Its 2019 (with closure on 2018)

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Firstly time for a catch up.
I've not posted in such a long time - mainly because not really feel well, not ill, just not well, I chose to have a defined course of action elsewhere, for me.
It is always so difficult to share things here, because a lot of what I make is for Exhibition, and its only right that first look goes to those events.  So it can very much look like I'm not doing anything, when there is something going on.

Following the Art Trail and Art Fair events, I didn't have anything else planned for me personally.  However, I did help the husband with his entries into the Essex Open, one of which sold on opening night.

At a friend's suggestion I have become a Member of S.E.W. 

I was somewhat hesitant, not sure if it was for me, but my friend persuaded me to give it a go, can only try and see.  I also expressed that I was really wanting to find a group I could join which involved BookArts.
So I sent off my application, following an open call out, and to my utter surprise it came back with... Yes we'd like you to join with your Books!!!  So that involved happy dancing.
Its a new venture, so will await developments, it could be that I/we/me are not a good fit, but we shall see.  Its nice to have the opportunity to investigate though.

I've got an event coming up - well if you call 2020 coming up.  New to me again, but decided to stop being a wimp and give it a go, so said Yes.

And a piece which was in my local Art Trail, sold independently in November.  So this has a new home.

detail of Strata

In the pipeline for 2019 is:

~plenty of work for The Material Girls exhibitions planned and pending

~joining in the Sketchbook Project  doing a Mini Sketchbook this time

~local Embroiderers' Guild Branch Competition - not done in many years

~signed up to Lifebook 2019 - new to me starts today

~possibly an Art Trail - may be the Art Sale Event

~possibly get around to the list I made out in January 2018!

Don't know when I will be back here - but hopefully will, with something I can share.

Have a happy creative, and funfiled 2019

And next we have...

I don't do much family on here, but I am a very proud auntie.  My niece Vickie, has just been accepted into college to study a BTEC in Art and Design plus Photography.  No doubt she now has to work hard to make sure she gets her grades for her place. I'm just so pleased she gets to follow her dream from the get go, and not like me, had to wait to my 30s... plus it's nice to think arty stuff is in the genes.  I can stop being the weird one not doing a 'proper' job.

In the meantime, I had an email to say my Sketchbook from The Sketchbook Project has been viewed again.  That makes 4 times!!!   True not many, but it's 4 more than I ever expected.... so thank you, whoever you are, whether you enjoyed or not, it's nice to have been considered.

I've been spending money - tsk my friend's fault.  Talking over the phone guiding her through finding a product on a website, and I say... careful make sure it's the best deal, and then I find at half price and, well it's just plain rude not to buy.  So here they are, Superior Rainbow threads, just love the short length colour change:

I've delivered my work to Juliet for onward  delivery to A Taste of Textiles exhibition, which gets set up next week.  As the time covers Valentines, my two pieces of work and shops pieces are all hearts. Not new pieces for the occasion, but more as it implies a Taste of who I am as a textile person.

Details of Heart Icon and Heart Mosaic



Details from the two large stitched postcards for sale

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!!!