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

Another course

Yes I know!  I do too many.  But this one with Fibre Arts Take Two is a Masterclass and is called Essence of Identity.  It's about finding out more about yourself so you can put  more of yourself in your work.  I feel it builds on the mentoring sessions I had with Christine Chester in 2017.  Can't believe it's that long ago.

One of the modules has been to look at elements and principles of design - which ones appeal to us and which ones we use.

I went through some of my photos and put them together to demonstrate LINE (see above) and SHAPE (below).

 TEXTURE

 And DECAY which is another form of texture.

And you can probably see - if you didn't already know - that I'm attracted to neutral COLOURS and pale blues.  Also rust and orange!

I've also looked at my own work and where the elements and principles are in that but I'll share that another day.

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

More poetry. One photo

And the photo isn't mine!

I spent another very productive couple of hours on a Write Poetry zoom call run by Sara-Jane Arbury. You may remember me mentioning her last month.

(c) Element5digital

Again we did 3 exercises.For each exercise Sara-Jane introduced us to a poem, talked about its form, language and punctuation and set us off to write a poem of our own.

The first exercise was to write something about a first experience or step.

First Day 

Bag unpacked, reading books primed
ready to be heard.
Pencils sharpened, crayons
corralled in tins upon the desk.
Small tables, small chairs
for small people. 

The smell of disinfectant.
Why do school toilets smell the same
whatever the school? 

The bell tolls. The day begins
with registration. Each child
acknowledging their presence
to the teacher. A new term for them.
A new job for me. 

The second was about watching somebody who doesn't know you are watching them.  It was suggested we start with 'I see you'.

I see you growing

In your ballet dress I see you
Twirling and smiling
Lost in the wonder
of the dance. 

Sometimes dressed as Elsa
Being a princess. Frozen
on a screen as Mummy
takes a photo. 

I see you cutting up cucumber
And putting snacks in a box
ready for daycare.
Mummy’s little helper. 

I see you colouring in pictures
in a colouring book
whilst you wait for your brothers
to finish their martial art. 

I see you.
But I can’t touch you.
I see you in a photo. In a video
your mummy shares with me. 

I can’t reach through the screen
to touch you 12000 miles away.
But, my beautiful granddaughter
I see you growing. 

 

The last exercise was writing about a place that was deep inside you.  The example was Orkney/This Life by Andrew Greig.   Coincidentally I have been doing an online Masterclass called Essence of Identity with Donna Watson, where one of the modules was about sense of place.

A sense of place 

You have called me.
You have invited me.
Set a table before me
covered with life-giving food. 

You have called me.
You have invited me
to walk in the river,
A river set in the middle of the street
in the middle of the city. 

You have called me.
You have invited me to view
the trees on either side of the river.
Their life-giving leaves
bring healing for the nations. 

You have called me.
You have invited me
into your family.
Adopted me.
Called me your own. 

You have called me.
You have invited me.
You have set eternity
in this human heart. 

Thank you for joining me today
Bernice