What I've been doing...

I usually manage to write a blog once a week, but it seems ages since I last posted.  In fact it hasn't been that long, but I have been busy.  Last weekend was a real treat when I went to Art Van Go on Saturday to see the exhibition put on by the Spectrum textile group.  Not only did I see some very high class work, eat rather delicious cakes and drink tea from pretty cups, I was able to chat to Gina.  I also met Gill of Vintage Rock Chick and Jane from Things to Make and Do.  It was especially good to meet Jane as we exchanged postcards as part of out Postman's Knock project last year.  You can see photos of the exhibition on Gina's and Gill's blogs. After a pleasant Sunday I was pole-axed on Monday with a violent headache, mainly down to sinus problems, but I seem to have spent most of this week half asleep. I have been raking around for things to share with you. 

 
These are colour exercises for my course

 

This book arrived on Tuesday so I was able to sit and have a lovely read between naps.

It is "Breaking the Rules of Watercolour" by Shirley Trevena.  There are lots of examples of her work on the web and even a couple of short videos of her talking about her techniques.

Laura Kemshall is a fan of hers and recommended her work to me.

I haven't done much this week bit I did unearth these two drawings which I must have done over fifteen years ago. They are on A2 size paper and I must say I especially like the tope one.  I had completely forgotten about it.

The second one is a sketch done of poppies which grew in my garden at the time, but have long since disappeared.

Finally I will share with you this old book I found in Letchworth some months ago. 

 I bought it to have a go at an altered book.  It is in very bad condition, but it is old.

The cover is marbled paper with a leather spine.

The spine is broken, the paper brittle and badly foxed.

However it is just seven years shy of being 200 years old.

It is Volume IV of Boswell's Life of Dr Johnson.

I have been pondering what to do with it, and what theme to take.  As I bought it from a book dealers very cheaply, I know it is not worth much, but I haven't been able to bring myself to start altering it.

I stalled for longer when I found that Doctor Johnson and his friends visited Lord Bute's garden at Luton Hoo.

Although here Dr J seems to be unimpressed with the gardens, overleaf he is quoted as saying,

"This is one of the places I do not regret having come to see. It is a very stately place, indeed; in the house magnificence is not sacrificed to convenience, nor convenience to magnificence"

I wonder if the hotel management which now runs the house has this as their motto. 

After their visit DR J's party dined and drank his Majesty's health at an inn, in the village of Luton, as it was the King's birthday!

So what shall I do with the book?  I still haven't made up my mind, but if I keep reading it, it is going to fall to bits!

I have another busy week ahead.  On Thursday I am giving a short talk to my U3A Natural History group on Bumble Bees.  I'm no expert, but I hope I can keep my group entertained for 30 minutes or so.  The BBCT have provided me with a Powerpoint presentation so that has given me a good start.

Wish me luck.

Have a great weekend

Jill

Launch

I have enrolled to do Creative Quiltmaking with Design Matters which is a City and Guilds recognised course.  This is something new for me as I haven't taken part in a textile course before, although I have learned a lot from some workshops I have attended.  I am hoping that it will help me with the design process as I don't want to feel I am just making things, my inner artist is calling.  There is nothing wrong with just making things, I love it, but I want to express something and the trouble is I'm not sure what it is I want to express - perhaps it is just the love of making things!!
I started this blog when I was doing photography with the OCA as a way of chronicling my learning, so I shall be doing the same again by sharing my work with you.  I haven't quite finished the Creative Sketchbook course, but that has given me lots of ideas and skills.

The course has kicked off with lots of drawing activities, and I love drawing.  However I don't usually draw from photographs so this was different.  I did similar work at the beginning of the Sketchbook course but this time I had more freedom to choose my own subjects.  I wanted to challenge myself so did not choose easy objects to draw.  Here are a few examples done in an A4 sketchbook.

My grandmother gave me these crochet gloves - they WERE a challenge to draw even working from a photograph.

I had to make a collection of items together that would be used for various exercises. I chose things for their shape, colour and sentimental value.  Grouping the objects together reminded me of the classic creative writing exercise where the teacher would present her class with a seemingly random group of objects and ask them to weave a story round them - thank goodness no one is asking me to do that! Although the key and little bottle do bring Alice's adventures to mind.

I hope I can keep you entertained as well sharing my learning curve.

Jill

February

Here is my February all fresh and green and ready to go.  It may be freezing, but the sun is shining and there are snowdrops in the garden.

I made the background by printing the pages with white acrylic and then giving it a watercolour wash.  The paint acts as a resist.  My paisley lino cut gives a damask effect.  I scanned the pages for the squares and added a bit of depth to the wash with watercolour and Inktense pencils.

January has turned out rather lively.  The blank page was very unexciting but wintery silhouettes added some atmosphere.

There are lots of calendar pages on the Flickr site or your can link to calendar blogs from Kate's page, do take a look.

It's not too late to take up the challenge.

