Monthly Archives: June 2012

Mending My Ways..

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Been busy updating – so see the new page on the bar at the top for Current Exhibition Statement or here! I have also been busy posting about ‘Mending my Ways’ on the Brunel Broderers blog and to see some wonderful work by my fellow BB broderers have a look here

I will also post statements from other exhibitions – in time – soon… kind of backwards in a time line maybe?!!!!

Meanwhile… here is the ‘family hands’ series photographed at Musgrove Park Hospital

The ‘hand washing’ series here and here with a bit more thinking here are now framed and up at the Exhibition and, at the moment, I can’t capture them well due to the glass (you can see me and the camera as well!) – but I will try again when I am there next …

Having such an interesting time collecting comments, talking to people about the work and about the whole issue of art in hospitals…

the big mend

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Remember this?! Well The Big Mend with Scrapiana was such fun! A monthly mending get-together – and last night some ingenious, inspiring jeans mending and patching – see here for the ‘Liberty knee repair sachiko style’, ‘square spiral jeans mend’ and ‘red scribble jeans mend’  and Scrapiana’s beauty here… got to try sometime with my 2 most precious, faded and ripped pairs!

So – what did I take?

I took a favourite blue merino jersey of my mother’s – she would buy just one new one every couple of years from the same maker to keep her warm (loved the soft feel and lightness) and was always excited to order a new colour or style – I have so many pictures in my head of her in these.. and, yes I do wear them!

This one has a few threadbare places and one hole…

So – I have always been a bit nervous of darning and this idea of needle-weaving a patch to sew on is just so clever – see Eirlys’ samples on the left there!

Alison was there too and she did some amazing darning in singing colours and stitches..

Will look forward to the next one.

threads – more thoughts….

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A sampling piece from the hand-washing sequence which is now on show at Musgrove Hospital, Taunton – a Brunel Broderers Exhibition, Mending My Ways

I have been thinking about all those threads and why they are a constant in my work..

Threads…loose threads, left… – a metaphor – until now partially glimpsed, fleetingly captured in my understanding…..

Suspended, reaching out, pausing, changing where they lie, are they touching something or is the space important?

The possibilities of connecting, or not.. or waiting to connect – other, between, beyond, unfinished or extending – in the liminal space between the work made and another place

I think a physical representation of me, my intention – the marks are mine but so is the thread itself- it is the substance of my making and my thinking, maybe it is me!

It is a question, a subtle invitation – the place where words tail off in a conversation waiting for a response. Nothing finished or ‘cut off’ but open to possibilities and relationships…..

inching along again!

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I missed the date for finishing my little quilt fragment for ‘inching along’ but I am not worried – the theme was ‘rhythm’ and it took on it’s own pace and time…

The first phase was documented here

The base fabric is a fine turban cotton which I left out on the beach every night whilst we were away, tied to some rusting old boat bits so it soaked up and imprinted with the rhythm of the tides. The walking rhythms of the days…noticing the changes to the tide lines… have become stitched patterns and pauses. The rhythm of stitching the piece has integrated into the past couple of months and is a practice I want to continue.

Now I look at this I feel a strong sense that I could have stopped here – I love the texture and movement of the cloth. But I carried on, the thinking and process of stitching took over and I ended up

As a piece in reality it is more cohesive and integrated – maybe part of this is enjoying the way photographing the phases of a piece can highlight aspects and enhance them..

I also like the way images can magnify, draw attention to detail, dilate my view

Have a browse..

The fragments of colour are naturally dyed cloth from Heike – Gerdiary –  her inspiring blog is one I so enjoy – natural dyes supporting the natural world matter to me

Onto the next quilt piece, the next exhibition, and the next body of work….!

 

hand washing…work in progress!

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Looking ahead and beyond …

This weekend I have been working on some pieces for the Brunel Broderers forthcoming exhibition at Musgrove Park Hospital Taunton for June – August 2012 – Mending My Ways

Amongst other pieces I have chosen, these have been developed as new work especially for the context and I am excited by them!

The positions of the hands are those recommended for best washing practice

Walking around any hospital there are many posters and signs reminding us to ‘wash our hands’ – I thought a gentle reminder and alternative take might be appropriate! The hanging threads have silvery highlights like droplets of water

My cousin’s hands are my model – family hands again, hands of someone who gives so generously in the community – seemed like the perfect choice! She has been out planting sunflowers this weekend to brighten her neighbourhood…

Worked on cotton organdie – drawing with machine on free motion, pen for a different quality of line and detail and hand stitch