Other work in progresses

I've been meaning to scan and post some work to show you the development of some textile work in progress.

As some of you know I also make handmade textiles. Besides felt making I design my own grounds for stitch and beading. I developed this process in 2007 for expressing some work in my "Foot prints in my heart..." exhibition, you can read more about the lead up to this work here. This style of work and the imagery I use is developing all the time it is much more a design based process then my painting work, as in the Legacy Series where images are being photography on purpose layered, altered and merged with text, line and colour. The final images or montage stand as they are with a full stop.. or they themselves become signposts to develop and push.

The expression jumps and while the technology moves in and out of my brain and the images it enables me to bring together meaning and a confluence of thought.
Sometimes the starting point is my journaling behind my paintings, an inspirational quote or a photographic image. Why do I put them through this process? Ah well... that is my gold. I know why.
So here is the one that I carry around in an A4 box "stitch work in progress *FLAT*" a keep it with a small plastic box with threads needles and beads. So if I find myself with 10 or 20 minutes sitting somewhere I can take it out and continue it. It is also a good way to be in family space hanging out while kids are doing their own thing like home work, drawing, playing games or watching the TV, wonder how many I will get done during the world cup?
The digital fabric ground I am currently stitching started from a series of photographs based on a wonderful Thistle that had grown and dried out in our garden. A giant thing beautiful when living and wonderful food for the birds when it dried out. Along with being an amazing visual prickly thing traditionally these type of thistles would have been used to tease out the sheep fleece for carding which is one of the processes for preparing wool for felt making. More linked up thoughts to show you how the things I am interested in connect to each other through my arts practice and my life.

So this is the piece that I am working on...
I do have another box of printed out images that are waiting patiently to be stitched some with text, some as textile pieces to nuno felt with fleece and others well they are there waiting to be developed further.