Tracks in Time - Artwork Together project

Pauline, Lesley and myself (ARTWORK TOGETHER) have been visiting Avalon Marshes during the last couple of years to observe the seasonal changes, drawing in icy temperatures and gusty winds, but enjoying the experience of this oasis. 

We've followed the trackways, lined with high grasses and reeds along long stretches of misty, watery areas and quietly wooded enclosures. It's easy to imagine how our ancestors followed these tracks for safe passage between one higher level settlement and another to visit and perhaps exchange goods and to trade. 

Royal West of England Academy OPEN 2022

 'Un-natural Selection' was accepted in the RWA last year.

Proudly standing near it.

'TRANSFORMATIONS' at the Malthouse Gallery, Lyme Regis, May 2023

 'Transformations' was a recent successful exhibition with painter, Pauline Lerry at the beautiful Malthouse Gallery in Lyme Regis, Dorset. 

Inspired by the changing landscape we showed a collection of paintings and textiles we called 'Transformations'. I was particularly inspired by the textural undulations of the natural surfaces along this coastline, and fascinated by the contribution to natural science of Mary Anning who is commemorated in this statue on the coastal path.

'Coastal Path' Sian Martin

Pauline and Sian with some of Pauline's paintings behind.

A few panoramic gallery photos. 

Finally, a few close-up details - 

'Tailored' finished

 'This piece was shown with the 62 Group at Sunny Bank Mills in 2023 in their exhibition 'Tailored'.

‘PROCESS’

Siân Martin was inspired by reading the story of June who started as a ‘burler and mender’ at Sunny Banks Mill which was written in the same year as the artist’s own birth, so an immediate connection was made. The archive diary says that  June’s job was to pull up knots – burling – every day for ten hours for £2 per week.

Although a labour of love and not a laborious task, unlike the labours of June, when learning the skills of dress-making as a child, Siân remembers being intrigued by the way a few tailor’s tack stitches could be used to accurately transfer the markings of a simple construction shape such as a tuck, through more than one layer of fabric. She remembers the magic of seeing how the stitches left their marks on the underneath when the layers were gently eased apart.

This piece – ‘Process’ celebrates the traditional dressmaking skills specifically devised to accurately mark layers of fabric – a vital stage in the process of being able to create a 3D sculpted fabric surface such as a garment from a flat 2D fabric surface.

Repetitive and rhythmical stitching in ‘Process’ celebrate this stage in the process of making a tailored garment.

 

Tailored

My current project during the Christmas period has been to respond to the word 'Tailored', the next title for the 62 Group of Textile Artists. This is an investigation of one of the necessary preparatory processes used in making tailored garments. The two dimensional fabric is sculpted into a three dimensional form in a series of processes, one of which is the use of temporary 'tailors' tacking' stitches that mark accurate outlines through the layers of fabrics of shapes for the next stages of tailoring.

Tailor's tacking is a loopy type of back stitch done by hand through more than one layer of fabric (below left). The layers are then separated by cutting through the tacking stitches, leaving temporary rows of cut stitches on both layers (below right).

I worked with two layers, one square yard, of black silk organza and enjoy how fascinating the stitching on the layers become when the layers are cut apart.

  

I'll be posting more as I progress with this piece.

Echo

The 62 Group celebrated it's 60th anniversary in 2022. The Group presented an anniversary show at the Knitting and Stitching shows at Alexandra Palace, London and at the conference centre, Harrogate. 
We were asked to devise a textile that showed the 'essence' of our textile practice. For me this was a challenge to define this and eventually decided to try to convey a combination of my interesting in making structures by composing a series of separate sections, involving a challenging investigation in the making process. 

Each layer is a crumpled square of waxed cotton organdie. Each section is threaded together with strips of frayed silk organza.

I am also interested in linking my textile ideas to a concern I am moved by such the destruction of communities of people due to war and climate change. The layers in the construction 'Echo' are designed to suggest and reflect the fragility of our world by the tilting of the layers which are still held together before they fall over, hinting at a positive outcome. 

Wrought on the Levels

The ancient craft of basket making is the inspiration for this textile piece. It celebrates a willow weaving process that starts in the land and is wrought into attractive functional items in the skilful hands of workers in my home area on the wetland 'levels' of Sedgemoor in Somerset.

Sketchbook drawings with wet marks printed on opposite page to reflect the repeating character of the wetland landscape.

A few trial samples incorporating willow sticks grown locally for basket making. 

The willow sticks are interwoven into dyed linen strips with areas of withdrawn weft threads. 

First stages of making the resolved 'Wrought on the Levels' construction, withdrawing threads from large areas of painted linen scrim fabric.

The large swathes of fabric represent the swaying rows of withies growing in the field ready for harvesting.

The large curved forms of painted linen: with wide areas of withdrawn weft threads. Willow sticks are interwoven through the weave, helping to define the curved forms.

A separate part of the construction show sprouting withies in test-tubes, supported by a long strip of linen fabric, interwoven with small willow sticks.

A series of experimental willow constructions placed as 'rough sketches' as if resulting from the growing withies.