Clooties All Over

You don't need to be interested in textiles to appreciate the Clootie Well. A cloot is a cloth, simply, but the Clootie Well is a place where the waters are believed to have healing properties, and a cloth, often a piece of clothing, but not necessarily, dipped in the water and left on a tree near the well, is thought to bring healing to whoever needs it. There are a few folk who need it, as you can see from the photograph. Interestingly, I've never thought to add a cloot myself, though I've always said I need all the healing I can get...

What intruigues me is the biodegradable nature of this particular offering. Over time, the cloth rots and returns to the earth. I like going there, it feels like an optimistic place in a world that can be overly pessimistic. I had thought of making a piece based on the well, but so far, inspiration hasn't arrived. My friend Lynn Bunis did, though, and made a great job of it, as I recall... so maybe there's hope for me yet.

Return To Rosemarkie.

Everyone has their favourite places. Rosemarkie, on the Black Isle, is one of mine, my favourite place to walk beside the sea. The day we were there looked just as this photo does, taken as we arrived, but the skies turned grey and dark, as befits a November morning with snow on the way. But that didn't stop me feeling still and calm, as I always do when I go there. As you can see, we pretty much had the beach to ourselves, though in the summer, it is always busy with holidaymakers and sunworshippers alike. So, I gathered some stones and shells, breathed the scent of sea and snow, and went for a brief walk.

I'm working on an altered book today. I thought I would add a good deal of text to it...but in fact, I think it is beginning to pull itself together as it is, text free, so I may paint in it some more, but leave the text alone. Perhaps there is a series, here, or perhaps not. It doesn't really matter. If the idea is good, the rest will come, one way or another, as books, as textiles, as paintings...if not, then one will be enough. We'll see.

Back Home.

I had forgotten what a holiday was like. It has been quite a while since we took a holiday at all, for one reason or another, and I didn't know how much I needed a break, until I was in the middle of it. First, up to Croy, near Inverness, to stay with friends, and to visit others; then down to Edinburgh to meet Andrew's prospective in-laws, and catch up with other folks, too. We had a wonderful time. It's not that we did much, other than hug people, eat, laugh, talk and generally have fun. It's just that we were doing it with people we know well, and seemed to slot back into everyday life in Scotland as if we'd never been away.

Back to a cold (me), a flu (Robin), a pile of correspondence (both) and four enthusiastic cats, all of whom have been turning up regularly for cuddles, just in case I take it into my mind to go away again. Well, I do have to go into Norwich tomorrow...but I will be coming straight back! There's plenty work to do, and I admit to having sneaked up to the cloth studio to play this morning. It's great to be back. And it was great to be there. Hurrah for friendship, laughter and fun! And a fuller report over the next week or so...

Another Day...

another postcard...another visitor or two to the blog. Actually, there's been over twenty thousand of you since January, and I feel very honoured. Thank you for reading.

I was meant to be going out this afternoon, but I seem to have been stood up (you know who you are...), so I've prepped an altered book for working on when I get home from Scotland, I cleaned out the fridge (necessary, believe me), tidied the kitchen and made another drypoint plate which printed fairly well on paper, but refused to talk to silk organza... no, I'm not going to whine about presses, or the lack of them...sigh...

I'm going to Ipswich tomorrow, to take part in a self development workshop with my friend Terry, who happens to be visiting one of the facilitators. At the very least, I'm told she'll have my Christmas present with her, given that she's going to India for Christmas...sigh... I'm told it came from Fortnum and Mason; I'm not sure if I'm meant to eat it (here's hoping it's chocolate...) or worship it. Perhaps I can eat the food and worship the plastic bag???

And then, on Monday, we're off to Scotland. I'll be away for a couple of weeks, but I'll post if I can. And if Blogger lets me, of course. I'll be thinking about you...well, maybe...well, a bit...

Drypoint

Doesn't look like much, does it? This is a very small, very tentative drypoint, printed without a press on very thin paper. Surprisingly, the paper didn't tear, but I did learn that the paper really doesn't want to be too wet (or things runnnn....). And I really do have to have clean hands before I touch anything! I consider it a small personal triumph, considering I don't have an etching press, and haven't had time to go out and get myself a pasta maker. Robin has pointed out firmly that I don't have room for an etching press. Sadly, I think he may be right...but it doesn't stop me wanting one. I love the marks that this technique makes, and I'd like to do more with it.

I do have a book press, but it isn't the same animal by any means. At present, though, it does have a book in it. I'm contemplating submitting an altered book to an exhibition in Birmingham, so perhaps it will come in handy after all...

It Ain't Finished....

'til you put some sort of hanging device on it. So I spent an interesting time crawling about the floor with four (sigh) large canvasses and a lot of wire. I hate picture wire. It tangles very prettily at entirely the wrong moments; usually when there's a cat waiting to pounce. I hope nobody looks too closely at the backs of the paintings...all four cats at one point sat on each painting, wondering what on earth I was doing, and why I was bothering to do it...they may have had a point. However, once they got to Blickling, and were hung in their places, it was worth the blister on the palm and the muttered curses...they look good!

They are roughly 2m by 1m in dimension, and I live in a relatively small house. Not only that, but I have a relatively small car, too, so my neighbours Mike and Moira conducted the paintings to Blickling Hall. Had they had to brake sharply, there was always the possibility of being decapitated by a low flying oil painting...but we didn't dwell on that unduly. Well, I didn't anyway, I took my own car!!

