles of, and soaked, dyed, and tied.
They are currently soaking in a bowl full of tea (!); for the tannin, to help with the mordanting.

A piece of fabric I'd left soaking in onion skin water whilst I went away, has been removed, dried, and is now ready for use. The first of my plant-dyed fabrics!

Onionskin Dyeing

2011-08-04T02:26:00.000-07:00

I have quite a backlog of photos to upload here; but here's a photo of a poppy in my garden.

For next summer I'll have to get myself sorted so that I can try and get dye-ing the colour from them!

The most exciting thing is that I finally bought India Flint's book 'Eco-Colour'; expensive, but beautifully put together. And LOTS of information within. My mind was a bit boggled when I finally opened it to have a look. I've decided I'm going to take it on holiday with me, and take some fabric.
She's convinced that you can be a 'peripatetic dyer'! so I'm going to try it out. We'll be off camping in Blanche the campervan, so it will be quite a challenge to dye in such conditions.

I've started at home with some onionskins; thinking that was pretty straightforward and simple to do. So far it's been one piece of paper, folded and held together with clips; but it resulted in a lovely pattern and pale yellow colour.
I've now had a second piece of paper soaking in the onion skin infusion. Will hoik that out tomorrow, and see the result. Then l'll prepare a piece of fabric to soak.

Art House; Members' Open Exhibition

2011-07-27T03:49:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the Wakefield ArtWalk, 5-9pm.
Amongst the venues open and showing work, is The ArtHouse which is holding a Members' Open Exhibition.
It was decided that everyone who entered their work would have one piece exhibited, so one of my pieces is in.
I haven't been down yet, so it's still a mystery to me which piece was chosen. I'll find out when I pop down tonight.

The painting on display is 'Earthworks', which was last seen in the ArtyVan event I did in May.

TED talks; Janet Echelman

2011-07-20T11:11:00.000-07:00

Look out for JANET ECHELMAN's sculptures. Her website is

http://echelman.com

and her sculptures are there, as well as the recent (8 June 2011) 'TED TALK' she did. It's on YouTube. Shows off the starting point of her sculpture; she started out, hand tie-ing nets with fishermen in India, and creating these light, fragile, but voluminous sculptures.
Since then, she's created lots of public art, and has shifted into more hi-tech materials.
They sway and move in the wind; are brightly coloured. More like ameoba, or jellyfish, than engineered, sculptural, machine-made 'objects'. They are incredibly delicate, and maintain a softness and delicacy belied by their manufacture.

the 21st century

2011-07-18T04:42:00.000-07:00

Jon and I have moved into the 21st century and gone onto.....broadband!
Already things are working faster; but the downside is, we've realised that the pooter is slow. So putting 1+1 together, we've realised there must be a bug in it. It needs a visit to the pooter-doc, so will be going off there soon.

In the meantime; I've been using up the dye I brought home from the textile course I did earlier this year. Dyed a couple of hankies I bought from a charity shop, and the Shibori piece I'd been doing for months (!). The colour is very pale, and really quite surprising. They are drying as I write. They'll make an interesting addition to my growing textile collection.

I've also been doing some hand embroidery on the Labyrinth textile piece (above) I began a few weeks ago. That's looking nice, though still got work to do on it.

Festivals and Fabrics

2011-07-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

Another busy weekend; been off to Wales for the SmallNations festival. In Blanche, acting this time as a camper-van 'proper' rather than a small exhibition space!
Whilst there, I managed to buy some lovely organzie fabric scarves. They should go nicely with the textile work I'm doing.

The festival was situated in a beautiful hill/valley. From the hilltop we could see right down the valley for miles; a shame I didn't have a telephoto lens! I just couldn't get the receding blue of the mountain ranges in my photos.
Like a Chinese silk painting.

We went to a talk by Dr Dan, a professor at Swansea University, who talked about the plants in the hedgerow and the fields we were camped in. A mine of information. And how bracken is not the 'plant-pest' we think it is; it's a veritable treasure-trove of wildlife. Including Adders, whose scale pattern echoes the pattern created by bracken.
I can feel some creative research coming on!!!!

In the garden is growing this wierd plant; neither Jon nor I know what this is!

Today I've been up to the Adult Education centre where the textile course is held, and enrolled on the course from September.
So to get on with the research for this textile piece I'm planning!

Studios; Textiles; War

2011-07-02T03:59:00.000-07:00

I've been very busy recently; moving into a fantastic space in Westgate Studios, which is massive compared with the previous studio I had there.
The textiles course I've been doing is coming to an end; there's only 1 more session to do. I'm hoping to enrol on it again for September, as I've been so inspired by the work we've done there, despite the fact we can only do samples.
I've got an idea for another piece of textiles work; over the summer I'll be doing some research on it, and some planning. I'm exploring using different textiles techniques on different segments of this piece. Of course it's all very well thinking about doing that, but I need to be able to unify the surface, so it doesn't look like a random selection of samples!
I sat in my studio on Friday, getting some basic ideas down on paper; it was wonderful to sit there, feeling I was back into my creative 'routine' again.

Still; there's lots of work to get on with, and work to complete.....isn't there always!

Jon bought me PJHarvey's recent cd 'let england shake', for my birthday. It's very impressive, and moving too. She approached it as a 'war artist', saying in interviews that although there was a long history of visual artists being deployed in wars, she didn't know of a musician being employed as a 'war artist'. So the songs are all about war.
One of those co-incidences happened, as I'd just read Pat Barkers 'Life Class' immediately preceding listening to Polly Jean. I'd chosen 'Life Class' because it concerned itself with artists at the Slade in the spring of 1914, and how they were caught up in WW1 when it broke out. There are references to real people, Henry Tonks, Augustus John, though the main characters are fictional.
Obviously I thought of Paul Nash, who was a soldier in WW1, who painted what he'd seen, and experienced. And who went on to serve as a war artist in WW1 and WW2.
Paul Nash is a favourite artist of mine.
And so is PJHarvey.
Both now designated 'war artists'!

Birdbox/Sculpture 1

2011-06-04T07:41:00.000-07:00

A shadowy photo of the not-quite-completed birdbox I recently made. It is now finished, and I put it out in Westgate Chapel, for the ArtyVan event a couple of weekends ago.

In the last couple of days, a blackbird family (who didn't use any of the 3 birdboxes we've got up in our garden; and didn't nest in this one, either!) who'd built their nest in the hedge made up of clematis and honeysuckle (do birds have a sense of smell?) finally left the nest, and as of today, have left our garden.
It's been a bit hectic, as we have 2 cats, so we've been keeping them in, and keeping an eye on the fledgeling.
Yesterday morning at 4am, we were both to be found peering out of the upstairs window, watching it as it perched on the trellis, waiting to be fed by ma and pa blackbird. Its high-pitched, one-note 'peeeep' was the only noise we've heard from it; obviously telling ma and pa it wanted feeding, but otherwise keeping quiet to avoid the attention of predators. Mr and Mrs B. were hopping about, with beaks full of grubs, trying to get the fledgeling to fly to them.

