Jemima, aged two and a half, saw an item on television about children going to the National Gallery to look at pictures and announced that she wanted to go too.   So, a plan was hatched. 

An afternoon at Tate Britain would provide the necessary material to be examined and she was duly excited at the prospect of looking at pictures.  We arrived through the Clore Building which took us to the Turners and Constables, highly suitable for a small girl.  She was totally engaged with the artworks: asking questions, responding to mine, making pertinent comments.  The animals, clouds, ponds and rivers, as well as a rainbow, all fired her imagination in a keen way.

Then the room with some modern sculptures proved irresistible, probably because the Hepworths and Moores were so tactile, just right for a small child - unfortunately, touching the works was forbidden!  Epstein's 'Jacob and the Angel' was Jemima's favourite work of art.  It was probably the immense scale (in her eyes) which was impressive and it was hard to drag her away.  However, a promise of a visit to the shop did the trick and one happy little girl departed clutching her purchases - postcards of some of the art she had seen, including the Epstein.  Result!

A group of artists to which I belong, the ICE group, former students of Brenda Boardman, will be exhibiting at a one day Textile Fair in Compton Verney on 9 November 2013.   We will be showing textile works, from cards with original artworks to wall hangings and framed pieces, as well as everything in between.

I have made notebooks with covers made from upcycled fabric samples (so each is unique), cards and mixed media artworks ready for framing.  The mixed media pieces are shown here.

This year I broke with a self-imposed tradition and instead of going on the opening day, Thursday, to avoid the crowds of college students, I went on the Saturday.  Never again.  It was just heaving with visitors and unpleasantly hot, making it difficult to enjoy the exhibitions.  However, I persevered and am glad I did so, although there was a slight sense of deja vu as I had seen some of the exhibitors at the Festival of Quilts in August.

Dorothy Caldwell's show, 'In Place', has pieces inspired by the way marks are made on landscapes. There are small works, almost sample sized, highly textured with a minimal palette of colours, and larger ones, with a painting-like quality, again with a restrained use of colour.   

'A Timeline of Crewel Work 1630 - 1930' was a wonderful collection of crewel embroidery, both old and new, including bed hangings, clothing and furnishing fabrics.  Crewel work is a technique which can produce richly textured pieces in jewel colours and I'm glad that there seems to be a renewed interest in keeping it alive.

'Equal On All 4 Sides' was a joint exhibition by Ruth Issett and Bobby Britnell, two artists whose work I have greatly admired.  And yes, I have their books!  Ruth's dyed and printed textiles and paper pieces simply glowed with colour and light.  Bobby's work was more subdued but rich in tone and natural colours.  Both were inspirational.