Canal reflections…

Been a bit quiet here – this is why…..!

Last week the work I have done for Reflections was on Exhibition at the West Barn, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire – such a beautiful venue by the Tythe Barn and canal.  Following the Threads is a very special group of stitch friends too!

I was brave – I did it! I will post more over the coming days, but to explain a bit…

I put the rolls of ‘walking drawings’ on show, the 3 pieces framed in a very unusual way (more to follow on this) and 3 poems too which were part of the journal I have been working on for this project…

Showing ‘raw’ drawings takes a bit of a deep breath – so here is the statement I put with the rolls

‘Drawn to this world…

Walking drawings with a roll of paper.

As I draw, I look at whatever has caught my eye, not looking at the paper but feeling my way, usually drawing in a continuous line, and working fairly quickly.

At home I may colour, stitch, layer, using pen, hand stitch and free motion stitch.

What catches my eye and heart is always something about the human condition – searching for a sense of connections, identities and differences’

Exciting times..

Sometimes exciting links create a fizzing sense of achievement – Today is one of those days!

Currently an amazing creative 4 day event is taking place  – have a look at the site for ‘Making It – a celebration of craft and community’.

Deirdre Figueiredo, MBE, Director of Craftspace has been talking today at the Making It Professional event

 Tweave  – ‘mapping sound recordings of craft’ is commissioned by Craftspace . Amy Houghton made the recording of me talking about the making of my work ‘a delicate rhythm’ which is on the Tweave site.

And today Deirdre mentioned the work in her presentation!
Read about it by clicking: ‘Making It’ blog post

That is why my heart is singing! Thank you…

To hear the pieces click here and also here and, of course, they are on the Tweave website with other wonderful sounds of making pieces… More posts about ‘A delicate rhythm’ are on this blog – have a look at those in May 2012 and June 2012 ( May and June ‘archives’ section in the side bar)

Thanks to Deirdre Figueirede, Amy Houghton and to Alison Harper

See also the Brunel Broderers blog posts: here for a review in Embroidery by Ian Wilson and here and here

sounds of making..

I was going to talk about hearing the sounds of making again…

See a delicate rhythm and again another delicate rhythm post about sounds of making

Crochet is so quiet – a whisper, a slight rustle – I started to listen carefully in the quiet afternoon

The calm, quiet and warmth were attractive to another… and soon the sounds of cat snoring were a very different but not unwelcome rhythm of sound in the air!

I have loved the colour in this work – seemingly random choices balancing, combining, singing with each other or softly blending. It is nearly done…

reflections on reflections..

It is quiet

It takes a little while to be aware of this….

As soon as I settle to stitch, my mind takes off, fills the space..

It is the sounds that bring me back to be in the moment

To still and calm, to focus

Sounds of stitching on paper, through layers

There is a crackly sound to handling it unlike soft cloth

I want to be attentive – around in the depth of the work, not half stitching, half there

Another definition of ‘there and not there’!

The sound of the needle piercing the paper, the scratch of the thimble, the pulling through of thread

These gentle rhythmic sounds bring my mind to rest where it needs to be…