These two pieces, inspired by a workshop led by Nerissa Cargill Thompson, depict ocean life (my abstract imaginary take on it) and there's lot of texture in them.
I used paint to make marks on the base fabric, and a lot of recycled fabrics as appliqué and Suffolk puffs, as well as some old lace, ironed plastic netting, couched wool thread, some beads and a fair amount of stitching.
Both pieces will be mounted onto 1 canvas, next to one another. Perhaps part of a future exhibition?
This abstract piece is inspired by a picture of a common blue butterfly on a daisy, hence the name. I chose the materials and colours to match, giving it a cheerful, uplifting energy.
Working from photographs, a technique gleaned from a workshop by Hannah Lamb, is very freeing, pushing me to venture beyond the colours I habitually go for. more of this on the way, no doubt!
Because I found myself a bit lost in the "forest of workshops", I wanted to take more time to explore my own artistic voice. That's why, during the summer, I set myself a challenge, to create 9 small pieces (just for myself, so no room for perfectionism or judgment), using the materials and techniques I like most. Each piece had to contain design and colours I love and words that relate to my art. It required a bit of reflection and not a huge amount of work, so ideal for summer!
I hoped to get an insight into my own practice at this point in my life : giving myself room to think about my voice and to make choices allowed me to that.
the 9 pieces were subsequently collected into a single concertina book.
check out a short video I put on youtube here
The poem “Being but Men” by Dylan Thomas is a real favourite of mine. It describes the magic of childhood and how we lose a lot of that growing up.
This piece is a personal visual interpretation of that poem using textiles, which took me a considerable time to complete. I used a lot of stitches, beads, small pieces of fabric, all kinds of odds and ends. Some of those have real meaning, like a button of an old family sofa, for instance, or the clapper of a small ceramic bell that broke.
For now, this is my favourite piece. I loved every hour I worked on it, creating a world of abstract but tangible magic. Making something like this is like meditation more than anything.
I made some monoprints with paint and ink for a workshop led by Sue Hotchkis, which were the inspiration for this collaged piece about the First World War in Flanders.
When visiting the World War I sites around Ieper and Passendale, I'm still shocked every time by the scale of the horrors memorialised there. The personal stories of fear and suffering are so deeply moving. ‘The war to end all wars’, as we know, sadly didn't turn out to be that, which is exactly what makes it still very relevant.
This collage got made while I was reading “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett, what a wonderful book! I tried to capture the enchanting story, the magic of nature and of place, using fabric, paint, paper, transferred images and stitching. The atmosphere is calm due to the muted colours, but at the same time it’s buzzing with life, adventure, and possibilities.
The piece grew organically during the reading process, which I love. I think I will try this with other favourite books; it’s an intriguing way to make!
After Sketchbook Revival 2023, I stumbled upon a new challenge : Workshopweek 2023, another bundle of online lessons with an emphasis on drawing. I enjoyed this immensely again : the diversity of the lessons, the enthusiasm of the teachers and of course just doing the practice. So another huge thank you to the to the generous organisers and teachers!
Here are some of the sketches I made:
I really want to improve my drawing skills. That’s why I took part in “Sketchbook revival 2023”, an online event with a lot of free workshops led by almost 30 teachers. Being a novice at most of the techniques taught, I learned so much. I can’t thank the organisers and teachers enough for their generosity!
These are some of the drawings I made during quite an intense week of workshops:
This collage uses paper from an old pocket book and fabricscraps, stitched together by machine and hand, with sticks, waste material and a gold painted square.
I put it in a shadow box, which does fit this piece. It’s called “Breathing space in winter”, depicting the atmosphere of a winter walk.
"Hey, I've got nothing to do today but smile", Paul Simon sings on "The only living boy in New York" : there's no idea more calming, I think.
I imagined this happy feeling in mixed media, using textile, paper, paint, yarn, thread, beads, crayons, lots of hand stitching, machine stitching and even real flower petals. The bold warm colours evoke a real zest for life.
Spring, bring it on!!
Strictly speaking this piece is a collaboration with my 5 year old son (now 27). My husband and I were clearing the attic and found this paper lantern our son made, all torn and discoloured. I still recognised the love he put into it and remembered how proud he was, coming home from school with his lantern.
I decided to use the thin paper part that was not torn in a piece on his leaving home.
I glued the paper on a piece of fabric and added stitching, drawing in pencil, a poem (unreadable, which is as intended), and muted or highlighted some parts of the coloured pieces. I also added the suitcase, falling as it were out of the picure.
It has become a meaningful and emotional work to me, in which his childhood and the present time, his art and mine, his energy and my feelings all come together. A bittersweet, but mostly sweet and actually very happy piece, hanging in our living room.
This collage is made from paper, textiles, paint and stitching. I also added a leaf I made using machine stitching.
I added a quote from the Dutch poet Lucebert, "Alles van waarde is weerloos" [All worthwile things are vulnerable], in stitching.
Using a more graffiti-like style, which contrasts with the quote, I wanted the piece to become more of an interrogation of the truth of Lucebert's phrase.
An autumn walk, what's not to like? I Love all the seasons (though slightly less enthousiastic about winter in February, March I must admit), with a preference for autumn. All these beautiful colours, bright and muted, gave me the inspriation for this stitched piece with appliqué. I used some tweed fabric and some pieces of paper packaging.
OK, enough stitching and talking now, let's go for that walk!
The summer of '22 was extremely hot in Europe and I often find myself worrying about the state of our environment. That anxiety I felt and the workshop I did with Natalya Khorover were the inspiration for this piece. It's a textile collage with embroidery, for which I used some pieces of recycled sari, which give the work its vibrant colours. The stitched words are part of a lullaby ("Goodnight my angel, close your eyes. And save these questions for another day"). Whether to see the words as soothing or as cynical does depend on the mood I'm in, I guess.
