Tuesday 14 September 2010

manipulating fabric etc - what have I achieved ?

First and foremost I want to say that with specific comments from Sarah and a friend I am feeling more comfortable both with a design process and with experimentation.
I loved working with fabric directly - it felt like a dream I have of being able to make colour flow.
The collage work felt more uncomfortable , trying to put several techniques and ideas together, but it is something I have suprised myself with and feel I would like to try again (and again and again?..)
I suppose there is also a longing to create pieces with shape and a 3 d quality and I don't feel I achieved that as much as I would like to in either piece. Maybe the collage needs me to layer surfaces more. The folded, pleated fabric might give me that 3 d sense as part of a whole garment?
I did enjoy the drawing process far more this time but with the collage piece after drawing and cutting out the 3 seed templates I still found a need to play with the fabric and papers directly and the end piece was different from my initial sketches.
I always thought stitch and collage would not be for me as I love working with wools and want to develop a weaving technique. However I have caught a bubble of excitement over these weeks and I can't see that going away.

I was limited with access to fabric stores here and as I have been working on this section over a busy summer period in the shop and on the croft I adapted the collection of fabrics section. Instead I collected together recent furnishing fabrics I had and that friends could spare and used these instead, both to look at and group together.

folded silk

I chose to draw a bearded iris and after replicating a memory of an iris I grew many years ago, which was a shade of apricot and pale green I painted the shape using my newly acquired gouache paint set !!. Using a piece of vintage heavy silk the folds and tucks seemed to flow. i used only a very few small stab stitches to hold the design into place.
Sorry simple explanation for something I found to be flowing and fun and using folds and silk is something I would like to return to again and again !


Fashion and Interior trends and imagery

I collected together images of both fashion and interior pieces from magazines ranging from Spring to September 2010. The magazines included Interior, Country living, Coast, Red, Cosmopolitan, Home and Garden, Period Living and some others donated by friends without my being able to attribute them.

The themes of country, traditional seaside are predictable for summer magazines but the elements of retro 1950's, the best of British and romantic floral have continued into Autumn collections of both fashion and interior designs. I found the imitation or introduction of craft pieces suprising by High Street stores like Next.
John Lewis and others have gone for the elegant English look - traditional train carriages kept featuring in adverts. Camel and leather gloves, the extolling of the traditional Barbour jacket and up market wellies. I found this hard to look at after being excited by books like techno textiles 1 and 2 and The new textiles


Whilst I am aware of the bias in magazines towards Middle England I think some of the trends captured are more understandable in a socio economic way.
I can see in a year of continuing economic uncertainty and increasing numbers of servicemen killed in Afghanistan the emphasis on being "British" (and here I include another return to nostalgia for tartan !) is one way of reasserting identity and seeking comfort zones. the retro knitted goods produced on the croft - tea cosies etc have sold far more this year than last. My more edgy dyed pieces have not sold as well.

Colour palettes seem to have mixed retro yellow and browns with traditional English florals and the odd introduction of bright coastal colours - some of which dominated the 1980's.



Tuesday 7 September 2010

applique - ash keys

After finishing the 2 lochs quilt I wasn't sure how I would start again ! However this is the first time I just picked up some charcoal and started sketching without thinking of the next pieceof work. Then I caught an ash seed outside after watching it twirling downfrom a blue, blue sky. These mini helicopters are such fun and very effective in their job of seed dispersal. I drew it and then researched ash trees and found myself immersed back in celtic meanings of the natural world.

More drawings of seeds and then I discovered some sculpture by Wendy Taylor which led me into this next piece of work.I knew I wanted to try and portray the movement of the falling seed and also the immense sign of hope I found the ash key to be. I back painted a plain piece of fabric blue , brown / purple and green - deliberately in quite severe horizontal bands and then appliqued on sisal fibre and papers. I deliberately chose gold silk for the seeds - golden wings of hope., which I slightly padded and embroidered some veins onto the wings.I was pleased with myself for handling the process with more confidence this time and love the orange, golden silk pieces. Beads were added at the centre of each wing to signify the seed pod - these could have done with being smaller beads but I am using what I have here as much as possible. Finally after begging furnishing fabrics off friends for the collection of fabrics and discussion of social settings for textiles (see next blog !), I cut out some lettering from one piece and appliqued this onto the middle section. It seems to be the nature of things that faith allows one to let go of one life, travel through darkness and allow new life to grow. And so it is with the process of creation in art and life.I finished the piece by mounting and surrounding it with wood - for obvious tactile reasons and because I hoped some perspective of the seed falling among trees would be given.

