Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Visiting my work at All Stitched Up in Gympie

 We finally managed to head north to Gympie to see this year, where I had three pieces display. As anticipated it was beautifully presented and curated, and in fact, when I walked in and saw my work on display it took my breath away a bit.

It looked so serene within the space.



And I was very happy to see it.







I loved this work by Sandra Pearce - the delicacy of it, and how well the words fit the work...



I also loved this form by Joanna Faber.


And the way these pieces were displayed.


All in all, it was well worth the drive, ad real delight to see such a variety fo work in such a beautiful space. Huge thanks to all involved.

And then for the briefest of moments as I walked past, the sun shone and the birds had shadows!




Sunday, March 17, 2024

Completing the pegs

 And here we are, with the work completed.

I had done so much to get this work this far, but there were still plenty of moments that needed to be worked through in order to get it done. I had managed to do the stitching lines, and to attach the pegs with wire. But now the challenge was to attach the paper to the canvas.

As Barry had looked at my design earlier, he had said - maybe the  Xs could be how you attach the paper to the canvas. And I was so excited as it sure beat trying to line up the pegs and poke holes in the canvas and tie the wire through the canvas!

First up I wanted to secure the paper to the canvas so it didn't slip and slide - I had cut it to fit perfectly so there was not a lot of margin for error. Bull dog clips and some grey board to protect the paper did the job. It felt really secure.


And then the funniest stitching team work began. I sat on the floor, we extended the canvas beyond the edge of the table, I would begin underneath the canvas; B would take the needle through the canvas from the top; together he would then help me find the next hole to pierce from below; and then he would send the needle back through from the top.


My abs got a minor workout as well!


Me finishing one of the Xs off underneath.


B about to pass the needle back through from the top.



Then we had to line up the canvas within the frame and secure it in there. It came with some spacers os that really helped.


And then we screwed the canvas and its boards into the frame and ta- da it was done!



I oftentimes include a little X somewhere in my work - to place me within it, help me find my place, connect me to the work, and so on.  Here they do the same thing, but also often an excellent anchoring option!

And so it is done, This labour of love and pondering over years. It will head to Scotland to be shown in my exhibition "Hame" in September. It explores how I feel about having two homes, both beautiful, and how somehow, across the many miles, they connect and are one in my heart. Beautiful threads from here, and from there, connect.

I am still deciding on a title, but it is somehow about threads connecting...

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Thursday Thoughts...

"There are only two days with fewer than 24 hours in each lifetime, sitting like bookends astride our lives". 

Kathryn Mannix

I was utterly struck by these words the first time I read them. Kathryn Mannix is a palliative care specialist, a psychotherapist and an author who has spent her life caring for these with incurable and advanced illnesses; and wrote a great book called With The End in Mind from which this quote comes. I learned so much about death from reading that book. She is a wise woman.

I guess I just hadn't stopped to think that birth occurs somewhere in the day, rarely right at 12.01am; and that death truncates a day most often as well. But that every other day we have 24 hours in which to live and be.

It made me a bit sad, (and who knows why because really, I knew it already), that the day you die is a shortened day; you don't get to live it right to the end. 

The flip side of the words for me tho is the reminder that in between those two days you get a full day, every day. You get the maximum amount of time in each day to do or be; to create; to live; to laugh; to help; to care; to make. And I guess the subtle reminder is to make the most of those days...


We moved these birds recently so we can see them better and they bring me joy each time I pass them.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Grief is a Stone in sandstone

 I have had two of my Grief is a Stone metal calligraphy pieces cut into Corten steel, which should weather and rust.

My plan is for them to be outdoor sculptures that might sit in a garden, tucked away and folk might come upon them quietly.

So I have popped them outside to get the rusting action happening a bit more quickly - we have had a fair bit of rain! I got one of each style cut.



And they are beginning to rust nicely on the front.



But I have had to turn them over to get a bit more happening on the back.


 Barry cut the groove for me in a couple of small pieces of sandstone we had set aside for another project.


Broadly speaking, I think they are going to work well, they just need little bit more time weathering.

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Attaching pegs and other bits

 The moment of truth arrived and I had to attach the pegs to the paper.  I had fiddled with some different wires,  and found that some of them cut and sliced my finger tips quite a bit and the risk of blood on the work was too great.

In then end I went with some wire with a beautiful history. I received from a friend in the village where we live, some fine wire used in her husband's musical instrument making business. He had died last year, and it is just so lovely to be able to include little bit of him in this piece.

It didn't cut my fingertips, but they were very tender for a day or two afterwards.

Each peg needed six holes pierced and three lengths of wire cut. I worked out the best way to attach the pegs was to place them, then pierce the holes. Remove the peg, pop the two leg wires in, then slip the legs of the peg through, hold it tight in place and turn the paper over. Then tighten and twist the wire.

What it looks like underneath.



