Colour Hit

I need to get all the colour out of my mindset  today as I'm starting a commissioned piece of work that will be all  mucky whites, soft greys, palest aquamarines and very gentle pinks. I don't want any sassy colours sneaking in so I am playing with my coloured papers before I make a start (procrastinating as always).

Just layering up and finding little colour combinations to blow your socks off mm... loving those reds and lilacs in the right hand corner.

I love the 'dustiness' of these colours together. This palette is toning down to get nearer to the one I shall be using over the next few days.

I am also working on a post explaining how I made my 'Surface Details' papers as suggested by one of the comments from my previous post. To add interest  to the idea, I shall work on some pages using non art products at the same time, for instance - found papers - children's paints - D.I.Y. materials and such like. I'm well aware of the cost of all the wonderful products in my stash and would like to prove that you really don't need all this stuff to produce some interesting and pleasing art work - we shall see!

The Good and the Bad

 

 

The good things first - at last my four day late summer workshop with Bobby Britnell at Artvango has come round. For the first time I have actually booked a b&b for the duration rather than drive all that way twice a day, that way I'm sure I will have the energy to do the course justice. I'm a teensy bit excited. My requirements list is all ticked off - my case is packed and I'll start out at about 7.30 tomorrow morning.

Today was another good event - a meeting of the Trident group I'm part of. It was my turn to host the day and choose what we would be doing. I was inspired by the appliqued quilt I've been working on and based the day on producing a small version of the design on the big quilt. We each choose our own preferences for colour and will each stitch in our own style. It will be interesting to compare the end result as we each work in a different way.

 

We choose from a palette of fresh colours and really enjoyed handling the fabrics and auditioning dozens of combinations. Of course copious amounts of coffee and biscuits helped the process along and we all three declared that there was nothing we would rather be doing!

 

 

The sun shone into the workroom and made the colours so vibrant, It made us quite elated (on the other hand it could have been all the coffee we guzzled) 

 

 





  

This piece of applique that Jean did is so typical of the elegance that she brings to all her work - I loved the way she altered some of the shapes to make the work less stylised.

 

 

Jackie's piece was the bravest, going for a lovely selection of silk fabrics that are going to be a joy to embroider.

 

My piece is a little more chunky looking because I want to add a lot of handstitch to it. We have agreed to be finished by Christmas on this project so I must find a bit more time to devote to it.

 So - Bobby for the next four days, then a few days to myself (most of which I've commited to one thing or another) and then the Embroiders Guild Exhibition and then Scotland. What a lovely Summer I've had!

 

I did say there was a bad bit as well - my son finally leaves for China on Thursday, I'm glad I have the distraction of Bobby's class to take my mind off it. These things have to be endured with a cheerful smile and the realisation that he will be home again in a year, unlike some mother's sons that we read about on an almost daily basis that never return. I count my blessings. 



 



Films and Foils

Inspired by the jewel like colours of my dyed velvets I've been zapping Angelina Films with the heat gun all morning. Some very casual printing with acrylic gold paint first and then in with the iron and heat gun - oh and a bit of bondaweb to hold any layers together.  Colour and iridescence together wonderful - much more vibrant than these pics appear. My knowledge of photography is limited. I'm sure I could alter the settings to improve the vibrancy but alas I don't know how, I seem to remember Linda Monk ( the queen of foil surfaces) complaining of the same thing. So you will have to take my word for it these samples 'sing'.

This is Angelina film 'hot fix' violet bonded to ordinary kitchen foil and zapped with a very hot heat gun and the iron between parchment paper. The heat brings all the colours out.

I had a piece of hand dyed fabric that I had been using decolourant on (using a grid stencil). I took the film in two different colours and bonded it onto the surface of the fabric  and on little parts of it I used the heat gun. This piece really shimmers. I had intended to put these samples into my journal for future reference but a few minutes play produced a little design ready for stitch.

I 'm not sure how I will add stitch to this - metallics maybe, possibly  matt and glossy threads combined. I need to trial a few ideas. It will definitely be machined  as I'm giving the hands a break for a few days.

Velvet Dyeing

Amongst the purchases from Friday's day out was a roll end bargain of un-dyed silk/viscose velvet. Saturday was spent mixing up rich concoctions of procion dye. I actually dyed quite a bit of fabric and over-dyed some pieces that were just not doing it for me - but the star of the show was the batch of velvet. I can't stop looking at it and running it through my hands. I must use this fabric fairly quickly otherwise I'll just be drooling over it for the next few months and it will end up as another  'gonna do'!

Colour Sunday

I had intended to photograph the garden today but the sun is so intense it is bleaching out the colours.  I thought I would seek out some colour in the work room instead. This is a colour wheel I made for my Creative Sketchbooks course that I did with the Kemshall Ladies last year. It made use of some of my stash of handpainted and printed papers, I often work for several weeks just producing reams of papers that later appear in my work and journals.

I love the movement in this piece - isn't it amazing the dynamic that simple running stitch can produce? The woven centre was produced on a whim one day when I wanted to take up weaving. I simply warped up with a few drawing pins pressed into my worktable and wove away, further investigation into the price of looms etc. (think big) soon  put paid to that whim, but I'm sure  I would enjoy weaving; all that colour and texture to play with.

A few beads to finish with in my favourite palettes.