Below are excerpts taken from the web about ash. As you can see a great deal of mythology has been written about it in many cultures.

The Ash tree in Norse mythology is seen as the world tree Yggdrasil or Cosmic Ash. As it spans the Universe it also roots deep into the earth. "Know yourself and you will know the world." This ancient Druid phrase describes to us how we are linked to our world, and how the Ash was seen as spanning the world around us and within each of us.

The Green Man Tree Oracle by John Matthews and Will Worthington STRENGTH GROWS FROM DEEP ROOTS Strength comes in many forms and is often wrongly confused with power. It can also allude to endurance, the ability to survive in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. One of the most powerful characteristics of humanity, strength endlessly represents itself in the darker pages of our history, and is often exhibited in the desire to protect a piece of land, or to die for the needs of one's country. Such feelings arise from a sense of rootedness, of belonging to a particular place. Inner strength, the gift of a spiritual presence within each individual, also lends itself to the imagery of the tree, whose life-giving sap courses through it like blood, drawing on the energy of the earth to give it the strength to grow. Growth itself is another aspect of strength, since without inner resources we may cease to grow and may find ourselves increasingly weakened. Whatever you may be looking for, Ash instructs you to consult your roots and to be sure of your inner direction before you act. The dual powers of the ash are its strength and its rootedness in wisdom.



Ash, Oak and Hawthorn make up the triad of powerful faery trees. If you stand in the shadow of an Ash, the fae will leave you alone. Put Ash berries in a baby's crib and the fae will not steal it and leave a changeling in its place. The spiral buds of the ash are linked to the spiral of life.


Tree Magick by Gillian Kemp A Tree of Life. You are strong enough to stand alone and triumph over difficulties like the rugged Ash tolerating nothing poisonous within its strongly branched shadow. The medicinal sap within its buds and bark show that you have the power to easily remedy a situation. You firmly cling to what you know is right, just as the dense, fibrous roots of the Ash grasp the earth that holds them. You are safe from harm in the same way that when the Ash is cut down, it revives easily and springs up as a young sapling. You may soon be spreading your wings and taking flight to new pastures, like the winged Ash seeds carried by the winds of Fall. LESSON OF THE ASH fromThe Wisdom of Trees by Jane Gifford

Through their understanding of Universal Order and their appreciation of their own unique role in it, the Celts discovered a deep sense of belonging and a purpose for their existence. Our modern and hectic daily life is usually far removed from the cycles and forces of the natural world, and it can often seen empty of any real purpose. The ash is a key to healing the loneliness of the human spirit out of touch with its origins - it can provide a sense of being grounded and of belonging. The ash reminded the Celts of the interlinking of the Three Cycles of Being. Likewise we are encouraged to consider the role of the pastin creating the present, so that we can better appreciate the many ways in which positive thought and action today can help to create a brighter tomorrow. Through a constant process of balancing and marrying opposites, we, like the ash, can achieve harmony within ourselves.


Whispers from the Woods, by Sandra Kynes 19th Century England and France: If a person had fever or toothache, they buried their finger-nail and toe-nail clippings under an Ash tree because they believed it would help cure the ailment.

The Great Goddess Saga
OGHAM The Celtic Oracle by Peter Pracownik and AndyBaggott The ash tree represents the world tree or axis mundi as it is known in Latin. It has roots deep in the earth and its branches reach upwards to the heavens. It thus represents the connection between the three worlds of the underworld, middle earth, and the spiritual realm. It is also taken to represent the integration of past, present and future. You are connected to the web of life and your every thought and action reverberates on that web affecting your reality. It is important to integrate spiritual lessons into your physical life so that you "walk your talk." You may face adversity but have the strength and wisdom to overcome any situation provided you draw on all your resources. The key-like fruit of the ash signifies the unlocking of doors to new knowledge that are hidden within you, so when the going gets tough, look inside for the answers and solutions you seek. Stand firm in your beliefs and stay in the eye of the storm rather than being drawn in to the conflicts of others.

Viking ships were made of ash. Many ancient cultures believed that humans originated within the ash - for instance, souls were born in the branches of Yggdrasil. The goddess Nemesis carried an ash branch.


