treasured textile piece

Here is the textile piece I have chosen to look at with fresh eyes. It has been in my home for 1o years and I have used it as a shawl and as a throw over a table. The piece measures 100cm x 15o cm. It came from Marseilles, from a market stall and whilst I guess, from the uniformity of design and weave, that it is machine manufactured, I loved its sense of light, colour and movement from the ikat patterning. It is made of cotton but I have no idea where it was manufactured. It cost me very little and has brought fun and light to me.

Trying to replicate the piece with water colours was disappointing as introducing elements of black onto the yellow deadened the sketch , whereas the actual material holds the contrast of light and dark well without turning the yellow into a dull colour. Also the fabric has gold threads running throught it which catch and reflect light and this was not something I could sketch in. I tried again with coloured pastels and the colours were purer but texturally wrong !! However all good practice and experience.

building a visual vocabulary - starting off

What a treat the BBC producing a programme about Matisse which was totally inspiring and also made me weep to see the man's humility at the end of his life both using cut out paper forms from his death bed and seeing the beautiful chapel he designed with the light filled windows.

Frustratingly I have been unable to locate any books to follow up on this as yet. I'll have to haunt 2nd hand book sites a little longer.

I followed the instructions for the construction of coloured squares and found it a bit difficult with limited coloured papers available to me here, to create the effects the exercise were perhaps pointing me to. These exercises have made more sense to me later on in the process, after reading Itten.

Mixing colours and trying to capture colours to match a picture or piece of fabric was harder than I had thought it would be. I realise I am more comfortable with dyeing colours for myself than using paints and crayons. Just the familiarity of dyes I guess.

The section on mood and colour has just brought into my conscious thinking something I guess I have lived with and known. It is helpful to think more deeply about the effect of colour on others. I know from having arranged the shop into coloured theme areas both how some colour immediately draws one person to it whilst others will never visit it.

I have found my usual attraction to certain colours change and change again over these weeks, as the grief journey takes me into relatively unfamiliar places. However the soft greys of a wet summer with mists most days over the loch have been a gentle, returning visual space for me.

Creating colour bags is a new idea to me and has been very constructive.

building a visual vocabulary - bibliography

I have had to work in very odd ways since a family bereavement . The croft shop and gardens have demanded so much energy and time. However I am back on line having worked enough over the summer to save up and buy a new computer . It now feels as if the OCA road has been rejoined.

Assignment one has gone off in the red bag and I shall try now to construct a coherent learning journal for section 2 - building a visual vocabulary - from the scattered notes I have made over the last weeks.

Here is part 1 of the the bibliography:



Colour meditations SGJ Ouseley - see assignment 1 bibliography for details and comments



The elements of colour -Itten - Van Nostrand Reinhold Company 1970

isbn 0442240384



Lots of notes from this book which arrived towards the end of my practical work for this section . I had to get it 2nd hand from the USA. Now re reading it for the third time because there is so much information that I am overwhelmed by it all.

a. In a chapter "subjective timbre" from Itten's larger work - the art of colour 1961, Itten calls for personal feeling - expression from within - "To help a student discover his subjective forms and colors is to help him discover himself." pg 5



b.Again the Bauhaus connection - how do I explore this subject more ?



c. colors - a capacity for spiritual and mystical expression . Also the last chapter on the importance of colour and form e.g red and square - a solid earthed image I find this important.

We visited an exhibition by Lysie Stevens held locally " A tangle of sea and shore" She is trained in Scotland and the exhibition was a series of paintings inspired by Wester Ross where she has used shape, texture and colour to produce more abstract landscape works. We even bought a picture - dominated by earth browns and red with diagonal orange gash across the work.



d.color aesthetics may be approached from three directions

impression (visually)

expression (emotionally)

construction (symbolically)

pg 13



e. for the Chinese white is a color connected to mourning - an escorting of the departed into the kingdom of purity.

"once a theme has been conceived, the design must follow that primary and ruling conception. If color is the chief vehicle of expression, composition must begin with color areas, and these will determine the lines. He who draws lines first and then adds color will never succeed in producing a clear, intense color effect. Colors have dimensions and directionality of their own, and delineate areas in their own way."

pg 18



I want to use this phrase to reflect upon the embroidery I produced at the time of bereavement. I had originally thought to use earth warm colours which reflected the original source material but found myself unable to follow that and used instead paler colours and a great deal of white and silver. Itten's idea about what happens if colour is constrained by the primary construction of lines resonates, as I felt tension when embroidering, wanting the colours to go in different directions to the original drawing.



f. gray on coloured squares - seeing tinges of complementary colours as the brain / eye tries to restore harmony by seeking complementary colours. This idea has been disturbing to my understanding of colour and how I use it and I have not been able to take the idea further yet but need to highlight it and return to Itten again and again for help in this.





