Surface Treatment Workshop - week 4

this week's samples for The Surface Treatment Workshop

are the results of experiments with masking tape

many of the suggestions included using the tape as a resist for mark making

by painting over the tape and peeling it off again, sometimes several times to create layers

however, I was not enamoured with the technique suggestions for this week's samples

and, for this, I will blame my tools ... I think!

my masking tape was so tacky that once it was adhered to my mount board bases

I just couldn't get the stuff off again ...

so my samples are mainly where I have used the tape to create texture

and I'm pleased with the results here ... but did not tick the boxes (naughty me!)

these are small seascapes on mount board

where I have used the masking tape, then painted over the top with acrylics

I used a palette knife and then heated the acrylics for extra texture

I do like the texture created here ... and will use again

above and below

this sample is masking tape with paint applied thickly all over

to show that the tape and the background take paint differently

(I used paynes grey over burnt umber)

this was where I removed some of the paint with a rag

below ... I made a mini landscape / seascape collage

with some of the bits of masking tape I managed to peel off of one of my samples

I ruined the original sample ... but at least the little peely bits were not wasted

you can see the scale of the "mini" against my palette knife

 this one was a bit more interesting

I used oil pastels which I blended with a rag

the oil pastels accentuated the edges of the tape

I was pleased with the blending ...

and the lighting achieved with the pastels

I created a sort of "horizon line" by scratching through the oil pastels

and it became an unintentional

this one is masking tape and watered down acrylics in turquoise with a little gold

again it picked up and accentuated the edges of the tape

I blamed the tape but, on reflection, it may have worked better on different surfaces

however I won't get time to play with this any more this week

instead, I will look forward to week 5 which is playing with crackle paste

(I've just ordered some new golden medium crackle paste and can't wait for it to arrive!)

a spring moment

sewing a miniature landscape

 

 

and watching a blackbird through the window

very busy amongst the primroses

waiting for tiny stitches and marks

almost two weeks have passed since my last post

 

it's been rather busy on all fronts with work progressing in my new home

a new en suite bathroom is underway but not without an incredible amount of mess

and at the same time I've had family staying with me for the past two weeks

 

misty in Mousehole

 

we've managed to get out and about a little ... not helped by the weather at this time of year
some days misty and other days bright and sunny (but very cold with sleet and hailstones)

and most days ... grey and big blobs rainy

 

nevertheless ... I find myself grabbing the camera most days

because even when it's grey and misty ... it provides a great

neutral background offering lots of potential for creative photography

 

I really hope to become a better photographer with time and love to practice new techniques

so I've just bought "a master class in digital photography"

so that I can work through the step by step processes

and play with some of the things you can do to a photograph
 

I will dabble throughout this year ... but really it's going to be my pet project for 2016

turnstones on St. Ives pier

yesterday I spent the morning "pottering" in St. Ives with my mum

she was very patient while I took hundreds of photos for creative play

 

for me, photography is a really quick way of capturing inspiration for my textile work

plus the images give me a lot of pleasure to create

 

on one of the piers in St. Ives (the lifeboat pier) the turnstones were fun to watch
I think, perhaps, these are babies as their plumage was very soft and fluffy

above is an old postcard of The Sloop Inn on the harbour in St. Ives

which I photographed from a different angle with red fabrics reflecting on the image

the original image was mainly white with ochre and umber tints

but I think the touches of red lift it and shift the focus

I enjoyed playing with the image (which sits on my mood board in my studio)
and this is the same again ... but with a "cine" landscape frame and sepia tones with the red

 

I wonder if these boys went on to be fishermen when they grew up ...

back to textiles ... and here sharing some more little landscapes in progress

it's nice to work with warm tones ... which will turn into fruit plots and allotment pieces

there is quite a little pile of them now ... waiting for tiny stitches and marks

I haven't forgotten that I promised to practice new stitches

and once family have gone home I will get more time to concentrate on them

I did think that the placement of fabrics on this one looked a little like an allotment shed

with a sweep of green silk field

also quite liking the bias and frayed edges on the silk

the rich blend of colours ... "late summer ... into autumn"

the ideas are coming through ...

soft pink berries in my garden

I photographed these berries in my Cornish garden

a garden that is new to me and one that I am just getting to know

they are like pale pink snowberries ... does anyone recognise them?