The Ash tree has deeply penetrating roots and sours the soil, making it difficult for other vegetation to grow beneath it. Its twigs are thick and strong. In Norse mythology, this tree spans the universe - its roots in hell, its branches supporting the heavens and with Earth at its centre. In Celtic cosmology in particular it connects the three circles of existence - past, present and future, or as confusion, balance, and creative force; there being no fell, but only continual rebirth as passage is made from circle to circle until the Land of the Blessed is finally reached. Also, the Ash can be seen as spanning both microcosm and macrocosm, the little world and the great world. In this interpretation, man and Earthly things are reflections in miniature of the universe, the cosmos being reflected in us, and thus expressing the meaning of the old expression: as above, so below.


Not only was its girth tremendous, its height was towering.Some ash trees are known to soar over 200 feet tall. Such incredible growth owes credit to a fantastic root system. It's mass, height, and deeply imbedded roots were all metaphors for the spiritually minded Celts (and us too). The ash speaks to us of growth, expansion, and higher perspective. If we think symbolically as the ancient Celts were apt to do, we can liken our own soul-growth with that of the ash. With greater (higher) attainment, the more we need to stay grounded (well rooted). This concept falls right in line with the mystic message of the ash. Indeed, certain druid accounts indicate the realm between earth and sky were connected or held together by the mighty ash. Although it is associated with the element of air, the ash is also akin to the fire element for its amazing burning qualities. The wood of the ash burns with intense heat, even when green. This surfaced ideas of resurrection and renewal for the Celts. The ash was commonly used for protective rituals because it was believed that helpful energies were contained within its great body. Specifically, the ash was thought to be the guardian of children, and was often used as a healing agent for childhood illnesses. Its association with children may come from creation myths within Celtic lore. In some accounts the ash was considered the cradle of life, so too was it considered a gentle giant and a protector of youth.

Fraxinus 
ASH Names: Nion, Nuin, Nin (pron. Nee-uhn Noo-in ) "Cosdad Sida, checking of peace, that is nin, ash n: its is the maw of the weaver's beam as applied to wood: a sign of peace is that. Achecking of peace with him is that the ash of the weaver's beam" - Word Ogams of Morann Mac Main - The Scholars Primer, Calder, 1917. Ash is a tree of interesting mythology and character with a connection to this order the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids - For the first founder Ross Nichols took the name of Nuinn, Ash. The Ash tree has always been given mystical import and character, frequently being associated with healing and enchantment. In Celtic literature, there are many references to the Ash tree, but in particular as associated with the Welsh Magician-God Gwyddion, who bears an Ash staff/wand, a symbol of healing and especially transformation and empowerment in matters of destiny. As such in the Mabinogion the magic of Gwydion is concerned with tricking Arianhrod to give the young Llew his arms which she had previous sworn never to do, having placed a Geis ( or conditional curse or fate ) upon him. Gwydion used his powers of enchantment and transformation, to create a Phantom army fleet of ships which then tricks Arianhrod into giving Llew his arms, and thus removing the Geis upon his destiny. Llew is later said in the myth to rest as an Eagle in an Ash Tree. Ash was often used for spear shafts or handles for weapons and hence also Ash can be also seen to be Checking the powers of peace as above in the Word Ogams of Morann Mac Main. In this sense, application of force to destiny may bring peace through resolution of a conflict - which would be seen as healing. The English name Ash may have been derived from the Anglo-Saxon word Asec which is the name for a ritualistic spear. The name Nuin or Nin, literally means letters inthe Celtic languages. Ash cannot be mentioned without making reference to its related symbolism as the World Tree, which spans between worlds vertically from the waters of Annwn ( the lower world ), Abred ( this world ), Gwynvid ( Upperworld ) and finally into Ceugant. In this manner it symbolises the Cosmic axis of the universe, as the central column or conduit spanning through the many levels of realms and realities. In this sense, it could be seen as the Spine or backbone of the universe, or the central column of the tree of life, with many branches leading into the upper wordly realms and many roots in the lower worlds. Symbolically, it is interesting to consider our own incarnations as individual leaves upon this tree - the leaf that falls and returns to the roots to nourish the tree, in terms of the cycles ofdeath and rebirth. The symbolism may have come about due to the height of the Ash tree - typically they grow up to one hundred and fifty feet tall and due to its large root structure is a quite well spaced out tree. It is one of the last trees in the year to come out in bloom in leaves. All these factors may have combined in the imagination of the ancients of Europe to associate this tree in particular with the Cosmic Axis. In the Norse mythology the Ash tree is known as the Yggdrasil and associated with the God Odin who is similar in some respects to the Celtic Gwydion. In order to obtain the Futhark Runes, Odin is said to have hung himself upon the Yggdrasil and received the Runes in his trance.