Complete guide to creative embroidery - Beaney and Littlejohn See section 1 bibliography for details and comments.



Complex cloth Jane Dunnewold - see section 1 bibliography for comments and details.

Cypress Tree An embroidery of texture

Van Gogh again - sorry but I do love his work

Starting point of cypress tree and using examples of making marks with oil paints from my own work.

Wanted the mood to be dramatic and passionate so chose reds and greens as colour palette.

Dyed a piece of cotton with green resist dyeing technique and some silk threads - acid dyed rainbow technique.

Referred back to making marks exercise and used spirals and curls to help. Decided on use of chain stitch as primary way of translating feel of movement.

I loved creating this piece !

Summary for assignment 1:

I have found myself out of my depth - scared and excited. When I saw the first part of this course was embroidery my heart sank - but I am far from discouraged now.

I did feel happy with the cypress tree - I liked the depth and texture. The snowy woods was an interesting memory trip and I liked the colour choice but not the thinness of the stitchery involved. I do like involving text and image and colour.

The relationship between stitch and drawing is beginning to emerge and I need time to do more of both, but choosing a type of stitch and its colour to convey texture and mood is great fun. Choosing source material was hard for me and I think I should have worked more with it before committing stitches to cloth, but happy to try again. In both cases I feel the stitching stands in its own right I had not wanted to re create a picture as such.
Creating texture with yarns and colour is challenging and I am not sure I want to separate that out from choosing stitches for texture. I need more time to make samples and much prefer to take a basic drawing and then experiment with colour and stitch and materials. So much else I would now like to try. The scale of work doesn't feel very comfortable and I am feeling restrained by the time involved and cost of materials. I would like to go back and try to create pieces on a larger scale.

Mysterious Wood An embroidery sample

Starting points:

Painting by Van Gogh of "Undergrowth with two figures"

A painting which appeals not only visually but makes you want to reach out and touch the undergrowth.

Own drawing

Translated into simple lines and knots for undergrowth. With an image in my memory of birch woods around my croft over this winter. Snow with texture and shape of undergrowth seen in white and pastel blue and pink. Moonlight added from my imagination !

Colours from sample bag - white silver maroon grey

mood wanted -mysterious, ethereal

Poem remembered from who knows when - just one line came to me "But I have miles to go before I sleep "

Looked it up and it comes from Robert Frost "Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening "

Seems to fit the theme but also the sense that never having embroidered before I feel I too have miles and miles to go ...

Decided to incorporate 2 lines from the poem - one line so that it looks like tree bark and the other to speak of the journey.

Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening - Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake,

The only other sound's the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

In case the making of marks was losing focus here are a few more samples I have done.

bibliography

In between managing the croft shop over a busy Easter period and shearing / processing fleece from the Angora goats, reading has taken place for assignment 1 and 2 of the course. So here, before I lose my thoughts and facts some , is the bibliography.

The new textiles, trends and traditions :Chloe Colochester: Thames and Hudson 1991 :isbn 0 - 500 -27737 - 0

Inspirational photos especially of sculpted and installation pieces. The image of "melting off" - polyester yarns coated in metal devore pattern by Junichi Arai made a wonderful link with the start of assignment 1 - making marks.
The understanding of the social , political and gender issues connected with textiles was illuminating. The thousands of "les petits mains" working within the couture industry need more than governmental awards for their work. Why do we not exhibit their names within our textile collections? Are most of these workers women?
Issues surrounding the definition of fine art and craft continues to frustrate and challenge me . If Claude Levi - Strauss a French anthropologist could say the following about fibre art,
"it provided the perfect antidote for the functional, utilitarian architecture in which we are sentenced to dwell, (which) it enlivens with the dense patient work of human hands." pg 139
then why does the division and hierarchical classification within literature and museum exhibition space, between art forms, still exist ?
I was particularly drawn to the ethos and work of British printer Susan Bosence and would like time to explore this in future.

A complete guide to creative embroidery -designs, textures and stitches: Jan Beaney and Jean Littlejohn: Batsford 1997: isbn 9780713482621
I only came to this book towards the end of assignment 1. Making marks has lost its fear factor for me know I can see how it is the birthing place of design and not a test of whether I can draw or not. Lots of ideas for me to now revisit especially I think the use of ink and bleach designs. The translation of shape colour and form into embroidery was wonderful.

5000 years of textiles: edt Jennifer Harris: British Museum Press1993: isbn - 13 - 9780714125701
This was the first book I acquired for the course and time spent situating myself within such a vast and ancient tradition or traditions was wonderful. The connection between the human need for clothing and to decorate our dwelling spaces both secular and sacred was made very real to me. In glimpsing such an array of techniques and skills and for understanding the situation of textiles within culture I loved this book.

