A Productive Day

 Got lots done today -  finished off my 'text' journal quilts , all 6 of them ( only supposed to be 4 so September has 3!) and posted them on CQ Yahoo group. 'The' is I think my favourite - the simplest and one with potential for scaling up. Don't really work as a group without spacing but perhaps I'll play with that - might mount them on canvases.

 In contrast to the gaudiness of peeling posters, I machine quilted my 'light and shadow' piece into submission( sneaky peak below) Am wondering how I could introduce a bit of colour through hand stitch, it's a bit dull at the moment (b&w on indigo)  Perhaps I'll print some copies and try a bit of colouring in!

Very disappointed  that I won't be doing Abstract Painting evening class as planned as I was the only one that registered!! Have I the self discipline to try some of the exercises from 'Drawing Projects: an exploration of the language of drawing'  instead?

A Weekend in Cardiff - not just work

 Arthur Giardelli  "The Sea's Edge"

 Max Ernst " The Wood'

A weekend in Cardiff  for the annual meeting of British Bryological Society, with bonus of  amazing sound of 500 voices AngloWelsh Male Voice Choirs at St David's Hall and just as I was leaving for the train, cheering on the runners of the Cardiff 10K as they streamed past Cardiff Castle.

In between committee meetings and listening to scientific papers , I made the most of being in the National Museum of Wales to spend time among the fantastic work in the newly opened galleries devoted to contemporary art. I particularly enjoyed seeing the sketches and photographs of Graham Sutherland and work by Ceri Richards. There was one small painting "Welsh Coastline" using the same 'grattage' techniques as the work of Max Ernst which was just so atmospheric, I could have taken it home.  Makes me want to try those techniques on fabric.

Making good progress on my 'Text' journal quilts, adding hand stitch while on the train. I'll be spending Thursday and Friday finishing them off and working on my International Quilt Challenge piece on 'light and Shadow.  

Moss on my mind

I never thought I'd become so entranced  by mosses!! I did  a course on them in North Wales while I was at University (my chief memory being a goat underneath a table at a cafe we went to) and tried to get to grips with them in my survey days on Salisbury Plain. For several years I managed a project on their ex situ conservation but it wasn't until I was responsible for growing them myself that I was really smitten (these photos from down the microscope  are some I grew from tiny pieces of leaf)  So much to discover and now potential for a Very Big Project on the cards.  They may start creeping into my quilts.Perhaps I'm turning into a Moss Witch, if so Ian beware!!  

Early Music and New Sculpture

 Thomas Housago 'Figure 2'

 Rebecca Warren 'SHE-Untitled'

 Bjorn Dahlem 'The Milky Way'

 Dirk Skreber ' Untitled-Crash 1'

An afternoon of culture: 'Saturday Matinee' Prom at the Cadogan and just round the corner, new sculpture at the Saatchi Gallery. The concert was based around early music , particularly of Hildegard of Bingen both in its original form and new interpretation by Stevie Wishart (both spine tingling - less struck by the Britten and Birtwistle which seemed very clunky and masculine in comparison). Can hear it here.
Never been to the Saatchi before, it was very popular with families with kids posing in front of the sculptures. What strikes you is the amount of space -the galleries  are huge  with only a few sculptues in each room . The site specific piece 20:50  by Richard Wilson (not the actor!)played with your perceptions of space- what was real and what were reflections (perhaps  the oil fumes added to the sense of unreality! ) What I liked best though were the pieces that showed evidence of the hand of the  maker - the sketchy life drawings of Thomas Houseago made 3d  and the unfired clay figures of Rebecca Warren with the thumbmarks left.
Blogging is just procrastination - off to clean the oven before the next prom -Eijah !

Text Progress: Raving needs more work

Apart from cooking, cleaning and tacking the freesat cable around the skirting and door of the 'parlour', I spent most of last weekend working  on my sketches  for Quilt University course 'inspired to design' (more in another post) and whirring away  on my text journal quilts using Pfaff Grandquilter .It coped admirably  with all the layers of fabric and ink-aided colour catchers.
They've been marinading on my design wall while I decide if they need anything more. I followed the shapes vaguely and tried to catch everything down without losing all the raw torn edges.
I don't think 'THE'above needs any more doing to it , but 'RAVING' below definately does. It did have a marked white oval in the centre but that has almost disappeared - one of the effects of machine quilting is to unify the surface which has benefits and drawbacks. Paint or stitch to bring that white back?

