2018 Highlights

So many  blogposts in 'draft'  format !  This morning I've been putting my studio back to rights, sorting out my collapsed bookshelves  and preparing  some  sized calico to take to Glenthorne   next week for  annual retreat.  My focus with EDAM  course restarting  and sketchbook challenges  has been on drawing   so   I'm  hoping that reviewing the last year I can think  about where I'm going next o the textile  front!

 In January 2018 I started  my Contemporary Collage course at City Lit learning a variety of techniques and approaches and introduced to over 100  contemporary  artists. My favourite  was desecrating ' Dinghy Ownership for the non-racing man'  bought in Past Sentence bookshop in Faversham.  

 In February/ March   I continued  my  collaging when on annual retreat  in the Lake District, constructing 'impossible  walks' combining photos  from Pouchers 'Lakeland Fells'  besides  sketching and walks in a very snowy  landscape ( we were there during the 'Beast from the East' although it was a lot worse at home in Faversham than in the 'Frozen North' ). I  stayed a couple of  nights afterwards  with a fellow member of 'Cwilt Cymru'  for the opening  of 'Traces'  at Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery

 Also in March  I did  a  2 day painting course  with Ashley Hanson at Creek Creative  on 'Painting the Novel' ( I based mine on 'Remarkable Creatures' by Tracey Chevalier) 

 My studio was out of action for April as I was sleeping on a mattress in there  while our bedroom was decorated and new furniture installed.  I worked on my  Sketchbook Project  'A Vital Spark' in the kitchen. 

 In April and May  I fitted in several visits to galleries:  'Journeys with the Wasteland' at Turner Contemporary, Margate ; Kurt Jackson at Messums and Peter Sacks at Malborough Fine Arts  ( picture above).  ' Migrations'  was the most inspiring  exhibition of the year   for me.

During May and June  I did another course at City Lit : Large Scale Sketchbook. It really was huge ( A2) -  and  learnt a lot  from being prepared to cut through, layer, insert images 

Also in May , I had the first of 2 courses at Lund Studios  in Easingwold : Colour Mark and Composition with Gizella K Warbuton.  I enjoyed the process of close observation of details  and recording the marks  but wasn't sure  how it would add to my practice.  However   I applied some of the same approaches  ( and colour palette)  later in the year  in Matthew Harris's 'Mapping a sense of Place'  and  am now looking at combining them in new work   

 Exhibitions visited in June included  Picasso at Tate Modern;  the RA  Summer Exhibition ( which is one of my missing posts!)  and Prism at  Hoxton Arches. 'Loss'  by Anita Bruce ( above) affected  me deeply - both the subject matter and  the way the  marks on the back of the  pages of text were integral to the  work.  

 July was indigo time ,  with a dyeing session in Deal , which resulted in some wonderful effects particularly on sections of old quilts.  I used some of these in my ' indigo boro' Journal quilts

 Ian and I had a few 'mini- breaks'  in London , staying at the Premier Inn in Brentford round the corner from where we used to live  in order to go to concerts.  Being after hours in the British Museum was very  special as was the First night of the Proms with  Holst's 'The Planets'  and a spectacular light show

 Whenever I   can, I travel up to London to draw in museums  with  the 'Drawing Tuesday' group.   July's meeting  at Tate Modern was particularly exciting with a flypast for 100 years of the RAF  and rehearsals underway for William Kendridge 'The Head and the Load'  

 August was  exceptionally busy,  I was hardly home.  Going to Pauline Burbidge open studios, and meeting Dorothy Caldwell  and buying a piece of her work  was a   highlight of the year

 

I had my regular trip to Festival of  Quilts,  much to admire, it was the work of Marie Harryman that  grabbed me most . I also had a quick trip to Swansea to collect my  Cwilt Cymru quilts exhibited there as part of Swansea Festival of Stitch. 

September was also very busy, I didn't have time to get to Heidelberg  for the opening of the 7th European Quilt Triennial   which included my piece " Wind Me in the Sea"

I had my long anticipated course with  David Tress at Lund Studios, collaging  and painting  and  a second , very interesting  class with Ashley Hanson  at Creek  Creative  on 'Black and White' 

It wasn't until October that Ian and I had a much needed holiday together , returning to Weymouth  for the 12th time staying at our 'home from home'

I'm still  working out how to apply the approach from thought-provoking Matthew Harris   course  ' Mapping a Sense of Place '  - most of my presents at Christmas were books on maps !

