Dancing in Fetters

My next textile piece is called Dancing in Fetters.  The inspiration originally came from a visit to an exhibition in Fremantle Prison in Australia.  The exhibition was called Dancing in Fetters and has been touring Australia for several years.

The start of a workbook page about the piece.

I want to put text on the piece so have written this Pantoum which has a particular structure:

Dancing in Fetters

The fiddler strikes up a lively reel.
Our feet stamp out the beat.
The shackles rattle
As we dance with fettered feet. 

Our feet stamp out the beat
But we can only shuffle forward
As we dance with fettered feet.
Our hope lies in redemption

But we can only shuffle forward
Fettered as we are.
Our hope lies in redemption
When redemption breaks the chains 

Fettered as we were
Our hope lay in forgiveness.
As redemption breaks the chains
We dance with unfettered feet.

 

Twice a month I take part in an online poetry workshop. On the poetry workshop this week the tutor talked about writing a Nonet. This is a nine line poem with 9 syllables in the first line, eight in the second and so on down to one syllable.

I wrote the 9 lines on the theme of Dancing in Fetters. One of the group suggested I wrote the same lines in the other direction as a mirror poem.

Your feet move slowly, ankles encased
with iron bracelets, together
with rusty chain. You shuffle
forward and back, in time
to the fiddler's tune.
Dance in fetters
without hope
Lonely
Tired.
Tired
Lonely
without hope
Dance in fetters
to the fiddler's tune
forward and back, in time
with rusty chain. You shuffle
with iron bracelets, together
Your feet move slowly, ankles encased.

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Chaos to Calm

While I was struggling to complete the river piece I had announced to anyone who would listen, that I was going to give textiles a rest.  I was going to go back to art journaling and mixed media.

So much for that!

As I was finishing the river piece I got the inspiration for 4 new pieces.  I actually had pictures in my mind of what they would look like.  They are all very different but all represent freedom in some form.

Chaos to Calm

I have drawn them in a workbook to get them out of my head and only working on one piece at the moment.

I was also inspired by a lamp made by Donna the winner of the Great British Pottery Throwdown, called The Ascent, which represented her journey out of depression.

I have painted procion dye onto calico.  It was supposed to be really dark  at one end getting lighter using a dark black, a lighter black, a medium charcoal and a lighter charcoal.  However it didn't really work out but never mind.  There was supposed to bee a lighter grey where the black 'bled' into the cream!

Plus when I washed the dye out 24 hours later, I managed to get some staining on the part that was supposed to be undyed.  However it will work out okay as move on with the piece.

I decided to make the piece slightly smaller so ripped off some of the black on the left and a strip from the top.

I had dyed other fabrics to use with this piece plus some pieces dyed with rust coloured procion dye to make chains for two of the other pieces.

I have torn up some of the fabric to make fragments which I have currently just placed onto the background.  Each of them will be handstitched before being stitched onto the piece.

I am going to wrap the cords with the different torn black fabrics before couching them onto the piece.

My tasks for this week include wrapping the cords, making some thinner cords on the sewing machine and attaching the background to some wadding and a backing so that they will take the weight of the cords.

Not much then!!

I'll let you know my progress in a later blog post.

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Eclectica Exhibition

Last week, a few of us from Eclectica, the textile group I belong to, went to Forge Mill Needle Museum in Redditch to see our exhibition.

There's still time to visit.  It ends on Sunday November 26th.  The museum is open everyday from 10-3.

I took as many photos as I could.  There was some gorgeous work in the glass cabinets but the reflections were too much from the lights to be able to successfully photograph the work.

 

And lastly my canal-inspired pieces.

I really like the brick wall behind these pieces.  It sets them off really well.

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Questions beget questions

Last time I showed you a variety of photos that showed elements of design.  Line, Shape & Texture.  I  have been looking at

As you probably know I am fond of using neutrals, duck egg blue, turquoise and shades of orange and rust in my work.  One suggestion on the course, Essence of Identity, was to look at what coulour your clothes are and what your home looks like.

Ignore the bright red splurge - a bit of an aberration!  But the rest!

 

Next, photos of the inside of our house next to photos of my recently finished map pieces.

 

 

 

And a reminder of textile pieces and a paper collage which are some of my favourite pieces.

 Next random photos from our canal walks and parts of the canal inspired wall hangings.

The canal pieces are very obviously green although there is rust and a pale blue.  Looking at the previous photos and then this last one raised a question.

Could I have done the canal hangings in my favourite colours?

