Out of Africa Workshop at Stirling University

26th – 28th August 2016, Stirling University

It was a joy and a pleasure to join the 1stirling-uni6 members of my group at Stirling University for two days. We experimented with design and printing techniques using African artefacts as our inspiration. The group had an extensive knowledge and skill base and their willingness to embrace new techniques enabled them to produce the exciting, creative and technically very proficient work that you can see below. The whole experience was warm and friendly and was enhanced by the beautiful surroundings and sense of fun that pervaded the workshop.

 

 

 

Success at Ally Pally

It was so exciting to have an exhibition of my own at Alexandra Palace this Oct. I was so nervous but it all went better than I had ever anticipated.
Here are just a few of the comments from my visitors book:-
‘ Glorious Celebration of the every day’
‘Thank you for allowing me to walk through your rainbows’
‘Stunning work a beautiful way of seeing life’
‘Mind shattering! Creative Juices revived at the age of 91’
‘The ‘Playground’ was the most stunning piece in the show, my favorite’
‘Best in Show’
The best exhibition we have seen since 10a.m and we have now been round it all’

Thanks to all that viewed my exhibition for their kind comments and support.

Knit and Stitch Show at Alexandra Palace London October 2014

All this work (and much much more!) will be on show at the Knit and Stitch Show at Alexandra Palace from next Wed 8th Oct until Sunday 12th Oct, and later on in the year in Dublin and Harrogate.

Image of a machine embroidery called ‘Playground’. This work is over a metre wide and 75 c.m in length. It is my most ambitious piece to date. It hangs away from the wall and so you see enlarged images of the children on a plain wall.Playground1 PlaygroundDetail1 Detail view

Row of Children is based on the playground and will hopefully give people the idea of a type of ‘PICK and MIX’ approach where the buyer can choose up to 4 images from the ‘Playground’ to put in a frame for themselves.

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A picture of Agnes  entitled the ‘Matriarch’ This image is about 1.50 metres in length, it hangs away from the wall so that when  strong light is shone on it the shadow becomes part of the piece of artwork. It hangs with another image of a Ugandan women of the same size.

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Precious Memories – Wedding Selection

Here are some new ideas for work. Precious Memories relate so much to special occasions that I feel it would be great to create a bank of wedding images old and new.

 

[Show picture list]

Cutting the Cake

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Knit&Stitch Show Olympia March 2013

I was invited to exhibit my large Auricular hangings that I had made especially for a summer art exhibition at Calke Abbey a National Trust property in Derbyshire. The two hangings that are shown here are displayed very differently from each other. Both are initially made from the same type of sheer fabrics and machine embroidered. However the large single flower pot is very soft and flowing and made up of layers of sheer fabrics creating the different colours. The other one with many flower pots is made by taking single flower pots and then each is attached by hand to strong plastic netting giving this a more rigid feel and hang.

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Textile Life Drawings

I am now studying Life Drawing. This is to help my observational skills and inform my understanding of figures and movement. I have started experimenting with simple shapes and patterns related to the figure and these are my first attempts at producing some textile work. The work is based on my actual life drawing classes and the materials used are all sheer fabrics so that the shapes that overlap make the work more interesting. All the figures are machine embroidered individually and then applied to each other to create interesting negative shapes.

[Show picture list]

Small Embroidered Figures.

I am developing a new range of machine embroidered small figures that enhance my ideas of memory by looking at the shadows they produce within a contained space. There will be pictures of the actual images and then pictures within certain framing options. The work is based mainly on photographs of people I know. I am trying to get the character of each person, the way they stand, sit, act, and the memory of how they where at that moment in time. Trying to recreate that very precious memory we have of people we love.

Some of the work will be framed in clear perspex frames so that a light shinning on them can be reflected on a background. The new framing idea is within small square frames either white or black but with the figures pinned to a white background within the frame. A light would then be shone onto the frame. All work will be predominately in black machine embroidery to add to the dramatic effect of the images.

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