sink

The sink at my textiles course; paint & dyed

A 'technological first' for me! This photo was taken on my fone; downloaded onto the new pooter; and uploaded into my blog. Phew, I'm quite embracing the technological world these days!
The course is coming to the final 3 weeks now. I still have some samples to complete, and my final piece to work on. It's starting to get a bit urgent. Gotta spend a good part of my upcoming weekend on the textile work.
My portfolio needs to go in next week, for preliminary verification. So this weekend coming will be especially busy working on that, as well as the textiles.

I have a piece of silk wrapped around an avocado stone, and encased in the skin; popped into the compost, to see if there's any different results from my first go. I have a backlog of photos I need to upload; and sort out the changeover from one pooter to this one.

I got a bargain from the newspaper, The Guardian; 2 books for a song. Robert Macfarlane's 'The Old Ways', which I've been promising myself for a while, along with 'Holloway' by Macfarlane, Stanley Donwood, and Dan Richards. This latter book is a beautiful slim hardback book, with illustrations. Treats in store for me there!

bookbinding

Two weeks ago I went on a bookbinding course at the Arthouse, Wakefield. We got 2 books made; a section bound book, and a concertina book. The concertina book is the smaller, square one; in the photo below you can see how it unfolds.
It's a long time since I made books.
I used to teach bookbinding sessions when I worked in further education colleges. They were always fun...for me, anyway!
It was just great to sit and make 2 books, and come away with everything completed. Bliss. And as I've written here before, I love art materials, and sketchbooks. So the thought of having a brand new book to work in, that I've made, is very pleasing! 

Jarvis @ wakefield

Today the new library and museum opened in Wakefield. To celebrate that, Jarvis Cocker, the musician and songwriter from Pulp, and Sheffield, was invited to do the honours. Here Jarvis is, after drawing the strings of the velvet curtain, announcing the 'official opening'!

He talked about how he had been banned by his local library for not returning books within the due date. And how he thought there had been a mistake, and he thought he was being invited to knock a library down, as libraries are threatened with closure all around the country.
Jarvis kindly stayed to chat and sign autographs for us fans who'd turned up to see him. He was very accessible, and chatted with everyone. I managed to get my CD of Pulp's 'we love life' signed, and I said how much I enjoyed his R6 programme, 'Sunday Service'. He told me he was thinking about how he had to get it organised for tomorrow.
What a charming man he is!

We in Wakefield have lost 2 libraries in the city centre, which have been replaced by this one smaller one...and a number of branch libraries have gone, so it's not quite all good news to say this new library has opened. However; it does look splendid; though I shall miss the intimacy of the Drury Lane library (a Carnegie Library, gifted to the city), and the 1960's architectural brutalism of Balne Lane central library. I've spent many a happy hour there, perusing the shelves, and harassing staff with requests for books on obscure artists. My education has come through using libraries; as a child I used my tiny local library from early on, and when I got into art college, I made use of the request service for writing essays and my dissertation. Afterwards, studying for my teaching certificate, and years later, my M.A. I regularly called into the libraries in Wakefield to look at, and order books. And of course I've borrowed books, novels, CD's, maps, read newspapers there, and used the local studies section. I still use the libraries extensively.
I'm pleased to see the opening of a spanking new library. Though I'm sorry to see the old ones go.
My childhood library, another Carnegie Library, has long gone, to be replaced by an anonymous glass and metal shed, kindly paid for by Tesco's, who bought the land around it, and built a massive supermarket behind it. I've also noticed how new libraries always seem to be smaller than the older ones....hmmmmm.