work shop

Have been working on the flowery dell for some time. every Sunday mother comes to tea [but doesn't have a cup, "I'll wait till I get home"] and I sit and stitch another flower, as long as I am doing something I can keep my hands to myself.

This somewhat nightmarish scene involving the dancing ladies perhaps should speak for itself, goodness knows what it is saying.

The woodland scene is quieter and I am enjoying the seemingly endless task of hand stitching and whiffling around it. It came out of a workshop I led using gesso splodged on the calico and then scrim dragged across which gave me the trees. very enjoyable.

I am hoping to try a companion piece of the sea.

We were at Aldeburgh last week picking up the in-laws after their w/e away. sadly pa-in-law fell and the paramedic had to be called. Good old NHS, still functioning, hope it lasts till i start tripping.

It may seem I am working hard, but I suspect I am working hard at avoiding writing the 2,500 words my tutor is expecting in a couple of weeks.

It was interesting to see this embroidery by Boetti [or rather the Afghan women].

It was done in 1986 but I think Gavin Turk must have seen it recently as he is turning out many versions of the above, don't know if the Afghan women are accessible at the mo tho.

Very fuzzy head this morning, sun is shining ...................all I can see is dust and detritus; things that need doing, have to make a list. That might be scary. All lists are scary today, have a list of good books waiting to be read that just makes me feel over whelmed and under pressure, obviously I am over feeling all this.
Cape violet thingies are dying for need of repotting, obviously have to sort priorities, no good, every thing is jostling to be top.
Guilt most of all. I could be in Syria with real problems. Now I am really frozen.............

swimming against the tide

Meet my new friend ! Decided I haven't got time to delay..........downloaded the Brushes app for £5.99 [I think] - memory is hazy in these Last Few Days.........thinking in the 1000s! Just so few compared to what has gone before. And forgotten. Not fair.

Mother came up with a postcard my nana had written to a friend [Alf ] adding a note that I was away in a school camping trip on Isle of Man. 1959.

All I remember was the force 8 gale crossing and the TT riders face embedded in the telegraph pole [well the imprint if you see what I mean]. Can't remember anything about the 2 weeks camping at all.

Snow has gone, cold and sunny yesterday, the rowing boat was bobbing around, but firmly anchored.

If I wasn't so frightened by my OU tutor I might have tried a poem. She is very brisk. My last draft was dismissed as confusing, in fact she said the reader may feel sea=sick reading it. We were supposed to be splicing dialogue and I was obviously blowing at least a Force 8 in words.

Went to W*aterstones today and invested in several paper backs and Angela Carter's postcards book, I can't read magical realism but this little notebook looks very realistic. However she never allowed herself to become becalmed, so I shall keep paddling too.

Hockers

Still got the same snow, no more no less. Gets very boring tramping across the church yard to the car at the top of the hill. Had to move it from outside the house as the Lane is icy and ungritted. Unlike my teeth, it is so cold.


Heating keeps cutting out; drains blocked and had to pay the man and his rods £126 to free us.



Went up to London on Thursday to see the Hockney exhibition. Strange smell of candle wax throughout. Many many pictures of trees, painted "en plein air" at least three huge rooms full, Yorkshire trees, like looking out of a car window and seeing the trees go by.

The smaller water colours of farm land were quite good, nice light and sense of tranquility, maybe 20 or 30 of them; easy to see, exhibition wasn't crowded which was a surprise.

Lots of oil paintings, thick rather ugly daubs in lots of cases, wouldn't have passed muster at the local art group exhibition. Horrible glaring green.

Then there were the iPad pics, 52 of them, all beautifully blown up and mounted around one complete room, the changing seasons. Sunshine seems to suit him best, the shadows bought the pictures alive, the rest were ugly.

Then he retreated to a huge studio and did some from his imagination [based on years of study] these are the huge ones you see on the posters in California colours. Really much more attractive than i thought they would be

So - a varied response, plus an irresistible urge to get an iPad and have a go!

Up up & away

Snow arrived last night, should get wellies on and crunch out for a walk but can't bring myself to do it.

Have five jumpers on, in various thicknesses - and that's indoors, plus woolly tights and socks and the felt bootees daughter made me.

Daisy remains dressed as always and quite relaxed.

Finally bought tickets for the Hockney. R.A. suddenly opened the box office again and everyone piled in, mostly getting the dates and times they asked for, so they must have kept plenty back.

Ha, Pakistan finally all out for 3 million or something close. Doubtless England will score at least 3 in reply.

Led a good workshop [which I read in a magazine] where we take a source pic, place it below bondaweb and draw through, then turn over, paint pic on gluey side and then iron onto fabric. Worked pretty well, means I can transfer sketches quite simply, maybe.

Have lots of 10 min "gesture" sketches from the dreaded Life Drawing classes so am hoping to play with some of those..............actually have about 4 pieces of stitching work started plus proposal forming for my OU chapters and a 4,500 word short story.................feel quite unusually positive about it all, so obviously beginning to wonder if I am becoming bi-polar.

I am reading Pure by ? [won the Costa], about Paris in the 17th century when it was decided to empty les Invalides cemetery in the city [which over the years had grown and engulfed it] and having sorted the bones and bodies of the centuries, which were polluting the air, move them away. Weird flat story telling quite mesmeric but perhaps I shouldn't read it at night.I am hoping to get the new Leonard Cohen, but in the meantime got his "I'm your man" CD as only had it on cassette. The man is a genius.

add 1 drowner but she will be waving soon

Nearly done, just have to redo printing and make all tidy.