Holmfirth Art Market

The lovely people who organise Holmfirth Art Market have done a mini-feature about me for their blog.

Favourite place

One of my favourite places is the glass house at Clumber Park.  It's a huge, graceful structure, infused with a serene white light.  The space is truly alive with the magic of plants and the ghosts of those who have lived and gardened there.  I felt at one with myself when I sat on the benches in the warmth of the autumn sun and inhaled the gentle oil evaporating from the geraniums.  Sublime.

No one had told these plants that summer is over.  Oh I am enjoying these balmy autumn days.

Experiment

I had a quick experiment with the electric sander. It was great fun but I'd feel a bit scared of attacking a finished work of art with it.  The sander roughed up the papers, knocked off sharp corners and generally matted the surface, giving a sense of age to the piece.  I think that it is worth pursuing, especially on the more abstract pieces.  Oh, and I've started working this way up as a change from the landscape pieces.

Louise Baldwin

"These pieces are  worked on brown parcel paper with a felt backing. 
She begins by building layers of paint, plaster, and more paint onto the parcel paper, crinkling and sanding back. She then works silk and other fabrics as well as glittering threads into a machine and hand stitched  whole, with a thick felt backing. The surface is very rich, like a strange reptile skin." Juju Loves Polka Dots (a really lovely blog)


It really is hard to find any images of Louise Baldwin's textile art online.  I think somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I remember seeing some and being inspired by the combination of paper and stitch.  They are very rich.  I love the idea of sanding my work.....to try and create some layers of colour, like in the Annora Spence images.  But am I brave enough?!

LS Lowry

I was looking at LS Lowry's landscapes and came across this "Portrait of Ann" from 1957.  I was arrested by the image.  I love the design of it, and the sadness in those eyes.

Annora Spence

I had forgotten how much I love the work of Annora Spence.  I used to have her work on my inspiration board when I studied woven-textiles.  I love the intensity of colour and the texture created by the layering.

Paulo Cuelho

I really enjoyed listening to this program about Paulo Cuelho, one of my favourite authors.