Troubling Times

I do hope you are all staying safe in these difficult times. I am sure I am not alone in finding it difficult to sift through the masses of sometimes conflicting advice, plus lack of trust in our government in the UK is not helping, as I really don't believe they know what they are doing. Personally I am quite happy staying at home except for work and grocery shopping (assuming the hoarders have left us anything to buy) but trying to convince my 85 year old mother this is what she should be doing is another matter! If I don't take her out I know she will just get herself a taxi so I would rather it was me driving her to the shops, but then I feel complicit in putting her at risk. I think the sooner we are all told to stay home the easier it will be.

At least I won't be bored if we get put in lock-down... just think of all those unfinished and yet to be started projects. Recently I signed up for a twelve week art program called cvp so I know there will also be plenty of painting to do in the weeks ahead. For the first couple of weeks we have been creating Inspiration boards and looking at our motivation and desires etc. so there's not been any painting yet. So I decided I would tidy up my studio in an effort to clear some space for when the painting starts but in doing so I discovered a basket of my old Lino printing tools along with a couple of pieces of Lino.

An hour or so later I had made several prints and rather than tidy up my studio I had also created more mess... I'm good at that! But I did have fun.

So much fun, that the following day I went back and made another Lino cut, this time basing it on one of my book jacket embroideries.

Today, having run out of Lino I made a small stamp from a sheet of foam and made another little bird print. Don't ask me why I decided to go with the Robin Colouring because I don't know. However what I do know is, that come next Christmas when I decide to make Christmas cards I won't have a clue where I have put this stamp, assuming I even remember making it. 

And the studio has still not been tidied up!

As well as plenty of creative pursuits to keep me busy I also have this ever growing pile of books beside my bed. I think I would quite like some enforced reading time. I've been enjoying the Ruth Galloway novels by Elly Griffiths but I'm trying to alternate them with other books for a bit of variety. I'm also trying not to buy any new books so my reading matter does tend to depend on what I can find in charity shops, borrow from other people or pick up from our village book exchange... although that's probably not a safe activity any more! At the moment I am ready Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. It has the feeling of The Great Gatsby but far more enjoyable in my opinion. I loved his only other book A Gentleman in Moscow too and the story of Count Rostov who is placed under house arrest, unable to leave his hotel is probably rather apt for the circumstances we currently find ourselves. From Goodreads: "Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery." I might just have to read it again.

So yes, there are difficult times ahead for all of us I think, wherever we live, but looking on the bright side not only will I get lots of painting, knitting, sewing, gardening and reading done... I might actually have time to write here more often because I do miss it when I don't!

What are your lock down plans?

A Book Exchange

Back in the summer when I was bemaoning the lack of creativity in my life my blogging friend Lesley threw down a gauntlet and suggested that we might come up with some sort of creative challenge to kick start some activity and get the creative juices flowing. We've a bit of a history of swaps and challenges that started back in 2011 with a postcard swap. We have also exchanged books and prints in the past, both things we enjoy making and so a challenge involving a printed book seemed a good starting point.

During August we both got busy printing sheets of paper which we then made up into books.

I stuck to a palette of black, grey and green and had lots of fun printing a couple of large sheets of paper using a variety of mono printing techniques.

I then tore the sheets into smaller pages which were bound together to make a book.

I used some of the prints to cover the book too and it was a good opportunity to practise some forgotten binding methods.

Then at the begining of September I posted it off  to Lesley and she now has the task of working into the book for three months before returning it to me in January.

And likewise I received a book of prints from Lesley into which I can work.

We can draw, paint, print, collage, cut and stick... anything goes with the original book providing the starting inspiration.

The strong red and black graphic pages of Lesley's book suggested urban landscapes to me and I was thinking buildings and graffiti.

But everytime I picked it up I couldn't get started... until this morning.

Out walking with the dog I was inspired by all the signs of autumn around and especially by a fabulous bush covered in rose hips. So I made a ten minute start into my sketchbook and painted this quick sketch of rose hips, which is not the least bit urban!

I've a lot to do until I send the book back to Lesley in the new year but starting is often the hardest part.

At least that is what I'm telling myself... especially as I've not started that coat yet either!

Being Mysterious!

It's not going to wash with you guys if I tell you it was another crazy week is it? I know, I know... they are all crazy but there really were so many cakes to make over the past seven days that I'm not sure why I thought I was cutting back on the baking. But I was determined to fit in a little bit of art and dug out my gelli plate to do some printing for half an hour one morning.

It has been a while and I was out of practise but soon got the hang of it again.

And sticking to a palatte of blues and greens, in no time at all I had covered a large sheet of paper with a variety of marks.

I have a little challenge going on and these prints may end up as part of something else, they may not. Much will depend on how much time I have this week. Which all sounds very mysterious, but it's not! I just want to wait until I have a finished item that has ended up with its recipient before I show you more.

There has however been some mysterious cake baking and you really will have to wait until later this week before I tell you more about that too... It has all to do with the new series of the Great British Bake Off which returns to our screens this Tuesday on Chanel 4. And no, I'm not on the show but I have had a sneak preview and it is looking really good - a seamless transfer from the BBC in fact. The show is exactly the same with a diverse mix of lovely contestants, a signature bake, a technical challenge and a show stopper. And the new presenters are great. Noel Fielding is the surprise wild card but he is very funny and works well with Sandi Toksvig. And Pru Leith has stepped quite comfortably into Mary Berry's shoes.

So as I can't show you my surprise bake just yet I'll leave you with this one instead... and should I forget to show you what I baked you might just see it on Chanel 4 on Thursday evening. Maybe!

