Friday 28 February 2014

Peaking and Troughing

Today was a successful day at class.  I worked on the roller towel idea.  Lisa has found a supplier of new roller towels.  Whereas I had searched online with "roller towels", she had searched "suppliers of cotton roller towels" and found a couple of companies that provide 20m or 40m lengths.  And only £18/£35!  Well done Lisa!  Just shows what fiddling with the search terms can do!

Mind you, steaming a 20m length could pose problems.  I have never tried this before, and getting 20m correctly wound on a pole, and attached to the steamer hook without completely losing all the steam, might be difficult.  I will take advice from Lisa.

I think I am going to drop the illustrations on the roller towels and concentrate on lettering and numbers along the stripe.  Dwayne, who was talking to Lisa about a print job, showed me how to get bands of colour with white writing on Photoshop.  And I spent a lot of time finding similar lettering to that on a glass cloth.  But it was a fantastically successful day.

So tomorrow's plan is to order a roller towel and enough soda ash to coat the fabric.  A good day's work makes me quite serene.

Acute Anxiety

I am really struggling again.  I spent all day at uni yesterday, trying to work a repeat design in photoshop. Effectively I wasted yet another day.  I concluded I just do not have the design skills.  Also, I do not want to be a computer operator.  I need to handle the materials.  I am suppressing a rising surge of anxiety.

I am good at ideas and how to fit a word or feeling to an object.  But I don't have the skills to make e item I can see in my mind's eye.  I am not a completer finisher or detail conscious.  I am becoming very worried about being able to finish anything properly.

I have thought about my roller towels.  I cannot worry myself sick about finding cloth narrow enough to get a selvedge both sides.  The edges will just have to be turned.  I did not like the spaced repeat pattern, so it might be a single image on each one, with a printed "glass cloth" with the words "Women's Work" and "Unending" on it.  Maybe just the stripe.  Maybe with some cross stitch lettering.  Not sure what colour.  I wondered about sepia, as it is a warm but old colour.  But I don't want to do vintage.  Maybe autumnal colours.

I think the curtains idea was great but I can't see how to complete it to a sufficiently high standard.  My computer skills are not up to it.  I could work it in screen print but I don't want to use binder as it makes the fabric too stiff to subsequently stitch into and I have no experience using the gel pastes.

I feel very disheartened that I am only using skills that I already possessed before I started uni.

Wednesday 26 February 2014

A Jolly Successful Day

I started with a great, powerful swim of 1250 metres.  Then I went along to see my friend Susan, to be photographed for her website in my new cardigan.  Susan space dyes homegrown wool from her own sheep.  Susan has her own website where she sells her wool, and I said she needed to promote it as suitable for very simple knitting patterns in order to showcase the beautiful dyeing, and also suitable for beginner knitters as the space dyeing is very forgiving of slightly uneven tension.  People look at the variation in colours, not the imperfect tension.  It is fantastic yarn.


I reflected on my thoughts about creating a domestic scene for my final year show.  Quite simply this is what I want to do.  It took me back to when I returned from Australia, and I was so relieved to come home - coming home made me full of contentment, peace and joy.  I'm beyond being a strident feminist (I'm a quiet, reflective one); I don't want to do banner waving; or creating powerful statement art.  My stuff is about the domestic, reflective appreciation of under-recognised people.  Now I am back to domestic textiles, I feel contented, peaceful and creative again.  I just want to get stuck in and make.  The feeling of paralysis has gone.

I have spent today messing about with the chair cushions on my rocking chair.  A very useful learning exercise.  Nothing like right yet, but a very insightful process.  I have got the base cushion right, and as yet, the back cushion is still too big, and the arm cushions are too big in the padded area, and too short in the side panel.  The fabric design is too basic, but I am ok with this.  The important thing is, I now know what to do about it.  I like the handle of the fabric, so I will digitally print on this again.  I know what order to construct the internal panels (botched it, this time around, but next time I know what to do).
None of the cushions are fixed in position yet, but I have already done a lot of learning about the process.

I like the hand stitched caption.  Next time I try stitching on a patterned fabric.

