calicostitch

2011-11-07T19:09:00.003Z

This is the work that I sold during the Perthshire Open Studios. It is another in the series of pieces in the continuing exploration of masons' marks and I was very pleased that someone liked it enough to buy. I have another, larger, piece on the go but before I pick that up again I have another piece that I am doing for Wendy and Joel, my cousin Rosemary's daughter and her new husband. A wedding present and I really must get on with it. I have done it using the same techniques of hand stitch on linen, in linen yarns and some Indian rayon, but intend including a drawn stitch orchid. I must remember to take my drawing in to college on Wednesday to photocopy and then I can transfer it to the background by James Hunting's technique of stitch single strand couching through silk organza before picking away the organza to reveal - if it all goes well - the drawing.

I'll post an image soon.

time - that elusive thing

2011-11-03T20:33:00.000Z

Once more I've let several months go by without any news - my apologies. Most of the recent months have been taken up with the move into the new college at Gardyne, not without its challenges I think is the best way to describe it. However I feel we are starting to get the physical space with all its problems to work for us. The rooms are very much smaller than we were used to which is an issue when teaching a practical subject, but there is nothing we can do other than get it to work for us. I think the biggest problem is the new teaching model which means that it is hard to meet up with colleagues for a coffee break or lunch as everyone is working different hours. I realise we are employed to teach but a part of what makes the experience meaningful for us is the camaraderie that forms when creative people get together. Still........time will tell.

Early in September Ossie, Jim and I participated in Perthshire Open Studios out at Jim's house at Longforgan. He has built a lovely gallery cum workspace and it showed our work off very well. The Open Studios event ran for a week and throughout Perthshire there were dozens of artists who opened their studios to the public. Everyone who came to our event was very complimentary and both Ossie and I sold work.

I had produced two new pieces for the Open Studios and Ossie had a beautiful new painting as well. His new painting was quite haunting, really beautiful and I'm really pleased that he sold it. So what next? Well, I have a piece that I must finish for my cousin's daughter's wedding present - it's on its way but not quite finished. And then I'd like to move my palette to reflect the colours of Qutub Minar in Delhi. The stone there is a lovely soft yet rich colour and although is mostly red sandstone when you look at individual stones there are many subtle tones there which I think I can do something with.

That then is my plan. Just need to get on with it. Same old, same old!!!

a break after some gardening

2011-05-19T16:24:00.000+01:00

It's been a busy spell. I taught a few Embroiderers' Guild workshops in the weeks leading up to the Easter holidays and then since then it has been all go at college as we had the exhibition and then the fashion show. At the same time, I welcomed a group from South Delhi Polytechnic for Women, Bela, Jyotika, Kanya and Aranya, to Dundee College last week. Their visit is the last to take place as part of the Ukieri Jute project that both our colleges have been enjoying for the last two years. More about their visit later.

However during the Easter holidays S and I went to Vietnam for twelve days which was wonderful. This was a holiday postponed from a couple of years ago so we were both really looking forward to going. The plan was to start in Hanoi for a couple of nights, then Ha Long bay, fly to Hue and Hoi An and end up in Saigon, or HCM City, although everyone seems still to refer to it by its traditional name.

I loved it all but I was absolutely fascinated by Saigon. It reminded me of Singapore over 30 years ago and I hope that as they develop the city they don't loose that aspect of its charm that is so attractive to travellers. It helped that it was a tropical climate - I love tropical evenings - but I have to admit to be fascinated by the remnants of the Vietnam war that was going on during my teens and twenties. It just brought the reality of the war, in a geographical sense, to life. Absolutely fascinating.

So there was colour in the form of Vietnamese silk, clothes and beautiful lanterns, tastes of the food and the smells of incense in the temples. So much to see in a country full of variety and diversity and the people are lovely. If you have an urge to visit - go. It's brilliant. I'll post some images soon.

time flies

2011-03-24T20:24:00.000Z

Last weekend I was in Glasgow with the 232 Group teaching a Design development course which was good fun. I felt pretty tired by the time I got home but I think the group were pleased with their 2 days - at least that was the impression from their feedback. I really enjoy these workshops. Most commonly the participants are eager to learn and enthusiastic and the results are always exciting. It is always a fascination to give a group of people the same instructions and materials and the results are as varied as the number of people on the course.