Play Time

My head seems all over the place at the moment... At the moment? Who am I kidding, I seem to have spent most of my adult life feeling like this. Too many differents things going on and too many things pulling me in different directions. Piles of stuff that need sorting out, deadlines to meet... and endless paperwork.

 

 

I'm finding it hard to focus on one thing or another and as I result I feel that I don't focus on anything very well... and all this goes on against the backdrop of usual family dramas ranging from panic attacks to flat batteries! (Neither of them mine I might add)

 

I'm not entirely sure what the answer is. There is nothing obvious I can give up or change so instead I'm trying to work in my sketchbooks... just a little each day. Nothing mind blowing or ground breaking... but just doing.

 

Last week at Spectrum we did mono printing so I've been cutting and sticking some of my images and making nice pages.

 

Taking time out from all the things that have to be done...

 

Time out to play.

Seven Prints

Well eight prints really but I'll come to that in a minute... The seven of us involved in the print exchange organised by Lesley have now all finished and posted our prints and I can share with you the complete set.

 

 

John's print (John doesn't have a blog) is "Anoher Place" based on the Anthony Gormley sculptures on Crosby Beach. I'm not sure how he has achieved it but I know I like it very much!

 

Anna made a beautiful delicate screen print called "Cow Parsley"

 

Fiona's striking graphic print is called "Imagine Peace". It is a lino print that Fiona has handcoloured with watercolour and ink.

 

Jane made a wonderful digital print from vintage postcards called "Eight Views of Pisa". It was the first to arrive and immediately transported me to Italy!

 

Jac's print is an etching of copper sulphate on aluminium using a mixture of traditional and mixed media resists. I don't even begin to understand what that means or how it is achieved but I love the results.

 

Lesley sent this beautiful collagraph print overlaid with a thermofax screen with the addition of a hand cut bee. I know she had one or two problems with her original idea but I think it is charming.

 

And true to her ever generous spirit Lesley made me this special extra print when I was in the midst of my bake off... which is why I have ended up with eight prints. I think it is brilliant and this one will be framed for my kitchen wall.

 

And of course finally is my own collagraph. This swap has been a joy - it was a pleasure to make and send the prints and also such a pleasure to receive them all, each one so unique and special in its own way. I think I will bind my set of seven prints together into a book so that I can keep them all together to remind me of this delightful exchange. Thank you Lesley for organising it.

 

And before I go I should mention the winner of one of my spare prints... I got my random number generator (i.e. Stewart) to pick a number, which happened to be seven and then counted down the comments to the seventh one... which happened to be Heather. Your print is on it's way Heather and I hope it feels like a suitable thank you as you have long been a follower of my blog.

Tear Lay Cut

I've just had a wonderful, inspiring yet exhausting in-service weekend with The Textile Study Group. It hasn't been the best weekend to be away... tough family times again... and I almost didn't go, but I'm glad I did. It was a "Working Together" weekend called "Tear Cut Lay"with Ruth Issett and Bobby Britnell.

 

 

We were split into two groups and I started the weekend with Ruth, painting papers. We were limited to two colours and despite what it looks like in the photo abaove I was working with magenta and turquoise.

 

We then monoprinted more paper and working within a scale of four inch squares we tore, cut and layered the papers.

 

All the time limiting ourselves to horizontal and vertical lines.

Some pieces evolved into three dimensions.

 

Then after tea on Saturday the two groups swapped tutors and I spent the rest of the weekend with Bobby. We went from working with colour to drawing and mark making in black and white.

 

Before combining all the techniques and arranging the resulting squares in different ways to tell different stories.

 

Finally we put together a resolved piece and I combined a selection of my squares onto a background drawing... unfortnately the photo is somewhat wonky and out of focus... but it is too late in the day to take another. I'm hoping now I'll be able to take this forward into textiles.

 

Tonight is the last chance to win a copy of my limited edition print... Just leave a comment on this post... and next time I'm here I'll announce a winner.

Print Exchange

I have recently been involved in a fun exchange organised by Lesley... of limited edition prints.

Now I am not a printmaker by any stretch of the imagination so this was quite a challenge, but after going through a lot of ideas that were then rejected mostly on the basis of I didn't have a clue how to do them I decided on a collagraph. A couple of years ago I did quite a bit of work on daisies resulting in a some embroideries and so I took this monoprint from my sketchbook at the time as a source of inspiration.

 

 

With the collagraph plate prepared, a couple of Saturdays ago I set aside a day for printing. Frustration struck almost immediately as I tried to get something with a little more colour than this. After several unsuccessful attempts I was getting to the stage where I was starting to think I needed to buy more paper, but then I decided to change from the ink I was using to oil paints.

 

This was better although now the prints were coming out too dark...

 

Eventually I managed to print an edition of nine prints of which I was moderately happy and six of them are now safely arrived with the other members of the print swap .

 

I've only ever attempted collagraphs once before but as then, I almost prefer the plate after printing to the actual prints.

 

As there were a total of seven of us taking part in the exchange that means I have a couple of spare prints left from the edition so I thought I might give one away on here as a thank you to everyone who continues to read and follow my blog... there wouldn't be much point without you! So leave me a comment by Sunday 9th June to let me know if you would like to win a print and I'll pick out a winner.

 

Not all of the other prints have arrived yet as some participants have been away but when I've got the full set I'll show you them all. It's been a lovely exchange (if a little nerve wracking) so thank you Lesley. I've really enjoyed it.