Saturday Story

Today I thought I would look at the letter M.  Are there particular stories in your life concerning words beginning with M?  We all have memories - good memories, bad memories!

All the travel posts on this blog are memories.  Here's a photo of Mount Hood from 2017

Obviously there are real mountains, but there are also metaphorical mountains in our lives.  There's the saying: Don't make a mountain out of molehill.

It seems to me that we can easily make mountains.  We let our thoughts run riot and exaggerate nothing into something.  We can take someone's comments about our work and make it into a rejection of us. Not liking our work is not the same as not liking us as a person.

Over the years I have chase after techniques in the hope of finding my voice - my style.  I've taken part in workshops online and in person.  Good ones, poor ones and great ones!  Basically in search of me in my work.  It's good to know techniques, but it's even better to actually make work.   It's good to find out what is a good fit for me.  I listened to this great podcast this week: Art Juice - Is Your Personality in Your Art

One of the most helpful things I have found is mentoring.   Christine Chester is an excellent mentor.  Here are the memories of the mentoring session.

Currently I am over half way through a year of faith based creative expression mentoring with Matt Tommey.  This has been an excellent way to consolidate the things I have learned over the years, combining my faith with creative practice.

Matt has an excellent podcast series plus a blog.

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Module 3: Containers

In my previous post I told you about the memories I have of Venice.   I had made the wire version of the gondola prow.

Next I cut out different sizes of the prow shape in card and taped them to a piece of wire so it could stand up.  I took this photo of it lying down on some lino.

I used an online app to make the background transparent.

On the computer I put the image onto different backgrounds.   The first is a page from the Concertina Sketchbook I did.   The window shape in the background is a bit distracting.

This background is part of a photo I took in Toledo.

I played with the transparent image making patterns.

There is still some work to do with this part of the module but I was also looking at the next part of the course which is about containers.  The final piece for this module is to make a container to hold my Venice memories in.  I might not be able to keep memories in what I make but it will definitely be something in 3D.

I looked through the IKEA online catalogue and downloaded images that caught my eye.  Not all of them are rectangular or square boxes!

When I was doing my original City & Guilds Creative Embroidery course I made this box book from scratch and made 3 small books to go in it.

While I was on holiday in Ireland I saw this cone on a traffic island.  It reminded me of an ice cream cone.  And of course that led to the song 'Just one Cornetto' and on to 'O sole mio' which is associated with gondoliers singing.  I'm not sure why Venetians sing a song from Naples but maybe it's a tourist thing.

I did an internet search for other cone sculptures and art.

I researched the song.

I am going to make some paper cones and see whether I can make a container from a variety of sizes of cone.  I'll let you know how I get on.

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice

Master Practitioner Module 3

I have begun work on the third and final module of the Master Practitioner course with the School of Stitched Textiles.  The theme is Memories.  As regular readers know, I am continually drawn to the subject of Venice for my work and this module is no exception.   I gathered together photographs and magazine pictures and began to assemble pages in my workbook.  I'm using a 30cm square Pink Pig sketchbook.

I started with this photo from the newspaper.

It was too big for one page so I folded over onto the next page and printed the title.

My very first visit when I was 29.  That's me in the sunglasses facing the camera!  Rare photo.

I went back with Roger in 1984

And again with my cousin in 1997

In 2011 we went to Las Vegas with Andy & Naomi and of course had to visit the Venetian Hotel.  It was far too pristine.

In 2015 I started using Venice as the inspiration for my work.  I had to have 2 glasses of wine to be able to do this exercise of not taking the pen off the paper to make a drawing.  I put the watercolour on afterwards.

In 2017 I visited my friend Mary in Toledo and randomly found this mural on the wall.

Another photo from the newspaper and some quotes I found on the internet.  I had these made into Thermofax screens.

My favourite artist is JMW Turner so I had to include some of his paintings.  Plus some from Canaletto.

 

In 2018 I exhibited some of my Venice based work in the Traverse 'Destinations' exhibition.

I moved on to drawing and art work for this module.

I made a wire version of the mask above and did some rubbings.   It's difficult to see the wire on this photo.

I may do some more with the skyline but moved on to these pages.

I made a wire version of the prow.  I also made various size versions of the diagram on my computer to make stencils or masks with.

The module requires some more 3d work with the wire and paper section.  I'll let you know how I get on.

However the next part of the module is about researching containers.  Read my next post to find out about that.

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice

Near & Far

Back in May 2018 I wrote this: I have joined an online group called Near & Far.  This is a Facebook-based group run by Chris Gray.  She hopes that we will have a gallery exhibition at some point.   The theme for this group is Maps & Journeys.  And guess what I'm doing!

That's right! Venice!

We each have to make a minimum of 3 pieces - one wearable, one useful and one decorative.  I am going to make a Venice-inspired dress, a sketchbook with a Venice-inspired cover and a scroll book as the decorative piece that will be some sort of imagined journey along the Grand Canal.   I have bought several books about secret Venice so watch this space!


So over 12 months later I started making the first piece.  The decorative piece which isn't going to be a scroll at all.  At the end of August I wrote about a workshop I did with Clare Bullock that resulted in me making 9 pieces of nuno felt that I stencilled on.

In the last few weeks I have been stitching each piece.

All the pieces have been stitched together - in a different arrangement from the first photo!

It's finished apart from working out how to fix the piece to the batten so it hangs on the wall.

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice

Practising Gratitude day 13

Day 13 Make Memories


Quote
Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind. Lionel Hampton

Every single day do something that makes your heart sing. Marcia Wieder


Bible Verse
I will perpetuate your memory through all generations; therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever. Psalm 45:17


Inspiration
Thanks for the Memory Ella Fitzgerald

Memory

Gratitude link
A practical guide to gratitude



To think about or journal
What memories are you most thankful for?
Looking back on memories of hurtful times, what lessons have you learned that you can be thankful for?


Action
Out of the blue, send some flowers to a friend.

PDF
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