From large to small in one short post. The picture is of an ATC I made today. I swore I'd never make an ATC. Cough. What did please me, though, was the chance to use these metallic butterflies. They were on sale in the pharmacy at Strathpeffer for 50p a packet, intended to decorate one's hair. I thought, cloth...and they've been lying around waiting for an opportunity to shine. And now they have one! You do find embellishments in the most unlikely places...

And talking about embellishers...I cancelled the order. I had bought on line, and had expected delivery very quickly, or to be told otherwise immediately, just like it said in the online information...after a week of waiting, I was told the earliest I could hope for delivery was December. I think if I do want an embellisher, and I'm not really convinced that I do, I will go to one of the local shops and buy it there...it might cost a bit more, but at least I can take it home with me.

On The Other Hand...

sometimes only stitch will do. This is another postcard sized piece, but it asked for stitch as soon as I looked at it. I'm not convinced that this is the right way up for it...but doubtless that will make itself clear over time. I'm about to make a set of small pieces to take to a Christmas Fair in Norwich in early December, along with the rest of The Well. I think I'll mount them, rather than sell them as postcards. I see them as small paintings, rather than as ephemera.

I was intruigued by Kari's comment yesterday. She said that ; 'As a confused drawer, painter, printer textile artist, I too feel I have to combine EVERYTHING in order to "prove" that I can, but as you point out, sometimes less is more.' I too, am all these things, but I took a different approach to them; I tried to keep them all separate. This was Very Hard. And then, gradually, over time, I discovered that they were all just boxes of techniques, no more, no less. If I took the labels off, I could take any tool from any box and combine them, and not have to worry about what I was doing. But I do rejoice when I manage not to overegg the pudding...

Knowing When To Stop

This post should perhaps have been titled "Look, Mom...No Stitch!". I spent yesterday afternoon dyeing lutradur and other non woven polyesters, and a little part of the evening making it up ready to stitch. And then I looked at these two pieces and though...perhaps not.
They are, in my view, well balanced, and really don't need stitch for any reason.

As textile artists, I think we stitch every piece automatically. It's not finished if it doesn't have a stitch or two...or ten...or fifty... Sometimes, though, it's just not right. Sometimes the cloth really just wants to sit by itself. I think we often don't consider that as an option. I have, though, today. These two postcard sized pieces get no further work. I'll mount them as if they were prints on paper, and we'll see. Clicking on the images should produce a larger version, if you're interested.

The More You Do...

the more you learn. This afternoon has been spent with the heat press, working out just how long you need to press different types of polyesters, including lutradur...okay, especially lutradur...to get a good print. The answer is....it varies....but I'm glad I made the purchase, and the trials, so I'll include the information in the book I'm writing on Lutradur with Dijanne. If you haven't already got it, you can have a free information sheet by emailing me here . The picture is not a carefully constructed transfer dyed piece. No, indeed. I wanted to protect the bottom of the heat press, given that I'm likely to use it to press dyed cloth, particularly if I decide to start selling the cloth again, as I may well do, so I popped a piece of pelmet Vilene beneath the lutradur, and got this effect. It's the functional equivalent of the mopping up cloth in cold water dyeing...and I'm going to cut it up for postcards.


I spent yesterday at a Well meeting, and left tired, but having learned several things. One seems to be that perhaps my intuition was right. I'm not good at attending groups, being part of groups. I prefer to work alone, and to deal with people one to one, or in threes or fours. Six months on after the group's formation is perhaps a bit slow for me to come to this realisation, but then I've always been slow on the uptake with certain things. And I don't want to leave The Well, having conceived of it and started it along with Helen Simpson...but I do need to find a compromise that suits everyone.

A week to go before I go on holiday, a visit to my son and future daughter in law in Edinburgh, and one to my friends Alison and Michael in Inverness. It'll be good to see them all...we talk on the phone, but it's not the same as being able to hug a friend on impulse... People talk of cats as being either people cats, or place cats, drawn to one or the other, but not both. Despite what I've just said about not liking big groups, I do see myself as a people cat, or should that be person... rather than a place person. I'll be glad to see the mountains, but I'd much rather hug the people...they are very special to me.

My New Toy...

is a steam press, intended for domestic ironing, but which is great for transfer dyeing. No more endlessly moving the iron over a bit of lutradur, muttering under my breath when the edge of the iron transfers, or the holes in the iron give me unintended, albeit interesting, white circles in the image. And the depth of colour I'm getting is definitely better than I got with an ordinary iron (though that is possibly down to my lack of patience...no, actually, probably down to said lack of patience...).

That said, there's a steep learning curve. How long does one keep the lutradur in the press before it melts? Which combination of time and heat is the right one? I'm not entirely sure, yet. I've made a couple of unexpected holes already... So, I guess I'll just have to go back upstairs and see what's what, do a bit more practicing...take a CD or two up, and a player, and listen to some Joni Mitchell... sounds like a good plan to me! Meanwhile, here's one I pressed earlier, in true Blue Peter fashion; see what you think.

I'm awaiting another new toy; I ordered an embellisher on Friday, under the influence of That Woman Sandy (told you I'd blame you!!). It should have arrived by now, but no such luck, perhaps next week. Or then again, maybe better next week; I've got a Well meeting tomorrow, a dolly to make and a portrait, too... as well as a couple of projects for a book to write up...
Busy, busy... but I went for a Reiki treatment with my friend Melanie in Norwich last night, so I'm feeling balanced and energetic. Thank goodness for that!

More Printing...

this time, the woodcut I mentioned a couple of days ago. I have a lot to learn about this method of printmaking, but I'm intruigued enough to want to try some more. But I think I'll wait til my finger heals, first.