These are some of the finished designs. I like to try and encourage students to move away from working in a regular format and not be scared of taking a pair of scissors, in a positive way, to their work. It is interesting to watch the look of horror as I suggest this! However they usually agree that changing the proportions or cropping to a particular area can make quite a difference to a design. They did well.

the geometry of beings opening.wmv

2010-08-07T20:29:00.000+01:00

where does the time go?

2009-11-26T19:41:00.001Z

These are the results of the workshop down at Burnbrae the weekend before last. It was good and I was looked after very well by Pat and Sam. The students seemed to enjoy their weekend and produced quite a lot. Each day Pat produced a lovely bowl of soup and lunch for everyone and the chat around the table was lively. I was pretty tired driving home on the Sunday but I got in just before 6pm, got the car unloaded and made myself a cup of tea. Since then I have been down to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Harrogate which was pretty good. Absolutely mobbed of course - goodness knows how many people were there. It was almost impossible to move in places as people stopped to admire traders' stalls or watch demonstrations. And then there were the exhibitions which were terrific - too many names to mention but worth going to see.

Back at college this week and trying to get the HNC Fashion students finished the unit I have been teaching. Last night I attended the College Prize Giving to see Judy and Ryan receive their Ian McMillan Prize and Vivienne, Susan, Morven, Peter and another student whose name I can't remember as I sit here, receive the other prizes awarded to fashion and textile students last year.

Tomorrow Simon and I are off to Preston to see daughter Jill for a couple of days.

and so it goes on........

Takuhon

2009-11-13T08:23:00.006Z

As you can see from these photos taking pictures of my Takuhon prints is not easy. Lighting is critical and I quickly took these to try and convey the 'subtlety' of the marks. I think you will see in the first one, which was the corner of a large memorial placque and much more deeply carved, how they will look. As long as I get the lighting right. Hmmmmm. They are pure white by the way not as creamy as they appear here. Off to teach at Burnbrae this weekend so I had better get on.

coffee time

2009-11-06T10:35:00.003Z

taking a break with a cup of coffee and thought I would tell about another process I have been introduced to by Annis McHugh of Dundee Print Studio a few weeks ago. It is the ancient Chinese/Japanese art of Takuhon. I had never heard of it but as traditionally it was used to produce prints of stone it seemed absolutely perfect for my purposes. I haven't taken any photographs of the actual prints yet as lighting is a bit of an issue, but I am including a photograph taken in the church of the prints lying in the sun as the drying process finished.

Takuhon is a process that anyone can try as it only involves long fibre silk paper, a water spray, I had a domestic or plant spray bottle filled with water, and a brush to stipple the paper on to the stone. I was a little anxious in case anyone at the church objected to me doing this but as it only involves a light spray of water there is no chance of damaging the stonework at all. However now that St Athernase is closed to passing visitors for the winter I will need to phone and make an appointment to visit if I want, and I would like to do more, and explain what I am doing.

Before I went I tore my sheet of Tosa Shoji paper into 5" squares with other pieces slightly bigger. I went in to the church and discovered a visiting couple so I settled myself in a corner and started to place my squares on the wall, spraying and stippling until the little squares were dotted about the wall looking for all the world like sticking plasters. It didn't take long until the man came over and asked what I was doing, intrigued by this strange woman patting paper on the wall! They seemed interested in my explanation. I think.

As well as the small squares I also tried it on a monumental wall plaque with some odd pieces of paper where the depth of moulding was far greater than the more subtle masons' marks of my stones. I allowed the paper to almost dry on the wall before carefully peeling them off and laying them on the carpet to dry - the sun was streaming in to the church that day. I am really pleased with what I ended up with and after the trip to York when I discovered that Norman churches were covered in white plaster with red marks (see last post) I am going to try stitching a red mark on the paper and see how I get on. Then there is the question of how I am going to display them as lighting is crucial to get the effect of the marks. Something to think about. I'll try to take some photographs to show you the effect.