It is related to the ridge pole of the world, over which the beautifully embroidered star spangled sky is thrown. It is related to the world axis and is a symbol of Union" - Chetwin In the Book of Druidry, Nuinn mentions the association of the Ash and Yggdrasil. p. 38 "The ash tree, with its wide embracing form, especially as the Umbrella tree played in the North part of Europe something of the same part that the bo-tree played in India: it was the Great Mother, eventually the Cosmic World-Ash Yggdrasil." The Ash was seen as the feminine counterpart to the All-Father tree, the Oak: "In these, two trees the oak and the ash, the concepts of the All-Father and the all-embracing world mother found the widest lodging. They are still found by many to be deeply symbolic and meaningful" There have been archaeological Druid finds of Ash wands carved with spirals in Wales which evidences indeed the powers of the Ash were reverenced and employed by the Druids. A folk practice was recorded in Suffolk, England in 1834 where an Ash tree is split longitudinally and a baby was passed through the hole formed three times. The tree was then bound up and if the tree successfully healed itself - all was to be well with the child in life. The practice was also recorded in several other counties for the purpose of healing Hernias in small children and was performed either at midnight or dawn. The use of Ash Keys is generally though to be protective against negative sorceries. Ash Wands are thought to have been used for the raising and directing of healing energies and enchantments. Ash leaves placed under the pillow before sleep were thought to bring prophetic dreams or were placed in water containers since it was thought the leaves fought off illness. Another use of the tree was for the curing of lameness, swellings in cattle and general pains - which were thought to be caused by a Shrew running over them. Thus a shrew would be thrust deep into a hole bored in an Ash tree, and plugged up. It was then thought that any animal or person who was brushed or asperged with leaves from that particular tree would be cured. In Richmond park in London, in the mid 19th century such a shrew ash was widely visited with the intention of healing children of whooping cough and other ailments. It was also a folklore tradition that Snakes could not bear to be near an Ash tree or a wood cut from an Ash. In Irish folklore if shadows were cast upon crops by Ash trees, it was though the crops would be ruined. At many of the sacred wells in Ireland Ash stumps have been found which suggest its association with healing/wishing well and well dressing traditions. Ash trees were also thought in northern England to cure rickets and warts. One Celtic tradition states that Ash trees originated in the underworld Annwn or in the underworld sea realm Tethys.

There is a well known English folklore verse which predicts how much rain there will be in spring from the dates when the Oak and Ash trees bud: Oak before Ash we are in for a splash
Ash before Oak we are in for a soak. Another verse, associates Ashes with the ability to draw lightning: Avoid the Ash,
It Draws the Flash. References:
Medicinal properties: Ash bark can make an infusion that is a mild laxative and diuretic. The rood bark is the most potent with astringent properties, and was used to treat liver diseases and arthritic rheumatism. Other uses include reduce fever, treat kidney and urinary infections, expel intestinal parasites, and treating malaria. Magickal properties: The leaves attract love and prosperity. Burn Ash wood at Yule to receive prosperity. Sleep with them under your pillow and you will have psychic/prophetic dreams. Sleep with them in a bowl of water next to your bed to prevent illness. Wearing garters of green ash bark protects against the powers of magicians. Ash can heal children just by passing the child through a split in the tree's trunk. It promotes strength, harmony, and a sense of being in tune with your surroundings. In an ancient Greek creation story, humans were formed from Ash and Oak trees.

Ash Tree attracts lightening, so don't stand under one during an electric storm. 
 Greek mythographer Hesiod claimed thefirst man was born from the ash tree. This became the custom of planting an ash tree at the birth of each baby. The state of the tree served as an indicator of that person's health and strength. 
Ash is the key to healing the loneliness of the human spirit, forming a link between the gods, humans, and the dead in the spirit world. Ash holds the key to Universal Truth and Cosmic Wisdom, and it takes on the important role as a Tree of Initiation. given.Ashsize. - Nuin - he Celtic meaning of the ash tree deals with power and magnitude. The ash is an expansive specimen of the Ogham, and the ancient Celts were rightly impressed by its massive girth.