Tomorrow I'm back to uni, messing about with my drawings on photoshop.  I am happily working on layers of objects, where I am varying the scale, and trying to work out how to bring colour back into my work.

Tuesday 25 February 2014

Trying to suppress anxiety

I'm feeling quite anxious at present.  As I am avoiding the noise of the kango hammer, I am driving to and from college a lot more often and this is aggravating my back and neck.  I now have pain all down my left arm, into my hand, where I have pain between the first two knuckles and a stabbing pain under my left index finger when I change gear.

I saw Antje in the studio this morning.  I have a lot of time for Antje and she was trying to be helpful giving me time and chat about my work.  But one of the things she said was that the external examiner had liked the raw quality of the drawing in my monoprint sample.  No-one had told me this after the session.  This makes me quite disheartened, because I had really liked them, but decided not to take them further as I had not received any positive feedback about them, and neither could I replicate the quality of the marks, although I have tried.  I made the monoprints at the City Lit, using clapped out materials.  I have tried to work monoprints further using materials bought at Herts, but I just cannot get the same quality of mark.  So I had returned to the line drawings, that actually bore me.

Antje said I produce stuff quickly (I don't think I do - I feel slow, ploddy and anxious), and that I need to get on and make.  Decide what sort of environment I want to create.  As I go to exhibitions, I need to look at how they are staged.   I find this really difficult.  I am not a good completer-finisher - in fact I find the detail consciousness required, to be totally alien to me.  I know it needs to be done, but just thinking about it completely saps me. If I think about it too much, I'm going to head into paralysis.

Antje said it was time to consider the environment I wanted to exhibit in, and I needed to get on and plough my own furrow, irrespective of what feedback other people had given.  I suppose I agree with this.  She also said the monoprint work was liked because it was big.  I am quite happy working big.

If I am ploughing my own furrow, what would I do?  I would set up a domestic interior.  With an upholstered settee covered in my own printed and embroidered fabric.  With wall pieces of my unfinished knitting samples.  With the jam covers on a float shelf stacked vice Edmund de Waal.  With curtains either printed full length with repeat pattern utensils, with a full drop overprint of single utensils; or plain coloured front fabric, and a printed lining.  With the roller towels extending to floor level.

Now time to do some pattern repeats.  I do wish my arm would stop hurting.

Saturday 22 February 2014

Hiding from the Kango hammer

We are having the drive relaid at home so there is a lot of concrete to be removed using a kango hammer.  I hate the noise so I have been out nearly every day this week.

I took the jam covers to class and spent two days fiddling about with a tripod and camera, trying to get all the settings right to take good photos for a Photobox book.  After much effort I took a series of shots using the macro setting that I thought would look great.  Then I downloaded  them to my computer and I am bitterly disappointed.   They just look crudely and coarsely worked.  I think their appeal is when seen laid out as a multiple, or stacked, or handled.  But they curl up when exposed to air, need space to be stacked, and are too delicate to handle much.  I think I shall continue with the Photobos book, just for the experience, but am very downhearted about it.

I also spent some time thinking about the roller towels.   I have looked in detail at glass  cloths, which have a coloured woven strip with  GLASS CLOTH     LINEN UNION woven into it.  I would like a coloured strip on mine,  maybe with verbs associated with the cooking process in it.    I have researched how to access narrow width linen, to make roller towels without having to turn the edge, and cannot source any.  Most linen is extra wide for sheets, and narrow in linen terms is 36".  The textile technician, Lisa, is visiting RA Sharp. a specialist manufacturer soon, and will find out whether they weave extra narrow linen, and whether they can weave in the coloured band, and then coat it for digital print.  I think it is a long shot, but worth a try.  But once again, there is a time delay before I can get on with it.

