Dreaming Blue, Spring Skies at the Prague Patchwork Meeting

April brought a change in the weather and with it blue skies.  I was recently invited to exhibit at the Prague Patchwork Meeting with Anne Kelly as part of ResonantTextiles. An opportunity to experience the world of stitch from another perspective.

There were representations by internationally recognized artists.The glorious colour work in the textiles of Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably were among the star attractions but equally,  the high standard textile work by the Czech contributors was to be greatly admired.  The quality of stitch was beautiful and I paused to reflect if this may be partly due to the fact that creating domestic items for the home and clothing for your family is still very much a part of Czech culture. 

The competitions, 'Grandmother's Garden', 'Czech Quilt' and 'Architecture' reflected this in stunning quilts of considered complexity.

View of Grandmothers Gardens with first prize (blue one on left in the recess) by Milena Kankrlíková and (third prize facing on right) by Marcela Bednářová

Architecture entry Jindřiška Katzerovan

První místo - Český quilt/ First place - Czech quilt
Jaroslava Grycová (Koruny stromů v podzimních barvách/ Treetops in autumn colours)

One of my favourite exhibitions, 'Blue is Good' project had contributions from all over the Czech Republic. It demonstrated the potential of simple theme to create a wall of colour which in clarity reflects the colours of the famous native blue glass. (The proceeds from an auction of the quilts later in the year will support PORTUS, a Czech charity seeking to sheltered housing for the mentally challenged.)

Jana Sterbova's stunning 'Red' exhibition equally exhibited the strength of one dominant colour in quilting

The international group exhibitions included 'Imagine' (first seen last year at the European Patchwork Meeting), 'International Threads' and 'Radiation' all reflected a response to themed work.There was also some lovely textile collages by French artist Martine Apaolaza.

Barbara Lange Right and Uta Lenk left International Threads

Imagine

Marie Curie by Gabi Fischer (two on Left) and Birgit Schrader, Radiation exhibition

A few shots of my gallery at the show.

Lace Windows

Stitching in my booth

Grass is Greener with a view across to Bridges collaboration with Anne Kelly (my piece is in the centre and Anne has one either side in this shot)

As part of the workshop programme  I offered a short taster session on the theme of 'Layers, Lines and Image' looking at shadows and patterns based on garden views through a window.The challenges I set were responded to warmly, with humour and a great deal of talent. Helena Geitel gives here own review of the course here  Thankyou also to Eva Brabcova for a fantastic job interpreting and her husband Vladimir for the wonderful images of the work below:

I had little opportunity to see Prague, however a special dinner event allowed me to observe the changing colours and shapes in the roofline as the sun went down over the city. 

 

 

Making your Mark

Making marks is a human instinct, we sign, doodle and even draw. This time-lapse film is of artist Catherine Bertola installing Unfurling Splendour (V) - making her marks to form a carpet made entirely of dust - in Bilston Craft Gallery in February 2015 as part of the two-week Acts of Making festival of craft and performance.
(Acts of Making is in Bilston until 28 February before going on to Gateshead from 7-21 March and Plymouth from 14-26 September 2015.)

Catherine Bertola installing a carpet of dust Image from Crafts Council

Over the last few weeks I have been working on a number of courses which look at different approaches to making your mark and developing sketchbooks. Creating texture and finding texture in the landscape as inspiration is equally stimulating. The collaborative mark making in this piece was made from just listening to simple directions.This first evening introduction on Personal Journals, Sourcing Inspiration for Textiles, (one of my West Dean courses) gave surprising landscape mapping textures.

The need to make a mark and use colour which starts to express an idea is very individual as this group of sketchbook explorations from the course demonstrates:

 Chrissie Hart, Marks relating to Birdsong

Flora Weller Feathers

  Issy Bean Folded drawings

Mary Klaber

Olly Douglas

Sandy Davies

Sarah Fenner

Lynn Weal

Nikki Barnes

Thankyou to the students on the course who kindly gave permission to show work in progress and development.
 Textural surfaces and lines in the landscape can equally stimulate the marks you can draw upon. Inspirational sources photographs and artwork Dutch Blue.

Protest and Survival

The 'Creative process' has always had a role to play both as a means of protest and  of survival

 

 I love the fact that Sun  Engraving Co, (who produced Woman's Own) also developed fine pore screens for the Atomic Program.The cover making a proddy rug, thriftyness.

Dorothy Hodgkin finally solved the structure of Penicillin on VE Day in 1945. Her model above is a thing of beauty in itself. Both of these are at the Churchill Scientists Exhibition at the Science Museum.

At the V&A  Disobedient Objects closes on the 1st February.

I loved the concept of ‘Book Bloc’ – groups carrying protest shields painted to resemble book covers as they pushed through police lines; originating in 2010 at a student demonstration in Rome, these were rapidly adopted by groups in the UK, US, Spain and Canada.Knowledge and words symbols of power for people. The scope of the exhibition was wide and included  Chilean arpilleras – hand-sewn textile pictures documenting the harsh economic conditions, disappearances and torture during the military dictatorship of 1973-90.These often had poignant  messages stitched into the back

 My final visit Chinese artist Gu Wenda's "United Nations" made with human hair at the  
 Saatchi Art Gallery. If only we could unite not only for protest but as Nations.

Finally, my own little act of  quiet protest. Californian Poppy the flower of hope.

Lace Lines

I have had a busy Autumn as we head into winter and as the days grow colder we see the lacy lines of trees and plants more clearly 'etched against the skies' and shadows of trees strongly cast  against the sides of buildings.

 
I was delighted to exhibit in Memory Cloth at the Museum of Kantfabriek in the Netherlands. This exhibition included installations along a collective theme of lace and textiles with the artists Glenys Mann (who originally devised the exhibition), Els Van Baarle, Cherilyn Martin and myself  creating their own pieces in relation to the theme and to the space.(exhibition ends 4 January)

Cas Holmes

Els Van Baarle

Glenys Mann

Cherilyn Martin

General view of space

Images of lace making machinery and lace in the space and even on the roundabout near the museum.

And a video of lace being made

 

I was fortunate enough to be invited to run a workshop in their wonderful studio space and we looked at ideas relating to lace, lines and layers. A few details of work in progress below by kind permission of the students, including making rubbings in the factory and cutting up lace scraps.This workshop was full. I am returning to the Netherlands with Zijdelings in Tilburg in mid March with  full details on my blog

Thinking of the lace and the way it reels its way out of the machines I created some new pieces: Lace Flowers unfolding forms combining an old book on lace making with Kantfabriek lace and lace floral curtains. (These are new pieces and are not on exhibition.)

 

Over the weekend we visited another town and a wonderful Christmas house as part of the annual De Roze Engel flower shop display.

Seasons Greetings and here's to a peaceful 2015 for everyone