We find spiritual transformation as an important aspect of trees in many traditional accounts. The Buddha becameenlightened under a Bodhi tree (“Tree of Enlightenment”), which signifies that like the tree’s renewal through new foliage, the Buddha was spiritually reborn that day. It involves a death of the ego for a new life like shedding old leaves for new. 
Odin the chief god of Norse mythology, gained his wisdom hanging from a huge ash tree, the Yggdrasil. He spent nine nights hanging from that tree in order to find the runes, an alphabet used to write Germanic languages. Odin’s sacrifice on the tree symbolically parallels the crucifixion of Christ.


Wendy Taylor Sculptures:

Wendy Taylor has often stated that what she aims for is "bulk, form, feel, even smell". It is with this notion of textural sensuousness in mind that she has created Sycamore. 



For many years, Taylor has created detailed drawings of plants and animals alongside her sculpture. She is a member of the Royal Zoological Society and is scrupulously accurate in her depictions, researching the anatomy of her subjects. Sycamore is a continuation of this attention to detail and accuracy.

Following on from her smaller-scale Seed Series, this sculpture evokes notions of time and potential. Seeds are potential life encapsulated in species-specific casement, each of which serves a different function pertinent to the conditions it needs to start to grow. The sycamore seeds' job is to glide, to twist and turn that they may gently fall to the ground, to rest on the surface and be brushed into the soil. Wendy Taylor presents the seed at the moment of rest. Its other wing is either buried or broken off and it stands poised at an unsustainable angle, pluming up from the soil.

That she presents it to us in this position reveals it as a moment of destiny captured. We know not what will happen to the seed, or whether its potential will be realised and a tree will grow from it, only that it has fallen here and that it is beautiful. The fact she has chosen to realise such an ephemeral object in bronze, an enduring and ancient material, is to underline this association with time.

The size and position of the sculpture also encourage us to engage with it. As it thrusts into our eyeline, the enlargement of every vein means we can truly marvel at the beauty and detail of this natural form.









Bibliography for applique and manipulated fabrics

Frank Whitford - Bauhaus isbn 9780 500 20192 0 Thames and Hudson 1984
A concise history of the role and development of the Bauhaus which helped explain a few things to me about the development of design and art and certainly helped make sense of the role Itten has played . Also I was very interested in the fact that so many women had chosen weaving as their medium of expression and art

Johannes Itten Design and Form Thames and Hudson 1975 translation
I loved this book and found it more accessible that his colour theory work.

Michael Perrin - The magnificent molas - the art of the Kuna Indians Flammarion
Such a rich anthology of text and picture that I made the mistake of reading it late at night and then dreamt in technicolour !! Wonderful resource book

Connecting art to stitch Sandra Meech -Batsford 2009 isbn 978 1 9063 8810 2
Wish I had known of this book at the start. Have read it cover to cover and am now going back to work with it in a slower more considered fashion. Very helpful about drawing / recording ideas

Amish The art of the quilt Robert Hughes Pharidon Press 1994 isbn 07143 3136 0
Again can't put this down - the strength of colour and shape is mesmerising.

Textile Arts Margo Singer and Mary Spyrou A&C Black London 2003 isbn 0 7136 5716 Interesting treatment of techniques linked to cultural tradition - never thought of flounces as a fabric technique before !!

The Surface Designers Art Lark Books 1993 isbn 0 937274 67 4
Great book - illustrations inspirational and being linked to biographies of the artists was both interesting and illuminative.

The Art and craft of applique Juliet Bawden Mitchell Beazley 1991 isbn 73 855533 9217
Good job I managed to find this book before I started trying applique as I have always had a jaundiced view of the technique and this helped broaden my perspectives !!

The art of manipulating fabric Colette Wolff Krause publications 1996 isbn 0 8019 8496 3
Amazing wealth of knowledge and explanations about manipulating fabric in so many ways.

Henry Moore Textiles edt Anita Feldman Lund Humphries 2008 isbn 978 1 84822 052 2
A friend had caught the exhibition of Moore's textiles at Norwich over the summer and come back so enthused about it. I sent for the book - never even knowing he had produced textiles. I wish I had seen the book during the printing module - but next time around !! A wonderful book and it has helped me draw again.

International Textile Design Mary Schoesser Laurence King 1995 isbn 1 85660 072 5
Inspirational illustrations.

By hand - the use of cloth in contemporary art Shu Hung and Joseph Magliaro edts 2007 Princeton Architectural Press isbn 978 1 566896 942 6
A biography of artists using textiles in art installations - just wonderful to help broaden perspective and help me see and think outside my usual boxes !