By Friday afternoon, it was perched in the ash tree; Mr.B popped a red berry into it whilst I was watching at a safe distance. In the evening, it was to be found in the vine; I got to within 2 foot of it. It remained very still, and Pa blackbird was hovering close by, keeping an eye on me.
This morning, there was no sign of any of them; I'm feeling a great sense of totally undeserved pride, in the successful rearing of a blackbird chick! Obviously nothing to do with me; but it felt good to think they'd chosen our garden to nest in.
The garden seems very quiet now, without them. The blue-tits are coming back to feed. I think Mr and Mrs Blackbird scared off most birds form our garden whilst they were bringing up their fledgeling.

Earthworks

2011-06-01T11:58:00.000-07:00

Sitting on the backseat of Blanche is a painting I've recently completed which incorporates oil paints and egg; a tempera experiment. It gives the canvas a chalky, textured surface. I'm looking forward to working with this media more in the near future.

The image itself is taken from computer 'indications', and aerial photographs of some ancient earthworks within Wakefield district. They are no longer in existence, and are only able to be seen as cropmarks when the weather is dry enough.

Wakefield Archives very kindly gave me access to their images, and gave me printouts and photocopies which I used to work from.

ArtyVan (8)

2011-05-22T09:40:00.000-07:00

The bunting was out; the art was on display; Jon baked cake; Pauline brought delicious cheese scones! And the weather stayed gorgeous!
The grounds of Westgate Chapel were the perfect place to sit out and enjoy the day when The Hepworth Wakefield opened its doors to the public. We celebrated in fine style.

Some art work on display in the rear of Blanche.

And when it was all over, we retired to 'The Prince Albert', up at Westgate Studios, where we had a pint of lovely 'Masterpiece' beer, brewed especially for the Hepworth's opening by Ossett Brewery. There was an installation in the Project Space, and Vicky (pictured above) had a high old time examining the gloss-paint filled plastic that hung from the ceiling.

The Hepworth Wakefield

2011-05-20T14:31:00.000-07:00

The Hepworth Wakefield is 'officially' open; tomorrow (Saturday) is the first day of opening to the public. I was lucky to go tonight for the speeches of thanks etc, that greeted the preview opening.
It was lovely to see paintings I've viewed for the past 30 years at Wentworth Terrace, in this new setting; a purpose-built gallery. Wentworth Terrace is a lovely building, and very welcoming, with gorgeous stained glass in some of the windows. But house-sized, it was problematic for displaying artwork.
The Hepworth is BIG and it shows the paintings, drawings, and sculptures with lots of space around them, and lit beautifully.
And - as I wrote in May 2010, the views of the River Calder are simply stunning.
The natural light bounces off the water, and pours through the windows, warm and golden. So many people stood looking out of the windows - just as I did 12 months ago.
Now that at last it's open, I hope us Wakefield people visit The Hepworth and take it to our hearts. We'll get to see some fantastic art; not just the work already in the collection, but visiting exhibitions. I want us to come to love it.

I'm looking forward to visiting again in a few days, and having a proper look around; a thorough looksee. The Hepworth sculpture 'Figure (Nanjizal)' from 1958 is one I want to spend some time with. Carved yew wood, it retains the chisel marks on the inner surface. A lovely contrast with the smoothness of the outer tree trunk.
And in the St Ives gallery, I finally found the sculpture 'Chun'.
We visited Chun Quoit when we visited St. Ives, and sat for ages, while I took photographs and sketched; listening to the lapwings' song. It's a neolithic tomb; it stands on the swell of the moor, away from everything. Later, I drew it again; this time on an A1 piece of paper. It's one of the biggest drawings I've ever done. It hangs on my landing; and tonight I shall pass it as I go up to bed.
And I'll think about the pleasure I'm going to have, when I return to the gallery, and look again at Hepworth's sculpture 'Chun'.

ArtyVan (7)

2011-05-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

A bronze from Hepworth's studio in St. Ives.
When I first saw this, on my first visit to Hepworth's studio/museum, I finally 'got' her work. It is very explicit in its referencing of neolithic stones, and ancient landscapes.
I'd been visiting many stone circles, and standing stones throughout the British Isles before I saw this bronze. So I looked at it and it was 'boom'...I understood! This was the reason I re-visited St. Ives in 2005, while I was in the process of writing my M.A. dissertation. Hepworth's work needed to be included, because the influence of the land was integral to her work.
My dissertation was about the Land, and artists who worked within it (Land Artists) or who were influenced by it.
And tomorrow, the Hepworth will finally open its doors. It's wonderful that finally there is an art gallery that is named for a female artist. And she came from Wakefield!

ArtyVan (6)

2011-05-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

Had the Wakefield Express round at Westgate Chapel yesterday taking photos of me; artwork; and Blanche.
Not necessarily in that order!
I don't expect the photographer will put them through photoshop!

Have collected the giant catering flasks from work, so we can make drinks for people who visit. And Jon is going to try and make some cake, so that will be a real treat; Jon's cake is becoming legendary to those people who come to my exhibitions!

My friend Lorraine is coming along to help throughout the day.
And hey...we have BUNTING! Hurray! The weather forecast is 'windy', so that will get the bunting fluttering nicely.
Almost ready; any last minute things will have to be completed tonight or tomorrow. If it isn't done by then, it's just too bad!

Bob's studio will be open on Saturday too, up at Westgate Studios; 'The Prince Albert', so who knows, I might get a well-earned drink after it's all over on Saturday!

ArtyVan (5)

2011-05-16T04:48:00.000-07:00

Here's a photograph of Blanche, my campervan, that I took in the grounds of Westgate Chapel yesterday. It's been put through a few of the filters on photoshop, which is why it has a rather scruffy, silvery, blotchy look! It makes a change from the usual photographic images though; and I wanted Blanche to get her photo on the blog!
I e.mailed Kate some information about myself, for her to send out in some publicity. She took lots of photos! I'm not that keen on having my photograph taken, so I felt a bit awkward. Perhaps I should have put Kate's photos through photoshop, so I emerged scruffy and blotchy if not silvery!

ArtyVan (4)

2011-05-15T15:15:00.001-07:00

Another Hepworth sculpture from her studio in St.Ives.

Got to Chapel today and Kate took some photos; and I took some photos of Blanche, my VW campervan. I completed the textiles I'm exhibiting there on Saturday, so that's a relief.

A bit of tinkering to complete the birdbox, and everything is ready!

ArtyVan (3)

2011-05-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

I'm away to the Chapel tomorrow, to meet with Kate Taylor, the Chapel Secretary. She wants to take some photos of Blanche, my VW van. So my task tonight (!) is to create a nameplate, reading 'ArtyVan'! Eventually I want one made of fabric; but just for now, I think it will have to be paper.
We went uptown today, and looked out to buy some bunting. Most of the shops we went in, had staff who had never heard of 'bunting'. I had imagined that the country was awash in unwanted bunting after the royal wedding last month, but I was obviously wrong.
In case I don't get the chance to make up some bunting before next Saturday, I purchased, from a poundshop, a 'camping-washing-line' complete with pegs! That, as they say, will do nicely!