Three days driving to class has made my neck play up, so on Friday I took the train to Brighton instead, to escape the kango hammer noise.  I went to Subversive Design at the Briton Art Gallery. Excellent exhibition.  Lots of very interesting use of materials that supported and were wholly integrated into the message of the artwork.  For example a chair made from razor wire that could not be sat in, a duvet cover that looked like a cardboard box that raised funds for rough sleepers, a table and chaise longue in black leather commenting on the stereotypes of slavery for black women, and a double espresso cup with a knuckleduster handle that plays on how caffeine packs a punch.  However on reflection, I am still puzzled why no-one at uni likes my idea for imagery on upholstery.  I think my imagery fits the object.  There was plenty of imagery on usable objects at this exhibition, where the imagery was not even directly related to the object itself - Booze Britain was portrayed on plates, rather than beer glasses.  So although I had a wonderful day out, and did loads of excellent artist research afterwards, I am not sure how to apply it to my own work.

Peggy Van Neer, Clochard duvet

Andrew Livingstone, Booze Britain

Benoit Ollive, Bloody Meal 

Iris Scheiferstein, Boots

Simone Brewster, Coffee Pommell

Saturday 15 February 2014

A work-laden tutorial with Vanda

A thoroughly excellent tutorial with Vanda.  We chewed the fat about my progress review and came up with the following action plan.  I am now in high good humour!

Women's Work: (Unseen)  - Jam Cover Collection

1.  Photograph all jam covers individually
2. Scan one on white paper, and one on grey paper.  Decide which works best.
3. Do rest likewise.
4. Find out how to make professional looking photobook.
    - Look up Photobox and other similar companies
    - Consider size of print relative to page
    - Consider matt or gloss pages
    - Consider whether script to be included
    - Consider whether script to be black/grey/.....
    - Consider whether to have individual letters in colour
      (what about the letter O in colour, as circles are important to me?)
    - Find the graphics tutor and ask where their students get their art books made.
    - Consider whether images are on both sides of pages; facing page only; script one
       side and image facing; single images only; double layered images .....

Women's Work: (Upholstery) -  Part of the Furniture collection

5.    Make the upholstered chair less obvious, focus on the message
6.    Look up Timorous Beasties
7.    Clarify meaning of subversive and subliminal
8.    Stitch works on arms.
9.    Consider stitching white on white, or grey on white .....
10.  Consider type of print and placement of stitch
11.  Consider difference of functional object - v - work about a functional object
12.  Print images from Made.com website.  My object does not need to function.
13.  Consider different stool shapes (chairs might be too difficult to upholster - keep it
       simple).I like the idea of a round stool - there are many circles in women's work
       in the kitchen.
14.  What about a two legged stool? (Women might need an upholstered stool to sit
       down and rest, but we would not want them to be comfortable!)  What about
       some balls embroidered with messages,so they can be kept in the air at the same
       time?!
15.  Create sketchbook with images of different furniture.
16.  Consider footstool styling
17.  Find format of stool
18.  Implication of depth of padding
19.  All round - different print; different legs; different depth of padding; different placement of print.

Women's Work: (Unending) - Roller Towel Collection

16.  What about a round tea towel?
17.  Uniform becomes design - therefore don't do uniform
18.  What about perspex rollers? The towel is the message, not the roller.
       Rollers to be anonymous
19.  Find out how to make roller towel fabric authentic.  Contact Initial, or Ebay?
20.  Authentic cloth.
       How to print?  Screen printed; sublimination print; just stitch?; no print;
       print stripes on;
21.  How much imagery?  One, several, multiple? Even or uneven?
22.  Confusion and jumble.  Look at Tilleke Schwartz - use of space and busy-ness.

Not much to do then!

Tuesday 11 February 2014

And a new plan

Jam Covers

Look up dutch jumper collection - e book
Try stab stitching transparent covers together
Investigate photo book.

