Art revisited - handmade books

30 January 2017

A couple of years ago I made quite a few small books. Mostly these were intended as gifts and so I don't have any left in my own collection of work.

Getting heavily into the lampshades at the back end of last year got me thinking about about doing more 3D work and I was exploring my photos to remind me what I have previously achieved.

And one little gem was this "Seize The Day" - a little concertina book I gave to a friend who I used to work with. Sadly we have lost touch.

The base of the base was a small sturdy box. I found that flimsy boxes curl when you use a lot IV PVA glue.

For the life of me I cannot recall the exact material I used to cover it, but I do recall I coloured with Brusho ink and stitched it before sticking it onto the box.

The concertina was lining paper - the sort you buy from a DIY store to cover up dodgy walls.

The pockets were pelmet vilene with texture added using gesso and a stencil. The colour was again brusho and I think the gesso was not quite dry so the colour bled into the texture. Additional embellishment was machine embroidery.

I think, but cannot be certain that the tags were a combination of bought and made - card and vilene.

Words were cut from magazines and assembled to make the sentences.

The finish used a combination of handmade and recycled beads. The 'band' holding the book shut was an old bracelet found in a charity shop.

I need to make a few more of these!

And to finish off this post, a little walk through 'Have a Heart', one of the most satisfying books I have done.

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Painting with collage

27 January 2017

I am fascinated by collage.

I love the work of artists Mark Hearld and Clive Hicks-Jenkins and both use collage techniques in their work.

And of course, when I build up layers I do a bit of cutting and pasting - I'm a real fan of using glossy papers, often recycled confectionary wrappers, to creat little jewel snips of colour and shine.

So when I found this article on Cloth Paper Scissors my heart gave a little leap. I just love that Apple. So simple yet so effective.

Of course this uses paper but textile artists often use collage techniques, though in textiles it's not called often called collage but instead the term appliqué is used. Hilary Beattie springs to mind, of course.

To find more of Hilary's work you can look on the internet. Just type in Hilary Beattie and you can find links to her blog, website, online shop for some of the materials she uses and her Facebook Page. You will also find a load of images of her work under Images, funnily enough (if you use Google)

Hilary is a one woman power house. Her technique uses a lot of collaged backgrounds which she heavily quilts and embroiders. But she paints and she prints and she uses a lot of mixed media.

Another favourite artist is Stephanie Redfern. She also uses collage techniques in her work. I am pleased to say that in my little art collection I have a Stephanie Redfern piece. It hangs on the wall in my dining room just now and so I enjoy it every day.

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Adding layers to background papers (or a happy studio session)

17 January 2017

Back in the studio! Braving the chill and putting on more layers, but its amazing how a bit of activity keeps you warm.

No sitting down and gentle painting. Dear me no!

More 'being on a mission' and it's amazing how that can give you a glow.

So, back here I told you how I made a start on a new batch of background papers. Torn dictionary pages, PVA glue and ink powder.

Next I added some dimension to the original layers with gesso.

I will be honest here. The gesso was lurking at the bottom of the pot and way past it's best.

It was more the texture of modelling paste.

So I grabbed a favourite stencil (You can tell - its a bit mucky!)

And rather than a brush I used a little palette knife. Honestly, that gesso was too thick and past it to paint and need a bit more force.

Now, it is probably too much texture and may cause me difficulties when I come to sew, for inevitably this will end up in the sewing machine in some way. But hey, that pot of gesso needed finishing.

Next, a bit of paint auditioning.

This first sheet used Brusho inks (orange and yellow if memory serves correctly) and so Zesty Zing and Yellow Submarine from the Fresco Finish paints were spot on.

And being translucent they wont 'cover' what is underneath. Rather then will add to the layer.

Applied with a roller in the first instance.

Another paper I decorated used Infusion inks - a duskier impact.

Hence the need for a different family of Fresco Finish paints.

Again applied with a roller in the first instance. When I originally laid down these backgrounds I did not use ink on all of my background papers. So on the paper below the paint is the first colour to be added.