And here's a photo of Barbara Hepworth's studio in St.Ives from when I was there in 2005. I was researching my M.A. dissertation, which covered artists and their relationship with the Land, and included Hepworth. It will be fascinating to see the artefacts on show in the new Hepworth Gallery, donated by her family. Her studio in St. Ives, looks as though Hepworth has just stepped out for a moment. It's very evocative.

ArtyVan (2)

2011-05-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

I'm still on with the textile work for the Hepworth Opening Artwalk. Luckily I'm near the end of the process, rather than the beginning....which is lucky, as I've only got just over a week to go! It kind of hit me last night; and I'm now making 'lists' of what I need to do, to get organised. I finally got round to e.mailing round. It had simply not sunk into my head that I needed to get the information out! Doh!

I still haven't processed the visit to London last week, when I went to Tate Britain to see the Susan Hiller exhibition. The catalogue sits on the sofa; I'm refusing to put it onto the bookcase yet, until I've had a thorough look at it. But I'm just too busy at the moment. It will be my 'treat' for after the 21st of May! Then I shall immerse myself in 'HillerWorld' again. Plus I was able to get a wondrous book about Paul Nash, and one about Samuel Palmer, of whom I know very little, except his influence upon artists such as Nash. So much to look at, so little time! I wonder if it's better to be an art historian, rather than an artist? That way, you can justifiably spend your time looking, and not concern yourself with the time it takes away from the making?
I feel the last couple of months have been so full of inspiration; the film of the Cave Art in France; the Spero exhibition; the Hiller show; plus all the catalogues and books I've got to look at.
And of course, the work I've been concentrating on making. Though I don't feel I've had enough time for that recently.

ArtyVan

2011-05-11T13:05:00.000-07:00

Westgate Unitarian Chapel, Westgate, Wakefield.

On Saturday 21st May, 2011,

11am - 4pm

To celebrate the official opening of the Hepworth Wakefield, I will be exhibiting a small selection of my smallest work, in the smallest exhibition space in Wakefield.

My T4 VW campervan, Blanche!
I look forward to seeing you, for drinks, and cakes, in this lovely green oasis in the centre of Wakefield. Take time to relax, and refresh yourself.

See; wakefield-artwalk.fdawebdesignhost.co.uk/blanche-the-t4-vw-campervan-westgate-chapel/

for details

London, Nancy Spero at the Serpentine Gallery

2011-04-21T04:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to London for the day to visit the Serpentine Gallery where an exhibition of Nancy Spero's work is currently being shown. Trust me to pick the hottest day of the year so far! As I decided to walk from King's Cross down to Hyde Park (and then walk back again afterwards) I was walking in hot sun, amongst busy streets, with traffic and bodies adding to the temperatures. Ah well; once in Hyde Park, the greenery created a cooller space.
The exhibition has come from the Centre Pompidou in France. As this is a much bigger gallery than the Serpentine, I expect that a selection has had to be made, from that larger show.

In the entrance was a 3D work, 'Maypole', which is a central pole from which hang flat aluminium heads, faces, all in expressions of pain and agony. This was quite different from the rest of the work, which was all on paper. Spero is quoted as saying 'I was working exclusively on paper; part of my resistance as an artist in the 'War Series' was a decision not to work any more on canvas. I shifted completely to work on paper.' The 'War Series' dates back to the 1960's.

I remember as an art student in the 1980's being involved in discussions about the uses of materials, and how our personal choices of materials expressed particular ideologies. I explored art history wearing feminist spectacles, aware that what I was taught was the history of 'dead, white men' of famous artists. It seems that questions of 'what materials?' nowadays, is more concerned with recycled, and environmentally harmless materials. I think these issues would not be addressed without feminist artists from the 1980's asking related questions. Personally, I now use canvas and oils; as well as other materials.

Spero's paper work is flawed, imperfect. Lines are blurry; prints are double-imaged. It has a 'home-made' quality, though this is definately not amateur! There is a fierce intelligence here; though Spero is creating her own iconography, and this is not always obvious, or easy to discern. Even as an artist, who is a feminist, and who has familiarity with some of the goddess-images she uses, I found myself adrift at times.

'Azure' (2002) works particularly well, I thought. It is beautiful; rich in colour and imagery; multi-layered (literally as well as in meaning); using images from the ancient, and the modern world.

There are figures that viewers will be familiar with; Egyptian goddesses, Babylonian goddesses; Greek images (from vases?); the styles and figures are 'readable'. We know where we are. There are images from modern pornography, synchronised and in opposition to the ancient images on show. Here again are images we have become familiar with. Spero re-produces; re-presents; re-images for us. I need to go back and re-read my Mary Daly!

Spero is known for the movement in her work; there are running women, naked and free. Blurred and repeated images emphasise this movement, creating an almost film-strip quality.

'Azure' is a massive piece. In the catalogue it says it is 39 panels, of various dimensions. All these are displayed in the central space of the Serpentine Gallery. I needed to sit with them, and look, and think about them. There were no seats though, so I ended up sitting on the gallery floor. Not ideal when the amount of work meant that they were placed 4 of 5 panels deep, on the wall. Works on paper bring particular problems for curators; they need low light levels to be viewed in so they are protected. With many of the panels high up on the walls, and low light levels to view them with, I found it a bit of a struggle to see the higher placed panels. Which was a shame, as sitting on the floor, trying to look at the 'whole' thing, I was struck by the colours and textures, and could see more clearly where Spero had placed her repeat prints.

I didn't like 'Codex Artaud'. Not being a French speaker or reader, I couldn't make any sense of the words, and the visual patterns were created using text. With a lot of white space. It seemed very much of its time (the 1970's). As this was an exhibition celebrating Spero's work and life, then it made sense to include it. But for me it lacked the richness and depth of her later work, such as 'Azure'.

London Gordon Square

2011-04-21T04:51:00.000-07:00

Sitting in Gordon Square having a breather on my way back to King's Cross. The day had been so hot, it was refreshing to sit under the trees, in the shadows, looking out at the church/chapel.

London; 46 Gordon Square

2011-04-21T04:41:00.000-07:00

Walking back to King's Cross to catch my train home, I called at Gordon Square. Now mostly housing University College, London, this was once the home of the artist Vanessa Bell, and her sister, the writer, Virginia Woolf.
The blue plaque on the wall doesn't commemorate this however, but does mark the fact that John Maynard Keynes once lived here. J.M. Keynes was one of the members of the Bloomsbury group. An economist, he's much quoted at the moment for his economic theory which broadly, would support the state intervention in times of recession.....what is currently described as 'quantitive easing'!

Living Tree Sculptures

2011-04-19T03:36:00.000-07:00

As well as being busy with getting ready for the Hepworth Opening weekend, and preparing work for my 'ARTYVAN' exhibition, I'm also in discussion about creating some 'living tree sculptures' to be grown in a wood near Wakefield. First off, we have to collect the Hawthorns that were considered to be a good choice of tree. I've already got some seedlings growing in pots in my garden; but we need to collect lots more!

