But is is art?

 I am thoroughly enjoying being a member of Susan Yeates " Inspire" group on Facebook. A theme set each month, a set of tutorials that you can follow or not as you wish, supportive members, interesting asides from Susan. This month's them is mixed media, so I'm off looking for bits and bobs in the " that'll be useful one day" bags!

An exercise based on the work of Jasper Johns

Facing some fears

 So many fears in the past year, time to tackle some idiotic ones. Drawing the figure, yikes! An online webinar with The London Drawing Group, involving a live model. 

Very absorbing, particularly the explanation about the kinesphere, which my brain kept seeing as the kinetisphere. It was intriguing to assign words to the poses after drawing them, and to use the concept of three spheres to map out the position of the body in space. My efforts below, all poses between 30 sec and 5 mins, charcoal and then pencil. Yet again, however messy charcoal is,  I much prefer it to pencil, however soft, for this type of quick drawing.

She isn't blogging - oh yes she is!

Too much panto’  making going on to allow time for blogging. 16 costumes to make from scratch, 11 to adapt from existing wardrobe stores, numerous accessories to make - rapier frogs anyone?

New making experiences this year:

Dyeing swan’s feathers ( gathered legally in Hyde Park, at the Serpentine). Dyed using Dye-na-Flow dyes and a foam brush. Not sure how permanent this will be, but as long as the stage roof doesn’t leak, it should be fine.

Sewing leather - who knew this was so straightforward!

and a reason to get out my floral mini-hammer!

Stitching fun:

Bling for the directors to wear at the first Sunday rehearsal

Garters for the adult leads, male and female

Bling for shoes and hats

When the sewing gets busy, even my work computer is used as a surface

Chaos in the sewing room - I always start off saying to myself that I will work in an organised and tidy manner - it never happens.

A set of musketeers

For anyone with an interest in costume, there is a terrific exhibition by and about the costume department at the National Theatre, free and on until the middle of 2020.

Two terrific exhibitions in London, but be quick - both finish on14th September

Landlines, a free exhibition at the Royal Geographical Society in Kensington is only on until 14th September. If you have any interest in man’s interactions with the land, and particularly the remaining wild land with which we live, this is a must. Fifteen artists - sculptors, painters, installation artists, drawings - who together form The Wilderness Art Collective.

The Royal Geographical Society also has one of those wonderful, almost hidden garden spaces in London. 

The hut is a recreation of the collapsible, portable accommodation used by Ginny Fiennes on her transpolar expedition.

In addition at The Menier Gallery, free, four artists respond to the River Thames.

The river Thames was glistening as I returned home.

Are you a potential Craftivist?

On Wednesday, I joined a group of volunteers to assist at a “ Patches of Hope” stitching event run by the Craftivist Collective.

I have been aware of the work of the collective for about 18 months, and have been impressed by their philosophy of "gentle protest”. I’ve been a regular attender of demonstrations during my life, but am increasingly worried about the lack of impact even the largest of public demonstrations is having on government policy.

This event was a prelude to a Tate Late on 24 Feb ( free, but registration needed, I think ), and is based on the Crystal Quilt by Suzanne Lacey, an installation addressing several topics but one of which was  how women, particularly older women, are perceived in society. ( Photos from @Craftivists and Aron Klein)

The intent was that each attendee chose a word that they wanted to see more of in the world, and while stitching, thought about what actions they would take in their own life to enable more of that word to come to the fore. In addition, each table had a facilitator who eased people in to discussion about why their chosen word was important to them, and encouraged cross-table debate about the word. The little bottles of Prosecco helped conversation flow, but were not as helpful to the flow of the stitching.

This was a lovely event, and an opportunity for cross-generational conversations about the state of the world and what we can each do in our own communities, however small or large they may be, to increase hope. Unfortunately, I can’t make it to the Tate Late, but the Craftivists will be there, as will be many of the attendees from Wednesday, all wearing their patches. As one of my words was “Share”, a much mis-used term in these days of social media, if you do go , and want to wear a patch, please contact me and I’ll send you one of mine!

 

 

 

Drawing and domesticity

The art tutor took us to see a free exhibition of work, mostly drawings, by Maggi Hambling at the British Museum, called ‘Touch’. Maggi Hambling divides opinion, but I like a lot of her work particularly the Scallop sculpture. The exhibition is on until 29 January 2017.
Photography is allowed.  The intent of the visit was for us to study Hambling’s mark making and to study, through copying, those marks. As some of the work was mono printing, that was difficult to do, however just looking at the range of marks on the print of this figure was inspiring.

There are some very touching drawings of her friends and family close to death.

My own attempt at that figure, head and hand. Nowhere near, but closer than I was 2 years ago.

The next week, a replacement tutor catapulted us in to portraiture -aaarrrggghhh!. After I calmed myself down, I’m pleased with this ( A2 size, charcoal and chalk on a coloured paper), as it is recognisable as the sitter, though he said I had made him look much younger.

Stitching for the past few weeks has been very domestic.
Replacement curtains and cushions for the bedroom to replace the “temporary” curtains and cushions that had been put in 22 years ago. After 21 years of family life, including the dog choosing one of the cushions as his favoured favoured window-viewing spot, they finally had to go.
The pattern matching along the front of the past of cushions took much measuring and swearing to get correct.



Inherited Ercol chairs have arrive in our house ( let’s say that ours have more of the patina of age about them). Their cushions were also in a sorry state, so while my piping skills were honed by the 30 degree corners on the bedroom cushions, I could tackle four replacements for these. Not in the original style, but a lot more comfortable.

The swan has also been finished. Faced rather than bound and waiting for the right wall space to show it to advantage.

Unexpected...........

….withdrawal from blogging.  Not done consciously this time, but there is little stitching to share due to other unexpected happenings.

Unexpected, reasonably successful drawing of the manmade and the natural, 

Unexpected signs of spring

Unexpected reflections at the Estorick Collection - Manzu, sculptures until 03 April

Unexpected class trip for  instructive inspection of drawings at the UCL Museum of Art.  Tonks, Flaxman, Rosemary Young.

Unexpected textures on country walks

Unexpectedly disturbing exhibits at the Wellcome Collection, 'Medicine Now’, but also poignant pieces such as socks as chromosomes by Gina Glover.  Did that inspire an unexpected foray into knitting my first pair of socks, using the Magicloop method?  Or have I just had too much work-related train travel since the end of January?

Unexpected opportunity to join in with “ The Ride of the Valkyrie’ during “The Rinse Cycle” at Charing Cross Theatre, on until 12th March.

Expected wonders at the Barbican to experience “The Encounter” by the astonishingly versatile Simon McBurney.  Sold out unfortunately, but is being broadcast to several theatres. I’m not sure how successful an experience that will be though, without the technology used at the Barbican.

Unexpected wonder in the Curve Gallery at the Barbican on the same evening viewing the paintings / installation “ Where the Shadows are so Deep” by Imran Qureshi.  No comment here, as I encourage everyone to go and see it without reading any reviews or impressions.  Visually immersive art from another culture with wonderful colour and imagery.  A dominant colour is Winsor and Newton perylene maroon.  Free and on until 10 July.

Unexpected pin cushion made as instructed by the great Benta of Slikstitches.

Another unexpected, large charcoal drawing of a still life with a complex background

Many attempts to get the neck of that bottle

That little blue bottle is really difficult to draw