MIXED MEDIA MAYHEM

I love my job, the sun shining 

and the yard:ARTspace full of excited people who have come to learn mixed media sketch book techniques this weekend.

I had lots of sketch book examples to inspire.

Spirits were not dampened even by the door handle breaking off locking us all in the yard, its not a technique I use often, locking everyone in at the start of a workshop is not a necessary ploy!!

The lovely Mr Brown came to our rescue at lunch time and fixed a new handle to the door.

Confident in the knowledge that we could escape when ever we liked, it was heads down working on pieces with ink, bleach, wax and of course the star of the weekend

 was gum arabic transfer.

Soon the results of everyone's labours were drying in the sunshine,

fluttering in the breeze.

After 2 days of experimentation and

half an hour of complicated gluing, 

all these lovely books were produced.

I am so lucky, there was so much creative energy this weekend, everyone was willing to try new things and revisit techniques. The next workshop will be in November as part of Create for Christmas, there will be a festive twist, gold and silver glitter will be used in context.

SUMMER STARTS AT the yard:ARTspace

So the summer term has started with a real creative burst at the yard:ARTspace. We have ignored the chilly weather and all the politics flying around and made ourselves happy with lots of making.

I have been lucky enough to entice Viv Sliwka aka Hens Teeth,

luring her all the way from Staffordshire to the yard in Cheltenham to run a workshop.

Worried Wilf gave her support, although I believe it is his job to untangle those threads.

Viv is a warm, generous tutor and she gently

guided everyone through the creation of a needle case.

An abundance of resources brought by Viv 

helped everyone start gorgeous work.

Every where I looked there were inspiring piles of snippets and haberdashery treasures.

You could cut the concentration with a knife and

inspiration was fueled by Tunnocks. 

Thank you Viv, these were not just needle cases, they were

collages containing memories and mouth watering loveliness.

I can announce that Viv will be returning to the yard:ARTspace to deliver a workshop for Create For Christmas on 24 November and places are booking.

Back in the land of printmaking, the 10 week course started. This term we are exploring silk aquatint. Here is a plate and proof print from my example.

Using chiffon, glue, repair and skim plaster from B&Q, we have all been plate making for 2 weeks.

I can't wait for inking up next week, there are some lovely surprises in store.

The 10 week printmaking course has been popular and the morning class for the Autumn term is nearly full. 

Look at www.theyardartspace.com for details of all the workshops and courses happening for the rest of the Summer and Autumn term.

TIME OFF FOR GOOD BEHAVIOUR

You know what they say, all work and no play...unbelievably I took a few days break over Easter and got out and about. 

The lovely Mr Brown and I took a days trip to see my daughter, at the Henry Moore Foundation, at Perry Green, Hertfordshire.

The Becoming Henry Moore exhibition has just started and it is really worth a visit. Of course photographs were not allowed to be taken in the exhibition, but believe me there are some real treasure to be seen, I got quite emotional.

The gardens themselves are wonderful and packed full of

monumental Henry Moore works.

The day was glorious and

everywhere I looked

wonderful sculptures, I came away so inspired.

This week we had a trip closer to home, in fact almost down the road from Cheltenham. Chastleton is near Stow

Built between 1607- 12 it is in an almost complete state.

Crochet was invented here

and boasts lots of original Jacobean plaster and carved panel work.

With photography allowed, I went into Country Living mode, snapping interior shots.

This hand sewn bed spread took my eye, yes hand sewn and in fact took 15 years to finish.

Mr Brown and I spent a lovely afternoon

wandering around the house,

finally having tea in the church yard.

Back to work for both of us next week, but I feel refreshed and recharged.

HAVING FUN PRINTMAKING ONTO FABRIC

So I keep banging on about printmaking on fabric and the more I experiment the more I am finding that most things you can print onto paper can be printed onto fabric too.

For years I have resisted this, lots of people come to my collagraph and gum arabic transfer workshops and ask the question, can you print this on fabric? My answer always being...well give it a go, but I know nothing about fabric! Well I am being influenced by some very talented chums, Kathleen Murphy, Viv Sliwka, Catherine Kingzett, Claire Cawte and Caroline McCatty, who have pushed, cajoled and generally encouraged me to have a go at stitch.

So once I had proved to myself that you can print both gum arabic transfer and 

collagraphs onto pre-embroidered vintage, voile, velvet and just alsorts of textiles, I was off.

But the real joy, and I can hear all my textile chums sighing...well of course Sue!! Is the stitching into it all after the ink is dry. And then what...there are only so many cushions I can fit onto my sofa...???

But then a trip to the Sewing for Pleasure show at the NEC recently pointed me in the direction of a lamp shade kit. What a revelation!

Putting all my experiments together, machine and hand stitching in details and then...

turn on the light, what a difference,

I particularly like the way it illuminates the embroidery on the vintage fabric previously covered by the print.

I know this is obvious to some, but it is a whole new world to me.

And then there is the doll. Meet Crow Girl...

Gum arabic transfer printed body, hand and machine stitched detail and crow hair made with dissolve-able fabric. So when I am not drawing and collagraph making, I am having even more fun.

Want to learn gum arabic transfer? A place has become available on the 20 May, at the yard:ARTspace. Contact me on sb.brown@talk21.com for booking.