It’s my Turn(er)

The Turner prize winners 2015 have nothing whatsoever to do with this blog..but it is my ‘turn’, well the last seven years have been..been thinking a lot recently about what I’ve been doing with regard to  art and embroidery in the last seven years… the reason this train of thought started was that i needed to give a presentation to the Embroiderers’ Guild AGM last weekend about my scholar year  …more of which later..anyway thinking about what I’ve done in the last seven years and I really do believe that getting the EG scholarship was my Turner so hey…..my golden ticket …(see my very first blog!)

and what a fab time I’ve had since Brock…… bit pooped tho.  Arrived home in the evening to find a house full of people around celebrating the now teenager going on thirty year olds’ 13th birthday, him in doors hadn’t really thought much past ‘ sausages and chips for the kids’ (ooh we’re classy!) so needed to whizz to Tesco express to buy nibbles and drinks,ho hum good job I’m creative! Just would rather not be that sort of creative too often!  Went to the Shard the following week and sat and did some drawing up there ..and more when back on the ground…

these are really easy..go on google views of london and see what you come up with.  Kids love this and so do I!

The view is fab made me think of great work by ‘paint the town’…lovely skylines..Ann is coming to do a workshop at Liss in StitcheS week after next and I’m her slave for the day.

Anyway back to the shard…. most proud of the fact that I got past the heavy security  with my trainers on..evidently there’s a’ dress code’… being foolish enough to pay a tenner for a g and t should be the perfect criteria for admittance in my book but there you go…. i reckon my dangly earrings, lairy coat and too many rings swung it for me….well that along with the mad artist ethereal smile..some nice art work upthere too..cut outs…..last time I was turned away from some where for wearing trainers was the Fridge in Brixton circa 1987.. oh and Tiger Tiger, Leicester Square in the 90’s but hey who wants to go there anyway! Any hoo the reason I’m prattling on about this stuff is because I’m hoping it’s all fodder for future art works… ‘the stuff that is around you influences you on a daily basis and I think its interesting how one incident sparks a memory that sparks another and so on’..all part of the creative process..well that’s what you hope anyway.. need to stay focused enough to make something now..and not keep wandering off at a tangent as is my want….got another meeting for the Heath project coming up that’s one thing to keep me focused…and open studios….more of which later….

Anyway I digress, after the shard went to the O2 which I found to be a bit like a sociology experiment….. sorry big arenas just don’t do it for me..surely you’re supposed to connect with an artist?  It’s too big for me to do any connecting…. could have seen a band  on the telly… but!!! its interesting how distance changes the artist’s connection  (see there was a point to this ramble too) and this helps illustrate why I feel it’s important to connect with the viewer in some way…anyway  I did really enjoy the lines of the building and the sheer vastness of the space..lines and light were amazing..more sketching!!! ..not many people do that at a concert now do they …..and so to the Embroiderers’ Guild AGM in Manchester last Saturday….

 Gave my out going speech as education scholar…along with the other scholars –  Georgina Bellamy and Lou Baker.. nerve wracking but I did it

.and once i got started it was a little hard to stop. oops!  Really interesting to hear first hand   fantastic things the EG is doing.. it’s really important that it survive as an institution .an amazing educational charity that  deserves to  go on and get stronger..Magna Carta, Game of Thrones and Capability Brown Festival are huge!looking forward to the next project what ever that may be

Went up to the City of London on Monday night to the Beryl Dean award .  Some truly inspiring teachers of adults were commended.  Hannah Maughan, lecturer from Falmouth University won the award…look forward to see where this goes next.  Great church for venue rebuilt by Mr Wren after the great fire. Bought the amazing book of Miss Dean’s work that was brought out in 2011 on the centenary of her birth and talked to her archivist. Read it on the train ride home.  goodness she was a power house!!! Apart from all the fabulous photos of her work I really liked the ten commandments for the Deanery created by some of her students including gems like  ‘ In the beginning of thy work thou shalt ask thy teacher.  Thus shalt thou  save thyself many problems.’ I remembered be blown away by her work at the knit and stitch in 2011.!  Saving up for my goldwork course at the RSN…just need to fix some dates!!   My fine stitch skills …still need much work but I love to learn
..there is always so much to do and too little time to do it in..

And finally I end this blog on a total high.  Just been with the lovely Ruth Smith doing  amazing Chinese stitch workshop with a wonderful tutor,  Len Rappolt.   Here are my  efforts..trust me this took ages!!!

THINKING about my version and how to bring into my work …really looking forward to that..watch this space….  will be experimenting !!!

PS Fine Art Degree show on at Chichester..some fab work go and see

  PPS went to see this at Pallant House…especially loved the Radical Craft by outsider artists…I think its just great art tho and not outside

especially liked this poottery and now want to do a pttry course and some work entotled waht i dowhen ima supposed to be doing the ironing

PPS  Are you coming to mine on the 20th Sarah…have got the cereal in!

..right off to stitch…

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