In the Colour course this term, we have been studying the works of Van Gogh. Part of the study has been to take a greyscale image of a Van Gogh painting, and paint it to a scheme specified by our teacher Abigail Downer. My scheme was secondaries with a primary link. We could use any or all pure blues, reds and yellows provided by the college, plus white, but no black.
My A1 sized painting has evolved over several weeks.
What will happen next?
This weekend, I had the pleasure of attending a workshop with Emily Jo Gibbs, on using transparent organza to make stitched interpretations of photographs. Emily’s work is exquisite in its simplicity, that also manages to capture the essence of an individual or of an object.
The workshop was held in the beautiful, historic rooms of The ArtWorkers’ Guild in Holborn. The rooms and corridors contain works by previous and current members, inspiration before we even met Emily.
We were asked to bring a basic sewing kit, a variety of threads, scissors for cutting papered cloth and a favourite photograph. Emily provided a pack of different coloured silk organzas and two pieces of white linen for each of us.
The workshop started with an explanation of Emily’s technique, and an opportunity to examine her original stitched portraits of her children. We then created a small abstract collage, A5 size, to practice the techniques that she had demonstrated.
What joy to sit with a group of strangers, who quickly lost their anonymity as we stitched together.
We then started a new piece, based on our photographs.This was much more difficult and a black and white photograph would have made it much more straightforward to discern tone rather than colour. However, by the end of the day, i had this, based on a favourite picture of my elder son when he was 10.
To have got this far, while enjoying the company of others, in a beautiful setting was a gift. Thank you Emily.
If you would like to see Emily’s work in person, she is exhibiting at Mint London from 9th - 12th May.
This term, I am doing a course on colour with Abigail Downer at the Mary Ward Centre. I really enjoy Abigail's teaching and she is encouraging us to explore this extended autumn in our colour palettes. I’ve combined my love of colour, collage, precision cutting and leaves in these pages.
and one for fun
Sunshine revealing the serendipitous juxtaposition of colours on the studio painting boards.
Part 3 of the seed series is finished, bound ( sort of, completed with a satin stitch, stitched with an overlock foot which prevents the stitching puckering and tightening) and a photo posted to the group page of the Contemporary Quilt Group. Lots and lots of texture on this one.
A last session with the curved structure at the drawing course led to more collaged music,some additional ink and white chalk.
Next week, we are drawing reflections which I love, but which I don’t love drawing!
I started drawing lessons in early 2014. Little did I imagine that three years later, I would be looking forward to a full day of life-drawing in the studio at the Mary Ward Centre. Twelve easels, twelve women, one teacher, one model, much concentration and some laughter, and these are the result.
Seven minute poses of the lovely Abbie,
Three minute poses
Five minutes of continuous poses without looking at the paper
Twenty minute pose, with a painting by Frank Stella projected on the model’s body
Twenty minute pose, with Matisse' Snail projected on to the model’s body
At the end of the day, there was not enough wall space on which to tape our drawings, so the rather dilapidated skeleton that live in the studio was pressed in to service!
Two sessions of life drawing as part of the course at Mary Ward have been scary, exhilarating, confusing, frustrating and rewarding in equal measure. We drew two different models, both beautiful young women, in a series of 3 minute and 5 minute poses, clothed and naked, with and without props. All A1 size with charcoal.
The clothed figure was the most difficult to capture
This one could be rendered in stitch at some point.
Lots of work needed to capture faces, hands and feet, but at least they don’t look like aliens.
…. 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