The Totem Dolls are going up to Blickling Hall on Wednesday, possibly to be shown there prior to the exhibition they're part of in November. I'll be happy to return there, it's a beautiful place, with camera in tow (I can't forget it this time, surely...), for a coffee and conversation with curators. And an opening that evening, too, in Norwich. Last week was quiet, but this week seems to be hotting up already. Now if I could just get my hair cut...

Giving Myself A Break?

You always learn lots when you listen to other artists. I went to visit my friend Rob today; he makes wonderful drawings and prints. I have one of his pieces hanging in my hallway, and pause every time I go through there to see what I can see; there's always something new. He hangs things in his living space that have meaning for him; I tend to hang pieces in my own living space that I'm trying to get to know. Usually that means that I'm not happy with something or other, and the pieces need to go back upstairs to be worked on. I thought that was true of every place I hang things in the house, but actually, it's only true of the space opposite where I sit in the living room. Perhaps it's time I changed that policy, and hung something there that I am happy with, that would give me a gift each time I look at it, that would relax me, calm me and tell me stories of success, of good markmaking, of balance. And then, I could think about the problem children another time...and give myself a break, literally and metaphorically.

Dyers say that they get the best results from the cloth they used to mop up the spills; this is the print equivalent, used to take ink out of a few monoprints, and to clean the brayer. Perhaps I could call it the Wipe Method of printmaking? I'm sure I can use it for something...

Unexpected Visitors...

There I was, in my pajamas, reading my email, minding my own business at about half past nine yesterday morning when the phone rings. Hi there, says an unfamiliar voice with a foreign accent....it's Dianne here....

Hello, Dianne, I say, calmly. I've never actually met Dianne, you understand, her living in Canada and all, but I know her sister Sandy, with whom I went to France this year, and I'd seen Dianne's Blog. Are you busy, she enquires. Err...not particularly, says I. So the upshot was that she, her friend Susie and Sandy all arrived at my house, just in time for lunch.

We ate pasta, drank tea, nibbled at Stollen (with marzipan, my favourite...) and then... we patted fabric. What else do three artists do? I don't think Dianne left with any sparkly bits...but you never know... I also gave my 'how to felt from start to finish in five minutes' talk and demonstration, which either impressed them mightily or shut them up completely, I'm not sure which. And, when Robin came home, we all went to the pub for a meal, and very nice it was too. A good time was had by all concerned.

I did, however, manage to get a bit of printing done. I cut a wood block, inspired by Karen's note on my last blog, pinching a bit of scrap wood to do so...must find someone with scraps of interesting softwoods so that I can do some more...thanks, Karen! Today's picture is of a postcard piece that I wasn't satisfied with, so I added a linocut print on top of the stitching. Works for me...see what you think.

OUCH!!!

The things we do for art. For me, today has involved carving bits out of my fingers...unintentionally, of course. The printmaking course has moved on to linocuts and other relief printing methods. I have blood on the keyboard, on the print table and on the floor...but none on the cloth. There's nothing like keeping one's priorities right, is there?

I'm really pleased with the work I've managed so far. I've carved lino blocks before, but have never really been happy with what I've created. This time, though, I seem to have produced reasonable results...the print today is another made on that tea dyed linen tablecloth. Just as well I didn't stitch into it yesterday, or it would have been upstairs, and I'd have had to find another piece of cloth for the print. The distortion is just the lie of the cloth on the scanner bed.

Rats, I'm bleeding again...guess it doesn't like me typing...poor fingers...something less risky tomorrow.

Taking Stock

I didn't appreciate how busy my life is, until I sat on the train going to my friend's house on Saturday, and wrote everything down. I seem to have enough commitments in the medium to long term, to keep me busy for the next three years. So trying to fit in this printing course has been...err...challenging. Two weeks have gone, already, and we're just finishing off monoprinting, and moving on into carving blocks.

Still, I'm trying to get a handle on the workflow. The lutradur book is, in theory at least, to be ready in draft form for March 1, and hopefully then published in June next year. And there are exhibits and the like to be factored in, too. So I've got myself a wallchart, and I'm beginning to see what has to be done, when. It'll be interesting to see how it pans out. I haven't been as structured as this about my work since I had a 'proper' job. But I think I'll feel better when I've got a handle on it. At the moment, it just feels as if there's a lot to do, and not enough time to do it in, which is nonsense.

Today's picture is a monoprint, done on a scrap of linen tablecloth which had been teadyed in patches. It's not a perfect print, but I'm looking forward to adding stitch...might do it this afternoon, in fact...it feels like an eternity since I did any stitching. Must be all of oh, a week? Two? Sigh. What it must be like to be patient...it always makes me laugh when people commend my patience. I don't have any...

Close Encounters...

...of the avian kind. I went to visit a friend at the weekend, forgetting that she had added a parrot to her menagerie. Meet Monty. Frankly, who could miss him. He wails like a dervish, leaps upon unsuspecting artists, sits on their shoulders, and occasionally their heads, pecks them willy nilly (and occasionally draws blood), shrieks in their ears... Sigh. He is very, very beautiful, however, so I guess I forgive him. And it was pointed out to me that the beak that was nipping me, can crack a brazil nut in seconds. Gulp. Love you, Monty!!!!!!! Honest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New Friends

There I was, week before last, in the artists' supplies shop, minding my own business...and got chatting to another shopper, artist and writer Kate O'Halloran. She showed me some of the beautiful little boxes she paints and gilds. I've never really tried gilding. She, on the other hand, had never tried altering books. So on Friday, we got together for the day, and did both! It was great fun, I had a lovely time, and Kate kindly left me some flakes of gilding to play with...so watch this space!

