Tate Modern and a weekend in London
31 May 2018
Back in April we had a mini break in London.
We stayed at The Rookery - a bit of a luxury, and one of London's most unusual little hotels.
It is tucked up Cowcross Street in Clerkenwell - just a stone throw up from Smithfield Market.
Now I am not a bit meat eater - in fact, I am almost veggie - but Smithfield is a historic corner of London. And poor old William Wallace met a grisly end in this corner of London.
The Rookery, it must be said, is not budget - but if you ever want to spoil yourself in London,it is worth every penny. It is like a little refuge tucked behind a very nondescript front door. In fact, you would hardly know there was a hotel there at all.
Not our room -but it could have been. It's a bit like staying in a historic house.
But this one was! That little bust in the fireplace was not at heavy as she looks!
Those books are genuine. All over the hotel are there are little piles of vintage books.
There is no restaurant at the hotel - you can order a simple breakfast, but as there are lots of places around for early morning sustenance this is not a problem.
Our first morning we went and had breakfast at The Modern Pantry in St Johns Square - just a short stroll away. Delicious - but I do recommend you book. It got very busy.
And we discovered a hidden little garden - the cloister of the Church of St John.
It turns out that this little patch of London has a long history - it seems that the square originated in the twelfth century as part of the priory of St John. This was the English base of the Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem, otherwise known as the Knight Hospitallers.
Over the centuries, what with the ravages of the Catholic Church under Henry VIII and later the town planning of the Luftwaffe, the priory is long gone. But a little garden and cloisters remain.
Apart from luxury accommodation and rather good breakfasts, we were also there to absorb a bit of culture.
Our primary reason was to see the Picasso exhibition - Love, Fame, Tragedy - at Tate Modern.
And, although crowded this was brilliant. Basically, it took one year (1932) of this extraordinary artists life and laid it out through his work. And I think for the first time, I really got the genius of Picasso.
Photography was very restricted, so the images here are borrowed from the Tate.
It is on until September. Worth a visit if you are in London (book in advance!)
But elsewhere in Tate Modern we found this.
I cannot tell you how impactful this piece was.
Called 'Pavilion Suspended in a Room' it was by Cristina Iglesias.
Steel - yet it seemed 'stitched together'.
And we also found this by Eduardo Paolozzi - Tapestry from 1966 (you may recall that on a recent trip to Edinburgh I discovered a piece of Paolozzi sculpture outside the RBS Building)
Of course, as a Textile artist, I could not resist this.
Spring - what spring? (A bit late!)
28 May 2018
The seasons can be a bit bonkers.
I am tippety tapping this in late May - here in Milton Keynes we are having a bit of a heat wave punctuated by dramatic thunder storms.
But I am having a little photo sort out and edit and remembered that back in April I saved a few photos under the title " Spring - what spring?"
And back then the cold and the wet seemed interminable - would it ever end?
Spring flowers did their best, but dog walks seemed to be a constant battle with the mud.
Even the monk at Bradwell Abbey was beyond saturated. I think he was beginning to get wet rot!
Mind you, my daffs were a joy. They flowered for weeks on end. They love it a bit chillsome.
And my tulips were showing signs of promise and delight (Oh - I do love a tulip!)
And as the days got longer we enjoyed some lovely dog walks. This little corner is at a local graveyard at Bradwell Village.
And then, down by the railway line - just look at that blossom. Hawthorn, I think.
A very short while later the tulips did their wonderful thing! Did you tell you how much I love a tulip?
That is a lavender behind. Looks a bit grey but I forgive it because the bees just love the flowers.
Spring seemed long and wet and grey. But now my tulips seem but a distant memory.
Alchemy II
3 May 2018
Do you sometimes find that you return to themes and ideas? Things that you have tried once and need to try again? Not quite working in a series (oh, I wish I had the time and space to work in a series and see a whole body of work develop over a period of months) but revisiting a theme from time to time?
Well, I have had the concept of Alchemy buzzing around in my head since 2015. I guess turning base metal into gold is what artists do - take unpromising 'ingredients' and turn them into things of beauty or into work to challenge the senses.
It was back in 2015 that I picked up on Alchemy as a concept but I have looked back through the posts here and I don't think I ever really reported it. The only reference to the piece of work I did then, Alchemy I, is here where it just gets a passing reference in a post about a studio re-shuffle.
(Side note: my studio before this was definitely the best studio I have ever had. Bloody cold in winter and shocking lighting - so not actually the best then, just the one with the most potential - but opening onto the garden and great space. I was only there 2 years, and as with all rented properties, there is only so much you can do to make a space work for you because of the limitations of renting.)
Any way, my first piece - Alchemy I.
I did not take any photographs to capture the work in progress but it was a monoprint tissue background with additional collage and stamping.
The vessel was made separately and printed with lettering and the flames are organza and free motion embroider with hand beading done on soluble fabric which has been dissolved.
I mounted it myself (and painted the edge of the inner mount gold) as I wanted some of the stitched layer to go over the mount.
Since this photo was taken (a little while back) this has been mounted into a frame.
So, onto Alchemy II. The starting point for this piece were some science pages from an old book sourced from a charity shop and gradually being used for collage and printing.
Then I made myself a very simple stencil from card and began to add flames (gesso and inktense pencils here).
Then I stamped into tissue and collaged the tissue onto the work. You will see that I also did a very simple wash of yellow where some of the background white was showing through. Again I used inktense pencils for this. I started off liking the white, but really it would probably have been better, on reflection, to have put a wash of colour over the whole paper before I started.
Next I turned my attention to the vessel. I used some hand coloured vilene (again inktense) mounted onto Pelmet Vilene.
The 'ribbon' was from my stash. This is nylon organza captured between soluble film, stitched and then cut and burnt with a soldering iron to give a bit of texture. I must have had this bit quite a few years because I haven't done any of that for a while.
The next layer of flame uses foil sweet wrapping. Here placed before sticking down.
And I added extra embroidery with metallic thread to the vessel. I used Modge Podge for this piece. I do like the way it sticks but it does dull the metallic sheen from the wrappers slightly.
Next the top layer of flame. Now at this point it is having a rest, because I cannot decide if it needs more. I also need to find a mount because the edge is distracting. I should say that neither the top flames or the vessel are stuck down at this stage.
I apologise that the photo is on it's side but you can see the wonderful transparent effect of the various layers. I love using tissue paper for this reason. If you are wondering, I used Fresco Acrylic paints for the lettering and a commercial stencil I have had for ages.
Now, there is still some way to go with this piece. I think the vessel needs a bit more work and I am mulling over whether to add more flame. So I will leave it there but will let you know how it developes.
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