Spectrum show

 Just a quick post to give you a glimpse of the exhibition which was put together on Monday. It is now on view in the shop until 5th April. We will be there on Saturday for a not so Private View, all are invited. The picture montage doesn't give it justice and there were a few minor adjustments to be made.

Since Laura Kemshall  posted a picture of my cushions on her blog, I have gained a few followers. So welcome and you are a good incentive for me to blog a bit more frequently, although you can find me on Facebook too. 

The prints were made of three paintings I did. I have all three up for sale in the exhibition. 

Meanwhile I managed to finish this piece for the show ...

and I have been stamping, stencilling and gelli printing fabric for another project.

I do hope some of you can make it on Saturday, 

Jill

March catch up and invitation.

Busy, busy busy as we all seem to be, but here is a quick catch up on what's been going on…

On the 17th of February we celebrated our 35th wedding Anniversary with a casual get together with our friends.  Unfortunately my sister broke down on the M25 and had to be towed home so didn't make it.

 On Monday we are setting up at Art Van Go for Spectrum's exhibition.

I am a new member but have been invited to put in some of my work.

Hopefully there will be room for some of my cushions...

…and at long last I have finished this little piece.

Meanwhile I have been drawing goldfinches which we have lots of in our garden.

 And on my 'design wall' I have some hand dyed fabric and papers with an idea for an amaryllis inspired piece.  I want to do a bit of printing and stencilling before I begin.

I am coming to terms with the fact that I am a long term creator when it comes to finishing pieces, but that's fine. So this may be resolved next autumn!!

I spotted these two in the garden this afternoon - exploring the limitations of my phone camera, this is cropped quoted a bit, but the resolution is pretty good.

Shield bug and ladybird.

It would be lovely to see you at Art Van Go next Saturday for the Private View.  

Tea and cake will be served.

Otherwise, Art Van Go is always worth a visit so don't forget to pop into the exhibition while you're there.

Sketchbook work

I have been working in my 'garden' sketchbook. Not strictly a garden subject but one that was growing in my home.

I'm experimenting with a multiple of techniques. I've done a bit of stitching too, will share that another time.

R.I.P. Marvin

Just to let you know after a rapid deterioration in his health Marvin fell asleep finally at the vets this morning. Gonna miss that cat for a long time...

No time… no time...

In my last blog I said that I was reluctant to make New Year Resolutions, but I did say to myself that I would try to write a blog more frequently, but I have failed at the first hurdle. However in my journal I did write a list of all the things that have happened so far this year, and it is no wonder I've had no time. Some are rather mundane but, all of them time consuming. Visits to elderly parents, hairdressers', doctor's and more excitingly knitters, embroiderers, textile groups and friends. There have been visits from my sister and nephew too.  I bought myself a smart phone - just because… and that seem to take up a day swapping numbers and logging on and so on. Some of the photos I took with it popped up on the TV. Mr T cried out  that there was a picture of Marvin on the screen while he was  watching the snooker and then  I did it again when he was watching the bowls! The only way to get rid of them was the TV off and on again! I thought I'd turned off the bluetooth which I thought was responsible.  When I've got time I'll fiddle about and try and work out what happened. 

Also my GP wants me to monitor my blood pressure and I've had to buy myself a machine. I have 'white coat syndrome" and my doctor always takes my BP at least three times and usually says it is falling to an acceptable level, but this time it didn't. I have been practising before starting to record the results and the same thing is happening at home - sky high first take, and then dropping. I could get a bit obsessive and keep on doing it; I try a bit of meditation in between takes, which definitely seems to work if I can be mindful enough!  The very act of strapping that thing round my arm winds me up, and I hate the feel of it gripping tightly. Hopeful at the end of the fortnight I will be so laissez faire with the procedure I will get a true picture, which I may have to accept as high. I'm also trying to walk more, lose weight and cut out even more salt, it's no wonder my blood pressure is up! High BP is very common I know, but not something one wants to have to accept.