She very kindly brought me a handmade book, made in collaboration with photographer Richard Palser, filled with her beautiful poetry and his lovely photographs. Isn't it beautiful? It's going to live on the shelf beside my bed, next to the other small books that I hoard. We're going to get together again soon, to explore some more techniques. Me, I'm looking forward to it already. 

Unexpected Outing.

I thought I'd renewed my library books online. I was wrong. When I checked when they were due back, I discovered they were overdue. So, I went into Norwich yesterday afternoon on the spur of the moment to return them, and met up with Barbara Knowles, who makes wonderful handmade boxes, not to mention a good cup of tea... we went to collect her cat, who had been at the vet that morning, dropped off the library books, drifted through Borders (where I did, finally, spend my book token) and took the cat back home.

I had met Barbara's grandson a couple of times, a two year old whose real name has to be Charm On Legs. Yesterday, though, I met his father, who is a boatbuilder to trade, and a fund of completely useful information, as carpenters can be. He described to me the way that a boat is built, and I was fascinated. There is as much art in boatbuilding as there is in any other art form; it's a question of balance, of precision, of understanding one's media and environment, and working accordingly. I might not have been so intruigued, but the call to artists for next year's Salthouse exhibition came out that morning, and I had been musing about a site specific piece. The art process of boatbuilding seems altogether right for a venue by the sea. Now to do some research...

If you combine this with an unexpected invitation earlier in the day to show some paintings at the Hobart Gallery at Blickling Hall, then you can be sure that I had a very happy time yesterday! The image is the third of the Sunworshippers paintings. I'd intended to do some dyeing today, but the phone has been ringing, and coffee has been drunk... and now the people are here to dismantle and remove the greenhouse. I'm intending to have a shed to work in in the summer, with a print table for textiles. That way, I could keep the dyes and such outside, less mess...that's the theory, anyway...

If Yesterday Was Duh...

...then today has to be AAAARRGGHH!!

Why? Because I can't find my woodcarving tools. I need them for the lino I bought to use in the printmaking course I'm doing, and I can't find them anywhere. I found myself wandering around like Spot The Dog (a UK children's book character)...is it in with the paints? No. Is it in with the dyes? No. Is it anywhere to be found? No. Sadly, this particular story doesn't have the usual happy ending... I'm still looking, and that scream you heard was probably mine... so if you hear it again, don't fret, it's only me, still looking....

I rarely lose anything quite so comprehensively. Usually I can remember roughly the last time I used whatever it is, and can trace it back that way. Or it will be in a pile of stuff waiting to be put away. But of course, we've had visitors recently, and I've been doing more than my fair share of tidying. When I'm untidy, I know where everything is. When I put things away in a sensible, logical place, I'm doomed to hunt for it for weeks. In this case, I may even find myself going out and buying more. Just don't tell Robin!!

The image is a painting, Sunworshipper II, one of three so far. I is much bigger, III the same size as II; who knows what, if anything, will appear as the idea takes shape.

...and the second. Oh if only Blogger did photos well...

The first of the two screenprinted pieces mentioned below...

Duh...

Everyone makes silly mistakes, and I am not immune by any manner of means. So, yesterday, when I went upstairs to get some printing inks, I seized on the bottle of green on the floor beside the box where the oil paints are kept. I remembered putting it there when I bought it, along with some oils, in a sale, and thought I'd put it away 'later'. Anyway, downstairs we go, and do some screen printing.

Now, I've never felt 100% confident about my screen printing abilities. But yesterday's lot was really Not Very Good, and I couldn't understand it. The green was really hard to pull through the screen, and all in all, the marks were, well, okay, but not great. Eventually, though, I got a couple of prints I wasn't too unhappy with, though they were far from perfect, so I cleaned up the screen etc and left them to dry.

This morning, still shaking my head over how difficult the work had been yesterday, I picked up the bottle of green. And read the label. Acrylic Paint, it said. Ahem. So I looked out the bottle of green ink which I bought on Friday, and played with that...and the results were a little bit better. Did I feel silly? Ohhhhhhh yesssssssss!! But hey...

The first print is the acrylic print, on vintage linen, the second, the ink, on cotton. See what you think. Myself, I think it's fun...but I'll thicken up some dye tomorrow, and do some more. Much easier to work with...

Greased Lightning?

No, I'm not indulging in nostalgia, Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta have no place in my life... I'm wondering, instead, about the 'Greased Lightning' that Speedball recommends for cleaning out screen filler. I've never used the stuff before, I've mostly used photo emulsion for screens, or else used a stencil. I think it might be like Cif...but who knows?

I'm constantly surprised by companies like this, who supply to an international market, but behave as if only people in the US actually *use* their products. No, I can't think of another one, right this minute, but I'm sure if you gave me a moment, I'd manage it fine. I've demystified the chemicals in dyeing long since; but Greased Lightning is a new one on me. Mind you, what I'd really like is a bleach pen... but that's entirely another bundle of dye related moans!!

The image today is Trio, a small square painting. These circles and lines keep appearing in my work at the moment. People? Perhaps. Or perhaps not. Who am I to say. Probably, though. My fascination with the human form continues unabated, has done ever since I discovered life drawing. Wish I could find a good class here...sigh...

My, what a whingey morning! Robin has an acute earache, and he's grouchy; I'm just setting up the print table for some work, and the utility room for some dyeing; it's going to be a good and quiet week. Really, it is. Oh, stop sniggering behind your hand in the back there, I'm really going to have a good quiet week, full of textiles and paint. What more could a girl want? (whaddya mean, chocolate?)