Roller Towels

Create design for cake making and shepherds pie
Create design for all different utensils in one line
Create design for different utensils in random allover pattern
Lift textured marks from monoprint samples
Work out series of numbers/words/phrases to apply to roller towels

Part of the Furniture

Collage drawings onto photos of chair/stool
Create repeat patterns using multiple kitchen objects
Look up Mark Titchner

Also, having spoken to Freddie Robins, external examiner, today, she commented that as a group we were not good at using scale, colour or finding an appropriate use of ground fabric.  While I agree with this, certainly in relation to my own work, I don't think we have ever been taught anything about these subjects, and at present I am trying to do something comparatively simply, very well.  Adding colour and scale into my mix would just confuse things, I think.  There was also an extended conversation with Freddie about pattern making.  I don't think any of the class have done a pattern making module, which I find to be a significant omission from our course, although I covered this ground in Perth.  I was trying to focus on the single object and use it well, but feel I am being directed towards repeat pattern both by my tutors and external circumstance.

A Thought Provoking Progress Review

I had my progress review with Sally and Steve today, about my 4 collections for final degree project.

Jam Jar Covers (Unseen)

Steve and Sally were quite pleased with these, and were handling them and looking at the stitch in detail.  They liked the variety of threads, hand and machine work.  Sally suggested I should photograph them individually, and this made me remember an idea I had to create a little photobook, that played on the circular nature of them.

I said I was struggling with how to display them, and currently concluded they should be stacked in grouped piles (vice Edmund de Waal).  They disagreed with this, as they liked them layered in pairs and trios, maybe displayed vertically and backlit.  I said they curled up in the studio atmosphere (hot and either dry or humid)  and I could not work out how to display them vertically.  Sally suggested stab stitching invisibly together and putting link stitches to create a grid of covers.  Although I can do this, the fabrics are cut on the cross and are therefore fragile; they warp and distort in heat.  We discussed various ways of displaying them to accentuate the workmanship effectively, but none of them would work.  Displaying them between two sheets of glass would be cumbersome, and detract from the textile qualities.  Ironing on cellophane backings will not last long enough.  Adding a woven or fused backing will detract from the delicacy of the materials.  Putting a light box underneath shows the stitch when a couple of covers are stacked, but the effect of the fabric is lost.  Further thought required.

Roller Towels (Unending)

The three lengths of towels worked well but Steve questioned the use of iconography.  They wanted a coded diary of use, playing on repetition and narrative.   They did not like the consistent spacing of items down the right hand side.  I said I wanted to use more space between and to use a wider range of utensils, so none were repeated. Steve suggested a random spacing all over the fabric.  Sally suggested a sequence of utensils used in one dish, eg cake making, shepherds pie.  Possibly culminating with a bowl full of the different utensils at the bottom of the longest roller towel.

I said I was considering putting different numbers against each image, possibly with the numbers increasing as the roller towels got longer.  They suggested putting dates or quantities instead, the most obscure the better, to make the audience work to understand the work.  Or putting standard phrases from recipes like "cream until light and fluffy".  Or spacing images in line with timings of preparation.  Currently the spacings were too uniform.

We looked at the mark making on the digitally printed monoprint sample.  I was not taking this further as no-one had given me positive feedback about it.   Sally suggested I digitally lift some of the textured areas that suggested cake making spatula marks and layer this with the hand drawn utensils.  Or lift some of the circular marks that look like scouring scratches and use them.   I quite like this idea, to use marks that suggest a patina of use.

I said I had thought about putting one through the wash constantly until final show, or abrading holes and darning them, and little patches to mend, maybe with a stitched comment.  We discussed burning holes (no, too many negative associations with my Mum's accidental cigarette burns and the smell of stale smoke!), and scorched iron marks.  Abrading yes, but burning definitely no!

Part of the Furniture

I said I was making an upholstered collection of a rocking chair and footstool, both of which have detachable cushions.  These would be placement prints: the chair with a colander drawing and cross stitched "drained" and footstool with pastry in a bowl and "resting".  Steve favoured a multiple pattern over the fabric, so the message took more time to consider.  Single objects are too easily read.  Sally suggested words on the arms of the chair - so the tactility of the stitch was felt.  The message needs to be embedded in domestic language or more hidden.  Consider how to make less in your face. Too like a t-shirt with a slogan.  Sally suggested photographing the furniture and collage ideas onto them.  She suggested putting the word "Drained" on to a button if the cushions were buttoned, or a phrase along a line of quilting through the cushion (which is what this chair has).  Steve suggested looking at Mark Titchner (nominee for Turner Prize).

