Wednesday 23 April 2008

what's in a name?


Groucho said he wouldn't want to join any club that would admit him.
Strange to be more arrogant than The Mouthy Marx, but I often feel I cannot bear to be thought part of this group, i.e. older women in sensible shoes.

The lady with the curly hair is called Glenda too, I do try to collect them, with variable results.

I go to many textile exhibitions, forums, groups - the ways in which the female of the species tries to ape the male in "networking" to raise our status with the weight of our own self interest. Trouble is we rotate within our own ripples without breaking out into.......the waves?

For some reason using a needle and thread isn't accepted as an Art method. To be honest most of the practitioners do fall into the basket of Craft, and yes there is a difference. I suggest most want to "make something beautiful" and quite a lot succeed splendidly, sorry that is patronising, especially as i couldn't raise to their level of competence in a month of Sundays.

It's a big subject "women's stitching" and I am avoiding trying to actually tackle it needle in hand, by ruminating about it. So, what is true [to me].

At the Forum on Saturday 70+ women gathered together to conquer the world, or at least the part from north London to the Norfolk Coast. We didn't sing "We are women, we are Strong", most would have left in embarrassment if we had.

We had a male speaker would you believe, but he is delightfully gay, so really was one of the gang, we loved him.

He was also excellent, and I want him as my mentor, except he practises his art up North, and anyway maybe a shooting star should just illuminate, get too close and my own candle would have trouble lighting my way, as it were?

Some fool handed me the mike and I did a turn, but because I don't really think I belong in that club I don't really feel many heard. My mum says join a club, you are bound to find at least one person on the same wave length, but what if it is the wrong club?

My ma is happy in her present club, the Widows Mafia, terrorising the neighbourhood with their free bus passes.

Then yesterday we went to a Textile Exhibition actually in an Arts Gallery, now that is unusual, rubbing stitching shoulders with Modigliani and Francis Bacon [it was an eclectic collection]

In the main I got more from young Francis, but I am going to try and marry him to my threads and see what happens.