Back To Normality...

whatever that is! I've spent the last couple of days painting and generally recovering from the excitements of street fairs, visitors and the rest. Now, though, I need to get back to work. I haven't done any dyeing for a while, and I bought some screen printing bits and bobs to play with, so perhaps that will be next week's excitement, particularly as I've got a couple of big screens to work with. Francoise has been playing with soya wax to great effect; she told us about it on ArtTextileContemporain, a list for French speaking art quilters. Okay, I'm not a native speaker, but I'm going back to Carrefour with Dijanne and Sandy next year, so I need to practice!!

Today's pictures, though, are of 'Face On', the first of the rust dyed pieces to be quilted. Click on the pictures for a bigger version (I think...)
I'm finding working with rust dyes quite difficult, to be honest. Making them is straightforward. Problem is, though, I like them as they are; adding stitch somehow doesn't seem to add much to the equation at all. Nor does adding layer. 'Face On' needs more stitch, I think, but it seems difficult to make the stitching have an equivalent strength to the marks on the cloth. Perhaps couching with heavier yarns might be more appropriate... or simply letting the cloth do its own thing.

I had a fun day out on Friday with my textile artist friend Jill Arnold; we visited Blickling Hall near Aylsham, to see the gallery space there, which is great. There happened to be a quilt show on when we visited, which made it even more interesting, of course. Some good examples of Boutis, including an enchanting Christmas Tree which, sadly, wasn't for sale. I can't see myself actually making something like that, but it would have been very nice for decoration...with no children in the house, and usually no visitors, we don't do the whole Christmas 'thing', but I do make an occasional nod towards the festivities.

At The Fair.

Isn't this postcard fabulous? It was made by my friend Juliet, or little-black-cat designs as she is formally known... and I bought it at the street fair on Sunday. I didn't sell a thing (not that that was the point...), but I did manage to buy one or two bits and pieces, including a wonderful painting by my friend Jon, and some old linen teacloths, which will look wonderful dyed. And talked to lots of people, drank tea, ate cream scones and chocolate raspberries (thanks, Rob!), and generally Had A Good Time.

I'm still 'en famille'; Andrew and Sarah are staying another night. But I did sneak upstairs to play with my sewing machine and a piece of the rust dyed cloth I finished yesterday. Pictures to follow. It's funny, you know, other than Sally, I rarely talk to anyone on the phone...but since Andrew and Sarah arrived, I've been deluged by phonecalls, and all of them for wee me! Next week, though, I'll get back into some semblance of a routine. I've got ideas for projects for a book I'm writing, and they need to be written up... and there's lots of cloth to play with... It's officially Autumn, and I'm preparing to hibernate.

Whilst I do so, I'll be taking part in an online course on printing techniques with Kristi. Some of them I know already, but a refresher never hurt anyone. And some I've read about, but never done, so it will hopefully be a good discipline to follow the course. I've never done any online learning before. I enjoy teaching, though, and think that the idea of online courses is a great one. Maybe I should bite the bullet, and offer some courses...what do you think?

Rust Again

There I was, minding my own business...when I remembered that I had more silk rusting, wrapped around a plethora of interesting rusty items. I had intended to unwrap it a couple of days ago, but it rained, and I was busy and, and.... well, I never got there. Today, though, I did, and here is one of the results. This was wrapped round a rusty old fashioned door knocker, and I'm pleased with the results. There are about six interesting pieces to work with, none perhaps as complex as the print I took from the gate in early September, but still... Next door's gate is still rusty...I might be able to sneak another print from it before they clean it up and hang it...here's hoping. I think Moira would notice if I stole it altogether, though...and she'd surely know it was me (who else would it be!).

Sarah and Andrew leave for Edinburgh tomorrow, and Robin will be in the Netherlands at a meeting til late in the evening, so I may well be back at the sewing machine tomorrow, that is, if I can fight off the sneaky cold that I seem to have picked up yesterday. Despite a Reiki taster session in the church where we were exhibiting, it seems to have got a grip of my nose and throat. Grr. Haven't got time for a cold. Got things to do, people to feed, all that jazz. And now the kitchen beckons, home made pizza for tea.

Red Dragon

So, today, I thought I'd finish the piece I started yesterday. I find that it is called Red Dragon, and that it is nothing like the piece I thought I was making. It's smaller, for a start; 12" by 17". It is no longer a gentle landscape. But that happens, if you stick with your own process. Mine seems to be, make a mark, make another, keep responding until you understand at least some of what you have...then give it a name. I respect those artists who keep detailed sketchbooks, work their way up to a piece, make little samples... I just can't seem to do that. And that's okay.

Sarah and Andrew arrive this evening. There's not a lot planned, so I hope to sneak some time to do a little work, and blog a little, too. If I don't manage it, though, you know I meant to!

There Is A Limit...

to how much housework one girl can do, and I've hit my limit this afternoon. So, in the guise of taking stuff up to the studio, I went to sit with some cloth...and ended up almost finishing a piece, another one from the queue that featured last week. It has ended up quite unlike what I expected (or indeed intended), but that's not a bad thing. It needs some foiling, though, and a little more stitch, and hopefully that will get done tomorrow. And you might get a look at it, too...

Meanwhile, the totem dolls are going on an outing on Sunday, a Mental Health Fair in Norwich, at which The Well have booked a spot. Lets hope it doesn't rain at all, or that, if it does, it is just a smidgin, and not the monsoon like rains we've been having recently. Otherwise, the dolls and I may just drown...

