Friday 25 April 2014

Drawing casts - a slice of bliss at Museum of Classical Archeology in Cambridge


Just recently I went off to Cambridge to do some drawings...I have been trying to get out much more to draw, and generally just get drawing anyway. Its like going to the gym for artists! It gets to the muscles you thought you didn't have and the difference it makes to drawing other things is amazing. It makes your brain flow and your hand flow too, with shape and emphasis of line. I went to the Museum of Classical Archaeology on Sedgwick Avenue. Its free to visit - have a check of opening times before you go. Its the perfect place to draw - you can use the museum chairs to plonk next to the pieces you want to draw, and then you can just get stuck in. Its so peaceful and full of beauty everywhere you look. The lines of a nose, the curve of a breast or buttock, and the sturdy profiles of classical rulers and warriors - its just a piece of heaven. I sat and drew for a solid three and a half hours and all I could hear was the hum of chattery kids with parents and a few couples walking and talking  and discussing. Coming out, back into town seemed like another world. I had been tucked away from the modern world! Thank God for the land of academia!!











Sunday 6 April 2014

Sunday car adventure into East Herts and Essex - gorgeous domestic buildings

We went on a car adventure today. Yesterday it had been a six miler walk up to Pegsdon Hills from Offley so we needed to not walk to far today as we were a bit achey. I still have a broken toe, so after a certain distance, the feeling of bone on bone is a but horrid and makes me feel tired and a tad sick! So today was the time to jump in the car and explore a little of East Herts. I don't know much about that end of the county, even little more of Essex I am ashamed to say. I suppose I have always radiated upwards to Cambridge and beyond.

So we headed off to Ware and then bypassed Herford to go to Old Harlow and then up again to Sawbridgeworth and then up to Bishops Stortford. Here are a few house pictures from Old Harlow. It was lovely.!A little place that, though chopped about by town planners and too much infill,  has some gems of domestic architecture at almost every corner. I absolutely loved seeing these small domestic buildings... real homes. Beautifully tended often and just such neat shapes. The blue windowed one I would jump at making a paper cut of. I couldn't resist taking photos. It's a place I could wander round for a fair while.










Friday 4 April 2014

Adult and Student one day workshop - Stratton Upper School Arts Weekend

In February this year I ran a one day adult/student paper cutting workshop at Stratton Upper School in Biggleswade, Beds. The workshop was part of a two day arts weekend that current students attended as well as members of the public from the surrounding areas. Some students came with family members to learn together. I did an extended talk through my work and processes and the rest of the workshop was spent teaching the techniques I use and applying them to individual pieces so that by the end of the day students and adults had a wadge of art to take home with them. Here was some beautiful art made on the day. I stupidly took pictures upside down! but you will get a taster of the work that was created.

My work laid out for people to see and feel....






Cut text piece

Beautiful peacock feather!


Pop Up Festival of Stories - working with James Mayhew and Clara Vulliamy


More updating of this blog! Here are some photos from the Pop-Up Festival of Stories that I took part in with James Mayhew and Clara Vulliamy back in 2012.  It seems a long time ago, but we had a great day and lots of wonderful memories. Set just in the covered areas outside Kings Cross and Central St. Martins' College, the day was a run of different art events. James did story telling and a large painting with the visiting children, whilst Clara made a large collage too. I did a small talk and demonstration cutting faces into paper, as well as running drop in sessions to make paper dragons and free cut paper faces. I am not used to working with a microphone! It was a little daunting at first! but it was lovely to see the children's faces when I revealed the paper faces unfolded! It was such a lovely day, and my biggest festival type event that I have worked at, so it was quite a day!



                                      




Paper faces and a textiles angel altar frontal at St. Francis College

In January last year I worked at St. Francis College in Letchworth Garden City.  I worked with lots of pupils, ranging from Year 6 girls up to the Upper Sixth. These photos are from the workshops I ran getting the students to have a go at paper face free cutting, as well as examples of the textiles work I developed with Year 10 over several weeks. They each made an angel head by using layers of silk bonded onto calico with Bondaweb. After that they made printing blocks from mount card and printed these onto the surface of the bonded fabrics. Additional detailing was done with embroidery and pen drawing. I sewed all the pieces together to form an algel altar frontal that was in place in time for the Christmas season at the end of 2013.









One day workshop with Yr 5 at Willington Independent Prep School, Wimbledon

These are some photos from a recent one day workshop at Willington Independent Prepatory School, Wimbledon, London. It was with Year 5 split into two groups, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, 30 pupils in total. Each workshop had two parts: free cutting session and 3d "Box of Delights" session. It was great to read art teacher Ray Cassar's feedback!



Art teacher Ray Cassar's paper cut face