Done And Dusted!

At least, the top is. This is the wedding quilt for my son Andrew and his fiancee Sarah; they wanted a quilt in browns, not my usual palette by any means! But it is finished, and ready to go to a long arm quilter to be quilted. At 76" by 80", it's too big for me to do. It's not a conventional size...but then, I'm not a conventional maker. Come to think of it, it's not a conventional pattern, either. Log cabin technique, without the central square, uneven sized logs... it's a make it up as you go along sort of a quilt.

But it does have some things that make it personal to them. Andrew works in a bank; there is cloth featuring gold coins. They have three cats; there is cloth with cats on it throughout. There are spiders webs for luck, eggs for fertility and as a wish that they may never go hungry. Stars for romance, and the sun for joy. Australian fabric, given by friends, signifying both travel and friendship. I really hope they like it.

As you can see, it was a bittie windy today; the quilt is at full flap! Let me know what you think, I very rarely make practical quilts!

Monoprinting

Well, no, I didn't mean to, not today. I meant to paint. In fact, I did paint, but that's another story for another day. When I'd finished painting, though, I had some paint on the palette. I don't know about you, but I hate wasting materials, so I added some white acrylic to the acrylic mix already there, and began monoprinting.

What's a monoprint? It's a way of producing a one-off print in a very painterly style; it is explained beautifully here (I wonder what we did without Wikipaedia...). So these pieces are abstract monoprints; if I'm honest, I'd say I made them for the joy of working with the paint, and for no other reason...though they are in the form of greetings cards, and doubtless will end up in the shop at some point. I'm really pleased with them, see what you think!

Voodoo

Black And White

Sometimes...

we forget that the best things are often very simple. Like this ACEO, part of the 'dark v light' challenge that is running as part of the ACEO Bounty competition on etsy at the moment (I talked about it yesterday, too...I might get boring, as I'm making a lot of ACEOs at present...). We also forget that sometimes it's a good thing to work with constraints...like someone else's subject suggestion, or a limited palette, or a small size. We discover how far we can stretch, when we do that. The second ACEO is 'Voodoo', not a subject I'd usually choose, perhaps, but it's an interesting ACEO, I think...

Turning Trash Into Art...

was the focus of the day. I am taking part in the 'ACEO Bounty' competition on Etsy (see here for more details). Basically, anyone can set a challenge to either a specific artist, or all of us (there are around 80 signed up), and view the results either by keeping an eye on the Promotions thread to see ACEOs as they are posted, or by searching the Etsy database for 'ACEO Bounty'. I thought that I might make several challenge pieces, using things and ideas I've had for a while. The perfect opportunity to use some bits and pieces I'd been hoarding for a while.

Cleaning out the garage a while back, I came across some corrugated paper that was definitely distressed! It did have wonderful texture, however, and some interesting variations in colour. I added a fragment of that to a piece of stitched dryer paper, backed with velvet, that had been dyed, as well as some pieces of snail shell found in the garden last year. The result was 'Cracked And Torn', the ACEO that is pictured here. I'm very pleased with it. Amazing what you can do when you try!

Deja Vu

I've just spent ages looking for my camera. This will ring bells for regular readers, who know that I have lost not one but two cameras, and then found them again after replacing them at huge expense. Robin was not amused to spend half an hour looking for it with me, only to find it tucked in beside the printer in the music room, the place where I took the photographs I wanted to upload in the first place. Oops.

I think that the problem is that we think we know what the thing we're looking for is supposed to look like. In this case, black thing, sticky out bit, small, funny shape... except that I couldn't see the lens, it had its back to me, so it just seemed to merge into the printer. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

The photograph was of Meditation, an abstract oil painting. I made it a couple of years ago, but don't think I've ever actually shown anyone the piece...so here it is. There are detail shots here
I'm rather fond of it.

DownTime

Today has been quiet, apart from making some cards, of the greetings card variety, from small paintings. Sometimes it's a good thing to just do nothing, or not a great deal, anyway. Other than think. Had I had good in my heart, I'd have ironed also, but... though I might do so this evening while watching House, one of the few series I actually watch on television.

