Flaming June and memories of the Lot Valley

A little over a week ago I was over in France in blazing sunshine delivering workshops for Studio Preniac. It all seem so far away now in both time and warmth.The Lot  Valley lying a little to the south of the Dordogne is an inviting landscape of rolling hills and valleys, picturesque villages and towns.

 Safely tucked away in my attic bedroom after a wonderful supper by our generous hosts Billy and Liz. I awoke early to the gradual change of the morning from dawn blue blush which I tried to capture in my first captured sketch between workshops. This set me for a week of exploration of Shadows, Layer and Line in Cloth beginning with a sketching session in the nearby  village of Montuq for the Sunday market. Carrying our sketchbooks to snatch studies as we walked and bought materials for use in the workshop.

Getting ready to draw.

Jenny in the Studio

Laurence at work

Within walking distance of the studio there was plenty of inspirational resource available for drawing

Judith Shadow Drawing

We also had a chance to see the hidden gardens of Cahors and visit the nearby town of Saint Antonin Noble Val before flying back last week

Sue and Laurence in the Moroccan Garden Cahors

Hidden courtyard in Noble Val 

It was hard to say goodbye to this lovely view from the workshop, great companionship and food and come back to the cold grey of England..I am sure it will get better.Thank to the workshop participants for their wonderful cards which contained little snippets of those memories.

France had not quite left me, in the same week, my advance copy of the 'Stitch Stories' arrived brightening up a grey morning and a little bit of this lovely place is recorded in the book in the work of Ros Woodhead (above)

Thankyou Bill from Studio Preniac for the additional images and to all the workshop participants for permission to use photographs

Finally, breaking news, I am to be one of eight artists featured in the next issue of the wonderful John Hopper's Inspirational Magazine..yippee.

An Imperfect World?

At this time of the year after the longest day as passed,  I am drawn to think about what is new and what becomes a memory. I have spent the last few weeks working on pieces from my future exhibition in Alsace and for the Art Textiles:Made in Britain at the Festival of Quilts later in the week. This is a significant time, when we need to mark the events over 100 years ago but the one thing I have discovered whilst travelling is how alike, rather than different we are. In Freiburg, I spent last Sunday walking around small allotments where families, gardened, children played and just relaxed in the sun. I did the same with my grandfather who would keep one row of veggies in his garden just for us to do pick and eat when we wanted. Most were beautifully kept but my eyes were drawn to one with a lonely bench and weeds growing through. I wondered who gardens, or had gardened there?

Each of the gardens were little home form homes reflecting those who worked and relaxed in them. Conversely, outside these garden spaces, wildflowers and 'weeds' are allowed to grow down the middle of the road and roadsides. We live in an imperfect world..thank heavens and no amount of gardening will keep 'tidy'.

Rake and Magpie (private collector)

I ran a workshop in St Ulrich with Quiltstar which explored the notions of imperfection in 'New from Old Textiles' each student used an old fragment of cloth and reconstructed it anew in a short exercise

 

 Before starting exploratory projects in reconstruction. (thankyou to the students for permission to use the images of work in progress)

                                                              Annett Andersch

                 Sophie Maechler (left) and Eliane Schurgast (right)

                                                    Karin Thalicker.

and they made some more contributions to Tea Flora Tales..please join me and add to these piece at the European Patchwork Meeting.

Finally, snippets of the exhibit 'Common Place' in Quiltstar including a 'selfie' in the window

More details on exhibitions and events  and workshops can be found one www.casholmes.blogspot.com

Word on the Bird Arizona

I am waiting at Sky Harbour on my way to San Diego.  I can only say there is so much to say about my time in Arizona that I cannot do it justice.  Thankyou to my friends and workshop participants (one and the same)  for sharing so much with me.
First of all Edger  the Raven who was introduced to me by Lynn our jeep driver at a wonderful day at the Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon at sunset

Red Rocks In Sedona. View from the house

Red Rocks The Sail and Crown

Botanical Garden in Phoenix with a lovely showing of the state tree Palo Verde and Cactus

Cactus in flower

What was really amazing was seeing this wonderful work by Chihuly. He also has the amazing piece at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. I just love the way the work echoes the landscape. 

This piece is called the Reeds. There is also a Chihuly piece in Harrods

The Gardens also had a wonderful wildflower section. It was really hot but great to see such a wonderful variety typical of the Sonoran desert,

Loved this little lizard

Also had to be very aware of fire ants. This detail is of a piece is now in the hands of  a collector..of my work, not fire ants! It uses an old handkerchief and tea towel.

Finally some images of work in progress from my lovely students in Pheonix. Mixed media drawing and mark-making exploring text and image and some sample pieces of work in progress.

These were fantastic and individual explorations of work in progress so many thanks to all for allowing me to show examples. Finally, but not least. I had this wonderful article in my local on line magazine. Inside Maidstone. so home is never far away. My last two weeks are in San Diego..more to come.

Memories of Times Past

As we enter Spring I am drawn to reflect on childhood memories of the season.Gran was a Romany and she and my grandad were a constant teller of stories both over a cuppa or walking in the local park. My sisters and I  were told the faeries had just hidden from view as we looked for them when walking in the local park with grandad. My grandmother loved her tea and always had her favourite recipes for cleaning the kettle. 

 I look back on equally exciting trips of my childhood. It was often during the long Easter weekend break, money allowing, that we would make our annual visit to London with Dad to see the sights The Victoria and Albert Museum and The Natural History Museum were always on the agenda but some of our more intimate museums hold little treasures. A recent visit to the Garden Museum reminded me of drying herbs in my grandmothers kitchen but not nearly a stunning as Rebecca Louise Law's installation is called 'The Flower Garden Display'd' and was created using over 4,600 blooms.to support their current Fashion and Gardens exhibition (on until 27th April). It is a lovely space to visit set in the ancient church of St Mary’s which is the burial place of John Tradescant (c1570 – 1638), the first great gardener and plant-hunter in British history.It also has a great tea and cakes.

Students on a recent course at Maidstone Museum referred to old historic Ladybird book illustrations to draw upon their favourite memories from camping to a childhood swing in a garden in this work in progress inspired by the Ladybird Childhood exhibition. 

Bird Egg book Illustration form the Ladybird book of British Birds (private collector)

These vintage books from their historic imprint on show at the Batsford  Prize 2014 shortlist  have a wonderfully classic feel and I spied a new edition I must get for my collection.

Making my work allows me to revisit favourite places near and far. The planning is full of sweet anticipation and anxious packing. When travelling however, there are times I wish to be home and when home I get 'Itchy feet'. As leave I will enjoy all the new experiences and places and meeting with old and new friends, but equally, as the weeks go by, I think about the changes in my garden and the landscape back home and getting back to my studio

I will keep you posted. The postings may be brief and differently 'managed' as I will only have a tablet..we shall see.