Outstanding exhibitions were the Anni Albers  at Tate Modern ,  Paul Fieler  and Oceania at the RA

Finally, the EDAM ( Extended Dawing for Artists and Makers) course at City Lit  has so far been terrific, just what I needed to shake  up my ideas and push me way  out of my comfort zone with stimulating and challenging projects ( I'm even beginning to enjoy using charcoal tho' still hate the mess!

February Sketchbook Part 1

I've reached the half way point in my February sketchbook ( continuing  using the A6 format). Having been inspired by the #30daysketchbookchallenge19, I've  found I don't need a prompt, I'm recording  what's happening every day ( there have been a couple of times when I've  done 2 in one day but trying not to get too behind) 

 1st Feb : On Ian's Birthday  we went to a funeral  of an old family friend.  Ian  listening  to 'Spel in Alium '  on his tablet  while travelling ( we had an early start due to 'Winter Timetable') 

2nd and 3rd Feb: A short break in Deal  with  plentiful Fish and Fortifications (Deal and Walmer castles)

4th and 5th Feb: Drawing a map of the  walking route from the train station to my house via the rec led to a more imaginative version

6th Feb:  Another map , the 07.59 train journey from Faversham to St Pancras 

7th Feb - working on  "the Tiny Islands of Sewingland" , my contribution to the #tinysketchbook project of Brooklyn Art Library ( posted it on 11th) 

8th Feb  Meeting of CQKent group at Creek Creative and the Hot Tin, planning our exhibition for September. I had a brainwave of how to liven up my rather boring Chatham piece - cut some areas out and put indigo shibori behind.  A few of us came back to my house afterwards ( workmen had finished for the day) and despite studio still in chaos , had a  delve in my indigo boxes .  

9th Feb  was spent ordering  replacement vinyl  for bathrooms, ending with new twist on 'ring the bell and run away' : steal the doorbell and re-programme it  from a distance. Took the batteries out of the base unit. 

10th Feb: Fantastic   members drawing workshop at British Museum . Exclusive access to draw  in exhibition after the museum closed was magical ( more in another post if I get round to it!)

11th Feb  Morning clouds and contrails 

12th Feb Drawing Tuesday at Tate Britain: multiple views of sculpture "Mother and Daughter" by FE McWilliam 

13th Feb  Ink splatters collected on paper below  enormous drawing ( 3 x A1 sheets taped together)  in EDAM class ( more in another post)

14th Feb Roses from Ian on Valentines day

30 Day Sketchbook 19 Completed

Well I drew every day as part of the #30daysketchbookchallenge19 , looking forward to receiving the prompt, thinking imaginatively when it really wasn't my thing ( but that's the point of a 'challenge').  Seeing what everybody else  was doing on the Facebook page ( nearly 3K participants!)  and on Instagram  was inspiring  and it was great to get feedback. Most of all , I welcomed   having something to focus on for 20 to 30 minutes  in a challenging few weeks  of dealing with  aftermath  of flooding from the shower (  the workmen were working on all 3 floors , the only place to escape to was the kitchen). With my studio  out of use and  limited access to computer, I've mainly been using my phone  to record my sketches and post on social media.  

I've got out of the habit of  using  my blog as ' reflective journal'  but I have returned in effect to the analogue version,  eg for EDAM class I've actually been  writing in my sketchbook. 

There's no way I can  catch up with all the blogposts I've been meaning to write, it's more important to concentrate on the here and now, something that drawing everyday has taught me.  

Day 19 " Heads, shoulders, (Knees and Toes)" 

Day 20 "The Farm"

( Hop poles) 

Day 21 "EARTH, fire, air, WATER"

( water stains on the bathroom ceiling captured in earth pigments) 

Day 22 " Machinery"

Day 23 "Work"

It's 4 years  since I left Kew  after 25 years working there and I'm still coming to terms with  loss of identity despite the new opportunities I  have . Writing all those thoughts and feelings down and covering  them  with tracing a photograph of me in my lab environment was really therapeutic. It also seemed to touch a nerve with many people, there were  around 30  comments   sharing their  experiences after redundancy/ retirement.   I also found a still active  film clip of me in the lab from 2012( starting at 3.10 mins)  - I've changed a lot since then , not least losing 4 stone in weight.

Day 24 "Star Signs"

( collage from pages of News of the World Almanac from 1953)

Day 25 "Home"

Day 26 "Circus"

( copy of print in Room 90 British Museum) 

Day 27 "Music"

( sunrise over Gythion harbour) 

Day 28 "Heroes"

( Marine diatoms  absorbing Carbon Dioxide)

Day 29 " Desert Island Doodles" 

(my  trainstitching travel sewing kit) 

Day 30 " The End(s) 

( thread ends from stitching through previous days drawing) 

Day 31: Summary of challenge