Wednesday 24 November 2010











Lifein a bubble

I feel like I'm locked in a bubble at the moment. I am at present drawing together all the work for my final moderation before the BIG ONE. This work has to prove to the powers that be that my concept 'has legs' my tutor tells me so I can proceed onto the pieces for my exhibition. So I draw and stitch and prepare presentations and sketchbooks to show to Anthea Godfrey (the external examiner) in a couple of weeks time. Everyday I begin around mid morning and lay down my needle at about 10 at night when my eyes are going blurry. Its getting through the work but it is extraordinarily isolating.
Of course life has to be fitted in but at the moment its in a very sparing way- I spend more time with the pets than with people, I look out of the window and the world seems to be passing me by-its weird. If I'm not stitching/drawing/writing I'm just ironing or washing or cooking - its a very strange period but hopefully it will soon be over and then I can just crack on with the final pieces. That's going to be a marathon I know- 15ft of needlefelt for the path-all hand stitched with text and four 6ft felt panels again with handstitching but it should be worth it.
until then I'm just a lonely soul lost in the wood.

Thursday 11 November 2010





Dogs,Dentists and Diaghilev

Another exhausting week plus has flown past. It started badly with me finding my 12 and half year old cavalier collapsed in his bed, shaking and with eyes continually flicking from side to side. He seemed aware but I couldn't get him to stand without him collapsing over to one side. originally I thought he was fitting but with the side weakness I thought it must be a stroke. We rushed him to the vet who examined him and said she thought it was something called Vestibular disease (basically something to do with the inner ear that makes you feel really seasick) it can be idiopathic, age related or a symptom of something nasty going on. he spent the next 24 hours in their hospital under going tests and I was convinced he wouldn't be coming home again. Fortunately next day the vet rang to say we could collect him and I very happy to say its like he's never been ill. He's still being observed but they can't find anything like a tumour so fingers crossed he continues to stay well- he really was very poorly dog for a couple of days and it reminded me just how old he is . Teddy hated him being away and howled all night so if/when the dreaded moment does eventually arrive I'll have to think of a way of keeping teddy company over night.
The dental treatment drags on and on and on- Can't remember when I last had a really solid meal, you can get really fed up of soup and pasta and mush. I think I have only had one month this year without at least 2 trips to the dentist- I really hope that it will all be finished in time for Christmas.
On a happier note I did manage to meet up with a few of the 'girls' to see the Ballets Russes exhibition at the V&A last Friday. An incredible exhibition well worth a visit although there really is too much to take in in one viewing- the fire bird backcloth just takes your breath away for scale and the way you suddenly come across it around a darkened corner.
Tomorrow, all being well, I'm off to see the Gauguin exhibition at the Tate. I am meeting up with a fellow student who is going to help me with my degree show (we are all allowed one assistant for staging). We've lots to discuss as the allocation of spaces has suddenly been brought forward 3 months! it will be nice to know what space we have but it has meant suddenly having to finalise dimensions out of nowhere. The work goes on a pace and I have been taking work back to the woods as I produce samples. It is all a bit intense at the moment but for the first time in the whole degree I feel I am producing work that I am really passionate about.