The sign of the tree meditations in images and words Meinrad Craighead Mitchell Beazley 1979 isbn 0 86134 013 2
I have had this book on my shelf for years and turned to it when the sketch of the ask -key seed pod came to me and began to develop. I was delighted by the movement the artist captures in her work.





Thursday 2 September 2010

two lochs quilt



Having experimented with all the printing techniques on a piece of hand dyed cotton 1.5 m x 2.5 m I wanted to carry on working with the fabric in some way.
I knew there had been threads and images coming together from the drawings of bone and shell. The piece of bone, that looked like the drift wood horse's head from Ireland (see my photos), led me into thinking about the history of Loch Maree with its connections with the Vikings. So the Viking ship's head shape was created as a stencil for the fabric. Looking at Viking jewellery from the British Museum archive also resonated with the shapes and patterns of bone and shell. The string mounted stamp brought me closest to these images.
The neighbouring loch, beside which I live - Loch Ewe, also has much history. Ships for the Russian Convoy sailed from here during WW2 and there are many ruins of gun placements as well as cairns and ruined croft houses. Shapes from these ruins, rubbings of stone and historical photos of fishermen and crofting brought these threads together .
Finally as I was summoning up courage to cut the cloth to reconnect the shapes in a new way we were visited by one of those moons so wonderful here as the nights draw in. The reflections on the loch sent me hunting for some silver thread to do the quilting stitch with. The line of a favourite folk song "Come live by the great moon that rules the strong tide" is the title of the small quilt.
I have had , as usual, moments of pure joy and of panic !! But on the whole the journey has been a good one. I wanted to find movement and try and remember what I had read about colour, dark and light and colour related to shapes. Also I knew that this would be the only piece of dyed fabric I would submit so tried to introduce some sense of repetition into the piece.
Maybe there is too much going on but that is probably because the piece began life as a learning piece for all these new techniques.
The greatest lesson for me has been to allow initial drawings to lead me onto into a process that I didn't know the end of ,until I arrived there. I have never worked in this way before and it has been a big adventure.
I also realise that working alone here has advantages and disadvantages. I wonder whether as I start section 3 we could arrange for you - Sarah - to look at the blog entries as I go on and give the odd comment back? I don't want to expect too much from you when you are so busy with your other work commitments and life in general, but it might save me from feeling so clueless Also I think I shall ask a couple of trusted friends if they will also look at the blog and give some constructive comments to help me make progress.

Wednesday 1 September 2010

printing and fabric dyes







There were so many new things in this section that I actually felt a bit overwhelmed and have had to remind myself that small acorns do grow into larger trees.
So here's an analysis of things tried out
silk painting - I bought a small child's kit just to have a go
like the fluidity of feel and tried blue and orange with gold gutta - some leakage through gutta even though I thought I had been careful.
Tried also stencilling onto silk but was unhappy with result as I had not wanted to use gutta on this occasion.
Lino cut - never done this before and my first effort with using household small chisel to make marks was fine as a bark rubbing effect but not much else. Sent for some lino cutting blades and a clearer image emerged.
Bubble wrap block to emulate seaweed and fronds - liked this and used it quite well
Transfer of photos - Once the complex cloth was underway I chose a few photos I had taken from the area around our two lochs and some historical photos and used dylon image transfer medium - pleased to see something happen !
sponge block print - fun quick effective
bark / water ripple rubbings - once I moved away from the fabric paints onto fabric oil crayons this was much more freeing in terms of rubbings and blending of colours
stencils of whelk shell and viking ship heads - yes with a mixture of the crayons and paint this went well
free hand spirals with crayon - just fun
relief print in shape of one of pieces of bone using string onto card - worked well and gave illusion of celtic jewellery patterns which was surprising.
perspex plate print - brushed paint onto plate and made wave patterns with blunt end of a brush. Laid this onto fabric. Great for building up layers of colour and texture.



Achievement in colour and movement

So what do I feel I have achieved in this section?
I can see a logical progression in the way of developing images ideas and a body of material to work from and hope
I am still struggling with trying to draw but realise a little bit each day may help me in this.
Colour theory has both helped and blown my mind but I can live with that.
The idea of creating movement in the placement of shape needs a lot more thought and work on but it is something I am very interested in.
I am pleased with the way I am looking at things in a fresh way and making connections between visual images and "ideas / themes"