Zoomorphic

Tell Me Your Secrets - Gladys Paulus

Detail

Moon daughter - Anthropomorphica

Of Root and Antler - Anthropomorphica

This week I went to an exhibition at Llantarnam Grange in Cwmbran. I wasn't sure about going as I am not really into human/animal combinations but my favourite doll artists http://anthropomorphicaartdolloddities.blogspot.co.uk/
It turned out to be an amazing exhibition and yes there were pieces I didn't like but plenty that I did. I didn't take many photos, as the light wasn't very good but here are my three favourites.
Anthropomorphica didn't disappoint, the delicacy of her work is beautiful. I was looking forward to seeing her larger pieces, the Moon Daughter's red belt is very long, down to the floor. If I could afford it I would have bought one of these, I have three of her small dolls already.
I had seen some of Gladys Paulus's mask pieces online before, it person they are stunning and beautifully made. The cat figure is tall, about seven feet maybe, the idea was that people tell her their feelings about their cats and these are stitched on the dress, very impressive.

From the Earth part 2

Connie Flynn

The Kitchen Witch

Bahar Bzc Bozaci

Fabienne Dorsman Ray

Mine on the left Liz Hewitt on the right

Chris Lines

Fabienne Dorsman Ray

Books by various artists, the dark colour one at the back is now sitting on my desk.

Caroline Bell

More beautiful work from the exhibition including my own. I think the blue piece might be by Shelley Rhodes but I don't want to attribute pieces to the wrong artists when I am not sure.

From The Earth part 1

Connie Flynn

India Flint

India Flint

Mary McIntosh

Lizzie Godden

Mary Moorkens

Overview of Mardlebury Gallery

Firstly apologies to the artists whose names I do not have, have spelt wrong or got wrong. I have been going back and forth in Facebook trying to find everybody's name. You can find further images on Facebook at From the Earth Textiles and caroline bell textiles. 

I visited last weekend, its a fantastic exhibition with some amazing and beautiful work. I only took photos of some 

of the work as there is so much and this post is partly so that my friend Liz can get an overview in case she can't 

get there herself. Liz your work will be in Part 2. If you read this blog and see your work incorrectly or not 

acknowledged please leave a comment and I will edit this entry.

20/20 exhibition

On Wednesday evening I went to the opening of North Somerset Arts 20/20 exhibition, all work had to be 20 x 20cms. A very successful evening, loads of visitors and the exhibition looked great, a brilliant concept and I hope they will repeat it. You can see from my photos how it was laid out and also there are close ups of my pieces. I will be visiting again when its quieter so may get some images of the rest of the exhibition.

Rusted Hearts

Mapping Contours

Taunton exhibition

 I managed to get a couple of pictures from a friend, two of the general exhibition space and one of mine which unfortunately has a lot of reflection in it. You can also just see one of the pair of my other pieces.
Its a great space for exhibiting in.

Boro exhibition, on raising humble to art.

Add caption

 Sorry about the colour reproduction my camera decided it didn't like blue.

If you live in the UK and you haven't seen this exhibition drop everything and go it is amazing. Its a study of unknowable family histories of grinding poverty and ingenuity. It asks more questions than it answers, you want to know about these peoples lives. Some of the pieces look as if the were cobbled together in spare moments but others appear to have had a lot of thought put into them and are beautifully stitched pieces.

It is unashamedly a selling exhibition, and doesn't pretend otherwise but by beautifully presenting these pieces as works of art it is raising the humble to new levels.
It seems a bit ridiculous to now produce my own new pieces, albeit made of old fabric, based on originals that were made out of rags to keep people warm but that is exactly what I intend to do and out of choice not necessity.

Signed, sealed and

Labyrinth

 to be delivered tomorrow. Finished at last and its turned out ok.

This is for the South West Textile Group Stand at the 'Fashion Embroidery and Stitch Show' at the NEC Birmingham from the 20th to 23rd March.

I am unlikely to be there in person but if you are going please do pop along and say hello to my fellow members.

Part 3

While we were in Yorkshire we also visited Haworth Parsonage where the Brontes lived. This was very interesting and we were lucky enough to be there whilst there was an installation on by Charlotte Cory
 An installation by Charlotte Cory, one of the country's leading surreal photographic artists. The exhibition is an imaginative, witty and informative exploration of the Brontës and the history of early photography, drawing on the Victorian craze for collecting cartes des visite – portraits once produced in their millions and now discarded. Using twenty-first century techniques, Cory creates colourful new characters for these long forgotten figures, which are at the same time poignantly reminiscent of Victorian taxidermy; animals collected and preserved for posterity in their glory, and now extinct.

 This was fascinating and increased my enjoyment of the exhibition though reading the visitors book there was a mixed reaction, I think people either loved or hated it.
The village is also very pretty and there is an amazing sculptress who has a gallery there whose name I can't remember.

We then travelled on to Grimsby to see Alice Fox's exhibition 'Tide Marks', an excellent exhibition, I loved it all, one day I may get to own a piece of her work. So lucky to get to see this, only because it coincided with Cloth and Memory. look at her site to see work from the exhibition http://www.alicefox.co.uk
Both exhibitions gave me lots of inspiration.

Above me doing my thing on Cleethorpes beach, hubby took the top two photos, the long view and of course I took the interesting ones. This is a beautiful beach and full of interesting finds.

Next stop was Lincoln where we stayed in another apartment with views of the cathedral. I seem to have stopped using my camera by this stage. We visited the cathedral, the castle and walked down Steep Hill, and it was, especially on the way back to see the canal that runs through the town.
Next day we drove back and I went to work on designing and printing fliers and posters for my Christmas open studio.
I've been a very busy bee, hence not many posts recently.

Saltaire part 2 Salt Mills - Cloth and Memory Part 2

Gallery from one direction

 First impressions when you enter the gallery is the immensity of the space, you can hardly see from one end to the other. Its something like 10,000 sq ft.

and the other

Koji Takaki

Jeanette Appleton

Only when you have recovered your breath can you concentrate on the exhibits. These are many and very varied. I haven't taken many photos, I could have taken hundreds.







Most of the exhibitors were either British or Japanese and the differences in their work was considerable, you could see the differences in the textile practices between the two countries very clearly.
The relationship between the artists and the space and history of the mill was also fascinating. Thats all I am going to say, look at clothandmemory.com for further images and information.

Visit to Saltaire and other places part 1

Oats Royd Mill from above, a very steep climb

Morning cloud in the valley

Hebden Bridge

Hebden Bridge

View from apartment window

Views from window.

View from window

I don't know why some of these images are very small.
We have been away for a few days, we stayed in a lovely apartment in an old mill near Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire. Hebden Bridge itself is a fascinating place though we didn't go exploring upwards, very steep, but stayed in the river area.