An exhibition invitation in Bath

Hope to see you on 'Meet the Artist Day' 21st August between 11.00 and 16.00.

Work and Fun at Summer School

Thank you to all summer School students for allowing me to use these photos of themselves and their work on my blog.

A 3D construction by Viv Estill

Betty generously serves out the delicious dessert for her table.

Distant Stitch Summer School 2010

"WORKING TOGETHER"
This years Summer School involved nearly 30 Distant Stitch students in a superb workshop run by Ruth Issett, supported by Lizzy Lewis. We missed Bobby Britnell as planned co-tutor with Ruth and hope all is improving for you now Bobby. Sending you all our good wishes and our smiley faces below. We're crowded onto the main stairs in the Manor - hope you can identify all those at the back.

Sian, front centre with workshop tutor, Ruth straight above her and Lizzy with the lovely pink fringe.

We all made 'ATCs' (Artists Trading Cards) to swap on the first evening. Finding your unknown swap partner by looking for a clue on that person created lots of hilarious questions and laughter. An excellent way of getting to know a lot of people at the beginning of the Summer School. (Thank you Hazel for your suggeston). So we each possess a little embroidered gem to treasure made by someone else.

One was inadvertantly left after borrowing them back for this 'group' photograph. So if anyone has missed the second one from the left on the bottom row, please let me know so I can send it on to them.

For Val

Four images for you Val - I hope these are irises! In the comment below, Jenn says she thinks these are 'canna'. Sorry Val.

A little bit of red goes a long way

A recent workshop led by Cas Holmes at Hawkwood College allowed me time and space to think about my own textile work.

Traces of a journey, marks to record my path, following a line - with red.

Edges, lines, continuing pattern - and red.

Papers, printed imagery, stitched holes and red paint.

Batsford are publishing a book by Cas Holmes in September called 'The Found Object in Textile Art' ISBN 97819 06388461.

For Anne: 'How to Make a Tomato Dress'

A mock-up of the actual item as most were given away during the exhibition to children who entered a quiz to guess the 'ingredients'. The beads ceratinly weren't added to the originals! See more images of the exhibition on the TSG website -
http://www.practicalstudygroup.co.uk/gallery/ironbridge/index.php

A large old iron cauldron was an inspiration for this installation. Tomato 'ingredients' were 'cooked' together in the cauldron to create these 'tomato' dresses made of shibori'd silk organza.

Shown in 'Material Works - off the wall' with the PSG (now the TSG) in 2003 at Enginuity, The Museum of Iron, Ironbridge.

Rows of tiny tomato trees were arranged on the pallets made of the up-turned lids of the tomato puree tubes as flower pots with a painted cocktail and fabric tomato as the 'tree'.

TSG at the HUB Symposium

WORKSHOP - LOOPING SOMETHING FROM NOTHING.
with David Littler (artist, curator and DJ; involved with Sampler-Cultureclash,http://www.samplercultureclash.org.uk/) and Berit Greinke (textile and surface designer, NOBELini prize winner to investigate 'laboratory disaster').
Both David and Berit lead us through activities to examine the connections between sound, the word, drawing and stitching.

We all recorded our voices on a continous sound recording loop, describing our favourite working tool and how we use it. To the sound of these continous words which became a pattern of audio shapes and textures, a continous canvas is stitched with 'tape' pulled from old audio tape cassettes. This tape is conductive so will respond to the audio sensors rubbed over it later.

Communal drawing on our own patch and extending into our neighbours. The continuous length of paper kept moving and we kept drawing with graphite sticks and powder.

Put your sound on for these two movies below.

Berit Greinke holds the sensor over samples of her woven textiles made with conductive fibres to pick up the pattern of the different weaves which are converted into sounds.

Mary Sleigh 'tries her hand' at making music by connecting with the conductive graphite drawing and holding hands with Berit who, in turn, holds the hand-held sensor on another part of the drawing, thus forming a conductive loop.