Blogged Off

Here I am again with my last blog post of the year or possibly ever. I am beginning to feel a bit disillusioned with blogging. Here I sit, typing away whenever I can fit it in, when I am not sure if anyone ever reads this or is interested or even why they should be. I rarely get comments (except for the lovely Heather whose blog is one of my favorites) so maybe no one is reading it -so why should I do it? I don't know what I should be including on my blog now.

I like hearing about peoples lives and reading their blogs but I do tend to get a bit disheartened when I read some of them - a bit like those round robins you get at Christmas . I used to love catching up with what people I knew but didn't get to see very often- but now the only ones I get are the sort that say things like 'Tarquin has just been promoted to head of ICI and Jacincta has had her first birthday and has finally finished reading Lord of the Rings. Her nursery teachers think she is a prodigy and have requested she should be made ruler of the universe' . Whereas mine used to  include news like 'the cat has died and my main achievement this year has been to find out how to FedEx a parcel to Canada and the kitchen's falling apart'. Mind you I did get one the other day which said that she hoped the grandparents didn't die before her daughter's summer wedding as it might upset the seating plan. She was joking......I think. I've just given up sending letters in Cards.

Then there are those blogs that feature everything they have cooked - you know '50 ways to serve a courgette' . I couldn't do one of those blogs as I don't think people would be interested in '50 ways to serve a ready meal'. I have never seen the point in slaving away for hours when really my family only likes things that are in a pie or a burger and half the time don't even register the difference as they wolf it down. It took me ages to introduce pasta without them prodding at it superstitiously. I can cook (I even made my daughter's 21st cake which was completely demolished in 10 seconds flat) I just find it boring.

I would like to produce a lovely arty blog with quotes and deep discussions as there are lovely ones out there. But sometimes that makes my brain hurt and I can't stand too much 'pretentious artspeak' and quite frankly I just don't get the time to keep intellectualizing things - How do people do this? Do they have longer days than me? As I type I should really be tending to my daughter who has been sent home from work with a nose redder than Rudolph's and a cough that shakes the house like a mini earthquake, there's a pile of ironing threatening the record for England's highest peak, a whole block of paperwork to be sorted and the cat needs hauling out of the Christmas tree at 5 minute intervals . On top of that I really,really need to get on with my exhibition work (and that's what I really want to do)

 I started the blog to track my degree course so really I should perhaps just use it as an addendum to my website as it costs so much to update that regularly. Perhaps after Christmas I'll have a rethink, perhaps I can come up with a solution (and NOT facebook Miriam! I can't cope with anything else ,I am not computery clever like you).

I know you need 'a web presence'. That was how our Arts Officer got on  to me and asked me to place my work in our Arts Center Craft shop. (Yes I am now shopped full time in a proper commercial shop!!!!) but how to create one worth looking at, how to get the time to do it? Perhaps Santa will bring me the solution for Christmas.

 The Christmas Picture is of one of the decorations I made  - handmade felt and embroidery , they have sold quite well along with my mini Christmas trees. I would have liked to post one of the animals looking suitably festive but the Dog's developed a phobia to tinsel and keeps hiding and a cat hissing  with a mouth full of Christmas tree doesn't work somehow.So For now Merry Christmas to All- if anyone is actually out there- and if I do get left a solution under the tree I might be back in 2013.

Going,going, gone

So November and indeed the whole of 2012 is nearly over.
The Bridging Waters exhibition is now safely ensconced on the other side of the Atlantic. It took a bit of effort to get it there as computerization which is supposed to make things easier actually is a nightmare resulting in having to talk to a human being on the end of a phone anyway because this sort of export doesn't fit into a nice neat box (and even that doesn't always work hence 3 attempts to actually get the courier here). Still it wizzed across the pond without any hiccoughs and I can hand the baton onto our Canadian colleagues and their series of exhibitions in Winnipeg,New Brunswick and Vancover next year (when I sort out my side bar - when I get the time - I will put up the actual dates and venues). It has certainly been an experience and hopefully, overall. a good one for all concerned.

The Lord Mayors show has been and gone. We are usually involved in this as my husband is a freeman and my father-in-law a liveryman of the Stationers company and we go to St.Brides church in Fleet Street to sort out refreshments. This year we decided to have a year where we just watched the show and then went back to Stationers Hall for lunch, and very welcome it was too as it was really cold even with smithfields handing out their lovely  cooked sausages.

Miriam.Jill and I also took a stall at the winter market at the Brentwood Road gallery to try and sell off some of the items we had made previously. Not a great success- I think I was the only one who sold stuff. The footfall is a bit rubbish but the stall was really cheap (£15 for the three of us) so it was worth a shot.

Also yesterday was my daughters 21st birthday. I wanted to put a photo on of her when she was tiny but that would make my life not worth living apparently. We celebrated at Simpsons in the Strand ( lovely lunch, gorgeous roast beef) and then rocked it out at 'Rock of Ages' at the Shaftesbury which was hilarious. I think she enjoyed herself and now shes all grown up.Where does the time go?