Steve said there were 4 options.  Domestic pattern, format (poster type), structure, or placement print.  He was not in favour of placement print.


Sunday 9 February 2014

Cutting upholstery patterns

I have made less progress today than I had hoped, but feel quite positive about the quality.  I was very wary about cutting the hamp/ramie fabric for the rocking chair.  I was also reluctant to cannibalise the original covers on the chair.  So I have spent the afternoon carefully measuring the upholstery cushions, and creating paper patterns for each piece.   Slow work but it will make cutting the pattern much easier.

I am now wondering whether I should make up a lining for each upholstered cushion.  The originals don't have them, but I wonder whether they would make the hemp/ramie sit better?  Or would the linings ruck up and sit wrongly?  Or maybe the lining fabric should be stitched direct to the hemp cover fabric, then made up as an integral part of the cover?  I need to find out about scotchguarding the fabric too.

Cutting the seat pattern

Cutting the zip facing


Saturday 8 February 2014

External Examiners

We were told to get our work staged by 1000 yesterday for the external examiner.  I had been out in London every day this week, so had failed to set up my work, and when I saw the appalling weather early in the morning, decided not to go to class.  But Antje was upset that my work was not there, so at 1100 I decided to give the journey a try, as the rush hour was over.  I checked the traffic reports, decided to avoid the motorway, planned a couple of alternative routes and set off.  There were a few roads closed but I arrived at uni at 1300, having made my way through a couple of waterlogged roads via Sawbridgworth and Harlow.  I threw my research, exhibition folders, print samples, jam jar covers and textile samples on a wall and desk, just in time for the External Examiner's review session.

I went upstairs to the 2D workshop and was delighted that my hemp/ramie upholstery fabric and cotton roller towel fabric had both been printed.  I spent the afternoon steaming them, before taking them home.  As the weather forecast continues with more storms and rain, it is quite possible that I won't make it in to class on Monday or Tuesday (when I am scheduled for a progress review).  I dislike driving in inclement conditions; my normal route is easily affected by bad weather; and I am particularly wary of situations where I can be stranded eg if the car conks out with unexpected flooding.  Having prepared the fabric for two projects, I have plenty to be going on with if stuck at home for a few days!

This afternoon I washed the roller towel fabric; cut, pieced and edged the 3 different roller towel lengths,  and put them on to wash again.  They are still at the resolved sample stage, rather than finished pieces.  Being critical, I have not spaced the imagery sufficiently on the fabric; I need to resolve what numbers go with each utensil; whether a phrase needs to be stitched on as well; and would it look better on a pale cream fabric, rather than white.  I cannot stitch at present as I broke my thumbnail a couple of days ago, and cannot hold a needle.  But in principle, I think this collection of roller towels works well.

Ironing the longest roller towel 

Pressing the seam

Neatening the edges

And again


Additionally, I popped back into the studio yesterday, as I was leaving.  The External Examiner had appeared to have looked at my work, and left two of my books open.  One showed my plan of work for the coming weeks (I'm so pleased I thought to create a plan!) and the other was a sketchbook open at a line drawing of a lemon squeezer, drawn with a stick.  So do I need to do more drawings with an irregular outline, rather than the careful dimensional shading?  Hmmm!


Thursday 6 February 2014

US Visa, Artist Textiles and Hannah Hoch exhibition

Busy, busy day.  I had to go to London on a tube strike day to have an interview for my visa.  This is required as Jim and I plan to cycle across the USA from San Francisco to Washington  once I have finished my degree.

Then I met with a friend to go to the Artist Textiles exhibition at the Fashion and Textiles Museum.There were lots of fabrics and silk scarves on display, but in my opinion most of them were not particularly successful as fabrics.  They had been created to showcase various top artists (Miro, Picasso, Scott, Moore, Dali, Matisse, Heron).  It was a very interesting exhibition to view, although some information that I would have liked to have known was omitted.  Many fabrics displayed were produced in the post war period to boost Britain's shattered economy.  I would have liked to be told the price of a yard of the fabrics, or scarves, in UK£, US$, the exchange rate at the time and a typical working man's wage.  This would have given context for just how expensive fabrics were, as my impression is that although they state Edinburgh Weavers targetted high end, Heal's middle ground, and David Whitehead targetted the inexpensive, my suspicion is that most of it was expensive by my judgement, and targetted the export market.

