Can you see it?

Jane had been working into this piece.She had used a thermofax screen to print the lines.It reminded us of her 'Pylon' work ?She had added stitch in yellows and white of tumbling triangles.

She was dissatisfied as they just seemed to disappear into the ground.As it was passed around it changed according to the light.

Lying on the sofa back between Jane and Patricia,you can actually pick out the triangles as a lighter yellow.Intriguing!

Textures.

Patricia brought lots of embroidery rings filled with beautifully worked embroideries.

These follow on from the workshop she and Carol did a few months ago .Some have been done in vibrant colour using stitches and embellishments to add more texture.

Some are more experimental utilizing stitched paper and added paint.

Others rely on neutral threads,ribbons and fibres.A real lesson in how stitchery can create an impact.

In the same vein ,Sue had added to her embroidery .Her stitches meander across the surface

And variety comes in the thickness of the thread.Embellishments are natural in the form of beach finds.

She had also turned up this piece which mirrors a lot of the above but worked on paper,with added fibres.

'Summer' workshop.

We decided a little while ago we should like a two day workshop exploring some different techniques and ideas.Not everyone was able to come but nine of us have just spent two enjoyable days in Long Ashton.

The photos can tell the story of what we achieved......

August already.

We were fewer in number because of holidays,family commitments but there was still plenty to talk about.
Marilyn kicked off the 'Show and Tell ' with a sample made recently at a weavers' gathering.This first picture is a band woven with the different colours showing on either side.Marilyn had ideas of mounting on canvass a picec for exhibition.We weren't sure it would showcase it to its best.

The following pictures show the sample,which was yards long.Each different weave is labelled with the type.

It is amazing how each different type of weave changes the character of the cloth.

The colours seem to change too.

Just changing the set up slightly makes such a difference.

Look at these colours,below,These belong to Viv and are so similar to Marilyn's choices.

Viv had been asked to create one of her flower embroideries to commission.She had spent a fruitful time dyeing fabrics and threads in a microwave.She had used Acud dyes,aren't the results stunning.

The piece is absolutely ravishing,lucky,lucky recipient.

She had been to visit family in Norway,where they had had some Summer weather.Viv worked in her sketch-book to record flowers in a wild meadow.Good timing ,as a day later it was mowed!

She also made some lovely line drawings of plants we consider to be weeds.They are so delicate.Who was it said a weed is just a plant in the wrong place?

Arty ideas

Sue had been given some art materials and she had been using them to create some art work.

I think this was with some chalk pastels and inspired by her garden.

This was some crumpled brown paper with added inks,I think.This is a lovely technique producing some leather -like paper especially if it is painted with acrylic wax and crumpled some more.It makes for a good book cover.

Viv had been doing the same ,as we saw in an earlier post though she had added some gold highlights.

Jenn had spent a very wet morning in the Central reference library with a book by Bertel Bager. He had photographed seed pods and since this is something Jenn is wanting to research she had a lovely time.

Back at home she went into her garden and collected several seed pods to work from.

She used a variety of media to experiment with ,including  drawing,print and 3-dimensional with wire,paper and threads. 

There is a lot more to come but she is having lots of fun indulging herself in some of her favourite techniques!

Carol had also been exploring 3-dimensions with her crochet techniques,they look very complicated but very textural.

Iceland.

Sally had been sailing around the northern coastline and across to Iceland.

From the sea she was taken with the rock formations seen in Iceland and had sketched on long thin sheets of paper .

Her sketches capture the colours and strata of the rock.

There is plenty of inspiration to be mined here.