Workshops for 2016

2015 has been a busy year for exhibitions, teaching and workshops; so busy of late that I haven't been very present here on my blog. At the moment I am enjoying a little bit of a rest while I plan for the coming year. If you are interested in joining me for a workshop in 2016 there are now several new dates listed on my website.

'Stuff'

I recently spent some time at my Mum's house, helping her sort things out in preparation for a house move. She has unwittingly become the inheritor of generations of 'stuff'. You can interpret that word as you like, but I see it as a positive word. As an example we found this rather lovely envelope in my Grandmother's hand:

In case you can't make it out, it reads 'Grandad Lovejoys Treasures from his pockets'. So that would be my Great, great grandfather I suppose.

There can be no doubt that my interest in found objects comes from my Mum's side of the family.

I have also claimed a pair of simple jet earrings that belonged to my great, great grandmother Ellen Lickman (below). In fact I think she is wearing them in this photo. I have never really owned any old jewellery before, and I really feel the weight of history wearing them. I am rather interested in that sensation... possibly something to explore.

White labels

A couple of weeks ago I found myself in the basement at Bradford School of Arts & Media, experimenting in the ceramics workshop. As the snow was falling and the building became deserted I settled myself with a mug of tea, my notebook and a lump of porcelain clay. I was in my element. I found it intriguing to be working with a different material, like speaking a different language somehow. A material that has a memory and 'remembers how you handle it'; a material that can be chalky like plaster or translucent like skin.

Rolled, turned, rolled and turned.

Smoothed and re-rolled.

Cut to size.

A series of labels,

numbered and dated,

from smooth white porcelain.

I have loved working with the porcelain and learning about how it behaves. This weekend I added the finishing touches with a little blueprint. The porcelain labels will form the finishing touches for my installation 'Linear Mapping', part of the Pinpoint II exhibition, which I hang this week.

Learning my letters

I enrolled this evening for an evening class in Letterpress and Printmaking led by my colleague and all round inspirational chap, Brian Hindmarch, at Bradford College. I am itching to get stuck in and hope to share some images with you.

If you find the images below as edible as me I believe there are some places still available. More info here.

Letters from Harewood

I visited Harewood House near Leeds today to research a forthcoming workshop based at the grand house. We have been looking at examples of monograms and handwriting belonging to Princess Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood (1897 – 1965), who made Harewood her home for 36 years. The Princess's monogram can be found on many of her personal belongings and also in the rooms she used at Harewood. It will be lovely to teach a workshop responding to such interesting personal artefacts and doubly so because of my research into the Prince's Shirt.

For further information about the workshop; Letters From Harewood: Inspired by the HRH Princess Mary collection

The Prince's Shirt

Laundry mark from the 'Prince's Shirt', Hannah Lamb 2013

So at the turn of the year I promised to share some of the projects I have been quietly working on in the background. Firstly I told you about Visible Mending but the other thing I have been keeping fairly quiet about is my research project into the 'Prince's Shirt'. The shirt belongs to a member of my family and we know very little about it apart from that it was supposed to belong to a Prince. Above you can see just what a fine quality garment it is... and is that a tiny crown cross-stitched there?

The research project is being supported by Bradford College, and will involve some in depth costume, textile and historical research. So I have set up a blog to chart my progress, document the research process and share discoveries with a wider audience. It really promises to be something of a detective story and I would love to share the story with you.

So I would love it if you would take a look at the blog and please leave any comments. Also if you have any thoughts or suggestions on research leads I would love to hear from you.

The Prince's Shirt blog

Patches

Little digital print silk patches, appliqued onto 'Visible Mending'. I feel the contrast of textures works well with these but still think there is work to be done. However time is evaporating fast; decisions and stitches need to speed up.

Name, rank and number

Stitching the final details for 'Visible Mending'.

It is interesting how I find that it isn't until I have made the work that I can really start to consider it - what is needed, how should it be displayed, how is it read?

Words off the page

Yesterday I had the great pleasure to have some visitors to my studio for a workshop on 'Text & Textiles'. A more interesting and engaging group of people I couldn't have wished for, so along with the stitched words and letters we had a lot of words to exchange on so many subjects around art, textile, making, ownership, trade and history. There was so much to discuss, and it was good to be able to do it while stitching.

my own sampler

Jennifer's sample

Text & Textiles - preparations

Preparing for my Text & Textiles workshop next Saturday, at my studio in Saltaire. I'm really looking forward to it as this is one of my favourite subjects and has so much scope for individuality. I would like to spend more time researching text and textile in the future... so many ideas...

In the meantime there are still a couple of places available on the workshop if anyone is interested. You can read more about my workshops on my website.

When a thread breaks...

... is it a problem or a possibility?

So many ideas from playing with materials sent by Claire.

Dotting the i's and crossing the t's

Since the weather wasn't right for the work I planned to do today I returned to the techniques I learnt with Rosalind Wyatt at the V&A. I think I am making progress, but it's odd because I'm not used to finding it difficult to learn something like this. When it works though it looks lovely, so I think it's worth practising.

I have also updated my website with lots of new information and images. If you would like to hop across the link is here.

Text and textile

I was fortunate to be able to drop into a lovely free workshop run by Rosalind Wyatt at the V&A last Friday. Run in conjunction with the London Design Festival the workshop introduced Rosalind's approach to translating handwriting into hand embroidery. Because of Rosalind's training as a calligrapher her technique is more concerned with capturing the rhythm and character of the original hand than it is about creating a rigid copy. Her technique encourages the thread to lay fluidly on the surface of the fabric as if as a line of ink. I only wish I could master her sensitivity of stitched mark.

Rosalind Wyatt 'Stitch Love Letter'

An article from the Guardian on Rosalind's work can be found here

Jaume Plensa

Visiting the Jaume Plensa exhibition at Yorkshire Sculpture Park I found myself immersed in a moving sensory world of meaning. I enjoyed the way the work provoked multiple senses, tracing the letters with my fingers and listening to the deeply resonant sound of the brass gongs.

I was most deeply moved by the room filled with massive alabaster heads and it hit a note of deep spirituality in me. The notes in my journal were my thoughts there and then...

alabaster heads

tomb-like   asleep or dead?

memorial, meditative

calm but not sleeping?

subtle shading and smooth texture like a black and white photo.

Listening to deep resonance of a gong

soft light of tinkling metal letters

sublime, spiritual, moving

deeply affecting

Words that drift away

I finally took the plunge and decided to fully dissolve the embroidered text piece I made for Art in the Woods. Carefully trying to wash away the residue in the bath and tease apart the tangled words met with varying degrees of success. But certainly worth doing to record the stages of disintegration.

The disintegration of the text into something illegible has a sense of fragility to it; making and unmaking, allowing something to be undone. It reminds me of the idea of wabi sabi.