Up The Pole...

or should that be, Round The Bend...? Either way, Arashi Shibori, here I come!! I've been looking for a while for a piece of thick pipe to use for shibori, and yesterday, I found two waste bins that are perfect for the job, cheap too; and what's more, they can store stuff while they're not being used (or possibly while...but that remains to be seen). So, whilst next week is pretty much a write off for working, with visitors coming, and meetings to go to, the following week is likely to be colourful!

I said at some point recently that I'd made a piece I was truly happy with; well, this is it. See what you think. I think it fits into the 'Before The Angels' theme I have been working with, and may well inspire more pieces. Lutradur again, of course...not that I'm obsessed, or anything...

I Was Just Passing...

the sewing machine, as I put away some bits and pieces that had come upstairs from the spare room (see, I do tidy up sometimes!), and I thought, hmm...well...and before I knew it, this little piece was finished. It's called 'Tropic', and it's back to the very small...all of 8" by 10"....but I think it's fun. See what you think.

I Would Like It Known

that today I went all through Borders Bookshop, with a book token, and bought...nothing. This is unheard of. I was known, once, as 'The Woman Who Has A Book On Everything'. Probably still am... But the truth of the matter is, that I was in that same bookshop last week, and bought sundry things that really appealed to me, only to be given the book token as an anniversary present (27 years is a long time, isn't it...more than half my life...). So, the token shall sit in my handbag, awaiting The Right Moment. Which will probably be next month, when I've read my way through the stuff I bought last week!

The image is Flamesprite, one of the pieces I made earlier this week, lutradur, foil, Angelina fibres and stitch. Today has been a day off of sorts...the queue is much diminished, but still waits. The silk that I rusted wants to be tacked up for hand quilting (aaaargh...). And Nefertiti thinks it's time I tackled her quilting, too... so many opinionated works of art, so little time!!

Forgotten Paths, the second of the pieces I made today, and the smaller of the two.

Oops...

I had big plans to tidy up the music room today, but got up late, had coffee, talked to Sally, and then drifted up to the studio to see what I'd done to a piece I started yesterday. It was a rescue piece, made with lutradur, that I wasn't happy with, so was adding a lot of stitching to it. And of course, I ended up finishing it, and another one to boot!

In part, I'm working through the queue of quiltlets that are ready to go, so that I can address two issues that I have with my textile work; interestingly enough, neither applies to the paintings. I realise that I don't handle contrast well. I think that there's two reasons for this. One is that I want my work to be subtle; I want it to sing to you, not shout at you. The second, though, seems to have to do with meaning, with the keeping of secrets. This was not something I was conscious of until I blurted it out to Dijanne and Sandy one night in the gite (if you were wondering what we found to talk about...well, we would talk about the work, wouldn't we!). That has to do with my past, the murkier moments of it, anyway, or I think it does. As I have no more dark and murky secrets, it seems silly to continue the habit of guarding my words, and clearly my art, from expressing what's going on in my head. Though admittedly, it does get a bit complicated in there...

The other issue is one of size. Todays pieces were slightly bigger than the ones I've made over the past couple of days; one is 19" by 13", a Flying Dreams piece, the other is 14" by 16". I work small, usually, but I discovered at Festival of Quilts that size does matter; if your work is small, it is not well presented, and it struggles to be seen against its larger neighbours. And the jurors' comments in the Quilts 2006 catalogue seems to confirm that, suggesting that many quilts were dismissed for being of an inappropriately small size. And since getting a quilt into that particular show is a definite goal for me, maybe I'd better take the hint! Not that I intend all my work to be large. I attended Michael James' workshop on critique at Birmingham, taking along with me a very small piece, the tree piece that was on my blog earlier. His comment was that it was exactly the right size for what it was. Which, given he admits to being known as someone who is more likely to say 'work bigger', was very comforting. But I had intended that that piece be one of an 'edition' of prints, and we agreed that it would be better if there were more of them (as it were...).

Who was it said, to thine own self be true? I'm not planning to do anything other than exactly that with my work...but I am planning to take some risks from now on. Wish me luck!

On A Roll...

two more pieces finished today. Yes, okay, they're small pieces, not much bigger than journal pages, but the queue of work waiting is diminishing, and I'm feeling pleased with myself. The first piece I worked on today, I didn't honestly hold out much hope for; it felt disjointed. Now that it's done, I suspect it is one of the best pieces I've made recently, so things can't be too bad! The second is shown in the picture. It, too, felt disjointed when I started to work on it, but I'm reasonably happy with the end result.

At lunchtime, I sat out in the sun, admiring the leaves as they begin to change colour, and rusting some more silk. It'll be interesting to see how it comes out. This is very much a new thing for me, though I do have some cotton that I rusted about five years or so ago...still unused...perhaps I should have added it to the silk today. I'm enjoying spending time on my own, and working with stitch, after all that wandering around. The cats seem happy to have me home too; they twine themselves round my legs whenever possible. This afternoon, Molly came up and interrupted the sewing by the simple expedient of sitting on my lap. And purring. There was method in her madness, however; when I gave up and said, okay, I'm done, she leapt from my lap and down both flights of stairs to the kitchen, where a queue of a distinctly feline variety was waiting. Dinner time it was... and now to think about my own!

Echo

Now if only Blogger would behave, and post photographs with the text that relates to them...this is Echo. For the story, look below. 

I Got Rhythm...

and it's a wonderful thing. I worked on two pieces today, both made with lutradur. Both only require their edges finishing off, and then it's on with the next pieces in the 'queue'. The piece pictured above is called 'Echo', and is made from lutradur on top of a hand dyepainted piece of linen.

Of course, I'm not really meant to be doing this...I'm meant to be continuing to clear up the house in preparation for visitors in early October (ie next week!!). But this is so much fun, and I've not been able to do any textile work for months...so perhaps the tidying up will wait til the weekend, and Robin can give me a hand... Well, a girl can dream...