I had intended to work on the quilt I was working on yesterday, but I still don't think it's up to much, and besides, Advo was sound asleep on it when I went to mix the paint, so that was left to one side. I posted a couple of parcels, chatted to some friends on line, and played Solitaire on the computer, how sad is that! And now it's teatime. What I have done, though, is to remember a couple of projects that I have been putting to one side; so at least I know what I'm doing next week!

And, of course, in a couple of weeks I'll be gazing at the view from the shudio window, and possibly even painting en plein air! Now won't that be interesting?

Danger, Man At Work...

as can be seen from the photos. Robin continues to spend every weekend (almost every weekend) working in the shudio, bless him. It's looking good, now, with the electrics functional and all its internal walls up...Robin is just mixing plaster in this shot. Not much more to do...a bit more taping and plastering, painting, and the floor to go down...and then I can move in. I'm really excited about it. Mostly because of the space itself, but there is a bit of me that is looking forward to having more room in the house, too. I'm not the most houseproud of people, but even I admit that anywhere I work turns to mayhem in seconds, and continues that way long after I'm finished. Much of the 'stuff' I've collected for altering and collage will go out into the shudio (which might be renamed the Tardis...), giving us our conservatory back to sit in. Which will be very pleasant!

Snow...

a white blanket of it, at 6am, gone by 11am, back with a vengeance around 3pm and now gone again, the sun shining brightly as if it had been doing so all day. Lets hope it doesn't snow tomorrow; I need to go into Norwich, and I don't need to skid all over the place whilst doing so.

The picture is suitably subdued for snowladen skies... an aceo from hand dyed lutradur and vintage mother of pearl buttons. Fortunately, the daffodils seem frost proof!

I've had an upset tummy for a couple of days, which has kept me from working on the large piece I started quilting on Friday, but hopefully that is clearing up, and I'll be able to get going on it again on Tuesday. No use planning anything for tomorrow; reiki usually means a sleep in the afternoon, but energy later in the week. Here's hoping...

Never Say Never

I think I've said this before, but it needs repeating, if only for me. I once said I'd never make dolls. I said that for several years, before doing a workshop with Michael Brennand Wood, where lo and behold, I made a totem doll (as well as something deep, meaningful and serious, which I still have in a cupboard somewhere). That was followed by various art dolls in cloth. But, I thought, I draw the line at paper dolls. That's just silly. Ahem. Guess who just made an ACEO with a paper doll, and intends to make more? Yes, you guessed it. Dotty is the first of what appears to be a series of little dolls, while Ukraina is a totem doll; both are available for sale here.

What have I learned from this? The obvious lesson is above: never say never. The less obvious answer is that whenever I say 'never', it means I should recognise that this is something I'm not ready to do, yet. It certainly doesn't mean I'm never going to do whatever it is, just that I'm ahead of myself in thinking about it. That tends to be the case with some books I've bought, looked at and put aside. Eventually, I come back to whatever it was, in need of that particular technique, sentence or photograph that I rejected before. I suppose everything comes to those who wait. Especially the things we need to help us grow and change, as artists and, more importantly, as people.

ps check out Michael's website; you won't regret it, I promise. Great teacher, lovely person.

The Trouble With Mirrors...

is that they will reflect things. I really didn't want to be in this photograph, but....
I do like the ACEO, though!

Purely Painting...

doesn't happen much at present, awaiting the finishing of the shudio (it now has power and light, hurrah!). Paints are in boxes, paper too, canvasses piled up upstairs. But I did pick up a canvas a couple of days ago, and White Goddess is the result. I'm pleased with the feeling of balance that I think the painting has. You can find some close up images here.

Tomorrow, though, is another day. Perhaps some textiles?

ACEO Amendments...