So thats probably about it for this year. December is already full to busting  and if we don't all disappear up the Mayan calender, January 2013 will kick off with me working at the Mall galleries getting the SDC show shop ready and the stop after that is 'Seeking Artemis'....but thats another story.

Oops October

I really meant to post more regularly but when I looked I realised that not only had I missed nearly all of September but that October was rapidly disappearing. I have no excuse except that the last month or so has been unbelievably busy.

I have been wrapping up the last of the Bridging Waters events- exhibitions, sales, talks etc... (I give the last talk on Thursday) so the work can be packed and sent on its next journey to Canada. 

Then there have been exhibitions to visit -in and out of London (I still have a whole list I need to get to before Christmas). The Knitting and Stitch show at Alexandra Palace - which was extremely enjoyable spending too much as usual, catching up with people but I was a bit underwhelmed by the exhibitions this year.There were several individual pieces in all of them that I admired but much that I had seen before and no single exhibition that made me go 'wow' as a whole. Still its all personal taste I suppose.

Then I have been getting to grips with the paperwork,rotas and practical side of organising the SDC shop in January. The Society of Designer Crafts Show will be at the Mall Galleries in London as normal in January  (11th-20th) and I can thoroughly recommend the show as a source of wonderful design and excellent skill. I can say this unbiased as although I am a licentiate I have nothing in the show as I haven't had time this year but I hope I will manage something for 2014. Instead I am one of the organisors of the shop within the show, which is certainly time consuming. Last year I helped which great fun but this year its up to us which is a bit different.

Having said that I am actually producing again now but haven't a lot to show you yet as its all work in progress- its a lot of work in progress, 6 large pieces for my exhibition in May, a body of work for Material Girls next show in 2014 and a separate body of work for the SDC.

Meanwhile -in my spare moments- I am rapidly producing my felty fishes and felty feathers for the Craft show above. If you are around do drop in.

Otherwise I will try and get back before the end of November .............

BASHed

Tick.tock,tick,tock... where is all the time going ? so much to do so little time.
I have just finished another piece of work the day before it was due to be exhibited, Argh!!!. Last year I was asked to submit my degree work for a gallery exhibition but just before this exhibition was due to take place the gallery manager left quite suddenly and they decided to close the gallery for the summer so no event. Once they had re-organised themselves they asked me to submit the work for an open exhibition called BASH- not quite so good because the previous exhibition was a solo show and this is a salon type event. Also I must admit I have sort of binned most of degree work now because I wasn't happy with it  but I did keep the 'pathway' so I said they could have that and I decided to make a more commercial piece to accompany it so hence the owl picture and the last minute rush.

But the whole of this summer seems to have been a bit of a rush and I have been feeling quite stressed out over various things .however, yesterday I went to the paralympics swimming and boy does that make you feel that you should stop moaning and suck it up! Quite incredible and we saw the Hynd boys swim- amazing. The whole event was really great and there was only one big red disappointment. I usually love Anish Kapoor's work , his pieces are among my favorite works of art, and for the last few years I've watched from my commute to see the 'Orbit' rising from the ground. I wasn't a fan as it went up but I hoped when completed I might love that as well.... but I didn't. Yes it is imposing and I expect the view is good from the top (didn't want to pay £25 to find out) but it just didn't move me. Oh well I suppose you can't win em all.
So tick,tock, tick,tock.... I'm packing again as I'm off to Lyme for Arts week but when I get back I'm going to settle back down and sort out my exhibition list, get on with some work and get busy with giving talks again but for now must rush......

Mind the Gap

There has been a slight hiatus since my last post- for several reasons.
 I needed to get motoring on producing some work for the next two exhibitions  but my health went a bit dodgy which knocked the production back a bit. However, having overcome that I spent time watching the Olympics whilst turning out quantities of embellished felt fabric on my trusty machine whilst trying not to annoy the family viewing.
Digression no.1 - Hasn't the Olympics been fabulous? I'm not a great sports fan, can think of better ways of spending my time than running in circles, but the actual organisation and events have been great (except for the ticketing fiasco of course). I live about 30mins away from the Olympic park and have spent the last few years watching it rise and cursing the inconvenience when travelling up and down but I must say they have done a cracking job.I always very proud to be British but esp. at the moment. My one sadness was being unable to get any tickets in the draw or being able to afford any of the dearer later ones that went on sale but we have got tickets for the Paralympic swimming so I can't wait to go and see it all up close in a couple of weeks time.
Back to textile talk...
So the next exhibition (and last in the UK) of the Bridging Waters work is in Maldon,Essex in just over a weeks time and we had to produce a few extras for this one and having made my fabric I've been having fun creating various Felty Fish. Its so nice to create some frivolous bits for a change.
I don't really know this gallery and some of the other Material Girls are hanging this one as I am on holiday  but it brings me to
Digression no.2 - Being located in the suburbs of London on the border of East london and Essex people often say 'aren't you lucky being so near to London  galleries' and in a way that's true but we do fall into a gap when it comes to exhibiting our own work. Further into the country (side) there seem to be many interesting galleries and buildings and venues that will display work but here in the deepest suburbs there are very few and those we have are rapidly being either closed down or restricting hours. Our only other option is to show in London , which is wonderful BUT extremely expensive , I mean thousand of pounds!!! So does anyone else have this problem? and if so how do we solve it?
Back again
Having had fun with the fish I am also finishing up some more serious work for another exhibition in September and was getting on well with that until I had a close encounter with some pavement last week which has left me with bloody knees and more importantly with an aching shoulder meaning I can't stitch-so annoying.
Any how more on that work soon. Thanks for your comments on how to describe our work - seems Textile artist I will remain.

