Peaks and Troughs

On Monday I went to class and put my fine line drawings into photoshop. This went surprisingly well, and I set up a piece for digital print, 1.5m long. It looked quite good coming off the printer. It was 9 images, positioned to be cut up into panels to be mounted on stretcher frames, with a little hand embroidery to comment on the item. For example on the pyrex jug, I thought I would stitch "A cook's jug is always half full".

Three images per width of fabric

Half printed mixer

Then I was thinking about Edmund du Waal's programme about his pots, and the way in which they were set up on shelves. I wondered about a row of pots of mincemeat, or marmalade. So I started by taking my mincemeat and marmalade drawings and setting up a digital print to produce fabric jam jar covers. I have thought about how to present them. In a 1950s kitchen cupboard ("maid saver"), with every shelf absolutely stuffed full of preserves? On an open shelf? On several open shelves? Tightly packed or spaced? On a window sill? Edmund du Waal had a display of pots at the V&A where they were sited on a high window sill, so they were in silhouette. My next class with Vanda is next week, and if I could get the fabric printed, finished, and cut, I could make up a set of jars, add the pot covers, and place them on the window sill behind where I sit, and see if the rest of the class spot them. I had considerable good feedback from the class with the yokes, because of their simplicity, and I would be interested to see what response the jars get. I am feel very strongly about publicising the knowledge and work of women, but I am not sure other people will get it.

I washed the 1.5m length of cloth, ironed it and was surveying it to work out what text each piece needed. Someone said to me that I should not cut it up, as it worked as a length. For some reason, this really irritated me. What am I meant to do with it? Save it whole and put it in a drawer? Display it whole on a wall? Then I had feedback that I could use the fabric as it was, with big spaces between the drawings, to make a dress. (Except I only have 1.5m and my dress pattern takes 4 3/8 yards!) I could see it would make a lovely novelty lining fabric, and part of the appeal is that the motifs are large and well spaced. But I have been thinking about using single images, set within a large amount of space. Space used to terrify me, so use of space is something I need to practice. And then to be told to go back to repeats, threw me off course. I also found it annoying to be told I need to get on with making. I know this full well. But with the conflicting feedback over the last few weeks, I had realised I needed to handle cloth to get the thought process going again, and having identified some simple panels to make, to reflect on use of space, I found it annoying to have my ideas rubbished (again!), told to get on with making, then told to stop wasting time making single image objects, and do something different (again!). I was given lots of ideas on how to use my drawings on dress fabric to make unique dresses. But I am not a dressmaker. I am not a fashion student. I am not an experienced patternmaker making repeat patterns using photoshop, and neither do I want to be. The trouble with keep changing direction, is that you end up going round in circles .... unproductively. I was seriously hacked off.

Yesterday evening Jim and I went to see Vanda's MA show. The University of Herts Applied Arts MA students had organised to show their work at the Mile End Art Pavilion. It was good to see their work. A lot of it was very conceptual and a bit beyond me. I used my time there to consider the staging. Space was used to good effect. I noted Vanda had displayed her sheer textile works against a painted grey panel (when staging, sometimes you need to bring your own paint!). It was good to see other people's work and lifted my spirits. I was able to laugh with Vanda and this was what I needed. I looked at Marian Murphy's work "Lists", and this morning, decided that making some lists might be good for my work too. I have got ideas, and maybe with my high literacy levels, what I need is a visual list to work through.