Looking, Buying and Playing

Friday I paid a visit to Art Van Go, for the first day of The Gathering.  I met up with old friends, and new.  Alongside lovely textile work from Bobby Britnell, there were 5 artists showing their practical talents.  More information and photos can be found via the blogs of Lynda Monk and Art Van Go.  I enjoyed seeing the practical and came away with "oooh must try that".
Of course had to do some shopping, well, rude not to isn't it?  Paper of course, another sketchbook, a texture roller, amongst.

Last week I struggled with a supposedly simple paint technique, easy peasy everywhere said.  Huh, right, here's my pile of failures, tried every pot of white gluey sticky stuff I could find, starting with builders pva, the stuff you can stand a spoon up in.

On way home from Art Van Go, I called into Hobbycraft, well one roundabout away, silly not to. As I said to someone, my one pot of school pva cost £30!
By coincidence, next day I saw this on a Facebook page

Playing 'Supermarket Sweep' in Hobbycraft! Such fun!

courtesy of KateCreates on Facebook, see her website

roared with laughter, I can certainly spend loads in 5 minutes, but not get what I went in for, which was the case.
Anyway used the cheapy pva for the technique, and it instantly worked!  So all these articles and videos are forgiven, it is easy peasy - with the right product.  Can move on to next part of the plan.

My bead edgings class didn't happen - suspect it being half term week is a problem.  Wonder about my next offering, Hand and Machine Cords.... simple, practical, decorative.  Tuesday 18th June contact The Sewing Box for details.

The intention is to use the sewing machines on the premises.  The requirements are a few machine threads, for practice use up the threads/yarns from your stash, knitting yarn, embroidery threads, even string! Full information from the shop.  It is my intent that we work on a rotation, with some learning the machine techniques, whilst others do the hand and others play with some equipment I have.  So everyone goes home with a range of samples, a practical dictionary if you like for future reference.

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!!!

Exhibitions, Shopping and Doodling!!

I popped along to see the ERTF/Owen Jones exhibition again at Chelmsford Museum.  Be quick, you have until 27th March to see if before it moves on to Hertfordshire.  See here  Lots of lovely comments in the book.  I had a chance to have a good look at the artists' sketchbooks which are exhibited alongside the pieces.  Its very informative.  Of course I'm part of the exhibition, you can see a snippet of my piece in an earlier posting. Following this I popped into Hobbycraft in Chelmsford.  It is a much larger store than the one in Basildon, and having sent him indoors on a recce to the one in Norwich, I believe it is also larger than that shop.  Of course I went in wanting nothing in particularly, but did ask the cashier to whisper the amount of money spent - cos it doesn't count if you don't say it out loud - does it?
I've also had confirmation of the date I'm at the Braintree Community Hospital - I've put the info up in the righthand menu - from end of September for six months.  This is a big thing for me.  Never ever have I put work anywhere for such a time period.
Having found that every single black pen in this house was not waterproof, and thanks to Miriam - I bought myself a set of Pitt artist pens.  I've had a little play.

I don't know if Zentagles is the proper term for these or just a new invention - I'd call it simply doodling.  But the partial stitch version was started some months back, long before the pen came out.  I see in the current April/May issue of Quilting Arts magazine, that there is an item on using this technique in fabric.  But if you like this sort of thing then keep in mind the Burnham Art Trail - as the artist Peter James makes very detailed drawings.
Its the weekend, and I have Saturday alone - time to look at, stroke, may be even use, my new purchases!