I'm taking part in an ongoing conversation amongst a group of ACEO artists on Etsy. At one point, the topic of what to do with unfinished pieces came up. So, we decided to trade round our UFOs, and see if we could finish what had been started by someone else. Jessie sent me two ACEOs to work with. Like an idiot, I failed to take the 'before' pictures, so I'll just have to describe them. One was a landscape in gorgeous warm browns; the other was a woman's head in a crystal ball (at least that's what I took it to be... I don't know many people who put their heads in goldfish bowls just for the fun of it!). Both are quite unlike my style (which is of course the point, or a big part of it...).

So, here are the new versions. The first is still recognisably a landscape; it is now called 'Leaf Dreams Tree', and you can just see the tree underneath the skeleton leaf. The title is written on the painted lutradur that runs across it. The second, though, is quite different. I added a tiny hand made envelope that came as an 'extra' from another etsy seller, and wrote the words 'secret love' on the sides of the card, with a paper heart collaged onto the envelope. There is a little card inside the envelope for the owner to write down their secret, be it love, or be it something else.

Jessie, let me know if you would like your cards back, I'd be happy to send them to you!

Lovely Lutradur...

is so versatile, I can't see myself ever stopping using it. Today has been an ACEO day; Fly and Create are two new pieces.

I've been trying out some new techniques for the book, amazing what you can do if you really put your mind to it! I'm planning to finish my section of the writing this week, so that I can get on with other things, such as a creative journal kit which I designed on the plane up to Edinburgh to visit with my sister. Travel time is so valuable for having ideas and planning things, but now that it is planned, the real hard work starts!

Thanks to everyone for the feedback on 'For The Roses'; I will be designing a kit on similar lines, so watch this space (and etsy, of course!).

For The Roses

This is as close as I get to traditional quiltmaking. I love working with small squares, it's my secret vice. I don't do it very often, but find it fascinating when I do. I have two quilts in this mini series so far, this one, a summer garden 'For The Roses' and 'Autumn Rain', a garden in autumn (surprisingly enough). I've made a number of 'garden' quilts, though, starting with the Healers Garden quilts that I made during the breakdown from hell, and seemed to have great significance for me. Then there was a crazy quilt for Robin's mum and dad's Silver Anniversary (which was incredibly late for the event, in truth...). Then there was a wall hanging for my friends Archie and Sheila; Archie has a passion for gardening, Sheila likes my quilts, seemed like a good idea at the time!

For The Roses, though, illustrates a point, as does Autumn Rain. People often looked at my handdyed cloth and said things like, but I don't know how to use it, or what would I use it for, or it's too beautiful to cut up... I wanted to show that you could get great results using small amounts of hand dyed cloth. In this case, four pieces of cloth were used to make this, three of them on the top, one of them on the back. All those different shades of red and green came from two pieces of fabric. Economical! And isn't it amazing, what can be done with simple shapes and vibrant colours!

The piece is quilted using rose motifs that are reminiscent of Charles Rennie Mackintosh (as are the little squares, come to think of it...), so this piece harks back to my Scottish roots in art as well as economy (well, I live in a house called 'Skinflints'...). I'm contemplating offering small kits for garden quilts like this, with instructions on how to make them. Unlike most kits, of course, what you end up with will be different to anyone elses quilt; the cloth is unique each time! Please let me know if you think that's a good idea...and let me have your email address if you want me to reply to you... so many people don't give contactable email addresses via blogger!

Random Thoughts.

I speak four languages, what's to stop me learning HTML?
Must get Andrew and Sarah's quilt pieced together. Making the blocks is Not Enough.
Want to quilt...want to quilt... and heaven knows there's enough up there to get me going, including a large (for me) piece.
Must get the entry form for FOQ before it's too late. If I'm going to be there, I'd quite like to have a quilt there, too...(you will find me on the Spunart stand, working with lutradur and Evolon).
Must paint more bondaweb
Must buy more bondaweb!
Wonder if it's worth applying to Mintd (probably not...)
Wonder what to do next with the wip in the photo (lutradur with brusho, paper, foil...).
Wonder what the parcel is that's waiting at the depot for me to collect?

It must be lovely to have a tidy mind....sigh.

OOH, Look!

