Forgive me internet, for I have sinned...........

….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.

 

 

 

 

 

' The computer says no……."

….well, at least my bank's computer said no this week, requiring a trip to central London, a 45 minute phone call with an adviser who wasn't even in the branch, and then a witnessed signature.  Who thought saving money could be so complex?  Any way, using my train ticket to full advantage, I went to Bexleyheath, in Kent, to visit a quilt exhibition at Danson House, and then a short walk to William Morris' home,  Red House.  I am so glad I went as both of these venues are well worth the effort.

First, " Things We Do in Bed" a quilt exhibition curated by the author, Tracey Chevalier.  This is a really beautiful house and the exhibition. although small had several pieces from some of my favourite quilt artists

Sara Impey

Karina Thompson, ( whose work I loved at the exhibition at Saltaire) 

Becky Knight, this photo doesn't do this piece justice at all, as the inclusions in each pocket are pebbles

Grayson Perry

the stitchers of Fine Cell Work

with a lovely tea shop, looking out on to the ornamental lake, this exhibition is well worth a visit.  Besides the quilts, the house has a wonderful oval staircase, gorgeous hand blocked wallpaper, and terrific carpets, replicas woven in Hungary and in the UK.

The exhibition is on until 31 October.

A short walk away, is William Morris architectural adventure, Red House.  I found it thrilling to walk around the lovely garden and know that Morris and his family had lived there.

An added bonus is a joint project between the National Trust and the Slade School of Fine Art.  Artists are visiting in short residencies, working in an intriguing, tar-papered, wooden temporary structure n the gardens, built by Kieren Reed.

A fantastic day.

 

24h of inspiration

A great London 24h again, starting off with a performance of Dracula in dance at Wilton's Music Hall, a very atmospheric venue for this production.  The focus on this photo was affected by the clouds of dry ice vapour.

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The dancing was really inventive, and the experience was enhanced by sitting next to 2 young men who attended the performance dressed up as Dracula.

Next day, a tortuous journey up to Alexandra Palace, to the Knitting and Stitching Show.  

Blue moon in the sky?

Well worth the trip,especially to see: the quilted coracle; several of the  winners from Festival of Quilts; quietly embroideries from Tilleke Schwarz; the paintings, embroideries and quilt from the collaborative work of Nicola Jarvis and May Morris.  The 3D embroidered pieces of anatomy by Sally Hewett were intriguing and uncomfortable at the same time.

With my thread supplies replenished, finished off with an hour in the National Portrait Gallery to see the exhibition of portraits by Laura Knight, and wonderful contemporary portraits by Jonathan Yeo and Dean Marsh.

Inspiration from dedication

(Image from saint johnsbible.org)

 A visit to St Martin's in the Fields this week for a candlelit concert led to an unexpected treat, in a viewing of some reproduction pages from the St John's Bible.  I am not religious, so this could be a well-known project in the Christian community, but it was new to me.  Hand-lettered, with quill pens on vellum, and illustrated with pigments used in medieval manuscripts. The reproduction pages on paper are absolutely breathtaking, both the calligraphy and the illustrations, so the originals , on vellum, must be startlingly vivid.

Many artists collaborated on this project and I am particularly struck by the pages by Suzanne Moore, combining text with image.  It is possible to look through the bible on line but the colours are a pale imitation of reality.  

If you are in Trafalgar Square, it is worth going in to see the East window, a remarkable piece of art by female artist,  Shirazeh Houshiary,  and to visit the great cafe in the crypt.

From thought to research to sketch to research to stitch

I really enjoy reading about the process textile artists go through to get from the initial idea through to a finished piece. I am becoming more disciplined in recording my source of inspiration, process and how this leads to the final piece.

Reading recently about the new stained glass in Sagrada Familia has coincided with a request for a fabric postcard on the theme of windows.


This led to more reading about the designer, Joan Vila-Grau and the maker, J M Bonet .

From there to a very simplified sketch, also trying out some of the shading techniques from "Drawing and Design for Embroidery, a course for the fearful"


Using some of the screen printed fabric from last term ( Manutex with Procion P painted directly on the screen) led to this



I'm happy with the final card, but the colours of the fabric appeared more vivid before outlining with the black stitch, perhaps this would have been better in a dark grey, or indeed not done at all.