Catching my Breath...

Variety is the spice of life...

Almost a year has passed since I last posted here, and looking back there never seems to be a dull moment. Working in stitch & running your own business, is nothing but varied!

I am now continuing to work regularly with the charity WORTH, have connected with a local wool shop to run workshops there, re-introduced my own studio workshops here in Chesterfield,

 

Harlequin Arts studio

facilitated banners for young dancers with Disability Dance, run  workshops for Sheffield Children’s Hospital, project managed & led a new Arts on Prescription project in a health centre as well as worked with Derbyshire primary schools on a couple of larger projects.

Y2, completed healthy eating/food around the world banners

ordination stole

In addition, I have completed a series of twelve textile pieces of artwork entitled “Journey”, exhibited with textile group Evolve in Cromford and Sheffield as well as locally in Chesterfield with Derbyshire OpenArts. If that wasn’t enough, I have run a creative retreat for over 40 people and a couple of quiet days across the Midlands and completed a commission for an ordination stole.

 

And Breathe...

It is hardly surprising then that I am currently using the break from the busyness of projects, to catch up on lots of unfinished business. Much of that is unfortunately, paperwork- tidying endless things that I should have sorted out along the way, as well as planning for later in the year and even into 2017, which is all looking very exciting, if current negotiations work out!

Getting back on track...

I must confess I would rather be stitching, but there comes a time in business, when the mundane things become too important to ignore, and having time to reflect and refocus on priorities ensures that I don’t get off track with working out new & emerging progressions & ways forward for the business…

In the mean time I've been scouring sketchbooks to source ideas for the new series of textile pieces and rummaging through boxes of fabrics to see what treasures I can use next...watch this space for new work soon, I hope...I cant wait to get back into a rhythm of stitching again!

 

Busy verses balance

Juggling act...

Being freelance is always a juggling act...not enough paid work, too much work at the same time, juggling paperwork with promotion , cash flow with creativity. Its very rarely the idyllic scenario of artist beavering away creatively in a beautifully organised studio.(You obviously haven't been in my studio recently...its been far too busy to tidy!)

I can't believe its been two months since I last posted here. It has seemed a chaotic couple of months, mostly preparing, planning and delivering workshop sessions around the region.
I have finished the Creative Cuppa Project in Nottinghamshire and begun working with new people in the Arts at the HeART of Wellbeing Project in Derbyshire.



Creative Cuppa felted tea cosies



Creative Cuppa Collage

Creative Cuppa fabric paper

In addition, I've been accepted to work with Ignite Imaginations in Sheffield, extending the geographical area I work, northwards and am in the middle of preparations for an exhibition with a new textile group "Ev-ol-ve" over in Cromford, Derbyshire.
I've also had an exhausting but wonderful time at a festival-New Wine in Shepton Mallet, working with the Arts Team for the fifth year running, delivering textile workshop sessions.

Inevitably, when I am  occupied with workshops, then my own artwork stops altogether or else stalls as I struggle between the time and creative energy I'm giving out to others (which I love doing) and the creative energy and time I need for inspiration for my own art.

I'm looking forward to getting a little more balance over the next couple of weeks, so that I can hopefully finish a piece that I've been struggling with since June and also begin a commission that needs to be completed by early September. There's nothing like a deadline to get you back on track! I will keep you posted, provided of course the busyness doesn't outweigh the balance!

June projects beginning with "C"

Projects beginning with "C"

I have spent less time in the studio this month on my own work, and more time preparing and planning for workshops...all, co-incidentally,  beginning with "C"!

I have started my after school club sessions at Calow Primary school, looking at Asian art. We have had a great time creating kites, fans, dragons, lanterns and printing.



tissue paper print

 

...with polystyrene printed fish

 Japanese style fans

 

I was invited to attend a weekend Creative Conference over in Manchester & led a couple of workshops over there.
I have been planning for a project based around tea called "Creative Cuppa" run by Creative Paths in Nottinghamshire. I will be working in 2 residential homes for this, so after all the planning, I'm looking forward to beginning next week.

I have also begun to train Care workers in running their own creative sessions, as the first part of the Arts at the HeART of Wellbeing project over in Erewash. This session was all about collage ideas.

...And to round the month off, I've just finished a small textile picture in my "Simple Pleasures" series, entitled.... "My favourite cuppa" The background is fabric paper created from tea bag packets and the cup is drawn with Inktense pencil crayons. I've used hand & machine stitching with vintage lace.