Not all of the weekend was spent doing nothing other than eating chocolate and snoozing, you know! Look how far the shed has progressed. Ahem. That would be shudio. The Little Green Shed is moving on apace. The electricians will be coming back to finish the wiring, and Robin will doubtless do his best to put the walls up at the weekend, though it won't be all that easy, there are lots of windows to cut round...

I have to confess that I'm starting to get really excited about this. The light in there is great, and I'm going to take all the wet stuff out there, so the dye stuff will go out as well as the paints and mixed media. Tables at the right level for dye painting and screenprinting... that will be wonderful. I can hardly wait!

Home Again

to snow, winds and worse weather than there was in Edinburgh, which is not how things are meant to be! I had a wonderful time with my lovely sister, Jane and her equally lovely spouse, Frank, as well as flying visits to sons, daughters and grandmothers... but I did weaken towards the end. Jane and I went to the Gallery of Modern Art on Thursday, and I came back wanting to paint. Frank, bless him, had all the materials to hand, and 'Head Over Heels' was made in an hour or so on Friday morning. It is really a sketch, I would have approached it quite differently had I been at home, but it's not a bad wee thing, really. There's definitely room to make more work around this. Jane assures me that it will be down to live with me, so it might end up looking quite different... but for the meantime, it is drying calmly in a corner of her kitchen.

And here I am, back again, full of ideas and thoughts, and delighted to have spent some quality time with my 'little' sis! Now it's back to work, of course, but that is hardly a hardship.

Know Thyself...

was the inscription above the entrance to the Delphic Oracle. I know myself by the art that I make, because it is a way for me to work out what is going on in my life, my relationship with myself, others and the environment. So when I was asked to create a 4" square self portrait, what could I use other than images of my work to illustrate it, printed onto lutradur. Beneath that, there is a photograph of me. And on the back, a comment; By My Art, Shall Ye Know Me. That is a theme to which I intend to return, but in book format. Watch this space! Meantime, here is an image of the piece to be going on with.

I'm off for the rest of the week to visit with my sister in Livingston. It will be the first time we've spent more than a few hours with each other in a very long time...I don't remember the last time, probably before I went to University, and that wasn't yesterday! I'm looking forward to this trip a great deal, but my blogs are likely to remain silent until I get back...so, see you next week!

Lucky Me!

Part of the joy of Etsy is getting to know other sellers and their work, and arranging trades with them. Not everyone trades, of course, but sometimes they do, if you ask nicely... So I asked Karen Turner, whose blog I've been reading for a while now, and whose work I love, if she'd be prepared to trade with me. And she was... but that wasn't the end of the story. She then sent me a 'top up' trade, because she thought she got the better end of the deal (wasn't true, but there you go...). LOOK what she sent me! Aren't they lovely?

I've now made a number of trades with different artists on etsy, and each time been delighted by what I have received. I now have some wonderful jewellery and handbags, neither of which I make, a lovely doll from Karen, and a selection of ACEOs that is fast turning into a collection! Come to think of it, I have one or two lovely pieces traded with other bloggers, too. Lot to be said for good old fashioned barter! Who's up for a trade, then ??

Textile Equals Stitch...Right?

Well, no, not really...or not always. Though I must admit, this is the first time I've made a textile piece without actually sewing. This is a textile collage, called Dream Journey, which I made on Saturday afternoon. I had been thinking about doing 'something' with a piece of velvet dyed in lilacs and turquoisy greens. That something turned out to involve adding some painted bondaweb, some metallic foil and some hand dyed silks. And there it stopped. The whole thing is mounted on a studio canvas.

I talk about 'leaving space for stitch', and in theory, at least, there is plenty room to place some stitching, either by machine or by hand. But the piece feels complete of itself. It doesn't seem to need anything else. So I'm not going to interfere. Always best to keep out of one's own way wherever possible...

The Missing Photos From The Last Post!

