My Glamorous Life

Last Saturday I met up with my friend Sheila at Tate Britain - the long awaited trip which had been postponed repeatedly by weather and transport problems.  The galleries were nicely quiet, and we managed to visit 'Ruin Lust', 'Richard Deacon' and the standing collection, fortified by a sandwich lunch and a cream tea!  We ended our day sipping prosecco before our respective trains home.

This was a great contrast to Friday and my primary school Visiting Artist role.  I spent much of the day kneeling in mud tying string to a chain link fence!

Nylon, jute and hemp rope ready to be unravelled for weft.

The tool basket.

Half warped.

Patent tensioning device!

All warped and some weaving completed by Class One (Reception and Year 1, aged around 5)

The warp is recycled cotton from Texere Yarns; the weft is one strand each of the unravelled hemp, jute and nylon ropes.

The plan is that the children will continue with the weaving between my visits.  I set them the challenge of 30cm by 25th April - given the Easter break from tomorrow until the 22nd, I hope they have been busy up to now!  Upon this foundation we will be weaving six coloured footprints using yarn made from recycled carrier bags.  More later.

The blue (and now also a bit green) tapestry continues apace, but cannot be blogged just yet.  I am loving weaving in the professional studio!  The tapestry positively eats wool, so there has been a lot of dyeing to do - my second favourite creative task.  I remain clam like (see below)

After 'Ruin Lust' I was privileged to visit some real ruins and follies on the Estate where my brother now lives and works.  Inspired to revisit some of my drawings and experiments with verdigris, rust and moss, I have acquired a new sketchbook and am beginning to build ideas for a new body of work combining tapestry and photography.  Now all I need is to carve out some studio space……….