Tagging,poking and sharing - Oh My!

I am in a state of deep confusion. My darling daughter has been very unwell over the past few weeks but at the end of last week the treatment finally started to work and she is starting to feel better. Of course that also meant she started to feel bored and asked me if she could put me on Facebook. Now folk that know me also know I have always been quite resistant to the concept having been a mother observing the damage that can be done on the darned thing by teenagers.  But I caved in and let her put me on it (amazing what you will do to keep your offspring happy) and now I have this weird beast that keeps e-mailing me, I have also found that my daughter and OH have 'tagged' me in pictures that have turned up on my 'timeline' which is extremely traumatic as I really hate pictures of me. I have no idea what I am supposed to do with this Facebook thing or how to do it but I shall persevere , even if its only to keep junior happy.

Meanwhile back in the world I am more familiar with my colleagues on the other side of the pond have sent some pictures of our latest Bridging Waters exhibition in St.John, New Brunswick,Canada and very impressive it looks too! So thank you Rebecca of Articulation for sending these to me. Now I will share them with you....if that's the right jargon for a blog.... at least I'm not poking ,whatever that is.

M.I.A

I know I have been missing from blogworld for quite some time now. Its not because there has been a lack of things to blog about but simply that there has been so much that I have had no time to do so!
I undertook a new 'part -time voluntary' position so you probably know what that means basically I have been swallowed whole by the computer for over a month now. I became the membership secretary of the Society of Designer Craftsmen at the beginning of October, mainly to help out our overwhelmed, lovely Chairperson, but although I have done this job before it has for branches of things such as the EG I haven't done it for an international organisation of professional craftspeople. Slightly more work than I naively anticipated. But I am slowly coming to grips with it all .
On top of that we have been sorting out the organisation of the SDC shop at the main exhibition which is held annually at the Mall Galleries in London , so more paperwork.
On a creative front I am trying to finish my own work for the shop at the Mall,  the Cottenham exhibition and I had to restock my section at our local arts centre. This part I love but its so time consuming and I am really excited about 2 upcoming exhibitions that will see my work going off in a completely new direction that I want to finish all this so I can start researching and sampling for that.
Meanwhile our Canadian exhibition embarks on its next( but not now final) exhibition this month . Details in the side panel and I will fill you in on its next lap soon. That work is more well traveled than I am!
So this is just a quick update to let you know that I am still here, no pics this time I'm afraid, I must rush- its Lord Mayors Show day and also the 10th anniversary of my mum's death so I have a lot of travelling around to do today. Will be back with a proper post soon.

Not Waving But....

Finally back from that wonderful alternate universe they call Lyme Regis. I mean where else can you watch 2000 guitarists playing 'Rave on' on a beach in the pouring rain or the main news item is a debate about a beer drinking duck? Its also a place where an incredible variety of arty things just mesh into life and as usual I found a couple of really interesting exhibitions to visit in the shape of Brunel Broderers'  'Strand' and  a collaboration at Barrington Court (a National Trust property) with 5 diverse artists responding to various aspects of the house, My favourite was a willow sculpture that filled the whole kitchen. Sorry no pics allowed but it might have images on the website. Plus an exhibition of samplers dating back to the 1600s  (yes I have some pics for you Bev.)
I also went for my annual pilgrimage to the donkey sanctuary near Sidmouth. We have been supporters since the days 20 years ago when you used to chat with the founder , the late Dr.Elisabeth Svendsen, while she groomed some of the donkeys. Now the place is really big and there are other branches throughout the country . not only rescuing donkeys but providing centers for donkeys to work with disabled children, etc...
I love this place and I swear it is one of the most peaceful places on the planet, something just exudes from them calm and all enveloping. 10 minutes stroking a donkey is probably worth years of stress therapy.

But now its back to real life with a vengeance. This last week has seen me starting the work for creating the SDC shop in the Mall, taking on the position of SDC membership secretary (not quite sure how that one happened), another exhibition proposal in the offing, stock to start making for outlets and I really have to get on with work for Cottenham. What is it they say.... 'not waving but drowning'.... gosh I hope not.