 

the colours in my piece below are similar
I'm obviously drawn to the warm pink gold tones at the moment

 the bases of these small landscape pieces were put together on my last Crow Day with Jo

and, actually, I am looking forward to some peaceful stitching time

the metallic fibres were ironed and bonded into a fabric on which I have added

metallic paint and gild alongside painted papers and silk snippets
 

so pretty and shimmery

 

there hasn't been a lot of time for anything much the past couple of weeks
any spare time I had was used to organise samples into sketchbooks
but I did quickly get a largish piece of silk (ponge) space dyed

 

this piece started out as an eco dyeing experiment but it went horribly wrong

I caught my silk on the pan and burnt three small holes through the silk layers

 

as I had no preconceptions of how the experiment would evolve I wasn't put off ...

 

I just threw the silk between two jars of dye that were already on my worktop

the colours were green in one jar and rose madder and gold in the other

and I painted on some gold on top

the "interesting" marks on the pan are where my tulip dye boiled away :o(

(I was multi tasking at the time!)

the colours are rather lovely in real life and I hope to use

the pieces of silk in more landscapes, hearts and small pieces for cards

 

this looks just like a pond or rock pool full of coloured seaweed

so perhaps a few pieces of silk may find their way into a beach inspired heart too

 

I left the silk piece in the dyes for 4 days
and yesterday I added some pink mauve to the rose pink end of the silk
it's come out beautifully ...

 

and already my head is swimming with delightful stitchy thoughts



I'll be back soon with a few photos of St. Ives and a seaside post
thank you for reading my textile rambles
have a good weekend everyone ♥

studio inspirations

last week was a very good week ...

 

my decorating got finished ... hall stairs landing and a bedroom

I finished up the five day art challenge

I got my wreck this journal pages and Tuesday tags finished

 

on Wednesday I had a Crow Day with friend Jo

to make plans and work through ideas for The Crow Show

and I began some more mini landscapes ...

 

 

I'm very excited about these colours and textures ...

 

 

and I quite surprised myself by introducing pinks and purples

as I wasn't planning to ....

 

 

I love them already ... even before I've begun to stitch them

 

 

the shimmer of the silk with the added gild and metallic paints

 

what rich little landscapes they will be when they grow up

 

 

I have the beginnings of twelve new mini landscapes in all

and as promised in my tutorial I am going to use them to practice new stitches

I will begin to show them soon ...

 

also last week I "fished out" my shells and pottery pieces and began work on new hearts

I haven't made any in quite a while

 

 

it was exciting to dig out my seaside fabrics and dream of stitching beach scenes

frothy sea foam, sand and sea ...

 

 

to handle the shells ... and dream of spring rock pools

 

 

also last week I had an art day working in my Dionne Swift sketchbook

with friend Margaret (St. Ives Textiles)

 

 

we both took Dionne's sketchbook workshop a couple of years ago

but it's a project that never gets finished as one thing always inspires another

 

here we are working on drawing exercises

continuous drawing without taking the pencil off the paper

drawing with the left hand and drawing with the intent of cutting negative spaces

 

exercises designed to free up the idea of drawing

concentrating instead on lines, marks and shapes

 

 

mainly ... letting go ... being free ... having fun

 

 

yesterday ... I enjoyed being inspired by little collections

little things I've gathered in my new studio room ... which I am loving so much

 

 

 

 

 

I'm looking forward to spring more than ever this year ...

 

 

these little collections bring me so much pleasure

 

 

 

 

I love a little bit of the seaside on my windowsill

 

 

 

and things found in nature

especially seeds and pods for St. Ives Textiles

 

 

this is a snippet from my current mood board on my studio wall

 

I'm loving soft tones of spring yellow, seaside blues with winter greys

that “in between the seasons” feeling

 

 

and always inspiration from St. Ives

 

more gatherings in my studio ready for the week ahead

 

these materials will be used to make my art tag

(with the theme of "text" for Tag Tuesday)

 

 

I've enjoyed sharing a glimpse into my little studio world

 

this coming week will be a good one too

there is a meeting of St. Ives Textiles tomorrow morning

and my mum is staying with me for two weeks

so we will get out and about for walks ... weather permitting

 

any spare time I get I will practice my stitches on the little landscapes

and share soon

 

thank you always for reading ♥