A blog about making art and other things using cloth, paper, paint, colour, stitch, and all sorts of exciting techniques, some of which I'm sure I still have to discover! I hope that the joy all this gives me is visible in what you can see here.

Monday 30 January 2017

Metamorphosis.



In my last post I think I said that the metal supports under the Pier looked a bit lace like from the angle I had photographed it. Well, I just had to do it didn't I!, so much fun playing around with this metamorphosis idea!  


Once you get going, the possibilities are endless, as you can see below.






Yesterday, I walked in a westerly direction, and took yet more photos. I made a small sketch when I got home, Hmmmm! Now I'm wondering what my next idea could be. 



A clue maybe? These shelters along the promenade are dotted all along the way to Holywell Bay. 

Watch this space, and thanks for looking in.



Sunday 22 January 2017

Sketch book pages and some photography.


A combination of sketchbook images and photography. Suddenly there appears to be a roller coaster on the pier!


Playing around with collage, photography and monoprinting.


Working into some mono printed sketchbook pages.



Secondly, my fascination with Eastbourne Pier, and photographing it in different weather conditions and light, and from different directions.


Even high and low tide can make a difference to how much is visible from underneath.


Above and below, the metal supports look quite lace-like. I took these last two today, it was a very bright sunny afternoon, but with a slight haze, and because I took them looking into the sun, the pier was more of a silhouette rather than showing any detail.


I seem to be collecting ideas and inspiration at the moment, rather than making finished pieces. I am finding so much to inspire me since moving to the coast, and I think it all needs to be left to simmer on the back burner for a while, and hopefully at some point, I will see a clearer idea of the direction I want to go in when it comes to start some serious work.

Thanks for your patience and interest in my progress.


Monday 9 January 2017

Sky changes!


I unpicked the stitching in the sky, and re-did it. I think it looks better. Some gold paint was also added to the domes on the towers. I didn't finish it until it was too dark to photograph in natural light, but as I'm impatient, I snapped it under artificial light.  That's why it looks a bit different to yesterdays post.

Sunday 8 January 2017

Developing an idea.


A few posts ago I showed how I had added stitch to a mixed media painting that I decided to print onto cloth. You can see the original painting below left, and the stitched print below right. My last post showed how I have been playing around with some photos I took of Eastbourne Pier, adding paint onto different backgrounds. Today I decided to print the pier onto some cloth, (although my printer didn't seem to enjoy the experience!!) and add it to the stitched piece below. You can see the result above. I'm quite pleased with the majority if it, but I may change the way I have tackled the sky.




I have also printed a cropped version of the image below onto some canvas, and have added stitch. I have enjoyed playing around with these combined photographic and painted background images, so am eager to continue experimenting further.


Thanks for your company.

Thursday 5 January 2017

Photopainting!



Our small art group have decided to set ourselves the challenge of taking a photo every week this year, then printing it out and sticking it into a concertina book. Hopefully by the end of 2017, we will all have a book containing 52 wonderful photographs!! Taking good, exciting pictures is not my forte, so I am hoping that playing around with my efforts to produce something a bit more unusual will be acceptable. Below you will see how my original photo of Eastbourne Pier, has developed into the image above. I have also included below some other ideas I have played around with, mainly combining my printed image with paint.


I am particularly attracted to the shapes of the towers, so have decided to concentrate on the top half of the structure.



I think that by cropping off the bottom half of the structure, and adding my own ideas has given the top half a more surreal feel.




Eventually, I am hoping to use one of the images for a mixed media piece which will include fabric and stitch. A positive and fun project for the New Year, and something I am looking forward to incorporating into my textile work.

Thanks for reading, and hopefully you will be happy to join me again next time.