Back to work.........

where does the time go?

2009-11-04T19:22:00.005Z

I have been busy despite no recent posts but tonight I am including a couple of images from a piece I have been working on recently. I started by dyeing the calico turquoise and then began to add some printed texture with Thermofax screens, blocks and anything really that gave me the marks I was looking for. I have a box of various plastic bits that I use for classes, as well as myself, to add specific but non representational marks to a background. I added some, a very little, painted Bondaweb and a couple of pieces of inkjet printed fabric, in this case organdie, with an image of old calligraphy and tissue paper which I created on card and when the colour was dry scanned into the computer before printing it onto organdie. So far the stitch has been quite simple running stitch, stem stitch and James' special stitch but it is giving me the texture and marks I am looking for. I hope you can see what I have done so far. This week I have started to add some hand quilting stitches - in horizontal rows - and I know Judy and Christine will be laughing!

I recently had a trip to York and the National Quilt Museum to give a talk on edge - textile artists scotland. What a lovely resource it is. All the staff were extremely helpful and there was just a lovely atmosphere there. At present the main exhibition is Turkey Red which was very interesting but I was there to speak about the work of edge that is in the lesser hall and looks very well in the space. The museum is well worth a visit. Another exhibition I went to see while I was in York was the Japanese Sashiko Textiles which is on at York Art Gallery until the early New Year when it transfers to the Collins Gallery in Glasgow so I will be going to see it again as that exhibition is wonderful. I think it must have been seeing those straight lines in the Sado Sashiko textiles that inspired me to use some quilting on this current piece.

I managed to have a look in York Minster when I was down in York. I was interested to see the masons' marks there and was directed to the Undercroft where the Norman remains of the church that predates the Gothic Minster we see today are located. And I discovered an interesting fact! Norman churches of the period were often covered in white plaster and red lines painted on to delineate masonry blocks. Amazing! This could give me another element to incorporate into my work.

As well as the red-lined plaster I heard the massive organ play - WOW. What a volume of sound. Incredible.

Just when I am trying to complete some pieces I seem to be getting more work at college. Shouldn't complain of course and I do enjoy working with the students but I want to sit and work on these current pieces. I hope the photographs are good enough to see what I am talking about although I took them before I had done much stitching..

rainy day

2009-09-04T12:02:00.006+01:00

Well I know that Scotland is regarded as being wet but I do not remember rain such as we have had over the last 30 hours. As I write I am listening to BBC radio describing flooding further north from me where people have had to move out of their houses which must be awful. However despite being forced to stay indoors yesterday I did not make best use of my day at home. I find it really hard to motivate myself when the rain is falling and the skies are dark. I need sun, sun, sun.

Anyway I'm back today and trying to be a little bit more productive. Since I posted the last image I have completed another piece to a point, as before, where I want to leave it and live with it for a while before I make final decisions about it. I will post images for you, a detail plus the full piece. The main fabric is linen and the piece at the end is calico and has been printed with the same marks, and indeed colour, as my large screen print. I think I need to add some stitch on that area to add texture, but we will see. I have used the same range of colour as the last images I posted. The stitch is mostly single strand couching which is then wrapped with linen thread. The circular 'spots' were worked using an Indian rayon stranded which comes in wonderful colours, both bright and more subtle, but it is the sheen that I love. I like the contrast between linen background and these shiny threads which I use mostly in a single strand.

Back at college two weeks now but the students started this week so the routine is set now for the next few months. I had hoped to get back into the print studio this week but have had a few issues trying to sort out part of the image for the next print. I have some elements but I would like to include a drawing of part of my subject matter to act as a foil to the stone marks.I'll maybe manage to resolve that before the next visit to the studio.

