Seaweed patterns

And whilst photographing patterns in the sand ....there was seaweed too - which may lead to a textile piece...and maybe I should have picked some up to press and dry, so that I can print with it....

Patterns in the sand

Walking along the beach; a mindfulness walk photographing patterns ....that may well lead to some collagraph prints.

Temperate rainforest sketching

I loved the reserve at Glenborrodale, so not having enough confidence to try a big painting, to try and capture  the feel of the place, I taped and gridded a sheet of paper to do one big splishy-sploshy painting, so that I could remove the grid to make small abstracts. Maybe one of them would lead me somewhere!..as I write this I am thinking a tapestry weaving...

Unfortunately, as I was doing this in the evening and under a flourescent light, it didn't turn out as green as it might. But a useful exercise that I then repeated when I got home. Next step is to do a large scale painting ...what could possibly go wrong! 

The photo I very loosely used for inspiration.

The full piece .. and a few of the individual 'sqares'.

..and the greener version...

And the photo I am planning to use for my painting....same style - splishy-sploshy but a bit more defined in subject.

Dark Red Helleborine Book

I'm struggling to decide what to do next artwork wise. Recently someone asked me what my process is for making a large textile piece and I replied that I often start by making a little book. Once I have decided on a theme I tend to make gelli prints - which helps me focus on shapes, textures and colours and to find out what does or doesn't work. Together with photographs and paper collage these make up my book. So I have taken my own advice and here is a little Dark Red Helleborine book. These orchids grow on limestone pavements ...

Ferns Book

In an attempt to develop some ideas for my next textile piece, I had a play. So here are some of the pages from today's sketchbook. Now to fathom why I like some more than others and how to combine them into a design....

Lichen Embroidery

Originally, I had printed some gelli prints onto fabric, based on pebbles that were stuck in grykes. While I really liked some of them, they weren't finished pieces of work really, so they just ended up in another pile of stuff! So I decided to cut some of them up and patchwork them together and then start sewing and see what happened - there was no plan, no envisaged end point just a process. I kept working at it, determined to make something out of nothing and here it is: 

Yes there are things I would change, but I have no intention of doing another similar one! Some elements though will be includied in forthcoming work. It will be framed, with a simple wooden dark grey frame...I'll add a photo to the blog, if I remember when it gets framed. In the meantime ..some details. The lichens aren't species specific just a general impression....

..and a photo of before the piece progressed too far ...showing more of the gelli prints...