I love the effect of the roller but for the next couple of backgrounds I used the paints more like water colours - wetting the substrate and letting the paint run and mix.

Here is Zesty Zing and Yellow Submarine.

And the luscious colours below are Claret and Blood Orange.

And you can see how the gesso takes the paint differently to the paper.

And finally, back to the papers that I had rollered.

I used the 'water colour' technique for the next layer of colour.

And because the colours I used are translucent this does not block out the rollered colour beneath, but rather adds another layer and again some of the gesso takes the colour.

And to finish to, this luscious sheet with the paint still wet and glistening.

I have further plans for these sheets before I am done. A bit of lustre and maybe foil.

Then these will go into my folder ready to pull out when I am ready. In my mind these will be lampshade panels, but, of course, best laid plans etc.

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Assemblages and boxes

14 January 2017

I have, from time to time, waxed lyrical here about artists such as Mark Hearld and Clive Hicks-Jenkins.

Well, they work closely with St Judes who support print making and produce a luscious range of fabrics for soft furnishings etc.

Well, just before Christmas they sponsored an exhibition at a little gallery near the Tate Modern on London's south bank.

And I discovered another artist who is warming the cockles of my heart.

Most of the artists St Judes represent are one dimensional, but Alex Malcolmson works with assemblages and boxes and all things 3D.

And I just love his work. Pop over to his website to have a look or you can look at the St Judes page to see the work that was in the exhibition.

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Getting back into the Studio

11 January 2017

But dogs have to be walked first.

And we have to commune with the local farm animals!

I think I have probably mentioned them before, but honestly they are so bonkers, these concrete cows. If they were not painted black and white I think you would struggle to recognise them as cows. They are not quite a literal representation.

But they are loved. Some kind soul even decorated them with tinsel over Christmas. I failed to get a photo to show you. Sorry about that!

And there are ducks to be chased! But despite leaning over the water, she is careful not to fall into the lake (though paddles quite happily in the brook.)

Now, rather a lot of chocolate was consumed over Christmas, but one upside of this is the packaging. I just love the potential with this packaging. I am thinking a bit of mono printing with the geli plate or just an acrylic sheet.

Talking of which(the mono printing, not the chocolate), I have at last made it back into the studio (which you probably guessed from the title of this post - no suspense there!)

And it felt good to be back - and not too cold!

One reason the studio has been a bit neglected (well, apart from Christmas) is that we have had a few cold snaps and it gets very cold out there. Basically, it is just a conservatory off my bedroom. Lovely when the weather warms up a bit (it was a balmy 10 degrees today - bliss) but challenging when it is several degrees below.

But, it was a good day today. Light and airy and welcoming. And warm!

Consequently I had a productive session adding to my selection of background papers.

Using A2 sheets of cartridge paper and PVA glue, I simply pasted down torn pages from an old dictionary.

That dictionary cost £1 from a charity shop about 2 and a half years ago. And its a big old thing and I have only just reached the letter C and I feel I have used it a lot. There are a lot more pages to go.

I simply pasted the PVA across the cartridge paper with an old credit card and then applied the ripped dictionary - using the credit card to smooth the book paper down and make sure the edges had been captured.

Then, and more as an experiment really, I sprinted ink powders onto a couple of the pages. Brusho above (you can tell from the sharp colours) and Infusions below (more of a vintage feel since they also contain walnut pigment)

So now those papers are hanging in the studio drying, ready for the next layer.

Oh, and one thing I forgot to show you in my last post was some paper bunting made before Christmas. I had some left over coloured map - not enough for a lampshade but enough for a little length of paper bunting. I will probably use that for stall decoration when I do my next sale or exhibition.

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Bye bye 2016 - Hello 2017

8 January 2017

So, dear reader, Christmas has been and gone and we have waved goodbye to 2016.

Welcome 2017 - let's hope more stars are in a better alignment.

Meanwhile, what have I been up to?

Well it's all been a bit quiet on the art front. With the exception of the gift tags ( which I shared here) I haven't really managed any quality time in the studio since the mad production line that was the lampshades.

I blame Christmas.