That's the job for the autumn! Difficult to think about when Summer's not quite here yet! But the dry, sunny weather continues. And the garden is needful of some rain.

Hepworth Opening + Bobbin Holder

2011-04-18T04:11:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I spent a couple of hours constructing a bobbin holder for my bobbins of sewing cotton (mostly polyester, it has to be said!).

It keeps everything together nicely, though I have more bobbins in a box.

I'm busy with lots of different things at the moment. Trying to get work ready for Saturday 21st May, the weekend when the Hepworth Gallery opens.

I'm putting up some work in the grounds of Westgate Chapel, where I curated an exhibition in May 2010, as part of that month's Artwalk.

This time it will be just me, and I'll be parking up my campervan, Blanche, a Volkswagon T4, which will be the 'gallery'!

In contrast to the Hepworth, which is a huge exhibition space, Blanche is a tiny space; so my exhibition is going to be the smallest exhibition of the weekend!

We'll be offering refreshments, and a chance to sit down and relax in the green oasis in the centre of Wakefield; the Chapel grounds.

Look forward to seeing you there. I'll be 'open' from 11am to 4pm.

Fabric and Fossils

2011-04-16T04:01:00.000-07:00

I've been using the sewing machine since attending Louise Taylor's workshop at the ArtHouse. I was the recipient of a pile of sample fabric books (from DIVA) and have been experimenting with using the fabric they contained. Mixing hand-sewn scraps, and machine-sewn strips is proving interesting. Layering them together is a small step away from my painting techniques. It also gives me quick results....which is very different from my usual painting methods! This is my 'prototype', as it were! An experiment. Of course, once I'm involved in making, lots of other ideas flow from it, and other ways of using techniques and materials.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams

2011-04-14T14:44:00.000-07:00

A film by Werner Hertzog.

On Wednesday we went to Bradford to see this documentary film, about the Chauvet caves in Southern France. The caves were discovered in 1994, and were hidden by a landslide; inside were discovered 32,000 year old rock art images. Bison, lions, bears, horses, all from the time when ice-sheets covered northern Europe, and there existed still, a landbridge between Britain, and the European continent.

The images are stunning. The animals are almost alive; you can almost see them breathing, hear them neighing/growling/galloping. The geology of the earth has altered so much, that calcification has blanketed some of the bear skulls, joining them to the rock of the cave floor. Many of the stalactites and stalagmites weren't there when the rock art was created!

Mind-boggling! One of the skulls of the cave bears is placed on a stone, looking out at the original entrance of the cave. The stone is almost an 'altar'. It was obviously deliberately positioned there.

Interviews with an archeologist who has worked on the cave site, revealed that he had dreamed of lions, after working in the cave for 5 days. He had to stay out of the caves for a while, to get his bearings again.

Hertzog asked him 'were you afraid?' The archaeologist replied 'no', but he was aware of 'something deep'.

In the course of the filming the crew, and some of the scientists admitted that they had felt that the people who'd made the art, were watching them, whilst they were working in the caves.

Jon and I left the cinema in silence. I was just awed, in the true sense of the word. Jon said 'It puts all this in perspective, doesn't it?' as we took in the Bradford cityscape, and got into the car, to drive home.

The archaeologist had said that we could learn from other tribal societies how to look at rock art differently. He recounted how an ethnographer had visited Australia, with an Aboriginal guide, and they had visited a rock shelter where rock art was painted. The rock art hadn't been re-painted for a while, and the Aborigine began to paint. The ethnographer asked why he was repainting it; the Aborigine replied 'I'm not repainting it; the spirits are'.

Ammonite

2011-04-10T08:46:00.000-07:00

From Whitby museum; a massive Ammonite fossil. I'm doing lots of research into fossils at the moment. All part of this fascination with geology I currently have. I'm creating some drawings using thread and fabric. Hand sewing onto a sheer white fabric, almost organza fabric, images based on the trees, Lepidodendren which once grew on the planet. It was these plants which millennia later, gave us the coal which was mined in the Yorkshire area.

I'm continuing to dye some fabrics; and machine sewing the results. It's still very exciting, and interesting. And using my machine remains a thrill!

As we've been having such gorgeous weather recently, I've taken advantage of it, and taken my beech carving outside to use the surform, and rasps on it. Although I began this way back in August, and it's still not finished, I am carrying on with it, I'm pleased to say. Slowly, slowly, the beechwood is shedding it's pockmarked surface, and becoming smoothed. The beautiful grain of the beech is showing through, and the creamy white surface makes me want to run my hands across it. Very tactile, wood!

National Mining Museum

2011-03-28T14:23:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we visited Caphouse Colliery, where the National Mining Museum is. It was my mum's birthday, so Jon and I took her for a visit, as she'd wanted to have a look round. My dad was a miner; he left and joined the army before the outbreak of World War Two, then spent the war in Burma, and later on, Germany. I took the opportunity to look at the fossils they have on display. Despite the strange shape of the 'thing' in the photograph above.....it's not a fossil, or from the Mining Museum! It's a tied up scrap of fabric; waiting to dry out! Am still busy dye-ing, tie-ing, and sewing! Spent today working on a 'prototype' fabric piece. Strange how, as I'm working on fabric things, other ideas come to me, to develop the ideas. I seem to be in a very fertile place at the moment with making art. Just need to have more time so I can get on with the making!

Jones Sewing Machine

2011-03-25T05:21:00.000-07:00

The trusty 70 year old sewing machine has been in use this week!
After the workshop with Louise Taylor (what an apt name!) last Saturday, I've been playing with the sewing machine, and experimenting with it. Pleats; reverse applique; squiggles and swirls; straight lines!
Yesterday I went out and bought myself some sewing 'instruments'! such as a decent pair of fabric scissors! And an embroidery foot.....which I have tried out, and found, yes, it DOES fit, and it does work! Hooray!

I'm having quite a lot of ideas of how to develop this textile work. Over the next few weeks, I'll be working on them, and trying out things.
It makes me realise how much I enjoy learning new things.

What with all these ideas, and the gorgeous weather we've been having, it feels like the winter really is gone, and Spring has arrived. I'm so ready for some sun, and warmth. This weekend the clocks leap forward, so Spring is officially here!

Time Bandits + Terry Gilliam

2011-03-23T07:35:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was certainly one to remember!
The Saturday began with me spending a day at the Art House doing a Sewing Machine workshop. Louise Taylor led the session, and I learned such a lot about my own machine (the 70 year old one, given to me by my mum) as well as the machines that Louise brought for us to use.
I made a purse, complete with zip (!) fitted into it. It felt quite an achievement for me.

