From Where I Sit: Stories from Within

Armchair Travel series: Plover

I got most of my work to the Albury LibraryMuseum Tuesday morning.  Of course it had to be raining!  But there was a window of time to get my works out of the car and inside.  Phew!  But I didn't cross stich my earworm QR code!   Not enough time.   (see previous post for more about that)

I completed a series of 15 works based on armchair travel for this exhibition.   It is a series of travel adventures conducted entirely at home.  These small works reflect Ireading and travel through written and visual media when I couldn;t travel.  Instead, I read travelled through words, TV and film documentaries and travelogues

Its all exciting to actually see the works being sorted and going up.   Other than my two solo shows which I self installed I haven't seen a big exhibition go up.  Emma Williams, the curator, is being challenged by the large number of  3D items that need to fit into a largely 2D space.  But she is a whizz and its coming together.

Playing and filling the empty creative well

Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it.   
Andy Warhol

After exhibition exhaustion has crept in.  And a few weekends away haven’t helped.

I have spent way too long trying to tidy my workspace and completing a work for the Margaret Oppen competition (Embroiderers’ Guild NSW)  and now I have began to play.  

I’m not much interested in doing anything too serious.  All the things I put off for the last six months are on the table.  

Polymer clay earrings

I have pulled out my polymer clay and fired up the toaster oven and made some jewellery.

I looked through all that crewel wool and started some simple meditative stitching.   I am a few stitches away from completing a panel.   I think it will become a cushion.

Bargello in browns and greens

I have heaps crewel wool so another is planned.   This one will be a palette of blue greys and planned a little more rather than the serendipity of just grabbing a colour and stitching with it.

And yes, there are projects in the wings.   I am thinking about a small body of work for a joint exhibition with several felters in the middle of next year.  As the primary focus of these textile workers is wool the aforesaid cushions may end up being part of that exhibition.   Or they may end up on my couch.  Time will tell 😊.

I have postponed finishing/starting/making some soft sculpted dolls and have a “Sweet Alice” pattern printed out begging to be made.   The pattern has been shared by doll artist Sharon Mitchell on her Facebook group Cloth Doll Crafters.  I have been a member for quite a while and enjoy seeing what people create.   Now I’m going to indulge myself. 

Cloth over air dry clay

And I have a rabbit head sculpted in air dry clay that has been waiting for a body for 12 months.   His time has come.   I have missed doll making.   Yes some of them are cheesy but so much fun.  Doll making involves practising observational skills, thinking in 3D, painting, sculpting, fabric , found objects and stitching - just about everything that floats my boat.

The balance of this year is going to be play.  But play with a purpose.   Whilst playing I am thinking about future works.   I will use the play as a way to sample/process some ideas.   

Some polymer clay jewellery WIP - just to show I venture past black and white !

There are four local exhibitions and/or competitions I want to enter next year.  And I would like to continue exploring bees in fibre art form with perhaps another exhibition.  But not till mid 2021 .  Lol.    I did learn some lessons about over extending myself this year.

I have been negotiating with a public gallery towards a group exhibition in 2022!  Yes, that’s miles away but galleries plan so far in advance it is absolutely imperative to plan ahead.

And did I mention I am so excited to be going to the Contemporary Craft Retreat at Canberra in October and a mosaic play weekend with my sister at Moulemien in November.  Yep.  Its all happening!  I'm filling those wells of inspiration with activity.  And there will be one last hurrah to Sydney to catch up with fellow artists and collect my Off the Beaten Track works after they bump out of the last exhibition space there.

A wrap of of 2017 dolls and stitching and tutor recommendations :-)

Well its 2018 and I am back in the saddle after 2 months of no posts.   But in the interim I have been busy travelling and stitching and doll making.  

In late October 2017 I went to the ContemporaryCraft Retreat at Canberra and did a workshop with Bobbi Oliver – a doll maker from the Central Coast NSW.   I highly recommend her – she is generous in her skill sharing.   After two days I came away with “Mago” – a fixed doll with wired, padded and wrapped armature and sculpted polymer clay head and hands.   I was chuffed.

