1000th Blog Post : Studios; quilts; doors, ceramics, travel; plants; drawing, Kew; museums, City Lit; stitching

 My 1000th  blogpost had crept up on me unawares! While I haven't been blogging so much of late ,   using Instagram and Facebook more for sharing what I'm up to, I still find it a useful tool as a 'reflective journal' when I've been doing courses to  record my thoughts and investigations.

 I decided to look back  in an organised  random way ( if that makes sense ! )at what I was  doing on 100th, 200th etc   and actually the main themes  of  what interests me  ( plants, art , textiles, travel)  all come through  even in a relatively  small selection.

My first post in August   2007 was on moving from Ealing to Brentford   and showed the studio space I  was leaving behind so it seems appropriate  to show my current studio arrangements  for the 1000th.  I would never have anticipated the traumas of losing my job and moving  to a new town  and life but after nearly 4 years I'm more settled and  revelling in the opportunities it has given me. Enjoy!

 Post 1 :magsramsay.blogspot.com/2007/08/sewing-space-old-place

Post 100: magsramsay.blogspot.com/2008/07/100th-post-labyrinths-and-elements

Post 200 :magsramsay.blogspot.com/2010/01/tunisian-shop-advertising

 Post 300:magsramsay.blogspot.com/2010/11/ancient-shards-new-materials

 Post 400:magsramsay.blogspot.com/2011/10/deductive-monotypes

Post 500:magsramsay.blogspot.com/2013/02/cherubs-at-haberdashers

Post 600 : magsramsay.blogspot.com/2014/05/across-foot-of-mount-oxa

 Post 700: magsramsay.blogspot.com/2015/08/sketching-ceramics-at-V&A

Post 800:magsramsay.blogspot.com/2016/12/drawing-tuesday-keys-and-kew

Post 900:magsramsay.blogspot.com/2018/03/contemporary-collage-week-9-cubomania

 Post 1000:  I still haven't worked out a  decent  design wall space ( I currently use  to top landing - Ian's claim I'm taking over the whole house is not without foundation ... )  but I really like my studio space with its cutting  table raised on sand castle buckets and the combination  of wall and trolley storage.

 Most of all I love my 2 sewezi tables : 1 currently has my Bernina  sewing   machine set up on it and the other with a wooden insert in  by the window I use for hand stitching ( when I'm not sewing on the train ) , looking out over the green, 

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

A day trip up to Birmingham on Saturday to meet up with other members of Cwilt Cymru. I haven't been in the city centre for many years  and I love the mixture of old and new.  

 The venue was the Edwardian  Tea Rooms   in the Museum and Art Gallery ( a booth had been reserved for us by Judith's daughter )

 After a most enjoyable and constructive meeting over coffee, lunch and afternoon tea, there was just time before my train to see the Staffordshire  Hoard

  Although some of the more complete and valuable  pieces were displayed  in the 'treasury' I preferred the conservation collections with  twisted fragments and samples of soil etc - it gave an indication of the immensity and richness of the hoard.  I also could have played for hours with the interactive screens !

  And on the way out, how could I resist the De Morgan Tiles ....

Sketching in museums - Wellcome Collection

 Another Tuesday sketching with Margaret Cooter and co, this time at the Wellcome Collection with it's bizzare, sometimes macabre  medically linked objects.
I got to combine both amulets and  the difficulties of drawing hands from previous sessions at the  British Museums. There was a case of tiny amulets  in the  reading room ( for warding off evil and bringing good luck ) and a larger display of 'votive offerings' carved in stone.

I concentrated on drawing artificial hands constructed from metal, leather, wood and other materials. Some had more functionality than others but all elicit  sympathy for the original wearer
 Then very good coffee and looking at each others sketchbooks in the excellent café  before heading off the see the Richard Diebenkorn at the Royal Academy ( with a glimpse through half open doors of the Summer Exhibition being installed)

An Oxford Adventure

A blog post by Olga inspired us to catch the last day of exhibition at the Ashmolean of the 'Lost World of Old Europe' - a fascinating insight into a culture I knew little about with some wonderful artifacts
No photos allowed so a few rough sketches.
While we were there, a charming exhibition of Mughul paintings of elephants owned by Sir Howard Hodgkin led us to Modern Art Oxford where 'Time and Place' offered a fresh view of his work.
I was as inspired by these monotone blinds in the building as his vigorous paintwork - both pathways to simplification.

Festival of Quilts update: I'll be at the Festival of Quilts from Tuesday to Friday, doing an Elizabeth Barton Masterclass Tues and Wed and on Thursday I can be found at the Contemporary Quilt stand 1-2 and SAQA stand 4-5. My 'Breakthrough' quilt is on display with others from Contemporary Quilt on the walls of the cafe ( and the excellent book for sale at the CQ stand) . Finally , my second honesty quilt is the Art Quilt competition , no 276.