Louise's website can be found at;
http://www.louisetaylor-originals.co.uk

In the evening we went over to Bradford; where Jon had got us tickets to see TERRY GILLIAM (!!!!!) introduce his film Time Bandits, and then receive an award and take part in a question and answer session.
Terry Gilliam is one of my favourite directors, and I've followed his films with interest. I've not managed to see them all, but went to Bradford to see his last film 'Dr Parnassus', which was wonderful. At the time, I thought, wouldn't it be great to get Terry Gilliam to Bradford and hear him speak. The thought must have been floating in the ether, as the organiser of the Bradford International Film Festival acted upon it, and here he was!
I was so thrilled to be there, and hear Terry talk. He was very open; very honest, and spoke about the problems he's had getting funding for his films. But he also spoke with great warmth about the people he's worked with.
We saw a couple of early short films that he'd made in 'the early days'; his famous trademark animations that made his name from the Monty Python Flying Circus days.
All in all, a wonderful experience; and I'm so pleased I managed to attend it.

We got home really late; midnight. Fell into bed, both very tired.
The Sunday, I was up and out to Haw Park Woods, to plant 400 native British trees. Though I should add, not on my own!
A very busy, and fantastic weekend!

Whitby Museum

2011-03-18T06:59:00.000-07:00

On the left are spindle whorls, in a range of materials, ranging from bone, shell, pebbles and clay. On the right are loom weights, to hold down the warp and weft of fabric woven back in the neolithic age. From Whitby Museum; that treasure trove of interesting finds. The next visit I make to the seaside, I'll be looking out for a holed stone. Have a play with making my own spindle whorl to attempt spinning some thread/wool. Lots of inspiration from the 1970's book I found in Pickering!

Happy Birthday!

2011-03-16T06:54:00.000-07:00

I've been writing the blog for 1 year now; and I thought I'd have a problem finding enough to write about!

Yesterday I went out and got a new blade for the surform I've been using to rasp the beechwood I started last summer at YSP. I should be able to work much faster on that, now. I also bought a set of 3 rasps; one which is curved. That means I can get into the curved indents of the carving. Sat and did some smoothing of the wood, using the carved rasp. It's made quite a difference! Hurray.

I completed the felt piece I was making on the textile course. It's a 'purse'; and boy, has it shrunk! Someone asked me, 'Did it start out as a bag?' Luckily I know my limits, so I haven't had to adapt a bag into a purse, due to excessive shrinking!
Waiting for it to dry; then I'll start to use it.

snowdrops

2011-03-11T03:44:00.000-08:00

Snowdrops!
The land is covered with white patches that isn't snow but snowdrops! Thick patches everywhere. Lovely.

I'm still working on the textiles course; doing some felt-making now. And have got the sewing machine workshop to look forward to in a few days time.

We visited Whitby on Wednesday to celebrate Jon's birthday. It was very cold; a biting wind. We had a lovely visit to the Museum; and I found a whole case full of spindle-whorles, from Neolithic times. Jon found me a lovely old 1970's book on Spinning and Dyeing using natural ingredients! Just what I've been needing! It will keep me quiet for many hours to come; and this summer I shall be seeing what I can use from the garden, and fields nearby, to use for dyeing. Sometimes things just come to you at exactly the right moment!

Catkins

2011-02-26T04:03:00.000-08:00

When I visited Yorkshire Sculpture Park last week, I noticed that there were lots of catkins out. Lambs-tails; catkins; words that evoke animals, they are particularly evocative of this time of year. The vulnerable, trembling growths, green with the promise of the coming Spring. The first real greening of the land. Catkins and Snowdrops are the heralds of the change in the seasons; and both are in full flower at present.

Gardeners are saying we should have a good show of Snowdrops, as the cold spell we had in winter last year will have encouraged them to flower more profusely. I hope so; nothing raises the spirit more than these tiny white flowers pushing through the cold earth.

Tie Dye

2011-02-24T05:02:00.000-08:00

The textile course I'm doing includes dye-ing fabrics using procian dyes. These are very vivid colours, and the fabric takes up the dye much better if it is wetted beforehand.

The pattern above was created by rolling the fabric, then binding it
very tightly using cotton crochet thread.

I've bought some white bamboo thread, and look forward to dye-ing it, and then using it for knitting, or sewing.

This pattern was created by folding the fabric. It's almost an x-ray...........

Felt Making

2011-02-20T05:41:00.000-08:00

I went on a workshop to make some felt, the other week. All part of my exploration of textiles. The result was 2 flat pieces of felt, and a 'sausage', which is at the bottom of the picture. The 'sausage' I will cut into slices, and use as small circles of felt.
I made felt, many years ago (too many to remember!) and it was quite an arduous process, using a rolling pin, as I remember!
This workshop seemed much quicker, and easier. Have sheep begun to grow different fleeces these days, I wonder?
I was surprised at how much the wool shrank though! The pieces above are small; for comparison the purple one is 5ins x 6ins; each piece was about twice the size in wool, when I began!
On the textiles course I'm doing, we have 3 weeks to develop our own project. I'd like to do some more felt-making. Be interesting to incorporate the tussah silks into felt, too. We used the tussah silk to make 'silk paper'.

David Nash @ YSP

2011-02-18T03:39:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday I went to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, mainly to see the exhibition of David Nash sculptures, which closes at the end of February. I'd not seen the work up at the Longside Gallery, so got the mini-bus up there immediately on arrival.
When I walked into the Longside Gallery, I was struck by the 'jumble' of the sculptures. My initial feeling was that of 'Oh!', and disappointment.
Information was given on laminated cards, which you had to carry round with you; and I wanted to write my impressions, and keep my hands free, so I hadn't chosen to pick up the cards. The result of this meant I had no idea what the titles of the sculptures were. Usually I like to get my bearings with artworks by knowing what they are called; but I didn't have that security this time.
I had to negotiate my own way around Nash's work; had to use my own eyes and senses to make sense of it. Which is always the most rewarding journey around galleries.
I peered at the cracks in wood, asking myself 'was this intentional or accident?'; was aware of the surface pattern brought about by Nash's controlled burning process; I asked myself, 'how does Nash know when to stop?'

One piece, a geometric carved shape, coloured black/grey of burnt wood, had lots of surface cracks, which despite the action of fire, which had softened and opened up the cracks, had maintained it's geometric integrity, but resulted in a less regular form. In this piece I could see geometry - cells - the building blocks of nature. By burning the carved shape, Nash has revealed the processes of nature (and ourselves, as part of nature) - the irregularities, mutations, and changes that occur at the cellular level. The burnt carving showed the microcosm and the macrocosm.

There were 'gateways' of wood; reminding me of whale bones planted upright in parks and municipal spaces.
One which was free-standing in the gallery space, had many cracks, as well as the marks made by carving. Cutting away the different layers of the wood, allowed Nash to create subtle bands of colour.
I was struck by the many colours in the wood/s. Reds, blacks, greys, almost orange in some parts. Pine which was almost yellow; striations that created contrasts between the layers in the wood.
The textures veered between 'rough' wood, which had almost no work done on it by Nash, to wood which had been 'worked', whether by carving, or burning. It was a language of wood; what does it speak to us?