The Collage....not my style of thing at all, usually. What do you think?

Preparing for Hibernation

Or at least, that's what I think I'm doing. I found myself buying a couple of books online yesterday, and a laundry press today....the latter to do transfer printing with a bit more speed and comfort than I do it at present. I think I'm of the view that I'll not be going out very often this autumn and winter, make up for all the gallivanting this summer. And perhaps the blog, too, will get back to normal, with fewer unexplained gaps...that's the theory, anyway!

As well as all this spending, I've got back to work. I started just looking at the lutradur I'd dyed before the gallivanting, pairing it up with backings, ready to quilt...hence the 'waiting pile' or 'queue' that's photographed; it's on the floor behind my trusty old Bernina. Then I started colouring a couple of bits of lutradur, and finally ended up working on a new piece, using techniques I haven't used with it before. But before all of that, I found myself making a collage. Me, a collage. I don't *do* collage... but today, I did. So I'm feeling smug, and productive, and I can now go and eat my supper... and purr a bit !!

Pretty Parcel...

arrived in the mail while I was away in France. Unwrapped, it turned out to be a gift from my friend Annie Copeland. She had spotted my totem dolls, and thought that the doll she made would look good with them...so sent it to me. Wasn't that kind? I've been buying all sorts of interesting yarns to use as doll hair, but none as effective as the seed pods Annie used on her doll. Her arms are a lot longer than they are in the picture, but otherwise, what you see is what there is...and she seems to be fitting in just fine!

Moving On

The thing about holidays, or breaks of any kind, is that they give you a breathings space to look at work from a fresh perspective. There are things, such as the Lutradur book, which will now take priority for me in terms of how I spend my time, but I found myself with time on my hands one morning in the gite, and a small altered book to work in. The patterns I made are simple and make me think of parts of labyrinths, a theme that I've used before. One particular type of labyrinth was known as a 'spirit trap'; it was thought that the bad spirits got confused in the labyrinth, and got stuck in it, while the people they were 'haunting' were able to leave. I'm not sure what happened to the people who went in after a spirit was trapped...presumably there must have been a buildup...but who knows? It'll be interesting to see how this theme merges or changes with the 'In More Than One Language' concept I was working with before I left for France.

The first thing I did today was to start clearing out the cloth studio. Sigh. What a mess. And what a lot of cloth. I'm not sure that it's the kind of thing I want to work with any more, but equally, I'm not sure what it is I *do* want to work with. Those of you who have known me for a while, will know that I gave away a lot of fabric before we moved here, and another lot when we unpacked. Since then, I've dye painted a bit, bought a good deal of threads and yarns, and have quite a bit of lutradur to work with. I think when you have cloth there, you feel you *ought* to work with it... but I did put some aside to overdye when I'm ready. And I would like to make some art cloth, and some of this stuff would be perfect. And work with more painted quilts, like the 'Where' piece that went to FOQ. Lots of ideas, lots of materials, and lots of time. If I only knew where to start... sometimes you can have too much of good things...

So, I'm going to start by finishing the tidy up, and writing a journal, and a timetable. As we have interest from a publisher, the book needs to be ready, in draft, by early Spring, and other things need to be fitted in around it...so A Plan is a good thing to have, with due dates and the like. And there's another two book ideas floating around...so journalling will be helpful. Like art work, there's no knowing when an idea will strike...so having something to write it down in *will* help. Maybe I need more than one journal...

And thank you to everyone who has commented on the photos issue so far, I hope that this conversation will continue over the next wee while. It's interesting to hear different points of view.

Flash, Flash, Click, Click, Flash

There is a new breed of quiltmaker. Or perhaps it is a new breed of quilt show visitor? Either way, this particular species carries a state of the art digital with him/her, or has a spouse/partner to carry/deploy it for them. They walk their way round the exhibit, flashing and clicking away, taking pictures not only of the quilts themselves, but the artists' statements that accompany them. Occasionally, they'll take a closer look at a piece. Then they take a close up. They whizz round the room in this way, and then pass onto the next one. The more serious minded bring tripods, and trip up other viewers as well as getting in the way.

When did we become wed to our cameras? Probably around the time we realised that catalogues can be expensive, and good quality digital cameras became less and less expensive. Personally, I don't take pictures at quilt shows. Partly, that's because I know that looking at a photo isn't really going to remind me of the piece. I'll look at it and wonder what I saw in the original, more likely as not, because so much is lost in the translation from cloth to image that takes place when you use a camera. And if I don't remember a piece without an image, then I suspect it wasn't worth remembering. Partly, it's because I want to concentrate on the works themselves, have a direct dialogue with them, possibly write down one or two notes (juggling camera AND notebook AND pen is...err...challenging...). And partly it's because I know too many curators. They remind me that the costs of putting up an exhibit is high, particularly if it's travelling abroad, that grant funding is difficult to find and that a catalogue may well be the only source of income possible to defray those expenses not covered by the venue. Ultimately, if catalogues remain unsold, then shows may well tour less, if at all, and we will miss out on the unique experience of being in the presence of a collection of good work. And that would be a pity.

What's your view? As an artist, as a quiltmaker, as a viewer? To photograph, or not to photograph? And how do you feel about the floods of uncredited photographs that appear on websites all over the world after a quilt show? Did anyone ask your permission? Do you think they should?