I need to attach the paper to the canvas and the long lengths of excess wire made a snug fit impossible, so I snipped them all back to about 1cm in length.

And created a lovely shimmery pile of off cuts.

All in all, the attachment went pretty well, with just a few minor adjusmtents needed here and there.

It was very focussed and intense work so I had a bit of a break and went playing with what if?

I had blind embossed these pebble forms and I was wondering if stitching might add to them, make them more interesting?


I did some practice stitching around them and inside them. I think the wider border for stitching made them more interesting; the closer to the edge of them didn't add anything it seemed to me.


So I drew up a couple of test/trial outlines and will give them a go.


So much to do, but its good to also find time to play.

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Thursday Thoughts...

“Inhale possibility, exhale creativity.” 

Laura Jaworski

Perhaps these words are suggesting that when we are stuck, unsure about where to head next, what to do, that we need to pause. 

I sat with these words and tried to do them. I sat sit still and thought about possibility as I breathed in. The thought focussed my mind a bit and stilled my busy brain, then I pondered upon creativity as I breathed out. Interesting.

I am not sure if it was the things I focussed on or the mere practice of sitting still and focussing on the process of breathing that helped, but my mind did clear a bit.

Inhaling possibility feels so enlarging and so full full of potential; exhaling creativity seems so active and brimming with possibilities. 

Maybe it's as much about being still, and letting things come into you (ideas, thoughts, connections) and then finding ways to release them or express them or bring them into being.


Exhaling creativity. Work by a Farr High School student 2023.

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Student Workshop possibilities

 During the exhibition coming up in Scotland later in the year, I am planning to run a workshop with the students at the local high school.

I have been thinking bout what we can achieve in double class and would like them to make an artists' book that links to the Clearances, to home, and to moving between places.

I like the notion of a simple accordion book with a folded up pocket, in which they can pop some artwork.

I lit upon the idea of using luggage tags for the artwork - they indicate travel, movement between places and are about holding on to things you own or identifying things that belong to you.

Because we will need to take most things with us (our part of the Highlands is very remote!) I have been sourcing materials that might work; and plan to prepare pages and do plenty of other preparation.

I have come up with three options for the height of the book - depending on how much of a turn over they use for their pocket. I think I will also prep some bands like these for folding around the book, to help keep it together.


The shortest book has part of the tag peek over the top; but is very securely held inside.


The second book fits the tag in perfectly and still has a pretty deep pocket.


The third book hides the tag well inside, but has the shallowest pocket. I think it will be good to give the m options and let them choose what they want to use. We can either use 8 tags for artwork; or 6 and past the covers down or cover them to make them firmer.


I was reminded of this small tag I made when last in Scotland, using some of the techniques from my Visual Narratives course. I think it will be good to offer some papers for collaging, some words and lettering and let them create a story about home or travel or leaving...



Lots of things to be thinking about, and lots to push forward, but there is progress being made here and there.

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Slow stitching - and measuring, and marking, and piercing...

 My work is slow and sometimes some work is slower than others.

I am preparing the final piece of my pegs. My pegs, which I have carried around with me since at leat 2019. That I have wrapped and unwrapped, tidied up, switched over the style of peg, played with as an art installation and finally worked out what they are meant to be.

I have loved these pegs at every stage of our relationship and am thrilled, and scared to be finally committing to their artwork.

It involves attaching them to a large sheet of paper, and adding stitching around them. 

I have spent hours considering which threads to use. I have spent time trying to work out their layout and sequence. I have spent ages determining their placement and measuring the distance between them. I have spent many mouton working out what colour threads and combination might support them. I have done so much thinking and preparing, and now the time has come.

I committed to the paper and started a trial piece.  This nevertheless involved all the measuring and marking that the final will need.

I was trying for a vertical central line to stitch to; vertical lines to line up the heads of the pegs with; and horizontal lines for the running stitches. The running stitch lines then had to be marked out at 5mm distances, then holes pierced. One always pierces the holes in paper before stitching, rather than try to rely on the needle to pierce the papers we do with most fabrics.

I was trying to workout here as well, whether or not, and how to, include the labels I had been using.


I had to determine how long to make the stitching lines, and whether I wanted this little bit of meeting in the middle and overlap or not. I did.


Working out the next pairings.


Coming together. After piercing I worked out from this trial that I needed to rub out the line; other than try to do it after the stitching had happened. All good learning. I also learnt that after each row of stitching I would use the bone folder (above) to smooth down the top of the paper so that the pierced holes sit flat. The needle movement from below pushes some of the paper up and out and that is the part that needs smoothing.


Progress on the final piece. Rubbing out as I go.


I had to turn the paper around to keep stitching - otherwiseI was leaning over way too far.


In with one hand, 


Underneath, the bobbles of the pierced holes.


All the stitching rows complete! The dangling threads are quite long and whilst I like the loose look I am not sure if they will distract from the pegs or not. We shall see, and decide later.

Onwards.