Tick, Another Exhibition Finished

Well that's that... took my work down today from its six months display in Braintree Hospital. No contact from anyone, but then its not really the sort of place you'd expect to generate huge sales. I did it because it was on offer, free, it was a new concept for me to try and.... ta dah, scheduling work away for 6 months. The good thing I turned up and found everything still as I had left it, nothing had fallen over in the cabinets. So that's a good thing, proves I can do it. After that came home via Hobbycraft, met with a friend. Don't faint, I didn't buy anything creative at all. I thought it looked to have gone downhill a bit... given that I usually manage to come out having bought things I really don't need!!! But a hot chocolate and cake with a friend is worth a trip out. I really must get on with art work, keep saying it, but keep getting swamped with other stuff - and finding it hard to make the mental switch between it all. Actually, I need staff... not least one in charge of the tea!!!

Organised Chaos

Honest this is organised - I put things together in piles, ready to go away a couple of days ago.  I've been doing family stuff so that's as far as it got.  And as I have a car full of stuff to unload and sort, doesn't look like this will be dealt with today.  At the moment I'm ignoring the car, had enough lifting and shifting, hoping magic fairy might have done for me instead..... not likely.
In anticipation of actually creating, I bought in new supplies of 404 spray - found somewhere on the internet where I could get 2 plus p&p for a couple of pounds more than most people quote for 1.  Also bought some more Textile Tape made by Glue Dots.  Its incredibly sticky (welds itself to scissors - thanks to my friend Chris who bought me a set of non stick scissors) and works realy well.  I'm afraid I am probably a very bad textile person, because I don't lace my work when I mount it.  For some reason I can never get it straight - I was once severely criticised because a piece looked OK, it actually measured exact from the art work to the edges, but the grain line of the fabric went up and down like a roller coaster.  And I always manage to do that when I lace work. I just find that I can mount work much quicker, easier, and more accurately by taping, so sorry, but I'm sticking (ha) with it - and at least I always buy things for the purpose, this is acid free - I also buy acid free 'ordinary' double sided tape and don't have any glue stains seeping through.
On the windowsill  in the box tied up with pink string - is my pink project for the Embroiderers' Guild Art Trail display, its waiting for "what to do with it next" to strike.
The black and white is a play and an idea for something....  The lime green notebook is for Material Girls - see even I can spot which I've hidden it, being that colour.  The bronze notebook is actual art work for Material Girls - which is different from the black notebook for my personal stuff.
Right what next - car emptying, table sorting, or.... mouse hunting.  My furry friend for the first time in the many years we've had him, not only caught a beastie, but brought a mouse indoors and dropped it and its run off.  I didn't see said critter, husband's fault, he yelled, cat let go.  As you can see I've stuff everywhere as it is, without heaving out more stuff to find it.  I can see it now, taking things to the charity shop complete with wildlife.  There's always something extra isn't there, when you think you've waded throught the tasks.

Woweee

Sometimes you turn around and its all happening.  Paperwork flodding in, well if 2/3 things can constitute a flood!!
I've been accepted into the Burnham Art Trail again - very pleased with that.  The website is in preparation of updating for this year's Trail so do keep checking.  I am back at a venue I've had before - Burnham Osteopathic Clinic which is on Station Road.
Next came the application forms and information for Rochford Art Trail.... got a little while to go before submitting for that, but as we know time soon evaporates.

The Material Girls and our next event: Textiles on the Hill.    The Material Girls are organising and hosting this weekend event.  It promises to have lots to enjoy.  An opportunity to see the international collaboration between Articulation and The Material Girls  with our joint exhibition: Articulated Materials - Bridging Waters.  Alongside that we have invited guest textile artists to demonstrate their skills, will offer artwork for sale, textile art supplies from Craft Arena... and if that's not enough there will be tea/coffee and cake!!!
Yesterday was our meeting day, lots to discuss, but this event is now taking shape.  I am going to do a demonstration for the event - first up - 11am/12noon on Saturday 26th May - I will be showing bookbinding techniques.
And if that isn't enough to discuss - we also got the project brief for 2014, big gulp!!!  Talk about head spin.  However, this is how I've found textile life to be - madness with everything pouring in all at once, followed by quiet periods when you can get down to doing.  This is why my best friends are now highlighter pens and post-it notes!!
So today its fill in the diary... and work my way through some paper tasks, good job at the weekend I managed to find space on my table!

