Wednesday 24 June 2015

Permission to write

I've been thinking about this for a long time but I've finally given myself permission to actually write! I'm having a wonderful week with my parents visiting - no mean feat while struggling with AMD (age related macular degeneration) & continuing (3m) neuralgic pain caused by shingles on the scalp & that's just my poor Mum! We're celebrating them being here, their 59th wedding anniversary last week, being unusually together for Father's Day, our 2 birthdays, the Youngest returning from tracking deer on the Isle of Rum for a month & tomorrow the Middlest will be back from his Induction into the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) - it's all initials! where he will support the Royal Navy as a marine engineer, 3rd Officer of the Watch (3OE for short!) I had a lovely chat to the Eldest & would love to have seen him & Em but I can't be greedy. I'm a proud & very lucky person, can you tell?



 I've been studying the seaweed 'shrouds' , films of thin seaweed left behind as the tide goes out. I find them fascinating but haven't yet worked out how to translate them into a mixed media textile piece.


 I'm enjoying playing with Gwen Hedley's ideas using cling film as some bits look like plastic when dried hard & some look like soggy holy 'felt' samples.



 I enjoyed a workshop with Aileen Grant where we spent a lovely afternoon mono printing using gelatine plates - I wanted to frame the actual plate below with dried on paint! Using the netting in the top left corner as very effective.



 netting, lace doily of mine & other shapes & layers

 prussian blue ink applied with a brush that I hadn't done before, cupcake papers & dried leaves.


an attempt at printing on cloth, but the colors got a little muddy



& above, my first attempt at a landscape, & below, the w/s was held near Eilean Donan castle




I've been sketching, enjoying the trying, anyway. it's an fb group, delighted to be asked & we're given a prompt every couple of weeks. I like a challenge. This week it's Flora! 







I was asked again to make another Ulna Bone protecting gauntlet, this time for over the clothes, therefore decorative & colorful. She was delighted & again, I was relived that it worked!
I must try to source some gold velcro, or something more neutral than black at least.



 I also made a 'pretty purse' for a special girl - quite like my new 'squared' corners


 some cards for a couple of local outlets & I'm delighted to have work in a lovely new place in Broadford, just down the road from me The Old Pier Gallery, a sister of Skyeworks Gallery all the way up in Portree.






& last but by no means least I won a giveaway by Linda Stokes of the Thermofax DV by Lyric Kinard. It's wonderful, so informative. Linda kindly send me a card of her work, & an actual screen made by her good self. Oh to own my own screen maker....but there are people you can go to to order their screens & ones of your own designs, too. Decisions, decisions - I see screens every where, even in a cut on my arm as a cracked bucket full of earth scraped across my forearm I thought about drawing it & printing with it, there's passion, eh?!









10 comments:

https://tastytextiles.blogspot.com/ said...

Glad you are enjoying yourself with the family and I guess the Navy son may have spent time at Yeovilton - just down the road from me. My suggestion for the seaweed idea; you could move forward well with help from the book by Wendy Cotterill using lutradur. Look forward to 'chatting' here with you again soon. Take care, G x

Heloise said...

I was thinking of you the other day, so good to see that you have been busy doing lots of interesting things.

ju-north said...

What an action packed time! Pleased you still had time for some creativity!

Robin Mac said...

What a wonderful post. So glad your parents could manage to visit. If they are still there when you read this you may like to check out my blog where I recently showed photos of some of the aids I use.
I thought of lutradur for your seaweed pieces also, I love Gwen Hedley's books as well, though obviously I can't use them any more.
You are so creative, I always enjoy looking at all of your creations. Cheers.

Fibre frenzi said...

Its great to hear your news but Im so sorry your poor Mum is struggling. I believe shingles is horrendously painful......Keep up the creative work!

suziqu's thread works said...

So many great pieces here Emma. Yes oh your poor mum! The joys of ageing!
Those seaweed "shrouds" look fascinating!
Lovely results from the workshop and the landscape and, of course,
beautiful purses!
I know that white velcro is available and I am sure it is easily
dyed!

Julie said...

Maybe you could paint the velcro too? I hope your mum will soon be feeling much better. Shingles is horrible. Those leaves look like little fishes. I thoroughly enjoyed this post xx

layers said...

You have so many different but amazing projects and works here.. esp. your gelli prints.

Anni - My Creative Life and Mixed Media Books said...

What a wonderful post Emma , I have enjoyed seeing your different creations, your monoprints are fantastic.
Anni

jackie said...

Such a busy lady, and so luck with giveaways too!
Don't believe your work is frivolous, its good for the soul.
Thanks for visiting.