Last week I also started working on another piece which has been developed from a drawing I did earlier in the summer. I would like to embellish some fabric into it and make it quite rich texturally but I also don't want to lose the colour and print I have put on the fabric. I'll add an image next time but thank you to Love Stitching Red for kind comments.

end of the month

2009-08-29T09:22:00.004+01:00

Well August has gone - more or less - and it is some time since I looked at this blog. I am back at work and had a visit to the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham last week which was very exciting. Although I have not posted recently I have been working on my masons' marks work and will add an image here of something that is nearly finished. There is a little I want to do to it before I say it is absolutely finished but I will let you see what I've done so far. I am including two details of the whole piece. Anne and I have continued to go to the print studio at DCA and two weeks ago I printed onto fabric which was interesting. I just used the same printing inks that I have used on paper because the results will not be laundered but the print studio has the textile medium to add to the paint which I may use another time. I have been preparing and thinking about my next print while I've been doing other things and think I have sorted out what I'm going to do. Time will tell.

Last night I worked on one of the large designs I did earlier in the summer and so far it looks ok - I think. I've used fabric I dyed and added colour by printing stamping and stencilling to recreate the paper design I did. Still some decisions to be made about it and I am going to add some hand stitch this afternoon.

I suppose seeing some of the lovely quilts down at the Festival is making me think about maybe treating this piece as a quilt - I can hear my students laugh - but again that is a decision for another time.

Anyway I'm off for now.

2009-08-10T11:56:00.006+01:00

Well here is the finished print. I like the composition, I like the colours but I'm mad with myself about the font I used because I feel that it looks as if it is smudged. It is a font called 'Diesel' which I like but I must remember that at the size I have used it in this print it comes out looking smudged. So I suppose it is a question of constantly gaining knowledge through experience. I think I will use the font again but it will need to be in a bigger size so that it is quite obvius that the little tails on some of the letters are meant to be there.

Before my next visit to the print studio I have one or two jobs to do to prepare for the next print and that is what I will be doing this afternoon. With images and tissue paper I want to make a 'surface' to scan into the computer and then adjust the contrast before I print it out onto acetate. The image has to be dark so that it is picked up in the exposing phase of the process and then adjustments made at the printing stage with colour.

I have decided to concentrate on an A4 size print for this next one. Again it will use marks that I found at St Athernase Church, Leuchars so the content will be similar to this print.

more printing

2009-08-04T14:32:00.003+01:00

Well I learned something today when I was printing at DCA print studio. If you choose to use a font make sure it is big enough to read afterward! The other thing to watch is that the squeegee has a sharp edge and work fast. I did the last of these but am slightly disappointed with how the script has turned out - especially as things had been going well enough - as it is quite a small font and because of its style I think it will look as if I have smudged. Ah well - it's a learning process I suppose each time. Anyway I have managed to print another 3 separations today and have only 1 left, the little angel, and we are booked in to do that on Friday. Then it will be cleaning off the screens and starting with the next design. I think next one will be A4 size and I have an idea what I am going to do.

a quiet weekend

2009-08-02T14:29:00.005+01:00

Yesterday's weather was variable to say the least so in between doing other things around the house I worked on a piece of photo transfer printing I did a couple of weeks ago which at the time I didn't feel worked very well. I've been reading the book "Paper & Metal Leaf Lamination" by Claire Benn, Jane Dunnewold & Leslie Morgan and have really enjoyed it. I like the process and since that first effort have tried another couple of times. But it always seems a pity to discard any less than perfect effort because they offer the chance to 'play' with different ideas. That is what I did yesterday and here is a full length shot and a detail of the result. The piece of white watercolour paper with the hand stitches near the top was too long I felt and so it is now slightly shorter although I do like it hanging over the edge a bit. I think I have always liked areas being slightly outside the main square or rectangle, to break down the obvious frame of the piece.