Nash's drawings were exquisite; one 'Red and Black' from 1992, showed lumps of wood, the red ones almost molten wood, burning into charcoal. Obviously Nash uses charcoal to draw with; I love the idea of making your own charcoal from your own wood! Growing it, tending it, burning it, and ending the process by using the charcoal to create with!
Personally I'm not keen on using charcoal as a medium, though I love to see it used by other artists. But I felt very inspired to return to charcoal, and find myself drawn to using it again at some point.

Outside stood 2 sculptures, the only ones I could photograph. Both had been burned by Nash. This carved 'ball' (the one on the right hand side in the top photograph) has been stood out in the elements throughout the summer and recent winter. Mould is starting to grow in the nooks and crannies. Leaves and detritus are collecting in the folds. The process of decay is taking place; the wood is changing as we look at it.

A close-up of the tall sculpture on the left of the photograph at the top of this page. A column, with a cleft cut into it. Much less evidence of decay; the surface is much smoother, almost like skin, elephant skin! Unlike the 'ball' shape, there is little evidence of carving on its surface. Colour of silvery grey, not black as one would expect from burnt wood. This sculpture shows Nash's way of creating unexpected colour from a limited palette.

One of the pieces inside Longside Gallery was 'Table with Peat and Coal' from 1981. It was exactly as it said in the title; a table made from planks of pine, with Welsh peat and Barnsley coal placed upon it, a still-life.

As I've been doing some work looking at coal, carbon, geology, and mining, this piece caught my attention. Here were signs of the industrial revolution; geological processes providing our energy needs. Peat giving us heat (and giving us the compost to pot up our seedlings!) and food; coal, the energy source of the 2oth Century. Both carbon; both including molecules of decomposed plant and mineral remains. Both resulting from complex, millenia-long geological processes.

'Table with Peat and Coal' gives us a geological history lesson! I loved this!

Textiles

2011-02-16T03:31:00.000-08:00

I haven't done any Batik for years; decades, in fact. So it was exciting to have a go again, after such a gap.

I asked if I could get straight on to use the tjanting, the tool with which you draw hot wax onto fabric. Once I simply made marks on the fabric, without thinking too much about it, and not being concerned about the blobs and drips that emerge from the tjanting tool, I relaxed. It was a case of getting into the flow of it, and seeing what happened!

The colours are more 'muddy' than I wanted, or intended; the fabric dye wouldn't soak into the cotton as easily as I imagined. In retrospect, I wish I'd dampened the cotton before dye-ing. I'll do that next time.

It meant that the dyes all merged into each other; thus creating the overall brown cast.

It's not quite finished yet; I've not ironed out the wax, so I'll see how it looks then. The turn-around time for working with fabrics, means that patience is needed as you wait for one process to complete, before you move onto the next. And throughout, you're never entirely sure how the fabric will come out. This is part of the magic of textile work; the end result is often a surprise.

This can of course be a pleasant surprise......or not!

February; and window frost

2011-02-04T03:20:00.000-08:00

This is a photo of some frost on the window; delicate tracings. It was taken a while ago; we're experiencing blustery winds and stormy rain at the moment, and the frosts are far away. The winter's still here though.
But small green spears of bulbs, and white bells of snowdrops are forcing their way through the earth. The year is moving on, and Spring is coming.

Artistically, it's a time of 'completions' for me. The beech carving that I began way back in August last year, has been sitting here gathering dust, so I've dug out a surform (rasp) and started to rub away at the contours. Who knows how long it will take me (!) but it's moving again.
I've also started a creative textiles course, and have been having lots of fun dye-ing fabric, and making 'silk paper', learning new techniques. It's given me a lot of ideas for how to develop my 'Journey Through The Past' large textile piece. I've more research to do for it, yet, but ideas are flowing, which is always a good place to be!

Journey Through The Past

2011-01-29T12:10:00.000-08:00

This is the Chantry Chapel, in a fuzzy photograph; but one I decided to use, as it captured the light of the sky, and the glow from the Chapel windows.
It's a cold January evening; when the wind cuts right through to the bones.
The River Calder beneath the bridge on which the Chapel stands, made the evening even colder. And the noise of the water is a continual background roar; silencing even the rush hour traffic, when you lean over the side of the bridge.

There are only 3 remaining Chantry Chapels in the country. As well as the one in Wakefield, there's one in Rotherham. I can never remember where the 3rd is!

This is the inside of the Chapel. There has been a lot of work done on it, to save it from ruination.
It's still used by Wakefield Diocese for services. Together with Wakefield Historical Society it is hoped that the Chapel can be used for other events, such as these exhibitions for the ArtWalk.
Here on the left, is my print '13moons'.

Journey Through The Past

2011-01-29T11:58:00.000-08:00

This is a view of the exhibition showing the Southern wall of the Chantry Chapel, with a series of smaller drawings in black frames, and at the far left hand side of the photo is the textile piece, 'Journey Through The Past; A Core Sampler'.

This is a work in progress, still!

I started a creative textile course a few weeks ago, so am hoping to learn lots of new techniques that I can then use on this artwork. It can only help move it on along more quickly!

'JTTP' incorporates the Sashiko sewing I was inspired by at the York exhibition in December 2009. You can see close-up photographs of those sections, further back in my blog.

Journey Through The Past

2011-01-29T11:52:00.000-08:00

This is the view of the Chantry Chapel, from the East, beside the altar, towards the West, where the main door is.
The North wall (and windows) have mesh metal panels, on which are mounted some of the artworks I exhibited as part of the January Artwalk.

Fossils

2011-01-24T11:44:00.000-08:00

The exhibition at Chantry Chapel looms closer!
Two days to go; am just about ready. Some final bits and bobs to complete, like the labels ready for hanging.
My 'Knitted Book Of Mining' is glue-ing to the cover as I write. The drawings are all framed. Canvases all stringed (strung?).
The exhibition has a geological theme; entitled 'Journey Through The Past', it explores the carbon beneath our feet which has had such an impact upon the Yorkshire region. The coal industry brought wealth and jobs to this area, and the demise of mining has been quite calamitous to many communities in Yorkshire.

The title also references one of my favourite musicians, Neil Young, who had an l.p. (back in those days of vinyl; another product of the carbon-age!) called 'Journey Through The Past' way back in the 1970's. It came close upon the heels of his hit albums 'After the Goldrush' and 'Harvest'; and with typical cussedness, was his soundtrack to a film which was never released! Or been re-released as far as I know!
Neil Young has followed his own path, and been true to his muse, no matter the cost to his personal relationships. Maybe not a role-model to follow slavishly....but he's never cared for the nonsense of fame and celebrity.
I salute him for that.
To quote Neil....'This one's for you'......

Batley Open Exhibition; 'WoodBook'

2011-01-12T10:35:00.000-08:00

This is a photograph of the second piece of work I currently have hanging in the Open exhibition at Batley Art Gallery. It's a print created from a relief I made using hand-made paper, maps, string, embroidery silks, a piece of amber, and found objects including bones, wood, and fishing net/twine.

