photo: recent sketchbook pages
Hello from the red zone - I mean heatwave England. We are currently ‘not enjoying’ an amber warning of extreme weather to be followed by even hotter weather Monday and Tuesday, with a red warning issued. This is a national emergency and despite some people getting all nostalgic about the heatwave of ‘76 I am not looking forward this level of intense sun. This is a different era of intense weather and ‘76 was a different world.
Meanwhile, I will continue to work and am enjoying exploring a lot more colour in my work just lately. I had planned to be mostly stitching and so will do this in moderation, taking breaks because my machine does not like hot weather.
Our washing machine broke a few weeks ago and for various reasons we do not have another. So I am currently washing clothes and putting the rinse water on the garden (I use eco friendly detergent).
I am most grateful to my neighbours who are feeding us with so many courgettes from their allotment - one of the good things from sunny weather is the plentiful food - if there’s enough water, of course.
I understand many parts of the world are experiencing extreme weather at this time and I hope where ever you may be that you are keeping safe and well.
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Q and A - last week I invited questions and here are a few with answers…
Nina asks:
Do you still have any of your artwork that you created as a child? And what was your favorite way to express yourself, and in what medium?
I sadly do not have any of my childhood artwork.
There was one particular watercolour painting that I did (in Mrs Buxton’s class) age about nine that I made an impression on me - and her. It was a portrait of a green alien-like creature looking in through a window. I often imagined creatures and ghosts were observing me, either through windows, or in a room. This was not scary for me, I enjoyed being noticed! Mrs Buxton remarked in my school report that she was particularly impressed with my sensitive handling of the paint and that she felt I showed some promise in that department.
I liked making things and was always looking in the craft section of the local library for ideas. The books I looked at were often quite dated but I liked this. I still find vintage craft books very comforting to look at. I remember one project I made was a flower pot miniature house. I also taught myself how to knit tiny things using cocktail sticks.I think my love of tiny things started very early on.
Janet asks:
Where would you travel if you had no limitations, and why?
There are many places I would like to see and also revisit. I like the idea of no limitations - does this mean I also get to transport myself with a click of the fingers?! I hate the idea of airports these days.
I would love to see more of the British Isles - I just have not seen enough. But going further, I would like to visit Japan because it is a beautiful country. I would focus on seeing the arts and crafts of different regions, rather than be worried in a big city . I would also like to visit Italy to see at least some of the painted and architectural history. And then I would also like to revisit Vienna and see other parts of France beyond Paris. And Berlin.
And - yes, I would like to revisit the USA. But I know it will have changed since I was there last. I spent several months in Arizona during the early 90’s (my partner at the time was contracted to work in Phoenix). I loved Sedona and Tempe, and we adapted to desert life quite happily (hello air conditioning). I also travelled across to visit my family in Alabama and saw New Orleans, but there was so much more I did not see - like New York - I would love to visit the museums and galleries - and New England.
And the list goes on….
Teresa asks:
Do you always put your gouache artworks behind glass or do you display them without?
I personally have a mix of both traditionally framed paintings in glazed frames and then I have gouache artworks that are not behind glass. For example this one:
This style of work reminds me of old painted wood or panelling of some kind, so I felt it looked better without glass. I have not noticed any particular damage or fading as a result. But I would advise putting unglazed work in a place that does not get direct light (or keeping curtains closed on sunny days - which is what I do).
photo: framed without glass - painting on my wall
Saz asks:
Can you say a little more about all the tiny faces in your embroidery? I find them fascinating and a bit haunting.
I get asked this question quite often and it is a good one - because I am never sure how to respond, because the faces came to me gradually over time and they have become such an intrinsic part of my work - I see them as quite valuable and significant to me, in a way that is hard to articulate. They are both familiar and yet always a bit of a surprise to me as I stitch them. I like to see their characters emerge. I think they are to do with memories, echoes of time and ancestors always there and supporting us. I can understand them being a little haunting and I don’t mind this, but hope they are haunting in an intriguing rather than hostile way.
When I am stitching I will often begin with the main figure or figures and this can feel a little daunting. It would be odd not for it to feel daunting. But just as soon as I can, I stitch a tiny face somewhere on the linen and that gives me a little anchor of hope, it’s like seeing an old friend again, and then I can feel: here we are again - and the rest of the stitching may just work out.
Karen asks:
Can we see a photo of you in your studio or work space
Here’s a photo of my work space taken this morning - an honest, messy space and my honest messy hot weather hair. At the moment I am working on several different things and it gets - cluttered. And, I see, that display board of pictures needs re-jigging. The open window has knocked things off. … I stitch in another space and will take a photo of that and share another time.
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Thanks for your questions. I am sorry if I missed seeing any others.
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A few small stories from this week
I am just a few hours away from completing a stitched piece (the red and cream piece in my shop this week) when a terrible roaring sound disturbs my working. I stop, of course, not wishing to be disturbed from my deep concentration, and stand to look out the window. The Red Arrows (jet planes) are rehearsing a fly-by routine. They swoop and loop above our neighbourhood and beyond. Every time they come back our way the house shudders. I have to stop stitching. Excuse me, I say, some of us are trying to stitch down here… When worlds collide…
The next day: our road is dug up and resurfaced. It is a day of noisy machinery and hot asphalt stench. Just one of those noisy weeks.
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Thursday morning, I walk across the park to the post office. Everything is taller and drier than ever. I am the only human soul around. It’s not too hot, not yet, but still there’s no one else here. I could stop at the top of the meadow and sing (terribly) and no one would mind. It’s a fantastic feeling being so alone and yet not alone. The grasses all about me are twitching, aching with butterflies and grasshoppers, crickets and moths. Birds race about in the tangled brambles…. The streams are dried up. At the marshy area of the meadow I see a strip of green sedge marking out where there may just be a little dampness. That’s all. I hope the trees will survive this dry weather and there will be no wild fires. As I walk by, a horse chestnut tree sheds its leaves as if it is autumn….
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A cat, long-haired grey and white, sits in the shade beneath a car. It mews at me, in a derisive mewing kind of way. This cat is nearly always sat in the middle of the road as if guarding the neighbourhood. Now it has to sit in the shade and it is not happy. I say hello and it mews back at me: whatever, it says, whatever whatever….
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photo: sketchbook from 2018
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I loved seeing your workspace too. X
I love your work space Cathy, it looks very inspiring.
Stay cool!
Sue
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