Back on track

I felt quite downhearted and talentless before Christmas so had a bit of a break.

Recently I have focussed on 2 projects, the jam jar labels and a knitting project.  I have spent a lot of time drawing kitchen objects, creating backgrounds, and trying to combine the two.

Background created by group exercise

Drawing that extends beyond the background

Background from two pieces of background

Drawing limited to size of quartered background

Drawing on two different pieces of background

Drawing on two pieces of background, restricted to an area within the background

Drawing incorporating an element of the background (the curve of the fixing screw).

I then tried the same exercises at home, using my own backgrounds, and unfortunately these were less successful, but elements have been useful in further development.

Maslin pan with quartered background

Mincer on own background.
 This implement is borrowed from a neighbour, and I am not yet familiar with it an an object.
The perspective is still wonky!  But it is a very handsome object and I love it.

Probably my best effort but the background is too bold.

Wonky perspective but I love the mincing disc detail.
This will be used further.

Machine embroidering onto silk organza

This section will be used as a jam jar cover, as part of a multiple.

I later discovered that creating a grid structure when building up tone,
was not a good idea. when the shaping should have been formed by curved lines 

Cotton organza was more pleasing to handle and stitch

I need a lot of these embroidered sections for the display I have in mind.  It is slow and steady progress as I can only do 3 or 4 at a time, before my neck gives out.  I have 27 completed so far.  I am particularly pleased with the ones of the mincer disc and maslin pan handles.  The precise number will depend on how they are laid out (enough for a year's produce?  enough for the marmalade allocation).  Do I create a plain grid, or something symbolic of the holes in a colander (hexagonal spots with one central spot).  The circular shape is becoming important as it is so prevalent in cooking - the shape of saucepans and colanders, drainage holes, jar lids etc.

When I was in Franklins, my favourite sewing shop, buying more cotton organza, I had an idea about a piece about knitting.  I like things that are incomplete (just as well, as I struggle to complete anything).  I was talking to some Polish ladies (migrant workers), who were buying wool and yarn for a christening shawl.  We were admiring the complicated pattern.  If I had seen these ladies working in the  fields, I would not have thought about their knitting skills.  I hold strong views about undervalued people, recognition of skills, work that is never finished/always ongoing and people who are marginalised.  So what about a selection of pieces of knitting, all unfinished and hanging on stitch holders?  All different lengths.  Each piece to have a beautiful knitted border, demonstrating considerable skill, but actually representing people who are marginalised but unseen.  I'd need to write the artist statement very carefully, as the emotion I want to inspire when it is read, is one of recognition. This idea has legs!

This pattern was really difficult and will look much better when pressed.
It is made from extra fine merino laceweight wool, as selected by the Polish ladies.  

Euphoria

I woke up this morning in high good humour and went for a fantastic swim.  Felt strong so did 1200m, 200m more than usual.  Came back home and started drawing Mum's colander, quite freely using pastel and charcoal.  Now I have photographed them I can see where I need to work into them a bit more.

Tomorrow, more drawing, than maybe off to uni on Thursday to put into photoshop, and put work into a print queue.   Now I am feeling happier about drawing what I like, I am much more able to create.  I will be going back to the monoprints later.

Sticking with it

Today I had a disastrous day at class.  I very much like my hemp/ramie samples and decided to try to draw my colander in the same monoprint style.  I bought litho inks and gave it a try.  It was a disaster.  I had the opposite of the King Midas touch - the King Sadim touch, where everything I touched turned to dust!  The ink was too thick and sticky, it had lumps and did not print well.  Eventually I gave up in a huff and came home.

But on reflection, I will stick with it.  I need some good, free drawings of the colander.  Lucy, a technician, said my work was loose and free and had a good contemporary feel.  This pleased me as I had just read the External Verifiers report for 2012/13 which noted last year's students' work was safe and old fashioned.  I will try drawing in charcoal and pastel, as I did at the City Lit, to see if I can get the freedom and fluidity back.  Driving home, I could just visualise really clearly what I want to make!  My cook's chair, with one colander image on each cushion: an eye level drawing on the back cushion; acolander viewed from above on the seat cushion, and the arm cushions would have sideways views that feature the handles.  And the wording, stitched on, should be "drained".  For the first time I can see clearly what I want to make.  Just got to get on and draw now.

A change of focus.

It might not be a good idea to work on completely different things at the same time, but this what I am doing.  I am drawing on cellophane jam lids and have done about 25 in a simple fine lining style.    They are lovely, and would look great, set out in a grid, but they curl up into a cigar shape when laid flat.  I don't want to glue them flat, and suspect the glue would damage the cellophane, so have come to a grinding halt.

Instead, I have been delighted with my monoprints which are highly textured and layered.  So I photographed them, put into Photoshop, made some small adjustments and created about 6 images, each in3 different sizes of 1m, 50cm and 25 cm.  I requested this be printed on hemp ramie (linen/nettle blend) fabric, thinking it would take c3m.  Lisa made a lovely job of arranging the images on the length of fabric, and made best use of the meterage.  It ended up printing on 4.5m @ £22 per metre.  I have just spent £100 on nettles!!

This is about 3m long 

These  two are 1m wide x 70 cm deep

I spent a day admiring, steaming, drying, rinsing, washing, ironing, and admiring some more.  Then Antje came into the studio.  I don't think she got the work at all, which then made me waver in confidence.  I have spent 24 hours being all anxious about how it turned out, then took the fabric to my Draw, Paint, Print class to show the tutor, Giles.  He had never had a student take their artwork forward into textiles before, and asked me to explain the process to the whole class.  I said I wanted to work up a colander image to apply to upholstery for a cook's chair, with the caption "a seat for the drained".  This might be my Christmas project.  I have a chair I can recover, and I would like to try to complete something.

Collage from previous weeks' work

Then, another idea was given to me to solve the cellophane problem.  Transfer the imagery to a crisp sheer fabric and either machine embroider the fine line directional shading, or hand sew the line drawings.  This would need high skill and perfect tension.

Two different projects, requiring different skills.  Plenty to be going on with.