The found objects came from a holiday we took a few years ago; travelling around the western, northern, and eastern coasts of Scotland. We had some wonderful adventures; one in particular was a hot (yes! HOT!) day when we went swimming in the sea, in a lovely bay on the western coast. Memories are made of this!

I'm in the process of putting the four relief 'pages' into a book form. I've got a piece of board that I'll mount it on, and some wire, which will attach it to the board. I want it to open up like a book; the slices of the relief, create the pages of the book. This is engineering and construction!

'Another year over, and A New One Just Begun....'

2011-01-01T12:51:00.000-08:00

Light a light for the New Year!

Last night Jon and I went out up the hill near our house, just before midnight, and watched as the sky filled with fireworks and sky lanterns!

The fireworks were glorious and colourful; intense bursts of light against the black sky. Loud bangs and crashes, deafening us when they exploded nearby.

What awed both of us though, were the sky lanterns! An armada of sky lanterns, flying towards us; past us; beyond us; on into the night.

Wave after wave, they kept coming; from away on the horizon they rose up, and caught the thermals of the city below.

Some came so close we could identify the different colours of their paper balloons; white, red, orange. And a couple flew past with their flame extinguished; just burnt out ghosts of grey, trailing the winds. Pale white globes, still moving, but losing height rapidly.

We returned home to candles and lanterns in the garden, that I'd fired up to welcome in the New Year.

So This Is Christmas

2010-12-24T05:54:00.000-08:00

In just over a month, I will be having a solo exhibition at Chantry Chapel in Wakefield, as part of the January Artwalk on Wednesday 26th January.

Got to complete a number of things for it, so it will be a very busy New Year!

The photo above, is from the stained glass at Chantry Chapel. The Chapel is one of only 3 remaining, standing as it does on a bridge above the River Calder, and dates back to medieval times.

Christmas Eve; the tree is up; shopping is done; nothing left now but to sit back and enjoy.

Happy Christmas!

Bee House

2010-12-23T06:39:00.000-08:00

This is photo of a Bee House, one that I've bought as a Xmas present.

I'm hoping to make something like this with the youth group I work with. Am going to get some patterns for birdboxes and bee houses and take them into work next year.

You can create bee houses very simply by drilling the right sized holes into blocks of wood. I'll explore how to make those, too.

Well, we're almost at Xmas.

Tomorrow is Xmas Eve. It's cold, cold, cold here. Keeps trying to snow, but has held off so far.

Winter Solstice 2010

2010-12-22T03:14:00.000-08:00

I got up in the early hours yesterday to see the Lunar Eclipse. Put my alarm on for 6am, and had a cup of tea (thoughtfully made by Jon, thank you!) watching the shadow of the earth moving slowly across the Moon's surface, as I stood nice and warm in my living room.
Had a perfect view; the Moon was placed in between 2 of the houses opposite, so I could see the silver being steadily eaten away by the rusty, browned stain. Against the inky blackness of the sky, the Moon really stood out. I finished my cuppa, then put on my outside gear and walked out into the cold morning to see the rest of the Eclipse.
There was a tiny sliver of Moon left by the time I reached the top of the hill. And the sun was starting to come out on my left, which lightened the sky to a very washed out pale blue. That earlier blackness had gone.
The cold has given us some beautiful clear mornings; this one wasn't a dark and murky sunrise. It was a sky of colours.
The sky had gorgeous pale pink washes amongst the blue-turquoise and pale greys. Small clouds were lit up with more solid pinks, standing out against the pale water-colours of the rest of the sky.
As the sun rose the Moon began to fade into the greys and blues of the sky. It lost that red-ness, and the Eclipse shadow shifted into pink tones, before taking up the blue of the sky surrounding it.
I had to look really hard to make out the smudge of the Moon, as it faded away, eventually becoming invisible.
It was like a 'ghost-moon'.
Around me the world was waking up.
The central heating of houses down the hill were beginning to crank up, with steam coming from their boilers. Trains were running on the railway line; known as 'ghost-trains', without passengers, to keep the rails clear of ice. Very fitting companions for the ghost-moon!
The sunrise was firing up the sky with brighter yellows and reds, in the east, whilst in the west, I could see a band of pale grey on the horizon. These clouds prevented me seeing the Moon emerge from it's totality, as it set behind them.
I didn't get another view of the Moon until it rose again, on the evening of the 21st.
Because everything is covered with a dusting of snow, and a hard, hard frost, there was an incredible light around me. It didn't seem to be 'the darkest night' of the longest night!
It was a beautiful morning. A perfect winter morning. I didn't take my camera, as I knew I wouldn't be able to capture it. Only Turner would have done justice to the light and the subtle colours and tones in the sky.

WINTER SOLSTICE; Lunar Eclipse

2010-12-20T09:56:00.000-08:00

Tonight I've lit some candles in the garden. This one has icey-frost on the glass, which gives it a look of crackled glass.

I woke up this morning at 2am, and peeped out of the window to see what the weather was up to. It was a freezing fog outside, illuminated by the streetlight. Everything was covered with a glittering white frost; a very thick frost.

It was very still, and silent. The darkness, the silence, the white filigree of frozen tree branches made the scene extremely eerie. I felt as though it was forever winter, but never Xmas, just like in 'The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe'.

And here comes the Winter Solstice.

With it is a Lunar Eclipse.

The Moon will be completely in the shadow of the Earth, and we here in the UK will be able to see it between 6.33a.m. and 7.41a.m. tomorrow morning. The Moon may be coloured, a copper colour, or brown-ish.

The last time there was a lunar eclipse on the Winter Solstice was in 1638.

The next one will be in 2094 (presumably visible from the UK?).

I shall get up early and go see what there is to see. Hope the sky is clear enough. We've been having very clear mornings and evenings, with this bitter cold weather. I'm hopeful!

Winter Sunset

2010-12-18T12:39:00.000-08:00

This was the sun setting near my house a couple of weeks ago. The snow was still deep when I took the photo, but until last night, it had all melted away. I woke up this morning to find it had snowed once more.

I suppose you can tell you're getting old, when you want the snow to disappear! At least now I'm on holiday I don't have to worry about travelling around in it; but seeing people struggling to stand upright, and wobbling as they walk, brings home what a problem the snow can be.

This Christmas I've been concentrating on making presents and cards; trying to cut down on the costs, but also trying to be more creative about it. I decided not to make my mum a nightie though......I thought she might not appreciate my attempts at clothesmaking!

So I have bought some things; but I've asked for presents for myself, that I can 'use up'; food, drink, smellies; though I haven't said no to books and music! There's always room for those!

The presents Jon has asked for includes the books 'The Moneyless Man' and 'Through the Eye of A Needle', about a man who makes his own clothes. Looking at the latter book, I was struck by the quote;

'The cost of home-made product was 20% - 30% lower than the price of factory-made merchandise', and he discovers this is due to increased distribution costs.