It Has Been A While...

since I posted, the demons have been dancing, and keeping me busy. I was asked recently to describe a bout of depression. In the end, I said, imagine your worst ever day, when nothing goes right, you feel lousy, tired and low, you hate your work, you hate everyone and you hate yourself. Then replay it over several weeks, as it gets steadily worse...and then steadily better...until you are wondering what all that was about. I'm one of the (arguably) fortunate people for whom fluoxetine (Prozac) actually works (if you believe the most recent studies, which suggests that antidepressants of this type don't work for many people), but all that means really is that I don't get quite as low as I used to.

I'd like to show you two things that I've received recently from other artists. The first was a PIF on another blog, by wonderful textile artist Karen Hall. I had forgotten about the PIF, and was amazed to receive this fabulous doll from Karen in the post, just after Christmas. As you can see, she is me !!! And I'm flying!!! Isn't she amazing? The second image is of a journal I received as part of an online swap in a group I'm part of, ZNE Artists And Poets. Again, it is a beautiful piece of work, by Heidi Eberle, expertly conceived and made.

So what do they have in common, apart from the fact that they were both made for me? Well... I have taken part in swaps, trades and such before, and doubtless will do again, but what makes both these pieces stand out for me, is that the artists have clearly seen me as a person. They have gone past the outer facade and made something for me that touches me at lots of different levels. That indicates a level of caring, much less craftsmanship, that leaves me both cherished and humbled. Karen, Heidi, thank you.

Just To Prove...

that I'm still working with lutradur, and how versatile it is, I've been making ACEOs this morning. I like the small format of ACEOs, and often make a series of works on a particular theme. The theme here is Blue Stripe, which was painted on watercolour paper, and a layer of hand dyed lutradur added over it. I'm really pleased with the results. Now to continue the series!

3D Felt...

is fun too. These wee things were also made at the workshop on Sunday, using a single needle. It took surprisingly little time to make them, maybe just over an hour for all three. I was...surprised.

The first piece is a flower, a daisy, I think. The second started out as a nest, and just asks for a couple of chocolate eggs to be added. The third is ACEO sized, and is called Snow Blind; you can just see the colours in the white, I think, reminiscent of shadows. I'm thinking about making some more flowers, it's such a cheery thing! Fun for brooches, or to be added to quilts, I think. Ditto with the aceos.

A Walk In A Magic Forest...

There is a major textile exhibition on in Norwich at the moment, at the Sainsbury Centre. Entitled Cloth and Culture, it brings together work from Estonia, Finland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania and the UK. If you can get there, run, don't walk, and plan to spend most of the day in the gallery; there are some very interesting works there. In addition, there is a programme of talks and workshops. I was fortunate enough to spend Saturday working with plastics with Ieva Krumina from Latvia, whose work is for me one of the highlights of the exhibit, and Sunday with handmade needle and wet felt with Auste Juregelionyte from Lithuania, whose energy and enthusiasm for textiles, and felt in particular, bubbles out from every pore.

Magic Forest was the result of an afternoon spent wet felting, which really removed many of my preconceptions about felting by hand. I had a wonderful time, and throughly enjoyed working in a lively, interesting group of people. And I have the feeling that my one wee felting needle will be as well used as my Embellisher in future!

Just To Prove...

that I still do the occasional piece of textile work, this is a close up of a new piece, called 'Cracking Up'. It is made from lutradur which has been dyed and overdyed about six or seven times, and then stitched. The idea came from photographs I took at Hunstanton, where there are beautiful chalk cliffs that resemble coconut ice, red and white. There is a whole series in this, I think; meanwhile, I'm considering entering this into shows, so am not including a larger picture at this point.

I'm off to Paris tomorrow, to meet up with Dijanne, with the intention of working on the lutradur book, which we hope will be out soon! Meanwhile, if you want our free worksheet, please email me at lutradur (at)tiscali.co.uk. If you leave a message here, please make sure that I have your email address; most of the messages I get here, I can't reply to, and can't trace you, either. So do make sure I can reach you!

Meanwhile, I'll be back on Wednesday!

A Bit Of Fun!

It started with the Quilt Pets, cute little pieces that had their own stories attached. Then I started wondering about what happened to those cats and dogs who weren't quite so cute... and came up with this...the Wanted Poster. It's made from lutradur, distressed with paint and heat, and, best of all, can be made for humans, too... I'm just wondering who I know who deserves the Wanted treatment! I dare say a few 'celebrities' could use this treatment...

