Contemporary Painting Studio weeks 1 & 2

I'm getting back into my stride now on the second week of 'Contemporary Painting Studio' at City Lit with Lucinda Oestreicher, picking up where I left off on 'Ways into Abstract Painting' .  

The piece above  used one of the newspaper collaged backgrounds I'd prepared,  with brushstrokes  inspired by Pierre Soulages. Still a bit heavy handed  but I've some further backgrounds to play with  

The first week  was a bit difficult -  being the 'new girl' in an established group; new equipment (option of   a large screen  in addition to an easel); the ' where do I start' dilemma after a gap of several months. My main problem ( as usual!) was having too many ideas  and trying to do everything at once .

I'd initially decided when booking the class all those months ago ( it fills up very quickly) that I would use the opportunity to leave work there to develop my oil painting techniques   and that my subject matter would be boats, continuing  from 'Reading a Paint Surface' . 

So I started off with  developing compositions   based on  sketches and photos from Iron Wharf  ( we had another walk around there a couple of Sunday's ago , I must post some more photos, there's a new old boat!) 

But of course I'd also taken some of  my artwork based on breakwaters and  did some colour sketches of those too.  While I was waiting  my turn for some advice from Lucinda, I prepared some more scumbled backgrounds ( one of the many useful techniques from Advanced Painting course).

The  suggestions from Lucinda were to try out   many compositions in black and white only, working tonally initially and to take just one subject at a  time and explore it thoroughly.   Of course I knew that  but in my haste to get into colour  I'd forgotten the basics! There wasn't time to do many in the class but I bore it in mind for the next session  and was much better prepared. 

 Week 2 started with a look at everyone's work so far, to see different peoples  approaches to using reference materials , testing out ideas, getting started.  Some were using  collage , others painting on photocopies or cropping images , there was working directly from sketchbooks, blowing up images on the OHP projector, layering images and a couple starting painting directly and responding to what was happening on the surface, doing one piece and then working from that in a series of samples  not referring to the original source. Most were working from photos or sketches but a few were working  with more abstract concepts including family memories  and recent events in the news. 

I'd brought in  a  folder with the work I'd done in Photoshop  for ' Birchington Breakwaters' ( which I suppose was tonal being red and white rather than black and white)  along with  sketches  and photos of  my journal quilts and previous paintings. Lucinda referred to it as the 'archive' approach. In a later discussion  she said she could see how both my scientific  and textile backgrounds  came into play with my methodical  sampling of techniques.  

There were demonstrations of image transfer  using acrylic gloss gel  ( which I realised afterwards was the basis of paper lamination )  and of using the OHP to play with scale and orientation of images. I used this to combine  photos and drawings on acetate  projected onto a larger piece of paper.  Interesting use of obsolete equipment, years ago I used my slide projector  to project a slide of Moroccan sand dunes onto  my quilt top for ' Erg Chebbi',  I'm just as happy using tracing paper as it simplifies the image. 

With my reference material taped to my  wheeled screen I worked on  a scumbled background with  just black and white acrylic paint

At the end of the session, rather than throw the paint away, I used it up scraping  it on my paper 'dropsheet' with a credit card. Love the marks which suggest rocks and sea foam

I'm feeling more settled now  in continuing to explore the theme of breakwaters and the interaction between my painting and textile practice. On Friday  I'm heading  off  again to Studio 11 in Eastbourne for a mentoring session with Christine Chester.(I'm planning to do some monoprinting with my bench time )  Filling in the questionnaire   has already helped a lot in making decisions about what to concentrate on , in this case breakwaters and acrylics rather than boats and oil paints as is feeds in more directly into my textile work . 

Peeling Portals and Kew Petition

After relaxing break in Elounda, work is currently taking all my creative energy - planning experiments after finding my funding applications for bryophyte conservation were successful  in   tough times - 40 other projects didn't get funding. Not a huge amount of money and only for a year but everything helps.
Very worrying  times at Kew at the moment,  125 jobs to go, until the  new science strategy is in place I don't know whether my job is secure and whatever happens , things will be very different. I worry that in chasing other funding sources we'll no longer be able to do the conservation work  we're known for.
So sign the petition,  ( overseas supporters can do so too, ) and if you're in the UK, ask your MP  to support the Early Day Motion

Meanwhile, inspired by some of the wonderful peeling Cretan doors, I've returned to finishing off some WIPs ( Works-in-Progress) completing quilting and cutting back through the  laminated organza of 'Peeling Portals', companion piece to ' Every Wall is a Door'. I missed the deadline for  Sandown Quilt show - at 24 inches square  it's  too small for entry in other  competitions.  Maybe next year!  Just needs binding and sleeve putting on now.

Peeling Portals Preview

I've had 'Green Door II/ Peeling Portals' on the design wall for months, pending finishing other projects. With deadline of 14 September  fast approaching (TVCT 'Half way Between' submission date) it was time to review in earnest.  After several weeks of swapping doors around , printing off some new images on fabric , finally  ended up with an arrangement I was happy with , pretty much a tweaked version of what I started with! It's now sown together with strips of Heide Stolle Webber fabric, it just (just!) needs quilting before and after adding the laminated layer.  

