Ruskin Mill, Summer Exhibition

Went along to Ruskin Mill to see the end of Term exhibition, which unfortunately they had taken down the day before, even though it was advertised as being open until September 1st. So was rather disappointed, until we hit the coffee shop and they make the most wonderful Victoria Sandwich with real cream. Instant forgiveness.

Then had a stroll through the site, and was so impressed, it was wonderful. This amazing carved garden bench.

Click on the photo to enlarge and have a look at the ceramic tiles.

The space was tranquil and offered visitors the opportunity for meditative thinking. They had a wonderful kitten roaming the site, who was friendly and playful. We also spoke to a couple of young residents. So inspiring and enthusiastic.

As I had never been to this area before, went into Nailsworth to have a look around and found a fantastic textile shop called [Olivia Dell] - [World Textiles] [ Folk Art] An Aladdin's cave of eye candy. Quite amazing.

Festival of Quilts 2009

Had a great time at the FOQ this year, lots of people to chat too as well and I cannot believe I hardly took any photos. However the Twisted Thread website has plenty. Click here, it worth while looking at their facebook page as well. Lots going on there.

I have 2 favourites of the show and , one was

Chunghie Lee: Pojagi & Beyond - My Cup Overflows

and the other was

Yoshiko Jinzenji: Quilt Creation

My mate Liz was also exhibiting and she has worked so hard to complete all the work for this exhibition. Well done Liz.

My purchases were more refined than most years, yes I bought some more Lutrador from my mate Marion at Artmixer, good to see you again, and I might well take you up on the offer of playing in your shed!

I also perused around the Aurifil stand as I really like the cotton threads, they are matt and stitch well. So I purchased some. I have yet to find a UK stockist. If you know one ... please let me know.

I also had a good look at the new Bernina 830...... yes I had a look.. but no more than that. Did not dare start to play with it. Just know what I am like! The all singing all dancing version cost the same as a small car! Car's are so overpriced don't you think?

Also treated myself to Sandra Meech's new book, and I am really enjoying reading it.

Blog Candy give away

The Stamp Man is doing a give away on the blog, some great stuff.. worth having a look at.

Trip to National Gallery and Tate Britain

This was a day for art appreciation and to feed the inspiration.

Always an exciting moment on the coach, when you know you are getting close to the National Gallery. The Exhibition was Carot to Manet, not an exhibition I would have particularly have chosen to see... but............. I found it really wonderful. Have a look here. Worth seeing, but be quick it finishes soon.

Of course we also had to see what was going on with the 4th Plinth in Trafalgar Square.

Next Stop Tate Britain. Such an inspirational Gallery, lots of Turners (click here) on exhibition and I just love the Colour and line exhibition, which I first saw last year and had to come and have a another look this year. Blow's me away every time. Another painting which really caught my imagination was Sandra Blow - Space and Matter 1959. I could have spent all day staring at it. It totally engulfed me. Loved a lot of the work in this room.

Time seemed to fly and I need to get some air and a quick view of the Thames before the coach came to take us home.

Great view of Channel 4's umbrella sculpture.

Buscot Park

We used to go to Buscot Park near Faringdon when the children were very young to watch the firework displays by the lake in November every year. We felt we got a double helping and the children could watch the wonderful reflections on the lake. Needless to say have not been back for years although it is on our doorstep. Took the grandchildren along there yesterday and of course we had a great time. As we had packed the wellies in the boot of the car.. it did not rain!

Plenty of opportunities within the grounds of Buscot Park for drawing and admiring artwork.

Grandson is merely 5 years old and can draw brilliantly. He also loves to look at paintings and drawings in galleries, and talk about them. In fact he can give Brian Sewell a run for his money in the talking department. Buscot house has a fine collection of Pre- Raphaelite paintings and his questioning and vocal observations caused an audience of adults to listen to him, whilst the guide and I were trying to answer his incredibly detailed questions.

After viewing the house... we then took full advantage of the wonderful grounds.

We drew and walked and ran and played, and were pleased to get to the tea shop for refreshments after a very busy time. I can really recommend the orange and lemon cake! We drove home with some very tired, quiet and happy children. I had a lovely surprise this morning. the children bought me a huge bunch of flowers and Granddaughter had made me a lovely thank you card with butterflies. We saw so many butterflies yesterday.. they were very beautiful.

