Trying to glimpse the light

So here we are, 01 February 2020, bigotry and ignorance seem to have “won”. Let’s hope those responsible enjoy their “victory” and not too many people suffer from the consequences. Many glimpses of light needed to even attempt to keep my spirits up.

Sketchbook, exploring burnt sienna in its many shades and tones

A weekend away in the woods

Seeing fantastic 300yr old trees

Beautiful mediaeval floors, and new kneelers based on the floor tiles

Progress on the drum - an image from a children’s colouring book, coloured, then manipulated in imaging software, printed and glued to the drum. Some smaller seahorses to be added at some point, but this drum is now an active part of Extinction Rebellion.

Reading

•  “The Binding”, a terrific novel, based on the possibility of having our bad memories removed
• “How to Lose a Country” read and weep, and then take action
• “The Man With No Face” a reissue, but the parts about the UK in / out of Europe still so pertinent
• “A Most Wanted Man”, excellent novel, showing the consequences of the supposed “war on terror"

Fungal foray

Incredible inspiration of form and colour from fungi during a walk this weekend

.

Hidden inside the middle of a rotting fence post, waiting to be discovered, 

 

Bling bacteria, sleep and stitching on wood

The last journal quilt has been completed, the third on the theme of bacteria. Photographed on a sheet ( I don’t like ironing!) to show the extended, wired threads. A single antibiotic-resistant, flagellate bacterium swimming in a soup of over-used antibiotics. Bling for December.

Hand-dyed applique on commercial fabric with appliquéd threads, some hand-wired, which was much trickier than I had anticipated.

My copy of the book of The Sleep Quilt arrived this week, so I am setting aside time in the Christmas melee to enjoy that and think on how it was made. There is a superb blogpost about the project here.

A visit to Manchester allowed time to visit the Manchester Craft and Design Centre. This is lovely space, with a current exhibition of work by Kate Colin whose skill in paper folding is terrific.

Intriguing work with punched and stitched wood veneers by Jane Blease has gone on my long term wishlist.

Sculpture by the sea

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.

Half a hexagon.......

…. is better than none. Stitching this week has been piles of calico half-hexagons, therapeutic, but not exactly photogenic.

Sketching was focussed on the2017 journal challenge for the Contemporary Quilt Group. My theme is”microscopic” and my current thoughts are to focus on seeds, algae, bacteria and plankton, all tiny fragments of life that are critical to our survival.

Seeds, after looking at the photographs in “Seeds, Time Capsules of Life"

 

A very interesting class at Mary Ward this week, with a session on mono printing. We focussed more on making marks through an overlaid paper, rather than mark making on the ink itself.

Initial scribbles - plankton appearing!

More confidence in the line

More dramatic background effects. I’m very interested in this technique and am going to try this on cloth with Markal sticks.

overlaying with acrylic washes. 

and on the way home, a protest against ironing

and for inspiration, the beautiful wood-carving of a modern Grinling Gibbons

Giles Newman

 

 

 

 

 

Serpentine curves

Great photo opportunities at the Serpentine summer houses today