Head Implosion (Averted)

I had one of those days today, when I started out all jaded and grumpy, and not sure whether the current pieces are working, and, and...... You know what I mean. I decided to keep weaving anyway, and before I knew it, the brain was afire with all sorts of ideas about how to change / improve / move things on. Too many ideas for a 'bear of small brain' to handle all at once, and threatening to leave me whimpering under the work table! Two remedies for such a thing: mug of strong tea and a chat with a trusted friend. Enter Diana, who listened while I talked it all out, offered encouragement and advice, made me laugh, and then we had tea (and a Violet Cream) together. Thank heaven for others to act as sounding boards when needed. The Tapestry & Textile Art group here is great; Diana, Erica, Magenta and Tommye. An amazing group of women with experience galore and loads of friendship to share. Thanks!

Pieta (there should be a grave accent over the a) all complete. But without all the warp ends tucked under! The threads of the lying figure have felted together a little - I was a bit vigorous with the hot water used to block the piece to the proper size. Lesson learned for the next time!

I have now dressed the loom with three narrow warps; two unbleached linen to start the memorial tapestries, and one red cotton for Picasso's tear. Of which more next time....

On the Move

The Boy and I uprooted thebigone while it was still light, and, by serious remodelling of the car's internal space, she is inside and ready to go south to her birthplace. She is already weathering very nicely - some green mould and rust marks from the steel armature, yummy! Will take some close up photos tomorrow; forgot to take any until too late today.

I shall probably be travelling on Tuesday, so will take the opportunity to do some Dissertation reading until then - the date for a first draft is fast approaching, and I need to catchup and not be seduced into weaving the live long day....

And the frog? Just because I like them!

Grease is NOT the Word, Scringy IS

A first attempt at creating the effect of a 'dissolving' line was just too fluffy, and, ironically, too thick in appearance. Pat coined the word 'scringy' for how the line should look in thread terms; messy, bouncy, light.... More experimentation with linen and cotton (admittedly of wrong shades of grey) and then back to a mix of black Shetland, grey Shetland and grey sewing thread, laid in individually. It also led me to change the core thread for the wrapped line. It is now a doubled fine linen in black; less chance of show through, and it can be lark's head knotted round the first warp in the sequence (no slippage). Sometimes it is worth undoing things to make them better. And so the scringy line is done, the right hand side of said line is about to be defined in wrapped cord, and then the head of the kneeling figure...

Not much time for weaving tomorrow, as we have drawing class all day. It is rumoured that the tutor is bringing some fish in for us to work from!

Today I learned how to do copper plate and drypoint etching; I so wanted to do it last year, but with thebigone to make I did not dare spare the time, glad to have got to it at last. I intend to include printmaking in my practice. And film, so I am having a tutorial in Final Cut next week. Woohoo!! I love the possibilities here.....

"Oops"...

....or "what happens when you are weaving away merrily and suddenly realize that you have covered the cartoon and thus have to do some unweaving (evaewing?).

It is probably because I am a bit tired after a LONG day in London yesterday. If you are anywhere near London before March 6, I thoroughly recommend a visit to 'Threads of Feeling' at the Foundling Museum; I also went to the RA and took in Treasures from Budapest and The Glasgow Boys - both also well worth a look.

And so to evaewing. I feel a bit like the Tailor of Gloucester, 'worn to a ravelling'.

Today's Weaving.....

I have woven as far as I can on the background, and now have to continue the smooth line already begun and begin the right hand side of the 'dissolving line' of the supine figure. Life drawing class tonight, and aesthetics lectures and seminars tomorrow mean that it will be tomorrow evening before I can get to it.....

thebigone to have a new home

thebigone is going to move to the grounds of Immanuel Church in Chichester!! Hoorah; a properly public and risky space. My front garden is just too safe and protected. Have to arrange a trip to uproot her and bring her south....

Remember, remember to blog in November....

I have been busy experimenting with some other mark making, on a much finer sett (5epc), and have now started on a small (A5) tapestry Pieta. The original drawing was A2.

Had a BEAST of a time getting the leashes right (haven't done them for a year), but they do make access to the closed shed easier when working fine.

Here are the pesky things! There are 50 of them, and I had got to no. 45 on Saturday when I discovered a mistake at 34, and then another at 13. No choice but to undo all the half hitches and redo. Chiz.

Here is the loom set up, with some weaving done...

..and here the detail.