Strelizia

Sally had been busy working from her Strelizia ,'Bird of Paradise '

combining collage and print to create small panels.She was not sure how it would all come together.We, as usual, gave lots of suggestions. 

It is such a fascinating plant ,it has given Sally lots of inspiration and looks like it will continue to do so.

Layers.

Patricia brought the very lovely enamels she had bought from a local artist.We had seen one before but weren't disappointed to see it again.They are mounted on acrylic sheet which seems a good idea as it concentrates the viewer on the piece.

She had also been working on her papers created in the workshop last Autumn.

They have been created into little books and she had embellished areas

with stitch.They are lovely little treasures.

Debby had been teaching her group at Stoke Lodge and produced these samples.They incorporate painted areas with free machine embroidery and some hand stitch.

Next time we see them they will be transformed.

Ways of working

Marilyn not only creates the most delicious woven pieces but she often dyes her own threads.This makes her pieces truly original.This is a mosaic weave,sorry I can't remember the technical term,in silk.They have a beautiful sheen and feel very luxurious .

Look at the variations in this sample of black threads she has dyed aren't they beautiful?

Viv brought along this Cas Holmes inspired piece based on hawthorn.Another pic at end of the post.She has drawn together commercial printed fabrics with her own prints,hand and free machine stitch and added a three dimensional element with those eye popping beads! It works beautifully.

Also interesting to see are the different ways we work out our ideas.This below is a page from Marilyn.She is trialling ways to create a piece to fit into an embroidery hoop,something which is not part of her usual equipment.We are fascinated to see how this will develop.

Viv made drawings from a decorated jug to create this design.We had lots of ideas as to how this might be developed,print blocks,stencils,having it printed commercially and then colouring it in !

Advance notice

Deryll will be exhibiting some work with this group as she did last year.There is a variety of work on offer with the advantage of light lunches and refreshments available.A nice trip out for April.