sketching and journalling....

This week there hasnt been much stitching going on....I have have my fabrics out playing with some blocks to send off to a friend,  but mostly I have been sketching, a little bit of painting and a little journalling.

 

Most Friday mornings I go to a friends studio and we sit and paint....very relaxing.  I have learnt a lot about drawing and painting since I began these mornings at Meg's.  Each time we go Meg has a theme, or a still life, or maybe just a colour for us to draw/paint.  It challenges me each time, and I'm sure I wont be able to do it,  but with Meg's gentle prodding and some perseverance we get into it.   The last couple of weeks we have been working on these sketches of agapanthus from Megs garden in an old vintage jug.  I thought you might like to see some of what we work on so here are a couple of close ups of the piece (30 x 42 cm).

 

Agapanthus in vintage jug.

The finished piece....not perfect, but I'm getting there 

 

I think those gentle blue/mauves are beautiful and as you can see from my journal have been appearing in my art these past few weeks.  Even in my fabrics,  I love those demin type blues too and of course indigo.

But,  I think this blue/mauve phase is over.  This week at Megs we had to draw this amazing sunflower.  Such details in this beautiful flower as it shows signs of aging.  Click on the photo to see the intricacy of the centre....its like a swirl of tiny flowers.  At this stage I have only drawn this up and added a little yellow to the petals.  I am using gouache for this sketch instead of watercolour as I used in my previous sketch.  Will take a pic next week to show you my progress.

Van Gogh was renowned for his sunflower series, so after the day at Megs I did some reading up on Van Gogh ...he lead a rather tortured life, but produced the most amazing paintings.  Van Gogh is said to have liked sunflowers for their yellow colour and exuberant celebration of sun light and summer.  They are a very likeable flower....I think I will plant some in my garden next summer.

I hope to have some fabric work to show you again next week too.  Tomorrow I am heading off to my friend Nats home for a stitching/dyeing day.  We are both doing Jude's CWB workshop online, so looking forward to seeing what Nat has been doing.

BE SILLY

BE HONEST

BE KIND.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson -

Have a wonderful week!

Jacky xox

Valentines Hearts ......

I've been stitching these 'raggedy hearts' for a few friends for a Valentines Day swap.  I've used some lovely old battenburg lace from an old doiley of my mums,  Some sari silk and lovely floral embroidered sheer fabric that I have been hoarding forever.  The hearts themselves were old linen blend fabric samples.  Lots of recycling and stitching fun.

 

The fabrics below are from a workshop I did on the weekend with Ro Bruhn..... gelatin prints.  I loooove gelatin printing and it was so much fun creating different patterns and colours.  We used anything and everything....old egg cartons, bubble wrap (one of my favourites), indian print blocks, stamps, embossed fabrics and papers...FUN class and I look forward to including these fabrics in some cloths soon.

 The past few weeks I have also been taking Jude Hills online workshop, Advanced Cloth Weaving.  I made the little cloth below weaving without a foundation.  You finish with such a light and soft piece of cloth.  Initially I was thinking I would use this piece (all fabrics gifted from my friend Dot and sister Lee) in a boro cloth I intend to make this year.  But,  after visiting the class site and seeing what everyone is doing...I'm not sure.  Jude has made a beautiful cushion, others incorporated the pieces in clothing, boro style.  So much to see and so much inspiration as always in Judes classes.

 Close up of small boro type cloth.

I havent been able to post much lately...as you know,  I'm not so good when it comes to things computer related at times.  We put a new antivirus on our computer which has been blocking me posting pictures to my blog.  Finally worked out how to fix it, so should be back to normal again now.

ONE  SHOULD  ABSORB 

THE  COLOUR  OF  LIFE

-OSCAR WILDE -

Wishing you all a wonderful and colourful week.

Jacky xox

Mirka Mora....colour......

I've been offline too long...... combination of family visits and also blogger / computer issues. Recently my friends Julia and Dot visited the Heide Gallery to see the Mirka Mora exhibition. What a treat!!! Such a vibrant, exciting artist. If you live in Melbourne this exhibition is well worth the visit and they have so many other wonderful artists exhbiting in their three galleries at the moment. "Angel Fishing" 2004 courtesy William Mora Gallery.

courtesy William Mora Gallery.

The Heide Gallery originates from an old dairy, built in the 1880's-1890's which was purchased by John and Sunday Reed in 1934. The Reed's were passionate supporters of Australian art and culture . Artists were encouraged to live and work on their property....quite a bohemian lifestyle from all that I read. This group of artists became know as the "Heide Circle". Mirka Mora, after immigrating to Australia from France often frequented Heide and much of her work in this exhibition was gifted to John and Sunday. It was lovely to visit her exhibition in the home that so many noted Australian artists and herself had painted and lived. Gave the exhibition a more intimate feel.



I have been doing a little stitching....after visiting Kaite's blog I made some blocks for the Queensland Flood Victims. I am hoping these bright and cheery fabrics will brighten someones home. Queensland is having such a terrible time of it lately, first the floods and now cyclone Yasi.

