It has been a busy few days. Jim and I have been entertaining an old friend from Australia, who used to belong to the same swimming club.
I have been working diligently on photoshop and my mood has consequently been fast cycling between despair at my lack of skills and euphoria because I think my ideas are quite good. Today I collected a couple of trial circular tea towels, steamed, dried and ironed them, ready for edging, stitching and working out how they might be staged. I also spent hours preparing non standard fabrics for the digital printer. I created a soda ash solution, soaked 2m roller towel fabric and dried it. I also queued a couple of pieces of footstool fabric for digital print. These should be ready for next Monday. Tomorrow we entertain our Aussie friend, then Jim drives her to Scotland, which means I don't have access to the car until Monday. Therefore I needed fabric to work on until then. I will also have a trip to Colchester to see about upholstery materials at Franklins.
No wonder I am dog tired. Photos of work to follow.
Wednesday, 12 March 2014
Wednesday, 5 March 2014
Other students having a hard time/what to say at my review
The rest of my class had their dissertation results a couple of days ago. Although everyone passed, there were quite a lot of people who were disappointed with their results. Then we had a seminar where one student had some harsh feedback that contradicted feedback received earlier in the day at a different tutorial. It was a hard day, although I was not on the receiving end of it.
Then I had my final review brought forward to next week! So, what will I have to say?:
My interest lies in the concept (women's work) and the link with the object on which is is portrayed. There is a lot of symbolism that integrates the concept and object. (It is not about the materials. It is not about the making. I am a thinker and observer, rather than maker). My work fits the domestic setting so all my objects are domestic, mundane objects.
Jam covers (Unseen). Finished, except for staging. The fabrics won't stand handling, so will be arranged on a plinth or float shelf, stacked (cotton fabrics) and overlapped (sheers), so they are having a conversation with each other. Virtually complete.
Women's Work ( Unfinished). These are the knitted samples on stitch holders. They are very complicated border designs that allude to the lack of recognition given to work that is unfinished, despite it demonstrating high skill levels. The positioning of the design alludes to how the skills of marginalised people are unnoticed although they are critical to the effect of a final piece of work. Women's work is often un recognised because it is never finished. Currently working on the third, five to be completed.
Women' Work (Unending). This is the roller towel series. These have been pared back to just a line of script, emulating a glass cloth. Words are very important to me, so this piece will be plain digital print which has just repeated Women's Work, interspersed with verbs about making a cake on the short one; making a shepherds pie on the second and lemon merangue on the long one. It makes the point that women's work is unending. Design done. Roller Towel supplied. Need to test soda ash printing on digital printer. (timings dependent on Lisa). Prepare my fabric (down to me). Print on roller towel (dependent on Lisa)
Women's Work (Cyclical). This will be a series of 3 tea towels that are circular. There are lots of circles in cooking - saucepans, bowls, tins, hob rings, colanders, drainage holes, plug holes, so circles are important to me as a shape. Maybe a coloured tea towel with a hand drawn object and a cross stitched number associated with how many times my Mum used the object. Intention is to demonstrate how kitchen tasks are repeated in a loop - cook, serve, eat, wash up. Maybe these words should be cross stitched around the edge. Drawings are done, just need to sort out designs on photoshop. Feeling anxious about these. Dependent on my photoshop skills.
Two extra ideas I would love to do but not sure whether I have time/skills
Women's Work (Overlooked). Repeat pattern curtains. Hand drawn utensils in a repeat pattern, with a large variation in scale. Memory problems if I want an 8' pattern repeat. I would like to have a 7' high potato peeler included, to make the point that you need to stand back and look at the bigger picture. If digitally printed, the peeler could be pieced into the curtains. Reluctantly I think this is too ambitious, but it is a great idea. I would love to do curtains for their sheer domesticity, and for their size.
Women's Work (Supportive). Upholstered stool tops or settee cushions. I did an interesting exercise with Vanda using circular designs, which I loved. The base drawings are done. I just need to do the colour work and photograph them, before digitally printing them. I would like to cross stitch around the sides Mixed Up for the mixer, Ground Down for the mincer, Drained for the Colander and Resting for the pastry bowl.
Wom
Women's
Then I had my final review brought forward to next week! So, what will I have to say?:
My interest lies in the concept (women's work) and the link with the object on which is is portrayed. There is a lot of symbolism that integrates the concept and object. (It is not about the materials. It is not about the making. I am a thinker and observer, rather than maker). My work fits the domestic setting so all my objects are domestic, mundane objects.
Jam covers (Unseen). Finished, except for staging. The fabrics won't stand handling, so will be arranged on a plinth or float shelf, stacked (cotton fabrics) and overlapped (sheers), so they are having a conversation with each other. Virtually complete.
Women's Work ( Unfinished). These are the knitted samples on stitch holders. They are very complicated border designs that allude to the lack of recognition given to work that is unfinished, despite it demonstrating high skill levels. The positioning of the design alludes to how the skills of marginalised people are unnoticed although they are critical to the effect of a final piece of work. Women's work is often un recognised because it is never finished. Currently working on the third, five to be completed.
Women' Work (Unending). This is the roller towel series. These have been pared back to just a line of script, emulating a glass cloth. Words are very important to me, so this piece will be plain digital print which has just repeated Women's Work, interspersed with verbs about making a cake on the short one; making a shepherds pie on the second and lemon merangue on the long one. It makes the point that women's work is unending. Design done. Roller Towel supplied. Need to test soda ash printing on digital printer. (timings dependent on Lisa). Prepare my fabric (down to me). Print on roller towel (dependent on Lisa)
Women's Work (Cyclical). This will be a series of 3 tea towels that are circular. There are lots of circles in cooking - saucepans, bowls, tins, hob rings, colanders, drainage holes, plug holes, so circles are important to me as a shape. Maybe a coloured tea towel with a hand drawn object and a cross stitched number associated with how many times my Mum used the object. Intention is to demonstrate how kitchen tasks are repeated in a loop - cook, serve, eat, wash up. Maybe these words should be cross stitched around the edge. Drawings are done, just need to sort out designs on photoshop. Feeling anxious about these. Dependent on my photoshop skills.
Two extra ideas I would love to do but not sure whether I have time/skills
Women's Work (Overlooked). Repeat pattern curtains. Hand drawn utensils in a repeat pattern, with a large variation in scale. Memory problems if I want an 8' pattern repeat. I would like to have a 7' high potato peeler included, to make the point that you need to stand back and look at the bigger picture. If digitally printed, the peeler could be pieced into the curtains. Reluctantly I think this is too ambitious, but it is a great idea. I would love to do curtains for their sheer domesticity, and for their size.
Women's Work (Supportive). Upholstered stool tops or settee cushions. I did an interesting exercise with Vanda using circular designs, which I loved. The base drawings are done. I just need to do the colour work and photograph them, before digitally printing them. I would like to cross stitch around the sides Mixed Up for the mixer, Ground Down for the mincer, Drained for the Colander and Resting for the pastry bowl.
Wom
Women's
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.
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.
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).
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.
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).
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| None of the cushions are fixed in position yet, but I have already done a lot of learning about the process. |
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| 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.
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.
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.
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| Peggy Van Neer, Clochard duvet |
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| Andrew Livingstone, Booze Britain |
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| Benoit Ollive, Bloody Meal |
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| Iris Scheiferstein, Boots |
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| Simone Brewster, Coffee Pommell |
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