CQ Rydal Hall Retreat 2016

Last week on retreat at Rydal Hall  was spent in excellent company with  gentle strolls, sketching and  stitching  fuelled by coffee, 'tray bakes', wine and laughter.  Woke up on the first morning with  snow falling overnight (although it didn't last long). After tearing myself away from the view out my  bedroom window,  went for a walk in the very green woods with lots of piles of wood. Tried a bit of retail therapy in Grasmere but many shops were shut and  the  tins from the gingerbread shop washed away in the floods. There was  a lot of flood damage evident from huge craters in roads, footbridges out of use as too dangerous ( entailing longer detours) and piles of stones where there shouldn't be , washed up by the flood waters. The main road between Grasmere and Keswick is still  out of use.
Another day I walked to Rydal  Water and  drew until my fingers were too cold to hold a pencil - it was a bit more sheltered in the 'Grot' drawing Rydal Falls. I did some watercolours  but have got more into drawing as a result of all the courses I've been doing.
Most of the time though I was stitching and  making small collaged compositions inspired by my strolls and sketches, returning home refreshed in body and spirit.   

Latest Stitching

Last week I was on retreat with 10 fellow CQ members at Rydal Hall in Cumbria. Excellent company as always ,  and as usual I did some  walking, sketching and hand stitching. Among the projects I had taken along with me was a  12 inch square I'd put together for SAQA Benefit Auction  using leftover from my 'Fleet Mudflats' quilt. Only 3 years late....  This one was sold  for quite a bit of money so hoping this indigo piece will  do well too 

And while I was in 'stitch everything to death'  mode, I finished my February Journal quilt also based on  Chesil Beach and the Fleet lagoon at Ferrybridge . I like putting together collaged compositions as reminders of places I've been - I'm now  stitching into a moody Rydal inspired piece.

2015 Journal Quilts

Looking forward to receiving my copy of CQ newsletter  and finding out what this year's Journal Quilt   Challenge will involve. This will the  10th year  doing them with CQ  but my 14th as I started in 2003. I can't stress enough how much I've learnt through the process of making them .Often they're samples testing out ideas for larger quilts or experiments from workshops or classes. More recently however I've been making  small collages using scraps  responding to places I'm visiting. My regular trips to Weymouth/Portland  and on retreat at Rydal Hall continue to be a source of inspiration.  We'll be in Weymouth again the first week in February and I'm already choosing scraps to take!
The montage of my quilts from last year is pretty diverse ( and yes I do know there are 14 - I got carried away with the B&W ones!), none of this designing them all at the beginning for me, that wouldn't allow for changes along the way. It also reflects what has been a year of  momentous change  for me  - I'll be doing another summary post in preparation for the 'change of address' letter we'll be sending out instead of our  annual Xmas one.

Another reason for looking forward to the CQ newsletter is that this JQ features on the cover to accompany  an article on eco-dyeing - Margaret Cooter is doing an excellent job as editor, she was so patient!

Journal Quilts and Difficult Decisions

 

 With  most of my energy and time at the moment focused on  sorting through house contents for  pre- painting storage ( 8th May) or disposal ( 30 April), it's taken  a   very focused effort to finish off   CQ January-April  Journal Quilts  before 30th April  deadline.  They're mainly machine rather than hand stitched for expediency but having made JQ's since 2003, it was important to me to  keep going  with them as these fabric 'sketches' are a crucial part of my artistic practice. 

 

April : Rodwell Trail. Positive and negtive monoprints of vegetation  

March : Weymouth Harbour ( from  Rodwell Trail)

February: Rydal Colours - 'sketch' from NW CQ retreat in Lake District

 

January: Red Loops- sample for International Threads ' Red  Stapelia '  piece

 

With most of my studio packed up ( apart from art materials, scraps for JQ's and an on-going hand stitched indigo piece ) and the first of  my courses for  University Certificate in Biological Recording  coming up this week with it's 2 assessed assignments, I came to the very difficult decision to stand down from the next round of challenges with International Threads. I've been very proud to be a member ( and my work will still be  touring to various exhibitions) and I've enjoyed working within  parameters  that stretched me.  I like the 40 x 80 cm size and this I may well be continuing with in the future.



Rydal Retreat

 

Last week I was on my 4th annual  retreat with NWCQ in the Lake District, the 3rd at Rydal Hall. Perfect timing a week after leaving Kew for some reflective time painting and stitching with friends in a tranquil, uplifting environment. As in previous years, I'm basing Journal Quilts on my sketches (beginnings of first above) and I was lucky enough to have a room this year looking out to the front  with a glimpse of Windermere in the distance  and remains of snow on the surrounding hills, so I didn't have to venture too far for inspiration!

 

 It took a little time to arrange the tables in the 'Old Kitchen' (conveniently next to the bar) but once established  in our niches, it didn't take long for everyone to pick up  from where we left off last year. It's great to see how varied peoples working methods are and everyone is so generous in sharing.
Several of us had brought 'Gelli' plates with us and I  had a go comparing it with my usual acetate sheet (and got a bit carried away as usual with monoprinting - I even used up all the colour catchers I'd brought with me)

Apart from crossing the courtyard each lunchtime for delicious homemade soups at the  tea shop, I  made only a couple of walking/sketching expeditions.  



 

On my first on Tuesday I was fortunate enough  to be doing my annual sketch of   Rydal Falls from inside the 'Grot' when there was a sudden hail/sleet storm. 5 minutes later the sun was shining again.!



 

 On Wednesday night there was torrential rain  so on Thursday there was about 4 times as much water in the beck ( see difference above ). Further downstream, the river had expanded into the nearby field -it had cleared again by Friday. I wish I'd taken a picture of the bright pink ice-cream van parked on the bridge  next to it, catering for the damp visitors!

