Up-skilling week 4: Machine embroidery

Well this was my up-skill for this week. I have a piece planned and it is a matter of assembling all the bits and testing the idea out. But the added part is some research. Gathering my thoughts, revisiting books I have and trying to discover new angles of inspiration.
So let me be clear Machine Embroidery is a term I use to describe contemporary embroidery that uses a sewing machines to stitch. Sometimes refered to as painting with thread.
Contemporary Embroidery textile artists whose work I like, have seen up close and personal, enjoyed and made a lasting impression on me:
Jan Beaney and Jean Littlejohn but that is until I really explore and discover others.  You can view their work here, I think my favourite book is 'Stitch Magic' they also wrote a series of A4 booklets published via double trouble enterprises that I own and  recommend. I've seen their work up close and personal and it is even more impressive.
Louise Baldwin; contemporary stitch, interesting grounds include antique material, paper packaging and handmade paper. Here is a good example of Lousie's work that I like titled 'for indoor use only'. When I saw here work last year in Dublin I commented to her it had an 'almost irreverent feel to it'.

I'm interested in how much further fibre and stitch can take an image, design, emotion and extend it visually. Up until now I have not considered myself a real stitcher, I do use hand stitching to embellish fabric surface including beading. I think that is why I like felt making. But I do like the idea of a sewing machine with software that you digitally programme and let it away to stitch... that opens up new possibilities, new layers, new work. Textile art is sometimes refered to as fibre art.
Resources online:
http://www.textilearts.net/
http://www.62group.org.uk/


So tell me
Who are your favourite contemporary textile artists? Do you follow any blogs that you would reccomend? Have you suggestions for textile artists  I should look at? Who are your favourites? I am interested in new discoveries who do you follow on twitter you'd recommend? What magazines to you enjoy reading on the topic of textile or fibre artists?

Writting a blog is kinda like...

having an online artist sketchbook to some extent... it is a great way to keep a record of what is going on and share that with others whom are interested. I've been writing this blog for a year now and while I like to write it and keep it updated with what is going on... I wonder should I continue. The fact that I am posting here I guess makes that question defunct. I have enjoyed adding a facebook page and interaction that happens there and on twitter, http://twitter.com/@creativedynamix

So just as the Easter holidays were kicking into gear some strands of personal work were zooming together: photographs, abstractions, text & maps, printing on to fabric, progressing work. I'm excited to share those with you and record them here.
But before that happened I frustrated the hell out of myself and it triggered decision making, clarity and action. Last week I was trying to finish off writing a bursary application. As with any application or proposal for funding you learn something about your work. Getting the application together focuses the mind on what you want to achieve and what you have achieved. But in the last two weeks what it did was made me feel like my work was n't up to scratch that it had not progressed anywhere. I'm taking about my personal art work not the facilitation, teaching, training work I do with community groups or businesses (that stuff I blog about on in CreativeDynamix space).
I'm taking about the stuff that is a personal expression of me making sense of my world. The paint that flows, the fibre that felts or sews that artistic self expression. I had a project in mind that the proposal was already written and designed for the bursary what stopped me writing the application was the feeling my work just was not up to scratch. I battled for two days at the computer not getting anywhere not getting a word written.

So I got up and just started painting, a week earlier I had done some charcoal & chalk drawings, layered drawings very gestalt based work. This work is more process orientated. That is to say that this work is rough work the type that comes before real work. Sometimes I refer to it as dross. Let me see if I have some photos taken of it. Yes I have some quality is not great as they were taken at night with my mobile.

This drawing is one that I will continue to work with and it may have a finished outcome. I continued to paint on it with a palette knife and heavy liquidex acrylic paints. It's my favourite brand. The palette knife is not typical of my painting style but it allowed me to keep the quality of the charcoal below. The is a rough first paint that I am seeing where it will go. What I particularly like about this painting so far is the strong curve from top left to mid point and the flashpoint in the centre.

Monday last week I sat in front of the computer and questioned myself "are you going to do this and go after funding? share this idea get some leverage into making ...in beta happen or are you going to decide not to do this application and stop." The pee or get off the pot analogy.

So I finished writing the application along and put the final touches to it last Wednesday evening and the application went in Thursday. During the process I made a commitment to myself to up skill my personal work. I have been thinking about different techniques and how they might influence my work without scheduling time or making a commitment to test these ideas out. So what was happening was stagnancy. Although my teaching, consultancy and other work was developing great was it at the expense of my personal work? So enough with that!
The frustration was that I had promised myself a computer break from last Friday till today and I so wanted to blog - but needed the break. That’s why this is such a long post!
I think I actually kicked off the up-skilling when I went over to Nicola Brown at Clasheen on the 18th of March to see how she makes 3D felted Vessels.

I had gone to see her the week before to share some rare breed fleece with her - I have a passion for anything that is unusual and while merino is great as an introduction to felt I like to felt with coarser and short hair fleece, actually I like to experiment! Nicola and I are both members of Felt Makers Ireland, I meet her there a few years ago and we both attended the Podcasting course run by Artlinks recently. It was great to go and discover her work we are both interested in sculptural felt also.

Nicola writes an great blog on felt making do check it out, http://clasheen.wordpress.com/ you can purchase her creations and she sells icelandic wool via her Esty site.I really enjoyed making felt along side with someone the creative company was great. Lots of ideas, exchange of information, etc. I left Clasheen with the vessel just about 3D it took me a few days to go back to it and while it is definitely felted I'm not happy with it's hairy appearance. But it is my first vessel. So yehay for that and I look forward to making more.

So last Thursday I had two hours and I decided I'd like to have something to stitch over the weekend. You may have heard me mention that I design my own grounds for embroidery and beading and print them out on to fabric. This is a previous example called 'a sense of place'. This style of work is well received and it sells well usually before I have them finished.

I had worked on a few designs for stitch in the last year and dismissed them so had never printed them out. I had a few on the Mac that I thought might work so I started printing on to cotton and linen. They turned out really well. I decided to not work at all over the weekend giving myself important downtime.

Now I have exciting plans on how to develop the abstracted line, stitch the inspirational text and nuno felt them onto 3D vessels. I'm thinking experimental textiles x nuno felt x text plus visual wow!

I've organised to go visit Teresa Keogh of SmartSewing in Tullow tomorrow to talk to her about an embellisher machine and the practical 'how to' of turning my ideas into actual visual treats.

A book on 'Altered books and collaborative journals' has also resurfaced to beside my desk...

Art NOT chocolate for Easter 2010!

Ballygarrett Art Studio is contiuing the 'Art not Chocolate for Easter!' campaign in 2010. Now in it's second year we suggest the following reasons why everyone should be supporting this campaign:

1. Art has no calories.
2. Art lasts much longer then flowers and out lasts some relationships, it adds something to memories...
3. Original art is affordable. Prices at Ballygarrett Art Studio start at €25 for small original paintings, prints and textiles. Whatever the budget or occasion we have something to suit or to recommend.
4. Support your local artist.

What you can do;

· Instead of buying chocolate view and purchase a piece of Roisin Markham’s art work or commission work, gift vouchers are also available.
· Forward this to all the people you know and ask them to forward it so that this campaign can gain support
· If you’re an artist steal the idea and start your own campaign

Last year I started and shared this campaign with others I hope this year to extend it's reach and get other artists and galleries to steal this idea, share it and garner support from their communities.

All I ask is that you share with me how you used the idea and how it went for you. Let me know how it goes at ballygarrettartstudio[at]gmail.com or tweet me @creativedynamix and there is always Facebook...