I have had a visitor down from Queensland recently also. We visited the Daylesford area, so will have some lovely to upload and share soon. Many beautiful galleries and artists in that area of Victoria, so I cam home abuzz with inspiration.


BE STILL
AND LET THE BEAUTY COME

-SARK-

Have an enjoyable week.


Jacky xox

Found it......

The collage of our painting day missing from previous post......
Jacky xox

Painting day fun....

First I have to share a picture of my new baby...... isnt he beautiful! This little fellow was born on Wednesday. What a beautiful surprise to see him standing in the paddock as I left for work Wednesday morning....He is only just standing for the first time in this photo. A birth, a new baby is always such an uplifting experience. Now.... the painting day! On the 8th Jan. our little art group had our first get together for the year at Patsy's home. We were going to paint BIG, and paint big we did. Not one cloth, but two...we were prolific.

This is the second cloth, cut into 5, so we could all make our own personal cloth to take home. This picture was taken from Julia's end of the table. We began by all painting a base cloth and then each person personalised their own piece.

This is the lovely Patsy getting all the paints prepared for our freestyle painting experience.

This is the first cloth we worked on. After a little trepidation we all really just let ourselves go (as you can see!!!). Such a wonderful feeling painting with such freedom...quite cathartic. It was the hottest day we have had for the summer I think. We were all hot and sweaty, but no-one cared, we were in the zone.

As you can see much more paint added here to the finished piece. Dot and Patsy helping in transporting to Patsy's studio to dry our banner. Circles seemed to be the theme...nothing preconceived...they just appeared and we went with them.

Of course none of our get togethers are without a little feast. Dot, Julia, Ro and Patsy (L to R) ready to eat. The food was most scrumptious and plenty of it. I did a little collage of our feast but have lost it in cyberspace somewhere.

And as usual there has been some stitching happening...more to my angel cloth (hope you're not getting too bored with it). I promise it will be finished soon and I will move onto something else! Click on the photos for a closer view if you like.

I hope you all have a wonderful week...lots of stitching and painting.

EVERY HEART SINGS A SONG

-PLATO-

Jacky xox

Embrace the New Year ....

I hope you have all celebrated the beginning of another new year, in fact a new decade. We saw the New Year in with friends and family, having a quiet chat and a few drinks...very relaxing and most enjoyable. We were at home in bed by 12.30. Ahhhh.... we must be getting old. But at least we stayed up to see the New Year in. Amongst all the festivities of late, work still goes on on the farm. We had more hay baled yesterday, so the boys have been busy. Everything is still quite wet on the farm, so to date we have only been able to bale the silage. It is a very late hay season, with only intermittent hot spells.

Peace Angel cloth

I have been finding time to sit and stitch a bit more to the Peace Angel cloth. I just seem to keep adding a bit more to it each time I sit down to stitch...it is growing steadily.

A close up of some of the stitching on the trees and a few more trees pinned that I think I will add. It's been a peaceful, lovely time of year to stitch this cloth...no rushing, just picking it up when I have a minute or two. That's what I love about slow cloths.

LIVE IN THE SUNSHINE.

SWIM IN THE SEA.
DRINK THE WILD AIR.

-EMERSON-

Enjoy and embrace all that the New Year brings.

Jacky xox

Christmas Cheer ......

Christmas is nearly here....I am enjoying the preparations (although as always I could do with a bit more time), and I am so looking forward to sharing the day with my family.

Last weekend I caught up with my friend Dot for lunch on Sunday at the La bel Amici Cafe in Frankston for lunch...beautiful cafe, very arty and wonderful food. The picture below is of one of their Christmas decorations...isnt it gorgeous! I am thinking I might try and make one next year! I think that would look very special hanging above the dining table. Below is a little Christmas wreath I decorated with some fabric scraps and a little festive owl. This little fellow was made a gift to my friend Nat. He looked very smart adorning her Christmas tree...filled with beautiful handmade hearts and other decorations.

I visited Nat on Saturday and she taught me how to make the little Christmas wreaths below from a plant in her garden (of which she very generously gave me a cutting....so watch out friends, you may receive one of these next year).

My friend Dot is making a little quilt a la Jude Hill/Rebecca Sower style. I made these three blocks for her to include in her quilt.

And I have been working on some Christmas trees....thank you Jude for the wonderful little tutorials recently. I have since done quite a bit more stitching and plan to finish this piece over the Christmas break. It is part of my cloth "Peace Angel".

It has been a wonderful year....so many new adventures for me with cloth and also with my painting. I have met so many lovely people online and made some lovely friends.

I wish you all a Christmas filled with the wonder and joy of the season and look forward to catching up again next year.

CHRISTMAS IS THE GENTLEST, LOVELIEST FESTIVAL OF THE REVOLVING YEAR.

- W.J. CAMERON -

sending you all a jolly red hug!

Jacky xox