My thinking continued with looking at favourite or influencing artists.  I also looked back to 2017 when I was asked the same question by Christine when I had a mentoring session with her.

2017
Cas Holmes
Hilary Beattie
Wendy Dolan
Angie Hughes
Christine Chester

2023
Mixed Media Artists
Deborah Danelley
Seth Apter
Roxanne Evans Stout

Textile Artists
Christine Chester
Eszter Bornemisza
Amanda Hislop

Quite a difference over 6 years.  These 6 artists use some if not all of the elements and principles of design that I recognise in my work.

Colour   Line   Geometric shape   Texture   Contrast

Here are a couple of A5 collage pieces I've made with magazine pages.

These are some of the questions I’m asking myself as a result

• Should I use colours I like or colours appropriate to the subject matter? 
• Do I need a theme for making a series of work? If so what? 
• What shall I do next now that I've finished all the pieces I need for Eclectica exhibitions in 2023?

 Answers on a postcard please!

Although comments in the comments box below would suffice!

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Notice What You Notice updates

I'm astounded to find that I haven't updated you on how the Notice What You Notice course with Christine Chester is going. I discovered I haven't updated you this year!

Since that's several months, I'm only going to share photos with notes rather than a full on report.

I made a zizag book using images I had manipulated on the computer. 

 I covered both sides

We looked at the work  of different artists using photographs in their work.   One of the other students found the work of Diane Meyer.  You know I would be instantly drawn to her Venice work.

Then I had a go with my photos printed on watercolour paper.  I used a preset stitch on my sewing machine

I printed a photo on Lutradur but when I heated it the photo disappeared.  I layered it on top of some painted paper and then onto printed fabric.  I started handstitching it but decided to machine instead.

We looked at the work of Ismini Samanidou and interestingly each one of us on the course chose a different piece of work that attracted and inspired us.  This is a weaving although to me it looks more like inscribed concrete.

During the class session I worked on dark and light and the idea of using heavy and light amounts of stitching.  However rather than actually stitching I played with crosses on the computer.

Next we are looking at artists and particularly textile artists who use metals in their work.  I'd better go and do my research for it.

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

September - A new start?

To me, September 1st often feels more like a new start than January 1st.  I think it's probably because the UK school system conditions us to this, as the new school year starts in September.

I haven't had much motivation the last couple of months to be creative.  Left to my own devices I haven't worked on much.  I have kept my journal going and worked on ideas for a creative 6 week course at church.  But I need something to give me real impetus to make stuff.

So I've signed up for two online classes.

First Notice what you notice with Christine Chester.  I've done other classes with Christine so I'm really looking forward to seeing how this works with some of us on zoom and others in her studio.

Poetry of Decay (2016)

Secondly I've signed up for Hilary Beattie's Sketchbook Saturdays which sounds like fun.  I've also done classes with Hilary before.

Sense of Place (2018)

Plus there's a new theme Textile Explorations for the Art Textiles group at Littleheath Barn.  It will be great to do an in-person workshop at Littleheath Barn.

Wall hanging from the last group workshop

I feel there's some comfort in working with people I've worked with before.  I realise I need both the impetus for new plus the comfort from knowing the tutors.

What are you planning to do this term?

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

Festival of Quilts

Last weekend I went to the Festival of Quilts.  I am very fortunate that the show is only a 25 minute bus ride away.  I have a bus pass so the journey is free and I don't have to pay the extortionate amount that is charged for parking.   I was also very fortunate to be given a ticket for the show in return for an hour's stewarding on Leah Higgin's gallery.  Surrounded by breakdown printing!!

I spent much longer at the show than I would normally and I think I still managed to miss bits because photos come up on my Facebook newsfeed of textiles I don't remember seeing.  In this post you will only see photos of things that caught my eye.

Connecting threads, fading borders by Annelies Ghyselen

Plot 105: 52 weeks by Alice Fox

Several pieces by Eszter Bornemisza

I think this piece may have been the most popular exhibit in the show.  It's certainly the one I've see most on my Facebook newsfeed.

Breakdown by Sue Hotchkiss

Binic Boat Stack by Deborah Sexton

Summer Time by Janet Bevan

Twelve by Natalia Davydenko

Three Poems by Stephanie Redfern

shallow water by hanne ladegaard

Fractured Circles by Robyn Fahy

Blue Mesh by Lucie Summers

Venice by Janice Gunner

Fading ii by Christine Chester

And after spending more than an hour in Leah's gallery I did not take one photo of her work.  What was I thinking!!!!??!!

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice