Courses by Bobby Britnell - highly recommended

'Tread Softly'

Close-up detail below.

It's been a busy time for deadlines to produce my own work. I've just sent off 'Tread Softly' as a possible entry to the Pfaff Art Embroidery competition. [I was one of the finalists last year with a large piece using a surface of broken egg shells called 'Break an Egg to Save a Sailor' - see blog entry two years ago.]

The theme of this competition is 'Landscape, Let's Travel'. My piece is made of small fragments of personal photos and fabrics, stitched together to form a pathway, strewn with daisies. Water-soluble machine stitched 'feet', lightly walk over the path. The words 'tread softly' form the lacy stitching on the feet.

This quote from W B Yeats from his poem 'He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven' seem to echo my thoughts; "I have spread my dreams under your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams."

'Humming the Air'

A recently completed textile 'Humming the Air' will be included in the 62Group exhibition 'Bending the Line' to celebrate the bicentenary of the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson, at the Hub, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, 11th July to 6th September 2009. The photograph is not a good one I'm afraid as it was done in a rush before I had to pack it up to catch the carrier office before it closed! Last minute again! I hope you can see it well enough to make out that it is constructed from multiple layers of tracing paper shapes, previously machine stitched to make lots of perforations. The lines of the holes spell out the letters of its title. Threads were then threaded through some of the holes to string them all together. The idea is to make the words appear as if they are falling out of the wall panel, which has photocopies of pages from Tennyson's poems.

For those who might be interested in the meaning of this piece I need to explain the term 'ekphrasis'; this is a term from Greek rhetoric that originally meant the intense description of a thing, conjured so vividly in words as to appear before the mind's eye. Andrew Motion uses the phrase 'humming the air' to describe how poets should use this to make words appear to lift off the page when writing poetry.

Mini Textiles

My entry into the IX Triennale Internationale des mini-textiles, whose theme was "With or Without Water" has been accepted. It will be shown at the Musees d'Angers, Angers, France from 26th June to 15th November. Weekend in the Loire Valley anyone?

Sara - for you.

Sara has just sent me some lovely textured surfaces made from grout and plaster - see her blog http://www.englishroseinkuwait.blogspot.com/. I've taken one image of the plaster on scrunched tissue through different 'image effects' in PaintShopPro. The results could be used as 2D texture as well as provide you with shapes for the 'shape study'. You could also take a small section and work from that. Ideas for everyone else working on the texture stage in Module 1 of the Diploma. Have fun.

Creative Dialogues at Taunton

'Creative Dialogues' at the Brewhouse, Taunton, Somerset, is a touring exhibition by members of the PSG until March 7th 2009. Each exhibitor shows work by themselves and of a chosen collaborator. The new work produced by both partners is as a result of this creative dialogue. A one day workshop is offered in February by Sian Martin and Jenny Blackburn, who, in collaboration with each other, will offer creative ways in which artists can work together to inspire each other. Please contact me if you're interested in booking a place on this workshop. Pieces by Rose Campbell and her collaborator, Moira Dickinson. Chris Berry on the far wall. Tricia Hubbard, a past student of mine in both City and Guilds and degree courses over the years, reads the catalogue. She is a well established artist, making textiles from her own special method of colouring and laminating tissue paper.

Three large panels by Kay Greenlees make a powerful statement on the wall opposite the Phillips Gallery entrance.

The Brewhouse Theatre and Art gallery offers two areas for exhibitions: the long walls within the cafe/bar area and also the Phillips gallery, a wonderful white space with high walls, leading off the cafe/bar area. The Creative Dialogues exhibition was hung in both areas. The photo above shows visitors starting to arrive for the Opening on January 10th.

The long wall opposite the cafe/bar shows many of the framed textile pieces. Left shows work by James Hunting and above by Mary Sleigh and Jan Evans.

The long wall of the cafe/bar area shows (from the right) work by Jane Lemon, Ruth Issett and Jan Evans and her collaborators.
Ros Chilcott's three hangings based on her experience of working with a theatre group in her home village in the middle of Dartmoor. Linda Tudor's magnificent 'bowl' form sits on a plinth to the right, alongside a sculptural piece in iron by her collaborator.
Jenny Bullen's work in blue and Amanda Clayton's in ecru hang from the ceiling and make full use of the vast gallery area.
We clambered up enormous ladders to suspend items from the ceil to hang in the centre of the gallery. Tim worked from the top to attach the invisible thread from the ceiling structure and I went half way up to attach the textiles. Jenny Blackburn's large triple hanging lies on the heated floor to flatten out after packing before hanging. Jenny collaborated with Janet Stoyal, a past student, using pieces of her heat treated metal within the hanging. Visitors investigate my exhibits 'To Warm the Cockles of my Heart' and 'The Cockle Gatherer' a painting by my mother Iris Martin. A 'cloud' of suspended shibori shapes 'Shelter Collection' based on shells, hang from the ceiling in front of the wall pieces.
I am persuaded to say a few words to open the exhibition and to say thank you to everyone involved in the hard work of unpacking and setting it all up.

Dresses of Glass

Glass Artist - Diana Dias-Leao

'The Danger of the Image' exhibition runs until the Spring at Broadfield House Museum, Kingswinford near Dudley. Look up website at www.glassmuseum.org.uk