The encyclopedia of machine embroidery: Val Holmes:Batsford 2003: isbn 97819063888188
For someone with little knowledge of machine embroidery this is a constant source of help and ideas. Not a book to read cover to cover but one to keep going to.

Silk paper for textile artists: Sarah Lawrence:A &C Black London 2008 :isbn987-1408-102-688

The idea of combining paper and fabric into pieces led me to this book and eventually to the creation of the seasons of life bowl where I combined making silk paper with gingko leaves over a bowl shaped mould. The outside of the bowl was then covered in machine embroidered piece created onto dissolving muslin.
The book itself was good in offering ideas across a spectrum but perhaps not as useful in the finer points of technique.

Stitch dissolve distort with machine embroiudery: Valerie Campbell - Harding and Masggie Grey:Batsford 2006: isbn 10 0 7134 89960
Wonderful in the area of making marks / tone and texture and I would like to return to the idea of distortion in fabrics maybe when I look at 3 d / pleating fabrics etc

Textile treasures of the Glasgow school of art: Liz Arthur: Herbert Press 2005: isbn 0 7136 7188 2
An oversight of some of the embroidered pieces held by the school. Used the pair of panels designed and worked by Margaret Mackintosh 1904 - 8 as the jumping off point in designing my French knot embroidery nudity in colour.

Ways of seeing: John Berger: Penguin 1972 : isbn 0 14 0135154
The portrayal and interpretation of the nude within art and society was facinating and led me to design an embroidery where the female form was not clothed except in colour as a way of claiming nudity for oneself and as an exprersion of vulnerability and strength as against exposure and exploitation.

Raising the surface with machine embroidery: Maggie Grey: Batsford 2003 : isbn 13 - 9780713490282
I had dreaded doing embroidery as I had no idea how depth and form would be introduced. Falling in love with French knots and then finding this book has set the pulses racing about form and structure within textile art. A book to return to later in the course - braiding etc

Complex cloth a comprehensive guide to surface design: Jane Dunnewold: Martingale and co 1996: isbn 978- 56477 - 149 - 0
Immensly practical and clear book. Good references for suppliers and range of techniques and helpful about use of colour.

The machine embroiderer's workbook: Val Holmes: Batsford 1991: isbn 0 7134 7983 3
Helpful about machine tension - little understood previously - and about use of vanishing fabrics.

Essential Picasso: Laura Payne: isbn 0 752535897
Used as a way of looking at drawing / light and shade / making marks

Life and works of Picasso: Nathaniel Harris : isbn 185813- 606-7

Life and works of Paul Klee: Linda Doesner: isbn 1-573335-119-9

Colour meditations: SGJ Ouseley:LN Fowler and Co 1949: isbn 8524 3062 0
The actual meditations and visualization techniques were helpful but not a book I felt I could agree with many of the assumptions it made and premises held about the way the universe functions. Still it terms of celebrating colour - great resource.

An introduction to mixed media: Michael Wright: Dorling Kindersley 1995: isbn 0 7513 0748 3
I don't think I had even heard the term mixed media until I read this - now I can see it everywhere and it appeals to my love of the juxtaposition and interaction of the many elements in life.

Wabi Sabi the Japanese art of impermanence: Andrew Juniper: Tuttle publishing 2003 :isbn 978 - 0 -8048 - 3482 - 7
Attracted to the notion of fragility in textiles I came across the notion of wabi sabi and found much that resonated with my present life style choices. A book on philosophy and design implications. A useful counterfoil to the exploration of modern Japanese commercial production techniques found in Colchester's book.

Finding your own visual language a guide to design and composition: Jane Dunnewold, Claire Benn and`Leslie Morgan::Committed to cloth studio 2007:isbn 978 0 9551649 2 7
I found this a useful reinforcement in ideas for making marks.

the fibrearts book of wearable art: Katharine Duncan Aimone: Lark Books 2003: isbn 1 - 57990 - 515 - 3
Picked up because I have been so little concerned with fashion in my life but was curious to see wearable art in action ! Colours magnificent.

From image to stitch: Maggie Grey: Batsford 2008: isbn 978 19063 88027

Loving the exploration of paper in this journey and the possibility of using images from photos etc Both of these topics well explored in this book

Jack Lenor Larsen Creator and collector:McFadden, Friedman, Stack and Larsen : Merrell: isbn 1 85894 083 4
I had come across Larsen in terms of garden design and was delighted to receive this book as a gift. Texture, translucency and form so inspiring. A book to return again and again to.

Cezanne landscapes: Methuen 1958

The life and works of Vincent Van Gogh: Janice Anderson:Parragon books 1994: isbn 1 8813 590 7

Gaugin the quest for paradise: New Horizons : isbn 0 500 30007 0

Toulouse Lautrec: Jean Bouret: Thames and Hudson 1964