I am back from a rejuvenating week in Ceredigion, staying in an Edwardian railway carriage, directly on the coastal path. Mixed weather, from glorious sunshine
to rain
to freezing fog
but with enough opportunities to gather some treasures from nature
and marvel at textures and colours
One year I hope to visit “Sculpture by the Sea” in Australia. Until then, I make do with seeing sculpture in weathered shapes at British beaches
Cramond causeway, weathered U-boat defences, reminiscent of the cardinal sculptures by Giacomo Manzu.
Or with less sinister features
With a stretch of the imagination, beginning to resemble the Venus of Willendorf
Ogmore beach, wooden groynes weathered in to anthropomorphic shapes
These shapes are percolating through my mind as I have forgotten to bring any sketching or stitching materials on holiday.
Besides the ever-changing colours of the sea, Eigg has many examples of different rock formations
Rock or macaroon?
Too much inspiration and not enough stitching.
….it has now been 4 weeks since my last blogpost. I have been trying to absorb too many wondrous experiences this month, involving travel, art, stitching and yoga.
At the beginning of the month - train from London to Vienna, via Cologne. Does anyone know why the square outside Cologne Cathedral is the stag and hen party destination of choice for young Germans? None them were looking at this quirky door handle
or at the stained glass,
There is a very modern, pixellated stained glass window by Gerhard Richter, no photo as the light was not good by then, but information is here.
The sleeper to Vienna was fun, starting with the grids on grids spotted at the station
Five separate knocks on the door from the guard to bring in quick succession: water, savoury snack, prosecco, menu card for breakfast, extra towels. I’m still not sure why he couldn't bring the first four all together.
Four days in Vienna, just too much to see and absorb. Commemorative rose bushes stood out in the gardens in the centre of Vienna.
Then through the mountains to Graz. Double spiral staircase.
It was a bit hot, so iced coffee helped with energy levels.
Stolpersteine were discovered, as moving and thought-provoking as ever.
Skyline views - these towers took up several sketchbook pages
Surfers on the standing wave in the middle of the river Mur
Home again, and a sketch / collage piece is in progress using sketches and photographs of the trip.
Using overlay of tracing paper to try out various elements of composition
I seem to be more observant of my more usual environment when I return fro a trip. Seen on the underground
An installation commemorating the work of Frank Pick,
and then off to Eigg, for yoga, but that’s another post.
An unexpected visit to Nature in Art, near Cheltenham, to see the work of StitchextileArtists. Lovely textural pieces, with an oyster shell made of cloth being particularly notable.
The sculpture in the gardens added to my obsessions with fronds and seed heads.
For some reason, it was very difficult to portray the scale of these pods - they were at least 5 ft high.
Inside, some lovely work with found wood
and with carved limewood, made by Robert Cox.
Hoem to an unexpected find n the local library, “ How to Make Beautiful Buttons” by Beate Schmitz. Having done the online course with Karen ruin on buttons, I didn’t think there would be a lot for me in this book, but I was gladly mistaken. Some fun ideas, so the may be renewed up tot he maximum three times.
Buttons as drawer knobs?
Carton buttons?
My brain is pre-occupied by tomorrow’s talk, so a discovered kit from Deborah O’Hare of QuiltRoutes.co.uk provided some pleasant distraction. Very simple and effective, but I had my usual problem of the Heat’n’Bond seeming to melt into the top fabric, and then not sticking to the lower layer of fabric. I wonder if I am holding the iron on to it for too long?