Shaftesbury Lake

Took the grandchildren to Shaftesbury Lake today, we used to live close by and so know the area well, after feeding the ducks and swans and Canada Geese with stale bread, it was off to the playgrounds.

Great fun and lots of drawing/sketching opportunities. Unfortunately the Adventure playgroup is shut to ordinary children on a Friday, it is only available to children with special needs. However I suspect we will be back to play another day.

Then home for lunch and then off again to another set of playgrounds. The result was some tired and happy children and me!

Have you noticed the date today ? 07-08-09..............! 7th August 2009

Salisbury Cathedral

Salisbury Cathedral yesterday was full of foreign tourists, wonderful to see so many come to enjoy and admire our wonderful heritage.

The scale of the architecture in this Cathedral never ceases to amaze me.

My mission at the Cathedral was to look at some of the embroideries closely. Our guide was well informed as she had completed many of the canvas work kneelers on show.

I was also delighted to be able to see much of Jane Lemons' work with the Sarum group.

I also had the opportunity of looking around Arundells which, is also in close proximity to the Catherdral, and was the home of Edward Heath.

He had a wonderful collecton of artwork... Winston Churchill , John Piper, Augustus and Gwen John as well as others...... I was quite fascinated. He also had about 50 of the original cartoons which had appeared in newspapers over the years, in which Giles featured quite heavily .
Look at the Gallery in the link..... here. The garden was also delightful and goes right down to the River Avon, which has such clear water..... I was quite amazed.

Popped into the Wiltshire Museum to have a look at their Turner paintings of Salisbury, but only had 2 on display...... they do however have a good costume section and also a comprehensive record of Downton Lace.

A wonderful day trip and the sun shone until I reached home.

Going nowhere fast!!!

I feel rather like this spider today, going round in circles and not achieving much. Lots of creative ideas...... but hand and eye co-ordination is really out of cinque...... so have spun my web of creativity, and have come to a full stop in the middle.
Should I just go and do something more useful, or persevere? Mmmmmn....... any suggestions?

Lydiard House and Park

Along with my pals from the Great Western Embroiderers we were invited to Lydiard House with a view to creating a stitching exhibition next year. My dodger Chum Penny also came a long with me. Sophie the curator, gave us a guided tour, which was most informative.

We had visited the adjoining church earlier in the year. and enjoyed seeing the walled garden this time in all its splendour

The trees in the surrounding parkland are wonderful too.

Lydiard is surprisingly close to Swindon.

Now it is time to start the sketchbook and make decisions.. will it be flowers, or trees. or may the plasterwork in the house. the exhibition is in March, so I have a little more thinking time yet... then must start stitching.

Must go and prepare for the meeting tonight of the Swindon Branch of the Embroiderers Guild.

Surprise at the end of a wonderful week

This was a wonderful surpirse and so unexpected, a gift from my dodger chums who came to the Summer school . It is not often I am reduced to tears, but this was one of those moments. I have all my many photos to sort out and some small videos..... will share as soon as I have finished unpacking and downnloading. It may take a while..............................!
I am so missing my chums this morning, but I have this wonderful bouquet to remind me.

Another Day at Summer School

Took a lovely -after breakfast- stroll around the garden of Urchfont Manor. When the stroll started the sun was shining, but by time I got round to the front of the Manor, the outlook had dulled. The dew on the fauna and art in the garden was truly inspirational.

Gordon Dickenson's green man in the vegetable garden has rusted wonderfully since last year.

Here is the taster of the "gallery", you should see the sketchbooks on the chairs they are fantastic...

Dodger Summer school

Some of my work completed yesterday, all experiments and samples.

I am having a wonderful and very creative week with 14 of my Internet chums. We are working together all week, rather like a retreat, good food , good wine, fantastic company and a real creative buzz happening and sharing of so many ideas and techniques.

We have been taking it in turns sharing teaching and we are awash with ideas for dyeing, transfer dying, printing with pasta machines, crochet, tatting, embellishing with the needle felting machines. plastic and metal jewellery. Naturally the presentation is very hi tech and lots of techie gizmos are being used

.

This was the wonderful Wiltshire sunset tonight.