Too cold to hang around sketching at Rydal Water this time  but I enjoyed absorbing the view before heading back for hot chocolate.

On Friday afternoon after a visit to the Quaker tapestry in Kendal and collecting sourdough bread from 'Lovingly Artisan' , I was early for my train which was  just as well  because all trains to  and from London  were cancelled because of an earlier broken down freight train at Lockerbie ! After a few minutes panic, advised to  take the train to Manchester airport, and change at Preston where I caught up with the train I was booked on  so all was well. Arriving back at a packed Euston station ( usual Friday night plus extra mayhem with train cancellations) was a bit of a shock after the tranquillity of Rydal.

We've already made a booking for next year  It's such a  supportive, fun group ( and lovely location), we feel so comfortable with each other, it just goes from strength to strength.

 

The Shape of Challenges

 With  the long awaited arrival of the latest CQ newsletter ( great job by Margaret)  the challenges for  2015 Journal Quilts and Foq were revealed. This will be my 13th  year of making JQ's - I had already been making them for a few years before  Contemporary Quilt started doing it.
The  rules this year are that they be 6" x 12"  and you choose portrait or landscape format and stick to it.  That will be the hard part for me!

When this size was last set in 2009, I didn't like it very much , especially after I'd so enjoyed the 12" square challenge  the year before. While  I did produce some nice pieces ( the  best  I've shown here) some were quite dreadful ( I'll spare you those!)

Now having made several 40 x 80cm portrait quilts  for International Threads, I've learnt to enjoy this format  and the new  CQ challenge 'Elements'  is  nearly the same at  45 x 80cm. So there is some advantage to using   portrait format JQ's as trial pieces and experiments( and probably more doors!) 
However,  making little books using the Fabriano Mediavalis cards  as the basis ,  I like the idea of a landscape  series ( even bought a panoramic sketchbook to take up to Rydal Hall retreat, in 5 weeks time ,inspired by the purchase of  Norman Ackroyd's  Shetland Notebook). Seascapes would probably feature again too.

So which format to go for? 

 UPDATE - thanks for all the comments, I decided in the end to go for Landscape.


 

Korea: East and West - SDA Journal

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from Surface Design Association (SDA)  about renewing my subscription ( I've been a member since 2006).  With regret, I've  come to the decision that  at $75  + $20 postage I no longer afford  it .I'm not making best use of my membership,  and although I've dabbled with other textiles (like the infamous 'Taplow Vase'), art quilts are my primary  interest and membership of SAQA  ( along with CQ) best serves this need.

My main reason for joining was hoping that some day I could attend a conference and learn Pojagi techniques with Chunghie Lee . So it seems fitting that the last issue of their excellent journal I receive has Korean textiles as it's theme and it's an absolute cracker with many innovative works, particularly  the  3D structures such as 'cloudscape' below and the work of  Do Ho Suh 

 Cloudscape -Sojie Feliciano Solomon  

As I've said before, I've long appreciated Pojagi techniques, making this door curtain with machine stitched seams many years ago ( unfortunately it was 'site specific' ,there's no place suitable for it in our current house ) . I really enjoyed the Masterclass  with Chunghie Lee I  participated in at FoQ in 2009 but  although I'm still intrigued by layers of organza (such as recent 'Dislocation' piece) I haven't taken  Pojagi  techniques  further   (unlike Molly Bullick who also attended that class and has used them to fantastic effect).
I'm coming to the conclusion that  this may be because they belong to another culture  and I'm more concerned with exploring techniques and marks personal to me ( not just because  my stitching is getting larger and larger, which wouldn't meet  with approval!) I do however have plans for some of the semi translucent Japanese fabrics I bought with Pojagi in mind following interesting discussions with Ruth Axson at Rydal Hall retreat.

Elounda Watercolours

I took the Roberson watercolour book I'd worked on last time I was in Crete(more images here, here and here) to Elounda   and enjoyed adding some more pages, trying to capture the elusive colours of the lansdscape and sunrises.  But after the Dorothy Caldwell workshop and my last Rydal Hall retreat, I think I prefer working with individual sheets of paper, colour catchers and fabric and putting together my own memory journal of my visit.

Rydal Inspiration - NWCQ Retreat 2014

 Just back from 5 days retreat with NWCQ group in the  Lake District staying at Rydal Hall. Once again a time for  creative reflection  in good company in a beautiful setting. The staff  there are so helpful and  it's wonderful not to have to think  about cooking ( it's 4.30 and my tummy is wondering where the traybakes are....). I  struggled a bit on the train with all the stuff I'd taken' just in case'. In the end,apart from pinning and tacking a large indigo piece onto wadding, I didn't do much stitching, concentrating on sketching and painting from my surroundings  and making a little book of stitched monoprints and drawings based on these. Preparing an informal talk about my experiences from the  workshop  with Dorothy Caldwell,  it was a luxury to have time to consider my personal repertoire of marks and put them into practice. I got the  group doing blind stitching ( much to the amusement of other guests heading to the bar!) and several decided to make their own collections of 100 objects.

 

Retail therapy was not forgotten - a trip to Keswick to the pencil museum shop yielded  discounted ex display tins of XL graphite and charcoal with another tin of Grasmere gingerbread acquired on the way back. 

 Rydal Falls had considerable more water going over it compared to last year  but the colours of the bracken on the hills was just as beautiful.

Based on   my sketches , I pulled out bits from my scrap bag to make up a journal quilt and another from acrylic monoprints too precious to cut up for my book! Now when I stitch these, they will remind me of my break, it's good to return to making JQ's that have a story

 Some pages from my book based on the patterns on bark and fast flowing water.