Green Door Experiments

 The Sue Ridgewell Challenge at the QGBI AGM at Nottingham this year is a 60cm square quilt on the theme 'My World is Green'. Having  gone through several  green phases with a substantial stash remaining and with my work as a botanist I was originally thinking of doing something based on my lab work. But with deadlines looming I remembered the pieces I produced on the paper lamination course a few years ago using pictures of crumbly doors.

 

I did several experiments in photoshop, playing with opacity  to see how they would look layered over a pictures of distressed doors (Iran, Greece and Yorkshire!) which I would then print in poster format over 9 sheets.

 



 

I do however have various door pictures that I had already printed on fabric so played around with these. A bit more random piecing and perhaps cutting them up is required but interesting possibilities.

I have 2 laminated pieces to choose from : the one below is more interesting but less green - it would require stronger green fabrics behind it. Looks like I might to make both and then decide!

 

 

Sewing for Conservation

A few weeks ago I made several sizes of pollination bags for the nursery at work. At a meeting to discuss production of seeds from  rare plants in the collections for storage in the Millennium Seed Bank, staff were complaining about the difficulties with the pollination bags they currently use (to exclude pollen from other plants).In the tropical glasshouses, cockroaches eat through the paper!! Thinking of the polyester organza I'd used in the paper lamination class at Art Van Go, I offered to make some prototypes to try out.
I contacted Sarah Welsby to find where she got her polyester from and ordered a couple of metres from Bramble Patch. This alternative use obviously amused her as when Gunilla was on her course at FoQ, she mentioned it. I made them with French seams and a channel around the top with some robust string.

They were greeted with enthusiasm when I handed them over ( despite their similarity to wedding favour bags- now there's a thought!).  I had an email this week to say that Michele was currently trying a few out on the bromeliads so I  went to take some photos today. In one location she's done a direct comparison with their current paper bags ( above, polyester on right) They're looking good so far. If these prototypes work (they're also being tested out in the arboretum and at Wakehurst) then I'll have to source a lot more fabric (and calculate the cost of my time too ). Claire (at Committed To Cloth ) has also been helpful with wholesale sources although I'm not sure we'll need a whole roll.

After an example of  my hobby helping work, here's an example of the opposite!
There's been various discussions floating around about the use of  'Pinmoors' when basting quilts. They seemed a great idea but rather expensive. I was considering ordering some foam earplugs to try but then I saw  how the vicious spikes on this Agave had been dealt with.  I'm sure down in the cellar I've saved some foam chips ....

Paper Lamination Part 2

On day 2 of the Paper lamination course, the first thing I did (apart from an excellent coffee at 'Coasters' )was heat set and then soak the piece I'd set up the day before with inkjet papers of doors and good quality polyester sheer. It worked! I actually quite like where I hadn't applied enough Matt medium at the bottom and it tapers off.

Encouraged by this, I did 2 more samples - using newsprint headlines and polyester sheer (above) and lazer printed b&w prints of door with a golden silk and metallic (below) I used the same screen for both of 'seeds' . Pleased with the results.

As my final experiment I used inkjet prints of doors (many heightened using Photoshop) with silk organza - pictured below drying on the line after printed with matt medium using 'wiggly line' Thermofax screen.
Although a lot of the ink washed out ( and delicately stained the organza), I'm thrilled with the results - lots of potential here. Found the screen used was very important as it dictates how much medium is transferred and therefore the proportion of the images kept. Can't be too precious about pictures used as most of it disappears anyway! Unlike screenprinting where I can't face cleaning screens in our miniscule kitchen sink, this technique would work very well at home as using smaller screens and relatively clean matt medium. Sarah Welsby was an excellent teacher and it was worth the class fee just for the tip on using table protector as a printing mat.

Shan't do anything with it for a while though. Spent Sunday quilting brickwork and I'm now entering a busy period at work training technicians and going to a conference in Dublin .

Thanks for all the very helpful comments about exhibiting opportunity. I decided not to exhibit at the moment but will review this later in the year. As the gallery is a brand new one, I'll go and visit it when it does open and see if my work would fit in with the work on display (as it would be part of a general exhibition) The owner is happy to meet me later when the pressure is off a bit to discuss.

Paper Lamination Day 1

At the end of day 1 of lamination course at Art Van Go with Sarah Welsby ( which was a joint birthday present from Ian and his parents).
Recipe for an excellent Day:
First arrange Guardian Travel Section newspaper photos and pin layer of organza over top
Apply acrylic matt medium with Thermofax screen
Hang up to dry and admire while enjoy lunch in new garden (turf only laid yesterday)
Iron to fix, soak in water and scrape off newspaper from back
Sour note(there's always one , like wasps at a picnic) - discover 'bargain ' organza wasn't - rips appear and image comes away from fabric.
Leave for distressing/playing with tomorrow and and make fresh sample with door pictures and organza purchased from tutor.
Marinade overnight and return home to dinner in garden followed by Metaxa