Back to Normal(?)

At last we've all emerged from the dreaded norovirus and to celebrate I took the coach from Romford to Textiles in Focus on Saturday, For once we had a swift journey which allowed me time to grab a glass of water and a plain biscuit (not that far over the bug yet!) and some threads from my favourite supplier 21st Century Yarns (they knew who I was which is rather ominous -perhaps I do buy rather a lot,oops!) before I spent a delightful morning demoing needlefelting on The Bury St.Edmunds Art Gallery stand for the IFA (great organisation). I also met Liz Cooper , a terrific person and I hope I will be able to work with her again sometime. Did approah her about doing an ERTF exhibition there but mentioned it to the current ERTF Chair who didn't seem over enthusiastic so I think this may be a contact on a personal rather than organisational level.I did offer to do a bit of cover on the ERTF stand as well so people could have break but they didn't seem to want me so Ihad lunch instead.
In the afternoon I attended the Isobel Hall lecture which was interesting but not really me which left just a tiny bit of time to meet up with friend and fellow student Marian Murphy and view her MESCH exhibition before heading back to the coach. The day went all too quickly but I must admit it has taken me all Sunday to recover.
So today it was back to the dissertation with a vengeance and I'm currently reading up on Robert Morris and his Feltworks. It is very much of a chicken and egg situation between Beuys and Morris as to who came first in this sphere. The really annoying thing is that they are/were both male and not working in the textile field and yet it is they that are credited with 'bringing felt into the realm of fine art'.
The rest of today I am going to work on something enjoyable as now the Material Girls exhibition is over I can really get going on some Aqua work. I wonder how I can make a felt sea urchin and get my 'seaweed' to really pop.