I liked the textiles by Victor Vasarely (1950s cups), a black and white doodle print by Eduardo Paolozzi, and a lovely church architecture print by John Piper with some lovely mark making.  Unfortunately none of these was available as a postcard, and a Andy Warhol pocket watch print.    I did not take my camera, as you are not allowed to take much into to US Embassy, so I was travelling with the minimum of baggage.  I made a few sketches instead.

Then we walked to the Whitechapel Gallery to see the Hannah Hoch exhibition.


Wednesday 5 February 2014

An excellent day at the V&A

It was the last class of the V& A course Women Artists.  The first session was class members delivering presentations on a favourite woman artist of their choice.  There were seven of us presenting.  I spoke on Lucienne Day, other class members spoke on Gwen John, Laura Knight, Marlow Moss, Gillian Ayres and Lucy Rie (and one other I missed ).

The tutor spoke about Dod Proctor, Lee Miller, Ithell Colquhoun, Bridget Riley, Paula Rego Tracy Emin and Sarah Lucas.  So we covered a huge range of women and artistic styles.  I thoroughly enjoyed the class, and we gelled well together.  So when I was completing the feedback form and was listening tomcomments from other course members, I was quite astonished with some of the carping criticism.  People felt the course covered too great a range (but did not cover "their" favoured artists!); the course was too short (it was a new pilot course to gauge the market), too much audience participation (!), they did not like the tutor's style (she was an elderly lady who said she had chosen not make a "feminist" art course but a "women's" class).    Yet I found it excellent.  I could not have committed to 10 weeks at this stage in my course; I am quite open minded about which artists I hear about and quite like some well known women, combined with under-sung heroines that are relatively unknown; I want to listen to all sorts of speakers (old, young, disabled, varied ethnicity) so long as they are knowledgeable in their subject; and althouggh I am interested in feminist art, such a class should be marketed as such.  I think we had excellent value forwhat we paid.  Particularly in relation to the costs of a university course!

In the afternoon Sue Stockwell spoke about her practice as an artist.  Really excellent speaker.  She trained as a sculptor with a particular fascination with materials.  She uses a lot of found materials, sawdust, rubber inner tubes, tea bags and coffee filters, toilet paper.  She has a fascination with maps, which commenced when she was a sole tea drinker amongst coffee drinkers in the US.  Sue has done some wonderful maps of the US created from used tea bags and coffee filters.

Another series was about underground maps when she worked with the London Transport museum.  She had very homesick when in the US and started stitching the LU map on handkerchiefs, then produced on a silk hankie with the Stockwell roundel in the corner.  She has done road maps as cut paper arts, making the roads intolace or arteries, and superimposed red route road maps onto the River Thames, the embroidered the red routes on her granny's blanket.

Sue made a wonderful paper quilt for the V&A Quilts exhibition, using low value Chinese paper money.  Also dresses made of money, using style and paper money as an indicator of wealth. Also uses OS maps and atlases to make dresses that comment on colonialism and empire by using sections that show the former British empire. Sue is now using recycled computer boards (some of which are only 2 years old) to make world maps.  She works with themes that have a political agenda.  She has a passion for injustice and inequality, portrayed with a high aesthetic in a democratic and accessible format.  Her materials can be a curator's nightmare.  She is interested in using her own voice via accessible materials and an interest in the ordinary.  Sue feels her work is best received in the V&A context or via Crafts magazine.  She does things, and omly later understands what itis all about.  She explores male and female qualities and believes her work has an appeal that is universal to many but also personal to her.

She is very interested to explore ordinary materials and states all materials have histories and references.  For the less precious the material, the better the effect.

An excellent lecture.