I have managed to keep some creativity going, that's what keeps me sane. At our first Spectrum meet of the year Gina encouraged us to have a think about what we wanted to achieve in our textile work, so I applied some of the criteria we talked about to a new long term project. I have a new sketchbook and wanted to devote it to one subject - gardens and plants that are significant to me. I started with a mind map or spider chart as we used to call them donkey's years ago when planning school topics.

I want to produce a book that expresses my feelings on one subject rather than a random collection of ideas which is what happens in my other books.  My aim is to produce a beautiful book with now time limit to get it finished. I started with a collage of some of the pictures I have of my sister and I at home in the garden, and chose one to enlarge. Just a bit of fun to break in the new book. Hopefully it will also spark off some textile work.

One subject for the new book is this Amaryllis that friends gave us for Christmas.

It is now on its second spike of flowers.  When the first flower head died off I tried a bit of dyeing, wrapping the flowers up in a tight cotton bundle.

 It looks as if it could be a severed finger (or worse!!!)

The colour isn't as deep as this, but it was my first attempt.

While I was at it I also tried a bit of tie and bleach. I tied some buttons in a piece of black cotton I knew would bleach to yellow.  What a shame it didn't keep the bright orange.

I'm aiming a bit of stitch on my yellow daisies. Rather pleased as it was the effect I was aiming for.

Finally I have managed to finish the first poppy cushion.

This will be shown at the Spectrum exhibition at Art Van Go in March. More details to follow.

I seem to have gained and lost one or two followers, so hello to anyone new and thanks for sharing my journey. Have a good week.

Jill

Review

I don't know about you, but however hard I try NOT to make New Year Resolutions, somehow the urge to make a fresh start and set myself some goals is too appealing to ignore. I suppose that the New Year is as good a time as any for me to look back at how far along my creative journey I have come in the last 12 months. This time last year I was in the thick of my C&G certificate and there was little time for thinking about anything else. It took me much longer than I anticipated to finish and then afterwards I went into a creative doldrums for a while.  However a resolve to make a few things for my Etsy shop got me back into making mode, and many of those have sold either on Etsy or in the Pop-Up shop in Dunstable. I also finished quilting my poppy prints both of which I have written about here. But I have been working away at various other projects which I will share with you now.
Way back in October I drew some Iris foetidissima seed pods from my garden. I have been playing with these pictures in various sketchbooks ever since.

Lots of potential in these shapes. Think I may start a garden/plant dedicated sketchbook. (Res. no.1)

Meanwhile on the sewing front I have added another spray of leaves to this small quilt

There is more to come. (Res. no. 2 )

For Christmas I bought myself a book on Gustav Klimt, I'm not sure why I didn't already have one. Whenever I wanted to look at his work I always had to go on the internet or look at an old calendar I had saved. I remember going to an exhibition of Egon Schiele's work when I was at college and learning something of Klimt at that time. The work of both men has always haunted me; Klimt's wonderful decoration and Schiele's bruised, raw, emaciated figures. I was trying out some of his bleeding colours in the last iris pod sketch above.  However it is Klimt's decorative work which captures   so many of our imaginations. I hadn't realised ( or remembered) that his father was a gold engraver, so no wonder he is so fascinated with using it in his work. I often search through prints of his work for examples of his motifs, so I have decided to keep a record of them in one of my hand made books, that way I have my own reference book.  I have made a start with squares. I have taken patterns from one or two paintings and elaborated on them.

It is a great opportunity to play with my gold paint and pens. Triangles next. (Res. no. 3)

It seems to take a couple of hours to put together a blog post these days (with interruptions) so now I must go for a short walk (Res no. 4)  and iron and perhaps do another page in my book.

Enjoy the last couple of days of 2013 and see you next year.

Jill

                                                         

Christmas Greetings

Merry Christmas to all my 'bloggy' friends,

have a great holiday and see you all soon.

Jill