 And I meant to tell you all about the recent Art Trail but I'm afraid Mo has just won the 5000 meters !!!! and there's this man called Bolt soon to come on the track  and the cats attacking the washing so .......

A Dilemma

Definition of Art - The use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments or experiences that can be shared with others
Definition of Craft - An occupation or trade requiring manual dexterity or artistic skill.


I have a problem and would like to invite your opinions. If you have followed this blog during the course of my degree you will know that I have been interested in the dilemma of what should be defined as art or what should be defined as craft, It was even central to my dissertation . Personally I came to the conclusion that although  craft is perceived as something of lower value than so called fine art many areas defined as craft contain exquisite pieces of 'art' so why on earth is there this distinction.
Now I am in the real world away from academia and over the last year I have been struggling as to where I should place myself and my work. I would love to keep fighting the fight to destroy this differentiation but practically I need to find my place.
I have been mixing with both the fine art world and the world of craft (by which I mean 'craft' of the highest quality, things that will be the antiques and treasures of the future) and I think I now know into which world I fit, am most comfortable. For me fine art now seems to be all about concept- about how well you can talk the talk rather than how beautiful or emotionally moving a piece is and to be brutal a lot about snobbery (has anyone been watching the latest 'Show me the Monet' program on BBC?. If I hear something degraded for being 'decorative' once more I shall throw something through the TV! Something doesn't have to be ugly, badly created or depressing to mean something to the artist or the audience.) To be quite honest when I am surrounded by the world of 'fine art' I get this niggling feeling of being trapped within 'the emperor's new clothes.
So obviously this is not my world - I feel my work has concept but I also like it to have beauty, I comment on the world in the way I see it and if people think that's a bit Disney, tough! But I also value skill and perfection of technique and when I mix with 'craftsmen' I see the same values. There is no pretense , no 'bullshit' basically just real passion . I like them more, they are real people who I am honored to be associated with - so after a year of soul searching this is my place. I know many will say you shouldn't define yourself ,be an artist. But real life isn't like that , the world will define you whatever so do you keep fighting this issue and stop producing because it effects your work or do you find peace and concentrate on moving your work forward.

Now for the dilemma for which I would like your input. It may seem a little thing but its bugging me. I need to get some more business cards printed but how should I now define myself for the client. Fellow craftsmen who work in other disciplines seem to be able to do this with much more ease - jewellery designer, ceramicist, blacksmith, furniture designer,etc... but what does someone who works with textiles call themselves. I am not a weaver, I work with fibre and stitch- so not a feltmaker .. If I call myself a textile craftsmen people think you make curtains? Any ideas? I feel if I can nail this it will be the last piece in the puzzle and allow me to move forward rather than waffling around as I have done for the past year. I need to move on.

There and Back Again

I've been on a little trip to Yorkshire. As this was the first break away from Hornchurch in over a year it was much needed but why is it by the time you've done the washing and the ironing, sorted out the house and generally caught up you feel like you need another holiday.
I've been to Yorkshire many times but I always like to experience something new if possible. So this time we went on a sailing ship out of Whitby, vistited a glorious Lavender Farm, revisited the scents of Castle Howard's Rose Garden, watched a Barn Owl hunting in the twilight, opened the front door of the cottage to be greeted by a Hare, saw an entire field filled with Herons (might be the weather had something to do with this- enough said) and were presented with the gift of a baby bunny by the enormous ex-stray tabby cat we befriended (fortunately it was alive and unharmed so we got it back to the field and gave the cat some ham instead, it didn't seem to mind.)
I also like to track down some interesting textiles. York Minster provided some lovely altar cloths and some beautiful work by their broiderers guild. Nunnington Hall some wonderful old samplers (sorry no pics - National Trust!) I also tracked down the quilt museum in York - I always get lost in York, don't know why esp. with all that Yorkshire blood coursing through my veins- but was extremely disappointed. Great Building and I know no major exhibition on at the moment but what there was there was deeply uninspiring £6 worth!
What I could do with a gallery like that locally - its makes me weep.
So now I'm back - lets see what comes next.
(Photos to follow when blogger decides to work again!)