I was thinking of doing some  hand stitching in orange on 'VENUE' and ' PARTY'

Perhaps some hand stitching in blue to emphasise the shapes in 'CELEBRATE' and 'OCCASION' ?

Then the decision about which 4 constitute CQ JQ's for June to September? Perhaps 'Celebrate,Occasion, Party, Venue'?? My favourite so far is 'Party' but that might change.

More From FoQ 2011

 Textile News-Freedom 'Sometimes Chains are Just Shadows' Margaret Ramsay

Over a week now since my return from Festival of Quilts - time to mull on what has stuck in my mind.
Besides my 'Tunisian Door'  quilt in the competition section , I had 2 small quilts accepted  for the International Small Quilt Challenge 'Textile News - Freedom' organised by Gudrun Heinz. This was displayed on the wall of the cafe (where CQ exhibitions have been in the past ) with quilts grouped roughly by colour. What an absorbing exhibition - so many interpretations of the theme. I introduced myself to Gudrun  - we've been in correspondence as the quilt shown above  will be featured in the Bernina calendar and she explained how all the surfaces in her house had been taken over while choosing which to display! While Ian and I were having coffee on Saturday, I got talking to Bonnie McCaffery who was filming  the show - apart from taking a picture of me and my door quilt, I introduced her to Gudrun. Watch out  for the vidcast , out beginning of September (if don't end up on the cutting room floor! )

My purchases were relatively modest (the Textile News CD was included in the entry fee for the challenge) . I bought wadding  and wrist support from the Cotton Patch, African textiles  from John Gillow, African Fabric Shop and Langa Lapu Fabrics, InkAid from Art Van Go (for printing on colour catchers) . What I was inordinately pleased with was finding another 'comfort thimble'  at Quilt Direct. I bought one years ago which I use constantly but had been unable to remember what it was called and where I'd got it from - I'll keep the packaging this time|!

In trying to give Ian the full flavour of the show in one day, I didn't spend as much time in the gallery spaces as I would have liked - I totally missed Katrina Fiensburg's space and meant to go back to see the 'borro' pieces of Padmaja Krishnan but ran out of time.
However we did spent quite a lot of time looking at 'Textiles of the Islamic World (the book is on my Xmas wish list! ) - apart from having some spectacular pieces, it reminded us of our travels in Syria, Iran and Tunisia (all well represented) . Gillian Cooper's 'Muses' looked lovely, especially with their floaty sea backgrounds - so evocative of the goddess figures in the 'Lost World of Old Europe' we saw at the Ashmolean. It was great to catch up with Barbara  Weeks and  see all her Journal Quilts displayed - made me wish I'd been more systematic in my themes.

 Islamic Textiles

 Diversity in Europe-Finland

SAQA Beyond Comfort. 'Promised Land' Diane Wright

No surprise really that my favourites overall were landscapes!! I loved the sketchiness of 'Promised Land' - more details about its making here.  While I'm not interested in dyeing , it's made me think further of the potential of painting with  the Selectisine  pigments as used by Jo Budd . I feel  a George Weil order coming on.

A different perspective

A visit to Tate Britain on the way to pick up my quilt from Greenwich:  a  view on the 20th century in Anish Kapoor's mirror (Peter Doig on the back wall); a revisit to Watercolour exhibition (Turner still my favourite); indigestion from the Vorticists; seeing old favourites in a new light in 'Restless Times'; an uplifting of spirits surrounded by the Cretan paintings of John Craxton. I'd been meaning to see this for a while after it was highlighted on the Culture Show but had forgotten it. Wonderful book now on the wishlist.

And an excellent quote: " But why explain pictures?No meal can be made more exciting by a running commentary analysis of the flavours. Everone has a different tongue. Pictures need no literary introduction. What they always need are open eyes and minds free from preconcieved ideas."