The more centralised production becomes, the further these products have to travel to us, the market. This therefore increases the costs of distribution. So while oil/petrol costs are low, distribution costs can be covered. But in the future, post peak-oil, these distribution costs will probably become exhorbitant.

Reason, if needed, to concentrate on locally produced goods, and more seasonal produce. Hmmmmm.

Another quote said;

'Our most important task is to consider of what kinds of labour are good for us, raise us up and make us happy; and to forego such convenience, or beauty, or cheapness as is to be got only by the degradation of the workman.'

The author mentions his inspiration of the the writings of Ruskin, and also how Gandhi was influenced by Ruskin; something I wasn't aware of!

The quest to live 'a good life' continues.

Winter Garden

2010-12-08T06:33:00.000-08:00

This is one of the lanterns in our garden; wearing it's wrap of snow.
Candle lanterns lighting up the snowy world, cast a beautiful yellow light. It's been too cold to go out and light them though; the snow too deep and icy to keep the wicks alight, sadly.
I'm looking forward to being able to light up the darkness of the midwinter in a couple of weeks time when the Solstice arrives.

Morning Glory Give Away

2010-12-06T08:01:00.000-08:00

This morning I've spent time on the pooter, printing out the pages for the Morning Glory Give-Away artist's book. They're all printed out, and ready to be cut and bound.
Above is one of the photos I took for the cover of the book; though it isn't the one I've finally decided to use.
It feels good to be at the end of this project; it's taken eight and a half months, since the seedlings first came up. Now it's coming to an end, there's the usual concern that their future owners won't like their finished books!

Snow blind!

2010-12-05T11:16:00.000-08:00

This eucalyptus tree in my neighbour's garden looked lovely viewed through the latticework of iced washing-line!
I looked up to the sky, and there it was.

The snow is beginning to thaw now; turning to slush, but still freezing overnight. Today we went for a walk up towards Wrenthorpe. It was hard walking, in the deep snow; felt like a good workout! I had to cry off walking to our intended destination; but it will still be there for next time. I began to flag, feeling very tired. We decided better preparation was in order in future; take a banana, maybe an energy bar, so I don't get this draining of energy. Especially in winter...even more so in the snow...there's nowhere to sit and get your breath. So, like arctic explorers, I shall be prepared in the future! Or, more like a boy scout?

Batley Open Exhibition, Jewelled Serpent

2010-12-05T10:56:00.000-08:00

This is a piece of work I've had accepted into the Batley Open Exhibition. Titled 'Jewelled Serpent', it comes from a series I made a couple of years ago, under the overall title '13Moons'.
This piece is made with pencils and gel-pens, and uses rock art as the starting point. For good measure, once I realised there would be a serpent involved, I included a real snakeskin tucked in the little box below the main image.
I alsways tell people, the snakeskin is 'shed, not dead'! Just in case people think otherwise! It came from a friend of mine who kept snakes. When one shed, I asked for the skin, and saved it; waiting for the art work that it would fit.
Sometimes my house and studio is just full of this 'stuff', awaiting re-incarnation in an art work!

'Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow......'

2010-12-03T10:37:00.000-08:00

Another day of everything grinding (or sliding?) to a halt.
I walked into work yesterday; a lovely quiet, crunchy, snowy walk, with very little traffic about, and the few people I met all friendly, and chatty, and smiley, and saying hello.

The snow has made people talk to one another; we all make comments about the cold, the slippery-ness, the effort of walking, the lack of rocksalt.........
Those people with dogs talk about hypothermia, and towelling them down after their frolics in the snow.....the dogs that is!

The sound of people shovelling snow from their drives and pavements, brought back childhood memories of when the coal would be delivered.
A ton would be landed outside our house, creating a 'mini-mountain' of black carbon. This would then have to be transported from the pavement to the coal-house in the back garden. Large and small shovels would be brandished; a bucket (for little ole me) and wheelbarrow (for my dad) would be filled, then taken down the path to the coal-house.
Of course coal is black; the snow white. 'Polar' (?) opposites.

Once I got home, I managed to get out into my garden and take some photos. Once I've got them made smaller, I'll upload them here.
The snow has created beautiful sculpted folds laying sparkling over everything. I wish I could capture it with my camera. But all I can do is try to capture details, patterns, and shapes. It's strange snow; because the weather is so cold, it's remaining crisp and powdery. Usually the snow round here gets very wet and slushy, and is quite fugitive.

Snow, Snow, quick quick snow!

2010-12-01T04:50:00.000-08:00

The winter's here.
It's been snowing since Saturday; today it's continued snowing...and snowing...and snowing...Deep snow, and cold with it.
I've had to cancel one of the courses I teach, for today. So a good opportunity to write here.
Today is the first day of Advent, the lead up to Christmas. If I had an Advent Calendar, I'd be opening the first window!

I took lots of photos in January and February this year of the snowfall we experienced then. Haven't been out to take photos yet of this recent white-out. Am making sure I keep warm, and enjoying the time spent at home; it feels a bit like a holiday! Nice! Feeling quite Christmassy already.

Am trying to work at home on one of my knitted pieces. It's something I've been working on for the last 18 months. Initially I intended it to be attached to a larger textile piece I'm working on. I realised that to sew it onto the calico would cause the calico to buckle up.....so had to think again. My friend Berenice suggested 'stretching' the knitted 'pelt' on a frame. Great idea!
I got some sticks from my garden, and have made up a frame, which the pelt will hang from. It's now at the stage of working out the 'engineering'.
Working on it, it has become obvious that it's growing in size. Becoming a free-standing piece, seperate from the larger textile work. This means that I have to re-think the textile piece, as an integral part of it will now be missing! Blimey! An unexpected effect.
But this is the beauty of making art. You think you've got something worked out; then just when it's at a stage of nearing completion, the art throws up a different path!
Problem-solving; a crucial part of art making.

Between Here and There

2010-11-24T08:57:00.000-08:00

This is a photograph of a 'weaving' I did, last summer in July 2009. Using flowers, grasses, stalks, from my garden, and things growing in the fields out the back of where I live.

I'd been working on a project with some visiting Israeli artists. The person I was working with was a photographer, and I was hoping we would be able to use natural objects to create Land Art and take photographs of the results. We were taken over by the short time-frame we had (2 weeks to produce work to put into an exhibition), and so I put my ideas aside, ready to return to them at a later date.
In July, the flowers were at their peak; the herbs were blooming in my garden. I was able to pick some, and take them out into the field and try to weave something together.
This is my first attempt.
It is something I want to return to in the future. It was a step into my experiments this year (2010) with Morning Glory plants, and Parsnip Spirals. A development of artistic interventions in the natural world.

Autumn 2010

2010-11-19T04:26:00.000-08:00

Cerulean Sky

Golden Trees

It's almost a haiku!

But not quite......

Autumn 2010

2010-11-19T04:21:00.000-08:00

Golden autumnal light

Autumn

2010-11-10T11:40:00.000-08:00

Here are some berries in the trees;

the sunlight low in the late afternoon sky, illuminating the reds and golds.