studio #3....Bonfire Night

When I was inhabiting A13 studio in Westgate Studios, I had fantastic views over the city, and to Emley Moor mast...which until the digital age, delivered our television signal, locally.
This was a particularly grey, yet glowing sky, from winter 2008.

Today I've been working in my home studio; with the heater on I was nice and cosy.
I was putting together my City and Guilds portfolio, for my course tomorrow. It was great to sit and spend some time on it. The day's been bright and sunny, though as the light has faded, the temperature's dropped, and it's got very cold.
The cats are all sitting in front of the fire; and I've made sure they're all in for the evening, as tonight is Bonfire Night, and there are fireworks going off all around us. We're keeping warm and safe, away from all harm.

Last Friday I went to Leeds, and called into the Art Gallery, and the Henry Moore Institute next door. 
There was a small exhibition of Helen Chadwick's photographs. Large, cibachrome, richly coloured photos. She used flowers, fruits, and household cleaning fluids, such as Windowlene, and Swarfega. She also used Lime & Lemon marmalade, and Germolene, to give vibrant colours and textures to her sculptures, which she then photographed! They are beautiful. I love the way she incorporates ordinary 'domestic' materials into her artwork. 
Well worth a look, on the Henry Moore Institute website, here

hAppY HalLowEen

The witch in the kitchen!

Happi Samhain.

The winter's arriving with cold days, and long nights.

Pumpkin to carve, and soup to make!

Dyed, Printed, Stitched & Spun #2

Am still working on this piece. It includes print on fabric, spun and dyed wool, machine and hand stitching.
It's taking quite a while, but I'm hoping I can get it completed and to the framers in time for the 'Woolgathering' exhibition next month at Westgate Studios.

A little Birdhouse In Your Soul

This is one of the bird boxes that Jon and I made a couple of years ago. One is hanging outside the living room window, and can be seen from the sofa in the sitting room, and was inhabited this spring; another is attached to a tree in the front garden; and this one has yet to find a home!
Now that autumn's here, and the leaves are falling, I'm hoping to find the perfect spot for it. Somewhere I can observe it, in case it becomes a home for new bird families. Being able to watch the birds fly to and fro this spring, as they fed their chicks, was wonderful. And all from the comfort of my sofa!
I didn't paint up to the entrance hole of the box, as birds sometimes peck to enlarge it, and make it more comfortable for themselves. Depending on the paint used (I used acrylics) this can poison the birds. So I decided to play it safe, and leave a gap.
The birds need all the help we can give them.
I've just heard on the news this week about thousands and thousands of birds drowning in the North Sea. Land birds such as robin and thrushes, somehow lost their bearings, and ended up out at sea, and were found drowned by sailors. Boats out to sea, found themselves used as perches by birds, who were exhausted, and needed to rest, before flying off again, desperate to find land.
See this for photos.

Up-date

Whitby Museum is a treasure-trove of fascinating objects. It's a 'proper' museum; none of this 'interactive' stuff here! Above is a photo of a woven/knitted outfit on display, taken on a visit years ago now. It seems fitting to include it here, as I'm working on a City & Guilds qualification in creative textiles. Nothing as elaborate as this, thankfully! We're creating mostly samples. It's taking up a lot of my time though, so I expect my blogging will lessen over the term/s.
And of course, my socks knitting continues. Still not near to turning the heel, which is where I'll need some help.
There's the upcoming exhibition to prepare for too; 'Woolgathering', at Westgate Studios, in November. So I'm kept pretty busy at the moment.

I've been out tidying up some of the garden; had baked apple tonight from my apple tree. A bad harvest this year, hardly any apples; but then everywhere has had bad harvests, with the weird weather.
Sitting in my home studio over the weekend, I spotted a squirrel lolloping along the fence outside. S/he did a stop-over at my birdtable, to collect anything the birds hadn't taken. Unlike some people, I don't mind squirrels on my birdtable. I don't have gangs of them. And there's plenty of berries around at the moment for birds and squirrels alike. Good harvests there then!

Palimpsest

 Three photos; not quite matching up......overlaps.

The stitched and layered 'jigsaw' piece; using sashiko stitches; organzie overlay; map lines; aerial photography earth lines.

Kirsty MacColl 1959 - 2000

'One day I'll be waiting there, No empty bench in Soho Square'

Kirsty would've been 53 on 10th October, next Wednesday. And I for one will be raising a glass to celebrate her life.
I was lucky to see her twice; once in St George's Hall, Bradford, where there was no trace of her famous stage-fright. And a second time at Leeds. Where after the gig, we hung around like stage door Johnnies, and managed to get taken into the dressing room, and actually meet and chat to Kirsty.
Well, I say 'chat'....in fact we stood there gobsmacked, while she kindly tried to talk to us about how we thought the gig had gone, and what had the sound quality been like....She was warm, engaging, very down-to-earth, and 'normal'. Not at all 'starry' or up herself. She was lovely. And everyone who knew her, or worked with her, tell the same story.

Today, friends and family and fans, have visited Soho Square, to celebrate Kirsty's life and music. There is a bench (photo above) with a plaque engraved with the lyrics from her song 'Soho Square', from the album 'Titanic Days'. 

Her albums/CD's have all been remastered, and re-released. So if you've not heard the beauty and wit that is a Kirsty MacColl song, or heard her sing, apart from the 'Fairytale of New York' xmas song with The Pogues, then go out and purchase any, or all of them! You have a treat in store!

I don't normally try to persuade people to buy music, as it's such a personal thing. But Kirsty was wonderful, and I feel cheated that I won't get to hear any more of her songs. She created girl-group choirs out of her voice, overtracked and layered up. A one-woman 'Beach Boys' sound. We miss you Kirsty. Happy Birthday.