Finding joy in colour - need to find it somewhere

Spring is here

The sheer pleasure in being bathed by sunshine, seeing colour everywhere

Peach blossom - in London!

Roadside flowers

Sharp shadows

Seen at Ham House, where I went to see he beautiful stitching on display in the costumes from A Stitch in Time. There until 29th April.

Tulip flamboyance

I have been watching this tulip since the beginning of April as it becomes more and more extravagantly wonderful.  This may be the last photo as predicted rain and frost may finish it off this week. What dress inspiration this is.

Signs of spring are all around

May day colours

Blossom

Cowslips

Preparing collage papers - colours a little more sombre

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

….. and I would sew 1420 yards of thread

With apologies to The Proclaimers, I am intermittently chained to my sewing machine, machine quilting the big project.

When I need a break, I go and photograph amazing flower heads and buds.

or look at the shadows from my lampshade

Wisteria and der gross Sammelfläche

Spring has sprung, and unfortunately with it has come easterly winds.  Due to international changes in aviation, particularly to flightpaths, this has meant that our area is now subjected to unrelenting noise from take-offs ( 0615h until 2330h) when the wind is in the east.  Not conducive to creative activities, but very conducive to campaigning activities for HACAN and TeddingtonAction Group, therefore much of my time is going there.

Rant over, as a different aspect of spring that I love is the eruption of wisteria along walls and fences.  A morning walk is longer than usual due to stopping to capture these beauties.

Der grosse Sammelfläche is at the quilting stage.

 

Conundrum of the cobbler's children

How can I have the patience to take over 4h to stitch the above, incorporating a carefully selected piece of beach glass, bullion stitches of up to 25 needle wraps, pistil stitch, buttonhole bars, french knots, colonial knots, spider's web, woven wheel and yet not find 20 minutes to repair the hems on two pairs of trousers?  Classic case of cobbler's children.

I love this spring evening light that allows the texture to really show.  My own little Durdle Door on these detail photos.

Precious beach glass at right