Anyway here are yesterday's efforts. I intend adding stitch and see where it goes. I may never use it but who can tell. Not quite sure why the photographs are not level but
I hope you can still see well enough.

making prints

2009-07-31T16:49:00.003+01:00

I've had such a good day. Recently I joined Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre's print studio which has just the most amazing facilities and this morning my friend Anne Skinner and I spent some time printing some separations of a screen printed image. It's a long time since I learned to screen print but over the last while I have felt myself drawn back to a process that I really used to enjoy. A short refresher course at DCA has set me up to continue to learn the new techniques available to the screen printer but it is the process and the pleasure of seeing what you have printed when you lift the screen that never fails to give an enormous pleasure.

My subjects are still taken from the masons' marks from St Athernase Church but for this print I have included a poem by Anna Akhmatova call "Solitude" which I really like and a quick drawing I did a couple of years ago of a plant. It is a long process - no quick fix here - but very satisfying and when you have good company and conversations with people the time just flies. I didn't realise that it was after 2pm and Simon was waiting for me in the car park - the time had disappeared - and had he not reminded me he was there I would have maybe still been there! Another time I will take photos as I go through the process but those who know what is involved will agree I am sure that it is very satisfying.

I should have taken a photograph to post with this but maybe I would be better waiting until it is finished before I do that.

summer days

2009-07-30T08:28:00.005+01:00

I have been quite busy over the last few weeks. After a lot of thought I decided back in February that although I love going to the Scottish Branches of the Embroiderers' Guild summer school at Stirling this year I would take the time to build up a body of work based on a theme - something I have wanted to do for a while. So that is what I'm doing. The summer break from college gives me the chance to spend time working on ideas and trying things that I don't always allow myself to do after a day's work. That's going to change though! I'm thinking a lot of the time about things I could do and have produced several samples that I think I can work up into pieces.

So my theme? When I was at school and doing Higher Art my teacher who was very inspirational with his knowledge of art history used to tell us about this lovely little church not many miles away from us which was a perfect example of Romanesque architecture. Years have passed and I had never visited the church, St Athernase, Leuchars, until last year and was really struck by the beautiful marks on some of these ancient stones. So while I am looking at Masons' Marks I am not meaning the signature marks which are a whole area of interest in themselves, but the marks made by the stonemason's chisel as he prepared the stone for putting into the wall. Textiles waiting to happen!

So that is what I am doing. I'll miss the chat and social aspect of the summer school but I'll go next year. In the meantime, I'm working on my project and who knows where it will take me.

into the New Year

2009-01-24T14:45:00.001Z

a belated Happy New Year to everyone. I can't believe that we are already three weeks into January and I am only now getting down to adding to my blog. I put it down to the nasty virus I picked up in between Christmas and New Year which I have only felt rid of this week. What have you all been doing?

Back again

2008-11-16T10:56:00.006Z

hi everyone. It's been so long since I added to this blog that I have almost forgotten what to do. However I am going to make an effort to get back into this because I did enjoy it at the time. So much has happened since my last post, not all of it of interest to anyone other than me, but I will start by adding some images of work I have done for this year's book swap. Then maybe about some work I have been working on over the last year and had in an exhibition in Edinburgh recently. So to my friends I hope you are all well and I'll make a start.

khussa shoes

2007-10-13T19:09:00.001+01:00

This is the last page I have to do for our groups' book exchange, one of four pages I have done for this book. The subject of the book was shoes and I decided to base my contribution on the khussa shoes which are worn by Indian and Pakistani women. When we were in Amritsar in the north of India, home of the Sikh faith, I saw many shops selling these colourful, embroidered and jewelled shoes in every colour. In an area that has seen so much turmoil and suffered a lot at the time of Partition, it was amazing to see these shoes. The colours of India are amongst my abiding memories of our holiday - every colour under the sun and in every combination - and the shoes encapsulate that aspect of the country.

