Attempting to draw for at least 10 minutes / day in 2017

Hand-carved spoon by Anna Casserley, charcoal

Learning - charcoal is not the best medium for this scale of drawing

Fabric hexagons ( grandmother’s flower garden blocks), pencil

Learning- a drawing always looks more accurate after you have not looked at it for at least 30 mins. Always have the eraser to hand before starting to draw.

Wax block and needle threader, pencil

 

Learning - go over the margin/ border of the page if you have to

Pincushion  ( a favourite, bought at the Dansel Gallery many years ago)- pencil, watercolour crayon, pen, calligraphy ink

Learning- try more colour and don’t be afraid of ink

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

Over a month since the last blog post.......

…...but lots has been happening.  Quilt exhibition, which was very successful with over 800 visitors and a hugely popular visitors’ choice.  I treated myself to a lovely pincushion , made out of a mustard pot.

Drawing continues, with one session in the gallery of the Islamic world at the British Museum.  What a treat to really immerse ourselves in the iconography of a different culture, and intriguingly to see that there are images of birds and animals in 16th century Islamic art.  I was fascinated by the use of script as a decorative finish on tiles.

Then for the past two weeks, working on a still life, in charcoal, with glass, tissue paper, reflective surfaces, hard and soft edges - so difficult, but I did enjoy the process.

Evolution of a drawing

Drawn from this, with two different levels of light between one week and the next.  I am happy with the result with the exception of the tissue paper , that needs lots of looking and practising in the sketchbook.

And in between, visits to Dorset

and inspiration from several exhibitions: Jerwood Drawing Prize

the thirteen textile group

Kara Walker at the Victoria Miro Gallery, and the usual challenging pieces at the Parasol Unit.  Always a pleasure to see the work in the courtyard at the Victoria Miro Gallery

Kusama spheres

Charles Avery, Tree, which was at Edinburgh when I was there in August.