Books, Ideas and... errrmmm

I decided to post pics of my other piece for The Material Girls - cos it looks like I never do any work when  things are kept for an event.  But as people have already seen and cameras were out.... so here we go, and hopefully it will entice to come and see (mine) the work at our next outing at Horndon-on-the-Hill - see right.

The is "On the Waterfront"  and its what these pieces turned into.  Its only about 2 1/2" high - but around 14" long.  And yes, I cut each one of these beach huts by hand - no fancy gismo, just me, scissors, scalpel and a wrist bandage!!!  Each one is also individually sewn in place (I believe I lost count after 150) - because its in effect a book.  Its a collection of coloured pages plus a navigational map of the Thames Estuary and Thames itself.  Being a  l o n g  book it becomes very flexible, so it can be displayed in a shape.  I have made a long book before, but back then I under anticipated the amount of time it takes to construct, so it wasn't the length I intended

The latest effort is also stitched over tape, well ribbon - but in a different technique to the above.

In the meantime its on to the next thing - I've got ideas for something but I want to speak about it first, in case it doesn't meet the brief.  Plus I HAD loads of ideas for things - I say HAD because somewhere in the mush of my head, I've lost them!!!  As usual ideas spring to mind at the most inconvenient moments - and I thought, must write these down, quite literally by the time I'd finished what I was doing and ready to get a pen - total brain fog, forgotten everything.  I should have used a gismo I bought..... duh why only now think of it?  For the ERTF Essex event by the seaside, we were recording our ideas which also included sound.  I bought myself one of these mini voice recorders.... second hand off Ebay cost me the grand price of £8 inc postage!!!  Its been invaluable for reminders during my current family sorting issues - and its with me all the time, so why didn't I put my brilliant art ideas on it.  Idiot!  But as they say.... "if I had brains I'd be dangerous"

PS Have played with the blog again, added some purple to the tab buttons at the top.

International Art - sort of....

Oh excitement.... well a weeny bit.  I participated in The Sketchbook Project 2011 - toured around the US, and I've had notification that someone has looked at my effort - that makes the grand total of..... trrrrrrrrrrrr drumroll THREE!!  So funny, but better than the expected 0.
The whole thing worried me so much, little knowledge dangerous thing.  I was concerned with sending to another country - x-rays would I set off some major alert if I stitched over wires - my theme was Lines & Grids and I have wire mesh I wanted to use.  Then there was the wooden bbq sticks, oh wood, organic material into another country, errrrm, so I didn't use that either.  It ended up a bit of a 'less than' effort, not because I didn't have ideas, but because I worried too much probably about trying to be responsible.  Too many of these country border protection programmes on tv....  But if you want to participate in 2013 then you can sign up to be ready here - I might, said might, do it it again.

The same border control worries affected my project for The Material Girls.   As the project is going out to Canada.  Originally I was going to take the debris washed up on the shoreline and create art from it.  But then I started to worry about sprinkles of sand, or microscopic beasties attached, let alone any organic materials in their own rights.  This involves way too much thinking.

This is my wall hanging influenced by the Thames.  Beach Huts - on the Thames?  Well I live not far from the Thames Estuary where the beach huts stretch in a long line .  Even making this I had concerned about the paper used for the huts.  I could have made my own... but knowing from my various paper contacts/magazines/forums etc that handmade paper across country borders can be a problem - I went with commercial paper, made by a well known international supplier. My little huts will make another appearance in May... so if you missed them.....
So its a relief really that I'm not a huge international mega artist - too much thinking needed!!!