If Ever...

there was a format for a quilt show that was guaranteed to be successful, it has to be the Carrefour in Alsace. Take several scenic villages, strung along a single road, in an area which has a tradition of textile manufacturing. Run free shuttle buses between the venues. Bring in a wide variety of exhibitors, from the historic quilts to the traditional and on to the art quilt, and add a sprinkling of fashion. Mix in some serious quilt shopping opportunities in several languages. Make sure there are plenty of places to eat and drink. Provide polite, helpful staff. Now, that's a quilt show!

And, if ever there was a good way to visit a quilt show, I think we found it. Hire a gite on top of a mountain with plenty of room and wonderful views. Add three friends who met on the internet, and who get on just as well in 'real time'. Add a liberal sprinkling of other internet friends, to season...and plenty of good French wine. Oh, and a little judicious retail therapy!! Photos will follow, I promise (guess who forgot the camera again....). If you really can't wait, go look at Sandy's blog

I was lucky to be sharing the gite with Dijanne Cevaal and Sandy Marcoux, spending time with Thelma Smith, and to have met a variety of people, many from Alternativequiltlist, the online group I run, and whose names will doubtless pop up in the days to come... and yes, thank you, I had a wonderful time!

ps Some people bring home postcards of the area. Artist bring home postcards made by each other...in this case, one of Dijanne's pomegranates, which I fell in love with at first sight...thanks, Dijanne....

Off Again...

to sunny Alsace, for the Carrefour de Patchwork. And a visit with my friends from far and wide. That should be fun. I've looked out the passport, bought the Euros, and a purse to put them in, packed the bag (except for the quilts...some lutradur pieces to show Dijanne) and all seems to be in order. The piece that's in the exhibit is already with my friend Elisabeth in France, which is one less thing to worry about. So, given that we'll have to be up at an unearthly hour to be in the airport at 5am (aaargh...), I think I'll go have a nap!!

I leave you with a doodle from my sketchbook. I'll be back on Sunday evening, but don't expect me to say much til the middle of the week, will you...you know how tired I get!!

Judge not...?

The picture is 'Hidden Depths', the piece that Thelma Smith and I collaborated on, that we showed at Birmingham this year. I've never received judges' feedback before, so I was intruigued to see what would be said about this particular piece. I was disappointed by the feedback, to be truthful, because I feel more confused now than I did before I started. One judge clearly loved the piece, and marked it highly. One judge gave it good marks, nothing startling. The last, though, gave it average marks...other than the surface design, which she said 'needed attention', the lowest mark available in the marking scheme.

I found this intruiguing, that one judge could judge a piece to be 'excellent', another, 'satisfactory' and a third, 'needing attention'...particularly as the surface design is a crucial part of the whole piece. Marking it down is fine by me; if it's bad art, I need to know. But a spread of marks across the whole marking scheme could mean either of two things. The first is simple; that the marking is purely subjective, according to each judge's likes and dislikes. The second is slightly more complex; that the marking is made according to each judge's understanding of the criteria.

I used to be heavily involved in recruitment and selection, particularly in assessment centres, where people are interviewed by more than one person, and a decision is reached by consensus. I found that these decisions were made more easily when the selectors had a common understanding of the criteria we were using to judge people. Assessing the use of embellishment and surface design is a very broad area. I wonder what guidelines, if any, the assessors were using in looking at my quilt. If you pass judgement on someone else's work, it's important to define the terms, in my opinion. It would be interesting to know if these terms are defined, or if it is each person's understanding of them that is brought to the judging of pieces. I suspect the latter, and feel that it is not a helpful system. In my experience, assessor training for an isolated event can be done very quickly and easily, through a short meeting. What a pity that doesn't seem to happen. For many people, this might be the only feedback that they ever get on their work. They will have paid for the privilege of entry and showing their quilt. It seems only reasonable that they get meaningful feedback in return, or, failing that, none at all. There are times when nothing is better than something....

What's Next?

Apart from a week's rest and the monthly Well meeting, you mean? Carrefour, that's what. I was invited to add a piece to the European Edition of 'Changing The World One Thread At A Time', curated by Thelma Smith. So I will be showing 'Eight Blue Dots And A Circle', yes, the postcard piece... which has turned out to be much stronger than the sum of the parts, true synergy. And, since the piece is travelling, I thought I would, too. I'm likely to be found lurking in the area of the Changing exhibit, translating a bit, talking to Thelma and Dijanne Cevaal, who also has a piece in the show, and generally Having A Good Time. That may include hand stitching the rust dyed piece I showed in the last blog... I'm not taking my sewing machine, that just feels like a piece of luggage too far, and the silk seems to invite hand stitching. Meanwhile, back to the week's rest...zzzzzzz....

Not bad, huh?

Oh, look what I've got here...

Apparently not...

What IS she up to...gardening, perhaps?

Making Mischief...

I have wonderful next door neighbours. Like me, they collect odd bits and pieces...and both have an eye for art. So when I mentioned rust dyeing, they said, oh, how interesting...and attended the 'unveiling' this morning of a piece of silk that had been wrapped round a gate they bought to use in their garden, but which had a lovely coat of rust... Mike, being a professional photographer, takes a good photo, as you'll see from the series above. Now all I have to do is Make Something With It! Should be quite straightforward... Now, I wonder if I can pinch the gate, what do you think?

Fair Exchange...

is no robbery, my granny used to say. When Karen Steihl Osborn , onr of my favourite quilt artists, wrote to say she liked the little secret journals that appeared on the blog a while ago, I thought I'd send her one. But when she offered to send a postcard in exchange, I was overwhelmed... And this is the postcard I chose. Isn't it beautiful? And I'm delighted to say, Karen liked her journals, too. Thus proving my granny right, yet again!!