Studio Saturday - what's on my plate

Apart from the woodblock printing, I have a few other projects on the go.

1. Making a well-fitting shirt or two for my tall, slim, long-armed son. It's still at the research stage -

2. Compiling a folder of healthy, delicious, quick, easy recipes - this is tomato sauce with harissa, feta, parsley -

3. Coffee mornings around the neighbourhood, alone or in company, incorporating a good walk if possible -

4. A new series of dipped pots, working title "The Lost Princesses" -

5. Using up some lovely old wool jumpers which unfortunately were enjoyed by moths - these slashed pillows made out of jumpers and shirts look like just the thing for "using them up"; I'm thinking of those rectangular cushions that are so useful in the small of the back in the car -

6. Most important, though - the ongoing project of "playing with Freya", who is One Year Old in just one week!

Woodblock Wednesday - unexpected colours

Earlier in the week I had a go at printing The Jugs, to see whether the registration was all that bad. Hmm, it's not all that good, but it'll do for now -

 The one without the background -

 And both, with their intended colour swatches, which don't always turn out as planned!

Blocks for the outline, and the background. I probably won't use the beaky-shapes at all, too much fuss....

Printing on the workbench in my home studio -

At class today, I wanted to try a non-blue colour and the first step was to try to remove the blue - printing without inking gives "ghost prints" -

 Even so, the "rose madder" became more purple than I wanted -

 So, why not overprint and make it really purple? -

 Another, without key block and with a paler background (but still quite purple) -

All today's prints -

 ... with the watercolour swatches, for the record -

 The block -

 A quick look at what everyone is working on -

And how nice of Elizabeth to bring in some "irritable cough tea" to help drive away the last vestiges of my irritating cough -

Mullein, mallow, coltsfoot, comfrey - 1 tsp in
boiling water; take 3x a day

Drawing Tuesday - British Museum

(I was unable to attend so Sue took photos and did the writeup on her blog, http://suesharples.blogspot.com/2020/02/british-museum-25th-february-sketching.html. I've copied and pasted the post, so if any images etc are missing, please go to the original site.)


The Islamic Gallery was the meeting point for myself, Janet Knechtel & Judith.

Carole went to the Hellenistic Crafts, Joyce was upstairs in Room 90 for 'Living with Art', 'Picasso to Celmins'.

Here are pictures of our work:
Carole's 2 studies:

A 'shrine' 350 BC from tomb @ Olbia, Crimea, & Aphrodite & Eros terracotta 300 BC.




















Joyce's page 1:
Matisse 'Bending Head & Fishbowl' 1929, Joan Miro 'Figure in the Sun' 1936-9



Joyce page 2:
Left: Brice Marden Zen studies for cold mountain 1991 & Right: Victor Passmore 1948



My choice was a Ceremonial Axe with interesting shadows. Omdurman Sudan 1800-1900
& an Egyptian wooden comb 900/1100
   

Janet K sketched a lovely detail with an ibex Iran 1450-75 from a ceramic piece in the Islamic gallery.



Judith 's study was of a decorated shield in sheet bronze, 400 -300 BC from  
River Witham near Lincoln.

Lastly, an extra-mural - Joyce showed her interpretation of 'A Fairy' 

- one of a '30 day sketch' subject! 

susan.sharples@btconnect.com

A new project perhaps

While ill recently I found it very soothing to read this book, which has been on my shelves for some 15 years, waiting for good intentions to fly into a window of opportunity. It was first published in 1993 and oh my, hasn't sewing technology changed in the past quarter century! The internet, rotary cutters, and a myriad of small things. But the basic principles endure, and this book sets them out clearly and in detail.

It wasn't just escapist reading, or harking back to my teenage years when I devoured books/information on garment making. I made some complicated garments back then, in quantity and at speed, squeezing them out of remnants for myself, or "sewing for money" for my mother's friends and even for teachers at my school - in fact it all started with a hem needing to be taken up, for which I was paid $1.00. It was amazing to earn money by doing something I so enjoyed. (To think that decades later I would fall into a serious job that did the same - what a fortunate life!)

My mother had wanted to be a dressmaker but her father deemed that no, she was to do secretarial training. Fortunately she was a person of resource and could - and did - turn her skills to a variety of jobs - bus conductor and pharmacy assistant for a start, and then anything that came along in her new life in Canada. I often think of that autocratic father, and how that decision made her life so different. Perhaps she was a bit jealous of me being able to do what she hadn't, or perhaps she was eager to encourage me. Perhaps a bit of both.

Now, the project - my son's wedding shirt was tailored to fit him - long arms, slim body. The idea is to use it as a pattern for subsequent shirts, half a dozen casual classics that will last for years. But first I need to brush up on a few skills and get a few tips on fitting and finishes.

Next, making a prototype from some of the acres of fabric that's on hand. Then comes the joy of finding lovely fabric -  recently when I was buying a bit of sinamay (to resume a previous project, the dipped pots), I noted in passing that shirting comes 150cm wide and costs £18 a metre. Probably online is a good source, but I really like the idea of an expedition to a fabric store with my son. He's no slouch when it comes to sewing (and printing) teeshirts and sweatshirts, and took to my serger like a duck to water, but doesn't have much time for such frippery at the moment.

Three spring clouds, Stroud Green Road

Woodblock Wednesday - an outpouring of jugs

 There have been many "test proofs" - rubbings - and finally it's good enough to go. Checking various areas ... not perfect ... but good enough.

 Block 1 (background) and 2 (some jugs)

 Block 3 - more jugs, printed slightly darker, more indigo

 The final jugs are on the keyblock, printed in mostly black with some indigo -

 Colour mixtures noted -

Next I'll make a block with just the "white" jug, turn it into stripes.

Subsequently there are the flat areas - what colour? or leave them as is?

And with those issues sorted, various colours can be brought into play.

There's another block, two actually, not printed this time - the mouths of the jugs. I like them white, as is. Once that "ghost jug" has been accepted into the group.

Drawing Tuesday - V&A glass gallery

Some red glass from the gallery -

 I settled down with this view -

 ... and after a lot of looking, and resorting to a bit of colour, ended up with this. Adding the brown piece would have made for a better composition -

Sue did grander things -

Mags said she "went for quality rather than quality" but surely she wasn't serious! -

 Judith found shapes -

 ... and also made a more complex drawing, which she wasn't satisfied with...

Helen wondered whether this (communist-era) Czech glass was made for trade shows etc to compete with foreign wares -

 Jo's many pages included this cat from a chinese scroll -

 Joyce wanted to channel Chihuly - maybe not the rotunda chandelier this time -

 Carol found unusual blue glass, and an ornate glass -

 Meanwhile, in the V&A's Dundee branch, Janet B found a pleasant chair -

Extracurricular activities -

Judith's overlapping transparent shapes, based on last week's work,
 done on her ipad in Procreate

Mags has been doing daily drawing and making books with woven spines

Joyce used a tray cloth for a stitch sampler 

Last week Carol went to the Wallace Collection and
put together an interesting work