Jill

Sunday

I have posted these photographs before,  right at the beginning of my blog adventures when I was logging my progress in my photography course. Clare mentions that the scenery is reminiscent of Tuscany, and I have to agree - I think it is the row of poplar trees and high view point, but it is definitely south Bedfordshire. Here is the same scene taken at each season.

I drove right through the middle of this scene today on my way to see friends. I always love it how ever many times I pass through. It was very misty this morning and I wished I had my camera with me.

I have also had a go at making a book from all the papers I have created during my sketchbook course. This is the chaos that is my desk, sometimes I wonder how I manage to get anything done!

I printed paper for the front and back covers with the linocut inspired by the scene above.

It has five signatures stitched into a card spine.  The stitching is a bit wonky despite my careful measuring, I guess more practice would help, but it is not the sort of thing you make every week.

I'm not sure how I am going to use it yet, but I keep having to give it a bit of a stroke, how sad is that?

I have nearly finished the Creative Sketchbook course and I have got a lot from it - what next?  

Watch this space

Have a good week.

Jill

This week

I'm sharing these pages with you because I know you well and you've been with me all the way.  I'm not sure I knew what I was doing here but we all need to do a little experimentation and one of the thresholds I have crossed is not being afraid to show my "less than" pages.

Here I added to the charcoal and wash sketch with a border of forks as reference to previous pages and the tree line.  The chequered sky is showing over a cut-out horizon from the next page shown below.

This is a bit of a mish-mash using a photo-montage, lino cuts and stencil - it actually looks better here than in real life - but it is quite exciting experimenting - at least I'm learning what I don't enjoy doing and what subjects I prefer working with.

As I have been transferring my several thousand photographs onto my new computer I came across these from a couple of years ago and thought I would share.

The two below were part of a series I made of wrapped flowers.

Have a good week,

Jill

Work(s) in progress

I have been trying some different  methods of using soft pastels - this still life was created with paper stencils.  It gives a beautiful soft effect, but completely out of character with what else is in my sketchbook.  I'm still living with all of these following pages and seeing what I may add.

Below I have used the same technique but used the roof tops of my urban setting as inspirations - still haven't finished with it yet.

The roof top shape suggested this diamond pattern below next to a monoprint of my house I managed to do straight into my book after many failed attempts on paper - once again watch this space for developments on this page.

Finally in my sketchbook this charcoal and wash rendering of a local view is also waiting for some more work.  

I am loving all of this - although as you can see a lot of things were started this week - some consolidation needed as I near the end of my Design Matters course.  I am having to change some of my thinking.  As a mainly figurative artist I am having to re-educate my eye in thinking towards design opportunities.   I am hoping that the C&G Creative Quiltmaking will help me realise some of my ideas as stand alone pieces.

Meanwhile, I thought I would have a go with drawing onto fabric using Derwent Inktense water-soluble pencils.  As these supposedly become permanent once wetted they work really well on fabric.  I used some sketches of aquilegias I had in a sketchbook and copied them onto unbleached cotton calico.  I then though I would try some machine quilting and found a couple of demos on binding quilts on good ole' Youtube.  My mitred corners wouldn't stand close inspection, but I felt quite pleased with the results.  I added some hand stitching to the right hand one, but I'm not sure whether it added anything to the end result. I don't know what I shall do with these - I may just put them in my textile workbook as samples.  

I thought you might like to see I how I have added colour to these previous pages - done way back last August.  It has turned a sketchbook exercise into something much more interesting - I think!

Thanks for sharing my pages with me - it is so lovely to get your comments, they mean a lot.

Have a good week.

Jill

January Windows

I thought I'd add a bit of variety to my post today, not just pages from my sketchbook.  But I will start off with one inspired by the long gone stained glass windows which once decorated our house.  I loved them, but the frames were so rotten we couldn't open any of them so they had to go.  Somewhere I have a good set of photographs I took before they were removed, but I cannot find them,  just a couple of snaps which gave me enough detail to do this. The diamond pane rubbing was made on the front door which we were able to keep, but no coloured glass.

Keeping on the window theme - this is the large window in my workroom, which was once the garage.  It was a very small garage and this wall is taken up with window and radiator - not a lot of storage space - hence a crammed window sill and cardboard boxes.

This is the business end of my workbench - the computer is at the other.  I have been trying out my soft pastels.  I was rather pleased with my first attempt of my little owl paper weight, but managed to spray it with repositionable mount spray instead of fixative - no please - don't say anything!  The second one is okay, but lacks some of the spontaneity of the first.  My soft pastels are rather old and seemed to have dried out and are extremely crumbly.  I'm not sure I am ready to invest in a new lot at the moment.

And finally here is me sitting in front of the computer, which cleverly took the picture of me holding my camera and with Marvin sitting on the conservatory chair which was brought in on a temporary basis, but has become a fixture since he loves to sit on it and give me creative advice.

I seemed to have acquired a new batch of followers in the last month - welcome and I am extremely flattered.  I did say I would arrange a give-away when I reached 150 followers, but the number has grown to over 160, so I must get organised, I haven't forgotten.

Do have a good week,

Jill