Oh and before I forget Material Girl's collaboration with our Canadian colleagues 'Articulation' has just finished its second exhibition ,this time in Vancouver, by all accounts it has been a great success with a very high footfall so well done them! its wending its way to the east coast now for its final hurrah before coming home in 2014.

sneak peak

Touching Base - sort of

I'm back but just for a little while, alright to be honest just today then.I have been away from the land of the blog too long but I have completely lost this summer, which has been a real drag. Too many problems and things that are just too boring to mention have meant that I have been trapped in a world of domesticity all this summer and not in a good way. One thing, among many, that most folks who have suffered the dreaded kitchen refit will symapathise with is the 'it will only take a couple of weeks' promise. Well we are now in week 7 and hopefully this will be the last week and I have finally managed to access the computer which means I can blog , today at least.(my Ipad doesn't seem to want me to for some reason)
I would fill you in on all the exciting things that have happened except there weren't any. (Well there was one extremely exciting textile thing but as they say at the moment I am not at liberty to divulge). However in the down time from me cleaning, decorating,DIYing, sorting things out,various textile glitches,  more decorating , more and more and more cleaning I have had the odd couple of hours to work on my pieces for the next Material Girls project. I am posting a couple of teaser pics.lets see if anyone can guess what I am working on? Clues- Its connected with China ( actually  I have had something kindly translated into Chinese by my husbands's cousin's wife as part of the project).
I will divulge much more when I blog next as I am off for a little break soon , the first proper one since this time last year and boy do I need it! Hopefully I when I return my batteries will be recharged and I can actually start to get back to my own life again.

Scrummy Yummy

On Friday, like most of the textile enthusiasts within striking distance of London, I went with a group of  like minded friends (six in the city) to see the Kaffe Fassett  exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum . Now I do not knit (can but don't really like doing it) find patchwork a bit boring (no doubt I will now be shunned by all the quilters out there) and tend to work in muted colours so lets face it this was not the obvious choice of an exhibition for me to visit but I wanted to have a birthday treat that challenged me a bit and I am so glad I did.

 I know he produces the very commercial , designs but rarely makes his own pieces and is the master of self promotion but boy does that man have an eye for colour ! His layering of pattern and colour is so rich and joyful (I even loved the patchwork) It definitely showed me that although I work with the natural world as my inspiration source I do not have to be so restrained as nature is the most colourful source available- since when did nature ever 'clash'. I know I am at a point when my work needs its regular 'kick up the backside' and my new project is the perfect trial ground for this so thank you Kaffe Fassett for administering it. However, I must also remember during my flirtation with colour that an area of stillness is needed as Margaret remarked as we walked home along the Thames that the blues and greys that surrounded us there gave a much needed respite to the visually busy morning.

Of course the company of friends to see an exhibition like this is invaluable  so thank you Helen, Liz,Margaret, Kirsten and Elizabeth for joining me and that great chat about it we had over lunch. I always find it wonderful how much knowledge spills out from such friends greatly enhancing the whole experience.

Now where are the threads, paints, papers and fibres to  start to play ....oh and the sunglasses!

Kaffe Fassetts 'touching wall'

One of my favourite displays at the FTM

A Diversion

So now the Seeking Artemis exhibition is over I have to start work on two other projects in earnest. The Material Girls project is called Tales and Textiles which involves each of us looking at another culture, their textile heritage, their stories and folktales and interpreting all of this in a way unique to each artist. I will reveal what culture I am looking at when I have something to show but I am at present I am desperately making the base fabrics for the five pieces of work I am creating for this. The reason for the haste? well I have a lot going on elsewhere at the moment.
Over the last few months we have had family health worries which could have involved surgery  fortunately it looks like 'conservative' treatment has worked for my daughter and my OH's consultant has decided on a similar course of action for him , so lots of physio,etc... but hopefully no knife, This has given us a window to get on with things domestic which have been put on hold.
Last week I got a chance to sort out the garden (with help- as the pic shows) which was lovely as I always feel so peaceful in the garden - or indeed anywhere outside where there are no people.
Then yesterday I finalised the order for my new kitchen which will mean gutting the whole room back to the 'bricks' and making the house a virtual no go zone for August. I'm not looking forward to it being in process but I am looking forward to it being finished. It also means I can have a great clear out of all the clutter (brilliant!).
Hence the haste to get the fabrics made, the design work done and then I can shut myself in a room (or garden if we ever see the sun again) and hand stitch while they tear the place apart.
Just to make you smile textile wise I have popped in a little fishy, part of one of my ongoing more commercial projects , to keep up the textile link for this blog. Meanwhile  sunday lunch cooking calls as we have to keep OH happy on Father's day.