WIP

That would be my shed! The Little Green Shed is just waiting to have its walls added; what you see is the insulation that will, I hope, keep me warm in the winter... the board for the walls arrives tomorrow, and will hopefully be put up over the next couple of weekends. And I'm off to look for an electrician...wish me luck!

Changing One's Mind...

is supposedly a woman's prerogative. I've decided to stop working in mixed media...or at least, in collage. Check out ArtmixterEmporium for the reasons behind that, and details of a special sale.

I've been working with textiles over the last couple of days as you know, and I've just made some ACEOs and a small wall hanging using lutradur. We do hope to have the lutradur book completely finished by Eastertime...so watch this space and the Emporium for more information!

I've been out in The Shed today, tidying up so that Robin could start putting up the boards on the ceiling... it's exciting, I should be able to start using it in the next few weeks, just in time for the better weather and longer days. Might even pop a sewing machine in there... the space is big enough... hmmm....

Sometimes It Takes...

a bit longer to work out what's going on in a piece. I've been experimenting with working pretty much at random, and had pieced this with random pieces of cloth, then quilted it...and felt unhappy about it. It wanted, I thought, more texture. So I added some painted bondaweb. This proved to be A Bad Choice. It was dark, there was too much of it, I didn't know what to do next...so it sank into the morass that is my sewing room...

I got it out a couple of days ago, and changed it a little. First sheer brute force and nailpower took a lot of the bondaweb back off again. Then, I added some foiling, and thought, well, that's a definite improvement, took a photo (the top one) and stopped. This morning, I looked at the piece again. Yuk, I thought. It needed something...in this case, a bit more colour. And now, I genuinely do like this piece, now entitled Blue Maze. Making it seems to have been a bit like a maze, certainly... but sometimes that's what it takes! Try clicking on the images to see exactly what's going on...there were several layers of process added to the quilt before it got to stage one...and now, it is complex in the best possible sense!

Washi

is wonderful stuff. My friend Jill went to a workshop on using washi paper recently, and shared her tiny stash of the (very expensive, hard to find) glorious stuff. And here's what we did with it, or at least part of what we did; fragments of washi added to a washi base, and covered with nylon net. I suspect it'll be clearer if you click on the image to enlarge it. I plan to add some stitch to this.
For myself, I thought I'd use it to make hand bound books, together with some textile and stitch. Not sure what Jill will use it for, but she's doing an MA in Textile Culture, so doubtless will find somewhere to fit it in there... It's a joy, having a textile buddy who lives a very short drive away.

Purely Painting...

has given way to quietly quilting. I spent the last two days clearing out the hovel that was my cloth studio, and am now working my way through a pile of pieces that have been patiently waiting for my attention to shift to them. I've worked on four of them today...or was it five?... and am quite pleased with the results, but in the absence of photos, you'll just have to make do with looking at another painting...this one is the first in a series called 'Cascade'. Notice the springlike palette...I'm smitten!

Spring...

is always associated with green and yellow, in my mind, anyway... so I thought I'd vary things a little. This is another painting in the series I'm making that celebrates Spring, 'Spring Elsewhere', a companion to 'Spring Somewhere'. I don't usually repeat myself, but I thought I'd make an exception!

I think it's time I made some textile Spring pieces... and got on with Andrew and Sarah's wedding quilt also... it's already February!

As If...

there were any doubt that it is not yet Spring, it snowed quite convincingly overnight. Grr. But that didn't stop me working on some spring-like paintings. Yes, you guessed it, more yellow! I'm improving, slowly, but it doesn't do any harm to reinforce the mood by working in bright colours.

This is the newest of the ongoing series of work celebrating Spring (or, rather, the idea of Spring, it's too cold to be pretending!), a landscape in acrylic on canvas, entitled, Spring, Somewhere. A girl can dream...and it's true that the nights are drawing out...it gets darker, later, always a good sign.