Journey Through The Past

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

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

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

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'

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....'

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.