open studios ... lots of fun had and work done!

 

Sorry to have taken nearly a week to get these images on here .. time seems to have become a very movable and unpredictable element around here. Anyway - still less than a week, so I think that is not too bad. Steph and I had a brilliant time at the Bramble Patch, running our Open Studio. Actually, 'running' sounds somewhat more organised than we really were .. we basically turned up with shed loads of stuff (and I do mean that - an awful lot) and did what we normally do, but in front of lots of keen and interested people, instead of as the two hermits we normally are. Here we are getting organised early am on day three I think. I'm guessing by the amount of mess. I am trying to get a bit of order in the chaos, before making more chaos ... 

 

 

Steph was busy making happy piles of thermofax screens on the floor. She did this each morning, with the hope of organising herself into working through the piles and seeing what was in them. This plan never lasted beyond the first half hour and the inevitable distraction of something interesting from the wrong pile getting involved. What I found very sweet was that this evidence did not put her off one scrap. Each morning .. more piles and the trusty hope that THIS would be the day. Got to like that kind of unsquashable optimism. I think here she is actually heading for the coffee and biscuits, with two eyeballs apparently watching behind ...

 

 

 

 and just in case any of you are wondering whether I was tidier at Annes' place than at home ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

NO - apparently not. Anne took this well within her stride .. didn't turn a hair

 

Now - what did we do. Well I was working with my bulrushes theme and made various materials for future designs and work over the three days. I made some rubbing plates, using card and appliglue, some stamps and some stencils (stencil cutter decided that this would be the day it didn't fancy working properly - but that is just so predictable, I took no notice. Here are some rubbings (Neocolour 1 crayons, washed over with procion dye), on paper and fabric

 

 

 

 

Some stencils (setacolour opaque fabric paint, washed over with procion dye) on fabric and paper

 

 

 



 

 

 

and some stamps (again, setacolour opaque paint and procion dyes)

 

 

 

Hopefully you can see how all these will work together

 

One nice thing about working alongside another artist, is the overflow of ideas. I noticed Steph layering gesso on to paper as a background and asked if I could snitch a bit to try in the background of some printing .. I love the result:

 

 

My love affair with thermofax continues and here are a variety of cloths made with a variety of screens. Some are from photos, some from drawings and handwritten journal entries and one is derived from a photo of the original bulrush quilt shown last time

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This next is a real mishmash of techniques, done during a lively 'what does this do' question and answer session. Lots going on, but I can see many potentially usable highlights .. waiting for me to decide which to use

 

 

Steph had also bought some gorgeous watercolour paper .. which inspired a different, more contained style of printing for me. These pieces will be used as is I think with perhaps a little added collage and stitch. Here are a couple:

 

 

 

I also did some printing with a silk screen, using masking tape as a resist, aiming for sort of grassy watery rushy looking things. This one uses dyes though the screen first, then paints and finally dyes washed over. Typically I couldn't keep to watery colours and added red - but I love this piece anyway

 

 

 

Frequently when I am working, I feel the need to photograph my screens/stamps/stencils etc.  as they get covered in paint and look gorgeous. I know this seemed strange - but here are just a few of the ones I took during the open studio:

stamps:

 

 

 

 

 

and thermofax screens

 

 

 

 

 

How gorgeous are those? Well worth a bit of paint on the  camera. I would then print these up on paper and /or fabric too, to add to my pile of materials for this theme. I love these last ones so much, that I think I might get Laura (Kemshall - Fingerprint) to print them up fro me on fabric, as large as we can get and use them as whole cloth backgrounds. This would be new for me and a treat. It is my birthday next week  and I have been thinking what I would like. These seem a good plan. I think they would be a really interesting addition to the exhibition that all these are destined for at the NEC next Spring.

 

Finally - (I know - a lot of photos again .. but I didn't want to miss something someone might have seen during the days and want to check progress on) - here are a couple of collages I made on the backgrounds I talked about last time. I have the third one to make and then  will get them stitched and finished. These are the left and the right piece .. middle to come

 



 

 

 

 

Thank you for visiting and getting to the bottom of the post!! and thank you too to all those who came along to the Bramble Patch - it was great to have it so busy - talk soon - Hilary x