I also did a class with Lex Sorrentino using Makins Clay.   Lex always  seems to comes up with techniques I want to try.    In Lex's  workshop  we made a  hollow fish form - the wire armature was covered with Makin's and partially covered- a bit zombie like.   

Zombie Fish WIP

November was a busy month.

I made the plunge and exhibited a selection of works at the  Albury Horicultural Show.  And was staggered to be awarded  Best of Show.   I entered a painting, a paverpol Llama, some stitchery and a cloth doll and a small mixed media doll.

I travelled to Swan Hill Vic and lead a Paverpol weekend with 9 ladies at a CWA craft retreat.   We made bandaged birds, a small person form and a larger lady.   It was bags of fun.  They were a great bunch of women to spend a weekend with 😊

Circque de Soliel inspired girl - yet to be named

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Pietro - my medieval inspired boy

At the end of November and early December I had a catch up with some girlfriends at the Gold Coast and we had a crafty few days with doll maker Susie McMahon.   We sculpted faces with Creative Paperclay and after three intense days had completed a cloth doll with a paperclay face mask and sculpted a full head with a shoulder plate. Susie's technique included covering the sculpted face with cloth.  As a textile junkie I really like this look.  Susie was generous in sharing her moulds and I also came home with a baby face mask and a child face mask.    

Lots of learning and lots of fun.  I am in love with the other worldliness of these two dolls and will make more in the format.  Susie will travel to conduct classes and I highly recommend her to you.   

Add to this mix a workshop with textile artist and tutor Sue Senewiratne (and sequin lady extraordinaire) where we sampled and sewed sequins in a Bollywood Bling style.    Sue loaded her car up and travelled 4 hours up the highway from Melbourne to Albury with an amazing selection of sequins, braids and beads.   Her workshop instructions included a number of Indian style motifs.   I was so enthused I did another two motifs and a sampler in the next few weeks.   Sue has a lovey easy teaching style and coped with my dive into the deep end approach!

Two of Sue's examples

My sampler

Last year was a great learning year.  The challenge is to incorporate what I learnt into my projects this year 😊.

mixed media and themes

Well, I have procrastinated enough about making/stitching/writing.   It is February and I have no more excuses. House sold. Moved to new house. Unpacked just about everything.   Still sorting fabric threads etc. but I know what I have.

My resolution this year (which I started to visit in December last) was to allow myself to play in any medium, explore and have fun.

I have also tried to theme it – and this year will try to build my exploration around “eyes”.  I have had heaps of fun punning - e.g.  the ayes have it, green eyed monster, almond eyes.  And letting explorarion take me where ever.

So far I have

•     sketched and doodled

•     stitched eyelets.  Visit Sharon Boggins on line stitch dictionary for the low down on how to.   She is a fantastic on line resource.

•     and explored on the web looking at how eyes are portrayed.  I came across a blog page featuring sculptor Alfred Parades and this image of his work Side by Side Cylcops.  Just love it :-).                                                       Take time to read the full article here.  

Of course already I have gone off theme already as I have been playing with clay a bit

but I keep returning to it with doodles.  

In between playing with eyes I will work on my pieces for a collaborative exhibition next year with five other textiles artists .   Our group name is temporarily “ Six Running Feet”   - a play on the wall space we each need to fill.  

Contemporary Clay Retreat

Just about recovered from  4 fabulous days at spent at the Contemporary Clay Retreat, Canberra last week.  I am all fired up for next years retreat in October 2016.

I learnt how to make a cane face ( polymer clay) with Janice Laurent, sculpted a dragon in air dry clay with Lex Sorrintino and started a mixed media monkey gargoyle with Bobbi Oliver.

Photos of the works made by participants over the entire weekend can be found here - enjoy.

The dragon came back to Sydney and is about to relocate back in Canberra  this weekend.  Then we are heading off for 2 weeks in southern NSW/northern Victoria to house hunt after making the decision to leave Sydney.