Friday Food!

Sometimes we need food for the soul, and also for the spirit.  This week I have been indulging in delicious food, so having had my fill I'm going to tell you how I have been otherwise 'fed' this week!  Sorry if you were expecting a recipe.....

How can you fail to be inspired when you take a course set in scenery as beautiful and serene as this?

West Dean College is part of the Edward James Foundation, and is set in the midst of this beautiful countryside.  I have taken several courses here, but this week I was able to attend one that I have wanted to do for a number of years.

I was first introduced to Cas Holmes several years ago when she gave a day workshop to my exhibiting group, 'Mixed Media Group'.  She introduced a new way of looking at textiles, and when I had the opportunity and the free time to attend a longer course I was delighted.  West Dean College is full of beautiful artefacts etc, and is a delight to attend.  (Yes, the food is good too!)

We began by taking  a piece of fabric and stitching into it.  This is actually quite scary when you don't know what you will be doing!  After that we produced interesting surfaces by monoprinting, overpriniting, painting and tinting.  We used fabrics and papers, often being presented with little 'gifts' by the tutor which we had to incorporate, and searched out leaves, twigs and branches from the grounds to use as prinitng tools.  Carving our own stamps was also part of the course, but I have done this before and had some of my own with me.    Everyone had produced a vast selection of prints and patterns.  Some had been overprinted, and distorted in a number of ways, all were interesting and many a total surprise. 

Next we  pieced and patched (not traditionally).  Somehow that  previously stitched piece fitted in exactly!  Later each piece was looked at again, partly taken apart, reformed, repieced, unpatched....!!!!  It was great fun, and everyone produced exciting surfaces.  The first full day sped by, and at 10pm we left the workshop tired but happy!

Stitching began in earnest after breakfast.  It was exciting to see the surfaces change again.  The truly exciting thing about Cas's technique is that it is very easy to deconstruct the surface.  This means that you can constantly add and take away as you feel the need.  This first one I completed  was slashed into three, and now I know an easy way to find out if it will work before actually taking the scissors to it, but as that is the tutor's technique I don't think it would be fair to describe it here.

The printed background fabric was one of the pieces given to me by the tutor, and I have to admit that I had no idea how I was going to use it as it didn't seem to be in the same vein as my printed surfaces, however, it was perfect for this piece, and the lines of monoprinting fitted exactly to the curves of the constructed landscape.

The second finished piece went through several different stages.  It incorporates that piece of stitching that was done first!  It was also partly deconstructed and added to another pre-formed section.  This is the result.

I have one more piece on which I am still working, but you will have to wait to see that!  Finally, and just for good measure, here is the view from my bedroom window.

I even found the rooftops inspiring!

The colours of Custard

Weekend posts are rare around here.  We normally work at weekends, so blogging takes a very back seat.  However, it just so happens that we are at home today, and I thought I would just show something that I worked on recently.  To say that I 'worked' on it is a little misleading!  It took longer to find the bits and pieces than it did to actually stitch. 

It is just a simple colour study with paper, and I have a feeling you are all asking 'so, what's this got to do with custard?' 

The answer is - nothing!

Journal pages can be created for so many different reasons.  I don't do many, but there is always something that sparks the initial inspiration.  My poor long-suffering DH was browsing the local paper, when I caught sight of this headline over his shoulder.  I have no idea what was in the article, and it was snipped out before he could say 'Jack Robinson'.

'The colours of Custard'!  What does it say to you?  I'd be interested to know.  (For those of you that have never heard of custard HERE is some information)

Custard conjures up visions of hot delicately coloured creamy sauce for puddings, cold toppings for some trifles, cool and set under crispy caramel topping (creme caramel), baked egg custard, still warm from the oven and flavoured with freshly grated nutmeg ... etc, but always a gentle colour, the colour of egg yolks mixed with cream.....

Waaaay back in the last century (I'm not really that old, but it just seems like another life now) I worked for a solicitor.  He had many clients, but his most grateful was the owner of a Chinese Restaurant.  Their history went way back to before I was born, so I have no idea how they first met, but his way of saying 'thanks' for services rendered was to serve the entire office (it was only a small office) lunch on a Friday.  This tradition continued for many years after I left, and the other tradition that continued was the  serving of a traditional Chinese meal followed by a traditional 'English' dessert.  During the time that I worked there we ate our way through a variety of interpretations of apple crumble, spotted dick and rice pudding, all of which were served with custard.  I have never, before or since, seen custard made in a similar colour.  It was the consistency of acrylic paint, and frankly could have been squeezed from such a tube.  It was the most vivid yellow imaginable.   This is what inspired the journal pages.

They were just for fun.