I started by painting strong blocks of colour on to calico, printing with various grids to create a printed texture then 'drew' the shoes with a machine stitch. After that I hand stitched some details with Indian rayon thread which has a wonderful silky lustre and bound the 'page' with plain and hand dyed calico. I'll be handing the book to its owner, Mona, this week at the end of what has been an interesting year's project. I'd definitely do it again and thinking about it I think I have gained in other ways too. Doing the books has helped establish more of a rhythm to doing art work. Apart from my teaching I sometimes have found that I work in spurts, usually to satisfy an exhibition deadline rather than on a daily basis. I am trying to establish that habit without beating myself up if there are patches when I don't meet that aim. My work in these books has not just been stitch, in fact they have rarely been stitch. I have more commonly used mixed media techniques which I really enjoy. So at times it has been more painterly than I normally work.

So, finally, I would recommend the idea to a group of people who want to work together. It has been great fun and I will tell you about our final meeting after the end of the month.

2007-10-06T15:20:00.001+01:00

This week I have been working on the last pages I will contribute to the book swap and as the subject of the book is shoes I have been playing about with oil pastels and Koh-i-noor dyes and trying to get the lovely bright colours and jewels of khussa shoes into the work. I always find that it takes a few months after a big trip before I start to see the influences of the place beginning to show. If you have been to India you will know how over-powering the colours are. Every shade under the sun and all in the most amazing combinations that we would shy clear of but because of the blue sky and the sun it is wonderful. I loved India for the attack on my senses - the colours, the scents of sandalwood and rose, and the sounds of - well everything really. While we were there we spent an amazing day at a small town near Jaipur where the main/only industry is block printing and paper making. It was fascinating to watch and see the vast areas of cloth laid out on the sand drying and fixing in the baking sun.

book exchange ATCs

2007-09-30T14:26:00.000+01:00

These are my ATCs for a year long project that I have been involved with this year. The idea was Sheila Paterson's of Edinburgh and twelve of us have been involved. We each had to chose a theme/subject for a book, make the covers and select paper for the pages and decorate 2 or 3 pages. Then we passed them on and did 2 or 3 pages of someone else's book, always taking up their chosen theme but interpreting the pages however we wanted. So each month we had a different book, different format, different theme and it has been really good fun. Over the year we have met up two or three times and will be getting together at the end of Oct for the final time with this project. My own book was arches and I got my book back this week. It is amazing to see the variety of ideas and I'm hoping to post some of the pages soon.
The subject of the book these ATCs are for is tiles & tesselations and I have chosen the idea, fanciful no doubt, of the cards that Mumtaz Mahal would have carried around. So the designs are based on a theme that I have been thinking about since our holiday to India this year, but the tile reference is in the repeated shape. I intend putting them into my Flickr album so have a look.

Calico cat

2007-09-26T19:00:00.001+01:00

This is Cali and she is one of the two cats who live with us. We have had her for nearly 18 months and she is about 5 years old. She looks very serene in this photo and most of the time that is how she is but since Millie came to stay - Millie being Jill's cat - she has shown strong territorial instincts unseen until now. I live in the hope that the two of them will learn to tolerate each other and not have the occasional hissing spats that we are seeing just now.

hand in day

2007-09-24T18:13:00.001+01:00

This is the second piece of work that is going into the Dundee Collective exhibition in Dundee's Queens Gallery. It is entitled Sense of Place 2. I took both my pieces down to the gallery this afternoon after work. There were pieces all over the place - paintings, drawings, sculptures - and my two little textile bits. Exhibition opens on Saturday 29 September and is on for a couple of weeks.

Sense of place 1

2007-09-24T08:08:00.001+01:00

a steep learning curve!

2007-09-23T15:13:00.000+01:00

I have spent a while today trying to get two images on my new blog. Success at last so I hope you like them and if you are in the area will go to see the exhibition. It promises to be a good one with several well known local artists exhibiting in many different media.

first time blogger

2007-09-22T15:55:00.000+01:00

I'm having a quiet day on my own and indulging myself - doing what I want, when I want. Simon is back at work in Singapore, Ben is on holiday with Susie in Kos and Jill started university last week in Preston so it is just me and two warring, occasionally, cats. I have been mounting two small pieces of work that I have done for a collaborative exhibition that opens next week in the Queen's Gallery here in Dundee. I think it will be a good exhibition so I would recommend a visit!