THE BEST JOB IN THE WORLD.

I have the best job in the world and I meet the most fantastic people

The last couple of weekends has been full on workshopping at the yard:ARTspace and

 

in Much Wenlock for Gallery Twenty Twenty.

Both the workshops were the Mixed Media Techniques for sketchbooks

As you can see last weekend was hard work, enjoying the sunshine and warmth in the yard's yard for a 2 day workshop.

Ink, bleach, paint, wax and a few gum Arabic transfers later...

folding and cutting too, then hey presto,

a wonderful collection of sample leaflets to inspire sketch book pages.

Yesterday, different venue in Shropshire, different, but an equally creative bunch.

As this was just a one day workshop we concentrated on

acrylic transfer

Ink, bleach, paint and wax.

The resulting leaflets looked

like the starting points for complex abstract

paintings.

A lovely bit of composition.

But the side effect of all this workshopping has been to rekindle

 

my sketchbook practice and has given me the momentum to 

work on my pages and prepare lots more for my next set of experiment days.

Also this week I have pulled off the 'Print of the Month' and it's a bigun

On an A1 piece of paper...just.

And inspired by all my exposure to my lovely new textile chums this peacock is holding an embroidered snippet (thank you Julia for showing me how to make a bullion rose)

STARTING THE SUMMER TERM AT the yard:ARTspace

It was a long Easter break for the yard:ARTspace but last week saw me back at it with a vengeance

The daffodils have moved over...

and my Tuesday and Thursday Solo group is making ambitious work. Do come for coffee and see what we are up to, between 2-5pm in term time.

The 10 week printmaking course has started. This term we are exploring multiple techniques, printing lino blocks with collagraph backgrounds.

Everyone is busy

designing and

cutting their lino blocks.

Can't wait to print them this week.

Saturday saw a mono print workshop take place.

Using card shapes, wall paper and pressed flowers,

wonderful atmospheric images  

poured out of everyone.

Lots and

lots and

lots and

lots of prints

were made.

It is such a spontaneous

method and really

loosens those creative muscles.

Even the bits left behind look

useful.

The summer term will be a busy one for me, get your diary out and pop the 10-12 June and come over to see my enamel pieces at The Contemporary Craft Festival, Bovey Tracey.

Lets hope the summer will start to warm up soon??

JULIA JOWETT COMES TO the yard:ARTspace

theyard:ARTspace kicked off the Summer term with a gorgeous workshop from the talented Julia Jowett.

She filled the studio with delicious snippets and threads

and bought along her beautiful textile work for inspiration.

A happy day was spent making embellished textile and wire flowers,

fueled by Tunnocks of course.

With lots of colours to choose from

everyone set to covering wire shapes with fine embroidery stitching

carefully considering colour combinations.

In the afternoon lots of new skills were learnt,

button covering,

                                             embellishments by stitching over washers,                                          

                                                     and pom poms used to great effect.

Everyone left with several new skills, lots of ideas

and a gorgeaous flower to hang or place somewhere in the home.

I can't stop stitching bouillon roses, thank you Julia for teaching that stitch, it was a revelation.

Don't miss Julia's next workshop at the yard:ARTspace as part of Create for Christmas, make Embroidered Tree decorations, 26 November. Contact me for details. 

APRIL: PRINT OF THE MONTH

I am still on target with my print a month and I seem to be feeding my latest obsession...budgies!

I am comfortable with the plate making and as you can see I am having a rare dalliance with colour.

I have settled on the brighter cup, but there is a part of me that likes the gloomy coloured china.

Joey Making Tea is a perky chap and

I think works better than Cup for One.

I am also considering that for me there is a freshness in using just one plate

instead of 2 colour overlays, how many years has it taken me to work that one out?

I thought now would be a good time to share my growing 

collection of budgie related object daa...??

 

Friends are joining in to encourage me, thank you Julia Jowett 

for gifting this gorgeous embroidery to me

and finding this lovely tin, I am the proud owner of 2 of these. You can never have too many. Although 2 are enough!!!

This little chap lives in Abergavenny.

I think I have now sated my budgie urge and will be moving on to a larger bird for May.