Module 1 chapter 3 Design development

Design sheets A

I took a very simple 4 pointed star to try out these exercises.

Although this pattern didn't quite line up I quite like the idea and might play around with it  at a later date.

module 1 chapter 2 star and cross shapes from coloured papers

Module 1 Chapter 2 stamp idea

I used this poppy seed head as a stamp

For a stamp I decided to try using a dried poppy head that I had to hand.

Module 1 Chapter 2 Coloured papers

Momigami papers
I have been reading Cas Holmes book The found Object and was fascinated by the chapter on Momigami papers. I thought I would give this a try
I took a sheet of paper from a magazine and crumpled it into a small ball, this was then opened up and oil applied to my hands, the paper was kneaded for about 4 to 5 minutes crumpling and uncrumpling, squeezing and smoothing. This is Cas Holmes take on the traditional Japanese technique which uses a starchy paste made from konnyaku which is a tuberous root. The resulting papers are very strong and can be stitched into, I just loved the textures.

 

Poppyhead printing

Module 1 Chapter 2 Coloured papers with pattern applied

 A stamp made from funky foam stuck onto a piece of wood

The shape is inspired by the stars in nature page. I had a piece of funky foam and used a soldering iron to cut out the shapes. Paint was applied and and randomly printed onto a sheet of pre-painted paper.

I also used a wicker basket and wax crayon to create a cross like effect on another piece of paper

here are a selection of printed papers

Module 1 chapter 2 Coloured papers

Just finished my first batch of coloured papers, I used turquoise Brusho for one batch and then mixed orange and rose red Brusho together for the second batch, these are all plain at the moment but I will add patterns to them later.

Module 1 Chapter 1 Line drawings Turkish tiles

My next sketchbook page consists of a few sketches of Turkish tiles, the stars are very geometrical and it took me ages to do just these few (maths is not my strong point), but I really enjoyed trying to work out how to create the different star shapes. I need to get myself a compass to make them more accurate. While browsing the internet for Turkish tiles I came across this great blog which shows lots of geometric star shapes Y-Knot.

Module 1 Chapter 1 Line Drawings page one stars in nature

I have always been intrigued by the shapes of flowers so I thought this would be a good starting point.I found lots of images which showed star like shapes in flowers,seeds and leaves. I need to get these altogether and scan/photograph and post,but here are my first line drawing attempts.

Module 1 Chapter 1 Stars and crosses

Module 1 Chapter 1 Stars on the beach

Aldeburgh Beach 

Module 1 Chapter 1 Stars in flowers

Here are a few of the images I used as inspiration for my sta line drawings

Module 1 Chapter 1 Turkish tiles

Here are a few of the tile images I have collected

Module 1 Chapter 1 colour circle

Colour Circle created using Koh-i-noor inks. I didn't have any gouache water colours so used what I already had in the cupboard. The colours mixed fairly well except the turquoise section which once dry came out greener than I expected.

Exhibitions, museums and talks

I have been to a few events over the last few months and so I thought I would start recording them here.
We took a trip to the South of France earlier in the year and managed to fit in a couple of museum visits while we were there
Firstly the Picasso Museum in Antibes
Chateau Grimaldi at Antibes
In 1608 it became a Stronghold of the Grimaldi family and has borne their name ever since. In 1946 it was the home for six months of the artist Pablo Picasso. Today it is home to the Picasso Museum.
Picasso himself donated works to the museum, most notably his paintings "The Goat" and "La Joie de Vivre".
Returning two years later, Picasso - by then living in nearby Vallauris - exhibited 77 of his ceramic works in the gallery, and in 1949, a special room was named in his honour. Picasso became an honorary citizen of Antibes in 1957, and in 1966 the entire Chateau Grimaldi was renamed the Picasso museum in honour of one of the twentieth century’s finest artists.
In 1990 Jacqueline Picasso bequested many works by Picasso to the museum. These included 4 paintings, 10 drawings, 2 ceramics and 6 etchings. These are displayed at the Château in addition to the 3 works on paper, 60 etchings and 6 carpets by Pablo Picasso which the museum collected between 1952 and 2001. Today the collection totals 245 works by Picasso.

Pic 1 La Joie de Vivre. Pic 2 Outside the Chateau Grimaldi. Pic 3 Sculpture by Giacometti in Museum grounds. Pic 4 the Goat

In Nice we visited the Museum of Modern Art

The permanent collections of the museum consist of works by top pop art and new realism artists: Andy Warhol, Sol Lewitt, Niki de Saint Phalle, Alain Jacquet, David Tremlett, Claude Viallat, and Arman. The works of Yves Klein are also displayed here.
The building of the museum was fantastic in itself, a very original structure with 4 square towers, rooftop terraces and glass passageways between sections of the building with pieces of art displayed throughout .

 

I also went to the Eastern Region Embroiderers Guild AGM which was held at the John Innes Centre Norwich. The morning speaker was Michael Brennand Wood I first saw his work at the Sainsbury's Centre at the UEA when there was a visiting textile exhibition and really loved the 3D work which looks like flowers but is often made up of military symbols. The afternoon speaker was Alastair Macleod from Hand and Lock. It was a great day which also had exhibitions by all the Embroiderers Guilds and Young Embroiderers in the region.

Module 1 My workspace

Threads, sari silk yarn and more fabrics

Buttons, wool,fabric and paints. I used to run a Nursery and so find it very difficult to throw anything away. You never know when you might need it!

Embroidery threads,glue gun,pens....

This is my favourite work space, a great space to spread out. I do have another room where I sew  because it has more natural light. I also have cupboards and shelves where I can keep ALL my materials gathered over time and still when I go to Ally Pally I must just buy something else!

Module 1 Chapter 1 Definition of a star and a cross

A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. Definition taken from Wicipedia

 A star is an object, shape or figure with a number of pointed rays, usually five or six. Definition from thefreedictionary.com