Working with Fabric Transfer Paint

Fabric Transfer Paint

This week I have begun a new piece in my journey series and used some transfer printed background as a basis for the piece.

Here, I have used fabric transfer paint on several pieces of thin copier paper. Some were simply painted with a brush: others were sponged or printed on using bubble wrap. Once dry, I tore the papers, arranged them onto a long piece of paper & glued them down using a glue stick.

With the image face down onto the fabric that I wanted to print, I then ironed the image carefully onto the fabric.
When ironing transfer paints onto fabric, you have to remember that you will need to use a synthetic fabric for the colours to transfer boldly. I like the effect on cotton voile or evalon best. Try a few experiments to see which work for you.

This was ironed onto cotton voile, which is too thin to use as a ground for stitching onto, so I applied fusible webbing to the back & then cut carefully around the image to transfer to my cotton ground.

 

 

Unfortunately, keen to get on whilst the inspiration was there, I completely forgot to photograph the direct print before I began adding other things!
This is part of the image once I started to layer over other fabrics & papers and with some stitching on. Hopefully you will see the full image in a few days on my Facebook page


New Workshop Sessions

In addition this week, I've also worked with 2 new groups, facilitating felt workshops...a studio session with WORTH (Women on the Road to Healing)  and a wellbeing group that meet in Erewash who all produced some lovely felt pieces.

 

Oh, and I also sold some work at Sheffield Open Up Studios last weekend -as well as having work exhibited at Thoresby Craft Gallery with Art Through Textiles.

Working with Fabric Paper

I've been working increasingly with fabric paper & have been using small amounts in my textile art for a while.
I discovered the technique about five years ago and it seemed to combine my love of fabric, paper and collage.
I like how the paper creases when I make it and the fact that I can collage or paint, print or stitch into its robust surface and I'm quite pleased with the effect I've managed to recreate of the look of wooden boards in this piece.

Here's what I did...

I've used watered down PVA glue over a layer of muslin, which is covered with tissue paper, then more PVA glue. You can use any coloured tissue or magazine papers, but here I wanted to paint it later so have used white...

After drying out fully, I've then used Koh-i-nor dyes  to paint over it, followed by a touch of Derwent Inktense pencil...and voila.. a robust stitching surface.

I used fusible webbing on the reverse and then free machined from the back to recreate  the wood grain effect using two coloured brown threads.

...and here is the finished effect on the final piece...

   ...close up

 

 

 

...and the finished piece 

 

You can read more about this piece on my other blog "Sanctuary in Stitch"

 

Textile Birds

Inspired by watching the birds that we feed over the colder months, I have created a new piece of art in my "Simple Pleasures" series. Its a bit different from my usual pieces as I found the only way I could recreate the colours of the birds was using straight stitch. Each bird is created from hand printed fabric paper that I made & then stitched into. The background is created using sponged dye over cotton fabric.

This month, I have also had a lovely day delivering a bespoke art enrichment day with Y3's over in Audenshaw this week. We designed a textile bird, created hand made felt and then spent a messy afternoon, happily cutting, stitching, twisting, threading and choosing from an array of coloured felt, buttons, beads and wire.
Its always great to get positive feedback, this week, whispered from a young designer maker.... "I think this is the bestest lesson I've ever had!"
Praise indeed!
These are some of the fantastic designs & completed "crazy birds"

 

 

It’s been a slow start to the year, work wise which on the positive side has given me more time in the studio. I had a big clear out and have since been trying to focus on a new series of work centred on “Journey”. In addition to this I have been slowly adding new pieces to my “Savouring Simplicity” series.

"Intentional journey"

I’ve also spent a lot of time, trying to focus on what exactly I want for my business, Harlequin Arts, in the next few years, and I’m finding that really hard.

As part of that thinking, I’m in the process of streamlining the website and trying to connect the divergent strands of the business. Writing news in this blog is also part of that journey.
Getting to grips with new technology and the merits of Wordpress & Blogger, widgets & plug-ins is filling my head with more detail than I can currently handle and keeping me tied down to an unfamiliar world, which is distracting me from creating artwork. Hopefully, as I become more familiar with the new terrain and once everything is launched soon; my head will breathe a sigh of relief and allow me to creatively fly again. I really hope so!

I have been missing facilitating creativity for others too, more than I anticipated and I’m looking forward to getting out & about again, working with both children and adults in a variety of places. I will keep you posted!