Getting ready

Just showing you the way ;0) ....... I have made a start on the "idea".. still not sure about the colour. It is a great yarn to make crochet chains, but I am not using a hook, using my fingers instead.
Will unravel the idea at our Summer School at Urchfont..... I'm getting very excited about it. are you?

Poppies in July

Very aptly for the month of July, I went to a workshop yesterday that the Marlborough Branch of the Embroiderers Guild were running, called Poppies. I have just finished the final bits of machining on the background this morning, so thought I would share it with you.

The tutor was Richard Box and the workshop was great fun.

Richard had kindly bought along a number of his drawings and pictures of Nature along to inspire us.

If you would like to chat to Richard and see what he is doing. He is Artist in Residence at

Nature in Art Twigworth in August... you can check out the details here.

Melting moments.

Its been a bit warm this last week, and I really thought I was going to melt .....but I am really pleased as I have managed to get all the work for the Barnstable Exhibition finished, and ready to go. Quite a feat in this heat.

The duck pond at Urchfont looked very inviting today................... but I had other exciting happenings to occupy me.




I took my finished work along to Urchfont today to hand over to a friend who will kindly be taking them to Barnstable for the hanging. A relief to be able to meet the deadlines, but non-the-less a strange feeling to see them being taken away.

There was another reason, however that a number of us were at Urchfont, it was the textile open day today. Some of the courses finish and it is an opportunity for the students to showcase their work and celebrate passing their courses. We like to go along to support them, and meet up with old friends and of course the home made cakes at Urchfont are to dye for.


Unfortunately , this year most of the students had decided they did not want the work to be photographed, but fortunately for me the group I helped to start way back in 2000 decided we could take photos. They are called Textile 21 and meet over 3 weekends a year at Urchfont. A lovely group of artists, and they showcased some of their work.. Great stuff, Well done Pat, and Jane.




A number of traders were in attendance as well.. and who can resist some molding paste and some wonderful wires and lametta in colours to saviour.


The drive back home through Avebury, showed that as usual it was very busy with visitors and the bikers were just starting to gather at the Red LIon.




This morning travelling through the village, the sheep were all around the stones, but later the visitors had them all to themselves again.





A great Day and good to catch up with friends. Another exciting day tomorrow at the Marlborough Branch of the Embroiderers Guild.
Richard Box is talking to us.

Good times

Have been having a good time recently with stitching and working. One of my main occupations at the moment is getting work prepared to go to Barnstable for September. I belong to a group called Urchfont Embroiderers and we are exhibiting at Barnstable Museum from the 12th September to the 7th November 2009. There are 7 members in the group and so we all need to send along a lot of work, so the final selection for the exhibition will look good. Hope you can go if you are in the neighbourhood. I shall be exhibiting my " faces " series.



Have also been trying to de- stash the loft of all the years of accumulated junk. Not much help from Mr Siamese..he would much rather watch from the bedroom. Such a big job to do, why oh why do we put so much " might come in handy" stuff, up there?



Took some of the grandchildren to Dyrham Park in the half term holiday. We had a wonderful time. The children were entranced by the deer and the 2 year old insisted on walking everywhere. Walking her towards the church in the grounds she went very heavy at the end of my arm, and when I looked down I realised she was asleep whilst walking! I scooped her up and carried her into the church.



My other main occupation in the summer months is involved with the national art exams. I have been travelling all over southern England, something I love to do. An opportunity to see such wonderful work.Mostly I am doing the driving.... but occasionally I am driven and then can take photos such as this one of Stone henge....I recently saw a fascinating programme by the Time team about Stonehenge... have a look here

.

I have also been indulging my other passion - the stitching group Great Western Embroiderers. We had a wonderful session last week " getting knotted" We experimented and distorted all sorts of different " knotted stitches" It was lots of fun.
We had a number of new members too, and a gentleman, which is lovely. We are meeting next month at Lydiard House and will be sketching. drawing in the house and gardens as well as the expansive park. I am really looking forward to it. We visited the Church in March and that was very inspirational.
Of course last month saw the Radio 1 Music festival at Lydiard house, it was wonderful and a huge success with Lilly Allen and also a lot of local bands singing and playing. Most enjoyable.