Blog Archives

Stitched at Artisan Part 5

23/2/2013

Today was the last day of my exhibition with many visitors. As ever, it was great to spend time explaining my work.

Over the three weeks of the show I had many positive comments about the pieces and here is a selection from the Visitor's Book:

- I was blown away by your work, so imaginative and unusual
- Inspirational and meticulous work
- So impressed by the beauty and the inspiration and the skill
- An incredible journey
- Fantastic art work
- So many unusual pieces of work - they are lovely
- Very inspiring use of different techniques
- Dazzling and impressive
- Brilliant, original, off-beat beauty achieved through fascinating intricately detailed work

So, now I take a little rest and think about the direction I will go in next. The options are so varied that I could be spoilt for choice but I will keep this blog updated.

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In Search of Classical Greece

22/2/2013

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By chance, I came across this gem of an exhibition in one of my favourite places in London, the Print Room at the British Museum.

This is a display of the travel drawings of Edward Dodwell and Simone Pomardi made on their travels 1805-1806.

I quote from the British Museum's website:-

This remarkable exhibition illustrates the reality and romance of travel beyond the Grand Tour on the eve of Greek independence from Ottoman rule. Dramatic panoramas of up to four metres long feature alongside detailed drawings of individual sculptures on the standing monuments of ancient Athens. Some of these sculptures were moulded for replication in plaster by Lord Elgin’s agents who were in Athens at the same time as Dodwell and Pomardi. The exhibition features some of the casts made using these moulds, and a scale model of a 360° panoramic view of Athens.The travellers’ experience of the landscape, ruins and people of this legendary land would foster the Philhellenic movement that fought together with the Greeks for independence from Ottoman rule.

There are many complete coloured works but my favourites are the incomplete ones where the graphite and ink lines can be seen clearly under a wash, perhaps of brown or grey. It is good to see how a piece evolves, what lines are used to suggest form, shadow and texture. Highly recommended.

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Ice Age Art

22/2/2013

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This exhibition is stunning. Most of the pieces are small as they are made of ivory, antler, bone and stone but the detailed features and patterns beggar belief, given the tools used at the time. The sense of movement in some pieces is highly realistic. Many figures of the female body, in particular, are baked clay with exaggerated hips and breasts and stylised heads.

Modern works of art are also displayed and I have read criticism of the decision to include them. However, I really do not think that they detract in any way from the artefacts, rather they show a connection between artists across the millenia.

If you can only see one show in London, don't miss this one.

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Stitched at Artisan Part 4

16/2/2013

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Today was my second Saturday invigilating the exhibition. The gallery looked inviting as it was a sunny day and there was a steady stream of visitors, including small children who, I think, are never too young to look at art. It was great to be able to spend time talking with visitors and explaining the processes behind some of my work.

The boys came back, this time accompanied by two girls, and they spent a long time talking about the pieces and identifying their favourites. Significant inroads were also made into the bowl of chocolates on the counter! It was rather nice that they returned in the afternoon with a father, trying to persuade him to buy one of my pieces. I think he might be tempted so watch for the next instalment!

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Stitched at Artisan Part 3

10/2/2013

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The private view this afternoon was well attended with over 60 visitors, many of whom had travelled long distances for the occasion, despite awful weather. We had a plentiful supply of drinks, samosas and other nibbles, as well as a large bowl of welcome fresh fruit. There were many complimentary comments about my work, although divided into two distinct camps - the monochrome supporters and those preferring the representational, coloured pieces! The exhibition is listed in The Guardian's Guide under Exhibitions.

We were all having such a good time that no-one remembered to take photographs of the occasion!

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Stratified Part 2

9/2/2013

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In my blog of 23 December 2012 I explained why I was dissatisfied with Stratified - an ugly light line right across the middle of the quilt. I felt that the only thing to do, given the time and effort that went into it, was to cut it and rework the sections.

So, that is just what I did. I felt that the colours were perfect for images of sunflowers to be superimposed on the quilt. I drew the sunflowers on a large sheet of tracing paper, free machine stitched over the lines of the drawing and then painted in the flowers using Inktense pencils. This is definitely an improvement - what do you think?

Stratified Sunflowers

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Stitched at Artisan Part 2

9/2/2013

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I spent a very pleasant day stewarding my exhibition. There was a steady stream of visitors: friends and strangers, young and old.

At one point this morning I noticed three young boys peering in through the windows - they must have been 10 or 11. They then put heads round the door and said that they had come to look at the art. It was wonderful to engage with them and answer their questions. I was asked what kind of artist I was and, to make them think, I turned the question round and asked them what they thought. One boy considered this and said, quite emphatically, 'Cubist'. 'Why?' I asked. 'Because you have a lot of lines and squares'. Just wonderful.

On leaving, they thanked me very politely and said that they didn't realise that art could be made with textile and stitches. I think they liked my work.

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Stitched at Artisan Part 1

6/2/2013

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Stitched is up and running! It looks good, not least because the gallery is a beautiful Victorian building, originally a corner shop, with large windows and lots of natural light. It is satisfying to see my work of the last two years on display, making a coherent show, in my hesitant opinion.

Here's a photograph of the Monochrome Series on display at the gallery:

My work in the Sketchbook Series is being shown in a screen - both sides can be seen without pages being handled and this is a picture of one side (not to scale with the picture above!):

Sketchbook Screen

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