Text, Texture, Textiles

Last week saw the start of new year and a new theme with the Art Textile Group at Littleheath Barn.  The theme for the year is Text, Texture, Textiles.  We started with working on text in our sketchbooks.  I started by using the words walk, path, steps - with 2 crayons taped together.

Using different colours and directions.

Using an italic dip pen and inks

Weaving strips from a magazine page with a paper with writing Simon Sonsino style.

Using a wax candle and watercolour

I drew boxes to experiment with text.

This page is ready for play. It has two rectangles cut out so you can see the page behind.

I played with words cut from the National Trust magazine. As I had two copies of the same magazine, I cut the same words from each. On this page I put the words the right way up and in line.

On the next page I used the same words much more randomly.

These words were taken mostly from the Ramblers magazine.

I scanned the last two pages and printed them out.  I cut the prints into strips and wove them together.

I scanned the weaving into my computer and played with the scale. I printed these out and played again.

I found this page in the National Trust magazine.

I stuck the picture upside down in my sketchbook and stuck squares of the weaving print onto it, having first cut letters out.

I still have all these prints to play with!

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice

The Three Rs

Reading, Writing and Receiving.  I know!  It's supposed to be Arithmetic, but I try to avoid numbers especially those on bank statements!  Listening doesn't start with an R so I looked for a synonym and found receiving.

So what am I receiving?  What am I listening to?

On Sundays I listen to the preacher from my church.  During the week I listen to podcasts from Matt Tommey.  On Tuesdays he interviews artists of all kinds and on Fridays he does something called Five Minute Mentoring.

What am I reading?  Or re-reading?

I've just finished re-reading 'Stay the Path' by Bobbie Houston and 'The Gifts of Imperfection' by Brene Brown.   I like to read books very quickly so have to keep re-reading them to be sure I've taken in everything.

I'm also re-reading the D.I. Nikki Galena series on Kindle Unlimited, having just finished re-reading the D.I. Munro series by Pete Brassett.  Next on my list to re-read are Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti books and another great series, set in Venice, by Philip Gwynne Jones.

What am I writing?

Well, this blog obviously.  I'm also writing two blog posts on creativity for the church blog.  In addition I have set up a zoom & WhatsApp group of writers and poets from church where we encourage one another in our writing.  Here's a poem I wrote earlier!

What am I watching?

I've just finished watching three weeks of the Tour de France.  Despite not having a bike myself I love watching cycle racing.  Strange or what!  Last week Sky Arts moved to Freeview so now I'm watching lots of programmes from there.  There was a great documentary on Madness over the weekend.  The group not a condition!!!!  And tomorrow Bake Off starts - hooray!

I realise that's four questons I've asked myself.  And watching doesn't begin with an R.  Reviewing was the nearest R word I could find.

I've loved thinking about R words, rather than the R rate.  How about you?

What are you receiving, reading, writing, or reviewing?

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice

A Surprise Day Out

It was my birthday in August and after a FaceTime call from the Hopper Juniors and minis, Roger took me out on a mystery trip.  All I was told was that I needed to take my walking shoes with me.

Roger drove us to a small place called Shardlow in Derbyshire.

We walked along the Trent and Mersey Canal towards the river Trent.

A bit autumnal for the middle of August!

The bridge over the river Trent

Along the river

Roger walking in true Hopper style.  Naomi tells me Andy does the same!

Trent Lock and a pub lunch

And then we walked back. Roger said it was a 5 mile walk.  Strava said it was over 8 miles.

I relaxed for the rest of the week!  It took 5 days before I could walk without pain!

Thanks to everyone who commented on my last post either here or on Facebook.  I really appreciate you taking the time to respond.

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Taking Stock

Do you find that sometimes September is a time to look at the future?  More than at New Year?

I think it's to do with the school year starting in September in England.  Especially as the daughter of teachers, then as a pupil and as a teacher myself, and as a mother of a child at school, my year was regulated by term times and the new school year.  I haven't been ruled by that since Andy left school in 2005, but still September feels like the time to re-set.

I feel it's time to take stock of what I'm doing with this blog.  Obviously Covid has something to do with feeling unsettled.  I often blog about my holidays and workshops I've attended, and neither of these things are happening much just now.

I would really appreciate it if you would spend a few minutes replying to this blog in the comments when you've read my questions.

I write my blog for me.  It's a bonus that people read it - thank you.  However maybe now is the time to make it more focussed for your interests.

So what keeps you reading my blog?

Which of these topics would you like to see featured here?

Travel (when I can do it again!)
Days Out
Textiles
Mixed Media
Step by step photos of a piece of work
Challenges
Photos and photography
My faith
My Word of the Year and the journal that goes with it
How to make books
Other people's work
Posts about mental health issues

Is there anything else you would like to see not in the list?

And my last question. I post every week on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Is that about right? Too many posts? 

I would really love you to reply in the comments below.  If you prefer to cntact me privately clik on Contact Me on the right of this page.

Thank you for joining me today.
Bernice

Another piece finished

Last Saturday I showed you the piece I had cut up and reassembled.   I had pinned it to a piece of fine calico and I was going to quilt it and hand stitch the piece taking the handstitching off the collage pieces and onto the cream background.

Well of course that wasn't what happened!  I cut the calico off.  I put a piece of acrylic felt and a backing cotton behind it.

I machine stitched around the rectangles

I cut out bird shapes and tried them in various formations on the piece.

I ended up with this formation and fused the bird shapes on.  Then I added the binding.

There's still the possibility of adding handstitching to the piece but for now I'm going to leave it alone.

Thanks for joining me today

Bernice

Journal Update

My last Journal Update post was in July.  Seems a very long time ago!

I'm pleased to say that I completed Mary's Thessalonians Word Study.  Here are the pages to prove it!

I decided I was going to do 31 days of doodles - one a day through August.  But actually I didn't start until I finished the word study.

I still did 31 days, although sometimes I did 3 days at a time to catch up, finishing on September 5th.

They're not very exciting but at least I finished my challenge.


Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice